“If you keep saying weird things, I’m going to tell you not to come.”
“I’ll still come though.”
“I’ll go to a different classroom every break period.”
“Then I’ll search until I find you. That’s how I found noona’s class too. You were leaving my messages on read, so I just went through every second-year classroom. Pretty impressive, right?”
Na Giyeon laughed with a little hehe. It was a little irritating — almost felt like he’d come all this way to take a jab at her for not replying after giving him her number — but the way he laughed was so utterly harmless that it didn’t seem like he had any bad intentions. It seemed like the messages going unanswered had genuinely made him miss her, and he’d shown up purely for that reason.
“If you’d just asked the other students what class I was in, they would’ve told you. Why did you bother going through every room yourself?”
“Because I wanted to. You hadn’t told me yourself, so I wanted to find it myself. I didn’t want to find out through someone else.”
“Oh……”
“So? Did I do well? Praise me, noona.”
Na Giyeon tilted his head slightly toward her and offered it up to her. Just like a puppy asking its owner for a pat.]
[ System ]
[Answer.
- “Sure, good job.” Praise him with words only.
- It feels like it would be awkward for both of them if she doesn’t, so she gives his head a gentle pat.]
Brazen or clever — take your pick. He’d conveniently left out the part about him being told it was class 8, making it sound like he’d tracked it down himself — and what struck him was both the sheer nonchalance of that, and the shrewdness of waiting not just one day but several before coming, rather than showing up right after they’d met. He gave him a silent round of applause.
[ System ]
[I lightly ran my fingertips through Na Giyeon’s hair. He stared at me with wide eyes and his mouth hanging open, looking flustered — and I panicked, thinking I’d made a mistake, and quickly pulled my hand away.
“Why, why? Wasn’t that what you wanted?”
“No, it was……”
“Then why are you acting like that?”
“No, it’s just. Ha. Haha.”
He let out a short laugh, then buried his face in his arms, then lifted his head and covered his face with his hands, then turned to stare at the wall — like a puppy that desperately needed to go outside. The glimpses of his face I caught were flushed all the way to his ears — even his hands were red.
“……I just, really didn’t think you’d actually do it……”
He said that, then ducked his head all the way down and slumped against the wall. For someone bold enough to ask for a kiss at their first meeting, getting embarrassed over something as small as a little head pat was something else.
He’s cute, Giyeon is.]
[ System ]
[Quest Complete!]
[Na Giyeon’s affection toward Lee Yura has increased by 10%.]
[♡36%]
[Lee Yura’s affection toward Na Giyeon has increased by 5%.]
[♡6%]
After the first quest had only budged by 1%, five percent felt like something to cry tears of gratitude over. And the fact that at the end she’d called him Giyeon instead of Na Giyeon was the same as a signal that she was starting to open up to him — which made the result worth even more than just 5%. Things were going exactly as he’d hoped, which was great — he just wished those two would pick their moments a little better.
“……I have never seen someone this unapologetically straightforward in my life. That’s actually kind of insane……”
Yang Inho, who had been watching them, turned around and whispered. Since seats were assigned in numerical order at the start of the semester, and his surname Yeon put him right behind Yang Inho’s number, they’d ended up sitting one in front of the other. And it wasn’t just Yang Inho — the whole class was talking about the two of them and their very public display of affection.
“For real, you might actually be right that she won’t end up with Choi Woosu. That guy is way too intense.”
“Right? You never know how things will turn out with people.”
And it was true — Na Giyeon was the third to appear, yet he was the character who would fill up his affection meter first and be the first to confess. Calling him intense was underselling it; he was arguably the most aggressive of them all. Knowing they’d be an official couple within the next half year, he looked at them with a warm sense of satisfaction.
Now that he’d had his fill, the time had come for Na Giyeon to leave — and on his way out, he asked Lee Yura to please reply when he messaged her. She hesitated, and he started gearing up to lie down on the floor right then and there. Knowing better than anyone that he absolutely would do it, Lee Yura answered in a rush before his back could hit the ground.
“Okay, fine! I’ll reply!”
“For real? You promise?”
“I said okay. That’s all you wanted, a reply?”
“Yes. Oh, and promise me one more thing.”
“What?”
“When I message you later, you have to reply with just ‘yes.'”
Knowing full well what Na Giyeon was like, Lee Yura nodded without much suspicion. It sounded like an easy enough request — just one character to type — but she soon sensed he was up to something, and asked why.
“But why do I have to answer like that?”
“Because I’m going to ask you on a date.”
The entire classroom stirred at the younger boy’s fearless flirting. Na Giyeon had made his date invitation completely explicit and then just walked away with a see you later, leaving Lee Yura to shoulder the embarrassment once again.
This time, Choi Woosu’s broad back wasn’t there to hide behind, so she pulled her uniform jacket over her head and collapsed face-down onto her desk. He could well imagine what she was saying about Na Giyeon under that jacket. That kid, honestly — having the talent to throw away hard-won points like that was its own kind of gift.
The cringey heart CG that had been floating around them disappeared, and in its place, a dark aura filled the space. Where’s that coming from now? — he turned around to check, then immediately turned back. Yang Inho, who had been looking toward the back of the classroom the whole time while talking to him, had gone completely pale, as if he’d seen a ghost.
“……I think I’m dying today. I’m seeing the grim reaper.”
“……I can’t say you’re wrong.”
The killing intent radiating off Choi Woosu and Han Bohyeon — who had witnessed not just what happened at the entrance ceremony, but Na Giyeon coming all the way to the classroom to make a date — was immense. The two sat close enough that their combined auras practically doubled in intensity, pulsing with force. The area around them was conspicuously empty of other students, and for a moment it almost felt like the CG that was only visible to him might actually be visible to everyone else too.
After school, these two managed to create quite a scene.
The moment the bell rang for the last period, Na Giyeon came sprinting to their classroom to pick Lee Yura up — just as he’d said he would. Because of the promise she’d made him, Lee Yura had replied with a yes even knowing it was a date invitation, and the two of them really did go on a date.
“Only at times like this.”
“Obviously.”
Choi Woosu and Han Bohyeon, who had been watching the two of them leave the school, had agreed to a ceasefire — but only when it came to dealing with Na Giyeon. They clasped hands and, as if on cue, set off to trail behind Lee Yura.
To think the most incompatible pair imaginable would ever find common ground like this. Since he was in a high schooler’s body and on the smaller side physically, there were moments when those two seemed older than him — but watching them now, he was struck fresh by the fact that they were both still just kids.
Either way, even if Na Giyeon had humiliated Lee Yura enough times to earn her frustration, she didn’t seem to dislike him entirely. He was glad — genuinely glad — that the two of them had gotten to go on a date, though it was slightly dizzying to watch.
Koreans can’t stand a slow pace — and he was no different. When he was playing the game, he’d loved the fast, decisive developments — but now that he was on the sidelines watching it all unfold, he couldn’t help but feel Na Giyeon was just a little unhinged.
“Oh well. All I need is to see the ending.”
He pumped both fists in the direction of Na Giyeon, who had already disappeared past the school gate. Hang in there, Giyeon. Hyung is rooting for you.
Watching someone else’s nauseating love life play out from beginning to end was doing a number on his stomach. At least since Go Jin hadn’t shown up yet, quests weren’t opening every single day — but with three people involved, two of whom were in his class, he was getting pelted with flying hearts from morning to night.
A good life, my ass. I’m going crazy wanting to get out of here.
“Haa, maybe I should just go see Go Jin.”
[ System ]
[Then shall we head out?! +ㅁ+]
“Yikes!”
The System window had popped up right in front of his face while he was lying down scrolling through his phone, and he jolted so hard it was almost a spasm. The window was opaque enough to block his view, and since it was made of hologram, the phone he’d fumbled slipped straight through it and smacked him directly in the face before clattering down. He groaned and rubbed his nose, shooting the System window a sharp glare.
