“!”
“No.”
Siyeon quickly pulled his hand back as if he had known all along.
“I told you it’s useless.”
“If it’s useless, then why can’t I?”
“Because I hate the fact that you’re trying to erase what happened between us.”
Then Siyeon threw the button out the window. Unfortunately, the button hit the wall with a thud and shattered into pieces.
“Ki Siyeon!”
Even at Wonyoung’s fierce call, Siyeon asked calmly.
“What are you afraid of? I said I’m fine with it.”
“……That’s.”
Wonyoung was flustered. What was he afraid of? You realizing the truth about you and this world.
Siyeon absolutely must not know about that.
“Wonyoung hyung.”
“I, I’m someone who shouldn’t be in this world.”
“Why. There’s no such thing. I need you, hyung.”
“I……”
He couldn’t explain it to Siyeon. He had to call the System. But would that even work? He didn’t know if it would appear or not, and before that, he didn’t know if it would become visible to Siyeon’s eyes like it did with Heegang last time.
Then what should he do? Just…….
“Just accept it.”
Cutting off Wonyoung’s thoughts, Siyeon spoke.
“You’re you, hyung. To me, you’re just the hyung I like. I’m saying I need you.”
Wonyoung’s heart pounded at Siyeon’s words. The temptation to pretend not to know and just go along with what Siyeon said surged.
Couldn’t I just be Heo Wonyoung?
Couldn’t I become someone needed in this world too?
‘……Ah.’
Perhaps, maybe.
Soon, Wonyoung, who had thought of one possibility in his desperation, finally answered.
“Okay.”
He could be Heo Wonyoung. He could do that.
He hadn’t thought of it earlier because he was briefly in a panic, but the full restoration would start soon anyway. When that happens…… all of this would disappear.
If so, wouldn’t it be okay to be a little greedy? For one night, for just one person, wouldn’t it be okay to become Heo Wonyoung?
“……Okay, Siyeon.”
But that was the moment.
[A problem has occurred with gameplay.]
[A problem has occurred with gameplay.]
[A problem has occurred with gameplay.]
[A problem has occurred with gameplay.]
Suddenly numerous warning windows appeared, and the status window, affection window, inventory window, and such repeatedly appeared and disappeared.
“……Wonyoung hyung?”
And Siyeon was also seeing all those notification windows.
Ki Siyeon
711/999
Even his affection level.
“Hyung, what is this.”
His mind briefly whitened like bleach, and soon Wonyoung called for the System.
‘System! System-ssi……!’
However, even at Wonyoung’s desperate call, the System didn’t show itself. What should he do now? Just what should he do…….
“Hyung, are you okay?”
Then, a warm hand approached and wrapped around his coldly frozen cheek. Only then did Wonyoung raise his head and look straight at Siyeon.
“Si, Siyeon.”
And a notification window appeared before his eyes, covering Siyeon’s face.
[Beginning stabilization of play environment. Temporary file ‘Heo Wonyoung’ will be deleted. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…….]
“Wait, hold on……!”
Even without knowing what stabilization was, Wonyoung instinctively felt it was dangerous. But 5 seconds passed in an instant, and a violent dizziness suddenly occurred.
Soon Wonyoung evaporated before Siyeon’s eyes.
“Hyung?”
Siyeon blinked. He was definitely, definitely there until just now…… definitely, hyung was…….
“Hyung, Wonyoung hyung!”
Wonyoung frantically searched through the house, but Wonyoung’s figure was nowhere to be seen.
Siyeon was truly terrified. Because the person who was right before his eyes just moments ago had disappeared without a trace. But then, a sentence appeared in the air, flipped upside down.
[Bug ‘Ki Siyeon’ has caused temporary file ‘Heo Wonyoung’ to be deleted.]
A bug? Me? Why? For what reason?
So hyung disappeared because of me? Because of me……?
Bug, delete…… and Heo Wonyoung.
If he was going to lose hyung like this…….
If he would never be able to see him again.
“……Hyung……? You haven’t disappeared, right? You’re here……? Right, hyung?”
Siyeon looked around. Wonyoung wasn’t someone who would ignore his call. He was someone who would be heartbroken and dying along with him if he got even slightly hurt.
There’s no way he’d turn away when his heart hurts this much.
If so, then he had disappeared. He wasn’t here.
“Hyung, please.”
It was all his fault. While watching Wonyoung’s actions toward Taerim and Heegang, he felt pathetic jealousy. He thought he wanted to occupy as much space in Wonyoung’s heart. He wanted to have a hyung that only he knew.
The more he knew that Narae, no, Heo Wonyoung cherished him, the more he ended up craving greater affection.
Stupid bastard. Selfish bastard.
Not knowing how to be satisfied with what you have.
That’s why all along, he was poor. In body and heart. Whatever he had, he ended up having it taken away.
Because he was greedy beyond his station.
“……Wonyoung hyung……”
But he wished hyung at least, that person at least would be left.
“It’s all my fault……”
Whether it’s Narae or Heo Wonyoung, he doesn’t care, so long as you…….
“Hyung……”
Even if all of this is just a ‘game’ to hyung, he doesn’t care…….
Siyeon slumped down in place. But then, someone fell on top of Siyeon’s back.
“Ack!”
Siyeon called out the owner of that familiar voice, thinking ‘could it be.’
“……Hyung?”
“Ah, sorry! Are you okay, Siyeon?”
Wonyoung, who had returned to Narae’s appearance at some point, asked worriedly. Siyeon, who had been staring blankly at that face, hastily pulled him into an embrace. At that force, Wonyoung groaned.
“Ugh, ow ow…… It hurts, Siyeon.”
“I thought you had disappeared, hyung. I thought you’d never come back. Because I, I acted selfishly…… because I, I was greedy.”
“……”
Wonyoung, who had been quietly listening to Siyeon’s pitiful self-blame, let out a deep sigh.
“You’re too good-natured. I’m not Narae. The person your father scammed wasn’t my father. I basically deceived you…… Wonyoung hyung, Wonyoung hyung, what’s so good about that.”
“……I like you, hyung…… I just like you.”
Siyeon said that and buried his face in Wonyoung’s shoulder. Wonyoung reached out and fully wrapped around Siyeon’s head.
“I’m sorry for making you worry.”
“It’s okay. Since you came back, it’s fine.”
“……”
“Hyung, if I have to pretend not to know Heo Wonyoung, I’ll do that. Being Rae hyung, being Rae hyung is fine too. I did everything wrong. I won’t do it again, ever.”
“Siyeon……”
Wonyoung squeezed his eyes shut and opened them before answering.
“Okay, forget about Heo Wonyoung now.”
Because I’ve forgotten too.
* * *
A little while ago.
“Ugh……!”
When Wonyoung, who had felt dizzy along with the stabilization countdown, came to his senses, it was that same white space from before.
“……!”
He hurriedly looked around, but he couldn’t see Siyeon or the appearance of the run-down house.
“System-ssi……?”
It must be the System that summoned him. Thinking that, Wonyoung opened his mouth, but there was still no word from him.
And what appeared before his eyes was a person he couldn’t have imagined at all in this situation.
To be precise, a chat window with that person.
[Hello, Wonyoung-nim*^^*]
[Nice to meet you for the first time! I’m the game developer<(__)>]
“Game…… developer? You?!”
[Yees…… Kyaa! I’m nervous!(//>^/)]
“……”
Indeed, the game developer was a person solidly packed with pure abangsu. They had been insulting, humiliating, and mocking him all this time with malice-free abangsu…….
Wonyoung asked while firmly suppressing his anger.
“……Whatever, why did you summon me? And what’s this game stabilization?”
[With Wonyoung-nim’s appearance instead of Rae, the already precarious game became more precarious, so I temporarily deleted Wonyoung-nim from the game ㅠㅠ]
“What? Deleted?!”
[I don’t know why this Heo Wonyoung file keeps appearing ㅠㅠ The extension is weird too. Are you originally this persistent, Wonyoung-nim? Is it a virus spread by a competitor?]
“Hey, you guys summoned me and now……!”
[Anyway, as a penalty for improper play, Wonyoung-nim has to stay in this cozy trash can for a while hehe]
“Cozy trash can……? Are you joking?”
But then, an unexpected sentence appeared in the chat window.
[Eh, Siyeon is desperately looking for Wonyoung-nim! What should I do? Boo hoo (｡•́︿•̀｡)]
“What? Siyeon is? Don’t tell me you erased me right in front of Siyeon?!”
Wonyoung raised his fist as if he was about to punch the chat window and glared.
“Are you crazy? Send me back right now!”
[Eh, I’m sorry…… A penalty is a penalty ㅠㅠ]
“Shut up and send me back! Do you know what I’m going through being manipulated by your game?! Don’t touch Ki Siyeon!”
[Ah, what should I do?( ; ω ; )]
[I know! Then how about this?^ㅡ^]
Along with that sentence, two choices appeared.
[In exchange for Siyeon not being able to leave the organization, you return to Siyeon immediately.]
[In exchange for Siyeon leaving the organization, you wait for the penalty to end.]
Wonyoung’s pupils shook as he confirmed the choices. What kind of dog-like…….
“Are you kidding? Do you know how hard Siyeon worked to get out of the organization? Why are you putting something like this as the price, why! Do you find Siyeon amusing? Is he just a game character to you?”
Even at the shout filled with anger, no message appeared in the chat window. As if just urging him to choose an option.
If the same rules applied this time too, after 1 minute the choice would automatically select the top option. Then Siyeon wouldn’t be able to leave the organization.
Wonyoung bit his lip and suppressed his emotions. There must be a breakthrough. A breakthrough.
Feeling the taste of blood passing from his lips to the tip of his tongue, Wonyoung opened his mouth.
“How much time until the penalty ends?”
[It’s scheduled from PM 20:05 to AM 06:00.]
He could return tomorrow morning. If so, just one night…….
Then, a large window appeared in one corner of his vision and Siyeon’s image was reflected there.
