“Affection level? You’re going to completely blow away the affection level?”
Wonyoung, who had been watching all three men through a large virtual screen, jumped at the conclusion they reached. How hard did I work to build that up?!
Is that all a combined IQ of 540 (estimated) can come up with?!
[Please calm down, Wonyoung-nim ㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
“Do I look like I can calm down right now? And you’re going to comfort me?! You’re the one who shoved me in the trash can, you know?”
[Hiing…… I’m sorry (シ. .)シ]
“Then what’s different from a reset……”
[But, it’s clear that they care about you. Excessively so.]
“……”
Wonyoung was silent. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t happy about their affection. But it was also true that the game developer before him was bothering him. He…… wasn’t simply abangsu.
He was feeling hostility toward him. As if, he was even jealous.
Wonyoung briefly took his eyes off the screen and looked at the chat window before asking.
“Who are you?”
[I’m the game developer ><]
“So, who are you as the game developer?”
[Gasp, that’s a secret //>/]
Is this stupidity also an act? Wonyoung, who had been pondering, revealed what he suspected.
“By any chance…… weren’t you the one who leaked my plan to a place called ‘Heaven’s Great Loan’ under the name ‘Heo Wonyoung’ before? At that time, the only ones who knew about Heo Wonyoung were me, the System, and you, but the System has no reason to do that. Unless you ordered it.”
[………]
[What are you talking about? ヽ(￣∼￣ )ノ]
“Don’t play dumb. Why did you do it? Why did you interfere with me……”
[Virus ‘Heo Wonyoung’ will be restored. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…….]
A virus?!
“Hey, I’m not a virus, you know?!”
At the same time Wonyoung shouted, his vision flashed white again.
Thud.
When he opened his eyes, he had fallen onto an old bed. The springs creaked laboriously.
“……I’m back.”
It was ‘Narae’s house’. Wonyoung quickly got up and checked the mirror first. Instead of Narae, Heo Wonyoung was reflected there.
Wonyoung stared blankly at that face for a moment. The fact that he returned as Heo Wonyoung meant in the end…….
‘It means all the affection levels have been reset.’
He felt a little deflated. He knew they had no choice, but still…… still.
‘……It’s my greed again.’
Even so, Wonyoung couldn’t give up a small hope and opened the affection window. However.
Kyung Taerim
000/999
Ki Siyeon
000/999
Baek Heegang
000/999
Everyone’s affection level had returned to 0. Wonyoung was greatly disappointed.
‘I’m not even Narae. Can I…… be loved again?’
That wouldn’t be possible. Everything was possible because it was Narae, because it was abangsu. Because Heo Wonyoung is too different from that…….
After sitting blankly like that for a while, he hesitantly picked up his phone. The first contact he looked for was Taerim’s. He had been bothered all along by parting while being misunderstood.
Would he answer if contacted? Would it be okay to ask to meet? What if, what if…….
―Then does that mean all of this was a game to you?
No, no.
Recalling Taerim’s reaction when he learned the truth, Wonyoung shook his head.
He didn’t have the confidence to receive Taerim’s reproachful gaze again. He was the one who said he’d offer his affection level. He might have felt that affection levels were useless anymore…….
While immersed in gloomy thoughts, he came to his senses at the sound of his phone ringing. It was a work alarm.
‘……What should I tell the boss?’
While still pondering with half-distracted thoughts, Wonyoung got up from his seat.
Soon after arriving at the cafe, he saw the familiar face of the owner.
“Welcome!”
“……Um, boss.”
“Yes? Will you order?”
Wonyoung, who had been staring at the ‘Meringue Cake’ the owner had put in the display case, opened his mouth.
“……Please give me one of those cakes.”
“Yes! You have good taste. Aren’t you curious why it’s called Meringue Cake?”
Since it seemed like she’d cry if he said he wasn’t curious, Wonyoung had no choice but to ask why. The owner explained while taking his card and processing payment.
“We have an employee named Narae. He’s a really cute person, and this is a meringue cookie shaped like him. That’s why it’s Meringue!”
Even though I opposed it so much, in the end…… what a persistent person. So this is how the abangsu victory formula applies.
“Does it seem bad……?”
Wonyoung, who couldn’t tell the teary-eyed owner it was terrible, forced a smile.
“No, well…… it suits him.”
“Right? Thank you. Then enjoy!”
He received the cake and card and bowed in greeting, when the phone in the cafe rang just then. Wonyoung sent an apology and encouragement inwardly and turned around. But the owner’s voice suddenly stuck in Wonyoung’s ears.
“Yes? 60 cups? Ah, that’s, well, I, ah, no. Ah…… I-I understand for now. Please understand that it might be a bit delayed……”
The owner who hung up sighed.
“Rae-ssi, why isn’t he coming……”
Ah…… really…….
Wonyoung ruffled his hair and turned back toward the owner.
“Um, if it’s okay, should I help instead?”
“Yes?”
“It seems like you got a group order. I’m, well…… a cafe part-timer originally.”
“Yes?”
Wonyoung’s face reddened because he was embarrassed by himself saying such things. He wondered how absurd it must seem from the owner’s perspective. But unexpectedly, the owner grabbed Wonyoung’s hand with momentum like she was about to shed tears.
“Can you do that……?!”
“Uh…… yes, of course.”
“Then just a moment, our employee seems to be running a bit late, so could you help just until then?”
“Y-yes, I will.”
As expected, the abang-owner readily accepted this absurd talk. Abangsu and gullible people are one! Wonyoung realized keenly.
“Fortunately, there’s only one type, Americano, so it should be okay. There is one chocolate latte, but I can make that……”
“Yes?”
Flustered by the somehow familiar order, Wonyoung was about to ask about the orderer when the owner rolled up her sleeves and smiled.
“Well then, since we don’t have time, let’s start right away!”
“……Yes.”
Could it be you? Could it be…….
With unavoidable expectations, Wonyoung frantically helped the owner. Even in the midst of that, thump thump, the sound of his clueless heart grew faster as time passed.
Like that, 30 minutes flew by in a flash. The owner, who finished packaging the last drink, opened her mouth.
“The delivery is……”
“I’ll go!”
“Oh, could I ask you to……?”
“Yes.”
Wonyoung loaded up 60 cups of drinks and got in the car. The delivery address was a place he’d never seen before, but his expectations still didn’t stop. Because filming locations could change anytime.
‘If it’s you……’
The memories remain but the affection level is 0. How should he act? How will you treat me?
Even the parting wasn’t proper. He disappeared without even saying goodbye. And then they were meeting again.
It’s that Baek Heegang. He didn’t know how he’d come out.
But no matter how he came out, he wouldn’t get hurt, Wonyoung tried hard to soothe the anxiety that came with expectations.
Soon the navigation announced the destination. When he parked the car and got out, he saw staff busy with filming preparations.
“Um, coffee delivery……”
Wonyoung, who was about to grab a passing staff member, hesitated. Between the running staff, a familiar face receiving makeup passed by.
Wonyoung walked toward that place as if possessed. Unable to even avoid the people blocking his view, he fumbled his way forward.
And finally he saw him.
Heegang with his eyes closed, slightly frowning as if tired.
“Heegang……”
Wonyoung, about to call him, bumped into a staff member who suddenly popped out.
“Ugh!”
But there was a hand that caught him as he was about to fall. None other than Heegang’s hand.
Wonyoung looked up at him blankly.
“……Baek Heegang.”
Was it because of the sunlight? He opened his mouth with a particularly dazzling smile.
“Hi, Heo Wonyoung.”
* * *
Wonyoung sat awkwardly, sucking on his chocolate latte. Next to him, Heegang was drinking coffee at a slight distance.
The chocolate latte had a slight cinnamon taste. Then he does have all his memories after all.
Nevertheless, Heegang remained silent the whole time. Wonyoung, who had been hesitating, opened his mouth first.
“Heegang.”
“……”
“Um, nothing happened, right? Um, well, I…… I was watching everything you guys did yesterday. And then, I suddenly returned home.”
“……”
“I was, really worried.”
Wonyoung said that and finally looked at Heegang. Then he flinched. It was because he realized Heegang had been looking at him from the beginning.
“It, is strange after all, right? Since I’m not Narae……”
But then, Heegang laughed with a “pfft.”
And at the same time, hearts started gushing from him like crazy.
The whole world was colored with hearts, and in the center, only Heegang’s smiling face could be seen.
“I missed you.”
“How……”
Even while Wonyoung sat blankly, the affection level was still rising. Heegang asked with a smile.
“Didn’t expect this?”
“……What do you mean……?”
“I should be annoyed, but instead I’m laughing.”
“……?”
As Wonyoung still wore a clueless expression, Heegang said.
“You let my words go in one ear and out the other.”
“When did I? I never did that. I listened to your words so well……”
“You said you liked me. That you liked me, Heo Wonyoung, not anyone else.”
“……!”
At those words, Wonyoung’s face instantly flushed bright red. Then, then…….
“I offered the affection level as payment knowing this would happen. As long as the memories I spent with you don’t disappear, emotions and such can be revived as much as needed.”
At those words, Wonyoung choked up for a moment. Even knowing there was no other way, he had felt hurt that they gave up the affection level too easily. But they had believed in their own hearts toward Heo Wonyoung.
Not knowing that and feeling hurt even briefly, he felt pathetic, and he was grateful and sorry to everyone who chose him, not Narae.
“There are many things I want to be angry about for various reasons, but I only couldn’t see you for a few hours yesterday, yet I’m glad to see you. So much that I can’t even think of anything else.”
Wonyoung answered with an overwhelming heart.
“……Me too, me too.”
Soon Heegang spread his arms, and Wonyoung nestled into his embrace.
“Thank you, Heegang.”
Instead of answering, Heegang hugged Wonyoung in his arms even tighter. As if he would never let go.
