The next morning. Today, I ate the meal that Banye made for me again.
Yesterday, my heart was strangely pounding, so I was scared to see Banye today for no reason, but Banye’s attitude this morning was exactly the same as usual.
However, his face somehow looked strangely more handsome than usual.
‘Did he put something on……?’
Why is he sparkling…….
I rubbed my eyes a few times, and as soon as my eyes met Banye’s, I quickly turned my gaze to my plate. Then I emptied my seaweed soup so fast I didn’t know if I was drinking or chewing it.
“There, I ate well!”
“Are you done eating?”
“Mm-hm.”
And I was about to hurriedly get up from my seat when Banye frowned. Then he tapped on the table.
I was awkwardly trying to stand up, but somehow felt like that gesture was calling me, so I sat back down.
Banye, as if to say I did well, handed me one nicely grilled sausage from the plate in the middle of the table.
“……Huh?”
“Eat that.”
“I…… already finished eating.”
“I’m not done eating yet.”
“Ah……”
Right…… When the subordinate hasn’t finished eating, it’s not polite for the main boss to get up first…… I nibbled on the sausage while only watching Banye’s reaction.
Banye ate his meal well without making a sound. Even though I kept glancing at him, his speed didn’t get any faster. Also, while eating like that, he looked at his phone nonchalantly as if my glancing didn’t matter at all.
“……”
If he’s going to do that, why didn’t he let me get up…….
I was a bit dumbfounded by Banye’s attitude that seemed to ignore me, but I couldn’t really rebel. So from then on, I just openly watched Banye.
Then I discovered a newly pretty point about Banye. Not just his face, but the line from his elbow to the fingers holding his phone was really straight and fair.
‘He has a mole on his ear…… but not a single one on his hands.’
Then our eyes suddenly met. Banye stared directly at me.
I awkwardly threw out a question.
“……What are you watching?”
“Card of Fantasy official NewTube.”
“Wi, without sound?”
“It has subtitle support.”
After saying that, Banye smoothly got up from his seat without even saying he was done eating.
I followed Banye and stood up. Then I did the dishes. Banye watched Card of Fantasy NewTube while I was doing the dishes.
I kept glancing at Banye who was hovering(?) around me because I was conscious of him, and whenever I got caught by him who was sensitive to gazes, I would habitually throw out awkward questions.
Each time, Banye was consistently half-hearted, but he didn’t go into his room or ignore my questions.
* * *
In the end, the place I escaped to was Card of Fantasy. However, foolishly, that place wasn’t somewhere I could completely escape from Banye.
When Banye glanced and saw that I had turned on the game, he brought his laptop and sat in the seat next to me. I screamed silently and regretted it, but it was already too late.
Watching Banye log in as Aang, I logged in as Banyecredit. I accepted the party invite that came as if it were natural.
“Where should we go first?”
Instead of answering, Banye quietly stared at my monitor screen.
Then he asked bluntly.
“Hyung, you’re going to max level that, right?”
“Huh? Yeah, I have to max it.”
“Hmm.”
Instead of going straight to the dungeon, Banye was lost in thought for a moment.
“Why…… why?”
“If you’re going to max level, wouldn’t it be better to focus on buffer builds from now on? You don’t really solo much anyway. Since you go around with me.”
“I go around with other people too, though?”
“Your control is pretty bad, hyung.”
“……It’s not that bad.”
I denied it desperately, but it wasn’t very convincing.
Then, Banye got up and strode closer.
“Let me see for a moment.”
“Huh?”
Banye, who had approached behind my chair, stretched out his arm.
Banye’s left hand was placed on the desk to my left, and his other hand was placed on the mouse on the right. Banye leaned down and casually placed his chin on my shoulder.
In other words, I was back-hugged.
As his soft cheek touched me, my body stiffened rigidly. In the midst of it all, Banye’s body scent mixed with a faint cigarette smell wafted over, making my head spin.
“I’m not saying to remove all combat skills, just if you remove a few……”
“……”
“From the last time you did a live stream.”
“Uh……”
“It was funny that you couldn’t do it but followed me around, but I think it would also be good if you gave buffs and did something like a time attack?”
“……”
“What do you think?”
“……”
“Hyung.”
“……U, uh!”
Only after responding belatedly did I realize that Banye had said a lot to me.
But I didn’t have the mental capacity to focus on what Banye was saying. I didn’t even know what he said, so what…….
I twisted my body to escape from Banye. However, even though I removed the chin that was on my shoulder, my body was still trapped in Banye’s arms.
“Ba, Banye-ya.”
“Is it no good?”
“N, no…… Ju, just a moment.”
At this point, he would normally move aside, but Banye didn’t budge. In the end, I was only able to escape from Banye’s arms after making the excuse “Ba, bathroom……”
In the bathroom I entered as if fleeing, I pulled at my hair.
‘What is this, what the hell?!’
My heart was pounding like crazy.
Since last night, I had been too conscious of Banye. The problem was that this conscious feeling…… was a bit familiar.
In other words, it was similar to when I first had an online relationship with that bastard Kwon Dajeong.
‘You crazy bastard.’
Even to myself, I wasn’t in my right mind. After being burned like that, I’m getting heart flutters for Banye who I met in a game again? This was hopeless, really hopeless.
‘There’s no way I’m that out of my mind.’
Banye is just too handsome…… That’s why my heart is acting up a bit. Honestly, that face is a scam…… Yeah.
“Calm down.”
But when I washed my face with cold water, came out of the bathroom, and returned to my room, as soon as Banye turned to look at me, I avoided his gaze again. It was beyond my control.
‘……I’m going crazy.’
At this rate, won’t Banye definitely notice that I’m different from usual?
But then, Banye called me.
“Hyung.”
“……U, uh?”
“I’m going out later and sleeping outside.”
“What?”
I was startled and looked at Banye. Banye was looking at me with his characteristic expressionless face.
I wondered if Banye had noticed my strange(?) inner thoughts, so I asked cautiously.
“Why……? Is something…… un, uncomfortable……?”
“There’s something I left at my previous place, so I’m going to get it and then I’ll probably meet some friends. But it’ll be late, so I’ll just sleep at my friend’s place and come back.”
“Ah……”
Just as I was feeling embarrassed for jumping to conclusions, Banye said something to me that was, for him, like a joke.
“Are you upset that I’m staying out?”
I answered Banye’s joking remark with a serious face.
“No! I’m absolutely not upset! It’s fine. You can go out and sleep freely anytime.”
Thanks to that, the atmosphere was completely ruined.
Banye’s smile disappeared, and only then did I realize that Banye had made a joke that was unusually affectionate for that guy.
“Ah…… haha.”
I tried to laugh awkwardly, but Banye had already turned cold and passed by me to go to his room.
‘I screwed up……’
I held my head and silently contorted my face, then soon became tired of everything.
* * *
I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes. I didn’t want to think about anything. I’m so tired…… But thoughts of Banye wouldn’t leave my head.
“Why?”
I’ve been getting along well with Banye all this time?! But now all of a sudden?
“……Am I lonely?”
So am I just charmed by Banye who’s close by?
This had some possibility. Well…… I haven’t been meeting people at all lately, and I’m always only with Banye. Plus, with that kind of face, it’s understandable…….
“It’s…… it’s also severe, right? Yeah. That’s why……”
I was lying sprawled out, then changed to a prone position. Then I grabbed and pulled over my phone that I had carelessly thrown next to my pillow.
I scrolled up through my messenger, but there wasn’t really anyone to contact at this afternoon hour. And obviously, but the people I could contact were all just gaming connections.
“……There is a problem.”
Even while muttering, I tried sending a message to Anaki on Discord. Because somehow I felt like Anaki would answer if I talked to him.
[Aang] Hey Aki what you doing
[Anajokiwojo] ? lol
However, Anaki didn’t give me an answer after that question mark. That’s too much, really……!
So I sent a Discord message to the next person who seemed like they wouldn’t ignore me.
[Aang] What you doing
[Nanneomukeoeyeowo] Me? Playing Euro Truck lol
[Nanneomukeoeyeowo] What about you?
And my choice was right.
I excitedly started sending replies to Nanneomukeoeyeowo.
