“……You, what the hell are you saying!”
I shouted at Banye with the loudest voice I’d ever used with him.
However, Banye only wore an indifferent expression despite my face turning bright red and my voice sounding like my throat would tear. Then he stared intently at his palm.
I felt a bit ashamed because that gesture felt like it meant “rubbed my chest against his hand” as the guy had said earlier.
“Why…… why are you looking at your hand!”
“I was just looking. More importantly, why are you leaving Discord?”
“I left because you said weird things!”
“If you leave at that timing, it looks even weirder.”
It was valid, but I got heated at the shameless criticism from the one who caused it.
I pointed my finger and trembled “Yo…… you……!” but Banye didn’t care. Instead, he plopped down in the seat I’d vacated and nonchalantly began scrolling through my Discord chat.
I stared blankly at that sight, then became urgent when I saw him enter my 1:1 conversation list. Because the conversation with Nanneomukeoeyeowo was there.
I hurriedly grabbed Banye’s shoulder. But Banye must have felt me approaching from behind and ducked forward in an instant.
Because of that, I ended up in an awkward pose of pressing his neck with my arm.
“Wha, what are you doing! Why are you looking at someone else’s conversations!”
“Why are you hugging me from behind?”
“No, this is……! Hey! I said don’t look!”
However, Banye was stubborn like when he’d read my love letter before.
In the end, I had no choice but to completely embrace Banye from behind and groan while dragging him and the wheeled chair away from the desk. Banye didn’t resist, but somehow seemed to find that situation amusing.
‘Does he think he’s on an amusement ride!’
I gritted my teeth, but this was the only way to stop Banye. And I stood panting between Banye and the laptop, blocking him.
Banye, who had been watching my desperate appearance while sitting with his legs crossed, opened his mouth.
“Is there something you feel guilty about?”
“What? No! ……I, it’s just my privacy, you know?”
While saying that, I closed the laptop completely. Then I said to Banye.
“If you do this again, I’m locking my door!”
“That’s harsh.”
“You keep lying about knocking and sneaking in!”
At my words, Banye narrowed his eyes and muttered.
“Ha…… So fucking nitpicky.”
“You, did you just say ‘fucking’?!”
I got angry at Banye for suddenly using profanity, but Banye just looked at me once with a blank expression and got up from his seat.
Then he just left the room without apologizing.
‘Hey! Who’s the one who should be annoyed!’
I resented Banye, but I didn’t have the energy left to chase after him and argue, so I plopped down in the chair.
* * *
From that day on, I ignored Banye, but Banye instead subtly provoked me.
It was like this.
“Hyung.”
“……”
“Can’t you hear me?”
“……”
“Hanyoung-ah.”
“Wha, what! You!”
“You weren’t answering. What should I make for lunch?”
“I don’t know! Make anything……”
It felt like he was looking down on me and teasing me, but if I didn’t answer, he’d call my name or say weird things so I couldn’t not answer. He must have talent for drawing aggro in real life as much as in the game.
But…… Even though I pretended to be angry on the outside, the problem was that I didn’t entirely dislike it inside.
“Ha, damn…… I was startled when he called my name……”
I muttered while hitting the pillow I was hugging instead of Banye. That bastard Banye, does he know something? It feels like he’s been dropping hints from before too.
“No…… Teacher Nanneomukeoeyeowo told me not to run my delusion circuits……”
To calm down my delusion circuits, I recalled the image of Banye ignoring my calls while talking with his friend. Then my mood sank. Right, to Banye I’m just a housemate…….
The problem was that recalling the worst situation I’d recently experienced made my mood sink too much.
“Ugh, really……”
In frustration, I took a beer from the refrigerator, opened a can, and started drinking while turning on the game.
As soon as a notification that the Aang character logged in appeared, guild members’ chats poured in simultaneously.
[Guild][Anajokiwojo] Banye?
[Guild][Aang] no
[Guild][Suckeot3] Aang’s here lol
[Guild][Suckeot3] Heard the rumor
[Guild][Aang] ? What rumor?
[Guild][Haeyam] The rumor that Banye and Aang-nim are in a lovey-dovey relationship yam ㅇㅅㅇ
“No, what is this person saying!”
I was already confused, and now ridiculous rumors were circulating within the guild.
I was disgusted and tapped on the keyboard.
[Guild][Aang] That’s not true?
[Guild][Haeyam] You’re a hot couple yam
[Guild][Anajokiwojo] lol thought I’d log off cause couples are gross
[Guild][Aang] ㅡㅡ Don’t tease me
[Guild][Nanneomukeoeyeowo] lololololol
I desperately denied it, but the guild members didn’t listen properly.
Instead, they excitedly teased me more, and the more they did, the more disgusted I became, and the more I did, the more they teased…… An infinite loop was created.
[Guild][Yeongmyeong] Why deny it now?
[Guild][Yeongmyeong] Did you two have a couple’s fight?
It’s not a couple’s fight…… but a lot has happened between us. I trembled at Yeongmyeong’s perceptiveness while thinking of the mischievous Banye.
[Guild][Suckeot3] ㄷㄷ Shouldn’t we control Nanneomukeoeyeowo
[Guild][Nanneomukeoeyeowo] Me?
[Guild][Suckeot3] Aren’t you seducing our guild master’s boyfriend this time?
[Guild][Nanneomukeoeyeowo] lolololololololol
[Guild][Nanneomukeoeyeowo] There’s no way I’d do that!
Nanneomukeoeyeowo, who got caught up in the ridiculous joke together, immediately denied it, but since there was already a precedent, it lacked credibility. Of course, there’s no way Nanneomukeoeyeowo would seduce me.
Moreover, once the guild members latched on, they didn’t let go easily.
[Guild][Anajokiwojo] Go have your love triangle fight somewhere else
[Guild][Haeyam] Don’t cause guild discord yam
[Guild][Nanneomukeoeyeowo] I said it’s not like that
[Guild][Nanneomukeoeyeowo] Though Aang-nim is a bit cute
[Guild][Bokgak] ㄷㄷ
[Guild][Nanneomukeoeyeowo] Aang-nim only has Banye-nim
[Guild][Anajokiwojo] Ugh…
Nanneomukeoeyeowo…… whether this terrifying joke was fun, he didn’t strongly deny it and added to it.
I was disgusted when I heard a knock knock on the door.
“Ju, just a moment!”
We happened to be talking about Banye, so I tried to tell him to wait, but the door burst open. And Banye shamelessly entered.
“What? Why are you gaming alone?”
“If you’re going to come in right away, what’s the point of knocking?!”
Banye ignored my words, sat in the seat next to me, and turned on his laptop. Then he stared intently at the game screen with the guild chat window scrolling up.
“They’re saying weird things, because of you.”
“Right, because of you, hyung.”
Banye retorted without losing a beat.
As soon as Banye’s computer booted up, he turned on the game. As soon as a notification that Banyecredit logged into the game appeared, chats poured in as if they’d been waiting.
[Guild][Suckeot3] Hubby’s here
[Guild][Anajokiwojo] Both of you disappear
[Guild][Yeongmyeong] lolololol
In that flood of pouring chats, Banye nonchalantly typed what he wanted to say.
[Guild][Banyecredit] Aang’s drinking habits ㄷㄷ
[Guild][Anajokiwojo] You two drink together too?
[Guild][Haeyam] Does Aang-nim cling when drunk yam?
[Guild][Suckeot3] lol I can’t drink with Aang
[Guild][Bokgak] Me neither
[Guild][Nanneomukeoeyeowo] You’ve gotten really close lol
[Guild][Haeyam] Rather than close, this is like a couple yam ㅇㅅㅇ
Especially, the guild members who heard Banye make weird jokes last time started teasing more persistently.
[Guild][Neda] Did you two consummate at night?
[Guild][Aang] What kind of weird thing are you saying!
[Guild][Banyecredit] lol
But what was more maddening was that unlike before when Banye would have answered something like [nonsense lol], he wasn’t particularly denying it now.
“Hey, you need to deny it properly!”
When I said in shock, Banye glanced back at me and just shrugged his shoulders.
“Originally, the more you deny these things, the weirder it gets.”
“No, but still……”
“Last time too, if you’d just said it was a joke it would’ve been fine, but you left Discord so it got weirder.”
“……I, is that so?”
I lost my words at the valid statement and closed my mouth. I felt like I’d been caught up in Banye’s pace, but I didn’t particularly have anything to refute either.
Banye looked at me with narrowed eyes as if I was the weird one.
“Why are you so serious even now? You’re usually always saying ‘honey,’ ‘I love you,’ ‘you’re the only one for me.'”
“No, when did I say that!”
I didn’t say it that much.
……Did I not? I’m confused because I threw around so many different jokes.
Anyway…… the situation then and now are different. Back then, I purely thought ranker Banye was cool and had a bit of a cute side, but now…… it’s a bit far from pure.
“Then why are you accepting it when you didn’t before?”
“What am I accepting?”
“Ma, marriage or couple jokes.”
It would be better if you didn’t respond at all, but you play mischievous pranks and add to it to make things bigger, which is awkward.
However, Banye reacted like he didn’t know what the problem was.
“It’s true, isn’t it? The marriage.”
“……”
“You started it, so why are you asking why I’m accepting it……”
Right, I begged for it…… Without knowing it would turn out like this.
Even if I resented my foolish past self, I couldn’t undo the marriage I pushed for now.
Feeling the lesson that even in-game marriages should be done carefully deep in my bones, I had no choice but to endure the guild members’ teasing…….
