# Chapter 20
Siyeon hastily spoke up when he saw Wonyoung sobbing so pitifully, seemingly filled with deep guilt.
“Hyung, I’m a real bastard, seriously. I was just raised poorly. I should be bowing down to thank you instead. If you don’t want me around, I won’t show up in front of you anymore. Okay?”
Wonyoung, who could only sob no matter how hard he tried to speak, shook his head instead of answering. He had no idea that this made him look even more pitiful.
“Ah, Rae hyung… This is driving me crazy. Do you just want to hit me once?”
‘And not live to see my natural lifespan?’
Wonyoung wiped his tears with his sleeve and kept shaking his head. This was all because of the choice options, so Ki Siyeon wasn’t at fault. But seeing him so flustered made Wonyoung feel a bit sorry for him.
“If I just, stay like this, hiccup, I’ll stop soon.”
“…”
“Really. This is kind of, beyond my control, sob, ah, seriously…”
‘System! System!!’
As Wonyoung was internally calling out to the system, Siyeon suddenly pulled him into an embrace.
“Ugh.”
Wonyoung, his nose pressed against Siyeon’s pectoral muscles, let out a short cry. He was flustered in many ways. The impressive chest muscles, his painful nose…
And the hug from another person after who knows how long.
‘No, I wish he’d at least hug me with clothes on…’
Having his face against bare skin made Wonyoung feel incredibly awkward. But Siyeon held him even tighter. Just as Wonyoung was about to ask him to loosen his grip because he couldn’t breathe, Siyeon quietly opened up about his feelings.
“Hyung, I’m sorry. No one has ever been kind to me without an ulterior motive, so I reacted that way. Because I’ve never experienced it… I only know how to be suspicious.”
“…”
“You saved my life without asking for anything in return and continued to be good to me. That, to me, is something that doesn’t make sense.”
As Wonyoung listened to Siyeon’s story, he felt sad wondering just how harsh and difficult the settings given to this guy were. Then suddenly, realizing it was his turn to say something, he awkwardly began to speak.
“Um, well, in situations like this… you just simply say thank you. That’s how normal people live.”
“…”
“And I’ve stopped crying now.”
While thinking about Siyeon, his tears had already stopped. Perhaps it was because he understood the other’s circumstances. But instead of letting go of the now tear-free Wonyoung, Siyeon embraced him even more tightly.
“…”
Wonyoung carefully stroked Siyeon’s back, even as he watched his stamina dropping by 1 point due to suffocation.
It must have been a really strange scene, but Wonyoung almost found himself thinking that being held by a man wasn’t so bad after all.
And perhaps because of that, Wonyoung said something he normally wouldn’t have.
“Actually, I don’t have parents either. So I rarely get to experience kindness from others.”
“Then why are you so nice, hyung?”
“…I wonder about that too.”
‘If I were really like Narae… would that have been better?’
Wonyoung unknowingly had such a thought. If he had been as endlessly kind as Narae, would he have been more comforting to this guy? But he wasn’t Narae. He was Heo Wonyoung.
“Maybe the me that you see isn’t the real me. You already know a little bit. That I’m somewhat strange.”
“Well, you are a bit unique. Sometimes excessively innocent.”
Wonyoung gave Siyeon’s waist a light smack. He heard Siyeon laugh.
“I still don’t mind. The kindness you showed me belongs to you, hyung.”
“…”
“You did it of your own will, right? So it’s okay.”
Those words lodged deep in Wonyoung’s heart. Because it sounded like if it hadn’t been his own will, it wouldn’t have been okay.
In reality, hadn’t he tried to pretend not to notice and walk away? He wasn’t a good person. He still thought of this world as just data.
But when he could feel body heat like this. When there was the sensation of skin, and he spoke according to his own will, was it all really just data?
But if they were people, if this was real, then what was he?
Wonyoung felt confused for a moment. But then, as if to comfort him, Siyeon stroked his shoulders.
“Hyung, I’m sorry. From now on, I’ll trust at least you. So please, you should believe in yourself too.”
“…”
Wonyoung softly answered, “Okay.” Then, after hesitating for a long while, he said:
“Thank you.”
But at that moment, Siyeon’s phone rang, drowning out Wonyoung’s voice. Not knowing whether Siyeon had heard him or not, Wonyoung pulled away from his embrace.
“You should get that.”
“Haah, yes.”
Siyeon answered the phone irritably and hung up shortly after. Returning to Wonyoung, he said in a somewhat deflated tone:
“I think I should go now.”
“Really? Then you should go.”
With Wonyoung’s permission, Siyeon reluctantly stood up. Wonyoung didn’t want to think too deeply about it, but he guessed it was probably a call from his organization.
“Oh, about the clothes…”
“Come back for them later. I’ll wash them for you.”
At those words, Siyeon stared at Wonyoung for a moment before breaking into a wide smile.
“Alright, then.”
Wonyoung thought absent-mindedly that he had such a pretty smile as he stood up after Siyeon.
Ignoring Wonyoung, who was awkwardly following behind him, Siyeon opened the front door.
“I can find my way out, so please go back inside, hyung.”
“Uh…”
But he hadn’t completed the mission yet. There was no rush since he had until midnight today, but he couldn’t easily give up thinking that Ki Siyeon would probably be the easiest among the three men.
‘Even if I don’t use it today, the All Warnings Deletion Right is just too useful a reward.’
So Wonyoung didn’t go back inside and continued to hover awkwardly by the door. It was the perfect posture for appearing to regret parting ways.
Siyeon, who had been deliberately pretending not to notice, finally burst into laughter when Wonyoung followed him all the way out to the hallway.
“Rae hyung.”
“Huh? Oh, sorry. Are you busy? Go quickly.”
“Hyung, what is it really?”
“No, I’m just, seeing you off…”
“You’re seriously so cute I could die.”
“What?”
“I said you’re cute, Rae hyung.”
In that moment, Wonyoung saw a halo shining behind Siyeon’s back.
How did he know that was exactly what I was waiting for? Can he read my mind? Is this guy an angel? Well, with that face, it’s not completely far-fetched… Various thoughts raced through his mind.
And simultaneously, the mission completion notification appeared.
[※Mission Complete! Please select your reward.※]
[1. All Warnings Deletion Right (1 use), 2. Half Debt Forgiveness, 3. Choice Refresh Right (1 use)]
[You have selected 1. All Warnings Deletion Right (1 use). Reward has been granted.]
‘Got it!’
It really was complete. To think it would end this easily. As expected of Ki Siyeon! I believed in you!
“Thank you, Siyeon!”
Excited, Wonyoung unknowingly hugged Siyeon. Though it was a hug of camaraderie, Siyeon’s face turned bright red at receiving his first embrace from Wonyoung.
‘Why is this so easy? Am I lucky?’
Filled with confidence after completing a high-difficulty mission, Wonyoung let go of Siyeon and smiled triumphantly. Siyeon, his face slightly flushed, was about to say something when suddenly a “Heek!” sound came from the opposite direction.
As the two turned their gaze, they saw a woman who seemed to be coming out of the apartment next door, covering her mouth and staring at them.
“…”
It was a situation where they had been unmistakably caught in the act of two men hugging. Only then realizing what he had done, Wonyoung’s mind went completely blank, while Siyeon didn’t care one bit.
No, rather, Siyeon nonchalantly grabbed one of Wonyoung’s arms and wrapped it around his own waist. Then he placed Wonyoung’s other hand on his chest.
“Hyung, feel how my heart is beating. I was really excited just now. Won’t you hug me one more time?”
“…”
“Ah, Rae hyuuung.”
“…”
“Hyung, are you still upset about earlier…”
“Shu-, la-, later.”
Thanks to Siyeon’s persistence, Wonyoung regained his senses and almost told him to shut up, but barely managed to hold onto his reason. Yet his mind was still completely blank. Just as expected, this game wouldn’t be so easy!
In situations like this, the best strategy is to gloss over it. Wonyoung quickly turned around, pretending he hadn’t seen anything. Pushing Siyeon’s back as if urging him to leave.
But Wonyoung’s enemy wasn’t just the game.
“Let’s see each other later then, Siyeon. Haha.”
“Hyung, your face is red. Like a tomato.”
Wonyoung glared sharply at Siyeon, who was stretching his cheeks. Pretending to be intimidated by that look, Siyeon said:
“My, how scary. Then let’s do this. You promise to hug me again next time. If you promise, I’ll go; otherwise, well.”
Wonyoung unknowingly gritted his teeth at the annoying expression Siyeon made while shrugging his shoulders.
“Jussh gho alredy…”
“What did you say?”
“Just go already, you bad jerk!”
Wonyoung, filled with indignation, thumped Siyeon’s shoulders repeatedly. Of course, it was a gesture meant to chase him away, but given Rae’s physical strength, it wasn’t very effective. Siyeon snickered at the sight of Wonyoung.
“Hyung, what did I do to be a bad jerk? Someone listening would think I did something terrible to you.”
“What? You’re doing terrible things right n…”
Wonyoung, who was continuing irritably, suddenly stopped. His accumulated warnings had reached 4 already. Wonyoung desperately shouted:
“Use All Warnings Deletion Right!”
Fitting for an item obtained after going through such a situation, the warnings were safely removed. It would have been better if he hadn’t shouted it out loud in his urgency.
Siyeon tilted his head and looked at Wonyoung.
“What are you saying? What’s that? All Warnings Deletion Right?”
“Uh, that, well…”
Wonyoung was momentarily flustered and lost for words. Facing Siyeon’s curious expression, he felt a somewhat strange emotion.
What would happen if this guy knew that all of this was a game, and that he himself was just a game character? Would the system appear and erase his memory, or would he become confused about his existence as a character?
Neither option was pleasant, so Wonyoung hurriedly made an excuse.
