Wonyoung silently looked down at Siyeon’s neat crown of his head, then said seriously.
“You got stabbed last time, and got beaten up this time. No matter how clueless I am, I know not everyone in organized crime life goes through this. What on earth is going on?”
“…Hyung. Even if you knew, it wouldn’t help.”
“That’s for me to decide. So if you want me to keep looking after you in the future, talk.”
Siyeon pondered with his eyes downcast. Then just as he was about to open his mouth, a notification window appeared before Wonyoung’s eyes.
[※Mission Alert※]
Objective: Listen to Siyeon’s circumstances.
Reward: Penalty Exemption Right (1 time)
Upon Failure: All characters’ affection drops by 10
‘What? It’ll drop all characters’ affection by 10?’
The mission was bewildering, but the notification window that appeared in succession also flustered Wonyoung.
[Insufficient affection to proceed with the mission.]
‘What?’
[Please raise the capture target’s affection more. TIP. Affection rises best when being abangsu.]
At the same time Wonyoung hurriedly checked the notification window, Siyeon gave his answer.
“No, hyung. You don’t need to know.”
It was an answer different from Wonyoung’s expectation. He definitely seemed like he was going to talk.
‘Don’t tell me this is what it means that the mission can’t proceed?’
As the notification window said, it seemed that due to insufficient affection, Siyeon didn’t explain his circumstances that he would have originally explained. Rather than being flustered, Wonyoung quickly turned his head. This was an important matter for Ki Siyeon beyond the mission. If something had happened to him, he wanted to help.
Without knowing where that feeling originated from, Wonyoung decided to try acting abangsu for now.
He opened his mouth, intending to open a status window on the side and check the affection in real-time.
“Wh… why don’t I need to know? I need to know.”
In Wonyoung’s mind, this was an extremely abangsu statement. He was insisting he absolutely needed to know without any reason or basis.
But the affection only increased by 1.
‘Ah, why?’
“Rae hyung, stop being stubborn.”
“I’m… I’m worried about you.”
“…Thank you. I’ll just accept that feeling.”
+2.
‘Are you kidding me!’
Currently, Siyeon’s affection was only 26. The problem was not even knowing what the standard for event progression was. Wonyoung decided to try getting past 30 first, then use the ultimate technique Semi had taught him for times like this.
“If you’re going to be like that… I’m really upset.”
“…”
“I can tell you anything, you know.”
Adding ‘-geol’ to the end of sentences! He felt goosebumps to the point of wanting to vomit, but the effect was certain.
The affection rose by 5 to become 31. However, Siyeon still showed no sign of opening his mouth.
Not only that, he rather started holding onto Wonyoung and persuading him.
“Hyung, if something happens to you, I’ll really go crazy. I don’t want to worry you, but I hate it more when you get hurt. Can’t you understand me a bit, hyung?”
“…”
“I’m an unlucky guy. And do you know how scared I am that misfortune might transfer to you?”
“…It won’t transfer.”
“Yes, I’ll make sure it doesn’t. So you don’t need to know anything, hyung.”
“Siyeon.”
“Just this once. Please?”
Wonyoung grabbed his head. He felt it wasn’t right to be stubborn when Siyeon was saying this much. But if he failed the mission, the penalty would be no joke…
‘Is the penalty the problem? Still, I shouldn’t hurt the kid.’
Someday, for Siyeon’s sake too, he would find out what was happening to him, but right now Siyeon didn’t seem mentally prepared. Would it be right to shake up and tear open the wounds of such a kid for a reason like a mission?
Of course, if affection dropped, Siyeon would close his heart more and perhaps might not follow him like now…
“Uuugh…”
Wonyoung, who had been agonizing while pulling his hair as if to tear it out, let out a deep sigh.
What did Ki Siyeon do to weigh on his mind like this, he didn’t know when it happened. Maybe it was because he seemed to see his childhood self.
If he had someone on his side back then, if he had luckily had someone, he would have looked with such desperate and earnest eyes. He would have begged anxiously, not wanting to lose them.
In the end, Wonyoung couldn’t force him to do something he disliked.
At some point, Wonyoung had become unable to see the capture targets as just data or a game. It couldn’t be helped. When they seemed to be living and moving with such will.
“…Do as you wish, then.”
“Rae hyung…”
“But finish treating your wounds.”
“Yes!”
Siyeon smiled broadly and approached Wonyoung. Ha, to make this fine face like this. Wonyoung’s anger surged.
“Ow, it hurts.”
“You need to cherish your face more.”
“Sorry. It’s something you like, hyung.”
While feeling relieved by Siyeon’s playful voice, Wonyoung glared at him sideways.
“I don’t. Are you starting again?”
“I don’t think my chest is hurt.”
“Ah, stop it!”
When Wonyoung snapped in anger, a warning accumulated and laughter burst from Siyeon. Wonyoung thought whether it was laughter exchanged for a warning as he pressed the disinfectant cotton firmly on his wound.
“Ow ow ow!”
“Stop joking.”
“Yes~”
Soon, as Wonyoung, who had finished rough treatment, was organizing the first aid kit, Siyeon suddenly asked.
“Hyung, now that I think about it, what happened?”
“What?”
“You almost got in big trouble getting involved with Cheonghae-pa… the loan sharks. I heard that and ran over in surprise. I thought something had happened…”
Only then did Wonyoung understand why Siyeon had urgently looked for him at this dawn.
Cheonghae-pa. Perhaps it might be connected to Siyeon. He should remember it and look into it later.
“It’s not your fault. Well, it’s natural if you think about it, but those people came because of my debt.”
“…You have debt?”
“Yeah, I was scammed.”
At the word ‘scammed,’ Siyeon’s complexion darkened. At that expression, Wonyoung thought he was really sincere about other people’s matters.
“How much is it?”
“It was 100 million won… but I paid back 50 million won, so 50 million is left.”
When Wonyoung made a tired face recalling what happened recently, Siyeon frowned and grumbled.
“Those bastards won’t just let it go. They’ll inflate the interest again and exploit you, hyung.”
“They won’t, probably. There’s a crazy guy with a hammer… I have a friend.”
“A friend?”
“Yeah.”
“A man?”
When Wonyoung nodded, Siyeon’s eyes narrowed displeasedly.
“Do you treat that person like this too?”
“Like this?”
“Kindly. Prettily. Affectionately.”
“What non… what are you saying, Siyeon.”
Wonyoung, who was about to ask what nonsense he was talking, asked as mildly as possible, conscious of warnings. It was already 5 accumulated warnings. One more and it would be Penalty Level 2. He was already worried to death about affection dropping if he got a mission failure judgment, and he didn’t want to receive a penalty on top of that.
“Hyung, does that bastard have a good body too? Is he handsome?”
‘Now it’s from that person to that bastard.’
Wonyoung muttered inwardly while inadvertently recalling Heegang who had become ‘that bastard.’
“…He is handsome, extremely? When I saw him last time, his body was better than I thought too…”
“You saw? What reason was there to see his body? Hyung, really, do I just need to give you my body…”
“What are you saying! Nothing happened!”
“…”
Siyeon glared at Wonyoung as if he couldn’t believe it, then let out a deep sigh.
“Well, since you’re kind, hyung… there must be many bastards clinging to you here and there.”
“I’m not that remarkably kind of a person.”
“Yes yes, Narae hyung who’s soft-hearted and humble. More than that, the debt.”
“Hm?”
“I can pay it back. I have that much money. It’s not something good for me to get involved in, but still, I can at least make it so the loan sharks can’t approach you anymore, hyung.”
At those words, Wonyoung was startled and slapped Siyeon’s shoulder.
“Why would you pay that back and why would you get involved! It’s not just something good to get involved in, it’s something you absolutely must not get involved in!”
“You saved my life, hyung. If I had been there, I would have died that night. What can’t I do for the price of a life?”
“I just happened to find you while passing by. I didn’t even take you to the hospital, I didn’t do anything.”
“It makes me sad when you say that. You’re everything to me.”
Wonyoung, who was about to continue speaking, paused at that one sentence. The kid was cocky, saying all sorts of embarrassing things.
“It’s not to the point where I need to receive money from you. I got a job too, and if I work for just a year, I can pay it back enough. If my situation really becomes difficult, you’ll naturally find out anyway. Looking at how you knew about this incident first. So help me when that time comes.”
Siyeon, who heard Wonyoung’s calm explanation, nodded as if he had no choice. Then he soon smiled brightly and teased Wonyoung.
“But hyung, your face is red. Why? Is it because I said you’re everything to me?”
“Be quiet.”
“Hyung. Rae hyung.”
“I, I’m going to the bathroom.”
Wonyoung ran into the bathroom like a shot and closed the door. Then after taking a deep breath for a moment, he opened the status window.
Ki Siyeon
031/999
‘It’s still the same.’
The affection hadn’t dropped yet. He hoped it wouldn’t drop at least today. Because it would feel disappointing if the kid who was acting so affectionately suddenly became cold.
‘…Data… is it.’
At the fact that kept emerging whenever he was about to forget, Wonyoung frowned and closed his eyes.
It seemed more and more things were becoming irrelevant.
And more and more useless things were starting to bother him.
Wonyoung took a deep breath to shake off idle thoughts and came out of the bathroom. Before he knew it, it was almost 4 AM.
“You should sleep, right? Come up here.”
When Wonyoung sat on the bed and gestured, Siyeon made an exasperated expression. On top of that, translucent hearts popped up. It seemed affection had risen.
“Hyung, do you have no shame? Or is it that you have no sense of caution?”
At those words, Wonyoung shrugged his shoulders.
“I don’t want to sleep on the floor, and I don’t want to make you, who’s hurt, sleep on the floor either, so there’s no choice. And in the first place, you can’t sleep on the floor because it’s too cramped. Last time I barely squeezed you onto the bed.”
