“It doesn’t matter. If I sleep in that bed like you said, hyung, you’ll get squashed.”
“I’m skinny so I’m fine. Come here and lie down.”
“Hyung, do you trust me?”
“Hm?”
“I was thinking I hope hyung likes men.”
Wonyoung was flustered. Though it was said indirectly, it felt somewhat like a confession. Even though the affection level is low, do they originally confess so freely like this? Or is it scripted dialogue? Wonyoung was confused.
“I-I told you. I believe you’re not that kind of rotten kid.”
“……That’s right. But I’m saying this because it might not work with willpower alone.”
After about 5 seconds of contemplation, Wonyoung said.
“I’ll sleep on the floor.”
“Hahaha.”
Siyeon, who laughed out loud at that quick change of stance, shook his head.
“I was joking. I won’t lay a hand on hyung.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really.”
Wonyoung tilted his head dubiously but obediently moved aside and patted one side of the bed.
“Hurry up and come, then.”
“Okay!”
Siyeon excitedly burrowed in next to Wonyoung like a child. Thinking once again that he was like a large puppy, Wonyoung chuckled.
“I’m turning off the light.”
The pitch-black darkness rushed in again, but perhaps because of the breathing sounds he could hear beside him, Wonyoung couldn’t fall asleep at all.
It seemed to be the same for Siyeon, as he quietly spoke up.
“Hyung, are you asleep?”
“No.”
Siyeon hesitated over what to say before barely opening his mouth.
“……Earlier, you asked what happened. Were you upset that I didn’t tell you?”
“What?”
“If so…… if you’re disappointed in me, hyung, I’ll tell you.”
In front of flustered Wonyoung, he could see the mission window sparkling. When he pressed it, the same mission content as before appeared, but the notification saying he couldn’t proceed further didn’t pop up. When he checked the status window, Siyeon’s affection level had become 35.
‘Did I achieve the condition?’
If he affirmed here, he would be able to complete the mission. However, for some reason, Wonyoung couldn’t bring himself to answer yes.
It’s better to do what the game tells you to do. He knew that in his head. And Heo Wonyoung was someone who moved with his head more than anyone. But, seeing Siyeon’s face, only faintly visible in outline, somehow felt pitiful.
Because it wasn’t his true feelings that saved him, he wanted to be sincere at least once.
When Siyeon said he was everything, he wanted to show him something a little…… good.
Attaching such reasons, in the end, Wonyoung shook his head.
“If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to.”
“……”
“It would be a lie if I said I wasn’t curious. But you said before. That you trust me. I think there must be a valid reason for not telling me when you trust me like that.”
“Rae hyung.”
“Ki Siyeon, I trust you too. So……”
At that moment, the mission window crackled and suddenly disappeared. Wonyoung reached out toward it in confusion, but there was nothing to touch. It was impossible to bring up the mission window again.
‘What’s going on?’
“Hyung, what’s wrong?”
At Siyeon’s question, Wonyoung, who came back to his senses, answered honestly thinking this came first.
“No. I mean, if it’s hard to talk about, you can do it later. I don’t mean you never have to tell me. I’m still worried about you after all.”
“……”
“That’s my opinion. So don’t think unnecessary thoughts and sleep.”
But perhaps he had been too immersed in that situation, Wonyoung failed to pay attention to the warning in time. And for the crime of using a tone that was too much like Heo Wonyoung, he received a Level 2 penalty.
[A penalty is given for 6 warnings.]
[Penalty Level 2 ‘Random Status’ is activated.]
‘Damn……! Can’t you go a bit easier on me, System? Are you going to be this inflexible?!’
[Status has become ‘Anger’ due to penalty application.]
[Status: I’m pissed off!(///￣皿￣)○∼]
Wonyoung jumped up without knowing whether the surging anger was his own or from the status abnormality. In any case, his whole body was hot and his heart was pounding.
“R-Rae hyung?”
“I’m pissed off……”
“What?”
He didn’t know what he would say to Siyeon in this state. If he got angry, he would obviously rack up warnings left and right, wouldn’t he? Then it would only be a matter of time before he received a Level 3 penalty. Forced Correction, that is.
‘That can’t happen!’
That absolutely couldn’t happen. Wonyoung, reflecting on past mistakes, as calmly as possible…….
“Kwaaaaaaaah!”
“Hyung? What’s wrong with you, really?”
He couldn’t calm down! Wonyoung ruffled his hair wildly and finally said.
“I’m going to go get some air─!”
Semi next door even woke up due to the excessively booming voice, but Wonyoung didn’t realize it.
And Wonyoung was only able to come back after about 15 minutes of running wildly through the alleys. Siyeon, who had been waiting for him restlessly, fiercely interrogated him about what had happened when he returned.
After thinking, the flustered Wonyoung came up with these words.
“I got angry at the bastards who hurt you.”
“Suddenly?”
“Yeah, suddenly. The more I think about it, the angrier I get.”
Siyeon stared at Wonyoung, whose face was still flushed red, for a long while before saying.
“Thank you for getting angry.”
“……”
Wonyoung was moved, but…….
“But hyung, seriously, how about going to the hospital……”
At Siyeon’s very careful question, he felt like crying.
Even after that, Wonyoung was only able to fall asleep after desperately appealing to Siyeon that he had absolutely no problem with anger management. Of course, around the time dawn was breaking.
Really, thinking about it again, this game was fucking terrible.
* * *
[That day came. And I……]
[Quietly graduated from school. Without contacting anyone anymore, I lived like that. Burying everything under the name of the past.]
[THE END ― Sehyun BAD]
“Huh?”
Wonyoung, who had been playing the domestic BL game [Dirty Effect] that Semi recommended, was finally flabbergasted after seeing the ending. He endured watching all kinds of embarrassing CGs because it was rated 19+……
“Why didn’t they get together?”
He didn’t end up with the character he was pursuing. Wonyoung immediately took the game and barged into Semi’s place.
And after hearing the story, Semi summarized it in one sentence.
“I think you got a bad ending.”
“A bad ending?”
When Wonyoung asked in confusion, Semi nodded and elaborated.
“You probably didn’t achieve something among the conquest conditions, so you didn’t reach the happy ending. Like events or affection levels. In [Dirty Effect], events occur automatically if you fill the affection level, so you probably didn’t fill the affection level completely.”
“B-but, the other character said they liked me, we kissed, and even slept together……!”
How hard was it to watch that! My vision went dark dozens of times thinking, is this what I have to do in the future?
“Basically, since they need to give the player heart-fluttering emotions, even in the early stages of conquest, characters often make the player’s heart race. As if they have affection. You could call it the protagonist buff. Of course, there are also cold characters, but even so, they keep getting involved with the player character.”
Wonyoung became very conflicted as Semi’s explanation seemed to be talking directly about his situation.
Then, Baek Heegang who made a straightforward confession, Ki Siyeon who made an indirect confession, and Kyung Taerim who is good at picking him up sparkingly anyway…… does it mean they could all completely change their faces anytime if he doesn’t fill their affection levels…….
‘Affection level is important after all, as expected. I’m glad I didn’t receive that penalty last time.’
Wonyoung, who was thinking that way, suddenly recalled what happened with Siyeon a few days ago and opened his mouth.
“Um, this is about a different game, Semi-ssi.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Well…… a mission appeared but I couldn’t achieve it. But the penalty that was supposed to be given upon failure wasn’t given and the mission itself disappeared. What could this be?”
“Hmm, isn’t it just a bug? Bugs inevitably come with games.”
‘A bug…….’
Semi’s words certainly seemed right. The mission window disappearing before his eyes could only be seen as a bug. And Semi added certainty to Wonyoung’s thoughts.
“Especially games in the early stages of release have many bugs. They fix them while patching.”
This game hasn’t even been released; it’s a game in development. This is a beta test. It was natural for there to be bugs.
‘Was I just lucky?’
Because of the conversation and flow at that time, he wondered if perhaps, but it seems it was just a bug. Wonyoung decided to forget about that incident. It would be a loss if he asked the system about it and received a penalty belatedly in the name of fairness.
‘Anyway, I need to raise the affection level more properly than now. There’s no guarantee how long this game will last either.’
Having actually played a BL game, he learned many things in various ways. And one of them was that any game has a set time limit. Whether you see all the story or the date passes, the end comes.
The game he entered would probably be the same in that regard. Then from now on, he needed to work more actively for affection levels.
Even if he would suffer some shame and humiliation in the process…….
And so the next day.
During lunch break at the company, while eating with the secretaries, one secretary sitting across from Wonyoung looked at their phone and grinned foolishly. Then the secretaries nearby became noisy.
“Suhyun-ssi, whose text is it that makes you so happy?”
“Who else would it be, we all know Suhyun-ssi is a newlywed.”
“Ugh, I got goosebumps, really. Are you trying to make unmarried people jealous?”
“N-no. I’m sorry.”
The secretaries giggled while teasing the youngest secretary who had just gotten married. Wonyoung, who was treated specially even though he was a secretary like the others, chewed on his rolled omelet absentmindedly while watching that scene.
Then suddenly, one brilliant idea flashed through Wonyoung’s mind like a ray of light.
‘Maybe I can raise affection levels through texts too?’
He hadn’t utilized his phone much until now, but since it’s a game that’s no different from the real world, he should be able to use it sufficiently.
‘System, I have something to ask.’
Perhaps because it wasn’t a special situation and Wonyoung was calm, the system appeared quickly.
“Yes, what is it, King of Kicks?”
And Wonyoung made an awkward expression at the system’s sarcasm. He finally remembered the incident of calling out the system and kicking it away the other day.
“……I’m sorry about that time. But it was a situation worth getting angry about.”
“It’s only because I’m virtual data, don’t do that to a person!”
“Yes, yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”
So it didn’t hurt even when hit? Then I should hit it occasionally from now on. Wonyoung had such cruel thoughts while changing the subject.
