“Hee, Heegang, Heegang……?”
Both Wonyoung and the System were frozen, unable to move, when Wonyoung finally opened his mouth first. Of course, it wasn’t words spoken with a sound mind. How was he able to move when he summoned the System? And he could even see the System?
……A game character could do that?
Wonyoung’s thoughts were in complete chaos.
“Yeah, Rae.”
This time, Heegang calmly answered toward Wonyoung as if the System wasn’t even visible. It was no different from his usual appearance.
Wonyoung rather hoped what he just heard was a mistake. No, it must be a mistake. Otherwise, Heegang wouldn’t be this calm. Wonyoung tried his best to speak as if nothing was wrong to match him.
“C-can you explain about Heo Wonyoung later? I’m, I’m not feeling well right now.”
“Where does it hurt?”
“Well, it’s nothing for you to worry about. Th-that, actually.”
As Wonyoung hesitated, a guide window appeared before his eyes.
[Say you need to use the bathroom urgently!]
It was a different type from choices, meant for guidance. It seemed the System was trying to communicate with this.
[Or say you became a wizard because you’re a virgin?]
Wonyoung almost forgot everything and beat up the System. A joke right now? Besides, that fact only had meaning when you were 30 years old!
As expected, it was a fitting System for that game. There was a reason it gave choices like that.
Anyway, Wonyoung decided to cleanly ignore the System’s advice.
“……I remembered an urgent schedule. I have a day job scheduled for today, but I forgot because you suddenly appeared. I need to hurry and get ready for work.”
“Ah. Then I’ll wait at home until you come back.”
However, at Heegang’s reaction as if he didn’t care at all, Wonyoung quickly added:
“I’ll be coming home late at night. You must have a schedule too.”
“Today’s my day off.”
[What do we do? Really, what do we do? We’re dooooomed……!]
‘Useless System bastard.’
As the System whined through the guide window, Wonyoung cursed inwardly. Heegang still showed no signs of backing down.
This was truly maddening. Wonyoung looked at Heegang, who really seemed like he wouldn’t budge, and asked:
“……Why are you…… so curious about Heo Wonyoung?”
Then Heegang made an expression as if caught off guard, as though he hadn’t thought about that part, then soon said:
“Because you seem to know that person well. Then that person must know you too. How can I stay still when there’s someone who knows you that I don’t know?”
Whether fortunately or unfortunately, Heegang didn’t seem to have the slightest thought that Heo Wonyoung was a ‘game player.’ In fact, Wonyoung had been half-forgetting such thoughts himself for a while now, so there was no way Heegang would think that.
But his Heo Wonyoung radar was accurate. That is to say, Baek Heegang truly was the ‘most dangerous person.’
“But more than that, I’m more curious about the other party in that chat window you’re having a conversation with. Next is that lightbulb floating by your side.”
“……!”
“It spoke, didn’t it?”
At that moment, Wonyoung instinctively sensed something and hurled the System away.
Whoosh, at the same time the System smacked into the wall, a razor-sharp blade sliced through where the System had just been.
“Kya, kyaaaaaaah!”
The System, belatedly grasping the situation, forgot its duties as a System and screamed. Wonyoung felt like his thoughts had completely evaporated.
What now? What should he do?
This time too, Heegang was ‘precisely’ looking at the System.
“I was trying to check if it’s a living thing or a machine.”
“……Don’t do that, Heegang.”
When Wonyoung admonished him, Heegang said ‘okay’ and obediently put the knife back in his pocket.
“Th-th-th-that crazy psychopath tried to kill me! Heuheuheu……!”
“Shut up, System-ssi. We’re fucked right now.”
Now that things had come to this, there was no choice. He had to make excuses by appropriately mixing in the truth.
Cornered, Wonyoung instead slowly regained his composure.
Because he had forgotten, but this was a game.
Things like a character’s memories or settings could be changed anytime.
This happening was ultimately because the game was unstable. If the game was fixed, the System would naturally clean up this mess too. For now, the best thing was to deflect with appropriate excuses so Heegang wouldn’t panic as much as possible.
Wonyoung sent the System behind him as if to protect it, just in case, and said:
“This obviously isn’t a living thing. There’s no way such a living thing exists. It’s a machine.”
“……Really? For that, it showed quite biological reactions.”
“It’s an AI. You know well how advanced AI is these days.”
Once he set the premise and started, the words flowed smoothly. The System seemed to have some sense as it didn’t open its mouth anymore and watched the situation from behind Wonyoung.
“Heo Wonyoung is…… that machine’s name. It’s a kind of codename. That machine is a cutting-edge AI being developed by HS Electronics, and I received it on the condition of testing the AI’s performance. Since I have to pay off my debt, Taerim-ssi did me a favor. He agreed to pay me an allowance.”
“……Then why are you avoiding Kyung Taerim?”
“Avoiding him wasn’t…… because of Heo Wonyoung, that machine. Something came up.”
It was quite plausible. No, this side seemed to make more sense than him entering a game. Wonyoung mocked himself inwardly. As expected of the past planning team’s ‘God of PT.’
“It’s a top-secret project being conducted at HS, so I couldn’t say anything. If it’s discovered, I’d have to pay money instead…… It’ll just take exactly one month. So I was trying to avoid you all only during that time.”
“You’d have to pay money?”
Heegang, asking that, had an expression saying ‘Rae, if anyone touches you, I’ll destroy not just HS but even Earth.’
Wonyoung quickly answered before Heegang could crush the System.
“O-only you know for now! It’ll be fine if you keep it secret……”
“Hmm, really?”
Heegang smiled with his hands in his pockets. Honestly, Wonyoung couldn’t read Heegang’s intentions at all. Compared to the situation that occurred, his explanation wasn’t a completely nonsensical claim, but that didn’t mean it explained all the doubts either.
The part where the System suddenly appeared from mid-air would be extremely suspicious, and if Heegang happened to ask Taerim about this fact, things would get bigger.
‘……This can only be left to Baek Heegang’s decision.’
Whether to believe Narae’s clumsy claim, or to dig into the absurd truth that he’s a game character.
‘……Don’t choose the latter, Heegang.’
Wonyoung sincerely hoped so. Now that this situation had occurred, he realized. Heo Wonyoung must never come out into the world. That would be a disaster for Heegang, and for Taerim and Siyeon.
“I believe everything you say, Rae.”
“……R-really……?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry for trying to destroy your rude AI. I thought it would be a threat to you.”
Setting aside the rude AI, didn’t he just say with his own mouth earlier that he swung the knife to check if it was living or non-living……
‘Ha, whatever……’
Wonyoung didn’t want to make the problem bigger anymore. Whether Heegang really believed him or not, it was something he could just clean up later.
“But I’m disappointed, Rae.”
“Huh……?”
At Heegang’s sudden remark, Wonyoung tensed up again. What is this bastard trying to say now?
“Setting aside the other two, you could have told me, couldn’t you? It’s not like I’m going to bury those researchers.”
Seems like you would though?
Wonyoung turned around just in case, saw the System trembling in fear, and quickly shoved it into the wardrobe.
“A-anyway, this is just a machine. Pretend you didn’t see it.”
As Wonyoung laughed awkwardly while making excuses, Heegang, who had been staring blankly at him, made a sudden remark.
“Okay, but let’s sleep together today instead.”
“What?”
“Just for today.”
“……”
Wonyoung wanted to check the favorability window before answering, but he couldn’t do that since Heegang would see the window too right now. In the end, he couldn’t bring out words of refusal and nodded his head.
“Then shall we eat first?”
“Let’s order delivery.”
Definitely get it delivered.
“I was going to cook for you.”
“Let’s order delivery.”
Heegang shrugged as if it couldn’t be helped and decided to follow Wonyoung’s insistence.
“Come to think of it, what do you like?”
“Me?”
When Wonyoung, who was browsing the delivery app, asked, Heegang made a surprised expression.
“Well. I don’t really have likes or dislikes about food.”
“Mm, still, isn’t there food that suddenly comes to mind, or food you end up eating often?”
“Whatever you want to eat is fine, Rae.”
“I’m curious about what you like too.”
“……”
Heegang, who had been looking at Wonyoung for a moment, smiled brightly.
“What you like is what I like.”
“Really? Then yellowtail sashimi.”
At the immediate answer as if he’d been waiting, Heegang chuckled and answered ‘Good.’
After that, as Wonyoung, who had devoured more than half of the delivered yellowtail sashimi by himself, was rubbing his full stomach, Heegang held out something as if he’d been waiting.
“Candy to cleanse your palate.”
“Oh, where’s this from? Thanks.”
Wonyoung unwrapped the candy and put it in his mouth. It had a slightly bitter cinnamon taste.
“Is it good?”
“Yeah, well…… it’s edible.”
“Edible?”
Heegang’s voice as he asked back was like ice, so Wonyoung asked, a bit flustered:
“……Is there a problem……?”
“A problem? Problem…… No. There’s no problem.”
Heegang answered that way and smiled strangely. Was it his imagination? Wonyoung thought that smile looked a little sad.
But after that, Heegang was no different from usual, and caused another ruckus saying he’d make dessert. Thus, a day no different from usual passed.
During that process, Wonyoung realized that he had quite missed Heegang all this time. That wasn’t all. He missed Siyeon too, and Taerim. Maybe…… it really was time to sort out his feelings.
Then suddenly, Wonyoung was pulled from his thoughts by Heegang’s voice.
“Rae.”
“Huh?”
“……”
Heegang looked at Wonyoung wordlessly. Those eyes seemed to see right through him, making Wonyoung feel afraid somewhere.
“……Narae.”
“What, why?”
“You’re answering.”
“……What?”
Soon, an unexpected question flowed into the tense Wonyoung’s ear.
“If I disappeared from your life, would you be a bit better off?”
At those words, Wonyoung felt his tension release completely and frowned.
“What are you saying again? If you’re doing this because of the past again……”
“Never mind. It was a stupid thought.”
“……”
“Why don’t you lie down?”
Feeling awkward, Wonyoung tried to lie down next to Heegang, but saw something and inadvertently chuckled.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Your feet are sticking out. This bed is a bit small, isn’t it?”
“……”
Wonyoung said it as a joke, but Heegang’s expression was really strange. It seemed sad, and also seemed angry. Embarrassed by Heegang’s reaction, Wonyoung spoke in a slightly prim tone.
“A-anyway, you’re the one who said to sleep together. Even though I tried to stop you.”
“……Right, you’re right. It’s my choice. It’s not your responsibility.”
“Good if you know.”
After saying that, Wonyoung felt like he’d been too cold and added this:
“Anyway, good night.”
Heegang was silent for a long while again before replying.
“You too, good night.”
But that dawn, something happened.
