“Uh? Like a small club?”
An online hobby group or something? That reminded him of how Yeon-hee had recently suggested they go to a board game gathering together. And also how Killer had been pestering him to meet up.
That day, the victor of their match had been Chasa. For the first time since he started playing the game, Sa-yoon had resorted to such underhanded tactics. Killer, who had been caught completely off guard by the loss, refused to accept it, but a win was a win. Even now, it still felt like a brilliant idea. From now on, if anyone made any weird requests, he should just settle it with a duel.
“No, well… something, um, similar to that.”
But the response he got was a little odd. The unnatural answer made Sa-yoon look at Shin-jae. The way he avoided his gaze, sneaking glances to gauge his reaction—it was the kind of behavior someone with a guilty conscience would display. Sa-yoon’s sharp, slanted eyes narrowed. No way.
“Hyung, have you met them before?”
“Don’t meet them.”
“Huh?”
“There are too many weirdos around these days. What if something happens to you after meeting them?”
Shin-jae’s expression was strange. Given that he was a well-built guy, almost 190 cm tall, it was understandable that he didn’t feel physically threatened.
Sa-yoon shook his head. That wasn’t what he was talking about.
“You said you wanted to be an actor. Do you have any idea how bad it would be if a public figure like you ended up with a weakness like that?”
“A weakness?”
“I know you’re just curious right now, but you shouldn’t be going to gatherings like that so recklessly.”
The slight tilt of his head, the look of complete incomprehension—he hadn’t even considered that possibility. Sa-yoon’s expression darkened.
“Absolutely not.”
If it were the kind of face people would forget after one glance, maybe.
But the way he was subtly fishing for information, sneaking peeks to gauge his reaction—Sa-yoon was now certain.
“You’re talking about meeting people from a gay community or something, aren’t you?”
“What? No! Absolutely not! How could you even think that?!”
Denial poured out of him like an avalanche, his face instantly going pale. The stronger the denial, the more obvious the truth.
“You’re not just blindly trusting strangers online, are you?”
“It’s really not that. I’m telling you, it’s not! Just thinking about it makes me sick!”
If left alone, he might actually start jumping up and down in protest. He was clearly mortified that his attempt at subtle inquiry had been caught. At least it was fortunate that he’d found out before anything actually happened.
“Yeah, yeah. Instead of asking those disgusting people, if you’re curious about something, just ask me instead.”
“Really? If I ask, you’ll answer everything?”
For someone who had been so adamant before, he sure seemed to have a lot of questions. Sa-yoon, preoccupied with checking the time, missed the way his eyes sparkled with anticipation as he nodded.
“Oh, just ask me.”
It was already ten minutes before his next class. If he started walking now, he’d get there right on time.
“I’m heading to class. And don’t go posting anything online.”
“I’m telling you, it’s a misunderstanding! Hyung, what do you even take me for…!”
What did he take him for? Until now, he’d been on the fence about whether this twenty-year-old actually liked men or not. But now? He saw him as a reckless ticking time bomb, brazenly wandering into gay community spaces without a second thought.
Still, since he’d laid it out this clearly, he probably wouldn’t do anything stupid. This was easily the best thing he’d done all day. Feeling quite satisfied with himself, Sa-yoon headed toward his lecture hall.
***
[Guild Master ‘Chasa’ has logged in.]
[There are unsettled funds in the trading exchange.]
[A daily quest has arrived.]
[Guild] Swakkoong: I will NEVER forgive lies. If you get caught, I’m gonna torture you.
[Guild] Shokrates: Hmm, I think I’d let it slide once? I mean, they must’ve liked me that much.
[Guild] Oath’s Vow: Haha.
[Guild] GegulGegulFrog: But the person they first fell for… doesn’t actually exist, right? ㅇㅅㅇ…
As always, the guild chat was lively.
[Guild] Chasa: Hello.
[Guild] Killer: Welcome.
[Guild] Shokrates: Hiyo~
[Guild] Freedeal: Welcome!
[Guild] Swakkoong: Hii hii.
[Guild] Freedeal: Chasa-nim, have you seen Trace?
Trace was a movie that had quietly gained traction through word of mouth after its release a few months ago. Just like Freedeal mentioned, they were probably discussing it with people who had seen it on streaming.
[Guild] Chasa: Ah, yeah, I watched it.
[Guild] Shokrates: We’re talking about it right now~_~
The female lead, who had been living a lethargic life, falls in love with the male lead at first sight. Determined to get closer to him, she starts following his routine—taking up early morning exercise and even enrolling in the Spanish class he attends every evening.
Thanks to her persistent efforts, they keep running into each other and eventually reach the point where they recognize and greet each other. After learning about his ideal type, she changes her style and preferences to match his, and soon, they begin dating.
However, such a fabricated image is bound to crumble. Feeling like she’s wearing someone else’s clothes, she strains herself until all her lies are exposed. The male lead, realizing that the girlfriend he knew was nothing more than an illusion, is overwhelmed by shock and betrayal and decides to break up with her.
Heartbroken, the female lead soon discovers that the Spanish lessons she took for him open up new career opportunities at work, and the exercise she started for his sake has significantly improved her stamina. She then shifts her focus, using all the self-improvement she once did for him to better herself instead.
Years later, the two reunite. By then, she has built a successful career and exudes confidence. The male lead proposes they start over, but the female lead simply says she’ll think about it, and the story ends.
With its unique take on character growth, the fact that the main couple doesn’t end up together—a rather unconventional ending for Korean romance—and the director’s impressive execution, the film received quite a lot of praise.
[Guild] Shokrates: No matter how you look at it, waking up early for exercise and taking classes after work… that’s some hardcore love.
[Guild] Freedeal: More like obsession than love, no?
[Guild] Swakkoong: Isn’t our guild master the real example of true love? LOL. A ranker actually transferred servers just to get a custom avatar!
[Guild] Killer: ?
[Guild] Chasa: If we’re talking about true insanity, isn’t that all of you?
[Guild] Chasa: At least Killer had a goal—to get that custom avatar…
[Guild] Furple: Nah, we’re all one body and soul. LOL.
[Guild] GegulGegulFrog: Except for that backstabbing snowman. LOL.
[Guild] Shokrates: Obviously, if the big bros are moving, I gotta move too. LOL.
[Guild] Freedeal: That time… we were absolutely insane. LOL.
[Guild] Oath’s Vow: Six years is no short amount of time. LOL.
[Guild] Shokrates: Hey, Oath, you don’t know the drill? We’re all spamming one emoji, and you’re out here using a different one!
[Guild] Oath’s Vow: haha
[Guild] GegulGegulFrog: Sometimes I swear this guy is just a contrarian.
Oath, Jeon-gi, Furple, and Freedeal had met in another game and had been gaming together ever since.
[Guild] Freedeal: So, what’s your take on this, Chasa-nim?
[Guild] Freedeal: If your lover lied to impress you, would you forgive them or not?
[Guild] Freedeal: For reference, the vote is 4:2 right now.
It wasn’t even a question worth pondering.
[Guild] Chasa: I can’t tolerate lies. Haha.
[Guild] Chasa: You should show yourself as you are.
[Guild] Chasa: Of course, it depends on the severity, but I’d probably be disappointed enough to break up.
[Guild] Furple: Oh… even white lies?
[Guild] Chasa: Does that somehow make it okay?
A lie was deception, no matter what color you painted over it.
[Guild] Swakkoong: Grazie, that’s why I like our leader. LOL.
[Guild] Killer: But if she hadn’t done all that in the movie, would the guy have even noticed she existed?
[Guild] Killer: Awareness is step one.
[Guild] Shokrates: That’s exactly what I’m saying!
[Guild] Shokrates: In modern society, you need a little strategy to approach someone with no common ground ~_~
[Guild] Chasa: Still, it’s all just an illusion she created. LOL.
[Guild] Chasa: It’s not like she was actually interested in exercise or Spanish from the beginning.
[Guild] Killer: She got interested because she liked him.
[Guild] Shokrates: True, true.
[Guild] Killer: When you fall for someone, isn’t that just what happens?
[Guild] Shokrates: Exactly.
[Guild] Killer: Even if something isn’t your taste, you get curious about what they like, want to try it with them, or even taste what they enjoy.
[Guild] Freedeal: Jeon-gi, are you just a reaction bot at this point?
[Guild] Shokrates: Wait, hold up—sounds like Inseong is in deep unrequited love right now.
[Guild] Killer: Stay on topic. No off-topic chatter.
[Guild] Furple: Holy crap, it’s real, isn’t it?
[Guild] Shokrates: Heh, I was sharp for once.
[Guild] Freedeal: FOR REAL??????????
[Guild] Oath’s Vow: If someone actually managed to win over Inseong, I’m really curious about who they are. Haha.
[Guild] GegulGegulFrog: They’d have to be, like… Gandhi? At least?
[Guild] Killer: Muting Freedeal.
[Guild] Freedeal: Nooo, whisper me, please. I’m begging you. ㅠㅠ
[Guild] Swakkoong: Ah, young love~
[Guild] GegulGegulFrog: Inseong-nim, if you get rejected, make sure to tell us! We’ll comfort you!
[Guild] Killer: ㅗ
Judging from that reaction, it had to be true. No wonder he’d been so overly invested in arguing back—he was deep in the throes of a passionate one-sided crush.
Now, Sa-yoon understood Killer’s comments. He was probably trying to maintain some kind of image for the person he liked. As that thought crossed his mind, Sa-yoon squinted slightly. Hopefully, he wasn’t acting like he did online—recklessly chasing after the person just because he liked them. That would be bad.
[Whisper] Chasa: Don’t go following someone around like you did with me.
[Whisper] Chasa: You’ll get reported.
[Whisper] Killer: -__-
[Whisper] Chasa: And don’t lie, either.
There was no response to that last remark.
…Well, hopefully, he at least knew how to distinguish between real life and the online world.
