[Guild] Swakkoong: Whoa, we’re finally taking a family photo.
[Guild] GegulGegulFrog: Are we a family?
[Guild] Swakkoong: Aren’t we?
[Guild] GegulGegulFrog: Oh, right, right! Ahh, I totally forgot ㅇ.<☆
[Guild] Swakkoong: Acting cute ♡♡
[Guild] Furple: I’m on my way back
[Guild] Shokrates: Furple, did you just chug a speed potion? There’s something weird on your status screen, lolololol.
[Guild] Furple: o.o I also used a movement scroll…
At Sa-yoon’s suggestion, everyone quickly ran over and stood in a row. Furple, arriving just in time, took the last spot in line. The usual empty backdrop was now filled with eight people.
[Guild] Shokrates: V~~~
[Guild] GegulGegulFrog: v^^v
From poison frog outfits to uniforms, school attire, hanbok, and temple robes—there was no sense of unity in their looks. But one thing was the same.
[Underworld]
Eight names appeared together on a single screen, each with the same guild tag under their character names.
***
Click.
As the door opened and light spilled in, the people seated in the back row turned their gazes toward the entrance. Sa-yoon gave a small bow before quickly stepping inside.
The play had already begun, and except for the stage, the theater was shrouded in darkness. Using the dim glow of the emergency lights embedded in the steps as a guide, he carefully navigated his way through the seats until he reached his designated spot at the very end.
Good thing it was assigned seating. If not, I’d have been stuck watching from the back.
As he sat down, the rustling of the bouquet’s wrapping paper in his hands drew the attention of the person next to him.
“Sorry about that.”
Sa-yoon murmured a small apology and rubbed the corner of his eye. If not for this, he would have arrived right on time. The real culprit was the reward he had received the day before. He had spent too much time taking screenshots in his new outfit and goofing around with his guildmates, which led to him oversleeping.
He could have just come straight here, but of all things, a flower shop on the way had caught his attention. The flowers were so beautiful that they made him turn back after already walking past.
They’d suit them well.
That thought had barely crossed his mind before he found himself paying for a neatly wrapped bouquet of seven tulips. After that, he couldn’t even run for fear of damaging the flowers, so he had no choice but to walk carefully, which made him late.
Fortunately, the play was still in its early scenes, and Shin-jae’s part hadn’t come up yet. Despite his slow steps, his efforts had paid off.
Originally, Sa-yoon had no intention of coming to watch a play he had seen so many times that he could recite the lines by heart. The only reason he was here was simple.
“Hyung, are you… coming to see the play that day?”
Because Shin-jae had invited him. And for some reason, he had phrased it as a question instead of a straightforward Please come.
After that conversation, Sa-yoon hadn’t been avoiding him outright, but something about the kid had been off lately. One moment he’d sulk in silence, and the next, his mood would randomly shoot up despite nothing happening. His emotions swung so wildly, he was like a middle schooler going through a belated puberty.
Regardless, when Shin-jae asked, Sa-yoon had given him a definite yes, even putting aside Yeon-hee’s request to help out with the festival.
‘There he is.’
Sa-yoon’s seat was the same one he had sat in the first time he came to watch Shin-jae’s audition. Just like that day, he could see Shin-jae waiting backstage for his cue.
But today was different from rehearsals. Normally, he’d be watching the stage to get his timing right, but right now, he was looking at the audience instead. For a split second, it felt like their eyes met.
It’s just a coincidence.
When looking from a bright area into a dark one, you usually couldn’t see anything.
Soon enough, Shin-jae turned his head away and stepped onto the stage at exactly the right moment. As he appeared, someone in the audience let out a hushed gasp.
At his entrance, Sa-yoon leaned forward, lifting his back off the seat. His brows furrowed slightly, purely so he could get a better look at that handsome face. And soon, a pleasant voice rang out from the stage.
***
“Oh! Sa-yoon hyung!”
“Oppa, you came!”
“Yeah, I watched the play. The response was great.”
“Right?!”
Backstage after the performance was filled with excitement. The cast and crew were giving each other high fives, thrilled about how well the play had been received.
After exchanging brief greetings, Sa-yoon looked around and quickly spotted the person he was searching for.
“Shin-jae.”
Shin-jae, who had been unbuttoning his shirt collar, lifted his head.
“Hyung?”
“I really enjoyed the play. You were great. Here, this is for you.”
“For me?”
“Yeah, to celebrate your debut.”
The bouquet Sa-yoon had cradled throughout the performance was finally handed over to its rightful owner. The soft pink tulips suited Shin-jae just as he had expected.
“Right, do you want me to take a commemorative photo?”
Moments like these became cherished memories. Sa-yoon started fishing his phone out of his pocket, but Shin-jae was still staring at the bouquet in his arms, unmoving.
“You don’t like flowers?”
Was it too much to give flowers to a twenty-year-old guy? Feeling a bit self-conscious at Shin-jae’s lack of response, Sa-yoon scratched the back of his neck.
“If you don’t want them, give them back.”
The moment he reached out, Shin-jae quickly shook his head.
“No, it’s just… this is the first time I’ve ever gotten a bouquet.”
“…Oh… Your first bouquet, huh? That’s an honor.”
Graduation, birthdays—plenty of occasions where someone might receive flowers flashed through Sa-yoon’s mind, but he kept his thoughts to himself.
He wasn’t sure if Shin-jae really had never received flowers before, but the way he carefully brushed his fingers over the petals before holding the tulips close to his chest made it seem true.
“Thank you, hyung.”
His lips curved into a smile, his brown eyes crinkling slightly at the corners. It was a delicate, blooming expression—like a flower bud finally opening.
Sa-yoon, momentarily entranced by the sight, suddenly noticed something. He hadn’t realized before because Shin-jae had been keeping his gaze lowered, but his eyes were noticeably bloodshot.
“Didn’t sleep well last night? Were you nervous?”
As he took a step closer, Shin-jae immediately flinched away. The movement was quick, like a skittish wild animal wary of human touch. It seemed his late-blooming puberty was still in full swing.
“Yeah, a little. But I’m fine now.”
“The wrap-up party is tomorrow?”
Having grown accustomed to sensitive and cautious types thanks to both Sesame and Shin-jae, Sa-yoon took it in stride and casually changed the subject.
“Yeah, after the final show.”
“So, are you going to check out the festival now?”
“What about you, hyung?”
Shin-jae answered with a question of his own.
“Me? I don’t have any particular plans… Might as well stop by my department’s booth while I’m here. Shouldn’t you be resting?”
“I… I want to see the festival, too.”
“You got plans? Going with someone?”
Unlike before, when he had responded instantly, Shin-jae hesitated this time, his eyes darting slightly.
Sa-yoon belatedly realized his mistake.
Oh, right. He’s not close with his classmates.
He had completely forgotten that Shin-jae had mentioned not having friends among his peers. Clicking his tongue at his own thoughtlessness, Sa-yoon figured Shin-jae probably wasn’t part of any other club within his department either, considering he was already in the theater club.
A scene from a parenting show he used to watch suddenly flashed through Sa-yoon’s mind. Something about how to bond with a teenager—spend more time talking, do things together. He vaguely recalled seeing advice along those lines.
Well, he invited me to the play, so I guess he doesn’t completely hate me.
Shrugging, Sa-yoon casually threw out a suggestion.
“You wanna check out the festival together? I’m an old man, so it might not be that fun.”
“Yes!”
“Uh… oh…?”
Guess that was the right answer.
A moment ago, Shin-jae had been skittish, but now he was suddenly enthusiastic, closing the distance without hesitation.
“I’ll go change real quick! Just wait a second!”
While Sa-yoon tilted his head, trying to decipher Shin-jae’s unpredictable mood swings, the younger man had already disappeared into the changing room.
***
Inside the dressing room, Shin-jae pressed a hand against his chest. His heart was pounding like it was about to explode.
When he first saw Sa-yoon holding a bouquet, he thought, No way. But then, it had actually been for him. His hands had been shaking like someone with tremors as he took it, but whether Sa-yoon had ignored it or truly hadn’t noticed, he couldn’t tell.
Sa-yoon was delicate in some ways, yet completely oblivious in others—it was entirely possible he really hadn’t noticed.
The tulips Sa-yoon had chosen were different from any flowers Shin-jae had seen before. Their color deepened toward the tips. When he caught his reflection in the mirror, he realized they looked just like the flushed tips of his own ears.
In truth, he had no interest in wandering around the festival. He hated crowds and despised noisy places even more.
But the moment Sa-yoon suggested going together, none of that mattered anymore. The only thing that mattered was being with Sa-yoon.
Exchanging flowers was something only special people did. It felt like proof that they had grown closer. So maybe… maybe now was the right time to say it?
Ever since finding out that Sa-yoon was Chasa, he had been waiting for the right moment to confess that he was Killer. And today—today felt like the day.
Opening his locker, he pulled out his phone. Tap, tap. He quickly sent a message before grabbing his clothes. Then, before changing, he returned to the table, burying his nose in the bouquet and inhaling deeply. The scent was lovely.
***
“So, what’s up?”
When he came back out, he found Sa-yoon on the phone. His usually composed eyebrows were furrowed in a deep frown.
