He hadn’t thought this way from the start.
“Sleep well, Hyung.”
“You too, Se-min.”
***
B-Rank Illusion-Type Dungeon Gate — Mindscape.
Have you ever wondered what it would look like if the world we live in—possibly just an artificial construct created by an AI—were to collapse?
Sung Cha-hyeon had never wasted his imagination on such impossible ideas. But if that kind of world were to truly fall apart, he thought it might look exactly like this.
“…A dream…?”
At Ji Se-min’s words, the sky and ground crumbled as one. It happened in the brief blink of an eye. The scenery that made up this world shattered like mist, and a chill—like the kind that comes just after waking—swept from his head to his toes.
Thud—like a puppet whose strings had been cut, Se-min collapsed.
In this world shaped entirely by Ji Se-min’s imagination, Cha-hyeon had been naked. But when the dungeon cleared, his original clothes reappeared. Even the false Cha-hyeon that had once made his own crawl had vanished like melting snow.
Cha-hyeon caught Se-min before he hit the ground. Once he confirmed the man was only asleep, he laid his guide down carefully. His hand brushed Se-min’s disheveled hair—a strangely gentle touch—but his eyes were far too cold for someone simply worried about his pair guide.
“……”
Before him, countless scenes unfolded—memories from the world built by Ji Se-min’s will.
“Even though it was confusing, Hyung accepted the fact that we were lovers pretty easily. He said he’d started seeing me differently a while ago, and that if just the right thing had happened, we might’ve become more than friends sooner…”
“…Ah. Wait, I think I disappeared for a bit, didn’t I?”
“Still, I’m glad. Even after he got his memories back, he didn’t pretend we’d never decided to date, didn’t regret it, didn’t keep me around out of guilt.”
“Well, I wouldn’t mind doing it with three people.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? “After getting your memories back”? Why are you talking like I ever lost them?”
“…Uh… Didn’t that happen?”
Fragments of memory fell like rain, soaking into Cha-hyeon. He was the only one conscious here, and he took in every moment with unflinching eyes.
Each radiant shard shimmered with Se-min’s imagination—his hopes, joys, and happiness. The pale light reflected off Cha-hyeon’s skin, flaring and fading over and over.
“…Because Hyung likes me too.”
“Or maybe we could just drink wine at the hotel bar overlooking the Han River. The sun’s down now.”
“Yeah. It’s our first date, after all.”
When the final fragment dissolved into light, a white glow burst open in the distance—the exit.
The cleared dungeon was empty. Cha-hyeon muttered quietly.
“Yeah. Who knew going on one fucking date would be this hard.”
The memory of how he’d cleared the dungeon replayed in his mind, uninvited. His expression twisted in disgust. His lips were raw from how hard he’d rubbed them. Turning his head, he spat with a tch. He hadn’t gone as far as kissing the fake version of himself, but the memory still made his skin crawl. Watching his pair guide lose control had been entertaining, but in the end, he’d lost more than he’d gained.
〈Mindscape〉
Type – Illusion-Type
Rank – B
Final Participants – 1 (Sung Cha-hyeon [S] / Trait: Ruin)
Completion Time – 09:52:13
Clear Rewards – 212,333G, 40,000EXP, …
Cha-hyeon’s lips were still slightly red and swollen as he tapped his wrist panel. Cross-check complete.
“Cross-check. Gate cleared. Time elapsed: nine hours, fifty-two minutes, thirteen seconds.”
He lowered his wrist again. His gaze returned to Se-min, who lay fast asleep—peaceful, almost angelic, as if nothing had happened.
“…Ha.”
A sigh escaped his lips, heavy and vague. Silence settled.
Slowly, cracks formed in his expression. At last, he allowed his emotions to surface. He rubbed his face roughly, and when his hands dropped, his eyes gleamed sharply, filled with light.
~Unclaimed Rewards List~
♦ …Clear Reward… (1/3)
Cha-hyeon’s pupils narrowed as he glanced over the floating screen. The translucent window glowed a pale blue in the silent air.
Was that relief he felt? The number hadn’t changed. He’d half expected it to—like some unavoidable fate forcing itself upon him—but it hadn’t.
He mouthed a curse, then froze as he realized, a beat too late, that he was relieved. His gaze drifted aside.
Relieved. Yes, he was relieved. Relieved that even after clearing the dungeon, the counter hadn’t increased. Relieved to know Sung Cha-hyeon wouldn’t suddenly return. Relieved that his own existence hadn’t vanished.
“That I’m still here.”
His whisper was barely audible. He bit down on his lower lip, the taste of metal spreading faintly. The next wave of emotion—hidden beneath that first fragile relief—came almost instantly.
“…The real Cha-hyeon Hyung.”
A hollow laugh escaped his throat, fading into nothing as his face hardened again.
There was a reason this was called a Balance Game Dungeon. Seeing the depths of his pair partner’s heart—the naked truth of it—made his chest ache. It almost hurt.
He ran a hand through his messy hair. After seeing, with his own eyes, the way “the real Cha-hyeon” and Se-min had played house together, denial was pointless.
He loosened his grip, fingers sliding free. Then, in a voice meant only for the sleeping man, he asked the question he couldn’t when Se-min was awake.
“What am I to you?”
You said every Sung Cha-hyeon was the same, didn’t you? Then why did you erase me from your desires?
Only now did Cha-hyeon finally name the emotion that had been clawing at him all this time.
He wasn’t incomplete. Losing his memories of Ji Se-min didn’t make him some fragment fallen from the sky.
He wasn’t a temporary stage—a placeholder waiting for the real Sung Cha-hyeon to return.
Maybe that was why. The “original Hyung” that Se-min had described—and the one he’d seen in today’s illusion—didn’t feel like another version of him. If anything, they felt like entirely different people.
But none of those thoughts ever left his lips.
Cha-hyeon didn’t even bother to hide the possessive gleam in his eyes as he looked down at the sleeping man—the one who’d burdened him with all these feelings.
His chest burned with a feverish mix of emotions—something like resentment, something like defiance.
Part of him wanted to shatter Ji Se-min’s faith that the real Sung Cha-hyeon would come back. Another part refused to let Sung Cha-hyeon reclaim everything he had built. He couldn’t hand Se-min over to someone who’d just torment himself over “sleeping with his own dongsaeng.” And above all, he didn’t want to disappear.
Yeah. No way in hell.
That tangle of emotions twisted together—jealousy turning into anger, anger bleeding into jealousy. Cha-hyeon repeated his thoughts silently, gaze drifting to the side.
But how?
He opened his eyes slowly.
The long night had passed, and faint dawn light now painted the living room in pale gray.
After confirming Se-min was asleep, Cha-hyeon had come out to clear his head—but it hadn’t gone well. He’d spent hours motionless on the couch, replaying the scenes between Sung Cha-hyeon and Se-min over and over. Then his gaze turned toward the bedroom.
“……”
A faint, pained sound—like a small wounded animal—pulled sharply at his nerves.
After a moment’s hesitation, he stood, unfolding his tall frame.
When he opened the door, the sounds grew clearer. As expected, Se-min was tossing and turning, his face pale.
He hadn’t looked well since leaving the Gate, and now he was trapped in a nightmare. Cha-hyeon watched him silently, still wide awake.
Should he wake him? What kind of dream could make him look like this?
“…Hyung, uh… Cha-hyeon Hyung…”
Why was he calling his name like that—so desperate?
After a brief pause, Cha-hyeon began to gently pat Se-min’s chest, his voice low and calm.
“Yeah, what is it, Se-min?”
“…Hyung… get out, hhh…”
But even as Cha-hyeon soothed him, the furrow between Se-min’s brows didn’t fade. Cold sweat trickled down his face as he twisted in pain. Just as Cha-hyeon’s hand tensed—
“…Get out of the dungeon… there… hurry…”
Cha-hyeon’s lips pressed into a flat line. His face emptied of all expression; his gaze, cold and sharp, fixed on Se-min.
Then his eyes slid to the side. After a brief moment of thought, he withdrew his hand from the trembling man.
“……”
~Unclaimed Rewards List~
♦ …Clear Reward… (1/3)
An idea came to him.
