Thunk! The door shut, completely cutting off the noise outside. The inside of the car fell into a silence so deep it felt like being submerged underwater. The driver’s door opened again, and his body slipped smoothly into the seat.
“Where are we going?”
“My place.”
When I openly freaked out at Jun’s answer, he just brushed it off, saying he was only going to change clothes, so what was the big deal? When I asked why he hadn’t just brought a change of clothes with him, he simply smiled without a sound.
No, why are you smiling? At that timing?
As someone who knew Jun was gay—and who knew in graphic detail how men had sex with men in the game—it was only natural that he looked dangerous to me right now. But while I was the only one feeling tense, Jun just nodded his head slightly to the song playing in the car like usual.
When we stopped at a red light, Jun glanced at me sideways.
“Breakfast?”
I didn’t know how long he’d been waiting in front of Han-woo’s house, but it looked like he’d skipped breakfast too. I wasn’t hungry, but I didn’t bother refusing the offer.
“We should eat. Wanna go to a fast-food place?”
“That one near your office?”
Nothing special happened on the way there. It felt as natural as if we carpooled together every morning.
Jun must’ve come here often, because he drove smoothly into the parking lot without hesitation. When we got out after parking, people heading to work nearby openly glanced at him. Even in comfortable training clothes, his appearance naturally drew attention.
I followed behind, watching his broad back. Standing in front of the kiosk machine, he lazily brushed his hair back while tapping the screen.
“I’m getting a morning set. Yoo Du, you too?”
Ah, seriously!
I hurriedly looked around. Unlike last night, no one was staring at us strangely. Everyone seemed busy with their morning routine, grabbing coffee or food and quickly heading out.
Instead of answering, I stretched my arm out and tapped the screen, then waited. We picked up our food near the counter and went up to the second floor. It wasn’t crowded, and even the people sitting by the windows were spaced out like road signs planted far apart.
“You come here a lot, huh?”
“Mm, well. It’s convenient.”
Jun placed one morning set in front of me and stacked three in front of himself. I couldn’t help but feel a little envious of how he could eat that much without gaining any belly fat.
I carefully blew on my coffee—hoo, hoo—before taking a cautious sip, and by then Jun had already finished his entire meal. He sucked on his drink straw and asked,
“Are you really closing the office today?”
“…Since I came all this way, I guess I should open it.”
It felt like too much of a waste to just drop off his clothes and go home. I blew loudly on the coffee again before drinking, and beside me came a deflated-sounding voice.
“You can’t handle hot things?”
“I can eat them. This one’s just too hot.”
“…People who can’t handle hot things are supposedly more sensitive.”
I had just taken a careful slurp when Jun’s blunt remark hit my ears. I forced myself to stay calm and gently set the cup down. I shouldn’t get shaken. No need to react to every word from this brat, I told myself, replying in an even tone.
“Did you just make that up? I’ve never heard that before.”
“You’ll know if it’s true or not once we check.”
“Cut it out. It’s morning.”
Jun rested his chin on his hand and smiled at me.
I was about to stand up without even finishing my coffee when someone sat down beside me while talking on the phone. A quick glance told me he was a licensed realtor I’d run into at gatherings before. Sure enough, the moment he set his tray down, he didn’t even start eating—just kept chatting away on the phone.
“Ah— I’m telling you. That banner came down and then went back up again. Can’t you tell just by looking? Both of them are totally legit.”
A chill ran down my spine. I knew the banner he was talking about wasn’t just some building advertisement. So I hurriedly grabbed my bag and tried to rush Jun to leave.
But Jun barely moved, just saying “wait a second” while checking something on his phone. Meanwhile, the guy next to us kept talking nonstop.
“But you know, there’s also a rumor going around. That ShutUp gets taken. Honestly, we only know they link—we don’t know who’s doing the penetrating, right? I mean, they said he didn’t even switch partners when a Guide with over 80 percent showed up. Doesn’t that say everything? Maybe I should make a Guide alt and whisper him, tell him I’ll make him feel good while I do the fucking. You never know, right?”
Even just that much was enough to make my blood boil as someone directly involved, but he didn’t stop there—he started denying the real-life ShutUp too.
“Apparently if you see ShutUp in real life, he’s skinny like a dried anchovy. I mean, you know those guys who act tough in games? They’re always pathetic little runts. Real-life losers getting their satisfaction through games.”
I stared at Jun in shock. I was holding a hot cup but couldn’t even feel the heat. This guy was running his mouth freely, not knowing that the building owner—and ShutUp himself—Seomun Jun, was sitting right in front of him.
I thought Jun wasn’t listening since he kept staring at his phone, but the hand tapping the screen suddenly stopped. He quietly stared off somewhere outside. Just from his expression, I knew he’d heard every single word without filter. Luckily, the man’s rant was abruptly cut off by an incoming call.
“Ah, yes. Boss. I’m in front of the office. Yes. I’m just about to head in.”
The man gave up on eating and stood up. As he picked up his briefcase and tried to pass by us, I quietly lowered my head.
“Excuse me.”
At that moment, Jun called out to him without even standing, just turning his chair slightly. The man first looked at Jun with a What? expression, then immediately bent at the waist and hurried over.
“Oh! Boss, fancy seeing you here.”
As he approached, I stepped back a little and watched them from a distance.
“Could I get your business card?”
“Ah, just a moment. Where did I put mine…”
The man hurriedly rummaged through his suit before pulling a business card from among his documents and handing it to Jun.
“If you ever need to list a property, please give me a call.”
“Hmm… And by any chance, do you play Blood Planet?”
“Oh? Boss, you play that too? Wow, what a coincidence.”
“What’s your character name? I’m low-level, so I was hoping to get some help.”
Don’t say it!
I tried sending the guy telepathic warnings, but apparently the signal didn’t reach him.
“I’m only B-ranking myself, but I’d be happy to help. My ID is ‘Yot Seller.’”
“‘Yot Seller’… That’s quite an interesting name.”
ShutUp rolled the name of his future victim around in his mouth. The smile on his face looked eerily similar to the day he appeared as the hidden boss in that dungeon.
After straightening his disheveled clothes from searching for the card, the man bowed to Jun and left. Even when I approached, Jun just stared silently at the business card.
“Yoo Du-seon, do you know that guy?”
“Just… someone I’ve run into at gatherings a few times.”
I thought he’d tear it up immediately, but Jun instead slid the card into his wallet and stood up. That guy really had terrible luck—of all people to talk trash in front of, it had to be ShutUp.
“Do you play it too? Blood Planet.”
“Yeah— huh? I mean, what’s that?”
“If you don’t know, then forget it.”
Jun picked up not only his tray but mine as well and cleared the table.
Everything that guy had been babbling about earlier was a lie. ShutUp was definitely the one doing the penetrating, and in real life he looked just as cool as his game character. No wonder he felt wronged.
Back inside his black car, he drove as usual and parked in front of my real estate office. Now that we were a bit closer, I almost told him not to park right in front—but he still looked a little annoyed from earlier, so I kept quiet.
“Bring the clothes down. I’ll go open the office door.”
“Come with me.”
But after saying that, Jun walked straight into the building without even looking back. I considered ignoring him, but he’d seemed off since earlier, so I followed without complaining. As expected, he was holding the elevator door open, waiting for me.
Ding—.
We arrived on the seventh floor, and Jun opened the front door. Then he stepped aside as if telling me to go in first. I’d roughly imagined what his place might look like, but through the slightly open gap I could see a wide hallway leading all the way to a spacious living room and large windows.
When I hesitated at the entrance, Jun nudged my butt lightly with his knee.
“What are you doing? Get in.”
“Did you really just smack my butt?”
“I didn’t grab it. Why are you making a fuss? You’re the one who said not to touch.”
Covering one side of my butt with my hand, I stepped inside and slowly took off my shoes. I noticed several additional locks on the door, but only the automatic door lock clicked into place.
The marble floor made my socked feet slide smoothly as I walked.
Past the hallway was an enormous living room and a large ㄷ-shaped sofa. The entire front wall was glass, giving a full view of the outside scenery. Blinds were drawn here and there, with morning sunlight seeping through the gaps. Several doors lined both sides, and Jun entered the closest one on the left. Through the open crack, I could see clothes inside.
Not wanting to just stand there, I sat down on the sofa. It was quiet—eerily so. I lived alone in an apartment too, but it was never this silent. There were always faint living noises: footsteps from upstairs, laughter drifting through thin walls—subtle signs of other people’s presence.
But Jun’s place had absolutely no sound at all. The only noises were the faint rustle of the sofa whenever I moved and the opening and closing of a built-in wardrobe somewhere in the distant dressing room. That was it. As the ticking of a wall clock—something I’d never noticed before—reached my ears, it felt like time itself had stopped in this space.
