LS 141

“You’re here?”

The one who greeted them as they got out of the car was Noodle, smoking in the parking lot. After hearing his voice nonstop during the raid, they recognized him immediately. It was the first time seeing his face, but the familiar voice made it feel natural.

“Where’s everyone else?”

“Ah, hello!”

Dohee locked the car and asked Noodle. He flicked ash from his cigarette and pointed toward the pension with his chin.

“They’re going wild in the yard grilling meat. I tried to help, but they kicked me out.”

“Anyone would, dressed like that.”

“You’re ruthless in person too, huh? Oh. So you’re IngSupp-chan?”

IngSupp-chan? Moonhyuk didn’t expect people to actually call him that in real life. After OreckThat and Yeojin jokingly added ‘-chan’ to his username, the guild had started calling Moonhyuk ‘IngSupp-chan.’ Only Tando and PrettyHealerHyung used his name properly anymore. Moonhyuk brushed his hot cheeks awkwardly and smiled. It was his first time meeting someone he’d only known through the game, and his heart was pounding. He was incredibly nervous.

“Y-yeah. Hello….”

“Wow. You’re seriously tall. I thought you were a celebrity when you two stepped out of the car. Damn… life really is unfair.”

Noodle raised an eyebrow, then let out a booming laugh.

“Want to go in first? I’m gonna finish this smoke.”

“Ah, no, I’ll wait….”

Go in first? Not a chance. He was already feeling shy and tense with Dohee by his side, going in alone would be worse. So Moonhyuk stood quietly next to the two smokers, hands stuffed into his padded jacket pockets. He scuffed his shoes against the ground for no reason.

“Why are you so dressed up?”

At Dohee’s question, Noodle scratched his brow.

“This is dressed up?”

“Isn’t it?”

“It’s one of the rare days I’m leaving the house for something other than work. I’ve got a lot of clothes I want to wear. They keep piling up, but I’m always just at home grinding SoGod, so they gather dust. IngSupp-chan, you’re a student, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Shit.”

“Sorry?”

“No, it’s just, too damn cute. I bet you’re crazy popular.”

Dohee burst out laughing at Noodle’s grumble. Moonhyuk blinked, unsure what was funny.

Noodle didn’t seem bothered by the cold. He looked sharp in dark gray denim, combat boots, a turtleneck, and a short overcoat. He looked like someone who’d stepped out of a TV drama. That unexpected contrast made Moonhyuk even more self-conscious. Noodle always cursed, whined about enhancement failures, and laughed like a demon during PvP, but in person, he was startlingly different. More normal and stylish than Moonhyuk had imagined.

His skin was fairly tan, and he had nearly as many piercings as Dohee, plus a scar beside his lips. Still, he didn’t look like a thug or someone scary. Even to Moonhyuk’s untrained eye, his clothes looked expensive, and every time he smiled, his whole vibe softened.

“You hungry?”

Startled by the question directed at him, Moonhyuk flinched.

“Ah, yeah, I mean–no, I’m good.”

“Man. What do you eat to get that tall? How tall are you? Senior in college?”

“Uh… I’m 187cm. And yeah, I’m supposed to graduate this year, but I might take a break…”

“Wait. Don’t tell me that ‘187’ in your username is your actual height?”

Noodle cut in, eyes wide. A brief silence followed. Then he burst into loud laughter that echoed across the pension yard. Moonhyuk scratched the back of his neck, face flushed. He tried to explain it was just a random number he always used, but Noodle didn’t seem to hear.

“You’re really one of a kind. So if you take time off, what’s next? Part-time job? You said you worked at an internet cafe?”

Noodle tossed his cigarette butt and started circling Moonhyuk like a curious cat, bombarding him with questions. Dohee just watched silently. Eventually, Moonhyuk’s and Dohee’s eyes met. There was a strange, knowing smile in Dohee’s gaze.

“Yeah… I tutor too. If I take a break, maybe I’ll pick up one more job while studying…”

“Perfect.”

“Sorry?”

“One of our male models at the shopping mall is quitting next month. We need to find a new one. Your image is dead-on. You’re good-looking as hell. Want to try model work? It’s easy. God, GoSupp’s seriously unbelievable.”

“What did I do?”

“You saw me pulling my hair out about replacing our model! And you’ve got someone like this right next to you and didn’t even introduce him?”

“You have to want a replacement first. And you never asked me to.”

“Wow… no loyalty, none.”

Moonhyuk had no idea what they were talking about. His mind was spinning.

He knew Noodle ran a shopping mall. It was a well-known business, one of the top men’s fashion sites. He’d heard it mentioned in passing during games. He also knew Noodle didn’t go to the office much unless he had important meetings. That explained why he was always online.

But to suddenly get offered a model gig? That had never happened before. Moonhyuk was left speechless. Model part-time work…? He didn’t even know what that entailed.

“Seriously, think about it. I’ll send you our site link later. Take a look and contact me if you’re interested. Got it? The pay’s decent. With your looks and physique, we’d be lucky to have you. Weekly or monthly pay is fine if you prefer.”

“Ah, uh…”

“Let’s head in first.”

At Dohee’s cue, the three of them slowly walked toward the pension yard. Noodle stayed beside Moonhyuk, still firing off questions.

“Right, right. Any other job experience?”

“Restaurants, cafes… I worked at a convenience store too.”

“And with a face like that, why’d you waste your time on those? What, no one scouted you? You look like you’d get cast walking down the street.”

“I, um… I don’t really know. I just threw out those kinds of offers…”

Noodle roared with laughter at Moonhyuk’s dazed response. He clapped his shoulder and shook his head.

“Geez. Where did this sweet little thing come from? Come on, let’s go in.”

Moonhyuk was still dazed. Noodle jogged ahead lightly, yelling out as he neared the yard.

“They’re here!”

The people grilling meat turned their heads one by one. As they ran toward them, Moonhyuk broke out in a cold sweat. He already felt like his soul had left his body.

💎

“I! Am someone who has overcome adversity!”

It was impossible to tell how many times RiceCake had repeated the same thing. Tipsy from alcohol, she proudly declared her triumph over hardship, puffing out her chest. She was so short that the pose lost its impact, but at least she was enjoying himself.

Noodle, Tando, SoftRiceCake, PrettyHealerHyung, Daeyeong, 4Evil, Yeojin, and Yeohoo – all the guild members were here except for OreckThat. When they first cobbled together this guild, none of them had imagined they’d ever have an offline meet-up like this, so Dohee felt a strange sort of sentimentality.

As expected, Moonhyuk was the center of attention. RiceCake, who barely cleared 155cm, practically bounced with excitement, gushing over Moonhyuk’s towering height at least fifty times. The guild members looked a lot more normal in person than expected. Dohee kept smiling at the unexpectedness of it all, even the infamously chaotic 4Evil looked surprisingly clean-cut and ordinary.

No one had really talked about their age before, but it seemed like PrettyHealerHyung was the youngest. He was a college student and hadn’t done his military service yet. 4Evil and Tando were on the quieter side, while Yeojin, SoftRiceCake, and Noodle drove most of the conversation.

They had already grilled and eaten a lot of meat. Now, a soybean paste stew meal kit bubbled on the brazier. 4Evil, the most surprising cook among them, was making spicy cold noodles nearby. Thanks to him, the cooking station had become his territory.

Dohee handed out the packages from NGA to the guild members. Daeyeong hadn’t participated in the raid, but Dohee happily gave him his box. He had no interest in collecting merch anyway, and besides, Moonhyuk had received his, since they lived together, there was no need for duplicates.

“They really give you all kinds of stuff.”

Tando chuckled as he rummaged through the box. It was packed with things like a ‘Sword of God’ logo mug and a desk mat featuring a 2D illustration of the Demon Hunter, useful but destined to go unused. Moonhyuk, as expected, was thrilled by how cute everything was. That was enough.

Just as everyone was holding drinks and waiting for 4Evil’s noodles to finish, Yeojin spoke up.

“Right. Did you see Yapdeuk’s new video on Nutube this morning?”

“Huh?”

RiceCake snapped her head around.

“Out of nowhere?”

“What’s it about?”

“Bet it’s more dumb bullshit.”

Voices chimed in from all directions. No one seemed particularly interested, so Dohee just kept watching Moonhyuk. He’d only had one beer, but his whole face was already red. It might be time to cut him off.

“Wait, hold on. What was the title…”

Yeojin pulled out his phone and continued.

“Ah, got it. It’s called ‘Hello, this is Yapdeuk.’ I watched it a bit on the way here.”

PrettyHealerHyung scooted closer to peek at the screen, mischief dancing in his expression.

“Wow. The view count’s sad.”

“Yeah. He lost a ton of subscribers. I think people already spread what it was about in communities, so no one’s bothering to watch.”

“What’d he say?”

Dohee asked, and Yeojin shrugged.

“Nothing really. Just explanations about his editor’s unpaid wages and the item distribution drama. You know, the usual.”

Then, with a smirk in his voice, Yeojin added,

“The funniest part is, literally no one cared.”

Everyone burst out laughing. Dohee laughed too.