LS 95

He rode in Dohee’s car all the way to the internet cafe where he worked part-time. He’d tried to refuse, saying it was fine, but Dohee had been firm.

– I actually like driving.

– Still…

– If you walk to the internet cafe or take another bus, it costs money and takes time. But if I drive you, you can get there faster and more comfortably. I get to do something I enjoy, and you get to go comfortably. It’s the most logical option, so why say no?

Now that he thought about it, it wasn’t exactly wrong. In the end, Moonhyuk couldn’t find a single reason to turn Dohee down, so he had no choice but to nod. When he opened his eyes, they were already parked in front of the cafe. Dohee dropped him off with a simple, Call me when you’re done.

“Hello.”

…He thought Dohee had left.

He assumed he’d gone home, but apparently not. After clocking in and greeting Soohui, Moonhyuk had just picked up a tray to go clean the empty seats when Dohee walked in through the door. For a moment, Moonhyuk genuinely thought he was dreaming.

“…Huh?”

Still too stunned to say anything, Moonhyuk just stood there blinking as Suhee greeted Dohee brightly beside him.

“Welcome!”

Whoa, today’s shift is such a win. Soohui greeted gleefully beside him, but the words went in one ear and out the other. Smiling, Dohee walked toward the counter.

“Hyung.”

“Uh… yeah?”

“I was going to just drop you off and leave, but I got a little bored. So I figured I’d hang out here, play a bit while watching you work. Later I’ll grab a coffee with Yeohoo too. And when you’re off, let’s go home together. Sound good?”

“Ah… y-yeah. That’s fine.”

“Then work hard, okay?”

Dohee headed toward the now-familiar seat 77. As Moonhyuk stood there, dazed, watching him walk away, Soohui gave his arm a little jab.

“What the – what’s going on?”

“…Hm?”

“You know that customer? I thought you didn’t.”

“Ah… well, it just kinda happened.”

“Huh? What kind of answer is that?”

“I mean, really… I just happened to get to know him.”

“Wow, that’s wild. I swear you two didn’t know each other before. When did you get so close? He drove you here?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s crazy… So he drives too? He’s good-looking, dresses well, and owns a car? Is there anything he doesn’t have?”

“He’s not missing anything.”

Moonhyuk’s response slipped out without thinking, and Soohui burst out laughing. Her laughter filled the counter area, making Moonhyuk awkwardly scratch the back of his head. Did I say something weird?

“You’re funny too, oppa. Still, watching two good-looking guys talk like that – I don’t know, it just makes me feel all warm and happy inside for no reason.”

This time, Moonhyuk didn’t know how to respond and just laughed. Soohui was about to go clean tables but leaned in a little closer and whispered:

“How old is he?”

“Huh?”

“That customer.”

“Oh, he’s a year younger than me.”

“No way. Still older than me, though. What does he do?”

Moonhyuk didn’t know how to explain. When he’d unpacked his things at Dohee’s place over dinner, Dohee had mentioned he was going to start streaming again. He’d even said his first stream would be a Demon Hunter full clear challenge. When he asked if it was okay for Moonhyuk’s gameplay to be shown on the broadcast, Moonhyuk had immediately said of course it was.

When Dohee told him he was going to stream again, Moonhyuk had been so excited his hands were shaking. He got flustered when Dohee laughed and asked why he was trembling, but even then, he just clasped his hands together and kept repeating how happy he was. For no reason at all, he felt like crying. And the thought of appearing in Dohee’s stream made him tremble even more.

Anyway, Dohee was going back to streaming, but strictly speaking, wasn’t he technically unemployed right now? Still, Moonhyuk didn’t want to introduce Dohee to Soohui as a jobless guy. In fact, to be completely honest, he was starting to dislike giving Soohui any information about Dohee.

He didn’t know why. Even he had to admit Dohee was handsome and charming, so of course Soohui would be interested. But it still made him uncomfortable. He wished she wouldn’t be interested. Standing face-to-face with Soohui suddenly felt like having a thorn in his foot.

“Oppa?”

Soohui’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Uh… yeah. He’s a streamer.”

“Really? Like a BJ or a Nutuber? That kind of thing? Totally fits him. He’d be super popular. How come I’ve never heard of him? Do you know what kind of content he does? I want to watch too.”

“It’s not a face-cam stream…”

“Oh~ that’s probably why I didn’t know. If someone that good-looking streamed with his face, he’d blow up right away. Hot BJs and NuTubers always go viral fast. Oh, so are you two going home together later?”

“Yeah.”

“You two really did get close… A hot friend who waits for you during your shift? Ugh. I’m jealous.”

Soohui glanced over toward Dohee’s seat again, then grabbed a tray and cleaning cloth. Moonhyuk followed suit, picking up his tray as well. Just then, a notification popped up: a guest had logged into seat 77. Moonhyuk figured he’d clean a spot quickly and then make an iced Americano for Dohee. But then another question flew in from Soohui’s direction.

“What! Oppa!”

“Yeah?”

“That customer, you know…”

“…Yeah?”

“Does he have a girlfriend?”

Should I ask for his number? Whatever she said next, Moonhyuk didn’t even hear it.

Does he have a girlfriend?

Moonhyuk furrowed his brow. His forehead tightened.

“…I don’t know.”

Leaving only that vague reply, he walked past Soohui with his tray and cloth and headed to the now-empty seat. As he gathered the crumpled snack wrappers and cups, brushing the dust off the keyboard, his mind felt blank.

Girlfriend. Dohee. Girlfriend and Dohee. Dohee’s girlfriend.

He didn’t know why that combination of words felt so unfamiliar. Now that he thought about it, he had never once asked Dohee if he had a girlfriend. Had Dohee ever gone out on a date? He searched his memory, but nothing came to mind. As he mechanically wiped down the tables, Moonhyuk’s thoughts wandered in a daze.

If Dohee had a girlfriend, wouldn’t he have brought her home at least once? What if living with him got in the way of Dohee dating? Then again, maybe he didn’t have a girlfriend. Moonhyuk had never heard him mention going on a date. But still, would women really just stand by and watch someone that handsome without doing anything? Even Soohui was clearly interested. It wouldn’t be strange at all if Dohee did have a girlfriend.

Snapping out of that line of thought, Moonhyuk straightened his back.

He didn’t know. Should he ask? But what good would that do? If he did have a girlfriend, what would you do then, Kwon Moonhyuk? What are you going to do about it?

The question ‘what’s the point of asking?’ kept clashing with ‘but shouldn’t I still ask?’

He looked across the room toward seat 77, where Dohee sat. On the monitor behind Dohee’s head, the login screen for SoGod was displayed. It looked like he was messing around on his phone.

He knew he shouldn’t think this way, but he couldn’t stop. He hoped Dohee didn’t have a girlfriend.

As he returned with a tray full of collected trash, Moonhyuk bit down hard on his lip. Was it okay to feel this way, like he wanted to keep a friend all to himself? He wished someone could give him an answer.

💎

5 a.m.

Moonhyuk quickly gathered his things as the owner came in and they switched shifts. Dohee, who had stepped out earlier saying he was going to meet Yeohoo, came back around 2 a.m. Before heading out, he had parked Moonhyuk’s character in a hunting ground and power-leveled him. After returning, he even told Moonhyuk to log out and played in his place, running hunts for him while he worked. Thanks to Dohee’s help, IngSupp’s level had already passed 128 and was nearing 70% beyond that.

“Hyung.”

As Moonhyuk stepped out of the internet cafe, Dohee was standing right outside waiting for him. He had said he’d head out a bit early, and Moonhyuk thought he was just going to pull the car around, but it seemed he had waited outside so Moonhyuk could finish up comfortably. Feeling a strange tingle at his fingertips, Moonhyuk came to stand beside him. He knew Dohee didn’t like it when he walked a step behind. So he ignored the loud pounding of his heart and tried to get used to walking right beside him.

“Good job today.”

“No, not at all… You’re the one who worked hard waiting for me.”

“What do you mean, worked hard? All I did was grind SoGod like hell.”

Dohee’s cheerful laughter echoed down the empty hallway. As they walked side by side toward the parking lot, Moonhyuk’s head remained tangled with thoughts. In truth, he’d been like this all day. Like a screw had come loose – he kept making stupid mistakes, like only putting in one espresso shot instead of two for an iced Americano, or reheating spam fried rice instead of shrimp.

“Waiting for you was kinda fun.”

Dohee spoke up as he got in the car and started the engine. Moonhyuk, still lost in thought, missed the timing to reply. Fastening his seatbelt in silence, it only then occurred to him that Dohee had said something.

“…Huh?”

“I said, waiting for you. It was fun.”

“Oh… right.”

Dohee glanced over at Moonhyuk, who was just sitting there staring blankly ahead. Instead of driving off, he asked again.

“Hyung.”

“…Yes?”

“What’s going on? You’re totally spaced out. Did something happen during your shift? Did someone say something?”

“Ah, no. No, not at all.”

He shook his head quickly. A wave of guilt hit him, he felt bad for making Dohee worry. At that, Dohee slightly raised an eyebrow. He started the car and glanced sideways at Moonhyuk again. Something definitely seemed to have happened, but since Moonhyuk was saying it was nothing, he couldn’t press further.

A heavy silence filled the car as it carried them home.