LS 98

By the time IngSupp had finally reached level 129, thanks to Dohee’s mindless grind session, the clock had already passed 7:30 p.m. They’d completely forgotten about dinner. When Dohee checked the time, panic kicked in. What if Moonhyuk had walked to the internet café on his own? In a hurry, he shut down the computer and flung open the door.

And just as he feared, right on cue, Moonhyuk was standing in the living room, wrapping a scarf around his neck. That sight alone made Dohee’s insides boil. When he said he’d drive him every day, he hadn’t been joking. Even if they got into a fistfight someday, that was that, this was this. There was no way Dohee was ever going to let Moonhyuk walk alone to the café in this cold. He’d told him several times, and clearly.

As his mind got more tangled, he couldn’t say he didn’t understand why Moonhyuk tried to sneak off. But it still stung. Their eyes met as Dohee stepped out of his room, and Moonhyuk looked away awkwardly.

– Hyung. Sorry. We should’ve eaten together.

– Uh… I didn’t have much of an appetite. I figured you were busy…

– I forgot. I’m sorry. Next time, don’t just sit there, call me, okay? You’re heading to work now?

Dohee asked innocently. When Moonhyuk nodded, he told him to wait a second.

– I can go alone, it’s fine…

– I said I’d drive you.

His voice was firm. So Moonhyuk ended up waiting by the shoe rack in silence as Dohee changed into something lighter in the dressing room. At least he wasn’t refusing outright, that was something.

Just as they stepped out the front door, Dohee’s phone rang. It was Jinhee. He said he had something important to tell him and asked if they could meet for a moment. While Dohee was on the phone, Moonhyuk stood quietly beside him, watching.

They ended up agreeing to meet at a café near home. After the call, Moonhyuk asked first:

– You have plans?

– Yeah. A friend wants to talk.

Moonhyuk opened and closed his mouth several times but didn’t ask anything. He looked like he was dying of curiosity but didn’t dare voice it. That lifted Dohee’s mood. At least he cares, huh?

When they reached the underground parking lot and Dohee started the car, he kept the conversation flowing naturally.

– It’s someone I used to stream with. Said there’s something they really need to say. Make sure you eat a proper dinner, okay, hyung? I’m really sorry. I meant to eat with you, but I got so caught up I didn’t even realize how late it was. I’ll come by the café before your shift ends. If you log in to the game, RiceCake or HealerHyung will carry you. I talked to them earlier. If we have time later, let’s run some hunts together. It’s faster when we party up.

– Dohee, what about your dinner…?

– Me? I’ll just eat with my friend or something. We have really similar tastes.

Moonhyuk immediately turned his head. His lips parted, fingers twitched, and then everything fell still. His shoulders slumped, eyebrows drooped. He looked distinctly displeased, but Dohee pretended not to notice. Now he was really feeling good.

I wonder if he even realizes it himself… that this is jealousy.

Even if it was the kind of jealousy you feel over a friend, the point was that Moonhyuk’s focus was completely on him now. That was more than enough. You have to start somewhere, after all.

Anyway, after dropping Moonhyuk off, Dohee had come to meet Jinhee. They hadn’t really spoken since he told him he was planning to stream again and received congratulations. So he couldn’t help but wonder what this was about. Jinhee soon returned to their table, carrying his iced Americano and five choco macadamia cookies, as requested.

He stuffed the cookies into the pocket of his light coat. When he looked up, their eyes met, and he looked visibly troubled. Something was clearly on his mind.

“So what’s up?”

Dohee took a sip of coffee and asked.

“Well…”

“You didn’t call me out here for nothing, right?”

“Mm…”

Jinhee grimaced and scratched his cheek. Dohee sipped through his straw and waited patiently.

“I heard something the other day… and I wasn’t sure if you already knew. So I wanted to check.”

“About what?”

“It’s about Yapdeuk. You… knew he hired people to post, right?”

Dohee blinked. What is she talking about?

“What?”

“I mean… I thought maybe you knew, and that’s why you cut ties with him. But thinking about it, if you had known, you wouldn’t have stayed so quiet. You’re not the type. Neither’s Yeohoo. That’s why I wanted to ask, just in case.”

He couldn’t understand what he was saying. It was Korean, but it made no sense.

“Hired people to post what?”

“I didn’t believe it either when I heard it… There was this editor who used to be really close with him. I kind of know the guy too. Anyway, they had a falling out, and he quit. He asked me if I knew any places hiring. He’s decent at what he does, so I thought I’d maybe bring him on. Met up for a bit.”

“Okay.”

“He used to edit for Yapdeuk from almost the beginning, so he knew everything. While we were talking over drinks, you came up. Since you said you were gonna start streaming again. I figured you’d need an editor. It’s not like you’d still have contacts for the freelancers you used to work with…”

“Right, I was going to ask you for a recommendation. So?”

“I asked him if he’d be interested in working with you. Told him GoSupp was back. But then he hesitated a lot and said there’s something he feels guilty about.”

“Toward me?”

Honestly, Dohee didn’t know any other stream editors besides the ones he’d already worked with. He just blinked in confusion. Why would someone feel guilty toward him?

Jinhee nodded and continued.

“You’re shocked, right? Imagine how I felt. What’s there to feel guilty about? You guys weren’t even close. So I asked what he meant. And he said… remember back after Corrupted Hana full clear thing? How public opinion flipped and your streams kept getting brigaded? Flame bait, trolls in the comments…”

“Yeah.”

“Well, he said Yapdeuk actually paid people. Hired trolls to stir shit. Spread hate, mess up your comment section, derail your broadcasts, just to screw with your channel.”

“…?”

“When I heard that, I was done. Whatever shred of sympathy I had for him evaporated. At first I thought you must’ve known. That’s why you ghosted him. But then I thought, no way. If you knew, you wouldn’t have let it slide. And Yeohoo wouldn’t have, either.”

Dohee’s vision went white for a second. Rage surged to the top of his head before falling away just as fast.

He didn’t know what to say. No, he understood the words. He just couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He sat in a daze.

It had seemed only natural that his connection with Yapdeuk, Kim Hawon, had ended. They’d fought so much; losing touch felt inevitable. When his streams got overrun with hate, he thought they were just antis. Random trolls. Maybe Kim Hawon’s fans hated his guts, he’d assumed it was just a public opinion war he had lost. And maybe he was just too soft to take it.

But he hired trolls? Just to sabotage me?

It was such a ridiculous thought he couldn’t even speak. His lips trembled. Maybe Jinhee had been misinformed… But then again, he wasn’t the kind of person to spread baseless rumors.

As he sat frozen in shock, Jinhee asked carefully,

“You… really didn’t know? The guy said he helped find and hire people. Said he didn’t have anything against you personally, but Kim Hawon really hated your guts, so he figured there must be some reason, some drama he didn’t know about. He felt awful about it.”

“…I didn’t know.”

He really hadn’t. He never imagined Kim Hawon would go that far. When the raid group broke up and they stopped talking, he’d just thought, Well, he probably doesn’t want to see me anymore. He never once guessed there had been something this underhanded going on behind the scenes.

Yeohoo didn’t know either. Everyone in Xeno had known the two were cousins, so when they fell out, Dohee just assumed it was natural. Yeohoo wasn’t a streamer, he was more like GoSupp’s shadow, always nearby. When Dohee and Hawon cut ties, it made sense Yeohoo would follow.

But that was supposed to be the end of it.

Then, Jinhee’s voice broke through the haze, laced with disbelief.

“Dude… seriously? You never talked to him again after Corrupted Hana thing? You left Xeno and that was it? You’ve never heard this before? I couldn’t believe it either. I didn’t think he’d stoop that low. I really struggled with whether to tell you… but if you didn’t know, I thought you should.”

“No, I never talked to him. Just… what the fuck. Why?”

“Huh?”

“Why the hell would he do that? Hire trolls? Spread hate? Sabotage my streams? Was it really that serious?”

Now he understood what people meant when they said they were speechless.

Watching him struggle to get the words out, Jinhee frowned, his voice tinged with disbelief.

“He was super insecure around you.”

“…?”

“What? Don’t tell me… you really didn’t know?”