LS 101

– S-So… uh, Dohee’s… I mean, Dohee’s face being seen by a bunch of other people… I don’t know why I hate it….

Moonhyuk’s words kept replaying in Dohee’s head. At first, he hadn’t really understood what Moonhyuk meant. He was clearly hearing the words, but his brain refused to process them.

So he doesn’t like other people seeing my face?

“…Why?”

The reply came a beat late. Moonhyuk’s expression was so twisted, it wouldn’t have been strange if he started crying right then. He let out a series of short sighs, looking just as frustrated with himself.

“I don’t know…”

‘I think I do.’

Dohee stayed silent, unsure whether to say it aloud. Even if Moonhyuk didn’t get it, Dohee did. What Moonhyuk was feeling right now… was jealousy. Even if he didn’t realize it himself.

Moonhyuk stared at the wordless Dohee and slowly spoke again.

“Thing is… I really like that you stream, I mean I really do…. I don’t know what happened, but if streaming makes you happy, then I should be happy about it too… But I don’t know why I hate it. Dohee’s stream getting more popular, more people watching – that’s a good thing, right? But then why… why does it make me feel like this? It’s not like I’m the only one who gets to see you just because we’re friends… Streaming is your job. So why do I feel like I hate it? I’m sorry…”

“…”

“But if that’s what Dohee wants, then it must be right…”

Moonhyuk looked genuinely confused. Dohee would’ve bet everything he owned that Moonhyuk had no idea what he was even saying.

Even just listening, it was impossible not to think, ‘So what do you want me to do, exactly?’ Moonhyuk seemed completely lost in his own feelings. Dohee responded as lightly as possible.

“Are you jealous, hyung?”

He smiled playfully as he spoke. Moonhyuk’s face went blank. The twisted expression gradually faded, and the focus in his eyes disappeared. Dohee, who had been meeting his gaze, started to feel panicked. He’d just been joking, trying to keep it light, but Moonhyuk looked genuinely shocked.

“…Hyung?”

“…Ah. I guess I am jealous.”

He hadn’t expected Moonhyuk to admit it so easily. That only made Dohee more flustered.

“Huh?”

“You can get jealous of a friend, huh…”

Mumbling to himself, Moonhyuk quietly poked at his now-cold pasta. Then he picked up the bowl, looked up, and spoke to Dohee in a surprisingly serious voice.

“I’m a bit jealous, but I still think what you said makes sense. And… it’d be nice if you told me more about it later…”

He looked like he’d made some kind of firm decision, and before Dohee could stop himself, he blurted out a response.

“Y-Yeah. Of course.”

“Then I’ll support you! You’re handsome, so… maybe I get a little jealous seeing people like your face, but if I’m really your friend, then I should cheer you on, right?”

Only then did Moonhyuk look relieved as he stood up, gathering the pasta bowl and empty pickle dish and heading to the sink.

As the sound of running water filled the kitchen, Dohee was overwhelmed by a feeling close to despair.

‘No, that’s not it! That’s not the kind of jealousy I meant!’

The unspoken words hung over the empty dining table like fog.

This is insane. I’m seriously going crazy here.

💎

[System] Party member GOingSupporter187 has reached level 130!

The next day, IngSupp finally hit level 130. Moonhyuk, who was online at the time, received congratulations from guildmates and happily headed to the living room to study.

That morning, the rustling sounds in the living room woke Dohee up earlier than usual. Normally, he would’ve slept in until noon, but his mind was too restless from last night. When he opened the door, he saw Moonhyuk’s back as he ate cereal and read news articles at the island counter.

Dohee sighed deeply and greeted Moonhyuk with a “Did you sleep well?” Moonhyuk, looking as normal as ever, replied cheerfully that he did and commented that Dohee was up early. That only made Dohee feel more stifled.

Honestly, when he asked “Are you jealous, hyung?” last night, it wasn’t like he had no expectations at all. He hadn’t asked because he wanted things to get complicated, or for Moonhyuk to get flustered or start avoiding him. He just wanted to keep things light.

But still, come on.

The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it felt. Shouldn’t most people at least wonder, ‘Wait… do I like Dohee?’ even just a little bit? Saying something like “You can be jealous of a friend too” was seriously just too much.

Moonhyuk’s romance radar must be completely dead. Dohee was starting to wonder if it even existed in the first place.

Anyway, after non-stop grinding since morning, IngSupp finally reached level 130 just after lunch. While Moonhyuk went off to study and prepare for his weekend tutoring, Dohee started working on crafting a 130 gear set.

Also, he figured he should probably buy a box of tangerines soon. The thought had suddenly come to him last night – that it’d be nice to peel tangerines and watch a movie with Moonhyuk. Would Moonhyuk even realize? That Baek Dohee was thinking about buying a whole box of tangerines for him, even while his head felt like it was about to explode?

Repeating a promise no one would ever know about, Dohee headed for the central fountain in Ladenska. Each major city had one, and the success rates were technically the same, but it felt like crafting at Ladenska always worked better.

[Guild] SoftRiceCake: IngSupp… IngSupp’s level 130 now too…

[Guild] SoftRiceCake: Why am I still level 139….?

[Guild] SoftRiceCake: I hunted way more than him though…

[Guild] SoftRiceCake: Is this the bitter taste of life?

[Guild] PrettyHealerHyung: [tears emote] This is rough…^_ㅠ

[Guild] Tando: GoSupp, are you making IngSupp’s gear set? Hehe

[Guild] GoingSupporter: Yup, heading to Ladenska

[Guild] Tando: I sent over some extra bonus items by mail to boost the success rate ^^

[Guild] Tando: I’m sure you already have some, but still

[Guild] Tando: Just wanted to contribute a bit and celebrate IngSupp’s level 130 hehe

[Guild] GoingSupporter: LOL I’ll tell him you added a spoonful too

[Guild] SiblingSpicyNoodle: Demon Hunter’s really coming soon now, omg

[Guild] SiblingSpicyNoodle: I’m so nervous, is this for real? lol

[Guild] Tando: Nervous? Still a newbie hehe

[Guild] SiblingSpicyNoodle: ????

[Guild] Tando: A true master doesn’t get nervous ^^

[Guild] Tando: You’ve got a ways to go, Noodle~ hehe

[Guild] SiblingSpicyNoodle: Wait seriously, do I have to party with this guy? Is this the real bitter taste of life? –

[Guild] SoftRiceCake: LOL I’m dead 😂

[Guild] Tando: If anything, that’s the sweet syrup of life ^^

[Guild] SiblingSpicyNoodle: Screw this ** I swear **…

Dohee smiled as he watched the guild chat explode while hammering away at the forge. He happily accepted the materials Tando had sent, not because he was short on them, but because he’d learned you never say no to a gift.

[Guild] GoingSupporter: Hey guys

[Guild] YeohooHae: ??

[Guild] SoftRiceCake: Yes?

[Guild] GoingSupporter: I’m turning on my cam for the Demon Hunter stream

[Guild] YeohooHae: ??????

[Guild] Tando: Didn’t you always use a hand cam?

[Guild] GoingSupporter: Not that one lol

[Guild] GoingSupporter: Face cam lol

[Guild] PrettyHealerHyung: No way!? [shocked emote]

[Guild] SiblingSpicyNoodle: LMAO are we finally seeing our deputy guildmaster’s face?

[Guild] SoftRiceCake: Holy crap I lived long enough to see GoSupp’s face cam stream

[Guild] SoftRiceCake: And I’ll be in it??

[Guild] SoftRiceCake: This is gonna pull in major views lol

[Guild] YeohooHae: Wait seriously? All of a sudden????

[Guild] GoingSupporter: LOL yeah, Xeno side will stream too, right?

[Guild] YeohooHae: Yapdeuk probably will

[Guild] GoingSupporter: Don’t wanna lose viewers to them lmao

[Guild] YeohooHae: ??? lol you don’t usually care about that

[Guild] GoingSupporter: Not this time lol

Dohee figured he should call Yeohoo soon. After hearing from Jinhee, he hadn’t had the mental space to fill Yeohoo in. Once he did, Yeohoo and Yeojin would probably flip out and push hard for their guild to get the full clear.

While slotting in each piece of gear and watching the “Success!” message pop up, SoftRiceCake suddenly brought something up.

[Guild] SoftRiceCake: After our full clear, what do you guys think about a guild meetup? lol

[Guild] PrettyHealerHyung: Omg I’m down!

[Guild] YeohooHae: LOL where did that come from, SoftRiceCake

[Guild] SoftRiceCake: I mean we’ve been grinding together for a while now lol

[Guild] SoftRiceCake: Wouldn’t it be nice?

[Guild] SoftRiceCake: Let’s smash the full clear and then go party

[Guild] Tando: Hehe I’ll think about it

[Guild] YYNNXX: A meetup?

[Guild] SoftRiceCake: Wow Kim Daeyoung only shows up for this kind of talk lol

[Guild] YYNNXX: If it happens, I’m in

[Guild] PrettyHealerHyung: Daeyoung’s coming too!? Yay hehe

[GUILD] YeohooHae: Wait, are we all really going? lol

[GUILD] GoingSupporter: Talk after the full clear lol

[Guild] GoingSupporter: If we don’t get it, no meetup, no nothing, I’m quitting the game

[Guild] PrettyHealerHyung: What!? ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

[Guild] YeohooHae: I’ll bet 20 million gold he doesn’t quit lol

[Guild] SiblingSpicyNoodle: Meetup??? When? Booze?? If Tando doesn’t come, I’m not going