LS 132

“Uh…”

“Uh?”

“I mean, um, this is, like… I really did a good job? Like, good enough to be praised?”

Dohee stared into those wide, anxious puppy-dog eyes. He hesitated.

What if he said, “Actually, that compliment was just an excuse to be close to you”? Should he say it?

In less than a few seconds, Dohee’s mind spun through a thousand possibilities.

Then, slowly, he opened his mouth.

“You did well. Definitely worth the praise.”

“Ah…”

Moonhyuk opened his mouth slightly but didn’t say anything. The way his lips moved like he wanted to speak but couldn’t was almost pitiful.

Dohee waited, thinking there might be something else he wanted to say, but Moonhyuk remained silent.

The palm still wrapped around Dohee’s wrist was hot and damp. That sudden heat made his chest tighten again.

Screw it. Just say it. Say it already.

Tell him you like him.

Then he’ll admit he likes you too. Maybe then this clueless idiot will finally get it.

Just as Dohee was about to open his mouth, Moonhyuk spoke first.

“Thank god…”

“…Huh?”

“I’m just, really relieved. I was so worried, but now that you said I did well… and, um…”

Moonhyuk’s ears turned an even deeper red. His neck was flushed too, like there wasn’t anywhere else for the color to go.

After a brief pause, he suddenly shouted,

“I’m happy I got praised!”

Dohee blinked in stunned silence. His eardrums practically rang.

Did this guy forget it was the middle of the night?

Since meeting Moonhyuk, this was the first time he’d heard him raise his voice like that. Honestly, Dohee was so startled his heart practically exploded. He even forgot he was going to confess.

Letting go of Dohee’s hand, Moonhyuk shot to his feet, and almost sprinted into the living room bathroom.

Dohee missed both the chance to confess and the chance to respond.

All he could do was hold his forehead and listen to the sound of running water from the bathroom.

“This is making me dizzy…”

No joke, his vision really dimmed, and he felt a wave of vertigo.

What the hell is he supposed to do with this guy?

On his way back to his room, Dohee couldn’t stop the laughter bubbling out.

Seriously, even if he doesn’t realize anything else, shouldn’t a guy who just got kissed by another dude at least suspect something?

This guy is seriously something else.

Then again, the one who chose this ridiculous man was Dohee himself.

Shaking his head, he looked at the bathroom door.

In the end, there was only one answer.

What can he do? He has to take responsibility.

💎

Since Daeyoung had asked Moonhyuk to cover two days at the internet café, Moonhyuk was still at home with Dohee the day after the raid.

Dohee had only just fallen asleep as the sun was rising, and was violently awakened by the blaring vibration of his phone.

“…What?”

Who the hell calls at this hour? But he already knew the answer.

He answered without even checking the screen.

As expected, it was Baek Yeohoo.

— “Baek Dohee, are you actually asleep right now?”

“Excuse me… of course I’m sleeping.”

— “It’s 11 a.m. The update’s done. Check the patch notes. I swear, I’m about to go protest in front of NGA.”

He could hear Yeohoo grinding his teeth through the phone.

Dohee rubbed his eyes and dragged himself up to open the door.

The living room was unusually quiet.

Moonhyuk hadn’t gotten up yet.

Normally, he was the one who woke up first, but today Dohee beat him to it.

Booting up his computer, Dohee decided not to wake him.

Come to think of it, Moonhyuk had been getting up early every day to study, work part-time, prep for tutoring, and still manage to game. And yesterday, he’d been tense all day because of the raid. No wonder he was wiped out.

Dohee felt a sudden wave of sympathy.

Yawning, he clicked on the SoGod announcement. And instantly, the absurdity of it all snapped him wide awake.

[Notice] [Patch Notes] February 21 (Tue) Bug Fixes and Updates

Hello, Adventurers. This is Sword of God.

We’re here to share the patch notes and updates as of Tuesday, February 21.

—

• Fixed an issue where ‘Shards of Darkness’ would sometimes not drop upon raid clear.

• Fixed a bug where event coins were not showing up after collecting 30 Shards of Darkness.

• Slightly modified NPC Millie’s dialogue.

• Fixed a bug that allowed players to enter the raid without completing the prerequisite quest ‘Suspicious Box.’

Adventurers who entered without clearing the quest have been temporarily granted ‘Goddess Kelatus’ Emblem.’

If you don’t complete the ‘Suspicious Box’ quest, you won’t be able to proceed to the follow-up quest ‘Demon Hunter’s Tears’ after clearing the raid. Please make sure to complete the prerequisite first.

• Slightly increased the drop rate of the item ‘Glowing Tear’ upon raid clear.

• Fixed an issue where, under certain conditions, players could not enter the hidden phase ‘Mirage Oasis’ even after a successful clear.

We deeply apologize for the inconvenience caused by unexpected bugs.

We’re currently in internal discussions regarding compensation and proper handling for raid rewards in specific cases.

We’ll provide a detailed update once a compensation plan has been finalized.

This was a long-awaited world raid, and we sincerely apologize for the poor execution.

We ask for your understanding and promise to keep working to improve your experience and enjoyment in Sword of God.

Thank you.

Dohee let out a snort of disbelief.

They waited six hours for this?

“Please keep waiting while we keep discussing”?

The hell does that even mean?

If you’re working for our enjoyment and convenience, who exactly is providing us with those things?

It was ridiculous that a huge dev team spent six hours brainstorming and still didn’t have a concrete solution.

Dohee had no doubt that Human’s raid party was the real first clear.

Sure, he could understand if Xeno felt wronged too. He’d be pissed too if he fought tooth and nail for a clear, only to be told it was all due to a bug.

But still, how is it not more unfair for them?

One party skipped the hidden phase and got the title.

Another went through everything, broke the raid record, and still didn’t get recognized because of one bug.

Dohee got that NGA was in a bind.

But how many people could honestly say, “Ah, I understand. I’ll wait quietly” under these circumstances?

One thing was clear: Baek Dohee was not one of those people. He was fuming again first thing in the morning. From his point of view, NGA had to side with Human. Who gave a damn about Xeno? Screw them.

Yeohoo’s talk of staging a protest in front of NGA’s office didn’t seem all that extreme anymore.

With a heavy sigh, Dohee tried to brainstorm potential compensation plans NGA might offer.

It would be nice if they came up with something actually fair.

💎

So, it was probably fate that brought Baek Dohee and Kwon Moonhyuk together with Baek Yeohoo and Baek Yeojin that morning.

By the time Moonhyuk came out of his room, rubbing his eyes and grabbing a box of cereal, Dohee was practically rolling on the floor in frustration.

He just couldn’t think of a single good solution.

They had put in everything – time, effort, focus – and now they had to sit quietly while waiting for some reluctant, half-assed compensation from NGA?

It was infuriating.

Seriously, just give us the goddamn first clear title already. If he could, he would’ve thrown a tantrum like a little kid and demanded it on the spot. Hearing the door to Moonhyuk’s room open, Dohee quickly got up and headed to the kitchen.

Moonhyuk didn’t quite meet his eyes, and just as Dohee was pouring himself a cup of coffee, the sound of the front door keypad echoed through the apartment.

Moonhyuk, still chewing his cereal, looked up wide-eyed at Dohee.

Dohee scratched his head and walked toward the door. He was surprised, but it wasn’t like there were many people who knew the entry code. He already had a good idea who it was.

“Yah, Baek Dohee!!”

“I’m starving.”

Yeojin’s voice practically shook the walls, followed by Yeohoo whining about food.

Moonhyuk shot up from his seat.

Dohee facepalmed as Moonhyuk stood awkwardly in place and the twins paused halfway through taking off their shoes.

“…You could’ve at least told me you were coming.”

“When have we ever done that?” Yeohoo said, scratching the back of his neck with an awkward laugh.

“Huh? Who’s that?” Yeojin asked, looking at Moonhyuk.

“Ah, I…”

Moonhyuk started to stammer.

“Holy crap! Wait, are you IngSupp-chan!?”

Yeojin clapped and called out brightly.

Dohee could only shrug. This surprise meetup was the result of that old decision that they should all share the front door code, just in case.