LS 142

You reap what you sow. No one could say how long people’s indifference would last. Maybe he’d get another chance by streaming a different game. But at least in Sword of God, he wouldn’t be able to show his face again. Word was that the Xeno guild had lost a lot of members too. The new editor had mentioned it.

The Demon Hunter raid footage had already been handed over to the editor. That would likely become the comeback video uploaded to the GoingSupporter NuTube channel after a long break. The editor had even added a comment: they’d try to make the edit fun, so look forward to it. Dohee didn’t know much else about them yet, but at least they seemed competent. That was enough to trust them for now.

Listening to the guild members chat, Dohee gently took the beer cup from Moonhyuk’s hands.

“You’ve had a lot, huh, hyung.”

“Ah… uh, a little.”

“Let’s stop drinking now.”

Moonhyuk quietly nodded. Dohee leaned in and whispered.

“Nothing uncomfortable?”

“No. Everyone seems… really nice.”

Moonhyuk smiled as he said it, looking straight at Dohee.

“It’s all thanks to you.”

“What is?”

“Just… all of it? If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t have met these people either… It’s kind of amazing.”

“You’re too much.”

Just then, 4Evil was passing by behind them with a pot of spicy noodles and let out a soft snort of laughter. Moonhyuk’s ears flushed red again.

“IngSupp-nim is really sweet, huh. Even in person.”

As soon as 4Evil set the pot down, the guild members pounced with their chopsticks. At his comment, RiceCake frowned.

“I’m more amazed that you turned out to be so normal, 4Evil.”

“I’m not even an old man yet, thank you very much.”

As the guild fought over the noodles, Dohee casually joined in with his own chopsticks. He was already full, but this was a battle for Moonhyuk’s sake. He scooped a plate full of noodles and handed it to him. Moonhyuk didn’t even refuse anymore, he happily accepted and dug in. It was adorable enough to make Dohee’s heart ache.

Watching Moonhyuk slurp up the spicy noodles, Dohee felt a wild urge to scoop him up like a bundle of joy and spend the whole day covering him with kisses. He couldn’t believe he was thinking something so absurd. And yet, it was true.

As they ate soybean stew and spicy noodles, the guild members had a few more drinks, but the cold eventually drove them inside. Even with the fire, people were starting to shiver. Everyone agreed to leave the cleanup for tomorrow and move inside for round two with some dried snacks.

Moonhyuk, wanting to help somehow, hovered around offering assistance, but the others waved him off. He felt awkward sitting there after eating so much without paying a cent. Tando and Noodle had covered the food. Yeojin and RiceCake had paid for the pension rental. It seemed the rest had handled the alcohol. Well, if they were offering to treat, who were they to argue? In the end, Dohee and Moonhyuk had eaten for free without spending a dime. Dohee didn’t care, but Moonhyuk clearly felt a bit guilty. How could someone this kind-hearted survive in the world?

Once the smokers went up to the second-floor veranda and the rest moved inside, only Dohee and Moonhyuk were left alone in the yard.

“Let’s go in too, hyung.”

Still seated side by side, Dohee stood up first. He worried Moonhyuk would be cold. Facing him, he gently straightened Moonhyuk’s messy scarf. Moonhyuk stayed perfectly still, letting Dohee fix it.

A quiet pension deep in the forest. An empty yard. The glowing embers of a fading fire. And two people facing each other. In that moment, Dohee spoke impulsively.

“Hyung.”

“Ah, yeah?”

“There’s something I want to say. If you’re not too cold, can we talk before we go in?”

“Uh… okay.”

Moonhyuk nodded meekly. Their eyes met. His black eyes gleamed in the light from the streetlamp in front of the pension. Dohee took a deep breath. For some reason, his toes tingled and his lips felt dry. But now felt right. The moment he could finally speak his heart.

“Do you know why I like playing support?”

Moonhyuk blinked in confusion at the sudden question.

“…Why?”

“At first, I thought about playing a damage dealer too. It’s fun, right? You pump out damage and feel like you’re personally taking down the boss. But when I saw the support intro video during open beta, it hit me,this class is all about being a helper. Buffing teammates, debuffing bosses, contributing that way. At first I was like, what is this? But the mechanics looked fun and complex, so I gave it a shot. And it turned out… it really suited me. Helping others, keeping them safe, slowly building up my contribution to the raid, it was more fun than I expected.”

Moonhyuk just stared at him. His dark eyes shone under the light like little polished stones. His expression was full of confusion. Dohee said he had something to say, but now he was talking about the game? Moonhyuk looked completely lost.

Dohee smiled at him. The words just came naturally. And finally, Dohee decided to say something he’d been wanting to for a long time.

“So, I was thinking. What if we tried supporting each other? For a long, long time.”

“…Huh?”

“I’ll support you. You support me. Laugh louder together. Lean on each other when we need rest. Let’s try building up some contribution… to each other’s lives. What do you think? We’re pretty decent support mains, after all.”

After finishing, Dohee laughed aloud. Then he whispered to the still-dazed Moonhyuk,

“I like you, hyung.”

Even someone as dense as Moonhyuk couldn’t miss the message. Dohee had been showing it plainly for a while. But hearing it out loud was a whole different thing.

“You like me too, right? Don’t you?”

“…Ah.”

A soft gasp left Moonhyuk’s lips.

Dohee straightened his back and rubbed his nose with his fingers. Even someone like Baek Dohee found this moment a little embarrassing.

“You like me. I like you. I know I rambled on, but… to put it simply…”

“….”

“Let’s try dating.”

The cold winter air no longer felt cold. Moonhyuk seemed to have forgotten all about the chill. His trembling had stilled.

He opened his mouth a few times. Then, as if making a firm decision, he nodded deeply.

“…Okay.”

The reply came so quietly it was like a whisper from an ant. Dohee leaned in to hear better.

“Huh?”

“I’ll do my best…”

And that was it,Dohee burst out laughing so loudly it could’ve shaken the pension walls. He’ll do his best, he said. Guys, did you hear that? Our newbie said he’ll do his best at dating! Dohee was losing his mind. After all that careful buildup for a dramatic, romantic confession, that was the response.

Still laughing, Dohee looked at Moonhyuk. He was visibly panicked, wondering if he’d said the wrong thing. That look, so purely Moonhyuk. How could this be so lovable? Dohee had definitely lost it.

He reached a hand toward Moonhyuk. When Moonhyuk blinked up at the sudden gesture, Dohee explained,

“From now on, if I stretch out my arms like this,”

“If you do…?”

“That means I want a hug. So hug me.”

Moonhyuk froze for a few seconds, then suddenly leapt to his feet. He pulled Dohee into his arms with a firm tug and lowered his head. He had hugged Dohee, but somehow it felt like the other way around now.

“I must really like you…”

Dohee snorted.

“You think?”

“N-no, I do!”

“You’re gonna do your best?”

“Yes! I’ll do great!”

“What are you even gonna do great at?”

Dohee laughed again. His body shook as he giggled, and Moonhyuk whimpered faintly near his ear. Like a real puppy.

“You don’t have to be good at it.”

“But still…”

“I like you even if you’re clumsy.”

Moonhyuk quieted. Dohee lifted his hands a bit and patted his back.

“…For a long, long time.”

“Huh?”

“If we’re doing this, let’s do it for a long time…”

Dohee blinked, realizing what Moonhyuk meant.

—So, I was thinking. What if we tried supporting each other? For a long, long time.

This was his answer.

“Yeah.”

Hearing Dohee’s firm reply, Moonhyuk tightened his arms just a little more. He recalled that morning’s weather report: coldest day of the year, record-breaking chill. But right now, Moonhyuk didn’t feel a thing.

Because for the first time in his life, he was holding something truly warm,
Love.