LS 153

[NPC] Zense: Oh my, look at the time already! Soon, the “Lantern Release” event will begin in front of the Wishing Sprout Tree. Take this opportunity to make all kinds of wishes to mark the beginning of spring. Sword of God sincerely hopes your wishes come true. I’ll give you a lantern and a wish note, would you like to receive them?

YES NO

When the YES button was clicked, a wish note and lantern were added to the inventory. The wish note could be clicked to enter text, and combining the two items would turn them into a single item: “Lantern Ready to Release.”

To be honest, Dohee didn’t care one bit about this kind of event. Every year, SoGod ran similar events, and he’d never participated once. He always preferred to spend that time grinding, raising his PVP score, or climbing the Tower of the Gods… there was so much real content, why waste time on something like this? Standing in front of a tree with no rewards just to make a wish? For efficiency-obsessed Dohee, it was a waste of time.

But if Moonhyuk wanted to, then that changed everything. A lantern event with your boyfriend? Just thinking “Well, this isn’t bad…” made Dohee realize how crazy he’d gone for Kwon Moonhyuk.

Meanwhile, his chat window kept pinging, so Dohee pulled it back up. He turned off every tab except the guild chat, which made things much cleaner. Guild members were all showing off the pieces they’d crafted with great success, while secretly hoping others would fail. Just then, it seemed like Yeohoo had finished crafting his gear.

[Guild] YeohooHae: F**k, finally

[Guild] YeohooHae: I finished my full great success set

[Guild] YeohooHae: But where the hell did GoSupp and IngSupp run off to?

[Guild] GOingSupporter: Off to release lanterns

[Guild] SoftRiceCake: ????

[Guild] SoftRiceCake: Lanterns… with GoSupp?

[Guild] SoftRiceCake: Do those words even belong in the same sentence?

[Guild] SoftRiceCake: Is GoSupp okay? Does he have a fever?

[Guild] SiblingSpicyNoodle: ** Wow, really went to do that

[Guild] Tando: Wanna go too, Noodle? hehe

[Guild] SiblingSpicyNoodle: Nah

[Guild] SiblingSpicyNoodle: I’m just gonna rush all the stamps on the last day

[Guild] SiblingSpicyNoodle: Why even do something like a lantern event lol

[Guild] SiblingSpicyNoodle: Not like it gives any rewards **

[Guild] Tando: You’ve got no romance left in your soul huh haha

[Guild] Tando: Who joins casual content like this just for rewards?

[Guild] Tando: It’s about the vibe~

[Guild] SiblingSpicyNoodle: Yeah whatever, keep your vibes to yourself ㅡㅡ

“Dohee, did you finish writing your wish?”

Dohee had been idly watching the usual chaotic guild chat when Moonhyuk’s voice snapped him back. It was almost 4:00. He hurried to scribble something on the wish note.

“Ah, yeah.”

“Hey…”

“Hm?”

Moonhyuk suddenly spoke again. Dohee turned to him. Their eyes met. Moonhyuk smiled faintly.

“When I lived with my grandpa.”

“Yeah?”

“Every New Year’s Day, we’d wake up really early.”

“Why?”

“My grandpa said, on January 1st, you have to watch the sunrise and make a wish. That’s how it’ll come true. When I was little, I just did what he said without really understanding, but after middle school, I was the one waking him up to go see the sunrise together.”

Dohee blinked slowly. Was that how it worked? Making a wish while watching the sunrise? He’d never done it, not as a kid, not as an adult.

He knew some people went on trips to watch the first sunrise of the year. He’d heard the superstition that if you make a wish while watching it, it’ll come true. But he’d never paid attention to any of it. He’d never seen the sunrise with his family. He wasn’t exactly close or affectionate with his parents.

Well. He may not be affectionate with them, but he did take after them perfectly. The complete lack of sentimentality, for example.

“What kind of wish did you make?”

The question slipped out without much thought. Moonhyuk scratched his forehead.

“Just little stuff? When I was little, I’d wish to eat more fried chicken that year. Later, in middle school, I wished for my grandpa to stay healthy. His health started getting worse around then.”

“Ahh.”

“I must’ve wished really hard. He lived way longer than the hospital expected.”

“…I’m glad.”

“We used to climb the hill behind our house to watch the sunrise. Grandpa always packed a thermos of barley tea and some chestnuts he’d boiled the night before. We’d snack on them while we waited. Thinking back… it was probably just because I loved chestnuts.”

Moonhyuk beamed as he said that. He talked cheerfully about how cold it was waiting, how beautiful the sun looked when it rose. His face was glowing with happiness, and Dohee felt genuinely relieved.

Relieved that Moonhyuk had grown up in the warm care of such a kind grandfather. That all those years and memories had shaped him into the gentle, warm person he was now.

While Dohee was lost in that thought, it quietly turned 4:00. A popup appeared for all players standing near the Wishing Sprout Tree.

Would you like to move to the “Lantern Release” event map?

YES NO

He clicked YES. The screen changed. A short cutscene played, showing people in Rowle gathering for the lantern festival. When it ended, their characters were transported to a cliff with a full view of Rowle. Players dashed to claim their favorite spots. Dohee and Moonhyuk reached the edge of the cliff. Stepping into a small glowing circle triggered another popup:

Click your “Lantern Ready to Release” from the inventory to complete the event.

“If I click this, I think it’ll fly up.”

Moonhyuk turned and smiled. He looked so excited that Dohee laughed before he realized it.

“Yeah. Do you like stuff like this, Hyung?”

“Huh? Like what?”

“Releasing lanterns.”

“Hmm… I’ve never actually done it in real life, so I’m not sure. But I do like making wishes!”

Dohee nodded and clicked the item in his inventory.

Would you like to use “Lantern Ready to Release”?

YES NO

! Note

▷ “Lantern Ready to Release” is a single-use item. Clicking confirm will consume it, and it cannot be recovered. You may receive another lantern by joining the next event. Use carefully!

Without hesitation, he clicked YES. Moonhyuk clicked at the same time, matching Dohee.

GoingSupporter and GOingSupporter187 characters stepped back a few paces. A short animation played. Fire lit beneath their lanterns, and they slowly lifted into the sky. Since most players had clicked at once, the sky soon filled with golden lanterns. With the dark color palette of this map, it was actually a pretty nice scene.

Dohee glanced to the side. Moonhyuk was clasping his hands, eyes wide as he watched the sky fill with light. He was probably making another wish. Watching him, Dohee suddenly spoke on impulse.

“Next year, Hyung.”

“…Huh?”

Moonhyuk turned after a beat.

“On January 1st. Want to go watch the sunrise together?”

Now that he thought about it, this year’s New Year’s Day had passed without anything special. He’d already known Moonhyuk then, too. If he’d known he liked stuff like this, they could’ve done something together. But back then, he hadn’t even realized he liked Moonhyuk yet. Too late for regrets.

“You sure that’s okay?”

Moonhyuk asked nervously. Dohee blinked.

“What do you mean, ‘okay’?”

“I just thought… you probably don’t like this stuff…”

“Like what? Making wishes? Watching the sunrise?”

“Stuff like this, events…”

Moonhyuk looked away awkwardly. Dohee just laughed.

“Yeah, I didn’t. But it’s fun when I’m with you. And you like it. That’s what matters.”

“Hmm…”

“So let’s watch the sunrise next year. Should we go to the hill you used to climb with your grandpa? Is it far? Where did you live?”

Now that he thought about it, there was still so much he didn’t know about Moonhyuk. Of course, Moonhyuk probably felt the same. Dohee had rarely talked about himself.

Realizing how much they still didn’t know about each other… felt kind of nice. They’d get to talk more. Learn more. And maybe, hey’d fall in love even deeper.

“Oh, it’s not far! Sounds great. And it doesn’t have to be that hill, either. I’d love to go wherever you pick.”

“Okay. Then I’ll think about it all year. And next year, we’ll watch the sunrise together.”

“Yeah!”

Moonhyuk’s voice echoed excitedly through the game room.

The lanterns on the screen grew smaller and smaller. Dohee leaned on Moonhyuk’s shoulder and watched. It really was… a surprisingly romantic event.