LS 22

“Oh? Yeah, yeah.”

Whatever it was, her voice sounded grave. Moonhyuk instinctively matched her seriousness and nodded solemnly.

“It’s not because I’m studying. It’s because of this game I’ve been playing lately. My mom keeps watching me until nighttime… so I’ve been staying up late and sneaking in playtime. That’s why I keep dozing off during the day.”

Ah… so it’s not because of studying? Not studying, gaming. So, a game.

“Ahh…”

“But I’m still keeping up with all my schoolwork. I’ve never fallen behind on homework, and I always preview and review! I even manage to do your wrong-answer notes somehow!”

“Well… that’s true, I guess.”

“I never fall asleep at cram school. And I don’t nap during class, either. I just crash really hard during break and lunch. So please keep this a secret.”

Moonhyuk gave a slow nod. She was still only in her second year of high school. Once she hit senior year, she wouldn’t be able to afford that kind of leisure.

Would it be funny to say that Moonhyuk felt a strange sense of solidarity with Miji, who was tired from staying up late to game? The truth was, he’d been losing sleep lately because of SoGod too. From the day AssaGo first helped him, to joining the guild and chatting with new people, it felt like a long journey, but really, not even two weeks had passed. He had no idea where the time had gone.

Everyone in the guild was so much fun and genuinely good people that Moonhyuk found himself looking forward to his late-night shifts. Sometimes, even after clocking out, he would stay a bit longer using his part-timer free play pass to game an extra hour or two. Lately, he’d even started showing up two hours before his shift to get some gaming in first. His body was a little more tired, and it meant less time for studying, but that was fine. Once the semester started, he wouldn’t be able to enjoy this kind of downtime anymore.

Since turning twenty, Moonhyuk had lived a relentless, disciplined life. Wasn’t it okay to let himself relax for just a little while? That thought had finally come to him now, at the tail end of twenty-six.

Miji’s eyes sparkled, and Moonhyuk lowered his voice to match her tone.

“What game is it? If you keep your grades up, I won’t say anything to your mom.”

He meant it. Since keeping Miji’s grades up was what mattered most to him, he had no intention of nagging her about what she did in her spare time, as long as her performance didn’t suffer. That was outside the scope of his job.

“Eh, even if I told you, you wouldn’t know. You don’t game, right?”

“I might know it~”

“Hmmm.”

“What is it?”

“It’s an RPG called Sword of God. It’s ranked number one right now. You’ve never heard of it, have you?”

“Uh… actually…”

“Huh?”

“I do know it. Everyone calls it SoGod.”

“What–wait, you really know it?”

“I’m telling you, I do.”

“Whoa… SoGod really made it big, huh? Even someone like you who lives cut off from the world knows about it.”

Not just “knows about it”, he actually played it. But Moonhyuk just smiled and stayed quiet. There was no need to tell Miji that he was playing it too.

“So, like, they’re doing this Winter Festival event soon?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“And it gives really good rewards, but you have to log in every single day to get them.”

…That, he didn’t know.

To be honest, Moonhyuk was always too busy just doing whatever the guild members or AssaGo told him to do. He had no idea what events were going on, what the rewards were, what updates were released—he didn’t even check the website, let alone read any announcements.

“Anyway, the Winter Festival lasts for about a month? If I miss it, that’s a huge loss. So I’m just gonna play until the end of winter.”

Miji looked dead serious.

“Starting next year, I’m really going to focus on studying. I’m seriously thinking of applying to Hanguk University.”

“With your grades, you can definitely make it. No question.”

“You were, like, really good at studying in high school too, weren’t you?”

“Why are you asking?”

“Ugh, annoying. My parents actually told me I didn’t need to apply to Hanguk U. They said I could just go anywhere in Seoul, that it’d be fine. But, like, Hanguk U is the best, right? I want it, can’t help it. I’ll give it a shot. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll aim a little lower or something. But I’m still applying.”

Moonhyuk could only smile at Miji as she pouted. Her grades really were good enough to have a shot. What mattered now was her own motivation and effort. All he could do was support her the best he could.

And he understood what she meant by wanting it. The biggest reason Moonhyuk applied to Hanguk University himself was the affordable tuition as a national university, but part of it had been ambition. His mother and father had both graduated from there. He wanted to follow in their footsteps. That wasn’t the main reason, but it was the first spark.

“What did you do to get into Hanguk U, teacher? Any secret tips? Huh? You’re always talking about all the scholarships you got.”

“Hmm… Just stayed on top of prep and review?”

“Oh suuuure~ Let me guess: tons of workbooks and Ebest online lectures~? Wow, how original~”

Even as Miji teased him for being basic, Moonhyuk chuckled. Because that really was all there was to it. The fancy cram schools everyone went to, the expensive star lecturers’ video classes, the private tutors for each subject on a set schedule, those had been completely out of reach for him back then.

“Ugh. This is why smart people are so annoying.”

“Kim Miji.”

“Yes, yes~ Oh right, teacher. Hey.”

“Yeah?”

“You’re good-looking, so I bet you were really popular back in high school. Right? You didn’t date anyone? Too busy studying? You said you don’t have a girlfriend now, either.”

“I wasn’t popular.”

“Pfft. No way, that’s such a lie. How could someone like you not be popular? I bet girls were lining up all the way around the school. You were probably just too busy studying to notice.”

“I’m serious…”

Every time Moonhyuk told people he had never dated, not even in high school, or that he wasn’t popular back then, they always looked at him like they couldn’t believe it. And in those moments, Moonhyuk never really knew what kind of expression to make. The truth was, high school Moonhyuk wasn’t popular at all. He was that one nerdy kid in class who got good grades, nothing more.

His poor eyesight meant he wore thick-rimmed glasses, and his school uniform was worn out. His hair was always overgrown, and he wore outdated, beat-up shoes. It was hard to make friends like that. But he didn’t hate it, nor did he resent anyone for it. Looks played a big role in how relationships began, after all, they’re the first thing people see. Especially in those hypersensitive teenage years, Moonhyuk had no particular feelings about the fact that no one wanted to hang out with him.

Kids didn’t really play with Moonhyuk, but they didn’t bully him either. It helped that he was tall and broad-shouldered, and that he always got good grades, which made him a favorite among teachers. Looking back, it seemed like his teachers might’ve acted as a kind of shield for him without him even realizing it.

He didn’t have the money to buy new uniforms or shoes, and his grandfather always gave him awkward little trims that made his hair look dumb. But even so, Moonhyuk still found himself nostalgic for his school days. Back then, at least, he wasn’t as lonely as he was now.

He’d never once been complimented as “handsome” or “good-looking” back then. It wasn’t until he finally splurged on LASIK after repeatedly breaking his glasses, shaved his head for the military, and bought a few decent clothes, because civilian life required daily outfits, that people started reacting to him differently. But even then, Moonhyuk never thought of himself as actually handsome. He just figured, “People like it because I clean up well.”

Lost in thought, he barely caught Miji’s voice as she teased:

“Teacher, if I get into Hanguk University, will you date me?”

What the hell is she saying? That hit him harder than hearing she played SoGod.

“There you go again, joking around.”

“Ah~ but I’m serious! A guy as good-looking as you, with no girlfriend? And you don’t even seem interested in dating? That kind of opportunity doesn’t come around often! A guy like you, being single? That’s the real fantasy here!”

“….”

Moonhyuk opened his mouth but couldn’t find anything to say.

“Hot guys are meant to be won over, you know.”

At that, he finally laughed. He wasn’t hot. He had no plans to date. But when Miji threw out these silly jokes now and then, he couldn’t help but find it cute and funny. Eventually, once Miji got into college, met new people, and saw more of the world, she’d figure it out herself, that he wasn’t all that handsome.

If “handsome” described anyone… yeah. It was a word that suited that blonde-haired customer who’d once come into the internet café. Moonhyuk thought of him again, without meaning to. In his whole life, he’d never seen someone so beautiful. It was almost like he wasn’t human, but some kind of fairy. Every time his hair moved, it glittered like it was shedding gold dust.

Snapping out of it, Moonhyuk flicked his fingers at Miji, who was still muttering nonsense. He tapped the workbook pages that still hadn’t been copied into her notes.

“Yes, Miss Kim Miji~ You can bring that up again after you get into Hanguk U. If not, I’m telling your mom everything.”

Miji stuck out her lower lip dramatically. She grumbled for a bit, but in the end, went back to focusing on the notes as instructed.

As he looked down at the top of her head, Moonhyuk’s thoughts wandered again. Was the Winter Festival really such a big deal? He didn’t know exactly what it was, but judging by the way Miji was sacrificing sleep for it, it probably was. He’d have to ask AssaGo or someone from the guild next time he logged in.

“God-loss? What even is that supposed to mean… what exactly are you losing?”

Games were full of this kind of stuff. Sometimes they felt harder than all the math problems that had once made his head spin.

Almost without thinking, Moonhyuk glanced at the clock on the desk. His shift wasn’t too far off. Time felt like it was crawling unusually slow today.