LS 57

Me

How many story quests have you finished?

Knockoff

I’m at four kingdoms now!

Me

So you have three left?

Knockoff

Uh… Does the main story end after seven? 8ㅅ8

Me

0 0 There are other ones too, but for now?

The last three are kind of long.

Me

I’ll help you go through those later with an alt character or something, so don’t do them yet.

Just wait a little until I finish Demon Hunter.

Knockoff

Uh… You don’t have to do them with me though… ㅠ-ㅠT

Me

Ah~ So you don’t need me anymore? Hehe

Knockoff

Ah!

No, that’s not it…!

It’s not like that, I just… I feel like I’m being a bother…

Me

When are you gonna realize that doing stuff with you isn’t annoying for me?

I do it because it’s fun.

Do you not have fun playing with me? I thought you said you did.

Knockoff

I do!!!

Knockoff

I like playing with you, AssaGo-nim… 8 ㅅ 8

Me

Then that’s all that matters lol

Knockoff

Honestly, it’s because you said you’d play with me…

Me

??

Knockoff

It just makes it feel like it’ll be even more fun.

I don’t mind if I see the story a bit later…!ㅎㅅㅎ

It’s not like it’s the end of the world… 8ㅅ8

It wasn’t even that serious, so why cry again? Dohee laughed in disbelief. Casually, he moved Knockoff’s character and had him sit on a rock in the corner of the hunting ground. Yeojin, who was in the same party, was busy sweeping through mobs and power-leveling him. Once Yeojin left for her appointment, it would be Dohee’s turn.

The guild had agreed to coordinate their time so they could take Knockoff on various raids whenever he logged in. His level was rising fast, so new raid opportunities kept opening up. As a result, Knockoff was being dragged from one raid to another, forced into intense training sessions he never signed up for.

Surprisingly, Knockoff’s skills improved so rapidly that even Dohee was taken aback. The Knockoff who used to waste heal skills while trying to deal damage and couldn’t even give a movement speed buff properly had evolved into a Support who could at least hold his own. Sure, the guild still kindly spoon-fed him by saying things like, “Give this buff now~” step by step–but once he learned something, he never forgot, and in similar situations he’d respond perfectly with, “This is the right move, right!? 8ㅅ8” and string together skills like a pro.

That was a huge improvement.

Compared to the days when he kept saying “We’re not friends” and “I never got carried,” acting all difficult, this was way better. Dohee even wondered, maybe guys who are good at studying are just naturally good at games too…? That thought vanished when he saw Noodle getting chat-muted for spamming profanity after getting caught by the filter. Noodle was great at games but had the learning capacity of a turnip.

When Dohee first logged into Knockoff’s absurdly named character, GOingSupporter187, the very first thing he did was clean out his inventory and storage. Despite the existence of a handy auto-sort button, Knockoff clearly had never used it. It was so chaotic he nearly went cross-eyed trying to find basic potions or scrolls. And why the hell wasn’t he dismantling used gear or trash items? What was this, storage or a junkyard?

Leaving the character idle in the hunting ground, Dohee spent over two hours organizing. He sorted everything: recovery potions, bombs, special potions, special bombs, scrolls, avatars, and gear. Then he tackled the pet storage and temporary storage. The time flew by. When Knockoff later logged in and was stunned by the neatness, Dohee felt oddly proud.

[Guild] Tando: AssaGo organized your storage?

[Guild] GOingSupporter187: Yes… 8ㅅ8 It’s so neat now, and it’s so easy to find items… I was really surprised…

[Guild] GOingSupporter187: I can find avatars instantly… it’s amazing…!

[Guild] Tando: Oh~ don’t tell me you never used auto-sort? hehe;;

[Guild] GOingSupporter187: What’s… that…? ㅠㅡㅠ

[Guild] AssaGo: lol this is chaos for real

[Guild] AssaGo: Top-left of your inventory, the little square button with three lines

[Guild] AssaGo: That’s auto-sort

[Guild] AssaGo: You don’t need to press it now since I already sorted everything

[Guild] AssaGo: But when you get new drops or stuff later, just hit it

[Guild] AssaGo: It’ll group everything automatically

[Guild] AssaGo: Trash items stack up to 9999 per slot, then overflow into a new stack

[Guild] AssaGo: Just make sure to keep similar stuff grouped

[Guild] Tando: AssaGo… thank you for your service lol

[Guild] AssaGo: This punk is giving me a headache ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

[Guild] SoftRiceCake: LOL organizing storage is literal hell

[Guild] SoftRiceCake: AssaGo must really care about Knockoff

[Guild] SoftRiceCake: When someone organizes your storage, you’re supposed to buy them chicken ㅋㅋㅋ

[Guild] SiblingSpicyNoodle: That’s the truth, it’s chicken-worthy labor

[Guild] GOingSupporter187: Whoa really…!? 8ㅅ8 I didn’t know…

[Guild] AssaGo: What do you mean “really” ㅋㅋㅋㅋ you’re killing me

[Guild] GOingSupporter187: I… I’m getting paid soon! I’ll… I’ll buy you chicken!

[Guild] AssaGo: And how exactly will you do that lol

[Guild] AssaGo: What chicken, just eat it yourself ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

[Guild] GOingSupporter187: Huh…? 8ㅅ8 Oh… but still… ㅠㅡㅠ

[Guild] AssaGo: Forget it lol

[Guild] YeojinHae: Damn I wish someone would clean my storage too

[Guild] YeojinHae: It’s so annoying ㅠ

[Guild] PrettyHealerHyung: [Heart Emote] Noona, should I do it for you…? ㅠ3ㅠ

[Guild] YeojinHae: Whoa really? Ah~ our healer is the best!!!!! Chuu~ ‘3’♥

[Guild] SiblingSpicyNoodle: gross stop that

A few hours later, Knockoff messaged on GameTalk offering to actually buy chicken and asked for Dohee’s Kakaotalk ID. Dohee pretended not to see it. That chicken? You eat it. You’re too sweet and innocent, makes me want to treat you to dinner.

While the guild united in their all-or-nothing mission to power-level Knockoff, Dohee’s head felt like it was about to explode.

Several times a day, he typed out “Hey, I’m GoingSupporter,” in GameTalk… then deleted it. Over and over again.

Just rip off the band-aid, Baek Dohee! He told himself maybe Knockoff wouldn’t even react that strongly. But his finger never reached the send button.

He didn’t care if Knockoff felt betrayed or got mad. What scared him was the idea that this affectionate, eager-to-please pup of a person might feel distant from him afterward. What if he got so shocked he ghosted him?

Maybe I should just call? Hearing his voice might make it easier to gauge the mood. But what if he screwed up and made it worse? Should I just go to the internet cafe, show my face, and reveal everything then?

Dohee sighed like the world was ending.

His mind wavered a dozen times a day.

Since he hadn’t run many raids with the GoingSupporter character, he really needed to start syncing with the guild’s DPS players at least a week before the Demon Hunter launch. World raids were limited to once per week, hesitating too long meant losing chances.

In other words, he didn’t have much time.

Had he ever hesitated over something this much in his life?

Dohee was the type to say what needed saying without delay. Time just passed when you hesitated. His motto was always: if you need to say it, say it now. But here he was, afraid like never before.

Afraid of disappointing someone. Afraid that person might walk away.

– You’re whipped, dude! He could almost hear Yeojin’s voice floating by.

Maybe I really am whipped…?

💎

He’d gone out for some retail therapy to clear his head. Knockoff said he could only log in late at night, and Dohee didn’t have much to do.

In the meantime, Knockoff had passed level 120. After that point, there wasn’t much need to switch hunting zones often. High-level hunting grounds had optimal farming spots where one could AFK for five or six hours straight. With guildmates rotating carry duty, Dohee took the chance to head to the department store.

The weather had definitely cooled. Even with a scarf and his favorite leather gloves, he felt the chill sharply. Leaving the warm, heater-blasting car had been a pain. It wasn’t cold enough to freeze, but still cold enough to be annoying.

Roaming through his favorite stores, his hands soon filled with shopping bags. Two hours had passed without him realizing. Just as he considered heading home, he passed by a store he’d recently been eyeing.

A blue tartan check scarf in the display caught his eye. It looked perfect, casual and easy to style with anything. Almost without thinking, he stepped into the store.

“Welcome, sir~ Anything you’re looking for?”

“That blue scarf on the mannequin.”

“Oh! Great eye. That’s our new arrival, it has a high wool content and it’s our best-selling color. Want to try it on?”

“No. Blue shades don’t suit me.”

“Oh~ So it’s a gift? Who’s it for?”

Suddenly, Dohee froze like he’d been hit. “Blue doesn’t suit me,” was what he’d said. But the clerk took that to mean he was buying it for someone else. Dohee just blinked in response. The clerk, misreading his silence, turned away to fetch a new one from the back.

Dohee stared in disbelief.

Who am I buying this for…?

You’ve officially lost it, Baek Dohee.