LS 61

6. A Support That’s Been Raised with Care Won’t Run Away

− Want to have a meal with me, hyung?

When Moonhyuk heard that voice, he felt like he was drifting through space. In other words, he was dumbfounded. He already knew that they lived in the same neighborhood and that they’d need to bunk together for the raid, but the moment it became a real, face-to-face meeting, his heart started pounding like crazy. He was so nervous, he could barely swallow.

Even someone like him, who had no close friends and didn’t know much about the world, at least understood that people who met online sometimes met offline too. He’d even overheard his classmates talk about meeting people through apps or finding out someone they met on the net went to the same university and becoming friends.

They’d decided to be friends, they knew each other’s names and neighborhoods, so hearing the invitation to meet made him feel something indescribably strange. It wasn’t fear of meeting a stranger and getting hurt–honestly, who could scare someone of his size? And besides, he knew AssaGo–no, Dohee–was a good person.

The Dohee he knew didn’t beat around the bush. So when he said, “Want to have a meal with me, hyung?” he probably meant it exactly as it sounded. Just a meal. No hidden meaning.

So this wasn’t weird. It was… more like excitement.

A first-time situation, a first-time meeting, it was a little scary and a lot exciting. Like the day he first stepped onto campus. A kind of thrill from the unknown. Even as he kept fumbling over his words, Moonhyuk couldn’t stop himself.

He became friends with Dohee surprisingly fast. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it was the fastest he’d ever opened up to someone. The fact that it happened with someone he met in a game was odd, sure…

But there’s that saying: even brushing sleeves is fate. Well, their sleeves hadn’t brushed, but they’d crossed paths in the field, so maybe that counted.

He really did feel awkward being called “hyung” when they hadn’t met in person. It would’ve been different if they’d introduced themselves that way from the start. They always called each other AssaGo-nim and Knockoff, after all. Now suddenly being called “hyung” felt strange. But not unpleasant. Just unfamiliar.

Even as their plans fell into place–where, when, how–Moonhyuk just answered blankly. He didn’t even object. All he knew were cheap solo-dining spots near campus, and he didn’t drink coffee, so he knew nothing about cafés. He jotted down the time and place Dohee gave him on a memo pad, furrowing his brow out of habit.

Now that he thought about it, he didn’t even know what food Dohee liked. All he knew was that he liked iced americanos. They’d been talking often over GameTalk lately, but it was mostly about the game. Even when it got personal, Moonhyuk was the one doing most of the talking. Dohee seemed like a talker, but in hindsight, he usually just listened.

What if it’s awkward when they meet? Should he ask what food Dohee likes? What if he freezes up and can’t say anything? What if he stammers again and just gets teased for it…?

Even while getting dressed and putting on his scarf, Moonhyuk couldn’t stop worrying. He’d been told he looked cold and unfriendly before, what if he scared Dohee? He was big, what if he seemed threatening? How would he even recognize Dohee? What if he mistook someone else and made a fool of himself?

He never knew he could have so many thoughts at once.

Before leaving the house, he stood in front of the full-length mirror on the shoe cabinet. An old padded jacket, a worn-out scarf, the same old shirts and jeans in different colors, roughly cropped hair, and a face that didn’t look so kind. Moonhyuk let out a deep sigh.

‘I still want to look good, though.’

He knew better than anyone not to waste money, but today, he couldn’t help resenting his closet for lacking even one decent outfit. He’d never cared about looks, just being clean was enough. So why did he want to look good now? Even he didn’t know.

He didn’t care what Dohee looked like–short or tall, long hair or short, skinny or chubby, coat or padded jacket. None of that mattered. What he wanted was for Baek Dohee, the person–not the character–to treat him the same way even after meeting in person. Just like always.

He kept fiddling with his phone even after boarding the bus to meet Dohee. As the bus got closer to the café, his mouth went dry. No joke, it was more nerve-wracking than any job interview or group project presentation he’d ever done.

SoGod had changed a lot for him. Moonhyuk was very aware of that. Without this game, he would’ve never met people like this or spent time talking with them. It was through SoGod that he learned how fun it could be to talk with others, to spend time together. It was easier without face-to-face contact, and for the first time, he felt a sense of belonging regardless of age, gender, or location.

He wanted this time to last. He wasn’t unfamiliar with feelings like joy or happiness, but he hadn’t felt them this often or this intensely until recently. Just playing the game on a whim, having fun with it, being happy with it.

Now, Moonhyuk was getting a little greedy about that.

Maybe that’s why he wanted to look good. Maybe that’s why he wanted Dohee to treat him the same as always. He just wanted this meeting to go well. The first person who became his friend online, he wanted that person to stay his friend even after meeting in person.

As he got off the bus and stood at the crosswalk, Moonhyuk buried his face deeper into his scarf. He felt strangely solemn.

💎

The café was warm.

The moment Moonhyuk stepped inside, he felt a wave of heat and shivered. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with a naturally muscular build, yet somehow he was terribly sensitive to the cold. Maybe he took after his grandfather.

His maternal grandfather, who raised him alone, was the same. Every winter, they’d cuddle under the electric mat while his grandfather read him stories. That stopped when Moonhyuk hit middle school and grew like a weed, but even then, he loved sliding his feet under the mat where his grandfather lay and chatting while peeling mandarins. Those simple things were his cherished winter memories.

Even now, as an adult, he still got cold easily. At least the café was warm, so he wouldn’t be shivering like a leaf when greeting Dohee.

The café was bigger than he’d expected. It wasn’t far from school, yet he’d never known it existed. His nervousness grew. Dohee had already told him what he was wearing via GameTalk, what if he couldn’t recognize him?

Standing at the entrance, Moonhyuk checked the chat again.

A table right in front of the counter?

He slowly lifted his head. Thankfully, the counter wasn’t far from the door. And in that moment, Moonhyuk understood what it meant to have your heart stop.

Everything sparkled.

Maybe it was just the lighting, the contrast to the drab PC setting, but sitting right there under the warm lights and sunlight was that handsome, pretty customer who always caught his eye.

That alone could maybe be chalked up to coincidence. It’s not illegal to see a familiar face from the internet café at a café.

But what if that customer had a black coat slung over the seat, wore a green sweater and a cream-colored scarf?

What if, out of the three people in the café, he was the only man?

Moonhyuk stood frozen, blinking stupidly. He didn’t even think to move his feet. He wasn’t sure if he was breathing.

Then the man looked up, and their eyes met.

His eyes curved into a soft smile.

Even in that moment, Moonhyuk thought dumbly, ‘Isn’t that the first time I’ve seen him smile like that?’

Then the man called to him.

“Hey, Moonhyuk-hyung.”

His hand rose and waved gently. It was clearly meant for him.

Twenty-seven-year-old Kwon Moonhyuk, for the first time in his life, wanted to pass out.