LS 92

Dohee was completely serious. One of Baek Dohee’s least favorite things in the world was inefficiency. Of course, when he called the current situation inefficient, about 25% of that was tinted with personal desire. Which meant, from another perspective, that a solid 75% of it really was inefficient.

And Dohee truly believed that. There was only one week left until their Demon Hunter full clear attempt. Moonhyuk needed to study, raid, and juggle tutoring and his part-time job at the internet café. His home was farther away than Dohee’s. Plus, both the café and the university were closer to Dohee’s place. So why waste time commuting all the way back and forth?

“Uh…?”

Moonhyuk blinked wide-eyed at Dohee’s statement that all of this was just too inefficient. Seeing the confusion in his face, Dohee decided to lay it all out slowly, step by step.

“Think about it carefully, hyung.”

“…Okay.”

“You don’t have time. There’s only a week left until Demon Hunter launches.”

“Right…”

“And your house is farther from both school and the internet café than mine is, yeah? I don’t know where your tutoring is, so I’ll leave that aside for now.”

“Ah… I take the subway a bit to get to tutoring.”

“Okay, so putting tutoring aside – just looking at school and the café – my place is way closer, right?”

“Yeah.”

“And you still need to level up twice. Plus, you’re raiding with the guild this week, remember?”

“Uh-huh.”

“So you need to play even more. But your routine is super inefficient right now. You go from your house to school, then from there to the café, where you play games all night even though it’s not comfy and there’s no food. Then you go all the way home again, sleep, wake up, and head back to school. Even if you have time in between or want to play a bit more, you either go back to the café or just study. That’s what’s happening, isn’t it?”

“…Yeah, I guess.”

“Right? So I thought about it.”

“…Huh?”

“If you just stay at my place until Demon Hunter’s done, all of this gets solved. No more inefficient routes, no more wasted time, no more discomfort.”

With that, Dohee squared his shoulders like he’d just made the world’s most logical declaration. And honestly, he had. It was Moonhyuk who was thrown off. He blinked, unsure how to respond. Had he heard that right? Was Dohee really telling him to stay here until the raid was over?

“So… you want me to stay here? Like, the whole time?”

“Exactly.”

“Wait, like… the whole time?”

“Yeah.”

Dohee took a step closer to Moonhyuk. Startled by the sudden proximity, Moonhyuk instinctively stepped back. Just a small step, but the slight distance made Dohee bristle with irritation. Why’s he backing away when we were finally getting closer?

“I’m right, aren’t I, hyung?”

“…”

“So here’s the plan. We drive to your place, grab your clothes, your toiletries, whatever you need. I wake up late anyway, but I’ve got cereal stocked, so breakfast is easy now. And just study here. If you need to go to the library for materials, I’ll take you. It’s easier by car. I’ve got a tablet and a laptop I barely use – I’ll set one up in the living room for you. If you need to look something up, don’t go all the way to the info lab – just use that. When I wake up, we can have lunch together. If studying gets too hard, hop into the game room and play SoGod for a bit. Everyone needs breaks to study better, right? I know I do.”

Dohee’s words flowed like a waterfall. Moonhyuk was speechless. When had he thought all this through?

What was even more ridiculous was that… Dohee wasn’t wrong. But somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to just say, “Sure, sounds good!” or “Great idea!”

Sensing his hesitation, Dohee softened his tone.

“To be honest, hearing you gaming at the café yesterday really bothered me. Maybe it’s because we hadn’t talked on GameTalk in a while, but I missed sitting next to you, showing you things directly, giving you tips out loud. It’s just easier, you know? And quieter too.”

“…”

“I still have five cans of that chocolate drink I bought for you. Got it in a bundle. And you said you slept well here, right? Said you liked the mattress in the dress room. You get cold easily, so I’ll keep the heater running all day for you.”

That part made Moonhyuk falter. He swallowed reflexively.

“…You don’t like the idea? Think it’ll be too uncomfortable? Because it’s not your home?”

The sudden pause in Dohee’s waterfall of speech, the careful tone, only made Moonhyuk more disoriented.

“That’s not it…”

He opened his mouth, feeling like he should answer, but didn’t know how to explain it.

“Is it because you feel like you’re imposing?”

Moonhyuk shook his head quickly. That wasn’t it. Okay, maybe that was part of it. He did feel a little awkward relying on Dohee so much. But that wasn’t what was really holding him back.

When he didn’t say anything, it was Dohee who nearly lost it. Fighting back the growing pressure in his chest, he tried again.

“Is it just that your house feels more comfortable? Still not used to mine?”

“Well, yeah, a little…”

“You’ll get used to it. People adapt, right?”

“True, but…”

“Then what is it? You just don’t want to?”

“No, it’s not that–”

Finally, Dohee slapped a hand to his chest in frustration. He felt like he’d swallowed five thousand rice cakes with no water. Absolutely suffocating.

“Then what? You got your own efficient plan mapped out? Think I’ll distract you while you study? Or maybe you think you’re a bother to me? Just for your information, that last one is complete bull, so don’t even say it. You staying here is not a burden.”

“…It’s not that…”

Moonhyuk opened and closed his mouth a few more times. Seeing that, Dohee decided to give him space. One minute passed like a second.

Without thinking, Dohee stepped forward again. He got closer. Moonhyuk panicked, turned awkwardly, and ended up stumbling onto the couch.

“…Why do you always run away?”

“Huh…?”

“I take one step forward, and you back up like I’m a serial killer or something. What, you think I’m gonna bite you?”

“N-No! That’s not it… It’s just…!”

“Just?”

“When you come close, you smell really nice, and, and… the scent is so good it makes my heart race and that makes me kind of… scared…”

Huh…?

Dohee actually let out a soft scoff. Arms crossed, he looked down at Moonhyuk, who now sat sprawled like a massive, helpless door on the couch.

My scent makes your heart race so you run away? Because you’re scared?

His mind flickered. Like a fuse shorting out. Light, dark, light, dark. He couldn’t tell what Moonhyuk meant anymore.

So Dohee tried again, slowly.

“Okay, hyung. Let me ask you this.”

“Uh-huh?”

“If being near me makes your heart beat too fast, does that mean you don’t want to stay here?”

“…Huh?”

“You said it’s scary, right?”

“Ah – no! I mean yes – but not in a ‘so I don’t want to stay’ way!”

Moonhyuk flailed as he spoke, words tumbling out in a mess. Dohee was seconds away from tearing out his hair.

“Then is it just that you don’t like staying with me? I don’t get it, seriously. My house is warm. There’s good food. There’s a tablet and laptop. A game room. A cozy mattress. I even have cereal for your breakfast. And you’ve got me – looking this good. We’ve got warm water all year, fancy-smelling body wash, a hair dryer that dries you in seconds. The café’s five minutes away, and I can drive you anywhere. So why?!”

He rattled it all off in a deadpan voice, not even changing his tone once.

Moonhyuk squeezed his eyes shut and finally shouted,

“It’s the getting used to it!!”

“…Getting used to it?”

“Getting used to it… I hate it.”

Moonhyuk opened his tightly closed eyes. Their gazes locked midair. Looking up from the couch, Moonhyuk’s brows curved slightly downward.

Silence fell between them.

He bit his lip, let it go, then slowly spoke again.

“…That’s what scares me.”