VSP 149

Don’t be anxious. Cha Dogyeong is by my side. He told me to trust him.

That’s the only thing I can do right now.

Sejun wrapped his arms around Dogyeong’s neck.

In that moment, he heard something that sounded like a stranger’s mysterious laughter before it vanished, but the sound disappeared quickly before Sejun could even perceive it.

•••

It’s early morning.

There are times when you get a certain feeling from the moment you open your eyes. The dawn still had a hint of blue, and light filtered through the zigzag blinds.

“……Mm.”

Dogyeong, who was tossing and still groggy with sleep, unconsciously smiled when he remembered last night’s events.

He never thought he’d see the day when Sejun would say he wanted to do it.

Dogyeong knew he’d lost control and acted wildly without holding back because of Sejun’s clumsy yet proactive behavior, but he didn’t regret it.

It was impossible not to get excited after hearing those words.

His brain began to think slowly.

Since Hoya, who usually told them to do it in moderation, didn’t appear, it seemed Sejun’s words about Hoya disappearing weren’t an exaggeration.

What exactly had been going on with Sejun for the past few days? Sejun seemed to know what it was, but Dogyeong couldn’t push him further because Sejun looked so anxious and unable to speak.

He felt a bit hurt, wondering if he was that untrustworthy, but after exercising his maximum understanding several times, Dogyeong finally decided to wait until Sejun told him on his own.

In the meantime, he’d try his best to find Hoya…… He felt lost since he knew nothing about summoners, but it’d be better than doing nothing. That way, Sejun could feel at least a little relieved.

So…….

Thinking that far, Dogyeong reached out and fumbled for the spot next to him. He wanted to hug Sejun’s warm body, which was likely buried deep in the blankets and fast asleep.

However, his hand found nothing. The moment he realized this, Dogyeong’s eyes flew open.

“……Sejun-hyung?”

There was no answer when he called.

His sleep-deprived mind finally became fully aware. Dogyeong felt the empty spot next to him. Since it was cold to the touch, Sejun must have been gone for quite a while.

……But I didn’t notice until Sejun left his spot?

The hair on the back of his neck stood up.

No way.

Surely, it’s not that.

Dogyeong jumped out of bed. He hurriedly put on his underwear and pants and stepped out into the living room. The fragrant aroma of coffee wafted through the air.

Sejun was in the kitchen.

He looked relaxed, casually wearing Dogyeong’s clothes while drinking coffee and staring at his phone.

The sight of him drinking coffee in the morning sunlight, now devoid of its blue tint, should have been peaceful. Yet, Dogyeong couldn’t say anything due to the rising anxiety and unfamiliarity, and could only stare at the sight.

In the end, Sejun was the one who spoke first.

“You’re awake?”

With that one sentence, Dogyeong had no choice but to admit it.

Sejun had disappeared again.

Dogyeong couldn’t contain his rising anger and displeasure. He immediately asked in a cold tone.

“Where did Seo Sejun go?”

“That? He must have fallen asleep again.”

‘Sejun’ didn’t even bother to claim he was Sejun. It was as if acting was no longer necessary. He was overcome with anxiety, but Dogyeong tried to stay calm.

“Do you have a split personality or something?”

“Does the rank change just because the personality changes? You know it too. The person in front of you is on the same level as you.”

“…….”

Yes, he knew.

Dogyeong knew the person before him was a hunter of the same rank as him. This bizarre feeling, which he’d never felt when looking at Sejun, like a natural enemy he had to eliminate right this second.

It had been a long time since he faced someone he wasn’t sure he could beat in a fight.

No, it was the first time in his life he’d met such an opponent.

“Cha Dogyeong, you should be grateful. I was merciful enough to let you say a final goodbye.”

Even while saying that, ‘Sejun’ laughed.

It was as if he’d simply hidden his presence and had never really disappeared.

A ‘final goodbye’? There were no words more ominous than those.

“I asked where Seo Sejun is.”

“There’s no need to rush.”

Dogyeong couldn’t take it anymore as he watched the other person wave a hand, saying he hadn’t finished his coffee yet.

With a loud sound, the cup in Sejun’s hand shattered.

Shards and coffee flew everywhere, but neither Dogyeong nor Sejun even blinked.

“Oops.”

Sejun, pretending to be surprised, laughed mockingly.

“I told you there’s no need to rush. Even if you hurry, you’ll just hear bad news sooner.”

“Stop the bullshit and tell me where Sejun went!”

He finally shouted. All sorts of furniture in the house began to shake as if an earthquake had hit. Seeing Dogyeong’s momentum, which wouldn’t stop even if his house was destroyed, Sejun rubbed his chin.

I guess I have no choice. Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter.

He had no intention of getting buried under a pile of rubble with Dogyeong. Why do something so tiring?

“Cha Dogyeong, what do you think it’d be like if this world was nothing more than a mere novel?”

He finally began to tell the truth. To Dogyeong, it sounded like nonsense, so he frowned.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Haven’t you felt it too? That the world became peaceful after the former Association president’s incident. The sensation of finally being free from compulsion and becoming truly free.”

Dogyeong fell silent at those words.

As the protagonist, no one had felt that sensation more intensely than Dogyeong.

He’d always wondered what the reason was and what exactly was happening in this world.

“Of course you felt it. Because that was after the novel’s ending.”

Those words were enough to shake Dogyeong’s world, but he couldn’t bring himself to believe such absurd talk so easily. Dogyeong grit his teeth.

“So? What does this being a novel have to do with you being here right now?”

“It has a lot to do with it. Haven’t you ever thought it was strange? Why Sejun suddenly started hitting on you at some point.”

That was because Sejun fell for Dogyeong.

…Because he grew to like Dogyeong.

That’s what he thought. It had to be that way for it to be natural. That’s why he was certain when Sejun begged for a kiss. That Sejun liked him.

Since Dogyeong also grew to like Sejun and they naturally started dating, he’d never doubted that. He didn’t think it was strange either.

But what if there was a reason for it?

What if Sejun didn’t actually like Dogyeong?

“I guess you never thought about it that way? Did you think Sejun did those things because he liked you?”

“…….”

It hit the mark.

But he didn’t want to admit it. Doing so would only show that he was being swayed by that nonsense.

The problem was, even while thinking that, the bullshit was starting to sound less and less like bullshit.

As if it were the actual truth.

“There’s no way that’s true.”

Sejun had a smiling face, as if Dogyeong’s delusion was hilarious.

Even though he knew this wasn’t the Sejun he knew, the sight of him saying all of that was a delusion using Sejun’s face and voice stabbed into Dogyeong’s retinas. It hurt so much he couldn’t breathe.

Don’t believe it. That’s not Seo Sejun. That’s all bullshit.

Seo Sejun, Sejun-hyung……

He likes me.

“I guess you still don’t believe it.”

After pretending to be lost in thought while resting his chin on his hand, he raised his hand.

“Would you believe it if you saw it with your own eyes?”

‘Sejun’ spread his hand in the air as if he’d expected this.

“I’ll show you.”

There was no need to wonder what he was going to show. In that moment, a hologram window appeared before Dogyeong’s eyes.

It was something familiar to any hunter. However, Dogyeong had never seen someone else’s screen in his life.

It was Sejun’s mission window.

< Flirt with Cha Dogyeong >

< Eat Cha Dogyeong >

Dogyeong blinked.

He couldn’t believe such things were missions, and more than anything.

He couldn’t believe those were the missions Sejun had received.

Missions weren’t something even high-ranking hunters could easily get, but everyone wanted them because the rewards were certain once cleared.

Dogyeong also remembered receiving and clearing missions several times to obtain skills and such.

And when a mission is cleared, a strikethrough appears on it to signify completion.

Both of Sejun’s missions had strikethroughs on them. They were marked as already cleared.

If those were really Sejun’s missions, it made sense that they were cleared. Sejun had flirted with Dogyeong, and he eventually slept with him.

The problem was the crude and explicit wording; the missions themselves weren’t wrong.

Therefore

……Therefore.

By that point, Dogyeong didn’t even know what kind of expression he was making. His insides were churning and his heart felt like it was sinking, but he didn’t know how to express it or what to say.

For the first time in his life, he felt lost. He couldn’t see a right path anywhere. There was no correct answer.

Seo Sejun, who was leisurely watching, hid the mission window from Dogyeong’s sight. Looking at the dazed Dogyeong through the fading hologram, Sejun slowly opened his mouth.

“I’m the reward.”