* * *
“The weird thing is, in that video, you were so kind and gentle to me. But in the end, you abandoned me and threw the world into chaos.”
“And that’s weird to you?”
“Of course. The hyung next to me now would do anything for my sake. That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Ha.”
Doyoung knew it was only because he understood the events in the story that it seemed that way.
But he didn’t bother explaining.
“What surprised me more was that after being so cruelly rejected by you…”
“I didn’t reject you!”
Doyoung snapped without realizing it.
Beom Sinje chuckled softly and nodded, his amusement apparent.
“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, when I was in despair, I heard you calling out to me.”
Doyoung couldn’t press further because of what Beom Sinje said next.
“What did I say?”
“If it were you, hyung, you wouldn’t have done that. You’d rather stay by my side.”
“I never…”
He tried to deny it, but his words trailed off.
His sharp eyes widened slightly, the round pupils rolling as if recalling something.
Seeing his reaction, Beom Sinje’s lips curled into a smile again.
‘So it’s true, after all.’
The reason he felt such relief at the confirmation of his suspicion was likely because of Doyoung standing before him.
Not because Beom Sinje had fervently wished for it, but because Doyoung had sought him out first.
Because it was through him that Doyoung was here, standing within reach.
“Ha, damn it. That was just me cheering for you.”
Doyoung was flustered.
All he’d done was mutter a few words while reading a book.
But the protagonist had overheard him? How?
And, more importantly, how was Beom Sinje, who now held him tightly, involved in this?
“More importantly, what are you even saying? I don’t get it at all…”
But the important thing was something else entirely.
There was something subtly off about Beom Sinje’s words from earlier.
“You’re saying I responded because you desperately called for me? Sure, maybe the system played a bit of a trick, but…”
And then there was something else that caught his ear.
“System?”
“Oh, yeah. The thing is… where do I even start?”
Beom Sinje paused to think before speaking again.
“Right before the world collapsed, something strange appeared in my sight. It said I was the hero who would save the world or something, and since I failed this time too, they’d give me another chance.”
“What…?”
“Exactly. It’s absurd, right? Then it told me to write down the mission I wanted, and that’s when I heard your voice, hyung.”
Doyoung couldn’t immediately grasp the meaning of what Beom Sinje was saying.
“So I entered the details, but then it said something about you needing an adaptation period, or a test, or even a storyline…”
At that moment, a message from the system window flashed in Doyoung’s mind, the one that had promised a reward for reaching the conclusion of the novel.
“What? Damn it, so that’s what it was all about…”
He muttered under his breath, holding back a curse, and met Beom Sinje’s gaze.
“So, you’re saying that all the hardship I went through without reaching the ending was because of you?”
“The ending? Uh, well…”
Should he call it betrayal?
Or enlightenment?
When Doyoung realized he had ended up inside a novel because of Beom Sinje, he felt a strange mix of emotions.
But one feeling was clear.
“You bastard!”
Anger boiling over, Doyoung grabbed the infuriating man by the collar and pulled him close.
Despite not knowing what might happen next, Beom Sinje smirked leisurely.
“Don’t smile!”
Even as he shouted, drawing his face closer, the smile never left Beom Sinje’s lips.
Furious, Doyoung kissed him.
The kiss was rough, searing, and quickly became fervent.
He felt wronged.
Frustrated.
Bewildered.
Outraged.
But above all, one emotion surged through him in that moment.
‘Thank goodness.’
That he had willingly answered Beom Sinje’s call.
That he could truly stay by the side of someone who had once been desolate and despairing.
That he could change this reality.
For the first time, Doyoung understood the reason he was here.
“No.”
But that didn’t mean he could let Beom Sinje’s wandering hands roam freely.
He grabbed the hands that had been exploring his shoulders, back, and waist, preventing them from going any lower.
“Everyone’s waiting outside.”
His lips, swollen from being kissed, were damp and sensitive.
Refusing Beom Sinje’s advances left the other man’s expression darkening.
“Hyung.”
“No.”
No matter how desperate his gaze, a ‘no’ was still a ‘no.’
Doyoung ignored the burning heat radiating from Beom Sinje and tried to pull himself together.
“Beom Sinje, let go.”
The problem was that, unlike Doyoung’s decisiveness, Beom Sinje was far from ready to give up.
His strong, firm arms still held him tightly.
“Ha…”
Beom Sinje sighed deeply, resting his forehead against Doyoung’s chest.
His warm breath fanned across Doyoung’s collarbone and abdomen.
The tickling sensation made Doyoung bite down on the inside of his cheek.
He feared he might succumb to the temptation of crossing the line here and now.
“Just… let me stay like this for a bit.”
Beom Sinje’s voice was quieter, a little hoarse.
He clearly needed a moment to calm down.
Doyoung, understanding, nodded and stroked the heated man’s hair.
“Ah, hyung…”
It seemed that only made things worse.
Beom Sinje let out a groan that sounded like both a sigh and a plea.
Startled, Doyoung quickly withdrew his hand.
At that, Beom Sinje, who had been growling lowly, slowly pulled back.
“Ha… Let’s go straight home after this.”
“Alright.”
The way he spat out the words ‘go home’ made it obvious what might follow.
Doyoung didn’t need to ask.
“Do whatever you want.”
Feeling his ears and the back of his neck burn, Doyoung nodded.
For some reason, meeting Beom Sinje’s eyes felt impossibly difficult.
“Ahem. Let’s go, then.”
He awkwardly cleared his throat and stood.
When he offered his hand, Beom Sinje looked up at him, then grabbed it firmly as if he had no choice.
Unlike when they first entered, the tangled wires no longer clung to them but instead seemed to part, as if their purpose had been fulfilled.
“Guild Leader!”
“Secretary!”
The two returned to their anxious comrades before long.
“Are you unharmed?”
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“What happened in there?”
“Why are you two coming out like nothing happened while we couldn’t even step inside?!”
A flurry of questions erupted from the group.
Doyoung left it to Beom Sinje to explain, waiting for him to speak.
“There were no major issues, and it’s been resolved.”
Of course, Beom Sinje’s terse reply left much to be desired.
“What kind of explanation is that? What were those strange things? Did you find any clues about the ones that escaped?”
Though still speaking formally, one of the members sounded nearly accusatory.
Their tone was sharp, as if they were barely holding back their frustration.
“We’ll figure that out moving forward.”
“What kind of half-baked response is that? Then what about this?”
The irritated member pointed at the still-wriggling wires.
Beom Sinje glanced back briefly.
While the long strands writhed as if alive, the mysterious letters Doyoung and Beom Sinje had seen were no longer visible.
‘It must have been the same back then.’
Doyoung had a gut feeling.
Those letters had likely been visible only to him and Beom Sinje.
Probably because…
He turned to look at Beom Sinje.
Their eyes met immediately, as though Beom Sinje had been watching him all along.
‘Right. It’s because you’re the one who called me here.’
* * *
