The BL Game’s Gongs Came to Find Me in Real Life chapter 27

Just as I was chewing on my straw and trying to focus, Cedric gave my straw a sharp tap.

“Our father knows, of course. That his firstborn son has a mental illness. That’s why he secretly designated me as the official successor.”

“……What?”

I flinched and stared at Cedric.

That statement meant Adrian was just a smoke screen, didn’t it?

“……Does Adrian know?”

“He figured it out.”

Cedric laughed lowly.

“He’s not stupid.”

……Well, he might have seemed a screw loose, but he didn’t look stupid.

If anything, he was downright terrifying.

“So he became a guy who has to have everything. He’s been coveting my things ever since we were kids, and I just obediently let him take them.”

For a second, his gaze sank.

It carried a chilling, suppressed fury.

“Not anymore. Ever since I grew up, I put a stop to that crap.”

And—

“So be careful, Yoon Seohyun.”

His voice dropped into an eerie, chilling register.

With that single phrase, the atmosphere instantly froze into a heavy frost, and everything crashed down as harsh reality.

Only then did what Cedric had said to Adrian come rushing back to me.

[There’s nothing left that you can touch.]

Those words looped through my head, and I watched Cedric with mounting tension.

I realized their relationship was far more complex than I had ever imagined.

Things I had casually written off as mere video game character settings were becoming inextricably tangled with reality.

……Something is wrong.

Involuntarily, I gripped my phone tight.

I needed to go home and check things out for myself.

Watching my reaction in silence, Cedric continued.

“Once he takes an interest in you, he’ll come after you.”

At that, I swallowed hard and nodded heavily.

Looking satisfied, he offered a light, pleased smile and added,

“Stay by my side.”

……I wasn’t particularly thrilled about that either, but out of everyone, Cedric belonged to the more rational side of the Crown Maker cast.

Raphael and Cedric were about as safe as it got.

I nodded again, and seeing that, Cedric curved his lips slightly in contentment.

Then came a ping-ping notification sound.

Without a doubt, Lucian had charged something to my card again.

My spine felt colder than it had when Cedric was interrogating me.

“So, what were you doing at the department store?”

……Fucking hell.

Just when I thought I was in the clear, he kept grilling me to the bitter end.

“Just went shopping.”

“Shopping?”

“The croquettes there were really good.”

“Ah, the pork croquettes. They are pretty famous, I guess.”

They were delicious, sure.

But the fucking insane price of Lucian’s cuff links had burned a hole right through my tuition money for the semester!

Because they happened to be from the VIP-only line, they were ridiculously expensive.

After making the payment, I had broken out in cold sweat just thinking about the credit card bill.

……Ha, the second I get home, I’m taking that card away.

“Let’s grab dinner.”

“No thanks, I’m heading home.”

A final boss was waiting for me at home.

When I firmly refused, Cedric narrowed his eyes and asked,

“……You’re turning down food?”

It was an out-of-character question.

Coming from the Cedric right now, it didn’t make much sense, but it was something Kim Semo would totally say.

The cognitive dissonance was still awkward, so I curved the corners of my mouth ambiguously and answered,

“Gotta go write the report.”

“……Is that so?”

Cedric tilted his head, studying me intently.

His gaze was laced with suspicion.

His sharp scrutiny made me flinch instinctively, but I forced myself to act as nonchalant as usual.

“Maybe I should tag along for once. We have to do the team project together anyway.”

A house with a final boss and an emperor living together?

That scene flashed across my mind.

……That was a disaster waiting to happen.

The house would probably collapse into ruin like a house of cards in a single second.

Shuddering at the thought, I rubbed my pale cheeks and said,

“No way.”

“What?”

“I said no.”

When I flatly rejected him, Cedric paused for a second.

His crimson eyes turned even more serious.

“You’re acting suspicious, Yoon Seohyun. Is there something else you’re hiding besides my stuff?”

At that question, I hesitated for a moment.

There was.

There was a final boss at home.

He cooked insanely well, his chest was cozy, and his shirt buttons were perpetually undone—

“……No way.”

“Why on earth is it a no—?”

“There are massive pecs.”

“…….”

The moment the words left my mouth, Cedric’s expression instantly twisted into utter disgust.

Ah, did I say that out loud again?!

Staring at me blankly for a second, Cedric asked with a thoroughly warped look on his face.

“…Did you buy a sex toy or something?”

Should I tell him Lucian was at home?

Or should I just let him think I was a total pervert obsessed with massive pecs?

I debated it for a brief second…….

“……Yeah.”

I chose to be a pervert. It was my best option.

Cedric watched me in silence for a long while before finally letting out a quiet sigh.

“…I’ll go to your place another time.”

With those words, Cedric turned his gaze away.

Had I actually managed to resolve it?

Then why did I strangely feel like I had just lost?

Another awkward silence enveloped us.

Feeling hopelessly clumsy, I quickly chugged down the remaining lukewarm water—even the ice had completely melted—packed my bag in a rush, and bolted up from my seat.

“……I’m heading out.”

“……Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

Cedric’s reply was short, and he seemed just as eager to escape the awkwardness as I was.

Giving an awkward fake cough, I stepped outside.

The moment I opened the door, a chilly gust brushed against my face.

It was still early March, so the air remained biting, and the trees along the street were barely beginning to sprout buds.

Hurrying my pace, I watched the thin, filtering sunlight through the branches cast long shadows across the pavement.

Even as I walked, my mind kept drifting back to the conversation with Cedric and the impending situation waiting for me at home.

Sighing, I instinctively pulled out my phone to check it.

Notification alerts that wouldn’t stop going off.

And a newly arrived text message.

‘First thing I do when I get back is confiscate that card.’

That vow echoed relentlessly in my head all day long.

The situation was already tight enough just from buying a single pair of cuff links as a gift, so how on earth could I justify Lucian freely swiping my card left and right?

If I let him keep this up, I’d be bankrupt within a month.

Sure, Lucian had given me his card in the first place, but the problem was that it was a black card.

Where on earth was he expecting me to use that?!

“I’m not letting you get away with this.”

……Though even if I didn’t let him get away with it, there wasn’t much I could actually do.

Gritting my teeth, I unlocked the front door.

“I’m hom—”

And right then, I froze dead in my tracks.