* * *

Following him with his eyes, Beom Sinje saw him head to the mini-fridge in the shop and take out a soda.

Again, Doyoung thought of Beom Sinje first.

“Drink it when you’re thirsty.”

As he returned to his desk and fixed his gaze on the monitor, Beom Sinje, who had been silently observing him, finally took out one of the snacks.

It was an oblong piece half-covered in chocolate, which he popped into his mouth.

The intense sweetness quickly filled his mouth.

His eyebrows lifted slightly before returning to their usual position.

More snacks soon disappeared into his mouth.

“So, he likes sweets, huh.”

Doyoung watched this discovery with amusement.

The novels didn’t mention Beom Sinje’s taste in food.

Well, in a story about hunters, there was no need to mention what the protagonist enjoyed eating.

But wouldn’t it have been nice if they’d included hints about his favorite snacks or seasonal fruits?

“If they had, I would’ve started spoiling him ages ago.”

Doyoung thought the author was clearly lacking in attention to detail.

As he grumbled about the author, he was reminded of the system window.

“Hey!”

No answer, as usual.

“What did it say earlier? That the main story had started?”

He remembered seeing something like that.

Once the system messages disappeared, there was no way to check them again.

So he had to work to recall what he’d seen.

“Since I selected manual mode, I’m supposed to create the story myself, huh?”

That choice was the result of his doggedly choosing “no” while plummeting down the 78th floor.

“No structure, no restrictions.”

It seemed like he could do as he pleased, but a few things still nagged at him.

“Isn’t it going to throw another random dialogue choice at me?”

And another thing—

“How many more missions are there going to be? And when do they pop up?”

Most of all, the fact that he didn’t know why any of this was happening was the biggest issue.

“Ugh… I’ll have to think it over.”

Doyoung sat on the sofa, glancing at Beom Sinje, who was still munching on snacks, before turning his eyes back to the monitor.

The screen showed Beom Sinje giving a speech to his guild members.

“Who would’ve known that Beom Sinje had a sweet tooth?”

Discovering a new side to his favorite character sparked something in his fan’s heart, especially when it was something only he knew.

He wanted to boast about it, to keep it to himself, to pamper him, and he couldn’t help finding it endearing.

It felt like someone was tickling his heart with a feather, and he fought a silly smile that kept trying to appear. His lips twitched for a while.

In the end, Doyoung gave in to temptation, discreetly opening his phone’s video feature to record Beom Sinje.

◇◆◇◆◇

An hour after sharing a meal of black bean noodles, a spicy stir-fried variant, and sweet and sour pork, they left, waved off by the boiler shop owner.

“Oh, Doyoung! Who’s the handsome man with you? A friend?”

“They’re both so tall and good-looking!”

Passing through the market alley with Beom Sinje brought out the murmurs.

The people who had shown interest since Doyoung’s arrival had long since become friendly neighbors.

To be honest, Doyoung didn’t quite understand why they were so friendly and interested in him.

He assumed it was because they were simply curious about a frail young man wandering around the market.

“Oh, so a friend came to visit. Let me pack some fruit for you to take home!”

The generous fruit shop owner put some pears and tangerines into a bag and handed it to him.

“How much is it?”

“Just take it! It’s thanks for finding our Jin-dol recently.”

“That was just a coincidence when I passed by. And you already gave me plenty of apples back then. So let me pay this time.”

Jindol, the fruit shop’s dog, had been a frequent runaway, worrying his owner.

Doyoung found him thanks to his Esper-like hearing and sense, though he couldn’t explain it fully and passed it off as luck.

Since then, they’d repeatedly given him fruit, and he felt more grateful than anything.

“Alright then.”

The shop owner reluctantly accepted Doyoung’s money but threw a grin at Beom Sinje, who was quietly standing by.

“Friend! Make sure you feed this young man well, something hearty. He’s got such a nice personality, but he looks a bit weak. Spring’s coming, yet he still needs winter clothes, you know?”

She deftly slipped some bills into his pocket before he could protest.

“Hey, miss!”

“It’s allowance, so just take it!”

Though he tried to decline, the shop owner was no pushover.

She slipped the money into Beom Sinje’s pocket with a practiced speed Doyoung couldn’t match.

“Is she an Esper too? How’d she do that so fast?”

Doyoung, admiring the skills she’d honed over 25 years dealing with customers, blinked in surprise at the feel of a hand draping over his shoulder.

“What?”

He looked over and found Beom Sinje’s impassive face, realizing only then that his long, sturdy arm was resting on his shoulder.

“Oh, how reliable,” commented the fruit shop owner, pleased, leaving Doyoung no chance to shake him off.

They crossed the market and stopped in front of a sleek black luxury car.

Its sheer size made him hesitate to get closer.

The fact that people—both shopkeepers and market-goers—kept glancing over didn’t help.

“That… surely that’s not Beom Sinje’s, right?”

Almost immediately, he heard a low voice.

“Get in.”

Just as he feared…

Doyoung trudged toward the gaping car door, resembling the maw of a monster.

◇◆◇◆◇

“Hey, Doyoung.”

A light shake on his shoulder snapped Doyoung awake.

Still dazed, he couldn’t quite grasp the situation.

“We’re here.”

The voice repeated, and his head turned slowly.

“Huh…”

Why are you here?

Doyoung stared at Beom Sinje, who was sitting closely beside him, then belatedly realized what was going on.

“Ha… sorry, I must have dozed off somehow.”

He rubbed his mouth and sat up, a sheepish smile on his face.

“What’s up with my nerves?”

How did he manage to fall asleep while getting dragged around? And where were they, anyway?

Just as he started to look out the window, Beom Sinje spoke in his usual blunt tone.

“Get out.”

Then he opened the opposite door and stepped out first.

Doyoung rubbed his face tiredly before getting out of the car.

He had a vague feeling the underground parking lot was strangely familiar.

And as expected, the destination turned out to be the very officetel Doyoung had once given to Beom Sinje.

‘No way… It can’t be, right?’

As they ascended in the elevator, he hoped desperately that the scenario he was imagining wouldn’t come to pass.

“Haha…”

But when the scene unfolded before him, a hollow laugh slipped out.

It was just as he had feared deep down.

“How did you…”

The officetel wasn’t even under Doyoung’s name.

He had used a different identity to ensure it could be hidden away at any moment.

“Get some rest.”

However, there was no time to question anything.

As if his task was complete, Beom Sinje turned and left immediately.

“Wait, what?”

Before Doyoung could stop him, Beom Sinje boarded the elevator and disappeared in an instant.

Doyoung stood there, dumbfounded by how quickly it all happened.

“What’s with everything happening so fast?”

First things first: was this really that place?

He looked around again.

The interior, furniture, and decor—all of it remained unchanged.

‘If that’s the case.’

He walked over and opened the master room’s door.

Sure enough, the furniture and belongings he used to have were still there, just as he remembered.

“For now… maybe I should just sleep.”

Beom Sinje had told him to rest, so it should be fine, right?

Truthfully, Doyoung’s body already felt as heavy as lead, his eyelids half-closed.

He staggered towards the bed, unable to resist its allure.

With a plop.

The moment his head hit the pillow, a wave of exhaustion crashed over him.

* * *