Chapter 67
[Whisper] SpadeQueen: ThenI’llgiveCheonNoeul’sultracursedpicsandalsopicsandMinjae’skimchistewandsteamedeggandeverythingbasicallyEXCEPTthehousedeed(becauseit’smymom’snotminesorryTT)
I was out of breath just reading it. It was the kind of message you could tell had been typed in a blind panic with absolutely no time for spaces.
[Whisper] MeowieMeowMeow: Why?
[Whisper] SpadeQueen: No reason lol it’s just super fun
Are they even friends? Seriously, whenever I see them, Jung Minjae and Cheon Noeul look ready to murder each other. Noeul usually wins their arguments, but Minjae likes to sneak around and recruit Kyungsoo to get his revenge.
[Whisper] MeowieMeowMeow: No lol
[Whisper] SpadeQueen: Only 30 minutes left T-T
If you defend your house for an hour a day and keep its housing evaluation above 50%, you get to keep it for another day. The record on Kyungsoo’s server was a couple that lasted a whole week. Everyone else hated the idea so much, they actively joined forces just to tear it down. Who needs a house in a game, anyway?
[Whisper] SpadeQueen: Hyung-nim, don’t tell me… you want to move in with Sunset? lolol
[Whisper] MeowieMeowMeow: ;;
[Whisper] SpadeQueen: OMG you’re not denying it, that’s so creepy;;
[Whisper] SpadeQueen: Ssssssuper creepy. Hyung, I didn’t know you were a tsundere…? Ha…ha…
[Whisper] MeowieMeowMeow: I’m blocking you, gb
[Whisper] SpadeQueen: Ah crap I went too far lolol
Sure, kimchi stew can be cooked, and Noeul does make a decent steamed egg. Still, no matter what they offered, I wasn’t giving them a positive review. Even with all the defense, they couldn’t keep everyone out. The housing evaluation had already dipped to 71%.
Would I rather deal with Noeul sulking all weekend or Noeul being giddy after I at least visited the house? If I had to choose, the giddy version is easier to handle.
“Whoa, what even is this.”
And I meant it. The moment I stepped inside the house’s decorated interior, I couldn’t help but gape.
“Oh, did you go in?”
“Yeah, I went in, but…”
Right past the entrance portal, a big “Welcome!” banner unfurled, and the whole place was filled with soft baby pink furniture that Noeul had personally arranged in a cutesy style. It was so nicely done, it felt like a crime that the whole thing would vanish in just an hour.
But the best part? Written carefully on the wallpaper, pixel by pixel as if he had manually clicked each one with a mouse, was a message that made it all clear:
‘Sunset♡MeowieMeowMeow (←Mine)’s House’
Kyungsoo’s lips twitched. The guy endured an hour of chaos just to pull this off—and weirdly, it was kind of adorable. I’d visited a few other “couple houses” before, and honestly, compared to those, Cheon Noeul’s taste wasn’t bad. Maybe this kind of layout only comes from someone with top-tier interior skills and an encyclopedic knowledge of the game’s system. …Or maybe I was overthinking.
Meanwhile, some players actually managed to get past Sunset’s defense and sneak inside.
[Global] BaekjeongEori: ^^ This is amazing~ Just browsing~!
‘I’d rather live in a trash can.’
[Global] CharismaS: When’s the breakup happening?
[Global] MeowieMeowMeow: lol mind your own
‘Actually a nice house!’
[Global] DildoGoblin: lol got in on the third try lol live in a trash can” review, a gloomy fog effect briefly flickered across Kyungsoo’s screen before vanishing.
For the full hour, Noeul was flying around setting up tombstones at the entrance. Kyungsoo helped with the minimum defense, but he still didn’t quite get why Noeul went to all this trouble. It was supposed to be a simulation of living together?
Thanks to Kyungsoo’s help, the house barely clung to life at a 51% score—just enough to survive another day. Noeul had been glowing ever since he logged out.
He was even glowing when I told him about the ghost sighting in the empty humanities lecture hall. Honestly, it was getting a little eerie.
“Should I sing you a lullaby?”
I knew it from the moment he showed up in front of the house—this was the direction things were going. When it came time for bed, he was already wrapped up in the blanket, peeking up at me with sparkling eyes.
“Sing it next to me!”
Right, he’d showered the moment he arrived, was already in pajamas… I’m not sure what changed in him to make him act like this, but I should talk him into heading back tomorrow. I already see his face every day—do I have to see it all weekend too? How many days has it been?
“You’re not leaving?”
It’s fun being with Cheon Noeul. Gaming’s fun, even sitting around watching TV together is fun. When he rests his head on my shoulder and snuggles up, I end up laughing along. It is fun… but it’s definitely time for him to head home. Instead, he was sitting there, staring at me. I didn’t dislike him. I just needed a bit of space.
“Kyungsoo hyung.”
“What.”
“The blankets smell like you, so like…”
The second he lay down next to me, his hand crawled onto my chest. I was going to let it go because I couldn’t be bothered, but then he started undoing my buttons—slowly, sneakily. He slipped a hand under my shirt and glanced at my face to see if I noticed.
Stop.
I didn’t say it out loud, but Noeul got the message from my eyes and, reluctantly, lowered his hand.
“But, I think cooking is my hobby.”
“If it’s your hobby, just say it is. What’s with the ‘I think’?”
“Okay! Cooking is my hobby.”
“Since when?”
“Hyung, don’t you remember? I made you cream pasta last time. You ate the whole thing yourself.”
“Wait, that was homemade? I thought you ordered it.”
Noeul froze. Then he broke into laughter.
“No way! I cut the ingredients, stir-fried everything myself… Can you just pay a little attention to me?”
“More? Seriously, how can I give you more than this… Isn’t this already too much?”
“Compared to the beginning, yes.”
Noeul laughed in a ticklish way as he continued speaking.
“And I clean diligently every morning, too.”
“…Every day?”
“Actually, cleaning is my hobby.”
“Uh… you’ve got a lot of healthy hobbies.”
Isn’t once a week enough?
“Aren’t you like that too, hyung?”
Kyungsoo slightly nodded, wondering if other people normally cleaned every morning. He decided to message his friends tomorrow morning to ask them how often people usually clean on average.
“I’m like that too. Every… I clean every day.”
At those words, Noeul let out a snort and laughed.
“Liar.”
“I’m serious.”
“I was lying, though.”
“…”
“Hyung, you’re not good at cleaning. You always pile clothes on your desk and stuff.”
“…They say a good beating cures lying habits.”
“What are you saying? That spot you hit your head earlier still hurts, okay? You really have a rock for a head.”
At those words, Kyungsoo turned his head to look at Noeul’s face. Unlike himself, who was lying on his back looking at the ceiling, Noeul had been lying on his side from the beginning, facing him. As their eyes met, Noeul’s light brown eyes folded prettily with a smile.
“Let me see.”
Kyungsoo lifted his hand and brushed up Noeul’s bangs. Noeul closed his eyes gently, the corners of his mouth lifting.
“Looks fine.”
Though it did seem a little swollen and there might be a bump, it wasn’t a big deal. It wasn’t like his skull was cracked or anything… Kyungsoo lightly tapped Noeul’s forehead with his palm, and Noeul opened his eyes again and mumbled,
“Ah… this hyung seriously doesn’t seize any opportunities. I even closed my eyes. That was your chance to kiss me.”
“You’re always thinking about that whenever you get the chance.”
“If you knew what was going on in my head, you’d be in big trouble. Should I tell you?”
“…Go to sleep.”
“…”
Noeul suddenly sat up and lunged at Kyungsoo with a kiss, but Kyungsoo easily pushed him to the side and protected his lips without much effort. Noeul tried a second time, but it failed again. Realizing he might get kicked out at this rate, Noeul simply lay down obediently.
After staying quiet for a while, he seemed to get bored again and opened his mouth with a “Hyung.” Even though Kyungsoo kept his eyes shut and didn’t respond, Noeul went on talking as he pleased.
“This is actually the main point—when are you moving out of your room?”
“…”
“Have you really never thought more deeply about what I said? I wasn’t joking, I really meant it seriously.”
“…”
“If it’s uncomfortable, we can use separate rooms. There’s one extra, after all. …But think about it. If we live together, cleaning, doing the dishes, and taking out the trash would all be split in half. That means we’d each have half the chores.”
“…”
“And hyung, you have to transfer twice to get to school, but from my place there’s a direct bus. Isn’t that amazing? And the convenience store is just a minute away. You know that—you just have to cross the crosswalk.”
“…”
“Honestly, those are all just excuses. I just want to live with you. You know I really like you a lot. You too…”
“Hnnn…”
At that small sound from beside him, Noeul stopped his quiet talking and sat up. His expression froze.
“Don’t tell me… are you asleep already?”
“Mmm.”
Kyungsoo stirred, raising his hand to place it right on Noeul’s face. Their skin slapped together with a loud smack. Noeul quickly removed the hand and sat up abruptly to stare down at Kyungsoo. The orange nightlight illuminated the face that perfectly matched Noeul’s ideal type.
“…You’re seriously sleeping?”
“…”
“Hyung, what the hell? You fall asleep this fast? Really? Seriously?! You can sleep when your lover’s right here?”
“…”
“You eunuch!”
Seeing that Kyungsoo didn’t even get mad at that, it really did seem like he was asleep. But how could someone just fall asleep the moment their head hits the pillow? Noeul stared at Kyungsoo in disbelief, shook his shoulders, and even slid his hand into his shirt, but Kyungsoo, already asleep, punished the annoying intruder with a simple kick.
“Haah…”
He finally got the words out… but the mood was completely ruined. Noeul drooped his shoulders.
Kyungsoo, who had a habit of hugging something in his sleep, kicked away the pillow he’d been holding and clung to the warm, human body next to him.
“…”
Noeul’s limbs were trapped. It was uncomfortable but also nice. The warmth and breathing from beside him felt so good that he kept unintentionally tensing up his lower half. If he got caught touching himself while Kyungsoo was sleeping, he’d be banned from doing anything for a whole month. There was already that previous incident where he’d rubbed his dick on Kyungsoo’s cheek and got caught… if he tried anything now and got caught, he’d really get kicked out, so he didn’t even dare attempt it.
Night was deepening.
Pinned tightly by Kyungsoo’s body, Noeul had no choice but to fall asleep as well.
「Noeulie: (photo)」
The message preview popped up on the screen. It was probably the nth time already. Kyungsoo, looking fed up, pushed the phone away with his finger. Messages kept coming in. No doubt it was pointless nonsense again.
Something he ate over the weekend must’ve been off—his persistence had ramped up. Kyungsoo’s classmate looked down at the phone screen that wouldn’t stop lighting up and asked,
“Why does this guy keep changing his name all the time? Looks like you guys made up again.”
“Mind your business.”
Noeul’s contact name in Kyungsoo’s phone changed periodically. If Kyungsoo saved it as “Cheon Noeul,” Noeul would somehow notice and change it to “♥” in secret. Then, if Kyungsoo found it again and changed it to something like “ㅗ” after a fight, Noeul would one-up him by changing it to “♥Master♥.”
That time during a group project, when “♥Master♥” popped up in the PC messenger preview window… it was a nightmare.
‘…Master?’
‘…Ah, uh, haha! Shall we continue? Please focus.’
‘Master—no, no, I mean, I don’t think we need to do a field survey…’
‘…’
Kyungsoo’s pupils trembled violently. Flustered beyond belief, he opened the chat window and showed it to his teammates, who were giving him strange looks, and tried to explain it away, saying his friend was messing with the contact name.
They finally compromised on the plain “Noeulie” and promised not to touch the name for a while.
Though eventually, it would change again in secret, at least there would be peace for now.
“But why aren’t you checking it? Did you fight over what to eat for lunch again?”
“It’s not urgent. He won’t get mad even if I check it late.”
“Still, aren’t you waiting for Cheon Noeul right now? Then you should check it quick. …Ugh, but man, that guy really sticks to you. You still owe him money or something?”
“Huh? What money… Oh, uh.”
The dark screen suddenly lit up again with another preview.
「ㅂr
This time, it wasn’t from Cheon Noeul but a spam text.
The classmate, noticing, picked up the phone.
“Hey, I know how to block spam texts. My girlfriend taught me yesterday.”
“Huh. Teach me too.”
“Now you won’t get any more ‘Let’s spend a hot night together, babe’ messages…”
Just then, a shadow fell between the two of them, and a large hand swooped in to snatch the phone. Both guys looked up at the same time to see who had suddenly barged in.
“You planning to spend a hot night with Kyungsoo-hyung?”
“…?”
Because he said that while smiling so brightly, the classmate thought it was a joke and chuckled at Kyungsoo.
“Why not? Wanna spend a hot night with me?”
“Ugh.”
“Dear, why act like you hate it~ You just promised me~”
You idiot, this is not the time for that… Kyungsoo didn’t answer, only muttering internally while glancing at Noeul. That wasn’t a smile. His eyes weren’t smiling.
Why is he getting mad over something like this?
