Chapter 68
Noeul pulled out a chair next to Kyungsoo and sat down. Even though he had just barged in, no one batted an eye. He was so naturally attached to Kyungsoo that some students were genuinely confused, wondering if he was part of their department. When Kyungsoo sat alone, his classmates would even ask where he’d left “that guy.”
“Hyung, you already have a partner and you’re cheating? That’s so shameless and immoral.” “Shameless… immoral…” “And your partner’s this fresh, cute, and sexy younger guy…”
Did he just call himself cute and sexy? Isn’t he embarrassed? Kyungsoo looked at Noeul with a weird expression.
“Huh, is your girlfriend younger? Is she pretty? Cute?”
Kyungsoo glanced over. Noeul had his chin in his hands, looking up.
“Kyungsoo-hyung, is your partner pretty?” “…Yeah.”
Noeul’s pretty lips curled into a bright smile.
“Is he cute?”
“…Yeah…”
Cute… With Cheon Noeul tilting his head like that, I really couldn’t say no. People still ask for his number, wondering if he has a girlfriend. Objectively speaking, without my rose-colored glasses on, Cheon Noeul is… well, honestly? He’s pretty damn cute.
“Wow, show me a picture! Is she from our school? Are you a campus couple? What’s her name?”
“…”
It’s Cheon Noeul. He’s literally right in front of you.
“Why would someone so cute and pretty mess around with other guys…”
Noeul looked away and mumbled sulkily. He probably knew the truth, but he always made a habit of seeking confirmation like this.
“And now he’s even turning down the offer to live together.”
“What? Your girlfriend asked you to move in together?”
“…Yeah.”
Not a girlfriend. It’s the guy sitting across from you.
“Dude, hold on tight! You said you wanted to marry her! This isn’t just a casual fling!”
“…Heok? Kyungsoo-hyung actually said that?”
“No!”
“Yeah, he did.”
You little punk. I only said it to avoid being dragged into another blind date, not for it to be repeated in front of the very person involved. Noeul’s eyes sparkled with hope.
“Then why are you turning her down!”
“That’s what I’m saying!”
“She must’ve built up a lot of courage to suggest it. Kyungsoo, are you… impotent? If my girlfriend asked me to live together, I’d say yes immediately.”
“Exactly! I’d say yes right away.”
“That’s what I’m saying. These days, couples move in before marriage to test things out.”
“Right, it’s normal now, even if the older generation doesn’t get it.”
“Go beg her to forgive you, you clueless, impotent bastard.”
“Impotent… well, I mean, maybe a little. That’s right, that’s right.”
“…”
Why is Cheon Noeul syncing up so well with that idiot and encouraging him? I’m so done with both of them.
“Kim Kyungsoo, you impotent bastard! You’re not even a man! Cut it off!”
“Hyung, that’s a bit…”
“…”
“That part doesn’t even fully belong to Kyungsoo-hyung. There’s a separate owner. Cutting it off is too extreme…”
“…Anyway, you bastard, you’re the most impotent one of all. Just die already.”
“That’s right, that’s right. Ah, but don’t die.”
“…”
At some point, they had completely labeled Kyungsoo as impotent. With nothing to say, he could only laugh awkwardly. That crazy bastard, Cheon Noeul… My mind went blank as memories from the past weekend came rushing back.
‘Hyung, look! I’m interested in doing the dishes too!’
‘You’ve got a lot of hobbies.’
‘I’m good at it! I use just one pump of detergent and clean two days’ worth of dishes. I conserve water too, look how spotless they are! Come watch!’
Cheon Noeul had shown Kyungsoo the whole process like he was a proud seven-year-old. He really did seem to enjoy doing the dishes. With how passionately he scrubbed each one clean, I figured I should probably just get him a dish set for his birthday next year.
‘Ah, I want this…’
It was a diffuser I’d gotten for free with a purchase last year. I didn’t even remember owning it.
‘I don’t use it. Want it?’
‘Ah, it’d be nice to have one in our house too.’
It was just a basic clothes rack. Doesn’t he have a closet at home? Still, since he wanted it and it was cheap, I told him to buy one. But then Noeul scanned Kyungsoo’s room and fixed his gaze on him.
‘It’d be nice to have this in our house too.’
‘…?’
He put a hand on Kyungsoo’s shoulder and smiled brightly. Instead of saying let’s live together, he’d evolved into calling things ours. And he didn’t stop there.
‘Hyung, should I help when you move?’
‘I haven’t even found a place yet.’
‘Exactly why I’m offering.’
‘What are you even talking about…’
Even after I find a place, it’s going to be a problem. If I leave the move to Noeul, he’ll just drag the boxes to his house and declare they belong to him now.
Noeul didn’t go home that weekend. He didn’t even step outside. He stuck to me like glue, circling me all day, except when I went to the bathroom, and subtly pressed me to move in.
‘I’m good. I’m going to look at places with my cousin next week.’
‘Does he look like hyung?’
‘What if he does?’
‘I won’t do anything. It’ll be my first time meeting him.’
‘…He doesn’t look like me. And I’m not bringing you.’
‘Huh? Why not!’
Judging by his persistence so far, I knew he’d keep this up until he got the answer he wanted.
「Noeul: (Shortcut) Pros and Cons of Living Together Before Marriage!」
F*ck…
He’d already sent me over ten articles and blog posts on cohabitation.
But living together isn’t something you jump into lightly. I was afraid Noeul was romanticizing it too much.
No matter how much you like someone, living together makes you notice flaws you hadn’t seen before. All the articles he sent said the same thing. Families put up with it, but for couples, those flaws could break them up. Lifestyle differences lead to constant arguments.
And let’s be honest… Noeul and I argue more than most. It resolves quickly only because Noeul just accepts everything when I snap. Still, I had zero desire to live with him, at least for now.
“I’m hungry. Let’s eat. …Hyuk-hyung, wanna come too?”
Don’t come.
That’s what Noeul’s eyes were saying.
“I’m good. I’ve got plans tonight.”
“Haha, thank god.”
“You impotent, debtor bastard, enjoy your meal!”
Kyungsoo, once again dubbed impotent, kicked Lee Hyuk in the leg. He grabbed his shin and groaned.
“Then we’ll be off.”
Noeul took Kyungsoo down the stairs and out of the building. They strolled slowly along the hill road. Music trickled from the streetlight speakers. It was still early for dinner, so the campus was nearly empty. Noeul leaned closer and whispered in Kyungsoo’s ear with a constant, beaming smile.
“Hyung is so funny. Did you really think about marrying me?”
“He twisted what I said. That kind of talk…”
“So you did think about it?”
“…”
Noeul’s grin widened. I had no comeback. I had said it, even if it was just to avoid a blind date.
“…Just watch where you’re walking! I’m not calling an ambulance if you trip!”
“Our hyung always gets mad when he has nothing to say. So cute.”
“You’re the one who gets off on me being angry.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about~”
Noeul giggled. Laughter is contagious. Even though it wasn’t funny, the corners of my lips kept twitching. It felt like a gentle breeze tickled my heart—warm and light.
“Let’s hurry. I’m hungry.”
“Go slow, you’ll fall!”
“I won’t fa—Aack! Ow!”
“…Nice.”
Right now, this is perfect, Noeul.
If you want to see me like this, just come over. We see each other’s faces, hang out at the PC café, sit side by side pretending to study, pick each other up, eat together… Can’t we spend the day like this and just go home at the end of it?
The house Noeul built in the middle region was still standing tall. If it lasted two more days, it’d be a week. Every day at 7 PM, Kyungsoo logged into the game and defended the house alongside Noeul to maintain its housing score.
[Guild] Ji9star: Wow, the furniture keeps changing LOL even the bed’s blue now
[Guild] MeowieMeowMeow: When did you get in here…? So fast ㅡㅡ
[Guild] Ji9star: lolol the house is so cute today too~^^!! Leaving a like~ Check my blog for cert info~
‘I’d rather live in a trash can.’
[Guild] MeowieMeowMeow: F*ck
As soon as Ji9star left a review, the housing score dropped by 1%. Kyungsoo activated a series of automated skills and used a hook to grab Ji9star, slamming him to the ground three times and killing him. Ji9star couldn’t even resist and got wiped out.
[Guild] Ji9star: Aaargh—
His avatar’s blue hair flopped down, and his eyes turned to Xs. A tombstone landed with a thud. Another gravestone appeared in front of the house.
[Global] Sunset: Ah^^ Leader-nim, long time no see ㅇㅅㅇ/
[Guild] PoseidonCaptain: …
PoseidonCaptain, already on the verge of death from Kyungsoo’s auto-attacks, was finished off by Sunset’s Nightmare Performance skill. Black smoke consumed him, and a tombstone appeared where he stood. Another one added near the house.
[Guild] MeowieMeowMeow: Guild master, haven’t you died like ten times? Why do you keep trying…
[Guild] PoseidonCaptain: Housewarming TT I just wanna see the place…
[Guild] Ji9star: You’ll never even make it to the doorstep LOL
^^Earth star will probably be the first to the underworld
[Guild] neutaaaa: Now I’m competitive LOL
[Guild] neutaaaa: Trash game… Moon Fairy was nerfed in the last patch, how is he this strong?
Moon Fairy might’ve been nerfed—but Kyungsoo wasn’t.
[Guild] MeowieMeowMeow: LOL Berserker’s speed buff made him a God-Kyrie hehe
I’m not Moon Fairy. I’m Valkyrie. Nerfed or not, Cheon Noeul’s job doesn’t matter. Mine is overpowered.
[Guild] neutaaaa: Ah yes… ;;
[Guild] MeowieMeowMeow: LOLOL God-serker, God Game, Godlusion^^
[Guild] HalloweenEggplant: ?
‘MeowieMeowMeow has been demoted to a regular guild member.’
“…”
Didn’t even need to check who did it.
[Guild] HalloweenEggplant: Who calls this sh*tty game a God Game lol
[Guild] PoseidonCaptain: LOOOOOOOOOL
HalloweenEggplant’s class, King Saber, had been completely nerfed in the latest patch. All light defense skills had their cooldowns increased by one second. All of them. It was harsh enough that many tank users just quit.
[Guild] Ji9star: ㅇ!!! ㅇ!!!!
[Guild] PeaPea: ??
[Guild] Ji9star: Trying to imitate angry squid… no, Vice Guild Master-nim ㅇㅅㅇ
‘Ji9star has been demoted to a regular guild member.’
[Guild] HalloweenEggplant: Crime – Mocking me
[Guild] Ji9star: T-T No brains, no patience…
