[Chae Yu-jeong: hyung, look at this][Chae Yu-jeong: (photo)][Chae Yu-jeong: it’s cute lol][Chae Yu-jeong: did you eat lunch?][Chae Yu-jeong: I haven’t yet T_T][Chae Yu-jeong: hyung are you busy?][Chae Yu-jeong: are you on campus now?][Chae Yu-jeong: what are you doing this weekend?][Chae Yu-jeong: can you meet me this weekend?][Chae Yu-jeong: I cleared out all my time on Sat/Sun!][Chae Yu-jeong: hyung..][Chae Yu-jeong: do you maybe have other plans?][Chae Yu-jeong: I’m fine anytime.. (sticker)][Chae Yu-jeong: you’re not going to stop meeting me now that you figured out what you were curious about, right?][Chae Yu-jeong: if you do I’ll be so sad, hyung (sticker)][Chae Yu-jeong: please text me for sure]“What is this.”After class, I checked my phone and frowned at the stack of messages.Turns out the ten-plus new ones were all from Chae Yu-jeong. What’s with him all of a sudden?[Yu Ji-han: what bullshit are you on][Chae Yu-jeong: hyung!!][Chae Yu-jeong: meet me this weekend ;_;]Weekend? I checked what day the weekend fell on, slung my bag over one shoulder, and texted back as I left the lecture hall.[Yu Ji-han: nah][Yu Ji-han: can’t][Chae Yu-jeong: ??][Chae Yu-jeong: why?][Yu Ji-han: busy][Chae Yu-jeong: ????][Yu Ji-han: ?][Chae Yu-jeong: who are you meeting?][Chae Yu-jeong: can’t you meet me instead of that person?]I wasn’t meeting anyone. The way he was spiraling into weird assumptions made me laugh out loud.[Yu Ji-han: I’m not meeting anyone, relax][Chae Yu-jeong: then?][Chae Yu-jeong: why are you busy?][Yu Ji-han: got stuff to do][Chae Yu-jeong: what stuff?]God, this is a pain.Weaving through students spilling into the hallway for lunch, I scrolled my contacts and called straight away.—H-hello? Hyung?He sounded startled. I stepped outside and down the stairs, asking flatly,“Why are you doing this?”—Huh?“Why are you making a fuss. Out of nowhere.”—Ah……Maybe he didn’t expect me to just call and demand the reason. After hemming and hawing, he finally said,—I thought… you wouldn’t meet me anymore……“Why would you think that.”—You’re not curious about me anymore. So I figured you’d say there’s no point meeting.“Do I look like that much of a piece of shit to you?”I snorted and put a cigarette in my mouth at the smoking area.Well, honestly, if it turns out he isn’t the same person as Yu Chae, I don’t plan to ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ keep in touch. But that’s a problem for later.—How would I know. You insta-blocked me off one ‘jungle diff’ all-chat.“You started it. And I unblocked you.”—When are you going to meet me?“Why do I need to.”Mumbling around the cigarette, I pressed him. He wilted again.—I can hang out with a close dongsaeng, right?“You and I are close?”Did everybody I’m close to freeze to death? We haven’t even known each other a month.—We went to a PC bang together and watched a movie. Doesn’t that count?“…Do you not have friends?”—I do! Hyung, that’s so mean!“Judging by how dramatic that was, sounds like you don’t. My bad.”—Ah, hyung! Don’t tease me.Not teasing.“Why does it have to be this weekend? You said you’ve got time through the end of the year anyway.”—You’re busy on weekdays because of school, so we can only meet on weekends… If we miss this one, I have to wait another whole week.“No, why are you waiting on me. If you’re lonely, get a girlfriend.”—……That shut him up. After a long silence—long enough for me to finish the cigarette and flick the butt in the trash—he spoke again.—What about you, hyung?“What about me.”—Do you have a girlfriend?“No. Otherwise I wouldn’t be wasting time bantering with you.”—You’re sure you’re not skipping the weekend because you’ve got plans with some girl?“Yeah, no.”—So then with me……“I’m not meeting a girl, but I do have plans. Stop asking. We’ll meet next time.”Either way, I’d already braced for meeting Chae Yu-jeong multiple times going forward.Compared to Yu Chae—whose number is all I have—Chae Yu-jeong is someone I can see in person. The chances are better I’ll find hard proof with him.—Okay……He could hear my tone getting stiffer and deflated fast.—Let’s definitely meet next week……“Yeah.”—I’ll hang up……“Mm.”—Enjoy your lunch, hyung.“You too.”When the call ended, I felt a twinge of guilt—maybe I’d shut him down too coldly. But I really did have plans I couldn’t put off.Right on cue, a notification pinged—about those plans. I checked immediately.[Drink Some Water: new raid info is up][Drink Some Water: https://jenoris.com/page/news/notice4889548][Drink Some Water: patch finishes early Saturday][Drink Some Water: dungeon opens at 9 a.m.][Drink Some Water: Normal this week, Abyss next week][TheHunter: pog][It’s Staeric: if it’s Saturday][It’s Staeric: then I can do it too][Drink Some Water: Abyss max headcount is 12][Drink Some Water: so we shouldn’t run out of slots lol][Haereun: let’s do it like when we First Cleared Loremha][Haereun: split into two teams of 6, clear Normal first][Haereun: then stack 12 for Abyss][I’m Lagginggg: O.O][I’m Lagginggg: that’s the safe play if we’re aiming First Clear][Drink Some Water: it’s Monday today][Drink Some Water: so if you want in on First Clear, say so by Wednesday][DoraHeeImnida: I’m in hehe][Drink Some Water: buffers always welcome][Mocha Bread Bread Bread: is it first-come-first-served?][Haereun: nah][Haereun: gather everyone who wants in][Haereun: then we prune by class..][Drink Some Water: hard to do pure first-come T_T][Drink Some Water: classes might overlap etc.][Mocha Bread Bread Bread: got it][Mocha Bread Bread Bread: count me in]I opened the link Water posted, skimmed how the new raid First Clear would run, and replied too.[Jeo Jolryeoyo: I’m in too][Drink Some Water: ok]Those were the plans I couldn’t put off.Water had asked first if I could make time Saturday to push the raid First Clear. I’d said it sounded fun and I’d consider it once the official notice went up.Not long after I said I’d join, another message landed in the group chat.[ㅇㅇ: I’m in too] ****New raid First Clear—usually shortened to First Clear.Truth is, even if you First Clear Abyss difficulty, the rewards aren’t amazing. At best, your party name gets carved on the stone slab at the new raid entrance, and a system message blasts server-wide.Even so, lots of players go for it because it’s one of the few events where you can prove skill.Among players who like to fight, most are fixated on rankings, but because Xenorise is an RPG, there aren’t that many ranking-related events.The big, attention-grabbing ones are: the Guardian Guild Trials that just ended, the class-by-class rankings held early in the year, and the First Clear of a new raid.As the unchallenged #1 guild on the server, Twilight took raid First Clears seriously. Especially since a new raid is a once-a-year, if-that, mega patch—it mattered more.[Guild] Hunting Madman: btw[Guild] Hunting Madman: didn’t the guildmaster say she wasn’t joining First Clear??[Guild] ManaOing-nam: lmao[Guild] ManaOing-nam: Jolrye said he’s in so guildmaster snuck in too hehe[Guild] Park Seungjin99: emotional domination damn[Guild] Haereun: with guildmaster in, the pace will be legit fastSaturday, 8:30 a.m. Guildmates gathered at the new raid entrance as planned—an ungodly hour I’d usually still be asleep. The place was already jam-packed with parties ready to take a shot.I pushed back my bangs—half-damp from a quick wash—and sipped the Americano I picked up after my morning run. If I had to wake early anyway, I jogged to shake off the fog, but I was still beat.[Guild] Drink Some Water: Team 1 is Yu Chae + Jeo + Dorahee + Haereun + Mocha Bread + Park Seungjin[Guild] Drink Some Water: Team 2 is me + Staeric + TheHunter + Hunting Madman + ManaOing + I’m Lagginggg[Guild] Mocha Bread: yesss!!![Guild] Staeric: ggg[Guild] Hwa So-un: excuse me what[Guild] Hwa So-un: you dropped a Lancer like me and put an Assassin in? -_-[Guild] Staeric: lol[Guild] Staeric: lancers can’t beat reapers~[Guild] Marinated Crab, Slurp: T_T I got dropped too fml[Guild] ManaOing-nam: Hunter and Staeric are flirting[Guild] ManaOing-nam: Water paired them on purpose o_o lol[Guild] TheHunter: ?[Guild] Hwa So-un: if that’s the reason I understand ^^7[Guild] I’m Lagginggg: Jeo and the guildmaster got paired too hehe[Guild] TheHunter: why would you compare that;[Guild] TheHunter: those two are actually dating and I’m not with Staeric;;[Guild] Jeo Jolryeoyo: we’re not either, fuck..[Guild] Haereun: lololololololol[Guild] I’m Lagginggg: lmao[Guild] Marinated Crab, Slurp: this is when healer/buffer/tank is clutch[Guild] Marinated Crab, Slurp: can’t cut those from a party[Guild] Hwa So-un: fr…[Guild] Monster Born of Capitalism: Water[Guild] Monster Born of Capitalism: can the leftovers form their own party and try too?[Guild] Drink Some Water: ofc[Guild] Drink Some Water: you guys go for the Normal First Clear too gogo[Guild] Hwa So-un: yo include me[Guild] Hwa So-un: lancer on standby[Guild] Let’s Play Pattycake: me too me too[Guild] I’llCutYouADeal: wanna bet on who gets First Clear first? lol[Guild] Haereun: we’re the main team so obviously us, agreed?[Guild] Hunting Madman: legit[Guild] Hwa So-un: nah bet me~[Guild] Drink Some Water: Jeo[Guild] Drink Some Water: when’s Yu Chae getting on?Crunching an ice cube from my Americano, I was skimming the new raid info when Water’s ping made me switch over to Messenger.[Yu Chae: hyung I’ll log in after I shower][Yu Chae: I’ll be on by ten-to-! ^_^!][Yu Ji-han: ok]I’d gotten that twenty minutes ago. I relayed it as-is to Water.[Guild] Jeo Jolryeoyo: he’s showering now[Guild] Jeo Jolryeoyo: says he’ll be on by :50[Guild] Jeo Jolryeoyo: but don’t you have his number too?[Guild] Drink Some Water: I do[Guild] Drink Some Water: problem is he ghosts all my texts ^^[Guild] Jeo Jolryeoyo: ah..[Guild] Haereun: oh~ so guildmaster only replies to Jeo’s texts[Guild] Mocha Bread: what is this what is this~~ ><[Guild] I’m Lagginggg: a true romantic of our times damn[Guild] Haereun: Xenorise Sean??? damn damn[Guild] Hunting Madman: I’m fuckin dead lololololol[Guild] Hwa So-un: lmaooooooo[Guild] Staeric: a man who can live without air but not without love damn damn damn[Guild] Drink Some Water: lolololololol“……”Watching the guild chat rocket up the log, I covered my face with both hands and groaned.I dug my own grave asking that. Fuck.

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