“Jin Muhae. Are you still mad?”“……”“I even hit your head. And I swapped out the Fruit Tornado for a shitty version.”“……”“Yesterday was fun… we ate cake and bought weird stuff.”“Shut up.”At that curt retort, Joo-o clamped his mouth shut.Ever since he’d confessed that trivial lie, Jin Muhae had stayed like that.Thanks to that, even after the grocery run, Joo-o had to sit quietly on the sofa.He’d been the one to get caught trying to trick someone, so he was in the wrong—but who knew he’d get this angry?It wasn’t like he’d actually interfered with Jin Muhae’s work. Was it a crime to hate cereal that tastes like animal feed and pick something colorful and sweet instead?“He even hit my head.”It hadn’t hurt, but it didn’t feel good either, so they were even—yet he was still sulking longer than expected.Normally, Muhae wasn’t so forgiving. In a good way, he was neat and cutthroat; in a bad way, he just didn’t care about Joo-o at all.No matter what Joo-o did beside him, as long as it didn’t cause harm, Muhae would ignore it. Yet now he wouldn’t even look at him.Something felt… off. A flicker of panic hit Joo-o.“Shouldn’t I have gone to swap the cereal by myself?”Maybe he’d slipped up somewhere. Was it suspicious to Jin Muhae that he, lost without the game guide, had given him hints a few times?But if he didn’t guide him properly, they wouldn’t reach the ending he wanted…Joo-o, forever oblivious to deeper meanings and always probing for openings, found Muhae’s distance irritating.“But what can I do? Still…”Joo-o’s every standard was relaxed when it came to Jin Muhae.He hadn’t waited years just to be shoved aside. Just getting a chance to insert himself into the game’s story was enough.Now it was only that Muhae had beaten him and never petted him that stung a little—just a little.When Muhae’s hand had struck him, Joo-o had actually been half-expecting it.He thought maybe Muhae would calm down and stroke his hair.“Jin Muhae. Should I go to my room?”It was ridiculous. Even though he still couldn’t remember his pre-game life, Joo-o realized how strange it felt to have someone’s hand touch his head.But soon he understood that strangeness wasn’t bad. What had always felt cold inside suddenly turned soft and pliant, tickling something in his chest.Once the dizzy feeling passed, he found himself waiting for that touch. It always felt good when Muhae reached him.And head pats were the best. Thinking of Muhae’s warmth so close, he wished Muhae would run his fingers through his hair, poke his ears, or brush his cheek.“But he just stays mad.”He knew it was silly for someone who’d barged in uninvited to fuss so much.Besides feigning stupidity, even ordinary conversation felt clumsy and childish. He tried not to be like that, but whenever his instincts surged, the dark side of his mind would flit over and bother Muhae.That was why his thoughts never went anywhere more sophisticated.Feeling things out bit by bit and slowly expanding his rational side was the best Joo-o could do right now.“Are you really leaving?”Jin Muhae sprang up but kept checking his pad without glancing Joo-o’s way.Joo-o rubbed the spot where Muhae had hit him—clearly within his peripheral vision—but Muhae didn’t so much as twitch his lips.Watching that stiff expression, Joo-o felt a bubble of disappointment rising. He wasn’t sure if this was what “disappointed” felt like, but it sort of was.“From now on, I’ll pretend I don’t know anything.”Muttering to himself, Joo-o trudged toward the study. He thought he’d heard the door click softly behind him, but then there was a loud bang.He felt a sting and almost yelled that it wasn’t on purpose, but instead flopped onto the mattress.“I really won’t tell him anything.”He wouldn’t tell him that he was about to go hunt for leather himself to make a new jacket, or that he could get hidden hide by killing anomalies instead of beasts.He’d keep his guard up and stay silent for a while. It wouldn’t derail the main story too much anyway.He really meant it. Thinking of that pet-food–tasting cereal made him a bit angry.…But you never know. If Muhae apologized first, he might spill everything.After all, Joo-o would keep sticking close and keep helping Muhae.“Of course, I’m doing it to survive too.”Though he had other motives, there was no lie in his desire to help Muhae.“Bit by bit, I’ll change things.”And deep down, Joo-o knew why Muhae kept distancing himself: because Joo-o hadn’t properly joined the cast of main characters.Now that he’d proven he could help, it was time to earn recognition as a true companion.Then Muhae’s frosty attitude would thaw a little. After that, he wouldn’t have to pretend ignorance at all.Thud. Joo-o rolled onto his side on the mattress and buried his face in the bedding that no longer smelled of Muhae.Fortunately, by evening Jin Muhae had returned to normal.Not “affectionate”—he had never been that. His fierce scowl simply relaxed, and he resumed ignoring Joo-o.Compared to earlier when he wouldn’t even turn his head, it was major progress.“Did you find what you were looking for?”Joo-o blurted it without thinking, then froze. From Joo-o’s perspective, yesterday’s trip to Sakdal had just been a fun day out.He didn’t know Muhae had been researching signal devices, or that Muhae had found information in Sakdal.His head was feeling fuzzy, and he wondered if he’d slipped up. Rolling his eyes to gauge Muhae, it seemed he hadn’t noticed anything odd.“I want cake.”So Joo-o, acting like himself, talked about food.But at those words, a faint crack sprang in Muhae’s brow. Joo-o couldn’t tell what he’d messed up.The expression vanished in an instant, but Joo-o had caught the brief flicker.Come to think of it, when Muhae had stiffened earlier, had Joo-o mentioned Sakdal?“Maybe I shouldn’t talk about Sakdal.”Using the last of his reason, Joo-o chewed his lip a few times, then collapsed across the table.Oh well. He couldn’t be kicked out now.Even if Muhae got angry, Joo-o could just ignore it; if Muhae hit him, it didn’t hurt. It was too exhausting to scheme further. Even thinking a bit left him hollow, as if punched through, saliva pooling in his mouth…“Eat some eggs.”“Fake eggs.”“You’re rude again.”But they really were fake. Joo-o suppressed his racing thoughts and watched Muhae quietly.Muhae was mixing water into a bottle of yellow powder and shaking it. When he poured it into the pan, a “Creeeak—” sizzle told him it was almost like egg liquid, cooking rapidly at the edges.His half-cooked eggs were casually stirred into scramble. Muhae held one hand on his hip, his thick torso accentuating his trim waist.Joo-o had watched Muhae long outside the monitor, but this was the first time seeing him cook since possessing him.The game’s details and reality’s nuances were satisfying, and Joo-o smiled foolishly.Alright, this crappy mood was bearable.Ding—![Quest]Main QuestTutorial (Completed)CHAPTER 1☞ Outsider of the City (Completed)- Gold-Birthing Wolf √ - 200,000 dil Relic √☞ The Unextinguished Ember (Completed)- Intangible Legacy √ - Journey’s Beginning √ - A Pair of Wedding Rings √ - Kingfisher √☞ Mayday, Mayday (In Progress)- The Lost Blueprint √ - Secret DealCome to think of it, it’s almost time for the game’s difficulty to ramp up.Some mass-produced goods in Goryeo City require strict purchase conditions for civilians outside the residential zones.Electronics shops like Boss Gil’s, with criminal records and dangerous weapons, can only trade pre-registered items in limited quantities.Because of that, near the end of Chapter 1, Jin Muhae has to smuggle parts for his signal device—and from then on the game adds an “Exposure” stat.“I once tried the MAX Exposure challenge back in the day.”Exposure is a handicap. It rises as you progress the main quest, and doing repeat site quests spikes it faster.Depending on choices you make, it can hit the top tier—and at that point, the difficulty becomes absurdly punishing.In La Vida Blue’s lore, because the “Jin Muhae” character starts the game already powerful, the system throws obstacles at you.Once players get used to the game by Chapter 1, beginner assistance ends, and patrols and monitoring systems go wild.“Exposure is easy to manage.”Joo-o had played this game countless times. He’d toyed with Exposure as he pleased and done every trick in the book.The problem was that reality differed from the game, and Muhae—the real one—didn’t always follow the script.But somehow, it would work out. Nothing could be worse than falling into the game 15 years before {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} it launched.“Real Jin Muhae would never know.”About how much I think of him.Muttering the unspeakable part under his breath, Joo-o watched the man’s back in silence for a long time.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.