He’d said to meet by 2:00, so I showed up on time and spotted Chae Yu-jeong waiting across the crosswalk.Why is he dressed like that again?In a white T-shirt under a light beige cardigan, he was so pale and pretty he stood out from a distance.Which only highlighted how thrown-together I looked.Is he meeting a woman after seeing me for a bit? If so, I could understand dressing like that.Should’ve at least worn a brighter top.Standing next to that snow-white guy in a black crewneck and jeans was already tiring. If I’d shoved a cap down too, I would’ve looked like a criminal.I watched him standing neatly by the building and waited for the light to turn green—then two women walked up to him.Getting hit on already? But instead of a phone, they held out a sketchbook and a pen. He took the sketchbook and started scribbling. So, autographs.The signal changed right then, but barging in would just make things awkward. I waited for the women to pass and then went over.“Popular, huh?”“Hyung…!”He’d been peeking at his watch, hyped, and jumped when he heard my voice. The moment our eyes met, his ears flushed red.“H-how long… were you watching?”“I was across the street. You didn’t see me?”“Right.”He stood there a little crooked, shy. I looked him up and down and jerked my chin.“Let’s go talk. Any café’s fine, right?”“Huh? Ah, no. Hyung.”He caught my arm, hesitated, then spoke.“Let’s go watch a movie.”“……”He’s actually insane. Or °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° he wouldn’t be this brazen.He saw my face go cold in real time and wilted.“I even booked tickets…”“Who told you to?”“We said we’d watch a movie…”When did I?Unbelievable. My head hurt. I rubbed my forehead and pulled my arm free.“God, this is annoying… forget it. I’m done.”“Huh? Hyung, wait—”“Let’s just drop it. Why did I even come meet you… I’m deleting your number, so don’t contact me.”I turned on my heel. He blinked, stunned, then grabbed my wrist in a rush.“No, no. I’m sorry. I’ll talk. Don’t go!”He blocked me in a panic, face flushed with shock and confusion.“I don’t want to get dragged into your games.”“I—it wasn’t a game. I’m sorry. I mean it. Let’s go to a café. We’ll talk there, okay?”Afraid I’d shake him off again, he clasped my hand with both of his and begged.“You’re not going to change the subject like last time?”“No.”I stared, all suspicion. He let the corners of his eyes droop and pressed his lips tight. The skin around his eyes was reddish under those long lashes—if I left him like this he’d probably burst into tears. I sighed and nodded.“There’s a café on the second floor. Let’s go.” ****“I wasn’t lying about admiring you.”We took the most tucked-away table in the café. With our drinks in front of us, he watched me and spoke carefully from the other side.“Honestly, I started Hiore because of you.”“What? When did you start?”“When I was 18…”“Far as I know you went pro at 20. So you played Hiore for two years and debuted pro right away?”“Yeah.”“…Huh.”He played that brutal game for only two years and went pro?I’m good at most games, and even I had a hard time adapting to Hiore. After about two years I’d barely hit Master. So I hit Master in two years, and this guy hit Challenger and debuted?Impressive.That’s the talent gap. In other words, you need to be like this to go pro. Can’t even compare to the “good at games” average guy.“Hyung, you entered that offline tournament at 19. You won.”“I did.”“I went to watch. Well, technically I just happened to drop by the game show where it was held and saw it.”The Hiore offline I’d entered at 19 was in Busan’s BEXCO, where they host game expos every year.It was a big show—multiple games doing offline events like Hiore, new titles being showcased.“My friend asked me to go. The Hiore tournament was huge, so we checked it out and…”He smiled faintly, then closed his eyes slow and opened them to meet mine.“I saw you entering the player area. And then I kept watching.”“…”“The matches ran for three days, right? I went every day and watched you play. When you won, I was the first on my feet clapping.”“…”“I’ve liked you since then.”Listening blankly, I felt heat rise along my nape at the increasingly embarrassing details.He’s not embarrassed? How does a guy say that to another guy?“You can idolize someone you just saw play a game?”“I already gamed. Not Hiore, FPS—but I’ve got an eye, so I can tell right away who’s best.”He casually boosted my ego, cheeks pink.“You were insanely cool. Even in the finals you completely crushed the enemy jungler.”“Well…”True. The opponent kept making nervous mistakes in the finals, made it easier.“After that, I watched everything you were in. Interviews, streams—you did those too.”[1]“Mm…”“I picked jungler as my role because of you. When I first started Hiore I watched your matches on a record site every day and learned.”“…So that’s why your jungle path kept overlapping mine?”I’d felt our styles were similar before, but figured I was being conceited since he was a pro. So it was true?He looked sheepish.“I didn’t mean to, but learning from you made me overlap without noticing. Sorry.”“It’s fine.”Nothing to apologize for.So I accidentally raised a future rival? I never imagined he’d been at that tournament. Definitely not something I’d considered.But…Something still itched.Nothing he’d said had holes. I had entered that tournament and won. And him happening to swing by the show and see it—plausible.But is that really all? Even if some amateur at a tournament looked cool, could you still like him five years later?“Chae Yu-jeong.”“Yes?”I couldn’t fully grasp him, so I asked straight.“Is that it? There isn’t anything else?”“…”He watched me with an odd look, then smiled.“Of course not. What else would there be?”“You could’ve said something sooner. You must’ve heard about me from Tae-young.”“…Dunno.”His voice went soft, a little deflated compared to before.“It’s not easy to just friend-request someone out of nowhere and say all this. Running into you in ranked sometimes was enough.”“Hm…”If that’s how he feels. Pushing harder now would be tough.If Chae Yu-jeong is Yu Chae… then he’s known me for five years.While I quit Hiore and lived campus life, he dabbled in Hiore and then started Xenorise? Before that he wouldn’t have had time for other games because of pro life.I spun his story in my head, trying to fit pieces, and he fidgeted, watching me.“Hyung, I said everything…”“Ah. Yeah. I heard you.”“So… you’re not deleting my number?”“Yeah.”I answered flatly. He let out a tiny breath of relief.Which made me feel like I’d bullied a small animal. I’m the one who got jerked around—why am I feeling like this?“Then… are we done?”“That’s right.”“…Do we just go home?”“You don’t have other plans?”“No…”No? Dressed up like that, I figured he did.I sipped the iced americano and checked him. His shoulders sagged, and he kept sneaking looks at me like he wanted to say something.I could guess exactly what he was thinking. Ignoring it would’ve been easy, but what he’d said kept looping in my head.He started Hiore because of me, even picked jungle because of me. Hard to keep being cold.“Get up.”“Huh?”I put the cup down and stood.“Let’s go watch a movie.”“…Huh?”“Let’s go. You said you don’t have plans.”He stared up at me, eyes wide.After a long beat he got it—and smiled brighter than I’d ever seen. It popped open like a flower blooming, and for a second it felt like the room lit up.“Hyung, you’re the best!”Cheeks flushed, he suddenly hugged my waist from his chair.“What the—!”Goosebumps raced up my arms. Why is this lunatic doing this out of nowhere?“Let go. Now.”“Can’t I hold you a little longer?”“No.”Even at my sharp glare, he just beamed.“Hyung, I like you so much…”I’ve heard that line before. Where was it?“Quit the nonsense and get up if we’re going.”“Yessir.”He sprang up and glued himself to my back as I headed out.I felt like I was babysitting a younger kid on the way to the theater. ________[1] Short for “internet broadcast,” i.e., livestreams.

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