HFS 57

He was shocked by the unexpected criticism. Seo Hee-won fixed his gaze on the monitor with a dismissive “hmph.” Though Lee Cheong-hyeon wanted to argue further, it would be troublesome if they  kept bickering during the raid. Afterward, Seo Hee-won continued to criticize him whenever he complimented others even slightly, saying, “Here we go again…” As if that wasn’t enough, he began competitively focusing his healing exclusively on Lee Cheong-hyeon. Lee Cheong-hyeon quietly called Seo Hee-won’s name.

“Hee-won?”

“Yes.”

“Please heal others too! What good is it if you only heal me? Look at Jimni, is he even alive right now?”

Seo Hee-won had always tended to prioritize Lee Cheong-hyeon’s care, but today it was particularly severe, causing complaints from other party members. Even now, Seo Hee-won wasn’t paying any attention to Jimni’s dying state and refused to leave Lee Cheong-hyeon’s side. It wasn’t that he gave no healing to other guild members, but he only gave them just enough to barely survive, while using the priest’s main skills exclusively for Lee Cheong-hyeon. Hearing Lee Cheong-hyeon’s voice, Jiimni, who had been hanging on by a sliver of health, finally burst into tears of frustration.

“Yeah, you bastard! Isn’t this too much? I can’t even deal damage because I’m about to die!”

“I am healing you. And what tank cares about damage output anyway?”

“No, don’t just give me these tiny heals, give me proper ones. I know your Guardian skill cooldown is over. Use it now.”

“No. I need to save it for emergencies.”

“This IS an emergency. I’m about to die. Can’t you see my health?”

“Not for you, for when hyung is in danger.”

“Ah! This is so infuriating!”

Once, twice, three times. After spitefully giving Jimni exactly three heals, Seo Hee-won returned to Lee Cheong-hyeon’s side. The more Seo Hee-won behaved this way, the more awkward Lee Cheong-hyeon was starting to feel.

“What’s wrong with you? Is it because I’m not praising you? You know it without me having to say it. I can’t do this without you!”

“You really have issues, hyung.”

Amid the chaos of Lee Cheong-hyeon’s pleading and Jimni’s screams of impending death, Hyojung had been asking Kang Woo-jin for healing for quite some time now.

“Misuki, just one heal for me.”

“Yes, coming~ Whew, so busy.”

“I need healing too.”

“All my skills are on cooldown, I’ll heal you in HFS 5 seconds.”

“Ah, Woojin oppa! Please heal me too. It hurts so much.”

“… Can you please get hurt one at a time?”

Finally, unable to endure any longer, Yoo Ji-min set down his shield and chose death. He walked stoically toward Artilens, and his character collapsed helplessly.

“Jimni…?”

After Hyojung’s bewildered voice, silence fell. With a sigh followed by a clapping sound, Yoo Ji-min spoke in a light tone.

“Shall we take a break for lunch and meet again later?”

It didn’t seem like much time had passed, but it was already lunchtime. They agreed to resume practice in an hour and a half and disbanded for now. Lee Cheong-hyeon’s eyes met with Seo Hee-won’s, who was smiling shamelessly as if unaware of his wrongdoing.

“What’s wrong with Seo Hee-won today?”

“Why do you keep making me feel bad?”

“You have a lot to feel bad about…”

“Do you prefer how I used to heal, or how I heal now?”

“Used to?”

“Do you prefer when you were barely clinging to life?”

That comment brought back memories he had completely forgotten about. The painfully difficult days when he had to beg and plead for just one heal, and would only receive it reluctantly.

“…”

“Now is better, right?”

“Yeah…”

“But you never know how I might change next time…”

“…”

“If it were me, I wouldn’t make you feel bad…”

“…Were you hurt? I’m sorry, hyung. I won’t do it again.”

As Lee Cheong-hyeon apologized with a servile smile, Seo Hee-won finally looked him in the eyes and smiled brightly.

* * *

Boss practice was scheduled to continue until dawn again today, but when Tae-young said he had something come up and logged off, they couldn’t continue the practice. They tried finding someone else to join, but the lack of coordination made it a waste of time. In the end, they agreed to disband and individually study boss practice videos in their free time.

“Are you going home?”

“Well…Should I? There’s nothing else to do.”

“It’s almost dinner time. Let’s eat together before you go.”

Somehow, all they had been doing all day was eating, sleeping, and gaming.

“Sure, why not?”

“Should we go out? What do you want to eat?”

Today, Lee Cheong-hyeon wanted to cook at home. Thinking about what was in Seo Hee-won’s refrigerator, he realized there was barely anything edible. Since Seo Hee-won didn’t cook, Lee Cheong-hyeon was responsible for meals when they ate at his place, so he knew exactly what was in the fridge. Too lazy to go out, he shifted his thoughts to food delivery services.

“Let’s just order delivery. How about sashimi? I’m craving something fresh.”

“Sounds good.”

There was a decent place they had dined at before. It also offered delivery, so they were about to order from there when, sure enough, Seo Hee-won insisted on paying and completed the payment himself. By now, Lee Cheong-hyeon had become accustomed to Seo Hee-won paying for meals.

“Sashimi…Sounds delicious. Sashimi should be eaten with soju, though. That’s a shame.”

“We can drink. Should I go buy some?”

“But you don’t drink.”

“I think a little would be fine.”

“Really? Then I’ll go out and get some.”

“Let’s go together.”

As Lee Cheong-hyeon got up, Seo Hee-won paused the boss video he was watching and stood up as well. Together they went to the convenience store, bought alcohol and soda, and returned. Shortly after, Seo Hee-won neatly transferred the sashimi, which had arrived in disposable containers, onto plates. Even when Lee Cheong-hyeon suggested they could eat straight from the containers, Seo Hee-won couldn’t stand the sight of food served in disposable containers. While waiting for him, Lee Cheong-hyeon took out the soju and drinks he had put in the refrigerator. He also found some liquor glasses in a cabinet he had seen before. He filled his own glass with soju and Seo Hee-won’s with a little soju topped with a mixer.

“Cheers?”

After Seo Hee-won finished setting up the plates, they clinked their glasses together with a ‘cheers’ and each took a sip.

“You can’t really taste the alcohol, can you?”

“No. It tastes exactly the same as what I had at the meetup.”

“Gack.”

Lee Cheong-hyeon almost spat out his drink. Seo Hee-won raised his eyebrows at the reaction.

“Did you know someone put alcohol in my drink?”

“What? I didn’t know.”

“Don’t tell me it was you?”

“It wasn’t! It was probably Woojin or something.”

Seeing Seo Hee-won looking at him with disappointment, Lee Cheong-hyeon feigned innocence and avoided his gaze.

“Do you think we can clear Artilens perfectly?”

“Don’t change the subject so obviously.”

“Okay.”

“I feel hurt. I thought I was closest to you, but you don’t even care when someone secretly gives me alcohol.”

“Well, at least I stopped them and made sure they only put a little in…”

“I see.”

Seo Hee-won let it go without further argument at Lee Cheong-hyeon’s excuse.

“Are you going home after we finish eating?”

“Well, I don’t have morning classes tomorrow…Will you call me for morning practice tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll sleep here. You take the bed.”

“Just sleep in the bed, hyung. I’ll see later, if I feel comfortable, I’ll sleep beside you.”

“What do you mean ‘if you feel comfortable’? I promise I’ll stay completely still, so sleep next to me. I’ll feel bad if the homeowner sleeps uncomfortably.”

“…Alright.”

Having received a definite answer, Lee Cheong-hyeon drank his alcohol comfortably. He had been busy every day with classes and boss practice, so having some leisure time for once felt quite good. What was meant to be a simple drink with dinner stretched longer than expected, and he started to feel tipsy.

“I didn’t expect clearing a new boss would take this long.”

It had already been over a week since Artilens was released, but by their estimation, they had only conquered about half of it. Seo Hee-won seemed to have had quite a bit to drink as well, nodding with a loose posture and a meaningless smile on his face.

“It seems like the gap with other parties is gradually widening. Do you think a perfect clear will be difficult?”

“Yes. It can’t be helped.”

“Really? That’s unexpected. Don’t you feel like all our efforts so far have been wasted?”

“It does feel a bit wasteful, but…”

Lee Cheong-hyeon had expected Seo Hee-won to be more ambitious about achieving the first clear, but his reaction was more indifferent than anticipated. He knew that Seo Hee-won’s passion for the game had decreased compared to before. Still, he hadn’t expected him to adopt such a “whatever happens, happens” attitude. Feeling as if he was being particularly persuasive, Seo Hee-won’s words trailed off.

“But it’s good anyway.”

“What’s good?”

“You…”

Lee Cheong-hyeon, who was about to pick up one of the few remaining pieces of sashimi, froze in place. His heart sank and his breath caught as he wondered if he had heard correctly. His lips went dry with tension. Looking anxiously at Seo Hee-won, he saw him peacefully closing his eyes.

“Being with you, playing the game together…”

“Ah, you scared me…You should stop drinking now!”

“Why are you angry at me?”

“Why do you pause your sentences at such strange places…!”

As Lee Cheong-hyeon angrily took away Seo Hee-won’s glass, Seo Hee-won leaned on the table with a sullen face. The startled feeling in Lee Cheong-hyeon’s heart wouldn’t easily calm down, still thumping loudly. After nearly giving him a heart attack, Seo Hee-won just blinked, seemingly lost in thought, then suddenly looked at Lee Cheong-hyeon with a pretty smile.

“Lee Cheong-hyeon.”

“Unbelievable…I knew you’d be like this.”

Giggling, Seo Hee-won rested his chin on the table and stared intently at Lee Cheong-hyeon. His pupils were slightly unfocused, clearly indicating he was drunk.

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow after class too.”

“You don’t have to come tomorrow. I have dinner plans with a classmate.”

“… Which classmate? Kim Minjae?”

“Yeah.”

He remembered the name Lee Cheong-hyeon had mentioned just once before with perfect accuracy. Suddenly, Seo Hee-won’s shoulders drooped, and his expression turned gloomy.