Chapter 16

He knew what was in front of him was just a monitor screen, but there was no stopping his face from burning.

Miu didn’t even know who he was. Was this really the right thing to do?

He’d forced out that confession only because if he didn’t say something, “Miyoung” would keep tormenting him with that ridiculous misunderstanding—

And yet.

(Global) Miu: Now you’re getting creative with your lies.

Miu didn’t even blink!

(Global) Miu: If you’re going to make excuses, at least do it properly. What, like we’ve ever even met properly?

(Global) 0momo0: WE’RE CONNECTED!!!!!! we were connected like, DEEPLY connected!!!!

At the café, we were connected. The watermelon juice and the little fan were good....

With his vision blurring for some reason, Yeonhoo hit the point where he didn’t care anymore and shouted like he was coughing up blood.

(Global) 0momo0: you saved me!!!!

And in the game too—you saved me from that punk in the coolest way....

(Global) 0momo0: you made me like you first and now you’re acting like you don’t know!!!

You even kindly taught a newbie like me how looting works....

(Global) 0momo0: so i followed you! that’s why! that’s why i did it

(Global) 0momo0: why are you saying stuff like that why are you only saying stuff to me

(Global) 0momo0: WHY!!!

The moment Yeonhoo’s resentment started pouring out like a collapsed dam, even Miu visibly flinched. Watching 0momo0’s chat explode in a frantic barrage, Miu spoke, calm.

(Global) Miu: Say it again. Calm down first.

(Global) 0momo0: THEN YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN NICE TO ME IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!!!

(Global) 0momo0: you make me feel like this—so stressed and anxious!!!!!

Of course, he got crushed instantly anyway.

(Global) 0momo0: me too!!!

(Global) 0momo0: if you weren’t so cute and like a baby rabbit i wouldn’t be like this!!!!

(Global) Miu: ??

(Global) 0momo0: it’s hard for me too just hovering like this this game is so hard it’s really so hard and sometimes i wanna quit but i just wanna talk to you comfortably

(Global) Miu: Baby... what?

(Global) 0momo0: like if i touch you you’ll break and if i get close you’ll fly away

(Global) 0momo0: so i came closer carefully and now you treat me like i’m weird T_T i’m serious i’m serious and i brought stuff you’d really like because i’m serious T_T T_T T_T T_T

(Global) 0momo0: you liked pink so i bought pink and i buy everything people say is good on youTube and give it to you but you say weird stuff T_T T_T T_T

(Global) Miu: Who...

(Global) Miu: Who???

(Global) 0momo0: i didn’t even want anything T_T T_T i just gave gifts i didn’t even talk to you T_T T_T T_T T_T

(Global) 0momo0: if you told me to pretend to die i’d pretend to die T_T T_T T_T i like you so much i could do anything you tell me to do T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T

Miu got flattened under the sheer weight of Yeonhoo’s fat speech bubbles and couldn’t even get a full sentence out.

Yeonhoo was so busy spewing his disbelief—how could someone misunderstand him like this?—that he didn’t notice, but Miu was actually seriously flustered.

You could tell just by looking at how his aim—so sharp a moment ago it seemed like he’d drill straight through the center of 0momo0’s skull—was now completely off.

Miu stayed silent for a long time, like someone who’d lost the ability to speak.

And even then, Yeonhoo’s whining didn’t stop.

(Global) 0momo0: T_T T_T T_T you keep doing this even though i don’t know anything

(Global) 0momo0: isn’t that for using on the giant zombie?? you just keep spraying it and it hurts so much and it’s scary and you killed all the trees too

(Global) 0momo0: when you look at me you’re so scary like some ghost like a monster at me T_T T_T T_T

The machine gun Miu had sprayed in every direction must’ve terrified him, because Yeonhoo kept dumping out his misery in a completely incoherent stream.

In the middle of that, Miu’s character—who’d been motionless—shifted slightly.

(Global) Miu: First of all—

Maybe Miu was human after all, because he looked genuinely shaken by 0momo0’s chat. Only after a few seconds did he continue.

(Global) Miu: Let’s organize this.

In the middle of the forest—now barren from all the bullets—there was a bald necromancer sobbing, gift boxes everywhere, and that impossible chat log...

Miu seemed to regain his composure and start assessing the situation objectively, but he still looked full of questions.

(Global) Miu: You’re saying you like me, so you want to join the alliance.

(Global) 0momo0: yeah T_T T_T

(Global) Miu: It’s still hard to believe, honestly.

(Global) 0momo0: how many times do i have to say it T_T T_T T_T

(Global) 0momo0: why do you keep T_T T_T doubting people i’m really not i’m not a weird person T_T i’m not

(Global) 0momo0: what do you want me to do T_T why do you keep doing this T_T

(Global) Miu: Stop crying and listen.

The mood changed currents in an instant.

(Global) Miu: Then show me.

(Global) 0momo0: show you...? T_T T_T w-what

(Global) Miu: Prove it next to me in a way I can accept.

Yeonhoo blinked at the monitor.

(Global) Miu: That you like me.

Prove he wasn’t a spy, that he really did all this because he liked Miu?

Yeonhoo panicked.

How am I supposed to prove that?

Should he run to the café right now and shove flowers at her?

But he still doesn’t know I’m Yeonhoo. Or that I’m a café customer.

He was wrestling with whether he should just do it anyway when a window popped up.

An invitation to join alliance <47> has arrived.

Would you like to accept?

YES

NO

<47>? Miyoung’s alliance?

The place he’d been so sad about, because he couldn’t get in even though he wanted to?

Yeonhoo hurriedly wiped his eyes and stared at the screen.

What the hell just happened?

His mind spun. No matter how he looked at it, this situation—

(Global) 0momo0: why...??

Was this all an interview?

But who in the world conducts an interview like this?

He blinked in confusion, and Miu said:

(Global) Miu: You said you’re not a spy, you just like me so much that if I told you to pretend to die, you’d pretend to die.

(Global) Miu: So I want to see that.

Pretend to die...

Like he was telling him to hurry up and prove how much he liked him.

(Global) Miu: Don’t want to?

(Global) Miu: You said you like me.

Miu didn’t give him time to think.

Before Yeonhoo could even fully understand what was happening, he was scared Miu might withdraw the invitation, so he hurriedly typed back.

(Global) 0momo0: yes y-yesyesyesyes

(Global) 0momo0: i can really do it well

What was there to agonize over?

(Global) 0momo0: i want to join

If Miu asked for something really weird, Yeonhoo honestly thought he could do anything.

(Global) Miu: You seem like a weirdo, so I’m putting you next to me where I can watch you.

(Global) Miu: Don’t get any wrong ideas.

(Global) 0momo0: I WON’T GET WRONG IDEAS!!!

(Global) 0momo0: really really i won’t!!!

He said he wouldn’t get any wrong ideas at all, but Yeonhoo was already planning to look up how to get married in the game soon.

(Global) Miu: Hit accept.

There was no reason to refuse, so Yeonhoo smashed the accept button.

(Notification) Congratulations! 0momo0 has joined alliance <47>!

(Notification) New Bloodline Bonus 5,000 gold has been awarded.

(Notification) Alliance Skill <Group Survival Instinct Lv.MAX> has been activated.

(Notification) Alliance Skill <Gathering Speed Lv.MAX> has been activated.

.

.

The second he accepted, system chat started blaring like it had lost its mind.

That’s... a lot.

All the alliance functions that had been locked until now activated at once, and he gained access to the #1-ranked alliance skills.

(Global) 0momo0: holy crap..

(Global) 0momo0: it’s really <47>..

The instant he saw the word “47” over his head, it felt like all the bitterness he’d been holding melted away—being shut out of the alliance, being treated like a spy by Miu.

Sure, he still had to prove he wasn’t an infiltrator, but—good is good. He’d achieved a goal he’d thought was impossible, and Yeonhoo was purely happy.

Watching him, Miu relaxed his combat stance. Attacking was impossible between members of the same alliance anyway.

A new tab appeared in the lower-left corner—one that hadn’t existed before.

The label written on it:

[Alliance]

(Notification) This is the alliance <47> chat window!

<47>!