Chapter 32

(Alliance) 0momo0: Miu!

(Alliance) 0momo0: Thank you so much for remembering the promise you made with me and going to the raid with me!!

(Alliance) 0momo0: Even if it was a promise, it’s not like keeping one is easy!!!

But after typing it out, he felt like maybe he had emphasized the promise thing too much. He had not meant to pressure him, so he hurriedly added a few more lines.

(Alliance) 0momo0: Ah but of course of course I’m absolutely not trying to emphasize the promise, and even if it was a promise, people can still cancel

(Alliance) 0momo0: you really really didn’t have to keep it! I just meant I’m super super grateful that you came with me!!!!

Whew, good. This should keep him from misunderstanding me, right?

Thinking that, Yeonhoo looked at the screen and blinked.

Miu, who had been chopping at the tree, had stopped and was staring straight at Yeonhoo. Not doing anything. Just looking at him.

(Alliance) Miu: A promise is something you can cancel?

(Alliance) 0momo0: Yeah, yeah, right, exactly, so you don’t have to feel pressured

(Alliance) Miu: Even when there’s someone waiting for that promise?

(Alliance) 0momo0: Ah, well, if someone’s waiting, then I guess that would be kind of shitty...

(Alliance) Miu: Even when it’s obvious they’ll be disappointed?

Yeonhoo had just been nodding along, thinking his baby rabbit was really responsible, then paused.

The flow of this conversation was... weird, wasn’t it?

Right. Come to think of it, he kept reacting really strongly to promises...

He had forgotten for a moment, but now he belatedly remembered how unusually intensely Miu had reacted to the word promise around the start of the raid.

Had some group reservation really no-showed at the café after booking it? Had he actually been right?

If that’s the case!

Yeonhoo immediately started typing.

(Alliance) 0momo0: Ahh right, exactly!! I was thinking about it wrong!!! If someone was waiting for that promise, they’d be seriously disappointed!!

A quick judgment.

(Alliance) 0momo0: If you think about the person waiting, then of course you absolutely have to keep your promise!! Right!!

(Alliance) 0momo0: The one who broke the promise is the real idiot!!

A quick U-turn.

(Alliance) 0momo0: Of course you can’t cancel a promise, everyone learns that in elementary school

(Alliance) 0momo0: The person who canceled is the really bad one, so don’t worry too much about it, Miu!

(Alliance) 0momo0: You kept your promise! You’re not like that person!! You’re seriously amazing!!

(Alliance) 0momo0: Ugh, because of some weirdo, Miu ended up stressing his heart out

(Alliance) 0momo0: Seriously, I can already tell what kind of person they are without even seeing them, huh??

(Alliance) 0momo0: A person like that is, huh? downright vicious! Swearing just comes out naturally!! What a piece of shit♥♥!! Right!!!!

In an instant, Yeonhoo changed directions and rattled out a flood of messages.

(Alliance) Miu: A weirdo? LOL

But somehow the mood...

(Alliance) Miu: Vicious and a piece of shit♥♥?

Something was... off, wasn’t it?

Yeonhoo stared at the screen like he had broken. Had he said something weird? Just a little while ago Miu had seemed so hung up on promises that Yeonhoo had assumed some person—or customer—had stood him up, so he had only been trying hard to sympathize and agree and help him vent the unfairness of it.

(Alliance) Miu: Why are you cursing that person out?

(Alliance) Miu: Who do you think you are?

What exactly was this reaction supposed to mean?

(Alliance) 0momo0: Uh........

(Alliance) 0momo0: I’m sorry......?

Yeonhoo apologized first, while his thoughts spun frantically.

It must’ve been someone super close to him who wrecked the promise...

All at once, memories flashed through his head of guy friends who would rant nonstop about their girlfriends to him, and then the second he took their side, snap at him asking how he dared say that about their girlfriend.

No, wait. Maybe not that either.

Yeonhoo immediately tried another U-turn and typed again.

(Alliance) 0momo0: Um.... if it was someone close to you and a good person.... well... then I guess that can happen! I put my foot in my mouth! I’m sorry!!

(Alliance) Miu: Close to me and a good person?

(Alliance) 0momo0: Yes yes!!! I overstepped and ran my mouth, haha

(Alliance) 0momo0: If they’re someone close to you and they’re kind, then I just—

(Alliance) Miu: We’re not close.

(Alliance) 0momo0: .....not close...?

Yeonhoo’s fingertips paused.

(Alliance) 0momo0: Then if it’s someone you’re... in the middle of getting close to!

(Alliance) Miu: In the middle of getting close?

(Alliance) 0momo0: Yes!!! If it’s that kind of relationship, then I guess I said the wrong thing again—

And when the next message came, sweat naturally started trickling down Yeonhoo’s back.

(Alliance) Miu: I don’t even know their contact info though? LOL

(Alliance) 0momo0: ...huh?

(Alliance) 0momo0: Ah, well for something like that... you can just ask...

(Alliance) Miu: I asked for it and got rejected.

No wonder. So that’s why he’s been so sensitive.

Apparently some person Yeonhoo was interested in had recently appeared in Ms. Miyoung’s life, and not only had exchanging contact info failed, but even a promise had ended with him getting stood up, leaving him all upset.

So that was why he had been overreacting to the word promise all day!

He must’ve had a rough time.... How am I supposed to fix this now?

This should have been the kind of situation that made him jealous, but maybe because he had spent the whole time putting his foot in his mouth and scrambling, all he wanted now was to comfort Miu instead.

Sweat started breaking out on him, and he had no idea what he was supposed to say. But he could not just leave a wounded Miyoung alone either.

(Alliance) 0momo0: No, there’s definitely some reason

(Alliance) 0momo0: you’re seriously so insanely pretty and cute

(Alliance) Miu: ?

(Alliance) Miu: Who is?

(Alliance) 0momo0: You, Miu, you’re seriously the prettiest cutest tiniest baby rabbit >_<

(Alliance) Miu: not a human being

(Alliance) Miu: but a sick bastard...

What a shy little thing.

Yeonhoo gently brushed past the modesty of a lady.

(Alliance) 0momo0: Anyway, there’s no way anyone could resist giving you their number, Miu T_T

(Alliance) 0momo0: Maybe the other person had a lover already... or maybe they’re married!

First, calm him down.

(Alliance) 0momo0: If someone like you asked for their number, Miu, of course they’d hand it right over!!! The other person must be married!!!??! Otherwise it makes no sense!!

(Alliance) 0momo0: They probably wanted to give you their contact info somehow too, but couldn’t because they had a wife T_T T_T T_T T_T don’t be too heartbroken

Ms. Miyoung.

You are just too cute and lovable and truly the most perfect baby rabbit in the world.

So there would definitely be better chances in the future.

(Alliance) 0momo0: Forget that shitty car!!!

(Alliance) 0momo0: Someone way better will definitely show up, and then you’ll live happily with Miu!!!

Like me.

Yeonhoo barely swallowed the last part, then even used interactions and cheered Miu on in front of him with all his might. Miu stared at the messages Yeonhoo had typed, then after a few seconds responded slowly.

(Alliance) Miu: A lover?

(Alliance) Miu: A married man???

There was obviously no facial expression or vocal tone in chat, and yet. Why was it—

(Alliance) Miu: LOL

(Alliance) Miu: LOLLLLLLL

The moment Yeonhoo saw Miu’s string of LOLs, why was it impossible to shake the feeling that something was going very, very wrong?

Yeonhoo’s survival instinct—his one trait that was honestly better than most people’s—sent goosebumps rippling up his arms, every hair standing on end. This time, he had no idea where to even begin fixing things.

(Alliance) MouseTrap: Oh, oh! You two are online?!

At that moment, like a savior, a new chat line popped up.

(Alliance) MouseTrap: What are you doing up at this hour?!?

(Alliance) Opening: ???there were people logged in haha hi

It was MouseTrap and Opening, who looked like they had just logged in.

Opening? I’ve never seen them before.

He had occasionally seen their login records, but strangely enough, their playtime had never overlapped with Yeonhoo’s, so even though he had been living alliance life, he had never once actually run into them.

Apparently MouseTrap and Opening found it strange that two people were on at this hour, because they immediately came over to the lumber site where Miu and Yeonhoo were.

(Alliance) 0momo0: Oh, hi!!

(Alliance) Opening: LOL oh it’s our first time meeting, right

(Alliance) Opening: heard a lot about you

(Alliance) Opening: hi

(Alliance) 0momo0: Nice to meet you!!! I’m Momo!!

(Alliance) Opening: yeah LOL

So flashy...

Opening, who had just stepped into the lumber site, was a cute female character wearing outrageously flashy clothes that went boing boing every time she walked, totally unlike her {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} cynical way of talking.