Chapter 37

K ><img alt="." src="https://webview-cache.ridibooks.com/3302046708/epub/images/Images/phone.png"/>.<img alt="." src="https://webview-cache.ridibooks.com/3302046708/epub/images/Images/video.png"/> .

rnjsaldjs47

haha can I call you?

Not that I’m saying you lied,

I think it is the right number,

I’m just really curious,

can’t I try it just once?

(emoticon)

He was about to say, Why the hell would you call?, but before he could even reply, as if he had no patience at all, a call came through immediately from an unknown number.

Incoming Call

010-XXXX-XXXX

Slide to answer 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

<img alt="image5.png" src="https://webview-cache.ridibooks.com/3302046708/epub/images/Images/image5.png"/><img alt="image4.png" src="https://webview-cache.ridibooks.com/3302046708/epub/images/Images/image4.png"/>

He had not memorized the number, but anyone who wasn’t an idiot would know who it was.

When Mo Yeonhoo looked down at the screen, then slowly lifted his head, his eyes met Kwon Mieon’s. He was leaning back in his chair with one leg crossed over the other.

Wasn’t it a little weird to answer a call when the person was sitting right in front of you? Yeonhoo declined it. Of course, the moment he rejected it, the call came in again, but he cut that one off too.

Incoming Call

010-XXXX-XXXX

Slide to answer

image5.png image4.png

Kwon Mieon clearly did not know how to give up.

He kept trying to call and staring straight at him, and Yeonhoo found himself thinking, What the hell is this?

If he weren’t baby rabbit’s cousin, if only I remembered what happened that day, if at least he were my size so I could throw hands with him, I’d....

Kwon Mieon looked so stubbornly intent, as if he would keep doing this forever if Yeonhoo left him alone. Crushed by reality, Yeonhoo finally gave in and answered.

“This really is my number...”

And then, without meaning to, he came out sounding sullen, only to meet that chilly face and those cold eyes staring at him.

“...yeah.”

The sentence that had started off so bold drooped pitifully at the end. At that moment, Kwon Mieon smiled. The instant he saw that smiling face looking straight at him, something tickled strangely under Yeonhoo’s skin, and he stopped breathing for a second.

“Yeonhoo.”

A low voice reached his ear at last.

“I told you to talk normally.”

You were talking that way to me already.

The moment he heard that trailing voice, mixed with laughter like it had just slipped out, Yeonhoo found it even harder to keep listening and hung up.

What is wrong with him? Gross!

His ear felt weirdly ticklish, and when he scrubbed at it hard with his hand, he heard laughter burst out from across from him.

“Then I’ll contact you at this number on Saturday.”

Why was he having this conversation not with Miyoung, but with her cousin, the druggie Kwon Mieon?

The world’s number one Miyoung-crazed guy, Mo Yeonhoo, clutched his ear and glared at Kwon Mieon with undisguised misery.

Beyond those round glasses, Kwon Mieon’s gaze kept trailing after Yeonhoo’s catlike eyes, narrowed at him in full-blown wariness. Then the line of Kwon Mieon’s mouth softened all over again.

Why is he making that face....

Yeonhoo, who for some reason found that gentler look even more embarrassing, was just about to whip his head away again when—

Bzzzzzz!

From Yeonhoo too.

Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz.

And from Kwon Mieon, sitting across from him. Their phones vibrated at the same time.

Both of them paused, then immediately checked their phones.

What is it, a call?

But the notification sounded a little different from the ones he usually got, and Yeonhoo tilted his head slightly before sneaking a glance at Kwon Mieon.

“Sorry. Just a second, Yeonhoo.”

It looked like Kwon Mieon was getting a call too, but instead of the phone in his hand, he pulled out a different device from his pocket, maybe a work phone. Yeonhoo was a little curious, but checking his own alert came first.

And then, after looking at the screen, Yeonhoo blinked.

A game notification?

<img alt="zom.png" src="https://webview-cache.ridibooks.com/3302046708/epub/images/Images/zom.png"/> Zombie Village now

(Notification) Zombie Village is desperately calling for you.

Survivor, check your base status immediately!

Was it an ad? But ever since he had downloaded the game, he had never received a dramatic notification like this before.

Besides, today was not even an update day, so there was even less reason for a message like this to show up.

Did some surprise event open up or something?

He went into Zombie Village on mobile first. Then he checked his character and scratched his head.

He’s fine at the lumber site. Is this just one of those ads telling me to log in... Huh?

But the confusion lasted only for a second.

<img alt="warning2.png" src="https://webview-cache.ridibooks.com/3302046708/epub/images/Images/warning2.png"/>

An enemy alliance is currently invading alliance <47>’s base!

⚠ ShinJadu has sent an SOS signal.

(Attacking alliances: <Hawk>, <HamHidden>

Current barrier durability: 97%)

An invasion?

The alliance SOS window was something he had never seen in his life, and Yeonhoo pressed at the screen in confusion. But in the limited mobile version, all that came up were gathering-related windows and the chat window.

(Alliance) ShinJadu: No, but why the hell are they suddenly coming at us this hard

(Alliance) BBQ: What even is this?? Since when did those two make a pact and come together lol;;

(Alliance) KimFactory: What’s happening what’s happening what’s happening!!!!

(Alliance) ShinJadu: I was trying to handle it on my end but they’re allied so they’re breaking through the wall kinda fast

(Alliance) ShinJadu: I called everybody already???? Anyone logged in, get on voice and gather at the coordinates!!!!

The chat was flying upward fast, notifications kept appearing that alliance members were logging in one after another, and the whole situation looked urgent.

An attack? A Siege War?

A Siege War. A war between alliances.

On X-1211, a lawless zone by nature, raids were extremely common, but the <47> alliance Yeonhoo belonged to was ranked number one on the whole server, and it had so many powerful rankers that something like this was not an everyday occurrence.

(Alliance) dude: lol how long’s it been since I smelled blood..

(Alliance) dude: long time no see, everybody

(Alliance) KimFactory: What the hell, dude!!!!!

(Alliance) YoureGettingSued: Kyaa~~~ it’s been forever since a Siege War~~ GettingSued logged in~~ hello~~~

(Alliance) dude: heading straight into voice

(Alliance) MyApologyLetterIsInEnglishGlobal: hi guys im coming

(Alliance) MyApologyLetterIsInEnglishGlobal: whatthefuckingidiotsguys letsgo voice hurryup

(Alliance) ShinJadu: Everybody’s already in voice, MyApologyLetter, haha;

(Alliance) MyApologyLetterIsInEnglishGlobal: ah yep

To be honest, when he played the game, Yeonhoo had thought about it from time to time. Number one alliance on the rankings, so why were there so few active people?

But wow, there were actually this many the whole time.

Looking at the roster ShinJadu had called in, the scale of it hit him all over again. Several users who were usually barely active had seen the Siege War alert and shown up faster than anyone else.

Holy shit... this looks fun.

He wanted to hurry over and at least watch the Siege War.

For that to happen, though, he first had to get out of here.

“Um.”

Yeonhoo started to speak, then faltered. Kwon Mieon had been staring fixedly at his phone screen, and his face looked cold as ice.

But he did not miss even that tiny sound and immediately looked up at Yeonhoo.

“Sorry. I got a useless call for a second.”

Kwon Mieon straightened up at once, then shoved the phone he had been holding back into his pocket.

“What were you going to say, Yeonhoo?”

For someone saying that, he had been looking at his phone awfully intently. The thought flickered through Yeonhoo’s head for a moment, but right now that was not what mattered.

“I think I need to go. Something urgent came up right now...”

Honestly, Yeonhoo had already been thinking it. Judging from everything Kwon Mieon had shown so far, it did not seem likely that he would let him go quietly.

Sure enough, the instant he said it, Kwon Mieon’s whole atmosphere turned even colder. He frowned, clearly displeased, then gave a nod.

“Okay.”

The answer came more readily than expected. Relieved, Yeonhoo gathered his things.

“We’re seeing each other on Saturday anyway, and now you have my number. I’ll head out first, okay?”

Growing more and more anxious, Yeonhoo stood up quickly and picked up the tray. But he was not the only one who got to his feet.

Scrape. A chair slid back, and Kwon Mieon naturally took the tray right out of Yeonhoo’s hands.

Still dazed, Yeonhoo blinked and asked,

“Why are you—”

“Let’s go out together.”

Hadn’t he come to the café because he had business with Miyoung? Kwon Mieon carried the tray off in long strides toward the return counter. Snapping back to himself a beat late, Yeonhoo hurried after him.

“I’ll do it.”

He could not miss today’s last chance to see Miyoung up close. The world’s number one Miyoung-crazed guy, Yeonhoo, reached out his hand.

“No.”

But Kwon Mieon blocked him and stopped him firmly.

“Don’t come near the return counter, Yeonhoo. Don’t even go over there. I’m the only one going there. You go outside now.”

With a face that somehow looked a little sulky, Kwon Mieon fired the words off at him in a rapid burst, then jerked his chin toward the door like he was telling him to hurry up and get out of the café.