“I suppose this first-aid kit was something you found, too. When you pried off that chair, there it was ‘by chance.’”“When we discovered the drone in Burkta.”“Yeah.”“Item looting is standard procedure.”Roughly, he meant he’d just checked to see if anything useful was inside. Mercenaries—and Muhae himself—always did that. In short, it really was a coincidence.Still, it felt off. Everything seemed to revolve around him, as if he were the protagonist of some story.Muhae narrowed his eyes.“You said you saw this emblem in Solar City.”He steered the topic back. As long as Joo-o looked clueless, Muhae sensed no point in pressing further.“When did you go there?”“Hmm… I don’t know that either.”“You don’t know—or you just don’t want to say. At least give me a proper answer.”“I really don’t remember anything. It’s true.”Like someone with a guilty secret, he flashed the whites of his eyes, then protested his innocence with an aggrieved look.If he answered like that, maybe he truly had no memories. Yet Muhae hated the thought of letting the clue to Solar City slip away.“Could it have been a dream?”Muhae blurted out what he’d been circling around. At once, Joo-o’s lips quivered.“I don’t dream.”“You do.”“I said I don’t remember. So I don’t.”Joo-o hammered down stubbornly. It was unlike his usual dull confusion. Even when he lied, Muhae’s questioning usually made him fidget and spill the truth.He’d confessed, begrudgingly, mundane things like Tinkle Friends and cereal he otherwise could’ve hidden.“All right.”So Muhae would believe him. Yet Joo-o’s expression darkened—his cheerful grin gone.No, the complexion was fine—his skin smooth and clear. But he seemed oddly unsettled.Joo-o stared blankly, then let his lips twitch.“Jin Muhae.”“What?”“Touch my head.”And suddenly he dashed over, planting his head in Muhae’s lap.“I’m not feeling well.”Muhae had seen this look before—when Joo-o watched TV and Muhae switched it off, his brows furrowed just like that.Crap. Had he hit a nerve? Whether or not Joo-o was an experimental subject from Solar City, Muhae had long since abandoned that theory.True or not, any hint of connection to Solar City warranted caution in how he mentioned it. There was no guarantee Joo-o retained any positive image of that place.“If I touch you, you feel better.”Joo-o perked up, tugging Muhae’s hair into view. Muhae considered pushing him away but sensed things would get tedious, so he quietly reached out.As always, he rubbed between Joo-o’s strands of hair, and Joo-o’s mouth twitched into a smile.“I really don’t remember.”“Who cares what anyone says?”“But being with you makes me happy.”Rubbing his cheek against Muhae’s arm, Joo-o threw himself into a hug. Muhae didn’t return it fully, but he idly patted the round back of Joo-o’s head.It felt strange. There was something about that unguarded affection that pricked his insides.Muhae offered no reply—only a curt admonition.“Don’t do this in public.”“Mm-hmm.”“This is only because we’re home.”“Okay.”The warmth and scent of Joo-o’s body curled around him, and Muhae’s tension eased a little without words.He pushed aside thoughts of Solar City and reviewed the evening’s plans.Tonight… at last, he’d hear from Gureum. She’d been too busy, giving dates for signal use and contacting them intermittently.She’d fill them in on the recent incidents in Sakdal and share info about the homecoming. No need to torture Joo-o further over memories that might not exist.Not just out of pity, but efficiency. Truly.“Now get away.”By the time Joo-o’s breathing had settled into amused little giggles, Muhae pushed him off and turned away.[Would you like to review the journal?]Yes———[Day 5,657]I always thought the difficulty curve was weird.It can’t be easy mode, right? I knew that from the moment I met Jin Muhae.He didn’t have any guide system… but combat felt closer to auto-play. Muhae always fought flawlessly, never slipping up. His perfect moves convinced me he wasn’t just a player character.Of course, injuries don’t heal with one shot of medicine like in-game, but still—It feels like everything has become reality.Maybe that’s why Muhae’s so smart. He knows things I never told him.I tried to keep the nightmares secret, but when Muhae looked me straight in the eye and asked about my dreams, I ended up rolling my eyes everywhere.Still, I didn’t lie. If he hit me on the head again, I’d be truly annoyed.Getting hit by Muhae doesn’t hurt much, but—well. It hurts my feelings.I haven’t recovered any memories from before. I know the game’s story, but since that’s not my past, I don’t feel bad about it.I’m curious how I got dragged into La Vida Blue, but I’m more interested in which choices Muhae will make and which route he’ll take to the ending.Especially after Muhae rejected Cheong’s offer and abruptly left Sakdal—that was absurd! I’m not making excuses; that scenario makes no sense. It’s not my fault.I did everything Muhae asked, and I helped him get Cheong’s aid without letting him get too hurt.After that, all we needed was to accept Cheong’s proposal. In the game, Cheong always made a deal, then the dialogue box popped up, and regardless of whether you chose “Deal?” or “Not interested,” he’d get to the point.But the moment Muhae refused, Cheong suddenly offered me meat!Meat isn’t bad, but he should’ve spoken to Muhae, saying, “Do something fun for me, and I’ll send any info you need.”Then Muhae would’ve agreed. Even if he’d refused, I would’ve said yes… Eh, whatever. I’ve played routes where Cheong doesn’t cooperate many times.Things will work out. I’ve done quests in the game that never existed, and now I’m Joo-o who thinks and works well.Maybe that’s why Muhae now touches my head without hitting me. If I ask for my face, ears, or neck rubbed, he grumbles but doesn’t kick me like before.His hands are rough. When he rubs my ears, my neck tickles and I laugh.If I then look at him and smile, even while hugging him, he /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ won’t nag me.But the best is when his big hands rub under my back. It’s different from hunger—my head goes fuzzy, and I feel happy.More. I want Muhae to touch me more.Don’t sit here.Why not?You’re not sitting between someone’s legs. Move over before I turn off the TV.Che.I can’t figure out Muhae’s standards. He stays still if I tuck my knees between his legs.Still, when he softens up, he smells so good. Breathing it in makes me float and drool.My body heats and trembles and I lean toward the stronger scent. Then Muhae’s brows crease and he grabs his trousers.You’re not watching TV, are you?I am.Soon Gureum will tell us what happened with Cheong and give us homecoming info.Then Muhae will have a chance to earn some credit. The main story moves from the slums to the residential district next.I’m excited. I get to help and watch the protagonist grow.———[Journal saved.]Joo-o quickly refocused on the TV.He only just noticed Muhae giving him odd looks when he stared at the system window.Right—Muhae can’t see it. So now when Joo-o watches the TV, he pretends to look at the sky, sometimes squints, sometimes dozes—always checking that system window.That little discovery kept making Joo-o feel more… human.There he goes again. Joo-o, pretending to doze, gazing at thin air.Muhae, who’d been opening the oven, folded his arms and watched him quietly. He wondered why Joo-o kept doing that—maybe Joo-o was realizing that he looked strange.But a person without narcolepsy who keeps squinting like that—who’d believe he’s asleep?It was probably one of Joo-o’s ideas, but it was obviously flimsy. Muhae hadn’t pointed it out because he was curious—and a little afraid—to see what bizarre trick Joo-o might try next.Thinking about it, staring at thin air was at least less embarrassing.Muhae clicked his tongue softly and turned away. Outside, he’d be wearing a cap anyway, so no one would notice.

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