The Way ForwardA man sits before a glowing monitor.In a dark room where he can’t tell day from night, his gaze is fixed only on the screen.Within it lies another world—vibrant, crowded with people.Speak, and you get replies; pass through the marketplace, and you hear the lively chatter.You can buy food there. Though you can never taste it, the shelves overflow with strange delicacies you’ve never sampled.What does a meat-mushroom pie taste like? And how sweet are those colorful cereals?People laugh, cry, rage, rejoice—a swirling storm of emotion utterly distant from the silent room the man inhabits.A stifling pressure fills his chest. The pitch-black gloom weighs down on him.He wants to turn on a light, but he can’t. He must conserve power to keep his PC alive for as long as possible.This is all he has left. If he loses even this world, he will have nowhere else to turn.Overcome by the gap between realities, the man closes his eyes. He listens, imagining himself standing in that living city—the world of La Vida Blue.[▒ ▒▒▒ ▒▒▒ ▒▒▒▒ ▒▒▒▒▒][▒▒▒ ▒▒▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒▒ ▒▒▒▒]Zzzt-.“Huh.”At dawn, Joo-o woke with a short moan.Something heavy pressed on his chest. He groped around but could only feel the clothes he’d snatched from Jin Muhae the day before.His fingers trembled. Joo-o twisted at the fabric, rubbing it between his fingers, trying to catch its scent.“Nothing.”But the freshly laundered clothes smelled only of detergent. Joo-o’s lip quivered as he rose from the bed.Clumsily opening the door, he finally caught someone’s body scent.“Jin Muhae…”Joo-o stumbled toward the bed. There lay Jin Muhae, sleeping peacefully.He sprang onto the mattress and burrowed into Muhae’s blanket. His racing heart slowed at the warmth enveloping him.“Jin Muhae.”Though he knew he shouldn’t wake him, Joo-o couldn’t stop calling his name. He pressed his nose to the sleeper’s body and inhaled deeply.That familiar, comforting, utterly cherished scent filled his lungs. Like a spoiled child, Joo-o rubbed his cheek against Muhae’s shoulder and wriggled into his arms.“Go back to sleep, please…”At last Muhae stirred and mumbled. His voice was such a relief that Joo-o let out a small whine.“Jin Muhae. Hold me.”Whispering into his ear, Joo-o felt strong arms wrap around him. Muhae even patted his back as if coaxing him to sleep.Overjoyed by the voice and the touch, Joo-o couldn’t help softly fussing. He nodded, holding Muhae close.Pressing against his chest, he felt a warmth beyond what his heart would naturally radiate—the heat was deeper, softer.Only then did his shaking hands still, and a calm comfort spread through his limbs. Joo-o pressed his head against Muhae’s rising and falling chest.“I’m going to sleep now.”“All right. Go on.”Even the curt reply, drowned in sleep, felt precious. Having gotten everything he wanted, Joo-o resolved not to disturb him anymore.The earlier anxiety vanished, replaced by a rich contentment. A faint smile curved on Joo-o’s lips.[Would you like to view the journal?]Yes――――――[Day 5,693]Jin Muhae Has Changed a LittleIf you ask how he’s changed, I can’t point to anything specific… but something feels different.His face and eyes are still the same Jin Muhae, but the vibe seems altered.Yesterday, as I was heading to the grocery store, Muhae didn’t nag me at all.He only told me to wear my hat properly since it wasn’t the Jaegang District. Even though I came home late—farming hasn’t been going well—he just stared for a long while, didn’t get angry.Hmm. It’s nice that he isn’t saying nasty things. But it feels odd that he didn’t ask who I’d met.Of course, not asking makes it easier to answer, but still—it’s strange.I wondered if I’d done something wrong. But no matter how much I think, I haven’t broken or damaged anything recently.And I haven’t asked people for food like he told me not to. If anything’s wrong, it’s with Muhae, not me.WELCOME TO LA VIDA :)~Year 15, Day 218~[Quests]Main QuestsTutorial (Completed)CHAPTER 1 ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ (Completed)CHAPTER 2☞ The One Responsible for Past Reforms (Completed)- Scheduled Duty √- DIY 777 √- Blue not Vlue √- Planned Hero √- Sewage Exploration √- One to Replace the Net √☞ Cooperation Across the Sea (In Progress)- Letter From the Past √- Remnants of Gold √- The Fourth Companion[The Fourth Companion]My father once had one more friend.Why was the memory of that close comrade completely erased?Come to think of it, Muhae has been pensive lately.He’s always deep in thought, but it will probably get more complicated from here.Heroes usually have birth secrets, endure hardship, and then reap great rewards.Muhae might find it tough, but it can’t be all bad—after all, this world is full of extras who perish with no reward.Compared to them, Muhae is on a solid path to success. Especially since I’m with him!It’s sad when Muhae gets prickly… but anyone who owns a world must pay the price.By doing so, he earns the right to be the hero and achieve a happy ending. That’s the outcome I want.Of course, I need the real Joo-o by his side. To make that happen, I’ve tried to follow the original story while adding variations.So, how different is this from the original?I saw the wrecked small craft at Burkta. Muhae shows up less often, and oddly, Cheong keeps proposing trades to me instead of Muhae.Now that I think about it, we even visited Seogyeong City Central early! We’re supposed to enter there in Chapter 2, but we arrived ahead of schedule.Thanks to that, I soaked in a bubble-filled tub, filling it until it overflowed and played with it by hand.The robe was soft and wonderful. I wish Muhae’s house had a tub like that. Other than his Jaegang hideout, none of Muhae’s homes has that much space.I want to buy one myself, but Muhae isn’t giving me pocket money. Even on Starlight Avenue walks, hardly anyone picks fights anymore.Maybe now that it’s reality, people don’t come back to hit you again like in the game.It’s been a while since I cut back on chips and jerky. Soon we’ll head to Seogyeong City—will I have enough dil by then?――――――[Journal Saved]Joo-o sat on the sofa, legs swinging, finishing his latest entry.Writing in the journal doesn’t grant any reward, but it always clears the fog in my mind.Even when I wandered outside, I wrote whenever I regained focus. Toward the end, it became a string of meaningless words, but it was my last desperate attempt to hold on to my humanity.“Jin Muhae. Where are you going?”Muhae was putting on his jacket. At the sight of that familiar red, Joo-o leapt to his feet.“Electronics shop. I have to check some equipment.”“I’m coming, too.”Though Muhae shot him a reluctant look out of habit, he didn’t tell him to stay home.Joo-o dashed into the study, opened the cabinet, and sifted through the clothes Muhae had bought him, finally grabbing a beige T-shirt.Mr. Gil preferred gentle tones like this to bold reds or blues. Even if Muhae wore worn work clothes year-round, this would look better on him.After changing, Joo-o stepped outside. Muhae motioned at his hair—apparently mussed from rubbing against the sofa.Joo-o moved closer and offered his hair for Muhae to fix. Unexpectedly, Muhae didn’t tidy it.“You do it. You can.”For a moment, it felt like the world shook. Joo-o opened his mouth in shock, and Muhae turned away sharply.Again. Muhae is acting strangely once more. He used to braid my hair, straighten my collar, fuss over little things.Lately, he’s drawn a line. As long as I don’t cause trouble, he leaves me be.He doesn’t cut my meat or clear the messy table.But that doesn’t mean he’s distancing himself entirely. He still lets me burrow into the bed or cling to him.In fact, yesterday when I asked him to touch my face, he almost let out a Kirrung with pleasure as he stroked me. So it’s hard to pinpoint what’s wrong.Standing there with a pout, Muhae glanced over at me once—hardly disinterested.It’s awkward to complain outright. After all, I’m twenty-two, a full-grown “human.”I could be pairing up with Muhae, and it feels childish to gripe just because he didn’t brush my hair.‘Since when has it been like this?’Not long. It seems to have started after I met Olga. No matter how hard I rack my brain, I can’t recall doing anything wrong then.I’m just hungrier, that’s all. Joo-o smacked his lips and went into the bathroom.A man with a slightly tousled head stared back from the mirror, looking sulky. Joo-o pursed his lips, wet his hand, and smoothed down his hair.

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