GBAS 29

Having appeared a few times on Aqua’s channel, which was gaining momentum, Baek Jooin quickly became famous among the rankers. In the sense that there was a bard with killer skills in ‘that’ guild.

And Jooin was famous among general users as well. This was a very exceptional case.

In truth, things like rankers and rankings were only important among the people within that circle. It was strictly a league of their own. For general users who had never aimed for the top of the rankings, it was just someone else’s business, a reality that didn’t really hit home.

The cases where someone wouldn’t recognize a super-amazing ranker, who was difficult to actually encounter, even if they passed right by them, were overwhelmingly common.

Jooin began to gain real recognition after the Bard title system was updated.

Among the additional stats given by the highest Bard title, ‘Headliner’, there was an option for ‘Adds orchestra sound during accompaniment’. To obtain this title, Jooin performed in the plaza every day, and as time went on, the number of people who came to see his performances grew exponentially, to the point where he now had a following of fans.

And so, Baek Jooin became a little more special in this world.

♫♩♫♪♪♩♩♩

In the meantime, Jooin began to play a slightly more complex melody.

Jooin, who had been shaking his head gently to the rhythm of his stroking with his eyes closed, opened his eyes to properly fret the chords. Just as he was playing a few more notes and lifting his head, his eyes met Hyunwoo’s.

“…….”

“…….”

Jooin, who was about to lower his head first, certain that Hyunwoo would look away anyway, stopped his movement. It was because Hyunwoo, who would usually flinch as if burned whenever their eyes met, did not avert his gaze for some reason.

Jooin looked at Hyunwoo with an expression as if he were trying to gauge something, then soon turned his eyes away.

In fact, Hyunwoo was lost in other thoughts.

‘Seriously, he could have at least told me beforehand.’

The subject of his thoughts was a long-held sense of injustice. Hyunwoo’s dazed expression as he stared at Jooin crumpled in an instant like a piece of paper. Then he grabbed his head with both hands and lowered it. He had just recalled his past self, who used to follow Jooin around, giving him unsolicited advice that wasn’t really advice.

If he had told him beforehand that he had already picked up a guitar in the closed beta, if he had known that he was the kind of person whose fingers just flew across the guitar, he wouldn’t have interfered like that.

When he had these thoughts, there was a memory that naturally came to mind. The memory of the first offline gathering. That strange aura emanating from the person named Baek Jooin and himself, who was overwhelmed by it. It was a dark history worth recording.

Letting out a deep sigh, Hyunwoo glanced at Jooin again. As if their eyes had never met, Jooin had his eyes closed again, engrossed in his performance.

That pale, smooth face. Another wave of irritation washed over him.

It was then.

“Huh?”

A scene he had never seen before flashed through his mind.

A dark room with the light from the streetlamp outside seeping in faintly. He, sitting on the floor with his chin propped on the mattress, was looking at Jooin, who was sitting up on the bed, leaning against the wall.

As he moved his arm on the mattress up and down, talking animatedly about something, the lips of Jooin, who had been sitting with an indifferent expression, moved after a long while. He furrowed his brow and craned his neck forward to read his lips.

‘Then ……try doing it ……at least.’

He must have gotten heated at the words that were tossed out as if they were nothing.

He shot up from his spot. His alcohol-soaked body staggered greatly, and Baek Jooin grabbed his wrist to stop him from falling.

And, and…….

At the memory that cut off abruptly, Hyunwoo’s eyes narrowed.

Although it was something he had done hundreds, thousands of times already, Hyunwoo once again carefully laid out the pieces of that day’s memory like a puzzle.

The stimulating scenes that came to mind intermittently. And he organized the scenes that had flashed through his mind once in a while while washing his face or his hair, one by one on a timeline.

When he listed everything from the moment he entered the room to the moment he left, there was one part that remained conspicuously blank.

He was sure he had been awake, but he couldn’t remember what on earth they had talked about.

The other guy, who was perfectly fine, would remember everything.

…….

This is unfair.

When he lifted his head, his eyes met with Baek Jooin’s, who was looking this way. The music flowing between the two of them gradually slowed down, and then the stroking stopped.

Hyunwoo, who had been continuing the staring contest with a serious face, finally opened his mouth after some deliberation.

“By the way.”

“Yeah.”

The tempo was thrown off by the immediate reply. Hyunwoo swallowed dryly and once again organized the question he was about to ask.

“About that day.”

As if it wasn’t a very welcome topic, one of Jooin’s eyebrows twitched.

His face flushed hot at the thought of bringing up that word directly, and his mouth wouldn’t open easily. Unable to say it while looking him in the eye, Hyunwoo fixed his gaze on the floor and continued with the rest of his sentence.

“In the room, what did I say that led to, uh, things progressing that far……”

Hyunwoo, having barely managed to say it indirectly, trailed off.

When he lifted his head, his eyes met Baek Jooin’s. Jooin was staring intently at him.

‘Why is he staring at me like that.’

The nervous Hyunwoo blinked his eyes rapidly. Just when he was thinking that at this rate, a hole was going to be bored from his eyes to the back of his head, Jooin, his brow furrowed as much as possible, asked.

“You don’t remember?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Hyunwoo nodded, and Jooin’s gaze darted elsewhere.

Resting his elbow on the guitar and propping up his chin, Jooin rolled his eyes with a look of puzzlement. Not long after, he turned his head back to Hyunwoo and spoke in a more matter-of-fact tone than before.

“If you don’t remember, then that’s fine.”

What does that mean.

“What?”

When Hyunwoo leaned his upper body forward and asked, Jooin replied with a rather bewildered reaction.

“Why are you curious about that now? It’s not like knowing will change anything.”

“…….”

“And back then, didn’t you say this kind of thing wasn’t a one or two-time occurrence for you?”

“That’s……”

“Wasn’t it that we agreed to just let it go since it was no big deal for either of us?”

He had only asked one question, but the number of things he had to answer had multiplied. At Jooin’s attitude, as if he had been waiting to lash out, a feeling of resentment welled up in a corner of Hyunwoo’s chest.

Would it be such a big deal to just answer me? At the rising sense of disappointment, his lower lip jutted out.

Whether Hyunwoo was showing he was sulking or not, Jooin continued what he had to say.

“I’m saying this again because you seem to be continuously uncomfortable, but what I said back then is always valid, so if you can’t stand it, just tell me anytime. I’ll leave.”

But nothing registered in Hyunwoo’s ears. His already complicated mind became hopelessly tangled. It was a mess.

Should I say it was a lie, even now? That I said it without thinking because I was flustered, should I just say it now?

His eyes, which he had forced open, gradually welled up with moisture.

In truth, whenever he thought of Baek Jooin, he wanted to go back to that beach. The conversation that was cut off before any attempt could be made was a constant regret.

To be honest, he felt it was unfair too. No, it’s impossible not to feel it’s unfair.

He had been in more relationships than he could count on two hands, but he had saved that. I don’t know how it was for you, but I wanted to let you know that at least for me, it was the first time. And if possible, he wanted to ask who initiated the kiss that night. He wanted to so badly that his mouth was itching.

Every time, what shut Hyunwoo’s mouth was a single question.

If he tells you,

If you know,

What’s next?

What do you want to do with Baek Jooin?

“…….”

What on earth do I want to do with Baek Jooin?

Just as he was about to think about it, an unknown anxiety crept over him. A red siren flashed before his eyes. It felt like a danger signal telling him not to look any further.

That’s right. It’s not like knowing will change anything.

Hyunwoo let out the words that had risen to the tip of his chin with his breath and lightly closed his eyes. A high wave washed over the layers of his thoughts. The wave swallowed the tangled thoughts and fled. His mind, which had been packed with all sorts of thoughts, became as clean as if nothing had ever happened.

Eventually, Hyunwoo, putting on a nonchalant expression, opened his mouth.

“I told you I’m not uncomfortable? I just asked because I was curious.”

Jooin, sitting opposite him, was still looking at him with a serious expression.

You said it was no big deal for you too. Then what’s the reason you’re not answering?

Hyunwoo smiled brightly and asked.

“Then. Can I ask something else?”

“……What is it.”

The Jooin who answered had an unwilling look on his face, but Hyunwoo paid no mind and threw his question.

“You said that kind of thing wasn’t a one or two-time thing for you either.”

“…….”

“I was wondering if I could know, exactly how many times was that.”

Jooin’s expression, as he looked at Hyunwoo, crumpled violently.