Free Web NovelAfter returning to his original form, Joo Hoyoung spent days immersed in games. Holding his favorite console in his hands, he played nonstop—until at some point, he suddenly began to cry. The dazzling screen and lively melody flickered across his pale, thin face.
“Hhk, hhhuuk... hhuuuhk...”
Tears of deep, bitter grief streamed down his dry cheeks. Watching him, Yohan unconsciously brushed at his own eyes. Hoyoung cried for a long while before finally tearing his gaze away from the console screen. Beside him sat cold sparrow roast and some simple food.
He had claimed not to have eaten a single thing since falling into the Abyss, but now he began to reach timidly for the food placed beside him. He stared at the perfectly intact meal for a long time, then picked it up and slowly chewed, crying again. And all the while, Yoon Seungryong and Lee Hyunmook only watched—neither reaching out, nor interfering.
Only after spending an entire week in that arcade did Joo Hoyoung finally join them.
* * *
“Mm...”
At the soft murmur of voices, Yohan stirred from half-sleep. A gentle hand stroked his back slowly.
“Sleep a little more, Yohan.”
Soothed by the comforting pat, he began to drift back into slumber—when suddenly, chup... a wet sound, a strange sensation. Yohan’s eyes snapped open. With bleary vision, he turned his head to find Lee Hyunmook gazing down at him with a deep, handsome look.
Gaping, Yohan asked, “...Did you just suck on my cheek?”
“Me?”
...Was it a dream? Half-asleep, he tilted his head, confused, then slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes. He tried to recall what had happened before he fell asleep. He remembered purifying Hoyoung while watching him repeat his games, until he collapsed from exhaustion.
Snapping his head around, he saw Hoyoung crouched in front of the console, absorbed in play. When their eyes met, Hoyoung raised his head and gave a faint smile on his gloomy face, waving.
“Hi.”
“Ah! Hello!”
He could talk normally! The purification had succeeded without inflicting unbearable mental or physical suffering. Thrilled at the success of his plan, Yohan’s eyes lit up as he hurried closer to introduce himself.
“My name is Yang Yohan! I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I’m a purifier... Um, if—it’s okay with you—can I call you Hoyoung? I’m two years older, you see...”
Yohan had never had a younger sibling. At home he was the youngest, and even among cousins, everyone was older—brothers and sisters, never younger ones. He had juniors at university, sure, but juniors weren’t the same as a younger sibling.
“Hyung? You’re two years older than me?”
Hoyoung muttered curiously, glancing at Hyunmook and Seungryong in turn. After a moment, he pursed his lips, made an odd noise, and nodded.
“Ah, so you’re Yohan-hyung. Then speak comfortably, hyung.”
“Mm, Hoyoung-ah!”
Overjoyed at his permission, Yohan beamed. Hoyoung stared blankly at him, then broke into a bright smile as well. Color returned to his gaunt face.
‘I’m now close enough with a Sunrise team member to call each other hyung and dongsaeng!’
The thought filled Yohan with pride. To be so friendly with the famous Sunrise team—he wanted to brag everywhere. Of course, here “everywhere” meant only the three Sunrise members present, but still, it was enough to make him proud. Hoyoung hugged the console to his chest as if it were sacred.
“Hyung, thank you so much for the game console. I don’t even remember how long it’s been. I thought I’d never get to play again until I died.”
“It’s nothing. Besides, without Seungryong-hyung and Hyunmook-ssi, it wouldn’t have been possible.”
Thanks to Seungryong’s skill with his hands, he’d replaced and fitted parts smoothly, and Hyunmook had supplied the electricity. Without them, the console wouldn’t even power on. But instead of showing gratitude, Hoyoung only cast them a half-hearted glance.
“Mm, thanks.”
Barely offering thanks, he buried his gaze back into the screen. Even with his long-lost teammates in front of him, he looked at them like cows and chickens—hardly interested. Yohan felt a little stung. Perhaps being electrocuted had hurt too much?
Just then, ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) Yohan’s stomach growled. Before Hoyoung could react, Seungryong was already moving.
“Yohan’s hungry, huh? Hyung’ll make you something delicious right away.”
As always, Seungryong grew energetic at mealtime, pulling ingredients from his pocket. Yohan purified the somewhat contaminated onions and other foods sprouting extra limbs or tendrils, then looked expectantly at Hyunmook. But instead of tending to their youngest teammate, Hyunmook spoke something else entirely.
“Kind of disappointing.”
“...Disappointing? Did I... do something wrong?”
Flustered, Yohan stammered. Hyunmook smiled faintly, lowering his eyes.
“Our Yohan calls me Hyunmook-hyung once in a blue moon, so it feels like I’m the only one kept at a distance.”
Yohan flushed, flustered. But even so, he couldn’t bring himself to say “Hyunmook-hyung.”
“It’s just... there’s a big age gap between us. Calling you hyung feels kind of rude.”
“Is it? The age gap isn’t much different from Seungryong’s.”
Yohan calculated quickly. Seungryong, twenty-five. Hyunmook, thirty-three. Eight years. Was that really not much of a gap? Maybe he just wasn’t used to social nuance, having never worked in society. Meeting Hyunmook’s smiling eyes, Yohan finally realized—he was being teased again.
“Then should I start calling you Hyunmook-nim instead?”
He grumbled, but at that moment, Seungryong finished preparing the meal. Today’s feast: kimchi stew made spicy with canned stir-fried kimchi, ham, and vegetables, plus gochujang chicken stew—sparrow substituted for chicken—and fluffy white rice. Even Hoyoung, glued to his console, was drawn away.
“Wow, what is all this... Have you been eating like this all along?”
Just like Hyunmook and Seungryong, Hoyoung treated the proper meal with reverence. At first he shoved food into his mouth greedily, but soon slowed to savor it, enjoying the rare banquet. He, who hadn’t eaten since falling into the Abyss, cleared two full bowls with kimchi stew and sparrow-stewed gochujang meat as side dishes. Yohan watched with satisfaction.
“Now that we’re done eating, let’s head back to our quarters.”
After the meal, Hyunmook spoke. Yohan worried Hoyoung might refuse to leave, given his obsession with his collection. But unexpectedly, purified as he was, Hoyoung ignored the collection. He simply picked up a palm-sized figure keyring and held it out to Yohan.
“Could you purify just this one?”
“Of course!”
Yohan readily purified it. As the distortion melted away, a worn, faded figure appeared—a chibi model of Hoyoung’s game character. Hoyoung toyed with it for a long while, then attached it to his console, glancing back at the figure-filled building.
“This is enough. Let’s go.”
And without a backward glance, he walked away.
As they left, they cleared out the grotesque creatures tied to bizarre rides. The silent amusement rides surrounding Hoyoung’s base gave off a lonely air. Hoyoung walked on, eyes fixed on the console, muttering.
“Playing is amazing, but I still want to play the new release. The sequel must have come out by now.”
With another sigh, he whispered:
“I want to get out of here.” fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
Yohan flinched. It was the thought he’d been carrying all along, but had never spoken. He tried to stay cheerful, but many nights he couldn’t sleep. The idea of living here forever left him suffocated and in tears. Seungryong, seeing his gloom, scolded Hoyoung.
“What’s the point of saying that? We’ve dug the ground, flown through the air, tried everything—none of it worked. Don’t say useless things.”
It sounded less like a scolding for Hoyoung, more like a reminder to Yohan—give up hope quickly.
Yohan trudged, shoulders heavy. Then, unexpectedly, Hoyoung spoke.
“There actually is a way to get out of here.”
Yohan’s head snapped up, staring at him in shock. Hyunmook and Seungryong showed no surprise, only blank expressions, offering no reply. But Yohan’s eyes were desperate. Hoyoung calmly sucked on a candy Yohan had given him for dessert, and said:
“The chance is slim—very slim. But there is a way. I saw it myself. Someone got out of here.”
