* * * * *

By the time he reached the inn, Hyuk’s knees were weak and trembling, the inn’s door strangely heavy. It’s sunset already, thought Hyuk, forgetting that, in this village, it was always sunset.

“My god!!!” exclaimed Himchan, almost dropping a tray full of pixel beer. “What have you two been doing?”

Leaning against the wall, Yongguk eyes the two boys strangely.

“Practising,” said Jongup in his quiet voice. ”Practising,” repeated in Yongguk’s direction.

“Jongup was teaching me how to use a sword, and-”

Yongguk’s eyes got even stranger.

“Yah, you ert!!!” screamed Himchan, slapping Yongguk’s face with a pink cleaning cloth. Thundering to the kitchen and back, he tucked a potion into Hyuk’s and Jongup’s hands.

“See what I have to put up with?” said Himchan, casting a sideways glance at Yongguk.

“Sorry about last night, Mr Himchan.” muttered Jongup, head hanging low.

Himchan giggled affectionately. “Will you ever stop calling me that?”

“I –uh- I mean,” began Jongup, blushing.

Instantly, Hyuk collapsed into a chair and used his potion. At once, his HP skyrocketed from 8/100 to a 100/100. He felt reborn. The training session with Jongup had been much harsher than he’d expected. When he had his katana in hand, Jongup was not fidgety or nervous at all. Rather, he was frighteningly concentrated, and attacked relentlessly until he almost killed Hyuk with a ten-hit combo. In other words, Hyuk got his kicked. He reassured himself that it was, after all, his first sword fight ever, but somehow he still felt down.

“What the hell happened?!” exclaimed Ravi as soon as he set foot inside the inn and saw Hyuk slumped in his chair.

“Just practised a little with Jongup today. Swordfighting and stuff.”

“Bet Jongup kicked your .” chuckled Ravi, then ducked to evade Hyuk’s punch. Somehow, at the last moment he caught Hyuk’s fist in his hand. “How many times do I have to say this, kid? You got no chance against me.”

Somehow, the physical effort he had spent that day put Hyuk in a good mood. He was finally doing something that might help him get out of this game.

“Want a beer or something? ‘Cause I’m getting one.“

Despite being curious about the taste of video game beer, Hyuk declined the offer. On the other hand, the empty, transparent pixels on Ravi’s table started multiplying. The same was true for Jongup, but he drank his drinks slowly and in silence.

“Where is Zelo, anyways?” Hyuk asked, scanning the inn warily.

“I dunno. Jongup’s a boring when Zelo isn’t around,” said Ravi when he had drunk more beer than Hyuk thought possible. On Hyuk’s other side, Jongup said nothing, but Hyuk thought his eyes got a little sad. Oblivious, Ravi ranted on. “And Zelo’s a mess when he’s alone. They’re kinda like my arm.” he said, tapping his golden gun-arm with his only hand. “Zelo’s da gun and Jongup’s da arm. Da gun’s da one that does da shooting, but it’s da arm that’s aiming. Aiming don’t count fo’ if ya gun doesn’t shoot, but ya can’t hit anything if ya can’t aim.”

“That’s true, I can’t.” said Hyuk. “Aim, I mean. Guns just don’t agree with me.”

Ravi just threw his head back exasperatedly and sank in his seat.

“Ya know,” started Ravi, drawing out his words, ”Hakyeon... Hakyeon has... skin like, like chocolate.” Tiredly, he put his head against his elbows. “Like, it tastes like chocolate. Ya know?” He looked to Hyuk. “Yah, Hyuk, will ya stop being all blurry n’ stuff?” Hyuk chuckled at that, and Jongup almost chocked on his beer. “Yaaah, what’s so funny...” protested Ravi weakly. Eyes half-closed and shimmering, he gazed into his empty beer glass as though it was a fortune-teller’s orb. “Imma tell your future, you two. So ya better... better listen up. Punks.”

Hyuk was trying hard not to laugh until his stomach started hurting.

“I see... I see... Future... Hmmm...” Suddenly, Ravi’s head dropped to the table. “I can see... uhh... In your future, I see... what the hell do I see. I see a godd*mn beer mug.” His eyes fell closed.

“Shouldn’t we get him to bed?” whispered Jongup into Hyuk’s ear, sending a gush of warm breath to his neck.

“Definitely,” confirmed Hyuk. Ravi started snoring. “Do you know a room that’s free? We can’t drag him all the way to his house.”

Jongup’s face froze. “I’m pretty sure the inn’s full right now. It’s the hunting season.”

Hyuk thought for a moment before realizing the obvious. “Oh, right! My bed’s huge, so we can carry him there.”

“Oh- I mean- oh. Right.”

Even though he’d drunk a lot himself, Jongup managed to help Hyuk carry Ravi to the third floor. After each floor Hyuk would mentally curse Ravi and his drinking habits, his huge metal arm that made him much heavier than he should be, and his annoying snoring that didn’t stop for a second.

“We’re ... uhhh... we’re here...” panted Hyuk. As soon as they flung Ravi onto the bed (just three blue pixels, covered white on top, as to represent sheets), Jongup swayed dangerously, groping for a wall to hold on to.

“I think I...” he muttered, head hung low, before plummeting downwards.

Hyuk caught him just before he hit the floor. Unlike Ravi, Jongup was thin and light- and warm in Hyuk’s arms.

“Uhh, I- I’m sorry- I-”

That’s when Jongup’s eyes grew wide. Startled, he backed away.

“I- I think I can walk now...”

“You sure?” asked Hyuk. Jongup’s cheeks were flushed, maybe from all that beer.

“Yeah...” said Jongup, carefully starting down the staircase, step by step.

If it was anyone else, Hyuk wouldn’t let them go alone, but he trusted Jongup’s sense.

Steeling himself for the awkwardness that was to come, Hyuk sighed and closed door of his room. He climbed into his bed, where another boy was snoring.

Not that Hyuk would ever admit it, even to himself, but he was eager for something to happen.

Idly, he lay sprawled on the bed, every now and then glancing at the sleeping boy next to him. Before long he was bored out of his mind. His thoughts were scattered, like wondering whether his wardrobe, made of two brown rectangles, could actually open. Or would the blue dialogue box pop up in front of his eyes? He’d have to test that when he gets up. Maybe there were secret items hidden in that wardrobe. He’d seen that in games a lot.

Unable to sleep, Hyuk took a long look at Ravi. All the other boy did was snore, and occasionally kick Hyuk in his sleep. Frankly, Hyuk felt disappointed. But what exactly he had been expecting? Ravi was drunk as a pirate, and it seemed not even an apocalypse could stir his slumber.

Because he had nothing else to do (at least, that’s what he told himself), Hyuk nuzzled into Ravi’s shoulder, resting his hand on his well-toned stomach.

Ever since entering this game, Hyuk didn’t sleep. He was beginning to think he simply didn’t require it, just like he didn’t need food or drink. But now, Hyuk got into a strange state of relaxation. Not sleep – he was still conscious – but a feeling of returning strength. Movies playing in his mind, Hyuk soon lost track of reality.

“How about you let go of me, huh?” said a slightly annoyed voice, many hours later.

Hyuk’s eyes snapped open, before turning wide. How exactly he ended up like that, he had no idea – all he knew was that he was clutching Ravi’s waist, head nuzzled into his back.

He let go as though scorched by fire.

“Uh, thanks?” said Ravi, raising an eyebrow. “You drool when you sleep.”

I don’t sleep, Hyuk wanted to say, but thought better of it. “You kick when you sleep. And your snoring is super loud.”

“Sorry, kid.” replied Ravi. The silence felt awkward. “I’m heading downstairs.”

“Yeah, me too,” joined Hyuk. Suddenly, he realized he was still in the oversized orange shirt he had put on back in reality, on that stormy Saturday morning, before heading to the game room. Three or four whole days must have passed since then, maybe even a week. But no smell or sweat or dirt ever appeared on Hyuk’s body or clothes. It was as though Hyuk’s physical self was frozen in the state it was in when he arrived.

The same “frozen” state seemed true for the people around him. Moreover, Ravi’s hairstyle was perfect even though he’d just got up.

“Good morning!” called Himchan cheerfully. Ravi tried to ignore his existence.

“I have good news for you,” said Himchan when Hyuk sat at a table. The man in pink took out a piece of paper from his apron. “Ta-dah! You needed a map, right?”

“Yeah!” exclaimed Hyuk, reaching out to take a look.

“Inventory: Items: Potion x 10, Foreign Coins x 500, World Map. Key Items: Chopper Doll.”

“All right,” Hyuk said. He was slowly getting used to the blue box blinking in his face every time he touched an item.

The map was small and simple. It seemed as though either this world wasn’t very big, or much of it was unexplored. Either way, simplicity suited Hyuk. He could clearly recognise the castle he had arrived at, the woods he had crossed with Ravi, and the village where he was now. Three more villages and a larger town were depicted, along with a viewpoint and some kind of mysterious cave.

“Did you find the place you’re from?” asked Himchan, joining him at the table.

“Uh, I...”, Hyuk d for an excuse, a change of subject, anything.

From the corner of his eye, he spotted Jongup at a nearby table. At Himchan’s question, Jongup had spun towards them, eyeing Hyuk with sudden curiousity.

“Ah, I... Do you have any red beans?”

It took Himchan a few moments to process such a random question. “I don’t think so. Do red beans exist? I know only brown ones, and white.”

“Oh, and do you know who Park Hyoshin is?”

“You’re really weird.” said someone, dropping into the seat across Hyuk. “Ravi said so. Now I see it’s true.”

It took a lot of Hyuk’s self-control not to ask Zelo what his ing problem was. But Hyuk didn’t exactly wish to be cut up in two by a laser beam. So he sat there in silence, pondering how to get out of sharing a table with the robot-boy.

From above, a pink cleaning cloth suddenly slapped Zelo’s metal face.

“Zelo, be nice!” scolded Himchan as he walked past to serve a guest.

To Hyuk’s surprise, Zelo did nothing but lower his head and sulk.

From his table, Jongup glanced at them anxiously.

“Don’t you want to sit with Jongup?” asked Hyuk, hoping he wasn’t being too rude and Zelo wasn’t going to chop his head off with one of his arm-blades. Ever since that fight in the inn, Hyuk had been avioding Zelo whenever possible. It was hard to admit, but Zelo was about the scariest person (or thing?) Hyuk had ever seen.

“Actually, he wants to talk to you.” said Zelo. Jongup quickly looked away, pretending to be immersed in his drink.

“Who? Jongup?” asked Hyuk. “Sure! He can talk to me anytime he wants!”

Zelo eyed him dangerously. Something was telling Hyuk that Zelo didn’t appreciate the enthusiasm. “You don’t get it, idiot,” hissed Zelo, “he can’t talk to you here. He wants to speak to you alone.” And don’t get any ideas, Zelo’s eyes seemed to add, but he didn’t put that threat into words.

“O-kay...?” said Hyuk, wondering what Jongup could possibly want to say that he couldn’t say in the inn.

“Go with him. Now.” said Zelo. Hyuk couldn’t quite meet his eyes, even though they weren’t red now, but black.

“Yeah, uhh, sorry about all this,” whispered Jongup when he joined Hyuk on the way out. He looked twice as nervous as usual, if that was even possible. “Next time you want to talk to me, leave me a note or something, okay?” said Hyuk, trying to lift up the mood. “Before Zelo forgets himself and murders me while delivering your message.”

“Oh, he wouldn’t do that!” said Jongup at once. “I know he comes off as... umm, a little impulsive, but... uhh...”

“You like him. I get it.”

Jongup didn’t say anything to that. Walking away from the inn, the two were soon on the outskirts of the village.

“Where are we going?” asked Hyuk, watching the pixel sun in its eternal sunset.

“Uhh, well, I guess here is fine.” Jongup stopped, suddenly staring at his fingers as though it was serious business.

“Well?” asked Hyuk. A strong foreboding feeling spread through his stomach.

“... Uhmm... well... where are you from?”

Hyuk blinked a few times before answering.

“You took me all the way out here to ask me that?!” he said incredulously.

“Ah, well, umm, yeah.” muttered Jongup into his chin.

Hyuk laughed lightly. “I thought the others already told you. I’m from a village, but-”

“A village that you can’t find on the map?” asked Jongup. He seemed to have mustered as much confidence as he had. “You don’t even know its name.”

“I-I just-I...” stuttered Hyuk, his stomach starting to bubble with panic.

“I’ve suspected it ever since you asked me to train with you.” stated Jongup. He looked strangely excited. “You’ve never fought before. I can tell from the way you moved.” Jongup squinted at him. “And you’re level 0. I can see people’s levels, you know, “ Jongup explained, “there’s a special ability that lets me do that. But I’ve never seen a level 0 before. Anyone in this world, even a small child, would at least be level 1.” concluded Jongup.

“So?” asked Hyuk. His mouth felt dry. “How do you explain that?” he asked, dreading the answer.

“I think,” Jongup began, eyes wide and shining, “that you’re from another world.”

Hyuk was thunderstruck. His mouth refused to open, his brain refused to work.

“Are you?” asked Jongup eagerly. “You have to tell me all about it! Oh, and Zelo and Ravi too! And Yongguk and Himchan might want to hear as well. I... I just can’t believe it!” exclaimed Jongup. Hyuk had never seen him so happy. Jongup practically threw himself into his arms. “I knew there was a greater world out there”, he whispered quickly into Hyuk’s neck. “A world that’s not, and won’t ever be, on that map you have. A completely different world!”

Jongup seemed to had decided to compensate for all his years of shyness and silence, all in one minute of thrilled talking and incessant questions. “How did you get here, Hyuk? Is there a... a secret door? Or by magic? Can you transport back? You can’t, can you? Or is that doorway far away from here? Is that why you want to learn how to fight? You want to fight your way back to that portal? But why did you come here in the first place?”

Finally, Hyuk opened his mouth to speak. But before he could-

“JONGUP!!!” Hyuk screamed, panic overwhelming, “JONGUP, BEHIND YOU!!!”

* * * * *