Chapter 122: Out of Character

My feeble resistance was instantly crushed. More than anything, it caught me entirely off guard that he actually knew my exact schedule. My Friday lecture starting at two o’clock was one of the very few classes I didn’t share with Na Eun-hyuk. Had he overheard someone talking about my timetable? But why on earth would Na Eun-hyuk go out of his way to check my schedule? As expected, everything surrounding this guy was just an endless sequence of baffling anomalies.

“Where exactly are we going?”

“To buy you meat.”

“You’re seriously buying me beef?”

“Yeah. We’re going to an omakase spot. I booked a private room a little while ago.”

“You booked a private room?”

I mean…… who on earth goes and reserves a private room just for a casual lunch? Having spent the last few weeks exclusively eating cafeteria food together, I had momentarily forgotten, but this suddenly served as a stark reminder that Na Eun-hyuk truly belonged to a completely different world. Well, it made sense. Even the apartment he lived in wasn’t something you could purchase with pocket change.

“…….”

The second my thoughts drifted back to Na Eun-hyuk’s apartment, my brain naturally reeled back to the exact sequence of events that had led me to his place in the first place. As fragmented, scattered memories of that night began to resurface, I firmly clamped my mouth shut. Sensing the rigid, straight line of my lips, Na Eun-hyuk’s eyes flicked over to me.

“What’s wrong, Eon-ha-ya?”

“It’s just that I fundamentally don’t understand why you’re doing all this.”

“If you don’t understand it, just accept it.”

Faced with such an incredibly brazen response, I suddenly felt a desperate urge to learn how to properly fire back at him. It had been exactly the same back during his Selphiroth days, and it was still exactly the same now. I would voice a question out of sheer, unadulterated dumbfoundment, only for him to casually and nonchalantly validate it, leaving me entirely tongue-tied.

“And look me in the eye when you speak to me, Eon-ha-ya.”

Reflected in the rearview mirror, our gazes locked. Na Eun-hyuk’s eyes crinkled into a soft, curving line.

“Since my face is the only weapon I have going for me.”

Having effectively shut me up with that shamelessly confident remark, Na Eun-hyuk smoothly executed a turn of the steering wheel. Rounding the corner, the vehicle pulled up directly in front of our destination. It was a standalone, detached building styled in navy blue and accented with sleek rose-gold trim. This place was supposed to be a barbecue restaurant? Handing the keys over to the valet, we made our way inside.

An interior design completely detached from any barbecue joint I had ever frequented in my life immediately greeted me. Plush, black leather sofas were positioned neatly beneath pristine, stark white walls. The warm, yellow spotlight casting against the white surfaces created a subtle, elegant impression of radiant gold. The dark hardwood tables boasted such a luxurious, intricate grain that they almost resembled heavily marbled blocks of premium marble. A handful of patrons turned their heads toward us, their eyes locked onto our forms, completely unable to look away. Bypassing them, we ascended to the upper floor, heading directly toward the private dining suites.

The absolute second I stepped inside the room under the waiter’s polite guidance, an audible gasp slipped past my lips.

“The two of us are seriously using this entire massive space alone?”

“Yeah.”

When he had mentioned a private suite, I had envisioned a reasonably compact, intimate room; instead, this space housed a massive table easily capable of seating ten people comfortably. Positioned against one wall was a deep, dark chestnut-colored cabinet setup, with pristine tableware arranged precisely in the dead center. Placed neatly between the cabinet and the main table was a counter that appeared to be constructed from stacked brickwork; judging by the glowing charcoal fire nestled inside, it seemed the chef would be grilling the cuts directly from that station.

But what truly commanded my attention was the right wall. Stretching across the entire expanse of the room was a massive, floor-to-ceiling panoramic window, beyond which lay a wide, open-air terrace. The brilliant midday sun shattered beautifully across the glass panes, illuminating the interior with a dazzling light. A delicate scattering of pale pink cherry blossom petals drifted across the terrace floor, elevating the atmosphere to something almost ethereal.

“No, I mean, what on earth……”

Standing there entirely struck dumb, I felt Na Eun-hyuk’s hand lightly settle against my back. Making one final, desperate stand, I tried to push back.

“Is it even legally allowed for just two people to book out a massive space like this?”

“There isn’t a single thing on earth that money can’t buy.”

Ah. Is that so.

Faced with the sheer, unyielding absolute power of wealth, I had zero logical counterarguments left to offer. Yielding to a gentle nudge, I stumbled forward slightly until I arrived directly in front of the table. Na Eun-hyuk stepped forward, pulling out a single chair on the left side that offered a direct, unobstructed view of the terrace.

What? He wants me to sit here?

“You really don’t have to do things like this.”

“But I want to do it for you.”

“Don’t do it.”

I realized that if I didn’t lay down an absolute, ironclad boundary, he would simply refuse to listen to a word I said. Offering a bright, serene smile, Na Eun-hyuk casually slid into the seat directly adjacent to mine.

“Why are you sitting right here?”

“So I can look at the terrace view too.”

“Then I’ll just move over to the opposite side.”

“You should enjoy the terrace view too.”

“I’m fine.”

The exact second I moved to push myself out of the chair, Na Eun-hyuk’s burning palm suddenly clamped securely around my wrist. His large, elongated fingers wrapped around my skin with a firm, unyielding strength.

“Eon-ha-ya.”

The low cadence of his voice delivering my name felt incredibly deep and resonant.

“Sit next to me.”

“…….”

Moreover, with him pushing the issue to this extreme, it felt entirely pathetic and petty to stubbornly march over to the opposite side. The only reason I was hesitating was because sitting right beside him felt inexplicably, profoundly embarrassing, but rationalizing it objectively, it wasn’t actually a massive ordeal. Fearing that poking at Na Eun-hyuk’s temperament any further would only invite another exhausting sequence of events, I quietly settled back into my seat. The rigid tension locking up his fingers instantly melted away, replaced by a sweet, dripping tone that felt soft enough to dissolve my ears.

“Look how well you listen.”

“What am I, your pet dog?”

“Of course not.”

Yet, the specific cadence of Na Eun-hyuk’s response sounded faintly dissatisfied for some inexplicable reason.

Our tense back-and-forth was abruptly cut short by the arrival of a staff member wheeling in the appetizer course. It consisted of a delicate artisanal bread topped with premium caviar and beef tartare; though the waiter launched into a heavily detailed, elaborate explanation of the dish, not a single word managed to register in my brain. However, the flavor was undeniable. As I sat there momentarily spellbound by the velvety texture that practically dissolved across my tongue, Na Eun-hyuk ruthlessly seized the opening to strike up a conversation.

“Is it good?”

“Yeah,” I answered honestly.

“That’s a relief.”

I could swear Na Eun-hyuk’s tone had softened considerably. Was he actually anxious about treating me to a meal? He didn’t seem like the type of character to possess a single shred of nervous energy, making the observation feel entirely unexpected. Besides, considering he had secured this caliber of a restaurant and rented out a massive private suite, there was mathematically zero chance I could look around and find a single thing to complain about. Even if the actual culinary execution had been atrocious, the sheer ambiance alone earned a flawless passing grade. To make matters better, the chateaubriand and ribeye cap prepared by the chef melted into absolute, pure luxury with every single bite, heavily reinforcing my long-standing life philosophy that expensive beef is universally superior to everything else. Under these flawless parameters, if I were to somehow fail to award this meal a perfect score, the absolute sole culprit would be the person sitting right next to me.

But at the very least, during the actual duration of the meal, it was impossible to find a single flaw in Na Eun-hyuk’s conduct. Every single time a fresh cut was placed onto the platter, I could see his hand execute an elegant, subtle gesture, signaling the chef to serve my plate first. While it was a minor, passing courtesy, it gave me a sudden, striking sensation that the pristine, perfect version of Na Eun-hyuk I had once deeply adored had temporarily returned.

Which side is the real Na Eun-hyuk? Even while telling myself there was absolutely zero need to overcomplicate things, a lingering, persistent question mark kept stubbornly resurfacing in my mind.

Once the meal concluded, we climbed straight back into Na Eun-hyuk’s car. Settling his hands onto the steering wheel, his features returned to their usual, impeccably neat state, completely blank and unreadable.

“Thanks for today.”

“Yeah.”

Why on earth are you going to these extreme lengths for me? And why so suddenly? I ruthlessly swallowed the questions that had bubbled up to the very edge of my throat. I had a strong intuition that even if I asked, Na Eun-hyuk wouldn’t offer a single transparent answer. Instead, he threw a question right back at me.

“What are you doing tomorrow, Eon-ha-ya?”

“Tomorrow? Why the sudden question?”

“We still haven’t watched a performance for our class requirement yet.”

Ah. Come to think of it, he had extended an invitation two Saturdays ago to attend a piano recital together. Amidst the chaotic whirlwind of events that followed, that entire arrangement had effectively been wiped from existence. I had been so thoroughly distracted that the mandatory assignment for the Understanding of Performing Arts course had completely slipped my mind.

“The Universal Ballet is performing Swan Lake tomorrow, and I happen to have tickets. Let’s go watch it together.”

“I appreciate it, but I’m fine……”

“It would be a complete waste to let a ticket go to waste, wouldn’t it?”

Did this bastard deliberately buy these tickets in advance just to use this exact excuse? A highly rational suspicion flared in my mind.

“I’m sure there are plenty of other people who would jump at the chance to go with you.”

“But I want to go with you.”

“Well, I have absolutely zero intention of going with you.”

“But I want to go with you.”

I felt like I could have an infinitely more logical, fluid conversation with a literal toddler. Refusing to let even a shred of a smile touch his lips, Na Eun-hyuk looked entirely immovable. I had an ominous premonition that if I continued to stand my ground and bicker with him here, he would simply refuse to let me out of the passenger seat and drive straight back to his apartment complex.

“Fine. I’ll go.”

“Perfect.”

Only then did the corners of Na Eun-hyuk’s mouth arch upward into a sweeping, brilliant grin. The sheer, radiant clarity of that smile left me momentarily dazed. The dazzling, sparkling man I had fallen for was still vividly, undeniably right there.

I was instantly washed over by an entirely inexplicable emotion. The overtures of goodwill—which I had desperately yearned for yet never dared to actively expect—suddenly began to rain down upon me the exact second I had permanently discarded all expectations. It left a bittersweet warmth pooling in my chest; I felt an undeniable flutter of excitement, yet simultaneously found it impossible to fully trust.

Having secured my explicit compliance, Na Eun-hyuk appeared to be in an uncharacteristically phenomenal mood. The sight of him softly humming along to the cadence of the classical track was something I had never easily witnessed before. Was this actually his inherent personality? Having exclusively interacted with a version of him that was perpetually immaculate, perfectly rigid, and arguably closer to a flawless cyborg than a living human, witnessing this petulant, childlike side of him actually made him feel a fraction more human.

It was an intensely awkward transition. I let out a soft, grumbling complaint.

“You never used to act like this before.”

“That’s true. But there’s absolutely no reason for me to maintain that facade around you anymore, is there, Eon-ha-ya?”

“Because I know you’re Selphiroth?”

“That’s a part of it.”

“Is there another reason?”

“Who knows.”

Na Eun-hyuk offered a thoroughly ambiguous validation. I locked my eyes onto the firmly sealed line of his lips.

“Hey, Eon-ha-ya.”

The exact second I connected to the server, Park Sung-jin called out to me from inside the guild house. Up until very recently, his cheeks had looked completely hollowed out from staying up consecutive nights running tactical briefing sessions, but over the last few days, he looked remarkably energized. I figured it was because a massive portion of his mental burden had been cleanly lifted the moment Selphiroth officially deployed for the war.

“What’s up? Is Endless camping somewhere and tormenting our guild members again?”

“No. Endless has been entirely quiet for the past few days.”

“Well, it makes sense. After getting thoroughly annihilated like that, they better keep their heads down.”

Over the course of this past week, the structural progression of the guild war had universally adhered to the exact following sequence:

1. Our guild members gather peacefully to execute a standard in-game task.
2. Endless guild members track them down and initiate a surprise attack.
3. Selphiroth deploys to the coordinates.
4. Endless faces an absolute, clean party wipe.

Because the conflict played out in this exact identical loop every single time, the Endless guild members—who had initially been aggressively picking fights with immense glee—seemed to be noticeably hesitating. They realized that staying quiet yielded baseline survival, whereas initiating a skirmish served as a direct invitation to get ruthlessly pulverized and slaughtered by Selphiroth. While key figures like Cielo, SnowyFragrance, Fragrance’sVariant, and Overclock97 were still aggressively foaming at the mouth, running wild in a desperate bid to secure our deaths, the vast majority of Endless’s rank-and-file player base had already completely lost their momentum and drive to hostility against our guild.

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