Chapter 2: Love in the Moonlight

Difficult customers throwing fits weren’t anything new, but today was especially bad.

I spent a good while dealing with a customer who screamed loud enough to rattle the whole sandwich shop, and by the time my shift ended, I was completely drained.

I wanted nothing more than to go straight home and lie on my bed, but I had to finish an assignment due by tomorrow morning.

No, you can do this, Yeon Woo-ju.

I repeated it to myself like a spell and trudged toward campus.

“This is honestly a revolution in otome mobile games!”

“They even have a route for both main characters… I’m so excited. Are you a pervert, planning this?”

“Oh come on, you shouldn’t keep this to yourselves. You should’ve told us earlier! I can’t resist a reverse harem flower garden.”

I’d wondered why the studio was so crowded today.

My friends had gathered in a circle and were arguing enthusiastically, spit flying.

An otome mobile game?

I guess that’s the trend these days.

“Oh, Yeon Woo-ju, you’re here. Say something!”

I’d already used up all my energy for today, so I didn’t feel like jumping into the conversation.

I tried to sneak to my seat, hoping no one would notice.

But someone tapped my shoulder right away.

“Hey, I was just about to say hi.”

“Woo-ju, Woo-ju, take a look at this!”

“What is it?”

Dahyeon, looking more excited than usual, shoved her phone in front of me.

A game screen with flashy graphics caught my eye.

“Love in the Moonlight?”

I read out the game title, which was so romantic it felt ticklish, and tilted my head.

I must have frowned without realizing it, because the friends around me burst into laughter.

“It’s the most popular dating sim these days. You didn’t know? Yeon Woo-ju, I’m disappointed.”

I wasn’t particularly interested in dating sims, but the MK Group logo at the top of the screen caught my attention.

Huh, so MK Group was getting into gaming too?

When I leaned in, Yeonji proudly patted my shoulder.

“See? Now that you’ve seen it, has your opinion changed?”

“But why is everyone suddenly into this? There are plenty of similar games.”

“Oh, that’s because a picture is worth a thousand words.”

“Ta-da!”

The screen moved quickly and filled with illustrations of male characters.

With clean face lines and sharp features, a character stared at me with intense eyes.

“Wow, he looks almost real?”

I couldn’t help but admire the detailed illustration.

The character’s expression was so vivid, like a living person, that it felt like I’d be pulled into the screen at any moment.

For a second, I understood why my friends were so crazy about this game.

“Geez, ‘almost real’? Don’t say things that could land you in trouble. Where in reality are there guys who look like this?”

“Ah… I guess you’re right.”

“Hey, Yeon Woo-ju. Don’t agree so fast. That’s not the point.”

“Right. You’re not as good-looking as the capture targets, but you’re decent enough in your own way.”

“Cut it out. I don’t see you guys as women either.”

When I pouted and shot back, Yeonji stretched my cheeks without hurting me.

Meanwhile, I looked at the game interface.

The affection level numbers above the target characters sparkled as if begging me to look at them.

It looked like the player could customize a character and control them by selecting options in the system window.

“Oh? This place looks exactly like the Full Moon Art Museum.”

“Ah, that’s another special thing about this game. The setting is based on modern Korea, and real buildings are actually in the game, so it feels more realistic, you know?”

“Hmm…”

I was tapping around the map when I spotted a familiar building and asked about it, but the answer was unexpected.

So the game even had real buildings.

Games had really come a long way while I wasn’t paying attention.

Well, this game’s selling point was fantasy with realistic faces, so it made sense.

The Full Moon Art Museum was run by the MK Group’s art foundation, so it was probably for promotion.

“A junior like Lee Rayun might exist at our school, but never in reality. That’s the kind of unicorn charm he has.”

“Hey, a guy’s gotta have ability first. If a mature man like Cha Taeju was the team leader, I’d risk my life to join that company.”

“You guys don’t know anything. Kang Taeyang is the real one, okay? Guys like that may look fierce on the outside, but if you handle them well, they turn into gentle lambs.”

“Woo-ju, who do you think is the most handsome here?”

Everyone was bragging about their own pick, when suddenly Yuna asked me with sparkling eyes.

Sometimes I felt like my friends forgot I was a straight man.

Of course, I was grateful they felt close enough to me for that…

“Then I’ll pick this character here.”

Since it would’ve been awkward to stay silent while everyone else was excited, I went along with it.

I pointed at a character no one had chosen yet.

“Oh, Yeon Woo-ju, so you’re into the sexy type? You sneaky bastard.”

“Whoa, that’s not it! I just picked him because he looks handsome.”

“Same thing. That’s Do Jihoon. He’s a top celebrity!”

“But Do Jihoon’s route is super hard. Without paying real money, it’s almost impossible to conquer him within the time limit.”

“What? The game just launched and they’re already pushing cash items?”

Cash items?

My eyes went wide at that.

Of course, this was a well-made, high-quality game, but to think people would willingly spend money on it.

The realistic illustrations must really be doing a lot of work.

“Instead of that, give me your phone, Woo-ju. I’ll download the game for you.”

“Why? All the capture targets here are guys. What fun would I have?”

“Come on, whether it’s a man or a woman, it’s human instinct to be drawn to pretty and handsome people.”

“You’re going into pure art anyway, right? Think of it as studying the current character illustration market, okay?”

“Right, Woo-ju. Promise us you’ll play it and tell us what you think!”

While I was blinking in confusion, Yeonji had already installed the dating sim on my phone.

I looked down at the pastel-toned screen, glittering softly.

Cute hearts popped up like jelly under the faint moonlight.

“Yaah…”

Unlike the world inside the game, where romance was the biggest quest, I was stuck in reality and had to finish the assignment in front of me.

I barely escaped from my friends, and a yawn I’d been holding back burst out.

Anyway, I had to finish it all to sleep, so I rubbed my tired eyes and focused on the work.

When I came out of the empty studio, bright yellow sunlight was pouring down outside.

The campus, with the morning air seeping in gently, was peaceful enough to make me feel a little resentful.

They say when things go wrong, everything gets tangled up.

In the middle of the night, while I was working hard on the assignment, a software error wiped out all my files.

I had to redo the assignment from scratch, and it was already light outside by the time I barely managed to submit it.

“Ah, I’m so sleepy…”

I tightened my backpack, feeling like I could fall asleep at any moment.

I dragged my heavy body through the crowd of people cheerfully starting their day.

It was a day no different from usual, but today the start felt especially grueling.

“Ugh… why don’t I want to go home?”

I should get at least a bit of sleep…

Maybe it was pointless stubbornness, but the less I felt like going home on days like this.

It felt like damp loneliness was growing like mold in my small studio apartment, where I lived alone.

“Oh, Woo-ju, you’re here?”

“Ah, hello! Oh, this is my scholarship certificate…”

“Nah, you don’t need to show me. You come so often I know your face by now.”

Instead of going home, I headed to the Full Moon Art Museum, a twenty-minute walk from the university.

As an MK Art Foundation scholarship student, I could get in free.

The museum was my own sanctuary, a place to catch my breath from the harsh routine of daily life.

The cold air on my skin woke me up completely.

A neat interior with artworks displayed cleanly on the walls spread out before me.

Soon, the museum’s characteristic calmness spread from my fingertips, and my tangled thoughts became clearer.

“Ah, there it is.”

I stopped in front of my favorite painting and smiled faintly.

In the sparse night sky, faint moonlight swayed gently over a shimmering lake.

The enchanting moonlight breathed warmth into my weary heart.

Looking at the round full moon softly caressing the darkness, I felt hope that no matter how hard things were now, everything would be okay in the end.

“Will I ever be able to paint something like this and be loved by people?”

It was a dream I’d held since my parents passed away, but lately there were moments when my heart sank.

My life was so harsh that it was a miracle I’d even held onto art at all, let alone dream big.

Once I became an adult, I felt too self-conscious to ask relatives for help.

If it weren’t for the scholarship, I couldn’t have even entered this art school, famous for its expensive tuition.

“Whew…”

But I was the only one who could protect my dream, so I couldn’t afford to be weak.

I didn’t know how things would turn out, but I had to try as far as I could so I wouldn’t regret it later.

Just as I clenched my fist and turned away from the painting.

‘…Help me.’

I flinched at the voice, which spread faintly like mist over water, and turned around.

Help me?

The plea was so earnest I couldn’t just ignore it.

I swallowed hard and looked around, but no one was nearby.

“……”

Was I the only one who heard that voice?

The people passing by in the distance all looked perfectly calm.

I shook my head quickly.

I’d overdone it since yesterday.

I was so tired I was hearing things.

‘Can you hear me? This is something only you can do.’

Just as I was about to leave, the low voice echoed once more.

I slowly turned my stiff head.

Now I knew for sure.

The unidentified voice was coming from the painting.

‘Come here and save me. Before it’s too late…’

What the f*ck… Is that even possible?

I tilted my head and stared at the painting, where dark shadows wobbled.

Even so, the faint voice kept crying out desperately.

‘Only you, the one I chose, can help me.’

My stomach churned as I looked at the enchanting moonlight as if bewitched.

I didn’t know what was going on, but if it was something only I could do, shouldn’t I help if it wasn’t too hard?

The gentle voice pulled at my heart strangely.

Without understanding what was happening, I nodded in a daze.

A strange light flashed in the full moon within the painting.

At the same time, a blindingly intense light leaked from the phone in my pocket.

Startled, I took it out, and on the screen, the mobile dating sim my friend had installed yesterday afternoon was running automatically.

“What? Why is this game suddenly…”

I’d never even opened it since downloading it…

But before I could even wonder, all the strength drained from my body, and my vision flickered rapidly.

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