Dusk (BL Light Novel)

I felt strangely duped. After I finished off every last bit of dessert, I looked at Gang Jaegyung with a smug grin, expecting to see him sulking over losing all the sweets.
But instead of looking disappointed, he just smiled warmly and started clearing the plates.
What the hell?

I stared up at him as he carried the tray away, trying to figure out what was going on. But he just blinked at me like he had no idea what I was getting at and asked, “What’s wrong?”
For someone who usually picks up on things faster than most people, he was acting clueless. Or maybe he was just pretending not to get it.
“I ate all the cake. Aren’t you going to eat any?”

“I had some, didn’t I? That’s enough for me.”
And with that, he sauntered off to return the tray. My shoulders slumped in defeat. I’d stuffed myself with cakes and pastries I normally wouldn’t even touch — all because of him. Sure, they were good, but still.
I dragged myself up from the chair, feeling a little cheated. Since we’d decided to go to the shooting cafe, there was no point in hanging around any longer.

When I walked toward the counter, Gang Jaegyung turned around, our eyes meeting. I signaled to him that we should go, and he understood immediately, trailing behind me and holding the door open as we stepped outside.
The temperature difference hit me like a wave, and I shivered. Damn, it was hotter out here than I thought.
Uncle noticed I was out and quickly closed the distance, positioning himself behind me. Gang Jaegyung, meanwhile, grabbed my left arm and gently tugged me forward, saying it was only a short walk. His hand was cool against my skin, so I didn’t bother shaking him off.

Now, all I had to do was act as normal as possible. I couldn’t tense up every time someone walked by or scrunch up my face whenever I felt a presence behind me. I didn’t want Gang Jaegyung to catch on to how anxious I was.
Thankfully, he was walking on my left side like a protective wall, which narrowed my field of vision. But that also made me more hyperaware of my surroundings. A guy sprinting past us from behind, someone on the phone brushing by…
“By the way.”

“…Huh?”
His voice startled me, and I turned to look at him. I hoped he didn’t notice how much I flinched. But Gang Jaegyung just smiled innocently, completely oblivious to my nerves.
“Do you not run dungeons much? You’re always in the field whenever I see you.”

That’s because whenever you’re streaming, I make it a point to hang around the field as much as possible.
…Of course, there was no way I was actually going to say that, so I played it off as casually as I could.
“Dungeons get boring fast. Once I’m done farming, I just stick to the field.”
It wasn’t exactly a lie. Dungeon mechanics are pretty repetitive, and once you’ve cleared them a few times, it gets old. The rewards reset weekly anyway, so there’s no point in running them constantly.

There are time attack events that reward the fastest party clears, but none of the prizes ever interested me. They also gave out achievements for clearing a certain number of dungeons, but I never bothered with those either.
Sometimes, I’d help out a friend who missed the farming window and couldn’t find a party, but when Gang Jaegyung was streaming, I’d purposely avoid running dungeons, so in his eyes, I probably did nothing but roam the field.
“Ahh… So you don’t really go to leveling dungeons either?”

“Barely. Haven’t been to Obasin in ages.”
“Obasin? That’s the level 44 Viajok dungeon, right?”
“Yeah. Faded Shrine of the Obsidian. Last time I ran it was when some newbie joined the guild. Helped them farm it, then never went back.”

That newbie had been Solo. A cocky little brat. I’d raised him well, only for him to get so busy preparing for his concert that he barely logged in anymore. And whenever he did, it was just to be annoying. Raising newbies felt like a waste of time after that.
“So you still help out newbies, huh?”
“Of course. A well-raised newbie is a strong ally. I helped you when you were one, remember?”

In Gang Jaegyung’s case, it felt more like I’d made porridge and handed it over to a dog, but still. Since he’d stayed in Dusk, I got plenty of benefits out of it. Guess it was like feeding my loyal house dog some fancy gourmet porridge.
“Oh, right. I really appreciated it back then.”
“Did you really?”

“I’m serious. I almost quit the game back then ‘cause I couldn’t find a dungeon party.”
That would’ve been a damn disaster.
“…And yet the guy who owes me is acting like he did yesterday?”

“There was nothing I could do about that… Ah, we’re here.”
Even while chatting with me, he clearly knew where we were going. Gang Jaegyung grabbed my arm and steered me toward the building with a standee advertising the shooting cafe.
Let’s see… 3,000 won for a handgun magazine, 4,000 won for a rifle or sniper rifle.

…Can they really make any money charging that little?
While I was busy staring at the sign and mentally calculating how they stayed in business, Gang Jaegyung confirmed the cafe’s location and called out to me. He was standing by a staircase leading down to the basement.
Uncle and I both went down with him to check the place out. The shooting cafe had a row of shooting stalls lined up right next to the entrance, with a counter and a small seating area further inside.

For some reason, I’d expected it to look like a dingy old PC bang, but it was surprisingly bright. Well, I guess if it were too dark, you wouldn’t be able to see the targets anyway.
As soon as Gang Jaegyung walked in, I took the chance to give Uncle a signal that it was safe. He nodded, then went back outside to wait. I headed further in, taking in the surroundings. These days, it seemed like a lot of places were combining two different concepts into one business.
Gang Jaegyung was standing by the kiosk, waiting for me. The screen displayed a list of guns and prices, letting you choose which type to use and pay for however many magazines you wanted.

The names of the guns looked vaguely familiar — stuff I’d probably ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ heard somewhere but never paid much attention to.
“You see anything you want to try first?”
He leaned in close, practically whispering the question in my ear. But what the hell was I supposed to say? The only guns I knew were the M16 and the AWM, which people in FPS games always called the “A-dub.” And I barely played FPS games anyway, so asking me what I wanted to try was like asking a cat to pick a wine.

I just stood there, staring blankly at the kiosk screen until Gang Jaegyung pointed at something.
“If you’re not sure, the M16 is a good starter. It’s light and has the least recoil. They modify the guns here, so even the others don’t have much kick, but this one’s the easiest to handle.”
Yeah, I’d definitely seen that name before. I nodded and selected an M16 magazine from the kiosk. I asked him if he was going to shoot too, but he said he’d go later.

After paying, the machine spat out a receipt, which I took over to the counter. The employee behind the counter handed me the M16, which was already prepped and ready to go. It was surprisingly light — just like Gang Jaegyung said.
“You know how to shoot, right?”
The employee asked as if it were a given. He inserted the magazine, set up the scoring board, and sent the target sliding down to the end of the range. I opened my mouth to say I didn’t know how to shoot, but a hand landed on my shoulder, and I shut up.

“I’ll handle it,” Gang Jaegyung said with a friendly smile.
The employee just shrugged and moved away to give us some space.
“How did you know I don’t know how to shoot?” I asked, lowering my voice.

“If you don’t even know the guns, how would you know how to shoot them?”
Fair point. That shut me up.
“Did you not serve in the military?”

He asked as he led me over to the shooting stall. I hesitated. If I said no, he’d probably ask why. And if I explained, he’d just spout the usual, “Oh, must be nice not to have to serve” crap.
…But it wasn’t like I could lie and say I did serve. So I clenched my jaw and nodded, feeling like I just stepped on a landmine.
Shit. Why did I come to a shooting cafe? I should’ve just said no when he suggested it. Damn it. If I’d known this would happen, I’d have picked anywhere else.

“Why?”
“…Well, I couldn’t qualify.”
“You got assigned to public service instead?”

“No, I was classified as a level 5. Wartime labor… duty.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, I wanted to punch myself.
How the hell do you get a level 5 classification from not qualifying? That didn’t even make sense. Even someone as clueless as Gang Jaegyung would be able to connect the dots. He’s gonna think I’m a total wreck.

I knew what was coming next. “Oh, must be nice not to have to serve.” I’d heard that same damn line from everyone.
If he said that to me right now, especially after what happened yesterday, I might actually punch him. I gritted my teeth, waiting for the inevitable.
“So, you probably don’t know how to hold a gun properly.”

“…?”
Wait.
I blinked up at him, feeling like someone who just got diagnosed with a mild sprain after bracing for a terminal illness.

Instead of asking anything about the military, Gang Jaegyung casually handed me the M16 and started pointing at different parts of the gun, explaining them one by one.
“This here is the stock. You need to press it firmly against your shoulder to absorb the recoil.”
He moved closer and pressed the stock against my right shoulder, adjusting it so it sat snugly. Then he positioned my right hand on the trigger and my left hand under the barrel.

“Before you shoot, don’t rest your finger on the trigger. Keep your left hand here to support the barrel. The hand placement doesn’t really matter as long as it feels comfortable.”
I followed his instructions, adjusting my grip on the gun. And then, he reached out and gently placed a hand against my cheek, guiding my face toward the gun.