Dusk (BL Light Novel)

[Whisper] Sillonti >> Honeybread: “This is freaking hilarious.”
[Whisper] Sillonti >> Honeybread: “He just slammed his head on the desk.”

[Whisper] Sillonti >> Honeybread: “Whoa, I saw a bit of his face.”
[Whisper] Sillonti >> Honeybread: “Damn, smooth as hell.”
[Whisper] Sillonti >> Honeybread: “How does someone who works outside have such perfect skin?”

I told her to keep me updated on his reactions… So, he was frustrated enough to slam his head against the desk. Good. That was exactly what I was aiming for.
Mechanically, his hands moved as he navigated back to the base. He wondered if Gang Jaegyung would still be standing there in that dazed state, or if he’d greet him with another crying emote the moment he arrived.
But just as he was passing through the area, he ran into a four-person Jeojajok party.

Thanks to his increased attack power, they dropped like flies with every hit. Still, his health wasn’t in great shape. After taking down all four, he was considering calling Park Gibolle for a heal when another attack came out of nowhere.
[Battle] You received 1,539 damage from the Research Virus IV used by Retaking a Class.
Gang Jaegyung, who Honeybread had assumed would still be sulking in place, came charging in, flinging a virus stack from a distance.

Ugh. I’m already low on health. So inconsiderate.
Clicking his tongue, Honeybread activated a capture skill, pulling Gang Jaegyung toward him.
From there, they were back to the same old tug-of-war, each trying to find the perfect kill angle. Gang Jaegyung, who was too slow to type out any taunts, fought with a relentless intensity despite knowing he’d probably lose again.

Honeybread’s health steadily decreased while Gang Jaegyung’s fluctuated as he alternated between attacks and heals. With each hit, Honeybread’s chances of winning increased. Until —
[Battle] The Forced Mutation effect used by Retaking a Class has been applied.
[Battle] The duration of Retaking a Class’s Virus LII has been reset due to mutation.

[Battle] The duration of Retaking a Class’s Flu Virus has been reset due to mutation.
[Battle] The duration of Retaking a Class’s Virus II has been reset due to mutation.
[Battle] The duration of Retaking a Class’s Virus V has been reset due to mutation.

[Battle] You received 12,810 damage from the Mutated Virus Extraction used by Retaking a Class.
[Battle] You have been killed by Retaking a Class’s attack.
[System] You have died in the conflict zone.
[System] You lost 7,220 reputation points due to being killed by another player.

[Faction] The Jeojajok Commander, Retaking a Class, has defeated the Viajok Commander, Honeybread.
His health had already been low when the battle started, and now, with the forced mutation going off perfectly, he got one-shotted.
Damn it. I should’ve called Park Gibolle for a heal a bit sooner. If I had, I could’ve watched Gang Jaegyung rage even more. But it was too late now. Resigned, Honeybread rapidly clicked the respawn button, ready to repeat the same cycle.

Then, just as he was about to click it, a chat bubble popped up above Gang Jaegyung’s character’s head.
Wait. Did I just mess up? Did I really fail at messing with him this time?
Heart pounding, he read the chat bubble.

[General] Retaking a Class: “Honeybread fast. I’m not.”
Honeybread’s finger hovered over the respawn button, frozen in place. What the hell was that? Did he just… shorten it to squeeze it in within five seconds? And with typos?
[Whisper] Sillonti >> Honeybread: “ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ”
Honeybread was so taken aback that he just sat there, fingers hovering over the mouse, not clicking the respawn button. That five seconds ticked by, and Gang Jaegyung took the opportunity to flood the chat.

[General] Retaking a Class: “Honeybread strong. I’m not.”
[General] Retaking a Class: “Honeybread sturdy. I’m not..”
[General] Retaking a Class: “Honeybread quick-witted. I’m notttt,,.”

[General] Retaking a Class: “Honeybread smart. Not me...”
[General] Retaking a Class: “No, not me.”
Then, there was a pause before a slightly longer message appeared.

[General] Retaking a Class: “Not leaving? Then just wait a bit.”
The moment I snapped out of it, I hit the respawn button before Gang Jaegyung could type another line of chat. His character and the chat bubble vanished behind the cracked screen, and the loading screen appeared.
…What the hell was the original version of those sentences supposed to be?

When the loading finished and I respawned at the base, my whisper notifications were going off like crazy.
[Whisper] Sillonti >> Honeybread: “Ah, ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ”
[Whisper] Sillonti >> Honeybread: “He’s turned into a raccoon who lost his cotton candy again.”

[Whisper] Sillonti >> Honeybread: “Seriously, it’s so funny and cute ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ”
Moon Seonhwa was dying of laughter, but I felt strangely unsettled. How should I put it…? It felt like I’d gone too far, like I was bullying some kid much younger than me, getting too absorbed in the moment and actually making him miserable.
The situation was different, but I couldn’t shake that weird sense of shame. Maybe it was because Gang Jaegyung was acting so childishly.

While I was seriously considering whether it was okay to keep messing with him like this, I heard the door open behind me.
“Yeong.”
“Oh, hyung.”

I turned around to see my brother sticking his head through the door. He’d said he was coming home today, but it was rare to actually see his face. The savory scent of fried chicken wafted in from the hallway.
“I got you some of your favorite chicken. Take a break from the game and eat.”
“Oh!”

The chicken from my favorite place — the one that doesn’t do deliveries. And since my sister only lets me eat stuff like this once in a while, it felt like a windfall.
I quickly sent a whisper to Moon Seonhwa, letting her know I was going to eat, and told Park Gibolle that I’d be stepping away for a bit. Then I got up from the chair.
After washing my hands in the bathroom, I stepped into the living room, where a white plastic bag filled with chicken sat on the table. Even though I’d already eaten dinner, the scent made my stomach grumble.

As I started pulling the food out of the bag, my brother casually asked about the family.
“How’s Mom and Noona?”
“Noona’s fine. Haven’t seen Mom since we all met up last time.”

“You called her?”
“Saw a news article about how busy she is, so I didn’t bother.”
“You should still call her once in a while.”

“Yeah. You too.”
I quickly tore open the packaging and grabbed a drumstick, sinking my teeth into the juicy part as I mumbled through a mouthful of chicken.
My brother said he was going to change clothes and went upstairs. Alone in the living room, I suddenly thought of Gang Jaegyung, still in the game. How much time had passed? I hadn’t brought my phone with me.

I chewed the chicken slowly, and a thought crossed my mind — this might actually be the perfect opportunity.
Right now, Gang Jaegyung must be stewing in frustration, thinking, “If I type fast again, maybe I can succeed this time.” He’d be burning with a new sense of determination, only to sit there waiting for minutes, maybe even tens of minutes, with no reply. That kind of silence would be crushing.
And the fact that he wouldn’t even know why I wasn’t responding? That would drive him crazy. Especially someone like Gang Jaegyung, who hated unexpected variables outside of his control.

This was a golden opportunity that practically fell into my lap. An unplanned but perfect third method for messing with Gang Jaegyung — ghosting.
I tossed the stripped drumstick bone back into the bag and picked up the second one.
After this, I’ll check his stream.

[Gang Jaegyung’s Messages]
What are you doing...? 21:32 1
Go Yeong...?ㅠㅠ 21:35 1

Kitty... 21:36 1
I even stopped streaming to text you... please reply..... 21:37 1
Where are youㅜㅜ? 21:38 1

I’m sorry..... 21:39 1
ㅠㅠ....... 21:45 1
「Additional Notes」

Loves sweet foods. No caffeine.
Slightly scatterbrained. Often rests his chin on his hand and looks around, even when not anxious.
When anxious, engage in conversation.

Showing off his shooting skills didn’t seem to impress him… ㅇ<―<
His private guard detail indicates that the primary reason for hiring them is psychological comfort rather than physical security.
Can’t handle caffeine, gets easily tense in public, rapid breathing + history of trauma → High likelihood of PTSD with possible agoraphobia.

Classified as Level 5 Non-Combat Worker.
Approach in a way that clearly shows it’s not about money.