Sunday Morning Church Invitation

Sunday mornings carried that unique mix of relaxation and quiet dread—the joy of a day off clashing with the looming pressure of lectures and assignments starting again on Monday. Midterms are creeping up already? The closer exam week got, the heavier that pressure felt. And yet, somehow, games played under that kind of stress tasted even sweeter.

"Hyung, heal me. I'm about to die."

"Tsk~ You could at least ask nicely when you're begging."

"Just heal me already...!"

As usual, Taeyoung and I were gaming in our dorm room. On screen, his character charged ahead, fighting hard. Mine was a healer with the trait that restored more HP the lower the target's health was, so I kept waiting until his character was barely hanging on before tossing out heals. But the moment I mistimed it...

Taeyoung's character dropped dead.

"..."

"..."

An awkward silence filled the room. Then Taeyoung's furious voice exploded.

"Hyung! If you're the healer, heal properly!"

"Taeyoung. Don't you get that I just want to raise you stronger?"

"What kind of bullshit is that?! Ugh, seriously!"

Taeyoung looked genuinely frustrated. I grinned and kept teasing him—he was just too fun to mess with.

"I can't live like this, hyung."

"That's why you died. If you were still alive, your character wouldn't have."

"..."

Maybe I'd pushed too far, because after the round ended he asked for a break. I closed the game and started browsing the internet to kill time. A while later, Taeyoung seemed calmer and spoke first.

"Hyung, did you hear? There's a business department MT after midterms."

"Business MT?"

Come to think of it, MT season was approaching. Usually people went during breaks, but sometimes they scheduled one during the semester too. Everyone's timetables were different, so it was hard to coordinate, but they usually picked a weekend or right after exams. Still... I didn't really have anyone I'd enjoy going with. I'd always been an outsider and never joined department activities. I casually asked Taeyoung, who was also in business.

"You going?"

"Nah... what would I even do there?"

Sounded like he wasn't planning to go either. In that case, showing up would just feel ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠awkward. Honestly, even going alone with Taeyoung would be weird... I decided to skip the business MT altogether. If I'd known it'd be like this, maybe I should've made more friends in first year...

Skipping MT wasn't a big deal, but group projects in business classes were always painful. The moment a professor said "form your own groups," my heart would start pounding. Not in a good way—cold sweat would literally run down my back. That was when I desperately wished I had close friends in the department. Now that I think about it... I really don't have anyone close at school.

While I was surfing the web, the realization hit me like a truck. Emptiness? Despair? A hollow feeling? I tried to dig through my memories. Is there really no one...? I racked my brain for the name of any close university friend, but nothing came up.

Then it hit me—people I'd grown close to recently. Not through normal circumstances, but purely because of quests. The quest item I'd used: the Roommate Exchange Coupon that connected us. I remembered one of its effects...

The moment the thought formed, the item's description window suddenly appeared in the air. Even used items could apparently be viewed again.

...There it is! I found the line I'd been trying to remember—the second-to-last line in the description.

Intimacy remains even after the time limit ends.

Using this item, I'd once swapped Taeyoung with Lee A-young's roommates for a single night. During that time, no matter what I did, they didn't care. Thanks to the convenient common-sense alteration that made them treat any prank between roommates as normal, they accepted everything I did like it was just friendly teasing between close friends.

The pure and calm Lee A-young. The athletic, toned Yoon Eun-seol. And Shin So-yeon noona with her sharp fox-like eyes and slender jawline. Each one a beauty with her own distinct charm. Through the quest's power, I'd become their maximum-intimacy roommate. And the item description had clearly stated that the intimacy gained through the quest would remain...

Just as it promised, afterward I stayed in occasional contact with Lee A-young's roommates. Sometimes they messaged me first, and when we ran into each other on campus we greeted each other warmly. Shin So-yeon and Yoon Eun-seol—two attractive female students with strong personalities. Running into them on campus always brightened my day.

Come to think of it, we did talk about ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠grabbing a meal together sometime... Whenever I saw them on campus, we'd mention eating together. For most people that would just be empty talk, but Shin So-yeon and Yoon Eun-seol were different. So-yeon noona with her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠seductive fox-like aura. Yoon Eun-seol with her tanned, firm thighs from the physical education department. Both were captivating college girls. A meal with either of them... even if I had to pay, it would still feel great.

...Should I message them? But I quickly gave up. The harsh truth hit me—I'd already spent my entire month's allowance. In the parallel world... I'd blown all 350,000 won.

Or... should I ask them to treat me? My pride as a man wouldn't allow it. What a shame... A meal with pretty college girls. So-yeon noona or Yoon Eun-seol—either would be nice, but being broke sucked. Guess I'll have to wait until next month's part-time paycheck...

While I was wallowing in regret, my phone on the desk vibrated.

Huh?

Who would message me on a Sunday? I picked up the phone and checked the chat.

...Huh? I immediately knew who it was. Shin So-yeon noona—one of Lee A-young's roommates. I replied right away.

Thanks to the quest, we'd become pretty close. But to be honest, the closeness was one-sided. I still felt a bit awkward around So-yeon noona. Just a few weeks ago we'd been complete strangers. Our entire relationship existed because of a quest. Feeling awkward was only natural.

The sudden chat with So-yeon noona left me flustered. I didn't know what to say. Eventually she messaged again.

Hang out? ...Where? I wondered how to reply. First I needed to know where she was. I started mentally drafting messages.

Where are you right now, noona?

Where should I go, noona?

Maybe too stiff...

Haha where are you noona?

Shit, that sounds weird...

After agonizing over it, I finally sent a reply.

Church?

...Nuri Church? It was the church located at the back gate of Nuri University, run by the university's religious foundation. But the name "Nuri Church" held special meaning for me now. That's... a quest area now, right?

The reason was the reward I'd chosen after finishing yesterday's quest.

Nuri Church at the back gate. It was now a quest zone. Maybe if I went there, a quest would trigger? A strange sense of anticipation rose in me. The moment the thought crossed my mind, I replied to So-yeon noona and stood up.

-Swish.

"Huh? Where are you going, hyung?"

"Uh. Church."

"...Church?"

When I suddenly announced I was going to church after gaming with him, Taeyoung looked completely baffled. I ignored his expression and started getting dressed. Sharp eyes, slender jawline, a cool and haughty face—but somehow full of aegyo, with round silver-framed glasses that suited her perfectly. So-yeon noona. She had the kind of slim lower body that looked great in leggings. As I changed clothes in the dorm room to head to church, my mind was already filled with images of the fox-like So-yeon noona.