Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Fact Bombs Are Assault Too
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Sunlight slipped through the imperfectly meshed curtains, a single ray hitting my eyes with perfect precision.
Ah, damn.
Already morning?
I'd done my best to avoid pulling an all-nighter, but this freakish concentration must have refused to let me sleep.
"Oh dear, you must've been worried."
I turned on my phone, and it was flooded with texts from Myth after her stream ended.
- Myth: Legend! My stream's over! Wanna grab some late-night snacks?
- Myth: Legend?
- Myth: Oh, are you asleep?
- Myth: Ah, right, you can't see texts if you're sleeping.
- Myth: You didn't collapse again, did you?
- Myth: Ughhh, what do I do.
- Myth: O-okay, I'll sleep too, so come over as soon as you wake up!
- Myth: Text me when you see this!
I'd worried her.
I gave a wry smile and got out of bed.
My legs were numb from sitting in one spot for so long. I massaged my stiff neck and back as I stepped out of the room.
And in the living room, I witnessed a sight I never could've imagined.
"Snooore... snoooore..."
There, on a makeshift bed of a few blankets spread out in my living room, Myth was fast asleep.
I nearly screamed in shock but desperately held it back so I wouldn't wake her.
Only then did I notice the Post-it note stuck to my bedroom door.
- Sorry. I was so worried I came to check on you.
I absolutely, absolutely, absolutely did NOT go inside. I just checked for signs of life!
"Oh man."
She must've confirmed I was alive from the sounds I made, then fallen asleep without disturbing me.
She was so worried about any possibilities that she laid out a few blankets on this hard floor and slept there.
My face burned from the very start of the day.
'I need to keep in touch more steadily from now on.'
Her sneaking into my place and checking for signs of life from my room door didn't bother me at all.
That was because I knew her actions stemmed purely from concern for me.
I knelt down beside Myth.
A few blankets couldn't fully cushion the hardness of the bare floor, and since it was winter, it was freezing cold too.
"You idiot, why didn't you at least turn on the heat."
She must've held back from turning on the heater in case it bothered me.
Or maybe it hadn't even crossed her mind.
Or perhaps she just collapsed after confirming I was okay.
Any of those were possible.
I carefully, oh so carefully, lifted Myth up.
No way could I leave her sleeping on the hard floor like this.
Without waking her, as carefully as possible.
"Snoooore... snoooore..."
Myth's breathing grew a little rougher.
She wasn't waking up, was she?
Praying desperately that wasn't the case, I carried her straight to my room.
N-no weird intentions or anything.
I didn't know her house passcode, so the only option was my bed for now.
Maybe I should get a guest bed for the next room, I thought as I gently laid her on my bed.
"Snooo... snoooore..."
For some reason, Myth's breathing deepened even more.
Huh, this situation feels oddly familiar. Déjà vu?
I grabbed my phone and headed back out.
"I really need to get some furniture soon."
I sat down on the pile of blankets where Myth had been lying.
I hesitated a few times, but the floor was way too cold and hard to lie on bare.
I cranked the heat, and warmth gradually filled the room.
Along with it came the scent of cherry and strawberry.
I frantically shook my head, trying not to focus on the smell.
There's a line even perverts don't cross.
This would be way too pervy.
"Oh no."
I'm getting sleepy.
The cozy warmth under my butt and Myth's unique scent were summoning sleep.
It was weird.
Come to think of it, every time I'd gotten sleepy since waking up, this scent had been there.
I didn't think I'd ever felt sleepy without it.
It was the first drowsiness to visit since last year, when Myth suddenly came into my hospital room and we fell asleep in the same space.
Resisting it was no easy feat.
'If I fall asleep here, it'll look bad.'
But before I could finish the thought, I passed out into sleep.
Myth rubbed her eyes and sat up in bed.
Huh, where am I?
"Wha, what?!"
The familiar scent and unfamiliar bed texture startled her.
She'd definitely finished her stream at dawn, texted Legend to check on him, and gotten no reply.
Ah.
"No way, is this Legend's bed?"
Pffft! Steam practically burst from her face.
A girl who shows up at a guy's house just because he doesn't reply to a text, peeks to check on him, and still feels uneasy so crashes in his living room?
1. Breaks in at night because no reply.
2. Presses her ear to his door to check for signs of life.
3. Still anxious, drags blankets from home.
4. Spreads them out and sleeps in his living room.
No matter how you slice it, that's a pervert or a stalker.
Ignoring the faint cocoa scent from the bed as best she could, Myth got up.
'Wait, if I'm in the bed, where's Seol?'
Myth hurried out of the room.
And there he was, right away—Legend, asleep on the living room floor.
Come to think of it, this was the first time seeing him sleep since he woke up.
No, wait.
I think I glimpsed it last time at his hospital room when we nagged him to come out.
Though we hounded him so much we didn't get a proper look.
So today was truly the first time seeing him like this.
Myth approached Legend cautiously.
"Zzz... zzz..."
Looking at him asleep, unease washed over her unbidden.
What if he never woke up again? Just imagining it choked her breath.
Without thinking, Myth reached out to poke his cheek.
Poke.
The soft, squishy sensation at her fingertip.
"Mmm..."
Legend reacted immediately.
Squeak.
Suppressing a yelp, Myth stepped back a bit.
She'd poked his cheeks countless times before with no response, so this instant reaction was new.
Whispers and pokes had always met icy indifference.
The fact that he reacted to the poke, that he even opened his eyes—it was immense happiness for Myth.
Huh?
Opened his eyes?
Legend's eyes reflected her face.
The moment he registered it, he asked her,
"What're you doing."
"Waaah?!"
Myth, who had been crouching and poking his cheek repeatedly, fell flat on her butt.
Legend chuckled at the sight, tousling his messy hair and rubbing his eyes.
"Good morning... or rather, it's already 2 p.m.?"
"Y-yeah. Good lunch, Seol."
Tender meat simmered for hours melded with spicy sauce, whetting the appetite.
Juicy, fatty bits from the meat mixed with fluffy rice grains, while the red broth cut through the richness with its spice, joined by the funky heat of aged kimchi.
When the rice got sticky, I switched to ramen noodles, slurping them up.
The chewy strands absorbed the meat oil and broth, exploding with umami.
As I enjoyed today's lunch—pork kimchi jjim—Myth asked me,
"So, what kept you up all night?"
"Hm..."
I swallowed the last remnants in my mouth, rinsed with water, and pondered.
I'd planned to make something good and share it, but yesterday's result was a disaster.
Humans, clothes, and buildings are different beasts.
With Myth's avatar, I'd think, "Fix this here, try that there, not happy with this part."
The worst part of map-making was not even spotting the problems, let alone knowing what was wrong.
"I tried making a 3D map."
"A 3D map?"
"Yeah. Japanese VTubers use them for birthday lives, anniversary lives, memorial lives—they look cool with the avatar matching the map."
"And? How'd it go?"
Myth's eyes sparkled as she asked.
Instead of answering, I got up briefly, grabbed my laptop from the room, and brought it out.
Since the files were on my external hard drive, no transfer needed—just plug and play.
I showed her what I'd made.
Myth examined it from all angles, letting out admirations.
"Ooh... oooh..."
Of course, it was obvious this wasn't positive.
I told her,
"Don't mince words—just be brutally honest. I prefer feedback that way."
"I give really harsh feedback, you sure?"
"Go for it—the harsher, the better."
Well, if you insist.
Myth said that, then pulled out glasses from her pocket and put them on.
Oh, first time seeing her in glasses.
Her eyes looked fine, and the slight blue tint suggested those blue-light blocking ones I'd heard about.
Myth's expression turned sharp and serious.
An expression she'd never shown me before.
This was Myth in full "work mode."
While I finished the kimchi jjim, she spun the map around over and over.
Finally, she pocketed her glasses and looked at me.
'Whoa, that gaze is intense.'
I set down my spoon entirely and sat up straight.
Like being called to the teacher's lounge.
Thump thump.
My heart raced with tension.
I'd never had a job interview, but this must be what it feels like.
Myth seemed to search for words, lips moving a few times, then opened her mouth.
"Great lighting, so the lighting's a spectacular dumpster fire?"
"Cough!"
"Noisy empty cart? Like, ridiculously noisy empty cart?"
"Gack?!"
"Hm, hollow rice cake? Nitrogen-filled box? What's the best way to put it."
"Gaaack?!"
Pffft.
Arrows named words pierced straight through my heart.