Glowing Eyes in the Dark
“Or not. Whatever.”
“Huh…?”
“Just don’t play games too much.”
Mom tossed out that random warning and turned away without another word, leaving me standing there with a face that clearly said what the hell was that about?
I genuinely had no idea what was going on.
She’d seemed ready to chew me out over buying the laptop, but then suddenly switched to asking if I was getting bullied at school.
Her attitude was weirdly off today. I tilted my head, still confused, but the mood had already moved on, so I slipped into my room.
Inside, I found Hyeonseo at home for once instead of out somewhere.
Since she’s still in middle school, her classes end earlier than mine. She was sprawled on the floor, furiously tapping away at her game console. Looked like she’d ditched her friends and rushed straight home.
The game she couldn’t finish at dawn must’ve been bugging her all day. She was acting like she’d haul the console to school if she had to.
“Aren’t you hanging out with your friends today?”
“We’re doing multiplayer.”
When I asked the rare sight of my sister actually being home, she clutched the console tighter and muttered that they’d planned a multiplayer session.
So that’s why she was here. The playground had simply expanded into the online world.
Still, I wondered what kind of game a bunch of middle-school girls would huddle together to play on their consoles.
Curious, I peeked at the screen while she kept mashing buttons.
“What are you even playing?”
“This.”
It was one of the games I’d bought her on Saturday. Some project with a name like Deserted Island Debt—a decorating game where you get dragged to a remote island and forced to pay off an unwanted debt.
It had been all the rage with streamers for a while. Its popularity had cooled off now and it wasn’t getting much attention anymore, but apparently the girls had agreed to play it together.
Next to Hyeonseo’s plain starter character, two heavily customized avatars were wandering around. Looked like she’d been the last one to join the session.
Since they were playing with friends, it felt wrong to snatch the console away just because I wanted to use it. I pushed the keyboard back into the desk and set the new laptop on top. A dull thud echoed.
“Oh, the laptop came? What did Mom say?”
Hyeonseo lifted her head from her prone position at the sound of me setting it down, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
Of course the first thing she cared about was Mom’s reaction.
“She didn’t say much.”
“Really? That’s weird…”
When I told her what had happened at the front door, she trailed off with a surprised little “that’s weird,” like she couldn’t believe it.
I’d expected a proper scolding too, but Mom had let it slide without much fuss. And then she’d asked if I was being bullied…
Today’s Mom had been strange right from the first question. I was doing fine at school, after all.
Anyway, I flipped open the brand-new, still-warm laptop and pressed the power button with a satisfying click.
Oooh…
The stiff, brand-new feel of the button was oddly pleasant. That tiny inconvenience only new devices have.
Heart racing, I started setting everything up. I’d need to install all my usual games, plus various programs I’d be using from now on.
It finally felt like I had a computer that was truly mine.
No more worrying about browser history, no more separating folders like “Lee Hyunwoo” and “Lee Hyeonseo.” The desktop was completely, blissfully my own. It felt like I’d gained my own private space. Comforting.
But I couldn’t let my guard down.
First priority: set a password.
Just in case…
A special measure to stop Hyeonseo from snooping inside my laptop. If I’d done this on our shared PC, it would’ve caused an absolute war, but this machine was bought with my own money. I had zero obligation to share it with her.
Besides, the game she was playing right now was one I’d bought for her. As far as brotherly duty went, I’d already done more than enough.
Two hours passed while I worked on the setup. I’d installed almost all my old games, tweaked mouse sensitivity, and finished setting up the essential programs.
I glanced over at Hyeonseo, who was still glued to her console.
“…Still not done?”
“Yeah…”
Normally she would’ve whined “just wait a little longer,” but this time she answered honestly and kept her fingers flying across the buttons without pause.
When she answered like that, it meant it was going to take a while.
I was starting to want to play too. I spun my chair around, leaned forward with my elbows on my knees, and asked again.
“Why is it taking so long?”
“Ugh, I have to catch up to my friends.”
She answered that she needed to catch up, then started mashing the buttons with even more passion.
Yeah, right. You only started two days ago—good luck with that. The other characters already looked ridiculously decked out. Even playing all day would be a grind.
…Not that saying any of that would get through to her.
“So you’re just gonna keep playing that? I’m using the computer, then.”
“Yeah.”
I spun my chair back around and declared it. She gave a single affirmative grunt in reply.
She really was completely hooked on that game. At least that meant I wouldn’t have to hear her complain about me hogging the PC mid-session.
By the time night had deepened, a faint metallic click reached my ears.
Then came the rustling of plastic bags.
The clock in the bottom right of my monitor read 10:30. Exactly when Dad usually got home.
Time had flown. The rustling plastic was distracting, and I’d just finished a game anyway, so I stood up and headed for the front door.
The moment I stepped into the living room, a familiar, pungent smell hit my nose.
On the dining table sat a white plastic bag. Inside the transparent sack were familiar brown paper bags.
Mom was walking toward Dad, who was loosening his tie, and asked,
“What’s all this?”
“Just… saw them on the way home.”
Dad answered awkwardly. The identity of the bag was none other than hamburgers. A late-night snack delivered by Dad’s sudden whim.
“Ooh.”
“Kids! Come eat hamburgers~!”
While I let out an impressed noise, Mom immediately shouted for us to come eat.
I’d already come out, so I drifted over to the table and opened the bag. A towering stack of burgers appeared—two layers, two of each kind. Shrimp burgers and bulgogi burgers, two apiece.
As I happily grabbed one of each, Mom called out again toward the motionless Hyeonseo in her room.
“Lee Hyeonseo!”
“I heard youuu.”
Hyeonseo answered in a bored voice, as if to say she hadn’t gone deaf.
Even after I took a burger and went back to the room, she showed no sign of moving, still only touching her console.
I sneaked a glance at her screen. Definitely more stuff on it than before. Soon she shook a tree, and a beehive popped out, sending bees swarming her character.
What the—? Wasn’t this supposed to be a healing game?
Her character flailed around before face-planting.
“Ugh, seriously.”
Whatever wasn’t going her way, she scratched her head in frustration and grabbed the console again.
I had no idea what was happening. I decided to just watch some videos and eat my burger.
After that, I monopolized the computer until midnight without any interference from Hyeonseo.
Even after I lay down in bed, she was still playing. I stared at her, dumbfounded.
Had she ever been this obsessed with a single game before?
While I watched her with wide, alert eyes, she finally turned to look at me.
“Oppa, your eyes are really bothering me.”
“Huh?”
She was looking at me with clear discomfort.
My eyes were bothering her? What did that even mean?
I just stared back at her, utterly confused. She picked up the phone next to her pillow and turned on the camera.
She was using the front camera, not the rear one.
My eyes were glowing bright white, like some wild animal’s.
They looked exactly like a cat’s eyes reflecting light on a dark street at night.
Wait, what? My eyes were shining like this?
Right then, the door burst open with a bang.
Mom looked at Hyeonseo, who was still clutching her console, and spoke in the same firm tone as yesterday.
“Lee Hyeonseo. Turn off the game and go to sleep.”
“Ah, just a second…”
Only after Mom called her name and gave the order did Hyeonseo finally start shutting the game down.
Mom stood guard at the door until the console was completely off. Her intention to close the door only after confirming it was unmistakable.
“If you play past midnight again, I’m really confiscating it, got it?”
Once every light in the room, including the console, had gone dark, Mom waved her finger in a threatening gesture.
“Ugh, I got caught because of you, Oppa.”
“How is that my fault…”
The door slammed shut. Hyeonseo grumbled at me like it was all my fault.
I started to deny it out of habit, but then remembered the camera view she’d shown me earlier and couldn’t finish the sentence.
My two pupils had been glowing as if I’d taken a photo of the full moon while walking down a dark street at night. They’d been shining that clearly.
It felt too awkward to insist it wasn’t my fault.
There had literally been two full moons glowing in the pitch-black room.
Come to think of it… was that also why I got caught playing games on Saturday?
I’d heard that wild animals’ eyes glow like this at night. Something about a layer in their eyes, I think. I couldn’t remember the exact details.
No wonder my night vision had felt so good lately.
These eyes had become the worst possible trait for secretly playing games.
With that thought, I closed my eyes and tried to sleep.
I don’t know how much time passed, but a small noise made my eyes flutter open again.
The sound that reached my twitching fox ears was two people talking.
“I was organizing Hyunwoo’s bank account and got a little worried.”
“I know. I took the day off tomorrow.”
It was Mom and Dad’s conversation.
Something about my account, something about taking leave tomorrow.
Their voices came through crystal clear, but my half-open eyes grew hazy again and slid shut.
What on earth were they talking about?