The Housewarming

"You're really going?"

"Yeah! It's unnie's crush. I have to go see him!"

"I'm curious too. How handsome does he have to be for unnie to fall this hard and stare at him all day?"

"It is not all day!"

"First love. I get it."

"Ugh. You little brats."

The members of Lovely logged into accounts they'd made ages ago for a Haven performance, the first time in a long while. The reason was Kim Siwoo's housewarming. Bringing it up herself might have been awkward, so Lim Sarang had floated it lightly—told him the Lovely members wanted to come too, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and that he should sell it as them being fans—and he'd accepted so readily that this was the result.

She tried to talk them down.

"I'll make up some decent excuse, so just rest, will you? It's your first break in forever. You should actually rest, girls."

"No! This is more fun!"

"I slept all day yesterday."

"I'll check him out for you, Sarang. See if he's a decent guy."

It clearly wasn't going to work.

"Haa..."

The only reason she didn't fight it to the death was that she wouldn't be going alone. He'd said she could invite other Haven users, and rather than showing up by herself and standing around in awkward silence, going with the Lovely members—easy company, the lively kind who might even lift the mood—was better.

"And what if you go alone and the viewers catch you? He's turning the stream on, right? You have to go with us!"

Kim Yeoul had a point. There was already plenty of talk about how Kim Siwoo and Lim Sarang had been glued together lately. If rumors started that the two of them ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were dating, that would be a problem. She herself didn't think it would be so bad, but it could put Kim Siwoo in an awkward spot.

Time flew. They bought housewarming gifts in Haven, stopped by a salon, and even got their makeup done.

"Wow. This place really is more real than reality."

"The money here works just like cash, right, unnie?"

"Yeah. It's almost three to one."

"It's been forever since I went to a different salon, but they're really good."

"Same. I should pick up their eye makeup and have them do mine."

The members were basically brand-new accounts, so under the excuse of buying them clothes, Lim Sarang went shopping too. For her, clothes in Haven meant combat gear and nothing else. She didn't own a single piece meant for fashion. There'd never been a need. In Haven she dressed with care—stage outfits from real life, everyday clothes—just in case someone snapped a photo, and she hadn't wanted to bother with any of that. And yet here she was, buying everyday clothes. No options attached. Not flashy stage costumes, of course. Just ordinary clothes that women wore.

"As expected, unnie looks good in casual wear too."

"Sarang's got the chest for it. Wide hips, too. I'm telling you, it's a cheat body."

Oh Hyeju nodded and delivered her stamp of approval.

"This'll do."

A self-proclaimed romance expert. The moment the woman currently serving as Lovely's dating coach gave her blessing, they headed for the address that had come by text. It was the kind of apartment complex where even getting through the gate was a barrier. They called up, the door opened, and security guided them in.

"Whoa. Security's tighter than our dorm."

"I looked it up yesterday. In real money this place is over twenty million dollars?"

"Whaaat! No way. That's richer than some chaebol heir."

And so they arrived. A floor with only a single home on it. When they opened a door bigger than a normal house's, the first thing that hit them was the open sweep of the view.

"Whoa. It's seriously huge."

The ceiling was so high you had to tilt your head back to see it, and every finish was so luxurious that the gasps came out on their own.

"Hello, Sarang. And the Lovely members... wow. You're all even prettier in person."

Seeing Kim Siwoo welcome them with an easy smile, Lim Sarang's tightly wound expression loosened a little.

"Hello. Thank you for inviting us. This is..."

She was too busy drinking in his face to even remember the stream was on. So this was why adults always said you had to watch out for men with handsome faces. It was something she felt every time she looked at him, and still the question came: why? There were plenty of handsome men. Strangely, Kim Siwoo's face was so exactly her type that once she looked, she couldn't pull herself back out. Still, she had to get a grip. She was trying to stay calm and introduce the members when Kim Yeoul charged in first.

"...Pardon?"

"Eh?"

"Huh?"

"Welco—sorry? Brother-in-law?"

Kim Siwoo wasn't the only one in the house. GoldenHolyKnight came out late, after helping with this and that, and Seobi emerged from the bathroom right behind him. An awkward silence drifted through the room. And it wasn't only the people here who felt it.

Someone had to break it. Fortunately, Kim Yeoul—the one who'd created the awkwardness—went on in a trembling voice.

"Ha. Hahaha. Joke! It was a joke! Gosh. You're just so handsome I thought you'd look perfect with Sarang unnie, so I was kidding. I'm sorry!"

"Ah. I see. Hahaha! You startled me too."

Kim Siwoo hurried to catch that trembling voice. His own was shaking just the same.

"I thought I'd suddenly acquired a wife I didn't know about... haha... I mean, that'd be nice, but... the viewers would kill me, wouldn't they?"

"Aww. If you like each other, you date, oppa becomes honey, and honey becomes dad~"

"..."

"..."

"J-joke... haha..."

In the end Kim Yeoul was dragged off by another member, Yoon Hyeyoung.

"Hello. I'm sorry. She's the one in Lovely officially in charge of having no tact."

"Not at all. Thanks to her, the mood got a lot better. Hahaha..."

The Lovely members had no idea about the aftershock rolling through the chat. Either way, the housewarming guests had all gathered, and a modest little party began.

The housewarming was more fun than expected. Everyone here was someone who threw their weight around in Haven, and because they were those kinds of people, they held ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a place in the real world too.

"Wow. Seriously? Brother Golden Holy, you were that kind of person?"

"Yeah. Well. Nothing special about it."

He'd been a programmer who made a name for himself once, and he'd pocketed quite a lot of money developing an app. These days he was on break from the day job, busy with Haven. The twist in his profession caught everyone off guard.

Fair enough. A huge frame, sharp ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠features, the intimidating look of a true tank—and a programmer. A face that invited the assumption he'd spent his school days sleeping through class and working out. On top of that, he could talk.

"So I jumped the Saintess. It was a calculated move. Sure, I'd die. But the nice thing about Temple contribution is that every time you hit a certain number, they hand you one free resurrection ticket."

"Sadly, if you give my ID some thought..."

"Hahaha."

A man who knew how to crack jokes that sacrificed himself, just enough, for the sake of the stream. And Seobi was ridiculously fun too.

"Me? In Haven I'm your run-of-the-mill landlord gold spoon. Not a fortune in the tens of millions or anything. I've got two or three buildings. Thanks to the boss buying the Lich King's soul pouch I sold this time, I'm currently worrying about what I'll do with my retirement. Haha."

Seobi's story was one of the things people had been curious about.

"A greatsword was the dream. I was pretty confident I had a lot of money, but the moment a four-star dropped after only a few thousand, I compromised before I even realized it."

"Yeah. I want to. But honestly, I'm scared. I looked into it a bit after I sold. There are people who burned close to eight million dollars and still couldn't pull a five-star, you know? Ha... Not very manly of me, but I've got a lot on my mind these days."

Among people who'd been playing Haven for a long time, Seobi had a bit of a name.

"Oh. Is that right?"

"Ah... haha... Yeah. I was."

I haven't gotten close to anyone like this, just talking, since I became an adult. Maybe that's why. Even listening to people's stories that had nothing to do with the game—inside a game—was fun. So this is what it feels like to live among people.

As that fun sank in, my gaze drifted, naturally, to the last guest. Lim Sarang. I was curious. About her.

What even is a housewarming, really. You just hang around, talking about nothing. Or maybe not. For some reason, maybe it was fun because this was the seat beside Lim Sarang—the one the Lovely members had forced me into.

The highball, mixed just right, went down smooth. The viewers looked like they were enjoying the pleasant buzz too, and that put me in a good mood. I wanted another drink and reached out.

"Hm?"

The glass wasn't where it should have been. Had I set it down somewhere else? I looked around. Nothing near my seat. My eyes landed on Lim Sarang, sitting beside me. She was tipping a glass back. And right in front of her, her own glass was still sitting there.

"Eh?"

"?"

Our eyes met. A look that asked what?, and the glass she was still drinking from.

"That's my glass..."

"Pfft—!"

Lim Sarang sprayed the drink she'd been in the middle of swallowing.