PP Chapter 8

Whether the other person was throwing a tantrum or not, Won was in the middle of soothing the user who lay dead, having forgotten to resurrect in shock.

You keep making noise, I’ll keep healing. Won’s mindset was completely visible.

[Party] Won: I can take full responsibility for this dungeon until the end.

[Party] Won: But you don’t know what kind of healer you’ll meet in the next dungeon, so it’s probably better to raise your item level.

[Party] UniversityLifeStartingFromReZero: ♡♡ That’s what I’m sayin- you ♡♡

[Party] Won: Also, if someone doesn’t quietly tell you these things and just directly yells at you, just ignore them.

[Party] Won: Because none of those people are decent individuals.

It was a scathing remark to say right in front of the person. Dohwa flinched his shoulders unconsciously.

As expected, ‘UniversityLifeStartingFromReZero’ poured out more ‘love’ for a while before exiting the dungeon.

With one DPS gone, the three of them waited for another DPS to join.

Even then, Won was kindly explaining things to the tank one by one and comforting him. As if Dohwa wasn’t even there, he spoke only to him.

Looking at that, hilariously enough, Dohwa felt both jealousy and disappointment at the same time.

He knew from personal experience that Won was naturally a kind person. But… but wasn’t it a bit too much to look at someone else when he was right beside him!

“What the heck, they haven’t even known each other that long, why is he taking care of him so much.”

Pouting his lips at Won taking care of the tank, Dohwa suddenly recalled that he, too, had received Won’s favor in the exact same way and instantly became sullen. He had realized anew that Won could be sweet to people other than him.

While Dohwa was quietly whining to himself, a new DPS matched in the middle of the dungeon and joined them.

Fortunately, the new DPS didn’t point out the tank’s item level, silently did their job, and left the dungeon.

After repeating the cycle of surviving by the skin of his teeth in the atrocious dungeon difficulty about five times, Dohwa was already in a ragged state.

As soon as the dungeon was cleared, Dohwa left the dungeon immediately out of habit.

However, Won, who always followed right behind him, didn’t come out for a long time.

When Won finally exited the dungeon, Dohwa asked him.

[Party] Peach: Why did u come out so late??

[Party] Won: Oh, I was giving that tank a few tips.

[Party] Won: Did you wait long?

It was a gentle question, like coaxing a child.

It was just text on a screen, but he didn’t know why his heart was fluttering so much. Feeling his Adam’s apple bob up and down, Dohwa typed in the chat.

[Party] Peach: No not really I was just curious

[Party] Won: I see. I’ll come out faster from now on.

At that soft answer, Dohwa’s eyes softened reflexively.

Playing Betting Bad—which boasted garbage-like dungeon difficulties and a map that he still couldn’t understand no matter how hard he tried—Dohwa naturally developed separation anxiety toward the rotten water who took care of him, and was instantly relieved by those words.

“You said playing with me is the most fun.”

Muttering to himself without realizing it, Dohwa stared intently at Won on the screen.

​The pretty male character, his long cream-colored hair fluttering, which suited Dohwa’s light pink character perfectly, sat elegantly inside the monitor.

Having nothing to say, Dohwa habitually changed his class to cook.

Then, wearing the item Won made for him, wearing the cosmetic item Won made for him over that, holding the frying pan and kitchen knife Won made for him, he made the pickled peaches he was going to give to Won.

Won, who was sitting quietly next to Dohwa as he expertly made pickled peaches—rare, at that—suddenly spoke up at some point.

[Party] Won: Oh, that’s right. You mentioned before that you wanted to try housing.

It was out of the blue.

​At those words, Dohwa, who had been possessed by the spirit of a pickled peach factory making only pickled peaches, paused his hands.

“Did I… say that?”

Tilting his head, Dohwa recalled the day he looked around Won’s house and let out an exclamation. It was because he finally remembered saying he wanted to try it later because Won’s house layout was so pretty.

He hadn’t recalled it immediately because he had said it in passing without much thought.

“I did, but why all of a sudden?”

Dohwa muttered softly and stared only at Won’s character with his head tilted.

He waited until Won, who was waiting for the silent Dohwa, kindly added the rest.

[Party] Won: Ah, it’s nothing big. I just set you as a co-owner of my house, Peach-nim. You can decorate my house from now on too, Peach.

“…Huh?”

Dohwa, who had looked around the already perfectly decorated house, let out a dumbfounded sound.

From what he heard, Won had spent a lot of money on housing and seemed quite attached to the house he decorated.

It was a bit bewildering to be told he could decorate such a house however he wanted.

As he just blinked blankly, Won chuckled a bit.

[Party] Won: I don’t usually like people touching my house. But if it’s you, Peach, it’s fine. Feel free to mess with it.

It didn’t seem like a lie that he didn’t like his house being touched, nor that it was fine if it was him.

Dohwa wore a strange expression.

“…Does he like me that much?”

To be precise, it would be ‘does he like my character that much.’

But why would that matter. The most important thing was that Won liked Dohwa(‘s character).

---

However, that unimportant dilemma lasted until Dohwa went to school the next day.

​Next to Dohwa, who sat still with a serious face, Sohyun was busy doodling in his textbook.

At first, he worried about why Dohwa was like that, but when the response to his worried words was something like, “You… sigh, never mind. How could you know about something like this,” he naturally stopped caring.

And finally, acknowledging that this couldn’t be resolved through solitary agony, Dohwa suddenly brought it up.

“Am I pretty?”

At that sudden question, Sohyun’s hand, which was doodling, slipped.

Staring blankly at the long, dark line left in the textbook, Sohyun lifted his head. With an expression wondering if he had heard correctly.

Looking intently at Dohwa, Sohyun slowly opened his mouth.

​He asked back with an expression that was truly, utterly dumbfounded.

“What?”

“I asked if I’m pretty.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m asking if I’m pretty!”

“I mean, what the hell are you talking about?”

The conversation, which was going in circles with no sign of resolution, only proceeded properly after Sohyun accepted reality.

“Fine, I get it. You just asked me if you’re pretty, right?”

Whatever he was thinking, Sohyun muttered, “Okay, okay,” with a face that wasn’t okay at all.

After repeating the same words for a while like a broken doll, he only came to his senses after receiving Dohwa’s annoyed gaze.

“Why that look? You were the one who said something crazy first. Personally, I think this is more shocking than when you said you were going to art school. Suddenly asking ‘Am I pretty?’ What is this, seriously.”

As Sohyun muttered with a face full of blatant bewilderment, Dohwa asked with a slightly sullen expression.

“Am I not pretty?”

“No, my friend. Could you please just tell me why you suddenly asked me such a question? If you keep repeating ‘Am I not pretty?’, it just flusters me. Think about it. If I suddenly came up to you and asked, ‘Am I handsome?’, you’d act exactly the same way.”

Unable to deny it, Dohwa remained silent for a moment before adding a detailed explanation.

“The veteran player helping me—”

“The rotten water with nothing better to do.”

“…Fine, the rotten water with nothing better to do is being really nice to me.”

“And?”

“He says he likes my character. That character looks just like me. Is my character pretty?”

After hearing that, Sohyun made a slightly bitter face.

He was blaming Dohwa for making the situation weird by asking if he was pretty, when he could have just asked if his character was pretty from the start.

At that expression, Dohwa said as if making an excuse.

“It’s a bit much to ask if my character is pretty at school.”

“Asking if you’re pretty at school is even weirder.”

“Is it?”