Black Online

Smog Region, Megaworld Apartment, 98th floor.

In the living room, a television showed an episode of a soap opera. It currently had two characters arguing over a secret love affair.

Sitting at the coach, watching the soap opera, Yerin and Chaewon were silent as they listened to the characters’ heated conversation.

However.

Chaewon seemed like her thoughts were occupied by something else as she kept throwing glances at her phone.

At the rather one-sided conversation between her and her boyfriend, Fang Raon, who hadn’t replied to any of her texts.

"...What’s going on, daughter?"

Yerin noticed the eternal frown on her daughter’s face and noticed how her eyes kept darting between the television screen and the phone.

"It’s nothing..."

Chaewon mumbled.

It obviously meant the opposite, and out of curiosity, Yerin glanced over her shoulder at the phone screen.

’Oh, a lover’s quarrel?’

Yerin thought.

Ding~! Ding~!

In that moment, the door’s ringbell went off. It was sudden. As they weren’t expecting any visitors today.

"Can you go open the door? It is getting to the good part!"

Yerin said as she hurriedly turned towards the television, and suddenly, the arguing couple suddenly started kissing passionately.

With a sigh, Chaewon closed her phone, put it down, and got up to answer the door.

She didn’t bother to look out of the peephole and just straightaway swung the door wide open.

"Wh—"

Chaewon was about to ask, "Who is it?" but then her gaze landed on the familiar face that had been plaguing her thoughts lately.

Her eyes widened in a shock.

She thought she was hallucinating for a second. She blinked her eyes once. The figure was still standing there.

Without further ado, Raon stepped forward and pressed his lips against her pink, trembling lips, causing her eyes to flutter closed in surprise and pleasure.

She wrapped her arms around his body, and squeezed tight, like she didn’t want to let go, and he held her even closer.

"Who is it at the door?"

In that moment, Yerin’s voice sounded from the living room, and the two of them woke up from their dream land.

Chaewon pulled away from the kiss, panting in a surprise with a deep pink blush on her cheeks, and she looked at her lover’s eyes fondly.

"H-how..."

"Your kiss does taste better in the real world."

Fang Raon said with a smile.

It was something he wanted to try out. How it would compare to the Black Online version. The real thing was definitely superior.

"Ah..."

Chaewon’s eyes softened, and she hugged at him tightly.

"I am sorry about what happened to your dad..."

"Mm."

Raon hugged her back.

The pain of losing his father started to subdue in her warm hug, and he just wanted to be hugged like this forever.

"...What’s going on in there?"

Yerin, in the living room, after not hearing a word back from her daughter, came to check and witnessed a surprising sight.

Her daughter hugging someone. It was someone that looked somewhat familiar. A little different.

"Oh?"

Yerin smiled teasingly.

"Daughter, bring your boyfriend in. You’re making a scene!"

"Huh?"

Chaewon looked away from the hug and noticed that there were lots of people staring at them from outside.

In embarrassment, she pulled Raon inside the apartment and slammed the door shut.

"It’s been a while."

Yerin said with a smile.

"It has."

Fang Raon said with a smile.

"Aren’t you going to give me a hug?"

Yerin spread her arms, and Raon wryly smiled and also hugged her, who was honestly acting younger than her age.

Like she was the same age as Chaewon.

"Mom..."

Chaewon pouted.

She was slightly embarrassed that her mother was acting like this, but it also meant that she liked Raon.

Yerin would act much differently towards those who she didn’t like. A complete opposite, actually.

"I am sorry, you don’t like seeing your little boyfriend hugging another woman. I get it. We had just eaten, but there are some leftovers left, if you’d like some."

Yerin clapped her hands and said with a smile.

"I’d love to."

Fang Raon said and followed Yerin to the kitchen, who warmed him up with some food, and then they sat down at the table together.

"I thought you were living back at your family’s place. You came here just to visit?"

Yerin asked curiously.

"...Mom, Raon’s dad passed away a few days ago."

Chaewon said.

"Oh... I am sorry, my child."

Yerin said with a soft voice, sounding like she wanted to give him another hug as comfort.

"Thank you, but I didn’t come here just to visit because of that. I am actually moving back in here."

Fang Raon said.

"Really?!"

Chaewon beamed with a smile, and it took even her mother by surprise, as she had never seen her so happy before.

"That’s wonderful news. Now my daughter can stop spending all her time at that game of hers. I rarely see her anymore!"

Yerin said.

"Mom..."

Chaewon rolled her eyes.

With her work and Black Online, she rarely saw her mother anymore, but they found time every week to watch the soap opera together.

"You already have an apartment?"

Yerin asked.

"I got one on the 39th floor."

Fang Raon said.

"That’s good."

Chaewon said with a smile.

She was worried that he might be going back to the lower floors, but the 39th floor, while still quite low, didn’t have as much crime happening.

’I, of course, could’ve gotten an apartment on a much higher floor if I used the family’s money, but I don’t want to. I’ll acquire my own money.

’I was able to get an apartment on the 39th floor with the money I got from my video, which wasn’t much, but enough to pay the first month’s rent.

’Now, I have to start looking for ways to make more money, which I know how to get. I’ll start making videos and streaming.

’Also, I’ll do some quests in the game to get gold and then exchange that for real-world currency as well.’

Fang Raon thought.

It was definitely going to be a busy month ahead for him once Black Online’s servers were back up.

In that moment, Raon finished eating the lasagna, which was quite delicious, and finished drinking the grape juice.

"...Raon, should we go to my room?"

Chaewon asked with a smile.

She wanted to have some alone time with Raon to talk things out and in private, away from her noisy mother.

"Oh my... so bold."

Yerin giggled.

Chaewon’s cheeks reddened, as she felt like her mother misunderstood, but she also felt like she was kidding.

"Sure."

Fang Raon stood up and followed behind her to her room.

"Remember the condom!"

Yerin’s shout echoed from the kitchen, and even Raon felt his face grow hot, and Chaewon’s face flushed red.

"MOM!"

Chaewon slammed the door shut, panting heavily, and then turned around in embarrassment, seeing Raon look around the room.

He had only seen in this place through the phone screen whenever they FaceTimed, so he felt like he was already pretty familiar with the place.

Of course, the smell was very different.

A smell of a woman, and it made him quite dizzy for a second.

In that moment, Chaewon laid down on her bed, moved some of her teddy bears out of the way, and patted the spot beside her.

"Come..."

Raon lay beside her, and Chaewon snuggled closer to him, and he put his arm around her, feeling her warm body pressing against his.

It felt like a paradise.

"...How did your family react to you moving back here?"

She asked curiously.

"They were against it at first, but eventually, they accepted the fact. I got some work to do, but hopefully, my family will be whole again."

"...Are you currently the head of the family?"

Chaewon asked curiously.

"I am."

"Wow..."

She didn’t know how to react to that information, as being the head of such a famous family like Fang would be a huge responsibility.

It also meant that Raon’s status in the society would be quite huge, as even some famous CEOs of big companies would bow before him.

And now, he was here, lying on the same bed as her, breathing the same air, so she felt like she was with a celebrity now.

However.

At the same time, he was still the old Raon. Her Raon.

"You got all your stuff back here? Even your virtual reality pod?"

Chaewon asked curiously.

"Yes, they’re currently bringing my stuff to my apartment. I didn’t think I needed to be there, so I came to see you."

Raon said, and looked at her beautiful face, and she looked back at him, looking at his eyes with deep love.

She moved her hand under his shirt, feeling the hard abs beneath his skin, and then she put her head on his shoulder.

"Why don’t I move in with you?"

She said.

"...You want to?"

Raon asked with a look of surprise.

"I’d love to... Why don’t I call Della to ask her if she wants to move here as well? I feel bad for her since she isn’t here."

Chaewon said.

’Moving together... That is a huge step in the relationship, but... that does sound like a lot of fun...’

Fang Raon thought, and then he smiled and nodded.

"Sure, sounds good."