Episode 119: Board Game (6)
[All games have ended.]
[We support your journey ahead.]
The goddess’s voice faintly echoed in my ears.
I blinked open my eyes in confusion.
“…?”
The moment I tried to get up, I felt something tightly entangled around my body.
When I looked down, I saw myself and Cheon Yeoul clinging together closely on the floor.
To the point it was almost embarrassing—our faces, limbs, everything was tightly pressed together.
Like two slugs stacked atop one another.
Startled, I wriggled to pull away.
“Hey… hey….”
I carefully tried to peel her off, but Cheon Yeoul simply blinked and burrowed in closer.
“Honey… what’s wrong?”
What do you mean, honey?
In her sweet voice, it seemed like she couldn’t distinguish between reality and the game anymore.
She just kept snuggling in.
Squirming, rubbing—she was hugging even tighter.
“How about… one more round?”
“One more what, exactly?”
I replied in panic.
She buried her face into my chest and even mumbled in her sleep.
At that moment—
-Thud!
“Ow.”
Someone kicked Cheon Yeoul hard in the back.
It was Yoon Chaeha, fuming with rage.
Kang Arin, Ha Sion, and Yu Hana also slowly came to their senses and rose dazedly.
Only one slug still couldn’t tell the difference between reality and the game.
Grinding her teeth, Yoon Chaeha stormed toward the cube on the table.
“Damn demon game!!!”
She shouted—
-Crash!
—and slammed the cube down hard, shattering it to pieces.
“…Huh?”
“…What?”
For a moment, everyone’s gaze froze in midair.
And then, like waves crashing, memories of the lives they lived inside the game came flooding into their minds all at once, like a tsunami.
***
The first to open her eyes was Kang Arin.
By nature, she had strong self-control and mental fortitude.
In truth, she only got immersed because she chose to. She could’ve resisted anytime.
And yet, she stayed immersed to the very end—because this game’s intent was far from ordinary.
Opening her eyes, she thought:
‘Ah…’
She’d only done others a favor.
Originally, the plan was to invite only Jung Haein and test the game with just the two of them.
Just the two of them.
Because this was a prototype that removed the limits of immersion, their life inside would’ve gone all the way—to the very end.
If given more time, the same would’ve happened for Cheon Yeoul and Jung Haein too.
That was the intent.
But in the end, she’d just handed someone else a good time.
Though she had lived a successful life inside the game, rising from royal knight to duchess, Jung Haein was never by her side in the final moment.
That left a lingering regret.
Next to open her eyes was Ha Sion.
Still lying flat on the floor, she slowly raised her head.
‘Ah… if only it had lasted a little longer…’
She had finally met Jung Haein.
At the moment she believed she might finally make him hers—
If only she had a little more time, she was sure she could’ve become his wife.
But cruelly, the game had ended right at that turning point.
‘…What a shame.’
Regret, and a bittersweet longing, churned in her chest.
The third to wake was Yu Hana.
She took a slow, deep breath.
Even though it was just a game, seeing him made her heart pound uncontrollably.
It reaffirmed her love for him.
However, her approach had been a little… unorthodox, and far from her usual moral standards.
‘A homewrecker… seriously…’
Yet deep down, the forbidden nature of their relationship gave rise to a thrilling rush that overwhelmed her.
At first, it was embarrassing—shameful, even.
But living out that taboo emotion made her feel like she finally understood a little of what she truly wanted.
‘Could it be that I…’
Yu Hana was beginning to awaken to an entirely new preference.
Lastly, Cheon Yeoul slowly raised her head.
She, too, recalled the events inside the game.
She could feel her entire face, cheeks, and even the tips of her ears flushing red.
A wave of overwhelming embarrassment and dizzying happiness hit her at once.
She had experienced nearly every act she had dreamed of.
Except for one.
Even now, the feel of his lips and scent lingered vividly in her mind.
The only slightly disappointing part—was that they hadn’t gone all the way.
But in a way, she had experienced everything up to that point, so…
The rest, well, could just happen in real life.
All four women shared similar emotions in their own ways.
‘So close…’
Rather than fading, that feeling smoldered like a small spark deep inside.
That tiny ember of longing was now quietly igniting something within them.
***
I, too, came to my senses.
Memories rushed in immediately.
“I’ll always love you, honey.”
“Me too….”
“Ugh.”
And finally—
“Haa….”
Countless, shamelessly intimate exchanges with Cheon Yeoul stabbed at my mind like lightning.
‘Was all that… real?’
Even now, I could still hear her breathing—no, my wife’s breathing—in my ears.
Her naked body, which I could never quite get used to.
Her moist lips, that warm sensation.
Ah.
Suddenly, a shiver ran through my fingertips.
This can’t possibly be real.
I could feel my face growing hotter and hotter.
Kang Arin—that crazy woman.
I never imagined she’d bring a game this unhinged.
I covered my face with both hands and let out a long sigh.
For several minutes, no one in the room said a word.
The only sound was Yoon Chaeha’s heavy breathing as she tried to calm her anger.
I cautiously removed my hands and looked around.
Everyone’s face was as red as a ripe persimmon.
And they were all staring blankly into space.
After a pause, I quietly opened my mouth.
“…Sorry.”
I had caused social chaos.
Even if it wasn’t intentional, I felt like I needed to apologize.
“For what…?”
The first to respond was Cheon Yeoul, right beside me.
I hesitated for a moment, then—
“Just… for various things.”
I vaguely mumbled.
Because of me, someone had become the other woman.
Someone else, a nun consumed by lust.
Another, a noble lady blinded by love.
And yet another, a jealous knight obsessed with that lady.
I had no idea what kind of messed-up game this even was.
Then, beside me, Cheon Yeoul hugged her knees and whispered softly:
“I’m… okay….”
Her voice, uncharacteristically small and timid.
“Of course you are.”
That’s when it happened.
Yoon Chaeha, sitting beside us with her arms crossed, snapped sharply.
Now that I thought about it, Yoon Chaeha and I had absolutely no interaction in the game.
Yet she had been the one to end the game.
She sat there, lips tightly pressed, until her frustration finally burst out.
“I was the only one… the only one… who couldn’t get immersed. Do you know how frustrating—”
She couldn’t finish her sentence.
She lowered her head completely.
Strangely, I felt a deep pang of sympathy.
Before I knew it, I stood up, quietly walked over to her—
And gently wrapped my arms around her sulking form, lifting her without hesitation.
“…?”
Then sat her down on my lap and held her lightly.
She stiffened at first, but slowly—very slowly—she nestled deeper into my embrace.
As if in response, I gently placed my hand on top of her head and softly stroked it.
“…Ugh.”
With her ears and cheeks burning red, Yoon Chaeha lowered her head deeply.
Her body even seemed to tremble slightly.
And once again, I snapped back to reality.
‘Wait…?’
What the hell did I just do…?
Before I realized it, I had instinctively done what I usually did when my wife was sulking—
This was how Yeoul would calm down and silently lead me to the bedroom…
No, seriously, pull yourself together.
I suddenly looked up.
All eyes were on me.
As I glanced around, Cheon Yeoul was staring at me with an expressionless face, though her eyes were slightly narrowed.
Then, without a word, she opened her arms wide.
As if it were the most natural thing in the world—an invitation to come into her embrace.
For a split second, I nearly fell right into it.
I coughed awkwardly and hastily pulled my hands away, creating distance between myself and Yoon Chaeha.
Yoon Chaeha clenched her fingers tightly, her ears flushed crimson.
The heat in the room wasn’t fading anytime soon.
Everyone still seemed half-stuck between game and reality.
“Let’s go. Quickly.”
I raised my voice, trying to sound as casual as possible.
Only then did everyone nod and get to their feet.
Outside, it was already the dead of night.
The clubroom door was plastered with a note from the club president.
”You all seemed to be enjoying yourselves, so I didn’t wake you. I went home! Lock the door when you leave~!”
Such a considerate club president.
If only she had just woken us up…
I couldn’t tell when she’d left the note, but—
It was already dawn outside.
I immediately rushed to a 24-hour café and bought six iced Americanos.
The 1-liter kind.
There was no other way to snap out of it.
Then I handed them out to the dazed people sitting on the bench.
“Drink up and clear your heads.”
Then I sat down in my spot.
> Slurp.
> Slurp.
The sound of coffee sipping quietly filled the early morning park.
Holding the plastic cup with both hands, I stared blankly ahead.
And it hit me—the side effects of this game were very real.
Normally, I would’ve cracked jokes or teased them without a second thought…
But strangely, right now, I couldn’t even meet their eyes.
I had always believed in never viewing party members romantically.
That had been my principle.
But this game had completely destroyed that.
I could only avoid their gazes and stare into my coffee.
That’s when someone called my name.
“Haein.”
I cautiously lifted my head.
It was Cheon Yeoul.
Her usual smile, though a little more mischievous than usual, played on her lips.
Her eyes curved gently like a crescent moon.
“Why won’t you look this way?”
Her clear voice rang out, and one by one, the others around me began to smile as well.
Each wore a subtle, meaningful smile—
Their gazes filled with something unspoken, something expectant.
For a moment, I felt like I couldn’t breathe.