Dusk (BL Light Novel)

Just as I turned around, as if she’d been waiting for the moment, a confident voice slipped through the surrounding crowd noise.
“I really liked you the moment I saw you. If it’s okay… could I get your number?”

“Ah.”
Second time today. Including when I went to see the CEO. I don’t get out much, and suddenly I’m getting hit on.
“Sorry. I have a partner.”

“Ah, I see. Sorry for bothering you.”
The woman looked a little embarrassed at my answer and scratched the back of her neck with a sheepish smile. Then, after wishing me a nice day, she bowed and quickly walked away with her friend. Thankfully, my uncle had stepped toward the crowd and blocked the view, so not many people had seen the interaction.
I was just about to keep walking again when, the moment I turned my body forward, my eyes brushed past Gang Jaegyung’s. It was only for a second, but the look felt sharp—like he was glaring at me. My step faltered slightly.

…It happened so fast I couldn’t be sure if he was actually glaring. And right after, Gang Jaegyung wasn’t even looking at me anymore—he was politely talking ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ to the next person in line, so I figured maybe I’d just imagined it. After all, it’s not like I was late meeting the CEO or anything, and there was no reason for him to shoot me that kind of look.
Maybe it was just his naturally sharp features messing with me. Thinking that, I quietly walked over to the signing table and sat in the chair placed at the corner.
The moment I sat down, a bunch of the people in line started staring. Yeah, I’d be curious too. Why am I sitting here, of all places?

I ignored the stares as best I could and turned my eyes to Gang Jaegyung’s hands as they moved like a dance, his pen flowing in multiple directions. He was drawing elegant, almost geometric designs. I was honestly impressed.
He greeted people and signed like someone who’d done this a hundred times before. I’d heard he sometimes worked celebrity security—maybe he’d seen a lot of this kind of thing. But more than that… He really had the vibe of someone made for the spotlight. Friendly. No stage fright.
I couldn’t tell if I was analyzing or just zoning out staring at him, but then a silhouette shifted side to side near the front. My attention was drawn up—and there was Solo, still decked out in Silver-Fox Tribe leather, waving at me. The line had shortened considerably, and they were up next.

No sign of Moon Seonhwa nearby. She must’ve gone home to see her parents in a rush.
“Guild Leader, what’re you doing sitting there?”
“Waiting for him.”

I pointed beside me as I answered. Solo looked completely baffled.
“Why?”
“We’re going on a date.”

I was joking, obviously. But the weird part was who reacted.
Solo started laughing, like, what kind of bullshit is that, but Gang Jaegyung, right next to us, suddenly slipped his pen mid-sign.
“……Sorry, I’ll redo that for you.”
“Oh, it’s fine, it’s fine!”

The fan quickly waved it off—and even took the messed-up autograph as a bonus.
When Solo’s turn came, even though they already had one signed art book, they confidently brought over a new signature board. Since they’d chatted with Gang Jaegyung before, the vibe was pretty relaxed. Though most of the chatting amounted to:
“Are you really dating the Guild Leader?”

After the handshake and farewell, instead of going home, Solo walked over to me—who was seated a bit away—and suddenly held out the signed paper and a marker.
I took them, shooting a What do you want me to do with this? kind of look, and Solo beamed, lowering their voice like they were sharing a secret.
“You sign it too.”

“……My autograph?”
“Yup.”
With bright eyes, they pointed to the blank space next to Gang Jaegyung’s signature with their tiny hands. They were really asking me to sign next to that?

What were they going to do with the signature of a reclusive, no-life gamer who’s never streamed a day in his life? Still, it wasn’t like I couldn’t do it, so I opened the cap.
……Only to realize, once I was holding the pen, that I didn’t even have a signature. Every official document I’d ever signed, I used my seal. I never had a reason to make one.
How did I used to sign things in school again? I think I doodled a cat or something. Couldn’t exactly draw a cat that looks like my real name now, not for a gaming friend.

So I thought for a moment, then just started sketching something simple in the space Solo had pointed to. A squished circle… and then some sesame seeds—four little dots.
From what I remembered, Honeybread was always covered in sesame seeds. But if I actually drew that, it’d look ridiculous, so I stopped at four.
Solo, maybe out of respect for the quiet around the signing event, laughed silently beside me and whispered:

“What the hell, this is adorable.”
“This is my first time signing anything since I became an adult. Treasure it.”
“Yo, jackpot. Ultra-rare item.”

Satisfied, Solo chirped their thanks and took the pen back, waving goodbye. I waved back, and they scampered off.
Now that Solo was gone, there was nothing left to do but wait. I’d deleted all my mobile games ages ago—they were boring.
I stared at the tiled floor patterns for a while. Eventually I gave up on that too and picked up my phone to kill time replying to the people who messaged me earlier.

That got old real quick.
At first it wasn’t bad. But since my name had popped up in a broadcast and I was apparently well-known in Dusk, people got a little too excited. Even when I sent short replies, they kept trying to start full conversations. It was exhausting.
It might’ve been fine if it were just a few people—but there were over ten. Eventually I gave up, turned off the screen, and just enjoyed Gang Jaegyung’s voice in the background.

A few people came up and handed me slips of paper with their phone numbers without even asking. One of them must’ve messed up though, because one paper was completely blank. I used that one to try some origami.
The result? Surprisingly satisfying.
I forgot how to fold a crane, so I spent forever fumbling through it—but the time flew. And even with all the trial and error, it came out pretty nice.

Gang Jaegyung, who’d taken the time to sign for the last person even though the 30-minute mark had passed, finally began packing up with the staff. But the second they stepped away, he came bounding toward me with a slip of paper and a pen in hand.
“What now.”
“I want your autograph. Big.”

He must’ve seen me sign Solo’s paper. Even in the chaos, he managed to notice that.
“Give and take, man. Where’s your signature?”
“Oh, want it?”

Obviously. He stretched out his arm, grabbed another sheet, opened the pen, and drew out his signature with practiced ease.
I’d seen it earlier on Solo’s board. That geometric design—it was just as pretty as his face.
“Want me to write your name too?”

“No, just leave it like that.”
I didn’t want my name or IGN on it. Just the autograph itself.
Gang Jaegyung frowned, like he was sulking.

“You’re not planning to sell it or anything, right?”
“Why the hell would I sell it?”
This was Retaking a Class’s first publicly signed autograph, and the signature board had the Dusk logo on it.It was basically a legendary-tier item. The idea of selling it was absurd.

Satisfied with my reaction, Gang Jaegyung grinned and handed it over. Then he tapped the paper again.
“Now yours.”
I had no idea what he or Solo were planning to do with the autograph of a basement-dwelling gamer, but since he asked nicely, I took the pen.

I was more careful than last time since the space was bigger—I didn’t want the shape to come out weird.
“Here.”
“Write my name too.”

“Do y—”
…He wanted his name, too.
I ended up writing it out neatly.

“……And a heart.”
“……”
“……”

“……”
“……Fine.”
I was seriously considering crumpling the paper when he snatched it up. There’s a limit to how far you should push a joke.

I picked up the cookie and macaron boxes, ready to tell him we should go, but Gang Jaegyung was staring at something. He pointed it out with a calm voice.
“Who gave you this?”
He was pointing at the chocolate chip cookies and macarons the CEO gave me.

“The person I went to meet earlier.”
“Why’d they give you something like this?”
I had no idea why he was being so particular. Friends give each other stuff. And I was giving them to him anyway.

I held the boxes out and gently pushed them toward him.
“I wasn’t gonna take them, but I thought of you. You like sweets.”
“……You brought these for me?”

“Yeah.”
Maybe he thought I was hoarding sweets for myself and got salty. Now he just looked completely stunned.
Then, with both hands, he carefully accepted the boxes I gave him.

“……Thanks. I’ll enjoy them.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
So obedient. I liked that.

Just as I was feeling pleased—
“Wait. How’d you know I like sweets?”
“Huh?”

I panicked. And the second I did, his expression changed.
His eyes sparkled like he’d just found the one clue he needed. I had to fight to keep my gaze from fleeing.
“I don’t think I said I liked sweets today.”

“Ah… I mean, isn’t it kind of famous? That you like them?”
“You watch my stream?”
My excuse didn’t work for shit. He looked way too convinced already.

“Sometimes…”
“You must watch pretty often.”
“I said sometimes.”

“Then you must’ve seen me eat cake a lot too, huh?”
…Cake?
He’s only had cake once.
I searched my memory to be sure—and then realized it.

It was a trap.
He gave me false info just to see how I’d react.
But it was too late. I’d already hesitated at the word cake and gone quiet, trying to remember.

Dumbass Go Yeong.
Sure enough, Gang Jaegyung chuckled under his breath.
Alarm bells went off. I looked up at him—and sure enough, that smug, teasing grin was back on his face.

“Guess you know I don’t really eat cake too, huh?”
Stupid Go Yeong. Stupid Go Yeong.