I don’t usually comment but I had to read the novel after this chapter. Let’s just say…. Yall need to be marinating this for so much longer than you’d think
https://www.starlightstream.net/that-guy-is-this-guy
Spoilers…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. So first of all JH does everything in his power to make a connection between real life YC and the game, but there’s all these incidents that start making JH think otherwise. At some point the game YC severs ties with the game and with JH, and real life YC starts hanging around wayyyy more with JH. At some point JH asks if YC wants to date him, at which point YC can’t lie and says he wants to pursue him but JH doesn’t want him to because he said he’s not into men. A dream happens where he sees YC in a different light and on an off chance he actually does let YC try to pursue him. At the end of a few dozen chapters YC does actually succeed in making JH like him back, but previously JH was in an IRL guild meeting and saw Water in person. At this meeting YC picks up JH to take him home and that’s when water sees YC. After this incident, JH was still oblivious to everything and is about to tell YC he likes him on his birthday, but as he’s at his place he overhears YC and water talk about his real identity. There’s a tiny incident with another person that establishes how much JH hates liars in between all this, which is important because JH then finds out that YC actually was the real life and the game version and is immensely hurt by it. They go through a few days of not talking and then YC explains himself in a cafe, in the novel this also takes around a dozen chapters and it goes into YCs backstory, his obsession over JH and other things. JH listens to him, but still wants to cut things off with YC but still has some lingering hope about their relationship. A few months go by of no contact between them and YC physical condition has deteriorated and he collapses after he wins a gaming match and it was all streamed and JH saw everything. YC is hospitalized and JH goes and sees him, they have one final talk again about how JH wants him to get better, take his meds, and go to counseling, he wishes that YC would understand his words in the future because this wasn’t the chance he wanted to give him. They ended up cutting ties again for a few months but YC did listen to JH and got better and less obsessive like JH wanted. They ended up meeting by chance months later and after no contact at all for months JH gives YC one more chance, but not immediately. They still go no contact but JH asks YC if he could wait until he was ready to contact him so he only got his phone number. One day JH calls him and they do end up reconnecting. They do end up dating. Sorry if this was long and discombobulating but there’s so many more phases to this story that I didn’t know because I really thought the climax would be at these first few chapters assuming JH actually found out about his identity but he doesn’t until sooooo much later.
Ugh I’m kind of sad we’re getting fanservice this early because I’m the novel LSY always had his gas mask on near CEJ because he was afraid he couldn’t handle being near his poison until a “very certain incident” happens in the story that makes LSY realize he doesn’t need to wear his gas mask and is way more comfortable around CEJ…. (I just really liked that detail to be honest)











Man it’s been a while since I’ve read a queer/bl story where the family part felt natural and actually part of the story rather than it just being there to technically be part of the genre or something