For 13 years, they were on the same maps, fought the same battles, and stayed up through the same nights. But they had never met as 'people.' They were just voices behind nicknames.

It started at some point. If he didn't log in, she wouldn't hunt even with the game open. If the chat window was quiet, she'd wander through other maps just to kill time.

[Queen Bee]: You're late today? [Honeybee King]: Ah, I fell asleep waiting for you. [Queen Bee]: Lol, what's that about? [Honeybee King]: What do you mean? You're the one who's late, Piggy.

It was just playful banter, but strangely, her heart reacted first.

When the talk of an offline meetup came up in the guild, she felt afraid of the word 'reality' for the first time.

[Demon Bee King]: Should we have a meetup this time? [Demon Bee King]: We've been a guild for 13 years and don't even know each other's faces lol

That's when he sent a private message first.

[Honeybee King]: Are you going? [Queen Bee]: ...I'm thinking about it. [Honeybee King]: I want to meet you.

It was a short sentence, but 13 years of distance collapsed at once.

The day of the offline meeting.

She kept staring at her phone in front of the meeting spot. The real-world scenery felt unfamiliar compared to the game screen.

Excuse me.

A low voice. When she looked up, she saw a face she'd never seen before, yet eyes that strangely didn't feel like a stranger's.

Yeonsu...?

The moment she called his name, they both laughed. It was such a silly laugh. It felt like finally seeing someone as a person whom she had known for far too long. While waiting for the other guild members, he spoke.

Your voice is exactly like it is in the game.

Yours too.

But you're prettier than you were on the screen.

...Whatever.

All the words accumulated over 13 years became useless once they actually met. Instead, only small actions remained. A hand shielding her from the sun, a face that smiled first when their eyes met, and the short silences that followed every sentence. That silence wasn't uncomfortable at all.