Crave You Forever
Chapter 45: I’m XxNeXus husband (extra - ^^)

Chapter 45: I’m XxNeXus husband (extra Chapter ^^)

The chat buzzed again:

"XxNeXus protecting a noob? That’s a first!"

"Are you training him to be the next big player?"

"Does Snow have potential, or is he just dead weight?"

"These people are ruthless," Yeongsoo muttered, amused but slightly annoyed.

"They like stirring the pot. Ignore them," Haeun reassured, his focus returning to the mission. "Let’s just finish this and show them we’re serious."

The game progressed smoothly, but the chat never stopped:

"I’ll bet on XxNeXus and Snow winning the mission."

"Why even bother betting? XxNeXus never loses!"

"If Snow drags him down, though... might be a first time for everything."

Haeun glanced at the chat, a small smirk tugging at his lips. He was used to the pressure, but seeing how it got under Yeongsoo’s skin amused him a little. "Think of it as your initiation," Haeun said, half-joking. "You’re officially in the game now."

"Sure," Yeongsoo replied dryly, shaking his head. "But if I hear the word ’noob’ one more time..."

As the game progressed, the tension grew along with the number of spectators. More and more players started popping into the game’s lobby, watching the mission unfold. The betting began, with most people debating whether Haeun (aka XxNeXus) and his partner, ’Snow,’ would actually clear the mission or fail.

"They won’t last through the second wave of zombies."

"XxNeXus never fails, but this Snow guy is a wild card."

"Bet they’ll lose the victim trying to save Snow."

"Who even is Snow? A new prodigy, or someone he’s babysitting?"

The questions kept coming in droves, especially from new arrivals who hadn’t yet heard the earlier explanations.

"Who’s Snow? Why is XxNeXus protecting him so much?"

"How’s this guy getting special treatment?"

"XxNeXus never brings new people into missions. Something’s fishy here."

Haeun kept his focus on the game, trying to block out the constant stream of comments, but he couldn’t help but notice how curious people were about Yeongsoo. He glanced at Yeongsoo, who was calmly playing along, showing surprising skill for a ’noob.’

"Ignore them," Haeun muttered, more for himself than for Yeongsoo. "They always overreact."

But then, out of nowhere, Yeongsoo’s lips curled into a mischievous smirk. His eyes flickered with amusement, and without warning, he began typing into the chat.

"Since y’all are dying to know why he’s protecting me? I’ll tell you..."

The chat quieted down for a moment, everyone waiting for what was coming next.

"I’m his husband and a total noob. Why wouldn’t he?"

For a brief second, everything seemed to freeze. And then, the chat exploded.

"WHAT??"

"No way!"

"XxNeXus is MARRIED?"

"Is this a joke?!"

"Snow is his HUSBAND?!"

"Plot twist! The legendary XxNeXus is protecting his partner!"

"Wait, so this is legit? That explains everything!"

Haeun choked on his own laughter, eyes widening as he turned to face Yeongsoo, who looked far too pleased with himself.

"Seriously?" Haeun asked, shaking his head in disbelief. "You just had to go down that lane?"

"Well, it shut them up, didn’t it?" Yeongsoo replied with a smirk, clearly enjoying the chaos he’d unleashed.

Haeun couldn’t help but laugh. "You’ve got a point."

The chat continued to blow up, with more people joining just to see what was happening.

"XxNeXus has been hiding a husband all this time?!"

"No wonder he’s protecting Snow like a hawk!"

"I thought he was a lone wolf!"

"This is the best plot twist in gaming history."

"Now they’re never going to stop," Haeun said, still chuckling as he glanced at the screen. "We’ll be the talk of the server for weeks."

Yeongsoo shrugged, unfazed. "At least now they know why you’re sticking around."

The game carried on, but the tone had shifted. The spectators weren’t just betting on whether they’d win or lose anymore—now it was about whether the ’husband duo’ would manage to pull off a flawless victory.

"They’re actually doing well together... maybe Snow’s not so bad after all."

"Imagine losing to a couple."

"If they win, this is going to be legendary!"

Despite the teasing in the chat, Haeun felt strangely at ease, more so than usual. Having Yeongsoo by his side—whether in-game or not—made everything feel a little more fun, a lot less stressful.

"Ready to finish this?" Haeun asked, glancing over at him with a competitive gleam in his eyes.

"Always," Yeongsoo replied, his smirk widening. "Let’s show them what we can do."

The mission was heating up as the second wave of zombies approached. The crowd watching in the lobby only grew larger, and the bets on whether they’d succeed were piling up.

"Wave two is going to wreck them for sure."

"Snow doesn’t have enough experience to handle this."

"XxNeXus might be able to carry them through, but barely."

"They’ve got no chance."

Haeun leaned forward, his focus razor-sharp. "Alright, stay close to me. These waves are tough, but we’ll manage if we keep our positioning tight. I’ll take point."

"Got it," Yeongsoo replied, eyes flicking between the oncoming zombies and the status indicators. Despite his earlier self-deprecating comment about being a noob, he was holding his own better than expected, especially for someone who hadn’t played in years. He followed Haeun’s lead without hesitation, sticking to him like glue.

The zombies came in hordes, their growls filling the audio as the two of them fought their way through, clearing corridors and closing in on the objective. Haeun’s fingers flew across the keyboard, issuing commands to his character with precise skill.

"XxNeXus still hasn’t lost his touch."

"Snow’s surprisingly decent... for a noob."

"Wait, is Snow actually... good?"

"Are we watching the birth of a power couple here?"

Haeun couldn’t help but glance at the chat and snicker. "They’re really invested now. You’ve caused a whole stir."

"That was the plan," Yeongsoo said smoothly, his character slicing through another wave of zombies with surprising finesse. "Besides, isn’t it more fun this way?"

"Yeah, yeah." Haeun rolled his eyes but couldn’t deny he was enjoying this. It wasn’t every day that he gamed with someone like Yeongsoo—especially not in front of an audience this invested. "Alright, this is the final stretch. We need to rescue the victim in that room, but they’ll throw everything at us now."

As if on cue, the game intensified, more zombies pouring in from all directions. The lights in the game flickered, adding to the atmosphere as alarms blared.

The chat went wild again.

"They’re surrounded!"

"No way they can make it through this alive."

"Snow’s going to get them killed!"

"Or maybe he’ll surprise us again?"

"Stick close, and don’t stop moving," Haeun instructed, his voice serious as he focused on the screen. "We need to move fast before they overwhelm us."

"Right behind you," Yeongsoo responded, his smirk audible even through his concentration. His confidence wasn’t shaken, despite the pressure of the situation—and the attention of everyone watching.

Together, they fought through the swarming zombies, inching closer to their goal. Haeun managed to take down the larger enemies while Yeongsoo provided support, keeping the smaller, quicker zombies off their backs. The tension in the air was palpable as they approached the victim, a lone NPC tied up in the corner of a dark room.

Just as they reached the NPC, the game threw one last curveball—a sudden ambush of fast-moving, mutated zombies.

"Here it is! This is where they’ll fail."

"There’s no way they can take on those things."

"They’re too fast. Snow’s done for."

"Watch out!" Haeun warned, his character spinning to face the incoming threat.

"I see them," Yeongsoo said calmly, his character dodging with surprising agility. "Let’s finish this."

Haeun grinned, adrenaline pumping. He led the charge, his character unleashing a devastating series of attacks, and Yeongsoo followed up perfectly, picking off the remaining zombies with well-timed strikes. The victim was freed, and the mission was completed just as the final zombie hit the ground.

The chat erupted in disbelief.

"They... actually did it??"

"No way! Snow didn’t drag him down at all!"

"They’re unstoppable together!"

"Okay, I take it back. Snow’s not just some noob."

Yeongsoo leaned back in his chair, clearly pleased with himself. "So, how’d I do?"

Haeun shook his head, smiling as he pushed his headset back. "Not bad for someone who hasn’t gamed in years. You sure you weren’t hiding some skills?"