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"Okay, but with Karis's face and personality, how come you don't have any friends?"
It was a rightful concern on Siyoon's behalf. A rude question perhaps but fair. Throughout their stay in Tallinn, they didn't encounter anyone of Karis's acquaintances, which was strange.
"I just lived a quiet life." I replied, neutral and vague. Too vague.
"So, were you homeschooled?!"
'No. I actually was a normal student in Korea, but I can't tell you that.'
In the memories through 'Estonian Idol', I didn't remember going to school. The system specifically made it so that it would not cause problems later on. I was taught at home just as Siyoon assumed, and didn't meet any friends.
"Karis hyung, do you really not have any people you know other than your parents?!"
Now, don't say it like this. I could practically feel my dignity flailing in the air like a dying fish.
"It's okay, Karis has us now! Hahahahaha." Minha grinned, slinging an arm around my shoulders like he was giving me some sort of charity friendship.
No, seriously, just shut up. I look like a friendless loser.
I tried to maintain my usual expressionless face, but even I could feel the twitch in my eyebrow. I glanced at Siyoon, hoping he'd redirect the topic or at least tease someone else for once.
No such luck.
"Wait, wait, so you lived in that huge villa your whole life? Alone? With no friends? Not even a single neighbourhood kid?" He was leaning forward now, his tone the same one people used when unearthing family scandals on a talk show.
"I wasn't alone. I had books. And..."
My voice trailed off. I tried to think of something — anything — that could count as a believable hobby or friend.
"Books. Cool. Very... emotionally supportive. Did they talk back?" Eun Gyul squinted like he was trying to solve a mystery. "Did you have any hobbies? Like bug collecting?"
"They were quiet. Unlike some people." I answered the first question, a little sharper than intended.
What was wrong with books, anyway? They were fun. Useful. Reliable.
"Bug collecting?!" Minha repeated, looking horrified. "Hyung doesn't give off bug guy energy. He gives off: 'sits by the window and stares at the rain' energy."
"Brooding in Estonian rain," Siyoon added with a smirk. "It's giving Byronic hero."
I almost laughed. You're not even wrong, I wanted to say.
"I wasn't completely alone. I had... my tutors. And books. And quiet."
That made them all go quiet for a second. Not the comfortable kind.
And then—
"So you were basically locked up like Rapunzel?" Minha, ever the oblivious kind, said with wide eyes. "Do you at least know how to braid hair?"
"No. But I can dismantle a battle strategy in under ten seconds."
They all blinked.
"...Okay, cool flex," Eun Gyul muttered, clearly unsure if that was a joke or not.
"Seriously though," Siyoon cut back in, arms crossed. "You never had, like, a neighbour who came over to play? A crush from kindergarten? Nothing?"
I hesitated. The system that crafted Estonian Karis's identity had intentionally left that part empty. Clean. No friends. No old connections. No history that could complicate things. It was safer that way.
Just an elegant lie of a child of wealthy guardians, who had given a spectacular education and a convenient life to their only son.
And even that lie was starting to feel worn out.
"Nope."
I kept my voice even.
"Nothing that lasted."
That made everyone pause.
Yubin was the first to speak. His voice was small but sincere.
"That... sounds kind of lonely."
It was.
But I didn't say that.
I wasn't even sure if I was allowed to feel sad about a life that technically wasn't mine.
"Well, we'll make up for it, hyung!" Minha declared, suddenly energized again. "We'll create the best, most chaotic friend memories for you. You won't even want childhood friends after this."
"You're welcome, by the way," Siyoon said smugly, slinging his arm around my shoulders like he had rescued me from isolation. "You've got a full party now. No need for NPCs."
That made me laugh, softly.
It slipped out before I could stop it.
A real one.
The members all turned to me in surprise.
"Whoa! He laughed!" Minha gasped.
"We did it!" Eun Gyul threw his fists in the air like it was a game achievement.
"Breaking Karis's stone-cold expression: Level 1 complete!"
"Next goal: Make him cry!" Minha added with enthusiasm.
"Let's not aim for tears, please," Hyung Bin said calmly from the kitchen, where he was peeling fruit like a domestic goddess. "And leave Karis alone. He doesn't owe us his whole life story just because we met his parents once."
Hyung Bin's voice had that quiet authority that made people listen without feeling like they were being scolded.
I shot him a grateful glance.
He just smiled and placed a bowl of sliced apples on the table.
"Eat this and hydrate," he said, slipping seamlessly back into Mom Mode™.
Yubin quietly slid one of the apple slices toward me like a peace offering. "We really are happy you're with us, hyung."
I nodded, unsure how to respond to the tight feeling in my chest.
Maybe it was okay that I didn't have fake memories of childhood friends or school festivals.
Because even if they were loud, nosy or emotionally chaotic. What I had now was real.
And they were enough.