[ Joonghyuk may be staring at the stars, but he does catch the conversation. There's a shift in how Itaru talks online, but he understands that people can recreate themselves on the internet. Then sometimes, it isn't about recreating, but feeling free enough to be your true self. He doesn't think either things are bad.

Their surroundings, however, are the opposite. Even their avatars are mere fabrications, illusions of their mind, and Joonghyuk can feel the disconnect even more. It isn't bad, though. It's less taxing than what he's used to... He isn't in quite the mood to talk with strangers around, so he keeps quiet for now as he looks for constellations. Fortunately for them, the other two notify that they'll afk for a bit and come back. That's when Joonghyuk continues their conversation. ]

The rendering is high quality. [ But does he prefer it? ] The real world can be this beautiful, too.

[ The night sky at home used to look like this, right? His world used to have stars that comforted them at night. What he feels is the comfort robbed from him for so many years. A tinge of regret manifests in his voice: ]

... I've always dreamed of a starless sky.