Lingering Afterglow
Han Seol lay sprawled out, a faint smile playing on her lips, as if she were truly blissed out. A man approached the girl, lost in her happiness.
"Seol, class is about to start."
At the ticklish voice, Han Seol slowly lifted her head. What came into view was the lecture hall's blackboard—and the senior who'd been on her mind lately.
"Ah... thank you."
"You must have a lot on your plate these days, huh? Drink this and snap out of it before the professor notices."
Han Seol took the canned coffee he offered. At first, she'd always refused outright, but now she didn't have the energy for that. She stared blankly at the can.
...This isn't a dream, right?
Even after taking the canned coffee, Han Seol stayed still for a while, lost in yesterday's memories. The audition had definitely started yesterday... She'd given it her all, but the result was a rejection... Except at the very end, for sure.
She still couldn't quite believe it. Accepting the reality that she'd made it through the first round was hard—especially since she'd never earned something like this on her own before. For Han Seol, it hit so hard that the afterglow just wouldn't fade.
In the end, he was right. What that person said.
His words about her eventually being rewarded hadn't been wrong. Yesterday proved it. Without him, she wouldn't have even entered the audition, and she might not have kept streaming this far to begin with. But now she'd done it. Thanks to him spotting her strengths. Thanks to him giving her confidence.
Han Seol felt a quiet pride in that fact. Her mind filled with thoughts of rushing home to write him a thank-you email. Her fingers were already itching so badly she could hardly hold back.
Because of that, she forgot about the canned coffee in her hand and parted her lips with a soft ahh—only for a large hand to wave right in front of her eyes.
"Earth to you—class is starting soon, I said."
"...Ah! N-no, you don't have to give me stuff like this."
"You just took it saying thanks? You must still be half-asleep."
"Uh......"
"Class is starting soon. Drink that and wake up. You don't want the professor spotting you."
"Ah, yes. Thank you."
Suhyeon Yoo shrugged nonchalantly and turned away. Han Seol watched him go, letting out a small sigh.
She'd forgotten. Completely forgotten. There was another important issue besides the audition.
The one senior she'd thought she could have a normal relationship with—he liked her. Sure, he'd helped her out several times, and he wasn't pushy about it, but according to Jiyeon, Han Seol was convinced her hunch was basically fact.
That's why she'd kept putting it off... but now the question she'd been avoiding bubbled back to the surface.
Even now, buying her canned coffee like this—it seemed his feelings ran pretty deep. Han Seol fiddled with the can he'd given her.
In her life, anyone obsessed with love had been trash-tier. But this senior didn't come off as creepy or overbearing. He didn't force his feelings on her, either. He just showed kindness in a reasonable way. Never crossing the line.
That's why it was so hard for Han Seol to bring it up first.
Senior, if you like me, just give up.
Saying something like that would make her look like a princess-syndrome lunatic to anyone watching.
Did liking someone turn you into that? If anything, she grew curious. Could love really make someone this kind? Make them offer kindness with no expectation of return? She wanted to know.
But love felt too distant for her, so she gave up on the thought. She pressed the cool can to her forehead and propped her chin on her hand. The chill seeped into her heated head, melting it away.
If the senior ever tried to cross that line, she could deal with it then. She had a budding trust that he'd back off cleanly if it came to that.
It was a small thing, but it was different from the Han Seol she'd been until now.
"Emotions seep in, you know."
"What bullshit is that now?"
I'd met up with an old elementary school friend for the first time in ages, and we were at a cafe.
"I realized something yesterday. Emotions don't just hit you all at once—they creep in without you noticing, coloring everything."
"That's what I'm saying is bullshit, fuck."
"Long story short, I'm fucking happy right now."
"No clue what you're on about."
Shin Jonghyeon—this guy knew most of my secrets, the one I'd been stuck with since childhood.
"You still watching those indie streams or whatever?"
"Of course. It's my one hobby."
"Weird-ass hobby. You got my little sister to drop it because of you."
"I'm sorry you can't appreciate this noble pursuit. And watch your words—it was me who got your sister into it."
"...Was it? Anyway, Seohyeon was complaining she never sees you anymore. How about showing your face once in a while? Mom's been dying to see you too."
"...Yeah. I should pay my respects to your mom."
"Dude, look after Seohyeon a bit. Otherwise, I get tired."
Seohyeon. Honestly, I didn't want to run into this guy's little sister—Seo Seohyeon—if I could help it. She treated me like some tragic protagonist, and as her senior, it kinda pissed me off.
Not that I had any hard feelings. She'd introduced me to internet streaming back when I was really struggling, so in a way, I owed my discovery of Rie to her.
Still, meeting her... I shook my head and sipped my coffee through the straw.
"I'll think about it. As positively as possible."
"Yeah, do that. Please. So, how's college life?"
"Not bad. I've got killer social skills, after all."
"Pfft... You? Nah, that's gotta be a delusion."
He covered his mouth, chuckling, then—unlike me—yanked out the straw and chugged the whole coffee.
"Why walk such a hard road... I get your position, but if you ever change your mind, hit me up. Seohyeon's got everything set up perfectly—just show up."
Jonghyeon's slightly serious expression made me awkwardly shrug. This is exactly why I hated hanging with people too close to me. My past skeletons felt exposed, leaving me on edge.
But relationships were unavoidable. We spent the next hour chatting about old times that wouldn't come back.
He straightened the stiff collar of his suit and stood.
"Anyway, don't forget to come over. I can't hold back that crazy bitch much longer."
I waved him off vaguely—meaning I'd think about it.
Jonghyeon sighed faintly at that, turned, and jingled his car keys.
"Ride?"
"Nah."
"Later."
Vroom! Even inside the cafe, the roar was loud. He'd bought something new again. He called my hobby weird, but I couldn't understand his car obsession more.
What's so great about a hunk of metal? Hobbies are personal, after all. That's why they're beyond understanding sometimes.
I put the straw back in my mouth, thinking about yesterday. Even now, a shiver ran through me. When she passed and thanked me in a choked-up voice, I felt a catharsis I'd never known before. Guess I was more invested in the audition than I thought.
When my eyes suddenly welled up, I figured, Guess I'm a full-on weeb now.
She might even make the final cut at this rate. She'd be too big to call a hakko then, but I didn't mind. Before I knew it, I'd stopped caring about that—I just wanted Rie to be happy.
I stirred the ice floating in my coffee with the straw. When that time comes... I might stop watching her streams.
The thought weighed on me. Someone else might say, If you like her that much, just keep watching—what's the problem? But hakko meant something special to me.
Everyone sees things differently, and my view of hakko streamers was no exception. They'd comforted me in my tough times. If she went big corporate, my donations and chats would get ignored anyway. Right now, with low viewers, she appreciated me and we connected easily—but later, trucks full of fans like me would flood in.
The fun of intimate chats would vanish. And without that, watching lost its point for me.
So I'd keep watching until then. Until my shadow faded from Rie's memory, I'd tune in—then quit.
I grabbed my remaining coffee and coat. I'd seen an old friend, savored the afterglow—time to go, with nothing left to do here.
Ding-a-ling. The door opened.
And there, in front of it, stood a beautiful woman. Han Seol, asking a guy for his number.
She'd probably stopped by the cafe briefly. Naturally, her expression twisted in contempt before she spoke in a subdued voice.
"...No thanks."
What was she, getting hit on as easily as breathing?