Year-End Party (5)
The crowd's cheers erupted like thunder.
'Feels pretty damn good.'
When I returned to my seat, Aram was crying her eyes out.
"This... this is art, everyone..." she sniffled.
"You don't have to cry over it..."
Warm, wholesome donations that didn't match my usual broadcast kept pouring in.
"Everyone... seriously. This feels so weird."
"Thank you so much, really."
"Are you crying, Tteongi?"
"N-no, I'm not."
"You looked cool up there."
"Thank you, Gaeun unnie."
The Queen looked at me and smiled softly.
"Tteongi, I'm looking forward to next year."
"I'll catch up to you soon, so don't go too far ahead. Just wait for me, okay?"
"That might be difficult."
"That concludes the awards ceremony. There's not much time left in the year-end party, so please enjoy yourselves!!"
The moment the awards ended, streamers swarmed around us.
"Danbal Queen! Congratulations on your fifth consecutive Streamer of the Year award!!"
"Short Hair Queen! Short Hair Queen!"
"Thank you, everyone."
I received just as much attention as The Queen.
"Tteongi, congratulations on the Rookie of the Year award!!"
"Thank you."
"Your acceptance speech was amazing. Can we look forward to you winning Streamer of the Year next year?"
"Of course."
I was in a good mood, so I decided to bait them one more time.
"From now on, I will stand at the top of the heavens."
"Kyaaa~"
"Tteongi! Tteongi!"
"Tteongi, you're actually hilarious."
Thank goodness. Everyone seems to like it. I thought they'd call me a cringy attention whore.
"Then Tteongi, shall we head to the after-party now?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Everyone, thank you for watching the broadcast today..."
"I-I'm not a masochist, okay?"
"Tteongi's chat is always so funny."
"I'll drop by your stream later."
"The content here gets pretty spicy..."
"That's exactly why we go harder~"
"Well then, Tteongi and Your Majesty, have a wonderful end to the year! See you next time."
"Thank you for all your hard work."
I bowed deeply at a perfect ninety degrees to everyone.
"Shall we go, Tteongi?"
The Queen offered me her hand.
"Yes..."
I climbed the stairs, feeling the warmth of her hand in mine.
"You two look so good together."
"They really do."
"Let's put the trophies in the trunk, Tteongi."
"Got it."
We got out in front of an upscale Korean beef restaurant. A sign out front read, 'We only serve 1++ grade Hanwoo.'
"Tteongi, you'll catch a cold. The party's over now, so..."
The Queen draped her padded jacket over my shoulders.
"Wear this."
"Thank you."
"Short Hair Queen, you didn't have to bring us somewhere this expensive. Isn't this too much?"
Gaeun unnie still doesn't know that The Queen is a chaebol heiress. She could eat hanwoo for every single meal, three times a day, and never run out of money.
"Don't worry and eat as much as you want. I wanted to repay you properly."
"Thanks. I'll keep working hard."
"Danbal Queen! If you ever need my help, please contact me anytime!"
"I will."
"I've had a hanwoo bulgogi burger before."
"Your Majesty, I'm seriously going to eat like a madwoman. You'll regret it if you stop me later."
"Eat as much as you want~"
"Aram, you heard her? Let's go destroy some hanwoo!"
"Hanwoo~!"
We headed inside, buzzing with excitement.
"Welcome. You have a reservation under Danbal Queen, correct?"
"Yes."
"Please follow me."
Inside the private room was a table with a built-in brazier and four chairs.
"Ugh... my legs. The fatigue is hitting me all at once now that I'm sitting."
Even though I'd gotten used to it, wearing heels for that long was no joke.
"You can lean on my shoulder if you'd like."
The Queen, sitting right beside me, offered gently.
"Then... just for a bit..."
"Tteongi, can you strike a pose for the after-party thumbnail?" Aram asked from across the table.
"He... heheung..."
I let out a little heheung while leaning against The Queen.
"I should be used to this by now, but it still feels so embarrassing every time."
"Don't get used to that kind of thing," Gaeun unnie said with a firm expression.
"Oh right, donations are still coming in for us too. What should we do?"
"Can I have that for a moment?"
The Queen took the selfie stick from Gaeun unnie and began reading the donation list.
"LoveDanbalQueen one million won, DanbalQueenIsTheBest one million won..."
She kept reading donations for a long while.
"Thank you all so much. I'll give a proper thank you on the next broadcast."
"That's almost enough to buy a car."
I opened the stream on my phone and read the chat.
"It's fine. Just having you all watch my streams is already a huge help."
"Even after that you're still giving me shit? Fine, just hand over the money."
A staff member came in and placed side dishes and plates of hanwoo on the table.
"Whoa..."
The 1++ grade really looked different from the start. Since it's hanwoo, maybe I should drink with it?
"Your Majesty, can I do a drinking broadcast? I only had one glass earlier and it feels a bit unsatisfying..."
"I'm worried, but... just order one bottle."
"Aww~ I'm actually pretty strong with alcohol."
"Just in case, The Queen, please set the stream to 19+ restriction."
"Okay."
The staff brought over an expensive-looking bottle of liquor, cola, and four wine glasses.
"Your Majesty, want a glass?"
"I have to drive, so I'm fine."
"Then what about Gaeun unnie and Aram?"
"Pour me one."
"I'll have cola~"
Gaeun unnie lifted her wine glass filled with liquor.
"Since we're having an after-party, let's do a toast."
"A t-toast?"
"Everyone worked hard this year, and congratulations to these two for winning awards. Cheers!"
The wine glasses clinked together with a clear, beautiful sound.
"Th-this feels incredibly embarrassing."
"Tteongi, shall we do a love shot between the two of us?" The Queen asked.
"Huh?!"
"It's just between the award winners. There's no special meaning behind it."
It feels like there's a very special meaning behind it.
Still, I wanted to try it, so I linked arms with The Queen and drank.
'Th-this is insanely arousing.'
After drinking, I stared blankly at The Queen for a moment.
"Are you okay?"
I nodded silently.
"I'm not drunk."
Gaeun unnie picked up the plate of hanwoo and the tongs.
"I'll handle the grilling. You all just focus on eating."
Sizzle~ The sound of meat grilling tickled my ears.
A little later, I picked up a perfectly grilled piece of hanwoo with chopsticks and popped it into my mouth.
"Mmm~ It melts in your mouth."
"Have some ssam too, Tteongi."
The Queen wrapped a ssam and fed it to me.
"Ugh, it's too big..."
Finally, I took a sip of liquor to rinse my mouth.
"Krr~ This is sex."
"What did you say?"
"N-nothing. I didn't say anything, Gaeun unnie."
My body is weak, so my alcohol tolerance might be weak too. I should drink in moderation.
'This is the real last one. No, this is the real last one. This is the real final final...'
A little later...
The number of "last glasses" kept increasing until we eventually emptied the entire bottle.
"Ugh..."
My body kept getting hotter, so I took off my outer layer.
"T-Tteongi, are you okay?"
Aram's voice sounded like it was shaking.
"I'm not drunk at all~ It's just hot. Hot, that's all."
"Aww~ Guys, I only drank half a bottle since I split it with Gaeun unnie. Who gets drunk off half a bottle, huh?"
"Tteongi’s pretty drunk. Will you be okay?"
"Don't worry. I'll take good care of her."
"Your Majesty, I'm not drunk at all~"
I kept getting excited and started laughing without realizing it.
"Ehehe I'm not drunk at all~ Atashi sakuranbo~"
"We've pretty much finished eating. Shall we get going?"
"Yeah, let's."
"Thank you for the delicious meal, Danbal Queen!"
"Your Majesty, I'll treat you next time. Wait, no! Let's just go for round two right now!?"
I shot up from my chair.
"Whoa!"
The Queen caught me as I wobbled.
"Be careful."
"Sorry..."
After paying, The Queen carried me to the car like I was luggage.
"Your Majesty, I can walk by myself~"
"Everyone, I'll end the broadcast here!"
Aram quickly ended the stream.
"Ha, I didn't think half a bottle would get you this drunk. I shouldn't have suggested drinking..."
"It's fine. Just be careful next time."
What? We're leaving already?
"Kids, take care~"
"You've worked hard."
"Not at all. Everyone worked hard today."
"Tteongi, Danbal Queen, Gaeun unnie, thank you for your hard work today!"
"Yeah, Aram. It's late, so get home safely."
"Your Majesty, let's hurry and go too."
The car door wouldn't open, like it was locked tight.
"That's not my car."
"Oh right. Your Majesty's car is automatic."
The Queen kindly helped me into the passenger seat.
"Thank youuu."
Inside the car, The Queen sat in the driver's seat and buckled my seatbelt for me.
"My little slave, get a hold of yourself."
"Mmm..."
My eyes slowly closed.
"Are you asleep?"
In the garage next to the mansion, The Queen shook me awake.
"Wake up, sweetie. You can sleep once we're inside."
"Haaam~"
The Queen turned on the interior light and unbuckled my seatbelt.
"..."
The soft lighting illuminated The Queen. My body, already burning from the alcohol, reacted even more intensely at the sight of her.
"Wow, you're so fucking pretty..."
"What's wrong?"
The Queen, noticing my stare, gave a sly little smile.
"You already know~"
Maybe because I was drunk, my voice came out extra aegyo-filled.
"Let's do it once before we go in~"
"Do what?"
"Car sex!!"
"You want it that badly?"
I nodded my head vigorously.
"It's boring if we just do it normally, so let's make a bet."
"A bet?"
"Yeah. If you can hold back your orgasm for ten minutes, you win. Simple, right?"
All I have to do is last ten minutes. This is basically free money.
"Yes, let's do it!"
"The loser has to grant the winner one wish. How about it?"
"You'll grant any wish?"
"Yes."
"What if I ask for the mansion?"
I said it as a joke.
"I'll give it to you."
"D-don't regret it later!"
I'm seriously going to risk my life to hold out.
"That's what I wanted to say to you."