Midterm Study Session at Choi Hana's Café (2)
Choi Hana carefully took a seat across the table.
“I’m so sorry I’m late!!”
“It’s because of the liberal arts lecture, right? It’s fine.”
Lee Junwoo welcomed her warmly.
A brief silence settled between them.
Without realizing it, she averted her gaze from him.
Why am I like this? I… feel a little strange.
Thinking back, she had first regarded Lee Junwoo as a good colleague. A party member at Theia Academy. And someone she hoped to recruit into Blood Jaguar later on. Yet at some point she had begun to grow conscious of him. Even though it had not been long since they actually shared direct contact, she had been watching him since their high school academy days. She knew he was a man of upright heart and tremendous will. So that feeling had been close to admiration. But after they became friends beyond mere classmates, those emotions had gradually begun to shift. After all, watching someone from afar and truly getting to know them were entirely different things.
And I keep thinking about that day.
It had probably meant nothing special to Lee Junwoo. But the day he had gotten her a new weapon—a gun—and the time they spent hanging out together in that busy downtown district still lingered vividly in Choi Hana’s memory. Of all days, that had been when Scarlet unnie made such a huge fuss that Hana herself had fallen into a misunderstanding. So she alone had thought of it as a date, her heart racing the entire day. She had never once taken an interest in the opposite sex before. She might not fully understand her own emotions yet. Still, she could not deny that Lee Junwoo was different from other men. She could not yet say she liked him. But she kept fretting over him.
Wait… even now…
Thinking about it, they were alone in the café. As the boss she really should not be thinking that way. But this was not a particularly popular café, and there were no other customers. Being alone together right now felt just like they were on a date. Noeul unnie had even winked at her slyly before giving them space.
My head… is spinning…
Her face felt like it was burning hot, and she could not calm down. Of course she should not be having such impure thoughts. Today’s study session was something Lee Junwoo had specially made time for, for her who was particularly weak in theoretical subjects. They could have studied at Theia’s library. Yet he had even agreed when she suggested specially moving the location here out of consideration for her.
As expected… he’s kind.
Although he had been undervalued for his skills back in high school academy, it was different at the Academy. Even in the Free Major Department, even among the Middle Class, Lee Junwoo’s name was frequently coming up. The fact that the famous Student Council President Jo Arin had appointed him as temporary disciplinary committee member was proof enough. Above all, the cadets of the Free Major Department were gradually acknowledging him. Among the male cadets including Lim Jaeho, talk often turned to the way he stood out in every training session.
Everyone’s looking forward to this midterm dungeon practical too.
If Lee Junwoo was the party leader, they might even produce results comparable to the High Class, people said. Just the fact that such a man had come all the way to Jongno for her sake made her feel strangely warm. She could not take a day off from streaming today. So if it was a café inside the office building where the streaming equipment was already set up, she could handle both the study and the stream without issue. As expected, she owed Lee Junwoo far too much. But at the same time, a strange feeling crept in. It was not just her—there were many women around Lee Junwoo. His childhood friend Baek Jiyu. And even though their relationship had grown distant, the three from Aegis as well.
How does Junwoo-ssi think of me…
As a woman, honestly, she lacked confidence. From a young age she had only thought of her parents’ revenge and the organization’s work. She had never once thought of herself as a woman. And although she considered herself relatively bright, deep in her heart the sense of loss from losing her family and the desire for revenge against those enemies mixed together, casting a deep shadow. Even when acting as Naharing, right before ending the stream late at night she had carelessly revealed that dark inner self, so she was careful about it herself. Back then, Lee Junwoo had said—
“Wait a minute. It’s hard to teach theory if we’re facing each other like this. Want to sit next to me?”
“Y-Yes…?!! Yes! Understood!”
As he said, sitting beside him would be better for receiving explanations on theoretical subjects. She immediately moved seats. But soon her heart was racing madly and she could not lift her head.
Why do I keep being like this!
Even when they had studied together last time it had not been this bad. What happened just a moment ago made Choi Hana’s heart tremble even more. Of all things, the fact that Lee Junwoo watched Naharing’s streams.
Does Junwoo-ssi… maybe like VTubers?
That was it. Because of her work as Naharing, she had lately grown even more conscious of Lee Junwoo. Doing well as an internet broadcaster was a special thing. Lately her streams often recorded average viewership of two or three thousand. Of course she thought there was some bubble to it herself. But in the moment of streaming, unlike her usual self, she immersed herself completely in that other self called Naharing. So the unique emptiness she felt after the stream ended was something she could never explain to anyone. Filling the audio in front of thousands of people, then the silence after ending the stream—it was the sense of emptiness most streamers empathized with. That Naharing was also part of herself. But except for the people in the organization, she was a self she could not tell anyone about. So she did not want to be found out by Lee Junwoo. On the other hand, to just one person—the feeling of wanting to tell her truth and rely on them always repeated after the stream ended. When he found out that Naharing was her, would Lee Junwoo still be able to understand her like that?
VTubers… there are still many people who find them hard to accept.
Choi Hana kept those true feelings tightly hidden, yet still continued the study with Lee Junwoo.
Wait. The time…
The stream time she had written in the notice was approaching. She had explained the circumstances to Lee Junwoo in advance. Briefly, the Blood Jaguar office in this building—she said she had agreed to help with the work of the unnies she knew in that organization. She planned to do a short main stream for about an hour and keep connected to the mobile live chat.
Then I’ll study with Junwoo-ssi again.
The viewers already knew she was a university student. She had explained the circumstances that she would proceed with just chat streaming for a bit because of exam studying.
So there won’t be any talk about going to meet her boyfriend on Friday night or anything.
While she was briefly lost in thought, Lee Junwoo suddenly turned his head to look at her.
“H-Hiiik… Why are you doing that!!”
Their faces were too close. Her heart almost burst for a moment.
“Ah, I called out a few times but you didn’t answer. Were you concentrating on the theory? Noeul noona brought some cake slices. It might be good to take a short break while eating that.”
“Yes! Yes… Let’s do that.”
She answered quickly. But soon Choi Hana became dejected.
Really… I wish the real me was Naharing.
It was not as if they had only talked for a day or two with Lee Junwoo. But she was not used to conversations with men. Their talks were always stiff. Completely different from when she was Naharing. She had no interest in streaming communities and had never looked at them. But according to the unnies of Underdolls, even in the communities Naharing was very famous for her communication skills with viewers.
Embarrassingly… they say Naharing is a total fox…
How she changed so much just by streaming—she herself did not really know. Perhaps because virtual YouTubers do not show themselves directly. It might be that.
Wait. Then…?
But now the thought of carelessly showing that Naharing side in front of Lee Junwoo came to her.
If that side is more charming as a woman…
It was a very embarrassing thought. But if Lee Junwoo, who had watched her live stream, had even a little interest in that Naharing, it might be better than her current self who was extremely awkward with men.
I want to get closer to Junwoo-ssi…
Choi Hana made up her mind. And she placed her smartphone on the desk.
“Um, Junwoo-ssi! This kind of thing is popular among the young generation these days!”
She ended up saying something completely like an old man. But she did not even notice the way she spoke. Choi Hana played a Naharing clip right in front of Lee Junwoo.
I taught Choi Hana intermediate theory of fire magic for about two hours. Today’s study session was decided to go all night. Helping Choi Hana’s studies was more important than I thought.
The better the grades at Theia, the more the growth range definitely increases.
In the original work there had been a growth bonus according to grades. But in the current reality where the difficulty had increased, that range was clearly larger. The problem that had occurred in the Ark system now—it might rather be that the system was overloaded trying to rapidly grow the cadets.
Choi Hana is also growing faster than in the original.
Of course I could not be satisfied with that level of growth. Choi Hana was still weak compared to the three of Aegis. But in the original she was also the protagonist in charge of the underworld side content. Above all, her status as the daughter of that legendary boss would later involve her fate in things no less difficult than An Yumin’s.
To Crimson Teeth as well. To Valhalla’s Apostles as well, the meaning of that boss’s daughter is special.
Meaning she could become a focal point that could newly unify the underworld. Naturally no organization could touch Choi Hana. Because as Unknown, I absolutely did not want that to happen. But I stopped my thoughts for a moment and took a bite of the cake slice with a fork. Choi Hana had to go up to stream in an hour. Of course she was still hiding that fact from me. Having checked her streaming station schedule, I did not intend to make her too tired.
Because even after the stream ends, we have to pull an all-nighter studying.
Her situation where she could not easily take a day off was subtle. Certainly she was currently the most talked-about VTuber on Toka TV. And although it seemed unintentional on her part, there were more fans who had fallen for her than expected. Her so-called ability to milk her fans was far too high. Not only that. She acted as a very charming and bright woman, yet right before ending the stream, during the quiet communication time, she carelessly showed a slightly depressed side. Because of that gap, Naharing’s fandom was immersing even more. Of course Choi Hana had never shown a struggling side in front of me.
Anyway we’re partners in the same boat. If I can help…
Consultation about worries was not difficult. It seemed good to exchange some casual conversation during this break time. Since I could even talk with that emotionless Song Sia. It was the moment I was about to lightly exchange words with her.
“Um, Junwoo-ssi! This kind of thing is popular among the young generation these days!”
Choi Hana placed her smartphone on the table.
A YouTube clip, huh.
Building common ground by watching YouTube together was also a good thing. But soon my expression hardened as I saw the clip she played. Choi Hana had played a video of Naharing herself.