Date with Her (1)
"Uh…… um."
I never imagined someone would call me by that nickname in public with a woman's voice—well, to be precise, I had considered it to some extent, but hearing it for real was so startling that I froze up for a moment. Unlike me, fumbling like an idiot, she flashed a radiant smile and trotted toward me with quick little steps.
"It's you! Jit-leus, right? Wow!"
She looked so delighted, beaming at me with the brightest face. It was a bit embarrassing to have such a stunning beauty staring right through me, but I hadn't clawed my way back from the brink of death just to stammer like this in public. I composed myself as best I could and said,
"How on earth did you recognize me as Jit-leus?"
She tilted her head slightly at my question. Her hair cascaded in the same direction, exuding a unique sexiness that was hard to put into words.
"I could just tell at a glance!"
With that, she blushed faintly and gazed at me.
"You're the one I've been drawing in my mind all this time. Jit-leus…… I've lived every day up to now just thinking about meeting you?"
She leaned in closer, waist bending toward me, and tilted her head again. The citrusy scent of her perfume—probably something she'd spritzed on—wafted quickly past my nose.
Why is this woman trying to boil yuksu right in front of me?
Who am I? The guy who lectured her on [How to Properly Brew Yuksu]. In other words, the professor of Yuksu Studies 101. You think a professor would fall so easily for his own student's tricks?
"Knowing who I am doesn't really connect to missing me that much, does it?"
I tried to play it cool, responding nonchalantly, but true to form as RenaPpi, she shot back without missing a beat.
"Why wouldn't it? Thinking about someone all day long is a huge deal!"
"Yesterday, the day before, and even today when we were supposed to meet…… all I thought about was you, Jit-leus."
She took a few more steps closer.
"Don't you think it's only natural that the person I've imagined for so long sparkles in my eyes at our first meeting?"
Her eyes glittered brightly, no sunlight needed. And as I looked at her, I finally felt my brain melting into goo.
Ha. Fuck, I just wanna drop everything and boil RenaPpi's yuksu for real lol.
I barely resisted the urge to type that out somewhere, clearing my throat awkwardly to hide my embarrassment.
"……Anyway, now that we're here…… maybe change how you call me?"
"My nickname? But Jit-leus is so cute!"
What kind of taste does this woman have?
"Imagine being called [Subway-Old-Man-Denture-Stealer] in the real world. How utterly humiliating is that?"
"But I think it's cute! The sound of it is nice too."
"……Anyway!"
To avoid getting swept up in her disarmingly lovable pace, I cut in sharply.
"My name is Yoo Min-ho. I'd appreciate it if you just called me by my name like a normal person."
"Oh! So your name is Min-ho…… Yeah! It's a cool name!"
She nodded enthusiastically.
"Min-ho! Nice to meet you properly!"
I was pleased she'd complimented my name, but for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to show it openly. After all…… I'd never been friendly with any woman except my ex-girlfriend. She hated even seeing me laugh and chat with other girls. There was no such restriction now, but habits like that don't change overnight.
"What should I call you, then?"
Even my question came out stiffer than intended due to that inertia, but she answered without losing her smile.
"Me?"
"I mean, here in public…… should I call you by that nickname?"
Her pupils dilated slightly as she processed my words.
"Oh…… yeah, you're right."
She only just realized that?
That airheaded vibe confirmed it—this was definitely her. The girl I'd had phone dates with. The one who'd asked nonsense like what yuksu to brew…… RenaP.
Either way, in reality, RenaPpi was a massive streamer. On my way here alone, I'd encountered her name or image three times indirectly. If some guy started calling a woman "RenaPpi" out loud? Her face might not be public knowledge, but her voice was already famous to most people. No one in their right mind would say that name casually in public.
And if some passerby overheard a man addressing a woman like that? I could already envision a budding wiki page titled [RenaPpi/Controversy].
"I'll tell you my name, then! Oh…… wait a sec!"
She rummaged in her bag and pulled something from a small wallet, showing it to me.
"What's this? ……Your driver's license?"
She nodded eagerly. I took the license she handed over.
Ryu I-se
Class 1 Ordinary
XXXXXX-XXXXXXX
The photo next to it was so beautiful that a stranger might think it was heavily edited, but I knew it wasn't. The even prettier original was standing right in front of me, looking a bit proud. Bonus fact: she was nine years younger than me. Twenty-three years old. I was thirty-one…… no, thirty-two now after that year in a coma. Quite the age gap.
"So, why?"
"That's my name!"
She patted her chest proudly. Foolishly, my eyes flicked quickly to her large breasts jiggling slightly from the motion.
"No one introduces themselves to a stranger by whipping out their ID like this!"
"True, no one hands over something as important as a driver's license to someone they just met……."
"Ahem!"
I felt an odd twinge of annoyance at her triumphant expression, like she'd accomplished something big. Come to think of it, her motto was [Do what no one else does]. That's why she'd done streams introducing Estonia or obscure unreleased PC-98 classics.
Ha.
"Whatever, it's fine! I wouldn't show my license to anyone but you, Jit-leus!"
So…….
"I-se, then?"
"Yup! Call me whatever feels comfy!"
I-se. A pretty name, I wanted to say, but my mouth wouldn't cooperate.
……Sigh.
Talking face-to-face with another woman still felt awkward. What could I do? For over a decade, I'd only spoken sweetly to my girlfriend, catering solely to her moods.
I recalled that time again. Back then, other women barely existed in my life. As I said, my ex had a pathological hatred for me even talking to them.
So, if my speech came out awkward or weird…… it couldn't be helped.
After muttering that pointless excuse to myself, I let out a deep sigh and finally spoke.
"So, what now?"
"Huh?"
She tilted her head at me again.
……Cute.
I'll be honest. Her adorable, pretty avatar couldn't even keep up with her real looks. If she was this gorgeous, she could've gone facecam and blown up way faster…… I brushed off the idle thought.
"I mean, this is the reward, right? You called me out for a date, so you must have something fun planned?"
"Oh…… r-right, yeah!"
"……You didn't wing it like our phone date days, did you?"
"N-n-no way! You don't think I'm some idiot ditz who stayed up all night excited to meet Jit-leus…… Min-ho, but forgot to plan anything, right?!"
Her expressive face gave it away as she waved her hands frantically.
……If that was acting, she belonged in movies, not streaming.
"Just follow me today and trust me! I'll make it a super fun day."
With that, she suddenly grabbed my hand without warning.
"……!"
"Come on! There's a super atmospheric café just a short walk away. We can figure out the day's plans there!"
I was startled, but I played along, gripping her hand back as we walked.
Figuring out plans on the spot basically meant she hadn't planned squat, right? I was curious, but something even more pressing demanded attention first.
"Hey, I-se."
"Yeah?"
"Are we gonna keep holding hands like this?"
"……Huh?"
She glanced at our joined hands, then yanked hers away in shock, stumbling back with a yelp.
"Whoa?! N-no, uh, wh-when?!"
"Just now. You grabbed it."
"Oh…… n-no, I mean, th-that was…… why? Why?!"
"Beats me?"
Her face flushed beet red as she floundered, then slowly approached, head bowed.
"……S-sorry……."
…….
At this point, I seriously wondered. Was all this her calculated yuksu brewing? As her first viewer—and since she'd publicly called this the donation reward—maybe she was giving extra service.
But otherwise—
"……Eek."
Would a woman this blatantly lovable really pick only the cutest reactions on purpose?
Sigh.
I sighed deeply and said to her, flustered and spacing out,
"What're you doing? Let's go. We can't just stand here forever."
"Huh? Oh…… y-yeah!"
I followed behind her as she perked up and marched forward briskly.