Infinite Noir and Me (1)
And the next day.
I found myself standing in front of the mirror in my room, fussing over my clothes for no good reason, making sure everything was in place.
Well, damn.
Today, I was set to meet the remaining Korean members of Infinite Noir, everyone except Zero Sugar, who had a schedule. I'd been the one to suggest it, but now that the time was creeping up, a strange tension was building inside me.
I was about to meet people I had no prior connection with—all at once. And all women, at that.
Not that it had me excited or anything. At my age, getting all hyped up by myself would just look pathetic. Besides, I hadn't even been a fan of the Infinite Noir members until a few days ago—I didn't even know their leader, RenaPpi, was blowing up that big.
Still, my main worry was not coming off as some lightweight. First impressions mattered way more in relationships than people thought.
Like it or not, I was the guy RenaPpi herself had brought in. If they saw me as a joke, what would that do to I-se's reputation?
Whew.
That morning, I'd looked up the basics on all three streamers coming over, straight from Seedling Wiki.
First up, Sena. She was the streamer I'd seen before even waking up from my coma and catching RenaPpi's broadcast. Fan name: Lackey. Succubus from the demon realm concept, with long straight brown hair and a devil tail. For a succubus, she had this cute face with jellyfish-shaped hairpins—no wonder. And among the Infinite Noir avatars, hers had the biggest chest. Avatar talk, anyway.
Next, Ayaka. Cool short-haired beauty with one blue eye covered, sleek and slender. Fan name: Roman. Apparently came from her habit of saying stuff like "not just that," "not only thinking that," "can only see that"—lots of "roman" in there. Her original concept fit the avatar's stoic vibe... but that was just the concept. Real play streams had shattered it long ago, so fans just rolled with it and enjoyed the ride. Still, she wanted to keep up the cool act... except she often showed her true colors in games: total airhead moments. Of course, that became her moe point, drawing in the yuksu like flies.
And then Minaero. Snow-white twintails, little stars near her eyes, pure cuteness with zero mature or sexy vibes. Among the Infinite Noir members I'd seen, her avatar hit the most niche tastes. Fan name: Narodan. Obvious where that came from. I'd caught a short clip of her before—seemed like she worked hard to make her voice super cute. And it was adorable enough that she could've made it big as a voice actress.
With that quick rundown done, I shut down the computer and glanced in the mirror again, feeling like a job-hunting fresh grad prepping for an interview. Hoodie zip-up, light tee, black jeans. Real interview outfit? They'd call me insane. But I was here to help them, so it should be fine.
Yeah. This'll do.
Clock said 11 a.m. They were due at noon.
Better head over soon.
Steeling myself, I slowly opened the door and headed to I-se's place.
*
This spot had a massive coffee table right in front of floor-to-ceiling windows. I sank into the sofa—plush and clearly expensive, the kind that swallowed you whole—and stared out at the view.
The scenery outside felt like a quarter-view city-builder sim on steroids. The massive river splitting the city in two—the Han River. Luxe apartments and skyscrapers hugging its banks. The same river I'd once jumped into to end it all, now gazed down from the 40th floor.
Ha.
That phrase popped back into my head unbidden. Life is either a Han River view or Han River water. No one in modern Korea got it like I did. Everything flipped overnight.
Well, not overnight—a year, technically. Close enough.
Of course, that didn't mean this view was mine. The real owner was the woman coming over with a plate and a smile—Ryu I-se.
Fluffy white dress that looked ready to float away, bright smile as she approached. Not some fancy brand, but on her SS-grade figure, even the clothes screamed luxury. House dress? The flowing white gave off pure innocence.
Though her impossible-to-hide massive bust made its presence known. The dress's cinched waist with a ribbon only pushed them out more boldly.
Pure and sexy—two words that shouldn't mix, yet here they were, pulling off a miracle circus act.
I stared, mesmerized, like admiring a masterfully sculpted statue. How did she make anything look that good?
She's really pretty.
I-se was sunlight in human form. Even the rays hitting the window couldn't outshine her smile.
"Min-ho! Have some fruit!"
I eyed the plate: apple slices shaped like bunnies. A bit rough around the edges, but the best-looking thing she'd made yet.
"Ah, sure."
I wanted to say thanks for the effort, but something tickled me funny, so I just took the plate lightly.
That's when I noticed: her hand, plastered with bandages. Way more than last time.
"...I-se?"
"Huh? Oh! My hand. It's nothing."
She caught my gaze and hid it quick.
"I... suck at peeling fruit. So I practiced a bit last night? Hehe. Whatever."
Now it clicked—last night, her room light stayed on late as I drifted off.
Practicing apple peeling?
No need to go that hard. I could've done it. I was getting paid; odd jobs were no issue. Not like some black company—I-se treated me better than any boss I'd ever had.
"Tell me next time. I'll handle it."
"No way! Absolutely not!"
She shut that down hard.
"You always cook for me... Even this morning's egg custard was amazing."
"Nobody calls basic steamed eggs 'amazing.'"
"It was! Suuuper delicious. So I wanted to at least do the fruit..."
She clasped her hands, covered her mouth demurely, and peeked up at me with a bowed head. Face flushed red—obvious.
"Do you... hate it?"
"......"
Ha. Living with I-se, the toughest moments were soaking in her like this. A weird itch deep inside. Every cell screaming to claim this adorable woman.
Intentional? World's top seductress. Accidental? Beyond that—a nine-tailed fox.
"Nah... not hating it. Just."
I swallowed the lecture about not mangling her hands over this. Didn't want to dismiss her effort. Compared to her past "dishes," this lumpy bunny apple was downright edible. Peeling fruit wasn't rocket science, but this girl? She'd botch a foolproof meal kit. This was real progress.
I skipped the chit-chat and popped an apple slice. Crunchy, juice flooding my mouth.
"Tasty."
"Really? Phew... Glad you like apples. Hehe."
I wasn't big on apples. But... it was tasty. Fruit? Situation? Who knew.
Then—the doorbell chimed.
Clock: 11:40. If they hustled, perfect timing.
"Ah! One sec."
I-se scurried to the intercom.
"Oh! They all came together. Hang on!"
"Make yourselves comfy," she told me, heading to the door.
Soon, a chorus of women's voices hit my ears.
"Unnie! I'm here. Missed you!"
"We're here."
"Uuu... I-se sunbae-nim...! Sniffle."
Gulp.
New voices had me on edge; I swallowed dryly. Even chats with I-se, who I'd seen plenty, weren't always smooth. Facing three total strangers? Cold sweat.
Okay. Calm down. Per I-se, I was the guy she'd consulted on streams from the start—the one who could help with this mess.
I was here to help them. They should be the nervous ones.
That eased me a bit.
"Come on in, everyone."
I-se led into the living room, three women trailing.
First: fresh-faced college kid vibe. Yellow-dyed hair in side pigtails—manga-perfect cute girl.
Next: long straight black hair, way more mature than the blonde. Stoic beauty, like a reliable senior.
Last: teary one clinging to the black-haired woman's clothes. Long wavy black hair, loosely tied sides for a different cute flavor. Flashiest outfit—frilly lolita dress, street-ready casual for the others. If you asked who screamed "virtual streamer," she'd win hands down.
Our eyes met—all three.
I stood naturally, gave a slight bow.
"Hello."