B-Class Hunter Choi Garam — Maid (1)
In truth, once the day she met Taejin had passed, Garam felt embarrassed about the way she had acted.
More precisely—
Ugh, why did I react like that?!
When the intense emotions of that moment faded and her cool-headedness returned, she was mortified by what she had done. It was the sort of thing only a little kid would pull without feeling any shame. Thanks to that, she spent the entire day with her face buried in a pillow, cringing at her own behavior.
But that only lasted until the second day.
Instead, she decided to turn that incident into an opportunity and take action. Even if what she had done had been a huge imposition on Taejin Oppa! Still, those feelings had not been a lie, so she resolved to act on them. Of course, she had to stream first.
After finishing her broadcast, Garam pondered. Who should she consult about this dilemma? After all, it was about getting recommendations for cosplay outfits to wear with a guy, so she could not decide lightly.
The streaming world was not quite the hellscape of the entertainment industry, but it was still a minefield. In short, the more you revealed about yourself, the more you stood to lose. Having been in this scene since she was young, she knew that much. So she carefully considered who could advise her on a worry this personal.
Countless people crossed her mind—close friends, streamers known for spicy content, people around her whose rumors ran in the wrong direction for what she wanted, and so on. There were many candidates, but in the end, the one Garam chose was—
"Oh my, Garam, what brings you here? Asking me out to eat~"
"You're the one who always says you're busy whenever I ask to hang out first..."
"Heheh, sorry~ But I have a schedule, what can I do~"
It was Sora Unnie, whom she had met and consulted with last time. Honestly, she had wanted to talk to someone else this time. Even with a close unnie, she did not want to discuss something this embarrassing... Sadly, though she had diligently built connections her whole life, no one was as trustworthy as the unnie right in front of her, so she ended up meeting her again to talk.
Of course, it was not just chatting—they talked over a meal at a private meat restaurant. Both of them knew that if the things coming out of their mouths reached other people's ears, nothing good would come of it.
After hearing Garam's story in that private space, Sora—
"Pffft—! Kyahaha! You said that right to his face?! Ah, our Garam is a total badass!"
—laughed so hard her belly nearly burst. At that sight, Garam hung her head low, knowing full well how embarrassing it was.
After laughing her fill for a while, Sora wiped away her tears and said,
"You told me all this, so of course this unnie has to help."
"Really?!"
"Of course~ When I do events for my viewers, I'll introduce you to the place where I buy costumes. Fair warning, though—it costs a bit."
"That doesn't matter."
For reference, Garam's income was a number beyond the imagination of ordinary people. In that sense, as long as she was not custom-ordering dozens of outfits, price was not a concern. Knowing her situation, Sora nodded as well.
Ah, and additionally—
"You said you'd definitely seduce him with costumes, right? Then this outfit, and this one... and this..."
"Th-this one's exposure is a bit low, isn't it?"
"Haa, Garam, with these, it's not about the exposure—you win with immersion."
"I-is that so?"
She even gave her a special lesson she had not been able to before. Thanks to that, perhaps, Garam ended up buying enough outfits to wring Taejin dry of every last drop. Ones that could definitely tempt Taejin's desires, plus clothes that emphasized sexy over the cuteness that usually defined Garam.
And with all preparations complete, Garam sent a text to Taejin.
Time passed, and the day to meet Garam arrived.
Even though it was time to clock out, Taejin felt no joy at all. On the contrary—
"Hyungnim, can I leave work later?"
He did not want to go. Of course—
"No way. Get out already."
"Yes, sir."
There was no chance of that.
After changing clothes, clocking out, taking a quick cold shower at the dorm to clear his head, he headed to where Garam was—stuffing an energy bar into his mouth just in case.
Right. Even in a tiger's den, you can survive if you keep your wits about you.
Steeling himself like that, Taejin made his way to her home, and upon arriving at her door, he took a deep breath and pressed the doorbell.
Soon, with the chime echoing through the hallway, the door opened to reveal—
"Taejin Oppa, you're here~?"
Huh, her outfit is more ordinary than I expected?
Garam in clothes far more ordinary than Taejin had anticipated. But strangely, looking at Garam dressed so ordinarily, Taejin felt something off. No—more precisely, rather than off—
Come to think of it, it feels a little different from her usual clothes?
It was definitely different from what she normally wore. Taejin was a complete fashion disaster, so he could not quite put his finger on the change, but anyone with even a little sense of style would have known what Garam was wearing right now.
As he followed Garam inside, Taejin swallowed hard and thought,
A sweater with the back cut out like that...
Wearing what was commonly known as a virgin-killer sweater—a deep-cleavage sweater—paired with extremely short denim shorts, Garam smiled and went inside with Taejin.
Entering the living room, Taejin's eyes fell on a feast of fragrant home-cooked dishes. Fortunately, they were ordinary ingredients, not monster meat.
"You made all this?"
Surprised by the Korean dishes—ones he, as a Korean, had not eaten much of—Taejin asked, and Garam scratched her head with a smile.
"I got a little help with a few... hehe."
At her words, Taejin could not help but snort with laughter. Garam puffed out her cheeks at that, but when Taejin sat down and let out an impressed "Whoa—", her expression finally softened, and she urged him to dig in.
Taejin nodded and scooped up a spoonful of the doenjang-guk in front of him.
Slurp— Wait. This is insanely good?
It was a flavor that instantly captivated the palate of Taejin, who had only ever tasted the complimentary doenjang-guk at meat restaurants. Trying the other dishes just in case, the quality of the side dishes was no joke either. No—how could she cook like this...
As Taejin marveled inwardly for a moment—
"Hehe, you're eating so well~♥"
Watching him, Garam gazed at him with the look of a mother watching her son, the kind that says "Just looking at you fills me up~". Thanks to that, Taejin almost called her "Mama" for a second, but of course it was just a momentary slip.
"This is really delicious. I feel a little bad saying this, but I think it's better than my mom's?"
Sorry, Mom. But the cooking skills of the women I've been meeting lately are no joke...
When Taejin said that, Garam—perhaps sensing danger—waved her hands and face side to side, insisting it absolutely was not true.
"Aww! Still, your mother must cook better than me."
Sorry, but my mom is not that good, Taejin wanted to say, but knowing that accepting a compliment gracefully when someone is lifting you up is a virtue, he simply nodded.
After enjoying Korean food for the first time in a while and feeling full, Taejin watched as Garam said she would clear the dishes if he was done and carried them to the sink, thinking,
This is more... ordinary than I expected?
Judging by the bold outfit she had sent, Taejin had expected her to cosplay right from the entrance and jump him, so he was relieved by her relatively normal behavior.
Or am I a little disappointed?
No. Actually, he was a little disappointed. Honestly, he kind of wanted to experience something like that at least once. It was not an everyday event, and was he not curious?
Anyway, while Taejin was thinking that—
"Taejin Oppa. Do you like tea~?"
"Tea? I've never really drunk it..."
"Then I'll make you coffee."
"Uh, sure."
Caught off guard by Garam's sudden question, Taejin was flustered but answered yes for now. And of course he expected her to brew the coffee right away, but—
"Just wait a moment!"
She suddenly went into the dressing room.
"???"
Taejin wondered what that was about for a second, but decided to wait. He was curious what she was doing going into the dressing room all of a sudden.
How long did he wait? Even after quite some time had passed with no sign of Garam, Taejin seriously considered whether he should knock, when—
—Creeeak.
Fortunately, before he could knock, Garam opened the door and came out. And the Garam who emerged was—
"Sorry for keeping you waiting."
In what we commonly call a maid outfit.
"Master♥"
Not a maid-cafe maid, but a long-skirted maid wearing glasses, at that.