The Sole Reader's Secret Support
I wanted to know what was making the author of Daddy-Long-Legs take such a long break, but I didn't have the courage to ask. She was the cautious type, after all. Still, it wasn't a complete loss. 'Kang Ajin is definitely the author HaCupSe.' If I kept observing her, I might figure out the reason. And who knows—maybe if I helped her out from behind the scenes and freed up some of her time, her upload schedule would speed up. 'Like helping Kang Ajin with her assignments, for example.' Thinking that made me feel like some kind of guardian angel. Of course, I had to stay within reasonable bounds. If I clung to her too obviously, she might misunderstand and think I had ulterior motives. In the worst case, she could even mistake me for a stalker. 'Online is online. Real life is real life.' Yeah. Anyway, let's work hard and keep this novel alive. There's no way I'm letting something this good go on indefinite hiatus.
"Seokhun, wanna eat already?"
"Don't talk to me. This part's important."
We were in the student cafeteria. Or more precisely, I was sitting with Park Kangtae while he ate lunch. I, on the other hand, was glued to my phone.
"You're reading that weird web novel again?"
"Watch your mouth. You're talking to a future author who's going to hit a million views. Show some respect."
"A million views, my ass. I'd rather kick your ass a thousand times a month. Hurry up and eat so we can go."
I kept fiddling with my phone instead of touching the food in front of me. My parents had always told me not to use my phone at the table, but they'd have to forgive me this once. Our great author HaCupSe had just uploaded the next chapter. I had to read it the moment it dropped and leave my usual enthusiastic comments.
"If you're not gonna eat that pork cutlet, give it to me."
"Dude, don't cross the line."
"Fine."
When he started eyeing my food, I had no choice but to pick up my utensils. Was that his plan all along? Park Kangtae, you persistent bastard. You really are as sneaky as you look.
Crunch!
I sliced off a piece of pork cutlet, speared it with my fork, and popped it into my mouth. The moment I bit down, the juices burst out and mingled with the sweet-and-savory sauce. It was heavenly—the kind of flavor that melted away the day's fatigue.
"Mmm! Fucking tasty~ So damn good. I wouldn't even notice if someone died while we were eating."
"Shit, I should've ordered the pork cutlet too. Hey, can I have just one piece? I just wanna taste it."
"Bro, I said don't cross the line. You really want us to fight over one piece of meat?"
"No, seriously, just one. I suddenly got a huge craving for pork cutlet."
"Alright, alright. Wait a bit. I'll cut you a few pieces later."
After saying that, I focused back on my meal. Nothing beats meat after a hard day. I was savoring each bite while trying to tease Park Kangtae when he suddenly spoke up.
"Oh, right. Who was that girl?"
"Om nom nom. Huh? Who?"
"Jiseok said you were with a girl today. That really pretty blonde one."
He was talking about Kang Ajin. Someone must have spotted us having coffee together at the café. But there was nothing to hide—I hadn't done anything wrong. I answered casually.
"Yeah, I had coffee with a really pretty girl."
"What? For real? Seriously?"
"Why would I lie? Thanks to her, I got some serious eye candy. Though now I'm getting eye damage thanks to you, asshole."
"No, stop bullshitting. Was it really true? Jiseok wasn't lying?"
Why was he making such a fuss over one cup of coffee? Then again, when the girl in question looked like Kang Ajin, maybe it made sense.
"Whoa, this guy's actually got game!"
"Just so you don't misunderstand—nothing happened. We just had coffee and went our separate ways."
"Still, you got to drink coffee with her! That's it, I'm transferring schools right now. I'm dead."
"Don't come. Seriously, I'll kill you."
Damn it. Park Kangtae had completely broken my concentration. I ignored him and went back to reading the novel. About five minutes later, I couldn't hold back my admiration again.
"This is insane, absolutely insane! HaCupSe is a god."
"Oh great, Choi Seokhun's having another episode. You should just throw your phone away."
"I can't hold back!"
"You crazy bastard, are you donating again? Buy me drinks with that money instead!"
I quickly typed out a long comment and opened the donation window. Three thousand won, right away.
"There we go!"
"You're actually fucking insane."
Kang Ajin was scrolling through the comments on her novel via her phone. She had been refreshing the page repeatedly, her eyes darting around, but eventually let out a disappointed sigh.
"When is he coming…"
She had uploaded the new chapter three hours ago, but the reader who always showed up like clockwork was nowhere to be seen. That reader usually commented the moment she posted, so the delay felt especially noticeable today.
"Don't tell me…"
A wave of anxiety washed over her. The fear that he might have gotten tired of the repeated breaks and dropped the novel. Kang Ajin desperately suppressed the rising sadness and clicked the refresh button again.
"!"
To her immense relief, two notifications had appeared. But why two instead of one? With a small question in her mind, she checked the alerts.
"H-Huh? Another donation?!"
The only reader who read her work and left affectionate comments—Chunsik. His very existence was already a huge source of strength, but that wasn't the end of his charm.
She had received a donation. A whopping thirty thousand won!
"C-Can I really accept this much…?"
Honestly, her conscience pricked at her and she considered refusing, but with her living expenses already tight, turning it down wasn't easy.
"I-It'll be fine…! I can just repay it with daily uploads!"
Kang Ajin thought to herself that she could refuse the donation if she wanted to. (She couldn't.) But if she did, it would only disappoint this reader, and besides, she didn't want to reject the sincerity contained in this money. (Definitely not.) She rationalized it somehow and moved on.
"Mm-hmm!"
Alright! Now, how should she spend this donation? The didn't last long.
'Hehe. I wanted to buy that lunchbox. Perfect timing.'
She headed straight to the convenience store and bought a large lunchbox. It cost a whole 5,600 won—an amount she would normally never even consider spending. But today was different. It was only proper, given the reader's kindness. (It was really just because she wanted to eat it.)
"Hehe! My part-time paycheck is still far away, but this is great!"
Humming to herself, she made her way to the restroom. To everyone else, it was just a place to do their business. To her, it was a dining room, a sanctuary, and even a study café. The space was cramped and stuffy with no one else around, which made it all the more comforting.
"Hehe~"
She sat down on the closed toilet lid. With an excited heart, she opened the lunchbox lid and began tasting the food.
Nom.
"Mmm!! Hehehe! It's so good…!"
How long had it been since she'd eaten meat as a side dish? The taste of meat, which she hadn't even seen in ages, was truly the icing on the cake. Every time she chewed, the texture delighted her, and the juices that burst out with each bite wrapped around her tongue and pleased her palate. She kept moving her chopsticks while letting out little exclamations.
'I'm so happy…'
Just as she was about to pick up the sausage she'd been saving, thud! A loud knock echoed from the other side of the door, followed by a middle-aged woman's voice.
"Student! Are you still pooping in there?! I need to clean!"
"!"
Her entire body flinched at the voice. The slight movement made her fingers twitch too, and she dropped the sausage she had been holding.
"Ah…!"
Seeing the sausage fall to the floor made a corner of her heart sink. She only had a moment to sigh in sadness before another knock came.
Thud thud!
The same woman spoke again.
"Student! Why are you taking so long? Come out already!"
"Ah… um…"
"I need to clean, you know? Hurry up and come out! Geez, what are you even doing in there for so long!?"
I'm eating…
She couldn't bring herself to say it out loud. In fact, she couldn't say anything at all. Before she could even calm her racing heart, she stood up hesitantly. When she carefully opened the door, a middle-aged woman holding cleaning supplies stood before her. Naturally, the woman's expression wasn't pleasant. Already annoyed, her voice grew several times harsher when she spotted the lunchbox in Kang Ajin's hands.
"Student! Who told you to eat lunch in here!"
"Ah… I-I didn't know I wasn't supposed to…"
"What do you mean you didn't know! This is basic etiquette! Eat in the cafeteria! Do your business in the restroom! So why are you eating in the restroom!?"
"I-I'm sorry…"
"I just don't understand! Why on earth would you eat here?"
"W-Well…"
There was a clear answer to the question, but she couldn't bring herself to say it. She just wanted to escape the situation by apologizing.
"I'm sorry…"
"Ugh! Oh, right. I've seen cup ramen cups in the trash here sometimes. Was that you, student?"
Memories of eating cup ramen flashed through her mind like a slideshow. Thinking of them, she answered.
"No…"
The middle-aged woman gave her a sharp once-over.
"Hmm. Really?"
"Y-Yes."
"Alright. Don't eat here again from now on."
"…"
She left without a word, bowing her head. But what was she supposed to do with the lunchbox? She hadn't even finished half of it…
Sniff.
She sniffled and turned on her phone. There was something she always looked at whenever she felt this sad. Just seeing it was enough to make the sadness fade—it was her only source of comfort.
The only comment from her only reader. Whenever she saw it, she couldn't help but feel happy.
"Hehehe…"
A small laugh escaped even as she sniffled. The gloomy mood vanished like a lie, replaced by a fluffy happiness that tickled her entire body.
'I'm so happy…'