Chapter 253
Chapter 253
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 253
Chapter Title: I Got Permission for Yuna's Independence!
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My first meeting with Yuna's mom and her little siblings went off without a hitch.
Well, maybe that's just how it felt to me.
Let's just say it seemed successful, for now.
Anyway, as we spent time together, Yuna's dad came home later.
After hearing my introduction, he welcomed me warmly.
He'd been dying to meet his daughter's coworker at least once.
And apparently, he'd been especially eager to meet me.
Probably because we're the same age and friends, too.
I guess Yuna's talked about me a lot at home.
"So, Da-jeong, you live alone and work? Goodness, that's impressive at your age."
"Oh, no, all our members and big sisters do the same."
"Still, that's plenty impressive. Cooking for yourself, working, handling all the housework alone— that's no easy feat."
Even though Yuna's dad was the same age as her, he seemed genuinely proud of me for managing on my own.
He kept showering me with praise, smiling contentedly the whole time.
But for some reason... maybe it was just my imagination...
"At this point, Yuna could probably handle living on her own just fine, right?"
"Right? That's what you think too, Dad?"
He kept using me as an excuse to defend Yuna.
Every time, Yuna would chime in agreement while staring intently at her mom.
Maybe Yuna's mom was the only one opposed to her moving out—er, gaining independence?
Her dad didn't seem strongly against it.
If anything, he gave off the vibe of strongly supporting Yuna.
Yet despite that, Yuna's requests hadn't gone through until now.
That must mean her mom had been the one firmly against it all this time.
But why object so vehemently?
Plus, if she still felt that way, she wouldn't have taken kindly to my visit.
But no—when I first suggested it through Yuna, her mom had actually seemed glad and invited me over.
Why was that?
"Oh, that reminds me, Da-jeong. Have you seen Yuna's childhood photos? Our little girl was so cute back then."
"Ugh, Dad! So you're saying she's not cute now?"
"Hehe, no, I haven't. I'd love to see them."
As dinner wrapped up amid all these questions swirling in my head, her dad made a delightful suggestion while her mom prepared dessert.
Thanks to him, we ended up in the living room, spreading out an album on the low table and admiring Yuna's childhood pics.
"Wow, Yuna looks exactly the same as a kid as she does now. She's adorable."
"Right?"
"Eek, this is somehow embarrassing..."
Even Yuna, with her strong sense of pride, found it awkward showing her childhood self to a close friend.
She kept hiding her face and nuzzling her head against my shoulder.
It was her go-to skinship move whenever she felt embarrassed.
There didn't seem to be any reason to be embarrassed, though.
Yep, she was plenty cute as a kid, too.
Only one thing caught my eye, though...
"There sure are a lot of photos that look like they were taken in a hospital...?"
For some odd reason, in the photos where Yuna looked to be in kindergarten or early elementary school age,
most of them were taken with a hospital as the backdrop.
Even with an IV in one hand, she smiled so brightly, like the hospital was a familiar place.
"Well, you see, Yuna was actually pretty sickly as a kid."
"Sickly? How bad was it...?"
I muttered without thinking, and her dad replied in a wistful tone.
It didn't feel like mere frequent minor illnesses.
When I asked for specifics, her mom—who'd come in with dessert—answered instead.
"When Ji-hoo was just born, Yuna had lymphoma. She's fully recovered now, but back then, while other kids were out running around, she was always stuck in the hospital."
"Lymphoma...?"
I blinked at the unfamiliar term, and Yuna—who'd been looking glum—forced a casual smile and explained for me.
"It's a type of pediatric cancer. I went through a lot because of it."
"Cancer...?!"
I was so shocked by the unimaginable illness that I flapped my lips like a goldfish.
Yuna said it nonchalantly, but how serious had it been?
According to her mom, it got so bad she couldn't eat, so they had to insert a tube in her throat.
"See, there's still a faint scar-like mark on her neck. That's actually from the surgery."
"Y-yeah... I see it. So that's a surgery scar."
Even on our summer trip together, I'd noticed something faint on her neck.
I'd assumed it was just one of those white stretch marks from growing up.
But it was a surgery scar. Talk about a shock.
"...Min-seo, let's go play in the room. I'll set up the dollhouse for you."
"Okay, big brother."
Ji-hoo, who'd been quietly listening, seemed to realize it was a heavy topic.
He stepped up maturely as the big brother, taking Min-seo to their room by the hand.
With the kids gone, her mom must have felt there was no need to hold back.
She opened up in earnest.
"You've seen our daughter, so you know—she's so bright, she doesn't let things like that get to her. She even hates talking about it in front of others."
"Yes, ma'am. I know."
I prided myself on knowing better than anyone how upbeat Yuna was.
I nodded and straightened up in my seat.
"Plus, she's the type who has to do whatever she sets her mind to. Back when she first started that Virtual YouTuber thing, we were really worried. It didn't go well then, but..."
"Mom, come on. Why bring up that embarrassing stuff?"
The classic past life story.
Yeah, I knew about that one.
Whenever a VTuber with a past life debuts in a new avatar, nine times out of ten, it gets dug up.
In Yuna's case, she'd been active as "Chiya" before.
But as far as I knew, her viewer count was pretty low back then, so she wasn't well-known.
That's why she re-debuted through Blue LUV for a fresh start.
You can still find posts about her past life online if you search.
"But this time, thanks to good people, she got a great opportunity and is loved by so many. As her mom, it makes me so proud."
"No, it's because Yuna made the most of her chance."
Her mom seemed to think Yuna's popularity came from the Blue LUV name.
But I didn't see it that way at all.
Of course, I wasn't downplaying the weight of the Blue LUV name.
Blue LUV—more precisely, the President, or to be exact, the streamer Haneul Bom—is why we gained attention and grew so fast in such a short time.
But would it have worked out this well with someone else in Yuna's spot?
I didn't think so.
That's why I saw it as Yuna's strength—grabbing the opportunity and making it her own.
Her perseverance in trying again after one failure.
"Truth be told, when she said she wanted to do internet streaming again, I opposed it strongly. She struggled so much back then—I'd hear her sobbing under the covers every night, even just going to the bathroom in the early morning."
"I didn't cry every night, though..."
"Ah..."
Yuna had it rough, too.
Of course—when something you prepared so ambitiously falls flat, it hurts.
Her mom had watched it all up close, so she really didn't want Yuna going down that road again.
"That's also why I was the only one stubbornly against her moving out when outsiders approved. She was struggling so much even at home—how much worse would it be alone out there? I couldn't even imagine."
"...So that's why, Mom."
She even laid bare the real reason for opposing Yuna's independence this time.
Yuna bowed her head, her chest tightening at this story she was hearing for the first time.
"But lately, watching her, I've noticed how much she smiles now. The girl who used to suffer through every stream now says streaming is so much fun. That's when I realized she's with really good people."
"Mom..."
Yuna's voice grew misty.
Her mom's voice, continuing on, gradually took on a watery tone as well.
"They say no parent can win against their child—eventually, you have to let them go. So before that, I wanted to meet the people she works with. Sorry for being so stubborn."
"No, ma'am. I'm grateful to hear all this."
I bowed my head to her apologetic mom and gripped her hand tightly.
If not for this moment, I wouldn't have known about Yuna's painful past.
Or how deeply her mom cared for her.
Getting to know my best friend even a little better made me happy instead.
Swish—
"Take good care of our daughter. She's such a hyper one, always running around—she'll probably wear you out being around her... but please, look after her."
"Don't worry, ma'am. As her friend and teammate, I'll take great care of Yuna."
With her hand still in mine, I bowed deeply in return to her courteous mom.
I didn't let go until the end.
Because to me, Yuna isn't just a close friend.
She's one of the four stars who brought light to my dark days.
Now, she's a teammate I can rely on more than anyone.
So on her mom's behalf, I vowed to watch over her and keep her from getting hurt.
Only then did a faint smile form on her mom's lips, as if reassured.
"Goodness, you'd think we were sending her off to marry. Why the tears?"
Maybe noticing the dew in her mom's eyes as she lifted her head,
Her dad teased her lightly while wiping her eyes for her.
Meanwhile, Yuna—who'd been furtively wiping tears in the corner—sneaked over to me...
"Hehe, now that we've got permission, I can really marry Da-jeong. Right?!"
"Hehe, yeah."
She threw her arms around me in her usual hug, cracking a joke.
And today, for once, I didn't brush it off—instead, I hugged her back tightly, playing along.