Making Her Long for More
About an hour later, Seol-a sent me the address of a bar near her place.
She wasn’t a top-tier streamer, but she was still a cam girl of sorts, so I wondered if it was really okay to meet her out in public. Still, I hadn’t chosen the place, and since Seol-a had, I decided not to worry about it.
I got into the car driven by the chauffeur and headed to the meeting spot.
It was a bar with partitioned booths, the kind of place ordinary people in their early twenties would go to.
“It feels weird coming to a normal bar with Oppa.”
“It feels a little strange for me too, coming here with you. Just a month ago, the place I worked part-time at had a pretty similar vibe.”
“...That was actually true?”
“I told you I wasn’t lying.”
She still looked like she couldn’t quite believe it.
Fair enough. A person staying in the Signiel super penthouse had worked part-time just a month ago?
Even I thought it was hard to believe.
But that wasn’t the important part.
“I saw your stream. Looks like you’re doing Excel now.”
“It just sort of turned out that way.”
“Was there a special reason?”
“It’s just... putting everything else aside, I don’t think I’m cut out to be a cam girl.”
“Really?”
“I guess I just don’t have that kind of mental strength. More than anything else...”
She let out a small sigh, then looked at me once.
“The biggest thing I realized was that, for a while, I was resenting the person I should’ve been grateful to.”
“Huh?”
“You’re the one who supported me, after all. Honestly, that was already more than I deserved. Doesn’t it sound crazy to resent someone for not donating to you?”
“...”
“I started wondering if I was turning into a monster. Well... I guess saying ‘monster’ is kind of funny when I already became a cam girl to make money.”
While I’d been ignoring her American broadcast, she must have had a lot of things on her mind.
But even so, this still wasn’t the conversation I wanted.
“So what are you going to do now?”
“Who knows? A game crew? I don’t even know if they’d take me.”
“That sounds cool.”
“Cool, my ass. You’re lucky, Oppa. You get to live without worrying about things like this. Or do you have even bigger things to worry about?”
I didn’t really have any big worries. I’d already sold and bought a building.
Compared to the part-time job I used to have, I’d achieved an enormous success.
“You can relax too, you know.”
“Huh?”
I looked at her pointedly, because the conversation felt like it was going in circles.
Seol-a wasn’t stupid. She knew exactly what I meant.
“Tch. Oppa, you’re the same, huh.”
“I’m a man.”
“Well, I guess not forcing anything is at least gentlemanly?”
“I had no intention of doing that.”
“I know. If you’d planned to, you would’ve done it from our very first meal together. But let me ask you one thing. Do you want to date me, Oppa?”
“...”
I hesitated. What was I supposed to say?
It was different from Ji-hyun. Ji-hyun had already given me her answer before I’d even spoken.
“Your face gives everything away. Fine. I don’t want to lose a good Oppa either.”
“Am I that bad?”
“Who knows. I bet a lot of people would like you. It’s just my pride, that’s all.”
“Is that so?”
I hadn’t even expected anything today. I’d only meant to let her know I was a man too.
My pride.
I still didn’t have much experience, so I couldn’t really tell what that meant.
But if I borrowed someone else’s words, pride didn’t put food on the table.
I wondered how long she intended to keep holding onto it.
Honestly, that reaction only made me want her more.
***
The next day.
Lee Sihyun headed toward Hongdae to meet up with some incoming freshmen from her university.
Hongdae was practically the best place for people in their twenties to hang out, so it was no surprise that most meetups ended up there.
What a shame...
She’d asked Oppa, carefully, whether he had anything to do in Hongdae today.
He’d said he’d drunk a lot the night before and planned to stay home and rest for the day.
It wasn’t that she was disappointed she couldn’t ride in the car.
Rather, it was the thought of being bored during the ride there that bothered her. That was all.
This isn’t what I wanted at all.
Oppa had given her pocket money and told her to have fun.
It was a lot of money, but she wasn’t especially thrilled about it.
She was just grateful.
She took public transportation to the meeting place.
Her friends from orientation were there.
Suho, who had said he’d arrive a little late because he lived nearby and they’d gone home together while talking for a long time last time, sent word that he’d be there soon.
They all went to a karaoke room, wandered the streets, and stopped by a café.
And as always, it ended at a bar.
Maybe because they had just become adults, both her high school friends and her college friends seemed to love drinking.
It really did help people get close fast.
Soon Suho arrived too.
“What a shame. If I hadn’t had work, I would’ve come with you. Let’s head back together later.”
“...Yeah.”
She felt confused. She’d never dated in high school.
Suho was being kind to her because he liked her, right?
Without meaning to, she began to look at him as a man.
He was tall. He was handsome. It was easy to like him.
Hmm...
If she ever had her first relationship, a guy like Suho wouldn’t be so bad.
“Should we go to the convenience store? Let’s buy ice cream and hangover medicine for everyone.”
“Sure.”
While the others were outside smoking, Suho, who didn’t smoke, offered to go to the convenience store with her.
She wanted ice cream too, so she didn’t refuse.
“What are you doing this weekend?”
“Hmm... I don’t really have anything planned.”
“Really? Then do you want to come hang out in Hongdae with me? I’m thinking of buying some clothes, but I’m worried I’ll pick something weird.”
“You seem pretty good at dressing well.”
“I bought those clothes while shopping with my older sister, but she’s in another area right now. Is that a little much to ask?”
“No. Then let’s go shopping together this weekend.”
Oppa had given her a generous allowance.
Even after spending today out, she still had plenty left.
Before entering university, she wanted to buy some decent clothes.
And while she was at it, she might as well shop with him.
They bought ice cream and hangover medicine, then headed back to the bar.
“Wow, that’s a perfect sense for timing.”
“Thanks.”
“With this, we can just skip round two.”
“Sorry. I can’t miss the last bus.”
“Me neither.”
It had gotten late. Everyone had been drinking fast during the drinking games, so quite a few people were already drunk.
Without even trying, the group naturally split into those who would stay and those who would go home.
When she was with Oppa, she had nothing to worry about, so she could stay out late. But this time she was alone, so she decided to head home too.
Her mother had even been worried about it.
When she said she was going home, Suho, who’d been watching the situation closely, said he’d head out first too.
So once again, they ended up making their way home together.
After getting off public transportation, they arrived in front of her house with a slightly awkward atmosphere.
“Then I’ll see you this weekend!”
“Yeah, see you then.”
Once they were almost there, they said goodbye and looked forward to the weekend.
The weekend came.
“I’ll take you today. Looks like the timing worked out.”
“Really?”
“I drank way too much last time...”
“Thank you.”
Luckily, this time Oppa said he’d drive her.
Ah.
Come to think of it, she’d planned to go to Hongdae with Suho today.
“Oppa... could my friend ride with us too?”
“Of course. Who is it? That friend who was with you last time?”
“Ah, no, not him. You know that college friend I ran into last time?”
“The guy you met in front of your house?”
“Yes.”
“That’s fine. Ask him.”
Oppa said it was fine without any hesitation.
When she told Suho, he said he was happy to come along.
Where should I sit...?
She found herself worrying over something silly.
If she sat in the back, it would feel too rude to Oppa. But if she sat beside him, Suho might feel awkward.
In the end, she decided to sit in the passenger seat.
Oppa was being considerate enough to drive her, so she couldn’t ignore Suho just because he might feel awkward.
A little later, Suho got in the back.
He greeted them awkwardly.
“Hey...”
“Hey.”
She and Oppa exchanged greetings too.
The atmosphere didn’t feel all that great.
Maybe I should’ve just gone alone.
She felt bad for both of them for no reason.
When they arrived in Hongdae, she got out of the car.
“You meet that guy often. You must be really close.”
“Our mothers have known each other since we were kids.”
“Seriously? That’s incredible. Isn’t that car expensive?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“Fair enough. Anyway, let’s go shopping.”
They went shopping and helped each other pick out clothes.
They got hungry and ate lunch; when Suho insisted on paying despite her suggesting they split it, he paid for it himself.
They also stopped at a café.
This time, it felt like Suho was looking at her.
She’d originally planned to pay.
And then—
“Huh?”
“Sihyun!”
She ran into her friends.
They were her high school friends.
Apparently two more friends had come out with them too.
“What’s this? And who’s beside you?”
“Uh... a college friend.”
“Whoa! What are you guys doing now?”
“Hmm... I don’t know?”
“If you’ve got nothing to do, come drink with us! Is that okay?”
“Ah, yes... I’m fine with it...”
“What about you, Sihyun?”
“I’m fine too.”
Suho said it was okay, so she had no reason to refuse.
She ended up drinking with her friends.
***
The drinking session.
Her friends bombarded her with questions.
“What are you two to each other?”
“Just friends?”
“Wow, really? I thought you two might be something special since you were together.”
“Don’t expect to get home easily tonight.”
They drank heavily at the first round.
Then they went to Junko for round two.
After Suho paid for the first round, he asked her in a low voice, “Could you help me get the money from your friends when this is over? I already paid for the first place.”
“Yeah, of course.”
They drank heavily again at Junko.
Suho had fallen back a little.
One of the friends said, “We’ll send it to you. Since he already paid for the first round, we’ll just cover both places together.”
That was how they usually did it.
It made paying each other back easier.
Suho said with an awkward expression, “Th-that is... I might have trouble paying if there isn’t enough balance left on my card.”
“R-really? Then I’ll cover this place first.”
So they decided to pay separately.
On the way home, public transportation had stopped running.
“Could you ask Oppa one more time?”
“...I’ll just ask.”
She carefully asked Oppa.
He said he’d come pick them up.
Whew. Thank goodness.