Chapter 228
No way, dessert's already demolished, and the vibe's shifting to "time to head out from the cafe." Unlike earlier when the guys and girls were split into separate tables, now we're all crammed together—no escaping Baek Sion. And sure enough, he's gleefully teasing me about all that silver-haired beauty nonsense.
While he looks totally chill, I'm still struggling to meet his eyes, so I scoot forward to Roha unnie as much as possible, dodging his gaze.
"...Unnie, do you usually get hundreds of thousands of views in an hour?"
"The views are higher than I expected. Maybe because it's the first photo I posted on my account...?"
...Even Aisaka's account, which has fewer followers than unnie's, exploded with views. So yeah, even if it's just hands in the shot, a photo posted by unnie herself? This level was predictable. It's her first photo and first casual post, after all. Plus, let's be real—I'm hardly "not famous" myself.
"...Unnie, but this is a bit..."
I show her the like rankings for search terms, and she stifles a laugh.
"...Well, silver hair is true, and beauty is true, right?"
"......"
True, silver hair's basically my identity now, and... yeah, I won't deny the beauty part. But still, seeing words like that trending on SNS real-time search? Mortifying.
Lee Seo-yeon and Yuna unnie only use private accounts, so Roha unnie couldn't tag them. All the attention's laser-focused on me and unnie.
But what's done is done. Guess I'll be stuck with "silver-haired beauty and goddess of adult games" tags for a while.
"...So, where to next?"
"Oh, heading to my place first. We need to talk game stuff properly, right? Better with just us."
"Ooh, I've been curious about unnie's house..."
Roha unnie mentioned she stays home a lot, and she seems well-off financially, so of course it's intriguing. Japan has plenty of housing, from what I know.
"It's not super cramped, so everyone should fit fine."
If seven of us can hang comfortably, it's definitely not some tiny studio.
Once we arrive at Roha unnie's, I can't help but double-check.
"...This isn't just 'not super cramped,' is it...?"
"I spend all my time at home, so... I figured plenty of space would be good for handling everything here."
The priciest house I've seen is Lee Seo-yeon's, obviously, but unnie's place doesn't look cheap either. Two-story structure, even a little garden. No wonder—top illustrator even before Lupco Yanglip.
"Lemme tidy up first, wait a sec."
Unnie heads inside, leaving the rest of us. I naturally turn to Aisaka.
"Where do you live, Aisaka-ssi?"
"I live here too."
"...Pardon?"
For a split second, I thought they were living together, but following his finger, I get it. Not unnie's house—the one right across from it.
...Weren't they basically next-door neighbors even when living with parents?
"...You said childhood friends before, right?"
"Yeah, our family homes are down in the next block. This area's a housing complex, so new builds go up higher."
"Ah, some kind of system like that."
"They take applications first, and houses get built to the residents' specs. That's why they all look different."
That explains why the houses look sleek but mismatched. A sign reads "smart housing complex."
But even starting independent living, ending up across from each other... Baek Sion next to Aisaka looks curious too and beats me to the question.
"But couldn't you just keep living where you were?"
"Space wasn't an issue, but I'm the work-from-home type. Wanted a dedicated studio, so built new. Parents worried about me going far too."
"Your parents are close, right?"
"...Yeah. So probably his folks pushed for here too."
Parental influence, huh. Super close is thrilling, but kinda bittersweet it's not fully their choice.
Soon, tidied-up Roha unnie reappears and leads us inside.
"...Whoa, a cat..."
She'd mentioned loving cats in our messages, and sure enough.
"Name's Unagi."
...Eel? Or some other meaning? I glance at unnie, who blushes and explains.
"...Uh... looks like seasoned eel rice in color."
Now that she mentions it—dark brown base with white fur underneath. Classic unadon vibes. Sitting primly by the entry, staring at us newcomers. Seems well-behaved.
The entry's on the second floor, so everyone heads down to the first-floor living room for a tour. I stick with unnie to cat-watch.
Moments later, Unagi wags her brown tail and approaches Roha unnie.
Nyaang.
"Ah, these are my friends."
...Mrr.
Nods like she understands, then sits and starts loafing. Feels like she's actually talking to unnie. Wild.
...Wait a sec.
"Unnie, can you talk to cats?"
"Who knows."
Oh right—unnie's a cat beastkin. They usually share cat traits. She just smiles faintly, but now I'm dying to know. She hasn't gone cat-mode since that one time, so the truth's unnie's secret.
I pivot to another curiosity instead.
"So, unnie, does Aisaka have a dog?"
"Yeah, I've seen him playing with it in the complex or his garden sometimes... Ah."
Unnie trails off, and seeing her face, I can't help but grin mischievously.
It was a trap question, and yep—dog across the way.
"N-No, I just saw it while airing out the place, not like I was peeking or anything...!"
"Hmm~"
"Eek..."
Like me and Baek Sion cohabiting, front/back-door neighbors spark plenty of heart-fluttering scenarios. Gardens visible from each other's windows, from the layout.
Unnie pouts with flushed cheeks—adorable. I toss in one more.
"So, when'd you move here?"
"After the manga gig locked in. Faster contact for work..."
"Around the same time for both?"
"...Yeah."
"Any of those cliché moments? Like, 'hot water's out, mind if I shower for one night'...?"
Water running in the bath, damp hair post-shower catching your eye... Heart-pounding stuff. But unnie flushes deeper and shoots back.
"...Seol-ah, you've read way too many comics...! Hot water failing in this day and age? Disaster. Now go downstairs. I'll prep snacks."
Petty revenge for the silver-haired beauty fiasco—got my fill of unnie's cuteness. Satisfied, I head to the first floor.
Looks like a beam projector for personal use; we'll connect and demo the game. Homey vibe, but Doyun oppa dives right into presentation mode, unfazed.
Friend-like or not, serious project—tension's fair. But he's a natural; words flow smooth as silk.
"...So that's how Yuna unnie became the illustrator?"
"Yep. I was Ruwen there. Astrologer too."
"Makes character setup way easier. But right now, just unnie?"
Silence blankets the living room. Reason? Better tell Roha unnie privately.
I pull her closer on the sofa and whisper.
"...Y'know how if games or comics blow up, secondary creations pop up?"
"True."
"And those go adult sometimes...?"
"Ah."
Lightbulb moment for unnie.
"What was your name there?"
"Heart... I think."
"So now, Heart x random side character pairings start popping up."
Expected instant rejection, but unnie ponders, eyes glinting with... anticipation?
I poke her.
"...Unnie?"
"Uh, yeah. What...?"
Maybe okay with Aisaka pairings? But fanfic's horror is the unexpected ships.
"I get what you're thinking, unnie, but example: Heart x Aisaka and some other male dog beastkin..."
"Ah."
Fanworks ship anything with chemistry, transcending gender, species. Unnie shudders and shakes her head wildly.
"No way..."
Yuna unnie's single, so if she's cool, fine. Me? Gotta block me and Baek Sion as playable chars. His mentor sounds hotter anyway. Handsome master-disciple? Fans won't leave it alone.
As his wife, no tolerating hubby BL. Our doujin? I'd draw that myself.
Virtual world lets me depict impossible real-life leisure me. Pretend not mine, spark playthrough discussions...
"Seol-ah?"
Unnie yanks me back to reality. I gulp down drool about to escape.