[No Title Provided]
Yoo Seol-ah, who had just gotten a rough idea of the difference between Java and JavaScript, blinked in slight surprise. But if someone had no interest in development to begin with, it wasn't weird at all not to know. It'd be the same as if she asked me how to make clothes—I probably couldn't give much of an answer.
"So they're totally different things?"
"Yeah. They're both programming languages, though."
Kim Do-yoon hyung, who was still driving, looked refreshed now, like all his earlier frustration had vanished. I hadn't even given a super detailed explanation, but apparently that was enough for him.
"Sion-ah, from what you're saying, it sounds like you dabbled in development before, right?"
"Yeah. I never made anything proper, but I could probably help out a bit."
"...Got it. I'll keep that in mind for now."
Hyung had been tossing options our way nonstop, but once the club's goal settled on game development—his field—he was starting to burn with quiet enthusiasm. He was the most laid-back type among us, but things changed when it was his expertise.
"You guys can join as casually as you want, though. It's just a club, after all. Games don't get made overnight."
"I'm still planning to do everything I can, though? It'll be fun if we all do it together."
Watching Yoo Seol-ah fire up like that, Do-yoon hyung turned the wheel with a small smile.
"I'd be seriously grateful if you did, but honestly, people like you are the type companies pay top dollar to hire."
"...Really?"
Do-yoon hyung burst into bigger laughter at Yoo Seol-ah's head tilt. I couldn't help smiling too. And why not? His comment was basically aimed straight at her.
Without Yoo Seol-ah, game dev or animation would've ended up as total kid stuff. She—Yuki-nyang—was why hyung was getting ambitious now.
"Seol-ah-ya. Don't you get a ton of freelance requests under Yuki-nyang?"
"Yeah. How'd you know? I've been turning them all down since I wasn't interested yet."
"A chance to do game dev at your art level doesn't come around often."
"...I'm not that amazing..."
But while she downplayed it, the three of us knew better. That was pure humility. She was an illustrator with over 100,000 followers, a unique style anyone would love, and a skyrocketing growth rate—up nearly 20,000 since I first learned her secret. With consistent uploads, 200,000 or 300,000 was inevitable.
Her top draw? Quality. One of her illustrations could pass for a big corp's gacha RPG character art, no question. If our game blew up even a little, it'd be 100% thanks to her work.
"We're almost there anyway. We can talk more later—no need to give up personal time for this."
"Got it."
She said that, but Yoo Seol-ah still seemed eager to pour in max effort. I got Do-yoon hyung's side too, though. He was thankful for the enthusiasm, but as a club—not a company—piling on pressure felt wrong. Even laid-back freshmen had schedules.
That's why he kept saying to take it easy. I'd feel the same in his shoes.
We parked in the department store's underground lot and headed straight to B1, packed with all sorts of furniture. The whole floor was interiors-related, so we could probably wrap everything up here. Her eyes sparkled at the design vibe—impossible not to find it cute, so I asked.
"You like it that much?"
"Yeah! I love decorating."
She rarely doubled up answers unless she was hyped, and this felt like her calling. Her studio alone was pro-level; she'd redone it all solo from scratch, she'd said.
Lee Seo-yeon, seeing her this pumped for once, put a hand on her shoulder from behind—like she was about to ride her like a train. And her words confirmed it.
"Then we just follow Seol-ah. Let's go~"
"No, do your own thing if you want. It's our club."
"I'm good. I trust my Seol-ah."
"Don't pressure her..."
Even as she said it, Yoo Seol-ah was already heading somewhere—with Lee Seo-yeon latched on. She'd scoped the club room corner to corner earlier; clearly, she'd come prepared.
First stop: curtains.
"Too much direct sunlight there—no way we can use separate lights."
"You really planned this from the start?"
"Kinda. We're using it till graduation, right? Good environment means better work."
Straight facts, so I nodded. I always dimmed the main lights for music work—same brightness every time. Environment boosted efficiency big time.
"Curtains are tricky to pick, though. Blinds might be better. Wood tone-ish."
"You really love wood tones."
"That's why my place has so much. Feels warmer."
"True."
Wood tone instantly brought her studio to mind, and she picked up the thread seamlessly. Casual chat—till a puzzled Do-yoon hyung cut in.
"...You two live together?"
Right—he didn't know I crashed at her place often. Lee Seo-yeon had guessed, but we hadn't spelled it out.
Yoo Seol-ah waved her hands in a fluster.
"No! ...I mean, my studio. He came over last time."
"Our place" often meant just her, but context could include others—easy mix-up.
"Oh, you mentioned it first, Sion-ah. I assumed for a sec."
"...No. It's roomy for one, but too small for two."
Bed was huge, and we could make it work, but one bedroom-living room setup meant no real personal space. Still, her blurting it out showed she wasn't hiding us from the club anymore.
"So you'll move in together once you get a bigger place?"
Lee Seo-yeon pounced on the opening. Solid hit—Yoo Seol-ah's ears went pink as she clammed up.
"Wha..."
No quick comeback; she awkwardly inspected blinds. Wood tones that looked identical to me had clear differences in her eyes. Like lipstick shades only she could tell.
Dodging, but she paused seriously at one: deep brown blinds.
"Th-this one's nice. Pretty color."
"Ooh, I like dark ones too. Good for a newlywed home?"
"Lee Seo-yeon...!"
"Newlywed home" hit fresh. No wonder she flustered more. Couple-life terms were everywhere—I'd barely cared about dating pre-Seol-ah, so it all felt new.
"You will live together after marriage, right?"
"......"
Unless it was some special setup, yeah—so no real counter. She even ditched the tsundere act, stepping forward instead.
"...Actually, I've been kinda looking at two-rooms..."
"......"
"...For real?"
Lee Seo-yeon froze; I asked instead. I hadn't known she was house-hunting. She'd asked me to bring stuff over, but this was serious cohabitation vibes. Not post-marriage—ASAP.
"...Nothing fancy, just browsed good listings last time. Let's check properly together later."
I nodded obviously; Lee Seo-yeon finally snapped out of it. Seol-ah's counters were getting vicious lately.
"...You're no joke, Seol-ah. Didn't expect house-hunting already."
"When we live together... I can see you anytime I want."
Spot-on logic—with enough pull to make me, Seol-ah, and even Lee Seo-yeon flush a bit.