Chapter 100: How to Welcome the New Year.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 100: How to Welcome the New Year.
December 31st.
The last day of the year.
Sitting in my computer chair, I took a moment to reflect on how I usually spent the last day of the year.
Before college, I think I usually spent it with my mom.
After I started…
The fact that I couldn't remember clearly suggested I never did anything particularly special.
But this year was different.
Because today was…
[CLOSER's New Year's Countdown Event!]
The illustration was posted on the official YM Entertainment website.
I didn't know who drew it, but I couldn't help but praise the artist.
Their collab streams usually started at 8 PM, but today's was scheduled for 11 PM.
I figured going to another region to see the sunrise or heading out to hear the bells wasn't very MZ generation of me.
Was the world being consumed by the metaverse?
The thought of everyone welcoming the new year by putting on VR headsets in their own homes didn't seem all that cool.
-Bzzzz.
My phone vibrated, and I checked it.
[Oppa. I think I'm going to be about 10 minutes late ㅠ]
[Ah. That's fine. I'll head out in 10 minutes then.]
[Okay ♥]
The heart was cute, but to be honest, I was in the mood to take the day off.
The number of times I'd gone out had skyrocketed since I started dating Doah.
On top of that, I was completely exhausted from being dragged around by the Fumurin Couple yesterday.
It would be so nice to just lie comfortably under my blankets and watch the stream…
But I knew how disappointed Doah would be if I said that, so I had already agreed to go out for dinner with her today.
I reluctantly pulled out a pair of socks and put them on.
Ugh… it's probably cold outside…
Really cold…
The gravitational pull of my blankets was stronger than I could have imagined.
But a promise is a promise. I put on my coat and trudged down the stairs.
Even though she'd told me to come out later, Doah was already outside waiting for me.
“Oppa.”
Seeing my girlfriend's face, my mood instantly started to improve.
As if I'd never been sighing to myself just moments before, a wide smile spread across my face.
Once I'm actually out, it's always fine.
Humans really are mysterious creatures.
“Hey. You told me to come out later.”
“Well, I finished my makeup earlier than I expected, so I just came out.”
Not wanting to shiver in the cold again today, Doah was wearing mittens.
“Aren't gloves with fingers more convenient?”
No matter how I looked at them, they seemed inconvenient.
“Nope. They're warm and nice.”
“But they're inconvenient when you want to use your phone.”
You have to take them on and off just to unlock it.
“I don't need to look at my phone when I'm with you, Oppa.”
Her pure, innocent answer made me the one who felt like reflecting on my own behavior.
“...You have a point.”
Saying it like that made it seem like I was the only one who used my phone.
In reality, I didn't really look at it much during our dates either.
“Let's go!”
The place we were heading to today was a rather pricey Japanese restaurant.
I hadn't made reservations that far in advance, so I was worried we wouldn't get in anywhere. Luckily, a group had canceled, and we were able to snag a table.
“Wow,” Doah breathed.
Since it was the end of the year, the Christmas decorations were still up.
Inside, cute, charming ornaments were hanging everywhere.
-Click.
Doah took out her phone and snapped a picture.
“Let's go inside now!”
Following the staff member, we went inside and were seated at a window table in the far corner.
“What should we order?”
“Umm... how about that sashimi platter we saw, and the shrimp tempura? Should we just start with that?”
After ordering, we poured the Cokes the waiter brought us into glasses full of ice.
“Cheers!”
Doah had her stream later, and I wasn't much of a drinker myself, so today was a Coke-only day.
“Happy New Year, Oppa.”
“Happy New Year to you too, Doah.”
Getting a year older was always a bit sad to think about, but as long as I had Doah and Luka-tan, I felt like I could have a fun year ahead.
“You're going to watch the stream today, right?”
“Of course.”
“You'll watch my screen, right?”
For a second, I wasn't sure what she was talking about, but it seemed Doah was still conscious of the time I'd watched Leah's stream.
“Ah, of course I'm watching Luka-tan's screen. What are you talking about?”
“You just try saying that and getting caught again.”
“I really won't.”
After getting scolded that time, I didn't even dare to enter another stream.
“I'm going to be wearing the new avatar they made for me today.”
Oh. A new avatar?
Once again, information that only an insider would know was leaking from Doah's lips.
“Yeah. My hairstyle is a little different, and they put a lot of effort into the outfit.”
It hadn't even been that long since the Christmas edition came out, and now there was another one?
Just the fact that they were doing a special collab stream was exciting enough, but the news of a new avatar made my heart pound.
“Ah, that's seriously amazing.”
“You can look forward to it. Luka's new outfit! Yaaay!”
The shell wasn't Luka, but when she replied in a perfect Luka voice, I thought I was going to die from how cute she was.
“Here is your food.”
I was contemplating whether I should express my feelings by pinching her cheeks, but what cooled my burning heart was the platter of assorted sashimi, glistening with vibrant colors.
“Whoa.”
This was definitely food I wouldn't have eaten if I were alone. Swallowing hard, the two of us carefully picked up our chopsticks.
I almost felt a little guilty about disturbing its beautiful presentation.
“Shall we... shall we eat?”
“...Let's do it.”
I picked up a thick, oily piece of salmon sashimi, dipped it lightly in soy sauce, and popped it into my mouth.
“Mmm...”
This is it. This is the stuff!
We usually chattered away while eating, but for a while, the two of us just ate in silence.
“This is insane.”
“I agree.”
It was a delicious meal, a fitting way to cap off the year.
“Oppa, you know…”
When about half the food was gone, Doah called out to me as if she had something to say.
“Yeah?”
“Is it okay if you stay up late tonight?”
What else does a college student on break have to do?
“Of course.”
“Then, after the stream is over, do you want to hang out separately?”
“You want to meet up in the middle of the night again?”
Christmas wasn't that long ago, so I wanted to avoid another late-night meeting... It wasn't that I didn't want to, but it seemed better to just meet during the day tomorrow instead.
“No, not in person today. I was wondering... if you wanted to try playing VRWorld together…”
The VR headset Doah had bought me.
I'd used it by myself a few times, but we had never done anything with it together.
“Oh, really? Let's do it.”
It just meant meeting up online for a bit after the stream. That was no problem.
...Hmm?
Wait a minute.
Meeting up separately in VRWorld means…
“Are you... going to use... the Luka avatar?”
Don't get your hopes up, Han Taemin.
She could just use a basic avatar like before. It was made by the company, so she probably can't just use it casually whenever she wants.
“Huh? Yeah, that was the plan.”
Please, let time stop on December 31st.
*
11 PM.
Luka started her stream right on schedule.
[Ah, minna~ Luhai luhai~]
Luka's voice could be heard, but her avatar was hidden.
The Pink Army was in an uproar, demanding to know where Luka was and telling her to show herself.
[Hold on! Why isn't this working? It's lagging so much!]
[Ah! It's working, it's working!]
The camera angle was the same, but a sliver of pink hair was now visible at the edge of the screen.
[Oh?]
[Gasp]
[Ah! Luka-tan, hurry up and come out!]
Sharp-eyed viewers didn't miss that fleeting glimpse and immediately understood. The reason she was hesitating and teasing them was because she had prepared a new outfit.
-Lukatancomeout-nim has donated 20,000.
[Ah~ Lukatancomeout-nim~ Ah... well then... I guess... I'll show you Luka-tan now?]
As the camera panned, it revealed Luka in a princess-like, light pink dress.
[I-It's an end-of-year awards ceremony, so I have to dress up this much!]
Doah wasn't kidding when she told me to look forward to it.
It was the perfect outfit to send several members of the Pink Army straight to heaven.
From the flowing dress to her tied-up hair.
Luka's outfit had everything needed to tug at an otaku's heartstrings.
[cuteee!]
[Luka-nim! I love you!]
[Marry me next year! Kim Luka!]
Heheheh.
This is so good.
I guess this doesn't change even when you have a girlfriend.
I could feel my affection for Luka growing even deeper.
[It's cute, right! Heh. The other members are all dressed up really pretty today too, so please look forward to it!]
[Now, I'm going to move to the map where my fellow members are!]
I was wondering what kind of map they would use to welcome the new year, but when I saw where she'd gone, I let out a dry laugh.
Seriously. I thought the era of ringing bells was over.
The map where all the Closer members were gathered was an exact replica of the real-life place where they ring the bell for New Year's.
[Everyone! Are you ready to ring the bell with us?]
Jennifer, wearing a golden dress that was her signature color, cheered to the viewers with the voice of a true idol leader.
A virtual clock was displayed right above the bell.
It was already pointing to 11:59 PM.
The members stood in a group in front of the bell, all looking up at the clock.
[Three! Two! One!]
-Dong! Dong! Dong!
[Happy New Year!]
My year began with the sound of my favorite idol's cyber bell.