Chapter 117: Holiday Gift
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 117: Holiday Gift
Lunar New Year, one of South Korea's biggest holidays.
As always, the words "holiday special" had a certain ring to them that made people's hearts race.
I remember watching a lot of movies on TV when I was a kid.
Now that I'm older, maybe I've devolved.
At least I wouldn't call people who watch holiday movies disgusting.
[Ah! Everyone! You've waited a long time~]
Haaah... Kim Luka. Just show us already.
The announcement had already mentioned a special avatar for Lunar New Year, so I was waiting for her, biting my nails in anticipation.
What could be so amazing that she wouldn't even show it to me, her boyfriend?
[Everyone. It's the holiday, did you all have some delicious food?]
Luka started chatting with just the waiting screen illustration up.
The Pink Army answered enthusiastically, but they were also clamoring for her to show the avatar already.
[Really... everyone... I'm still too shy, I'm not ready to show you yet...]
There she goes again. That thing she does.
As she began her little trick to build anticipation, my throat started to go dry.
Stop teasing and just show us! Please, just show us!
You've already been talking for an hour!
If she dragged this out any longer, I was seriously considering storming the studio.
Is she doing this because she actually wants to see me die?
-LukaFanatic has donated 10,000 won.
[Aigoo! LukaFanatic-nim! Yes? What's that? You want to see the new outfit... Aah~]
Even while reacting to everything, Luka stubbornly kept her lips sealed, and in response, the viewers began to bombard her with donos.
-Zenon982 has donated 20,000 won.
[You're still not gonna do it? Huh? Not do what? Luka-tan has no idea~]
At this point, I started to wonder if she'd eaten something weird, so I decided to use the forbidden technique.
-Lucario has donated 50,000 won.
[Ah~ Luca... rio... nim... haha... fifty thousand won...]
The sound of a mouse clicking and dragging followed.
A different reaction from the previous donos.
It seemed she'd realized it was me right away.
[Ah~ everyone. Stop with the donos! I'll really, for real, just show you now. Wait just a moment, okay?]
Just when I thought my dono attack had succeeded.
-Bzzzt-
[I told you not to send donos. I did.]
A single, concise text message with a fist emoji.
Hey. But you're the one in the wrong here.
I had my reasons today.
Who told you to tease everyone and rake in money like that?
It felt ironic that I gave her what she wanted, only to get a complaint in return.
[Hoo... everyone. Get ready for a nosebleed.]
The screen went dark.
Against the black background where nothing could be seen, only the chat window moved at high speed.
Ssssp... This isn't a weak act...?
Luka's usual pattern was to pretend it was nothing special and then hit us with a bombshell...
But since she was openly saying it was nosebleed-worthy, I got a strong feeling that this time was different.
[Oh my, you're all going to fall for me again. Gosh. How troublesome.]
Finally, the screen returned, and what appeared before us was...!
[WOAH!!!!!]
[Woah. Luka-tan, I love you!!!!]
[Please marry me! Please marry me! Please marry me! Please marry me! Please marry me! Please marry me! Please marry me! Please marry me!]
[What is this quality?]
I had been confident that I wouldn't be surprised by just anything, but...
The avatar, which far surpassed all expectations, had the Pink Army wrapped around its little finger.
‘Noona.’
That one word was all it took to describe it.
Today's Luka-tan avatar exuded a much more mature vibe than usual.
It wasn't just her body shape or appearance that was new.
The new avatar was wearing a hanbok, and my god, that hanbok was so...
Thank you, creator-nim!
Thank you for giving our Luka such a fantastic outfit!
I felt like I could bow three times in their direction. This outfit was so good, calling it 'legendary' wouldn't do it justice.
The chat, which was already fast on a normal day, was now scrolling at an impossible-to-read speed, so Luka gently clicked the blush button.
[Th-this... this is why... I said I didn't want to show you...]
Euhhh... Ah... this is so good...
Who knew being a loser with no plans for the holiday could feel this rewarding.
The benevolent Luka-nim had perfect control over the Pink Army's emotions.
[Happy New Year... this year, too...]
Donos poured in at the sight of Luka giving a prim and proper New Year's bow.
[Luka-tan, here's your New Year's money!]
[I'll empty my coffers and offer it all to you!]
[Please take me in as your servant! My lady!]
[I won't accept a pervert like you as my servant!]
Ah. How can a person be this cute?
I felt like I was going to go crazy from how cute Luka was.
“No. I mean... I told you it was a one-time thing for Lunar New Year.”
Oppa, who had sent the dono I'd told him not to, spent the entire walk home rambling about the greatness of the hanbok Luka.
“No. Hey. How can that be a one-time thing? Does that even make sense!”
“It was for a special event because it's Lunar New Year. What am I supposed to do, stream in it every day when it's not the holiday?”
“That can't happen!”
The cry of my otaku boyfriend echoed through the dark alley.
“Aigoo~”
What am I going to do with this big baby of a man?
I stood on my tiptoes and pulled his ear, and he yelped that it hurt and told me to stop.
“Ah. But Noona Luka was so good. Doah. Wow... I was genuinely moved.”
Getting complimented was nice, but that word, 'Noona,' was subtly grating on my nerves.
“What was so good about it?”
“Well, for one, she had a certain mature charm, different from usual, you know?”
Mature.
Mature charm.
The avatar I'd prepared for today definitely had a chest size twice as big as the usual Luka.
My gaze naturally drifted downward.
To my own chest, which wasn't bad, but seemed quite far from the word 'Noona.'
“So, mature types are your preference, Oppa?”
I casually tossed out the bait, and he was caught immediately, like a fish leaping out of the water.
“For avatars, I think so.”
Oho. Using the word 'avatar' as an insurance policy. Is that it?
I stopped walking, and Oppa stopped with me.
“Why? What's wrong?”
“...What do you think of my body?”
A question I would have been too awkward to ask in the past.
But we've been dating for a while now, so I thought I could ask something like this.
“What about it?”
“Just. You know... just... in your opinion...”
Before I said it, it seemed like a perfectly normal conversation to have, but now that the words were out, I felt embarrassed.
“Uh... it's good...?”
My eyes narrowed at his lukewarm response.
“What's good about it?”
“Everything's good. What do you mean?”
“Specifically.”
His intention to just brush it off was so obvious that I pressed him a little more persistently.
Not expecting me to go this far, Oppa's expression gradually grew serious.
...Could it be that I'm actually not his type?
The thought of him saying he didn't like it, that it wasn't great, started to scare me.
Ah. I shouldn't have said anything.
Cancel. Is there a cancel button?
“...Doah.”
“Yes.”
I swallowed hard and answered.
“Do you really want an honest answer?”
My emotions, steeped in curiosity. My reason, screaming at me to run.
I calmly nodded my head.
Oppa bent down, bringing his lips to my ear.
My body tensed up.
My ear, frozen from the cold weather, seemed to warm up as his breath touched it.
“...Your chest is nice because it fits perfectly in one hand, and your butt is nice because it's cute.”
...A whisper containing words I couldn't believe I'd just heard.
Oppa looked down at me with a strange expression, as if asking if that answered my question.
“...Achoo!”
As if my body knew I had no immunity to such words, the sneeze that the Pink Army loved so much escaped my lips.
“Ah. I like your sneeze, too. I really do.”
As if wanting to break the awkward air, Oppa suddenly pulled me into a hug.
It was warm and nice to be hugged, but...
My mind was in utter turmoil.
Ah. Is this a good thing...? It must be a good thing, right...?
My butt is cute... and my chest fits in one hand...
...Huh?
Isn't that just another way of saying they're small?
A beat later, the realization hit me, and I gritted my teeth.
“Oppa.”
“Hm?”
“...Achoo!”
Ugh, go away, sneeze! Why do you always have to interrupt at the most important moments?
“What you just said. The thing you told me.”
“...Yeah.”
“Isn't that just another way of saying my chest is small?”
Looking as if I'd hit a nerve, Oppa flinched and briefly glanced up at the sky.
“...How about we just say my hands are big?”
I kicked him hard in the shin and stomped away with long strides.
Ugh. That bastard Lucario.
Taemin Oppa chased after me, asking where I was going and telling me to wait up.
Anyway, celebrity or not, he was clearly a man who didn't live up to his handsome face.