Chapter 120: Simps
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 120: Simps
I sat still, staring blankly at my phone screen.
“Hmm...”
Man. I never hesitated this much, not even when I was texting Doah.
But having to message the guys I talked to all the time with a specific purpose in mind made me nervous.
Over 300 notifications had already piled up.
As is typical with close friends, none of us really paid attention to what anyone else was saying.
It was normal for everyone to just dump whatever was on their mind, so unless something special came up, I usually just skimmed through.
When I touched the screen with my thumb, the first message that popped up was...
[Dude. Don't you know Haruka-chan is the best these days?]
Sure enough, the guys were deep in one of their otaku talks that only they could understand.
[What are you talking about;; Just last week you were simping over the rabbit princess, and now you've already jumped ship?]
[No no no no, for real. I'll send you a Haruka-chan clip. You have to watch it.]
Who the hell is Haruka-chan, you damn otaku.
People who aren't otakus tend to lump us all together if we like comics or anime even a little, but I've always thought the word was actually quite broad.
If you liked anime, you were the type to watch every new show each season.
If you were into VTubers, you were like me—making clips and glued to the stream all day.
And if you were a gamer, you were the type who thought even chatting like this was a waste of time and just focused on playing games.
[Hey guys.]
Since it had been a while since I'd last chatted, I immediately got their attention.
[Oh. What's up, Han Taemin? Long time no see?]
[Taemin-kun, you bastard, why haven't you asked to hang out during winter break?]
[I'm actually glad I haven't seen you.]
I hadn't even said why I was messaging, but seeing them already joking around made me not want to get to the point.
Ah, fuck. Is it really a good idea to introduce them to her?
It could end up being a case of shooting myself in the foot, but Doah's face came to mind, and I shook my head.
Right. Doah said she was curious.
Besides, if my face ever got out and I became famous, this might be an experience I could never have again.
[Let's hang out. It's break, after all.]
It was rare for me to be the one to suggest meeting up, so I felt awkward even as I typed it.
[...Did you eat something weird? What's with you?]
Hey, can't you tell I'm forcing myself to do this?
A wave of irritation, the kind you only get with male friends who have zero affection for each other, washed over me, but now was the time to be humble.
[My girlfriend wants to meet you guys.]
Right. Fuck it. Better to just dive in headfirst than to test the waters like some girl. I decided and laid it all out.
A flood of question marks and bizarre emoticons followed.
[You're dating someone?]
[Well, it's possible.]
[No, but why didn't you tell us?]
I didn't tell you because I knew you'd react like this!
You're all acting as hostile as a mob with pitchforks. As if I'd be happy to tell you.
[...Is it someone we know?]
[No. A junior from college.]
[But that dumbass Han Taemin was always going on about how Luka-tan was his only girlfriend and how he was going to marry her. What's with the sudden change?]
Ah. Luka-tan is my girlfriend, you bastard.
My fingertips tingled, itching to type the truth, but I couldn't.
[Ah... poor Luka-tan... It's okay. I can just give her all my love instead, right?]
Gyuho's words sent a shiver down my spine.
[Just ditch that traitor Han Taemin, and Luka-tan can be happy with me. lol]
Patience. I must be patient.
I forced myself to calm down and typed resolutely.
[So are you guys gonna meet up or not.]
If they said no, there was no reason to put up with this bullshit.
[What do you guys think? I'll go depending on the date.]
[Me too.]
[Honestly, I'm curious about Taemin's girlfriend, so I'll probably go?]
For the most part, they seemed to be considering it positively.
[Hey... but is it okay if we tell your girlfriend you used to say 'fuck off 3D women'?]
[Don't you dare.]
Another reason I was afraid of introducing my friends was...
...they knew my dark, cringey side all too well.
I guess that's what most really close friends are like.
I thought it meant you could just say whatever you wanted without hiding anything and laugh about it.
Before I met Doah, I too had spouted all sorts of things in the group chat that are hard to say out loud.
[It'd be hilarious to show her pictures of Luka-tan.]
Don't. She'll kill herself.
[Ah. But Luka has been really entertaining lately.]
[I don't watch CLOSER these days. Domestic stuff is fucking boring.]
There it is.
The elitist pricks who always show up whenever you're talking about your hobbies.
[Lmaooooo for real, aren't they just knock-offs of the original stuff anyway? Ah, let me show you guys some clips. I'm telling you, you'll definitely love it.]
When the mood suddenly felt like they were ganging up on Luka, a surge of anger rose in me.
[What are you talking about. Those mainland fuckers don't even get half the popularity of CLOSER. Look at the average viewers and video views.]
[You traitor, Han Taemin, just go take care of your girlfriend~ Why are you even talking about VTubers~]
No! My girlfriend is the VTuber, damn it!
Pushing aside what I wanted to say, I figured it would be less painful to just set a date.
[Hey. Then this weekend, in front of subway exit 9. OK?]
[GGGGGGGGGG]
I thought all I had to do now was tell Doah...
[Hey, Taemin.]
[?]
[But is your girlfriend pretty?]
Ah, right. There was still this question.
It's a standard question in any guys' group chat; it was actually amazing it hadn't come up until now.
[Yeah, she's pretty]
If she's pretty in my eyes, then she's pretty. What else matters?
[Oh. Pic.]
Should I send one or not?
If I were just telling them online, I wouldn't have needed to, but since they were going to see her on the weekend anyway...
I planned to post a picture of me and Doah in the chat for a moment and then delete it, but the guys must have been waiting because they all managed to see it at once.
[Ssssp... Ah. I think you're too good for her.]
[Agree. Looks-wise, you're the clear winner.]
[Lmaoooooo and here I thought your standards would be sky-high from watching all those VTubers.]
[Fuck, you idiots have never even had a girlfriend.]
Ah.
The group chat went silent. No new messages appeared.
*
“Ah! Why did you show them that picture!”
I had been so happy when he said he'd introduce me to his friends, but Oppa's atrocity was hard to forgive.
“Well, I thought you liked this picture.”
“The reason I like it is... ah... because it came out looking natural, but when you're showing it to other people, you should have used a better one!”
What must Oppa's friends think of me now?
“That's the one we took when I wasn't even wearing makeup.”
“...Sorry.”
Now that it had come to this, the only way to clear up the misunderstanding was to go looking absolutely perfect.
Wanting to look like someone who wouldn't be an embarrassment next to Oppa, my motivation flared up.
“Oppa. I'm going to show you some clothes now, so please tell me what I should wear.”
I opened my closet and pulled out the outfits I'd been considering, one by one.
“How about this one?”
“It's pretty.”
“Then what about this one?”
I held them up, trying to gauge his reaction, but Oppa just kept saying everything was pretty, like a parrot.
It was nice to hear, but not helpful at all.
“Ah... please answer with a little more sincerity. I'm being serious here.”
“But really, Doah.”
Oppa looked me in the eye, his voice suddenly serious.
“Yes?”
“I don't think you need to dress up like this at all. I really don't.”
“Why not?”
Of course I should put in some effort. It's the first time we're meeting, isn't it?
The saying "first impressions are important" exists for a reason.
“Those bastards aren't the type to show up properly dressed anyway.”
“...Huh?”
I tilted my head, wondering what he meant by "not properly dressed," and Oppa continued with a troubled look on his face.
“I mean... um... the guys are just... not interested in things like clothes.”
Not interested in things like clothes?
Then again, looking at Oppa, he wasn't that into fashion either, so I guess it was possible.
“Still, first impressions are important...”
“No. They don't care about their own first impressions, so you don't have to try so hard.”
It was rare to see Oppa speak so firmly, so I slowly nodded.
“Uh... then what are your friends interested in?”
I thought it would be important to know their interests beforehand to avoid any awkwardness.
I wasn't much of a talker myself.
If necessary, it wouldn't be a bad idea to study up a little before going.
The thing I wanted to hear about most was Oppa's school days, but if there were other topics, I thought it would be nice to be able to join in the conversation.
“...VTubers.”
Did I hear that right?
Their interest is... VTubers?
I frowned, a silent request for him to repeat himself. Oppa swept his hair back and repeated his answer, enunciating each syllable clearly.
“They're a bunch of hardcore VTuber simps."
I never knew the saying "birds of a feather flock together" could sound so threatening.
A cold sweat trickled down my spine.