Chapter 14: Can't Resist Giving Pointers!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 14: Can't Resist Giving Pointers!
The morning after I got the call from Junseok oppa.
I was overcome with an emotion that was difficult to put into words.
"...What do I do?"
My task was already set in stone.
All I had to do was go downtown, visit the VR Experience Center, take some notes, and snap a few pictures as proof. That was it.
But that wasn't the problem.
The problem had arisen from Junseok oppa's sudden absence... and it was...
That I had to go with just Taemin oppa.
Honestly, I wouldn't have minded if it were the three of us, with either Junseok oppa or Minji.
Junseok oppa would have constantly talked about the project, so I wouldn't have needed to carry the conversation, while Minji was the type to chatter on endlessly about random things.
Taemin oppa and I were mostly the types to sit back, react, and listen.
In MBTI terms, we were both clearly I's.
After showering and drying my hair, I opened my closet.
What should I wear...
As I rummaged through my fall clothes, a wave of melancholy washed over me.
...I feel like a girl getting ready for a date.
A guy and a girl meeting up on a weekend would definitely look like a date to anyone else.
There was a time when I'd dreamed of going out with him just like this...
I never imagined we'd end up meeting this way.
If I could turn back time, I would take back my confession.
If we had gotten to know each other through a natural opportunity like this, would things have been different between us?
Did I ruin everything by confessing too hastily?
Seeing how Taemin oppa had been treating me lately, it was hard not to have such thoughts.
He wasn't exactly hitting on me or making any big moves, but he clearly didn't seem to dislike me.
Who would proactively offer to do an assignment for someone they hated?
If anything, it seemed more like he liked...
I shook my head, trying to clear the distracting thoughts.
"Get a grip, Kim Doah!"
I gave myself a little pep talk, lightly slapping both my cheeks.
I'm an idol now!
And would Taemin oppa really be into a virtual idol, the very essence of otaku culture?
Even if, by some miracle, we got off to a decent start, it was obvious it would be game over the moment he found out my true identity.
Him watching my stream that day must have been a coincidence.
It would have been better if he'd never seen it at all.
It was my fault for getting strange ideas all by myself.
And yet, even as I tried to steel my resolve, my hands reached for the new cardigan I thought was the prettiest of my fall clothes and laid it out.
I was supposed to meet Doah in an empty spot in front of the subway exit.
It was the weekend, so people seemed to be pouring out in droves.
Well, the weather was cool and pleasant, after all.
It was a nice change of pace to be out like this after only staring at a monitor at home.
She should be here any minute...
The clock was just about to strike our meeting time.
"...Hey. I told you to go talk to him."
"Ugh. You're the one who likes him. Why are you telling me to do it, you crazy bitch?"
...A chill ran down my spine.
My internal, invisible antenna perked up as I overheard the conversation between two women standing by a tree directly across from me.
This was the problem with coming to popular spots.
Whether I came alone or with someone else, if it wasn't with a girl, I hated feeling people stare and whisper about me.
Just go on your way, please.
Why do people keep trying to get their friends to talk to a complete stranger?
As the women, whom I'd dubbed the villains, started to approach, I let out a deep sigh.
Just as I was thinking I'd have to handle this according to the manual and was readying a standoffish expression...
"Hello."
The tone was a little too listless to be Luka's voice.
Even so, I had never been so happy to see Doah.
The women who had been walking toward me faltered. Seizing the opportunity, I broke into a wide grin.
"Hey~ What took you so long~"
I'm not the type of person to smile so brightly that I show my teeth...
But the villain-repelling effect seemed to be working perfectly.
Glancing sideways, I saw the women walk past me with embarrassed looks on their faces.
Seriously, Doah-tan. You save me in more ways than one.
Once I confirmed they were gone, I finally looked at Doah properly.
"...Are you hot?"
"Huh? No?"
"Your face is red."
"Ah? Oh, that's probably just because I was walking fast. Haha..."
Doah lowered her head slightly, and her hair fell like a curtain, hiding her face.
"Really? If you're tired, we can sit here for a bit."
I nodded my head toward the bench behind me, but Doah waved her hand back and forth.
"No, no. It's fine. I'm okay to just go."
"Alright, then."
I took out my phone, opened the map app, and led Doah in the direction the arrow pointed.
Doah wasn't very tall.
Just by looking, I guessed she was probably under 160cm.
Maybe that's why her legs seemed to be moving so busily, even though I was walking at my usual pace.
No, that's not it. Maybe I was subconsciously walking faster because the silent atmosphere between us was so awkward.
Continuing this vow of silence felt a bit strange, so I opened my mouth.
"Doah."
"Yes?"
Her voice was startled.
"Ah... it's nothing, just... uh... do you hang out here often?"
"No. I'm not really the type to go out much."
I already knew that.
[I don't really like wandering around outside that much.]
[Hey~ I have friends~ You think I'm just like you guys!]
[But I'm the type who doesn't go out unless someone asks me to.]
"Ah... I see."
Normally, I would have asked what she did at home if she didn't go out, but feeling a pang of guilt, I shifted my gaze back to my phone screen.
"...Have you been here recently, Oppa?"
"Me? I think it was about a month ago?"
This time, Doah was the one to ask me a question.
"Just for fun?"
I recalled the day Yoonje had dragged me to a club and gave a reluctant nod.
"Something like that. Yeah."
"...I see."
Doah made a peculiar expression and said nothing more after that.
The VR Experience Center was about a fifteen-minute walk from the station.
"We're here."
"Whoa."
I had looked up the place on a blog beforehand, but it felt even more flashy in person.
"Oppa, have you ever done something like this before?"
"Nope. You?"
But I've seen you do it a ton.
"This is my first time too, so I was wondering if you had any experience."
I simply chose to overlook her natural lie.
As we hovered near the entrance, wondering what to do, an employee with a name tag approached us.
"Come on in!"
"Thank you."
"Is there any particular machine you'd like to try?"
The cheerful-looking young man gazed at us with bright eyes.
"Um... we just wanted to look around at everything..."
This is so awkward.
Ugh, I hate this kind of pressure.
I often have similar experiences at clothing stores; I'm the "please, just leave me alone" type.
"Ah~ In that case, come this way and I'll give you a brief tour!"
Following the employee's lead, we went deeper inside, where various sections came into view.
"This area here is for an indirect FPS experience, and across from it, you'll see the sports series. We have table tennis and skiing ready to go! And also..."
Surprised by how much bigger and more varied it was than we'd expected, we thanked him after the tour and leaned against a wall on one side.
"Since we're here, we should probably try one of everything, right?"
"Junseok oppa told us to, so I think we have to, don't we?"
"Alright, what should we do first?"
Among the options, I saw several games that Luka often played on stream.
She had done VR sports content, and the rhythm game was one she had played recently.
"Um... let's start with something a little easier..."
Doah scanned the room and stopped in front of the rhythm game station.
"Let's start with this. It's not too over-the-top."
"Sounds good."
As we stood in front of the machine, another employee came over to explain how to use it.
"Which one of you will be playing..."
He started to hand over the headset, and I took it from him.
"I'll go first. Doah, can you take a picture from behind me?"
"Okay."
At my words, Doah took a few steps back and pulled out her phone.
Phew... Ah, but this is...
VR devices were a fun system to experience, but they definitely looked silly to an outside observer.
Wearing a pot on your head and flailing around in empty space... of course it looks lame.
Still, this was for an assignment.
The thought of making a fool of myself in front of Luka was mortifying, but I pulled the VR headset over my head.
I was met with pitch-black darkness.
Soon, a grand beat filled my ears, and a kaleidoscope of colorful stars unfolded before my eyes.
So, you do it like this...
I waved the controllers in my hands, and a long list of songs appeared.
It was pretty cool.
So this is what it's like.
I picked a song that seemed upbeat and started. Cubes marked with directions began flying toward me.
"Whoa!"
The cubes were flying at me with a speed that felt surprisingly fast and threatening. I swung the lightsabers in my hands this way and that.
Why is this so hard?
When I watched it on stream, my attitude was, "Pfft, who can't do that?" but that wasn't the case now.
The "MISS" sound effect played every time I failed to hit a block on beat.
It felt like half my hits were misses.
"Haaah..."
Less than thirty seconds had passed, but I got a game over. I took off the headset and caught my breath.
I was about to ask Doah to delete any video she might have taken, but...
Her small lips were twitching.
Her round, kind-looking eyes were now glaring at me.
"Is there... something you want to say?"
"I really wasn't going to say anything, but..."
It seemed she really did have something to say.
"No! Why on earth are you holding and swinging the controller like that?"
...Luka-tan, I thought we were both supposed to be pretending we know nothing about VR?
I could only stand there, at a loss, as Doah scolded me.