Chapter 149: Narcotic
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 149: Narcotic
-Knock, knock, knock
After I knocked, I heard footsteps from inside.
Doah, dressed in her pajamas, greeted me at the door.
“...Did the talk go well?”
She treated me like a child returning from kindergarten. I nodded.
“...Yeah.”
I could have asked her why she was acting that way, but in a way, Doah had just solved a problem that even my own mother couldn't.
I felt I should be grateful rather than confrontational.
“No one was mean to you?”
“...No. They weren’t.”
“Then, from now on.”
Doah grabbed my wrist and led me to the computer.
“Let’s get ready for our trip!”
On the screen was an airline ticket booking site.
I looked at her, my eyes asking what this was all about.
“What is it?”
“We’re going to Japan?”
“We promised we’d go together if you took a leave of absence.”
“That’s true, but.”
So suddenly?
Of course, with my contract as a celebrity terminated, the reason for my long leave of absence had vanished. But that wasn't the case for Doah.
“What about your streams?”
“I already told the company I’m taking next week off.”
“Is that really okay?”
I looked at her with concern. Doah pushed her chair far back and turned her body toward me.
“Luka is taking a little vacation after holding a solo concert. Do you have a problem with that, Lucario-ssi?”
“No. When did I say I had a problem? I was just asking if it was okay.”
“I’m sure it was hard for you, Oppa, but I was super stressed out preparing for the concert too.”
Doah shook her head from side to side.
“While you were getting dragged to acting classes, I was sitting in front of a monitor all day, streaming and preparing.”
“Of course, I remember that.”
“Then stop complaining and come pick a date.”
I wondered if it was really okay to just drop everything and go on a carefree trip like this, but I couldn't change Doah’s mind.
“But I’m a little short on money this month...”
I had been notified upon termination that all the profits from my activities would be used to cover the drama reshoot costs. I was left with practically nothing.
“You can pay me back. I’ll lend it to you.”
If she had offered to pay for it, I would have felt embarrassed, but if I was just borrowing it, I could pay it back, even if it meant getting a part-time job.
“Sorry.”
“It’s fine. It’s not like I’m paying for everything. The interest is 500 won, though.”
Doah flashed a cute, bashful smile.
...I wanted to do something nice for her, too.
The scales I had tried so hard to balance were tipping further and further.
Now, I was in a state where I didn't even know what I should do for her. I just fidgeted with my fingers.
“Still, instead of 500 won, let me know if there’s anything you need from me.”
Doah turned her head and stared intently into my eyes.
“...Is there anything you want from me, Oppa?”
“Hmm... I don’t think so.”
I thought it would be ridiculous to ask anything of Doah in this situation.
“Same here.”
Doah rested her forehead against my stomach as I stood beside her chair.
“The only thing I want from you.”
She paused for a moment before continuing.
“Is for you to make it so we can have a happy time together.”
“That’s it.”
Perhaps my attempts to do things for her had become some kind of trauma, because Doah kept repeating that she didn't want anything from me.
It’s okay if you don’t do anything.
I’m not a child, and I’m doing just fine now.
I told her I understood, but I didn't feel great about it.
I couldn't.
“Then should we plan our vacation together?”
Not wanting to spoil her mood, I sat down next to her. Doah gave me a quick peck on the cheek.
“That’s a great idea.”
Putting our worries aside for a moment, the two of us began to plan our trip.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Oppa, we absolutely have to eat this.”
“You’re right. The visuals are insane.”
“Should we check this place out too?”
“Sounds good.”
After roughly deciding on the places we wanted to go and the food we wanted to try, we moved over to the bed.
“...Doah.”
Doah was resting her face on my chest.
“Thank you.”
It was a phrase I couldn't say enough.
“No, I’m the one who’s thankful.”
“What do you have to be thankful for?”
Instead of answering, Doah started humming the original song from her concert.
“This. You made it for me.”
...It’s true I received it without giving anything in return.
No, that’s not right. I did participate in a few shoots before that, so maybe that covered the cost of the song.
“A lot of people seemed to like it.”
“That’s because it’s a genuinely well-made song.”
Doah said nothing, just idly fiddled with my t-shirt.
“You should rest for a while. You must have been through a lot.”
“It’s fine. I already slept for two straight days in the hospital.”
“You say that, but you’re just being dramatic when you don’t even have anything to do right now.”
What kind of expression was I supposed to make?
It felt like an awkward situation, not quite right for laughing or crying.
“Still. I should look for something to do. I can’t just laze around until September.”
March wasn't even over yet.
I couldn't just lie in my room for five months watching Luka’s streams.
“Who said you should laze around the whole time? I just meant you should relax after our trip, at least for this week.”
“Alright.”
Seemingly dissatisfied with my answer, Doah clung to me and whined.
“By the way, I heard you completely turned the company upside down. How on earth did you...”
Her index finger covered my mouth, as if telling me to stop talking.
“Enough about that. All you need to know is that I handled it perfectly.”
“...But you got mad at me for not telling you things.”
“Luka is allowed to. Because Luka is cute.”
Doah replied in her streamer voice.
Her eyebrows wiggled freely.
“Did you know I couldn’t do this before? I practiced because I wanted to get facial tracking.”
As if the thought just occurred to her, Doah moved her eyebrows this way and that.
I had been about to say something serious, but a laugh escaped me, and I gently pulled her cheek.
“You’re so cute.”
“That’s right. I can’t sing or dance. My only skill is being cute.”
“Wasn’t that Fumurin’s concept?”
“Murin is good at games, so she’s not a one-trick pony.”
How could a "one-trick pony of cuteness" be this amazing?
And if you were this cute, did it even matter if you couldn't do anything else?
That was how it was in the VTuber and streamer industry.
You could be the best singer or gamer in the world, but if you weren't cute, it was hard to gain much popularity.
“You’re staying the night, right?”
Her voice was half-certain, which made me want to tease her.
“Should I?”
“Are you just going to go home? After we’ve already gotten into bed and under the covers like this?”
Her eyes went wide, which only made me want to joke around more.
“You told me to get plenty of rest. I’m still a patient, I shouldn’t overdo it here.”
“Aah!”
Doah’s cheeks started to puff up.
“Who said anything about doing that? I just said you should sleep over.”
Whine, whine, whine, whine.
“Let’s just sleep holding hands today.”
As if she didn't like my answer, she wrapped her arm around my shoulder and gave me a short kiss.
“Then you have to give me lots of kisses today instead.”
There was only one possible answer.
*
Having nothing to do while being alone for long periods was agonizing.
It meant I had to chew on the pain of failure.
When I closed my eyes, I was back on the set. The rookie, Han Taemin, was trembling, busy apologizing.
It was a funny thing, when you thought about it.
I used to think a handsome face was useless and just made life difficult, but in the end, the field I ended up relying on was one where looks are more important than anything.
That fact was a little...
No, not just a little.
Looking back on it now, I found that fact utterly disgusting.
“Haa...”
Just as the bitterness of failure and self-loathing began to rise, Luka’s stream would begin.
Sometimes, I felt like Doah might actually be a drug dealer.
She made the pain go away.
The only state-sanctioned isekai narcotic.
A VTuber.
I turned on the stream and entered. A flood of messages from the Pink Army, unemployed guys just like me, poured into the chat.
[Ah~ Members of the Pink Army~ Luhai~]
The moment the stream started, questions about her break next week came flooding in.
[Luka-tan, don't go! Please don't go!]
[We're cold... Please don't leave us...]
[Get some good rest, Luka-nim!]
Ninety-nine percent were wailing for her not to go, while one percent wished her a good trip.
It was just what I expected from the fanatical Pink Army.
Of course, if I weren't the one going on the trip with her, I probably would have reacted the same way.
[Luka-tan... as you all know, I live by myself, so I was thinking of using this chance to go down to my parents' house. I didn't even go during the Lunar New Year, remember? Because of the special stream.]
[I'm going to be a good daughter to my mom and dad! And see their faces!]
Knowing the truth, I couldn't help but laugh at Doah’s increasingly shameless acting.
Seriously, Kim Doah? Were your parents Japanese?
As far as I knew, our destination next week was Tokyo.
A donation sound played, and a single line of text appeared on the stream.
[Luka-tan, are we already meeting your parents? Heheh]
[Kiimoo.]
The Pink Army roared with delight at Luka’s disgusted expression.
Once again, the pain in my heart blurred and melted away.