Chapter 15: Just a Little Longer.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 15: Just a Little Longer.
Taemin Oppa was undeniably handsome.
I still remembered how all the girls in our year made such a fuss when he returned to school.
It's a waste he's not an idol.
He looks like some celebrity.
His face is smaller than mine.
Of course, I didn't join the chorus of squealing girls, but I had to admit he was radiant.
Just seeing him standing on the street a moment ago proved it.
A man who looked like a model, standing out even from a distance.
Taemin Oppa, exuding handsomeness with his incredible proportions, was…
“No! Why are you holding the controller like that and just shaking it?”
It was so hard to resist giving him pointers.
He was bad.
So incredibly bad.
Maybe my standards were high because I'm pretty good at this game, but even for a beginner, his gameplay was atrocious.
Is this what my viewers feel when they watch me play?
I felt like I would burst if I didn't say something.
“…Huh?”
“Oppa. The screen is telling you to swing left, but you keep flicking it to the right.”
“Ah. Was I…?”
“And you have to at least try to move with the beat! It's a rhythm game!”
I didn't give him harsh, intense feedback, but just saying that much felt like a weight had been lifted off my chest.
Phew… I can breathe again…
But after letting out a sigh, a wave of embarrassment washed over me.
I'd just ripped into him for being bad at the game, but…
This is…
“…Doah?”
Having my face change color with my emotions was a very inconvenient trait.
I didn't need a mirror to know.
My face was already as red as a beet.
“…Let me show you how it's done.”
Sensing I needed a moment to cool my head, I didn't even wait for his reply and moved to where he had been standing, my head hung low.
“Let me guide you through it~”
Pretending I didn't already know the tutorial, I listened again before putting on the VR headset.
A familiar background.
A familiar starting song.
Controller in hand, I scanned the song list from top to bottom.
Still, since I told him I'd never played before, I should probably pick an easy one… right?
Anyone who's seriously played rhythm games knows how boring and dull it is to intentionally play on a lower difficulty.
But that didn't matter.
All I needed was some time to clear my head.
Right. For peace of mind, this is the one.
[Healing Spring]
The song I played the most when I first started this game.
Setting it to Easy Mode, I closed my eyes and let my body move to the beat.
Up. Down. Up, up. Down. Up. Down.
On Hard Mode, I would've had to swing my arms frantically, but on Easy, there was no need.
I just had to sway leisurely, as if clapping to the bassline.
I'd even challenged myself to play it with my eyes closed before, so I hit the notes with incredible ease.
Before I knew it, the song reached its final climax.
Focusing on the game, I nailed the final, slightly more difficult combo and caught my breath.
[FULL COMBO!]
Right… If I can't even get a full combo on this, I'm not even human… Phew…
With that thought, I took off the headset…
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.
The staff member who'd helped us and Taemin Oppa were clapping.
“Wow~ Your girlfriend is really good at this~”
The staff member, calling me his girlfriend out of the blue.
“Uh… yeah… she's good, isn't she?”
Taemin Oppa replied, laughing awkwardly.
I had been so focused on the game that I'd completely forgotten I was supposed to be pretending to be a newbie.
No. Seriously, Kim Doah, you stupid girl.
Before I could even imagine what he must be thinking of me, Oppa shared his thoughts.
“Hey, Doah. You're… really good…”
His genuinely impressed tone made the blood rush back to the face I had just managed to cool down.
“No, it's just because I picked an easy song.”
“But not missing a single note is still amazing, no matter how easy it is.”
Stupid Kim Doah.
What's the point of picking an easy difficulty if you're just going to get a full combo? Of course that looks impressive.
Deciding it was better to just give up and get out of there, I glanced around and pointed to another attraction.
“Oppa, should we try that one, too?”
I had just pointed at something random, but…
“Sure. I was curious about that one anyway.”
“Then shall we go right now? Haha…”
I followed him without even checking what it was, and my face went pale.
[Entry Forbidden for the Faint of Heart]
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
A scream leaked out from inside the booth, sending a chill down my spine.
Should I tell him I can't do it, even now…?
The place I had randomly suggested we go to was the VR Horror Simulator.
For someone like me, who despises scary things, it was pure poison.
“Oppa… I…”
“Doah, look at this. It says wind blows out from the sides, too.”
Looking at the information board, he had the face of an excited child.
Ah… what do I do…
“Are you two ready to go in?”
When a staff member approached us, Oppa nodded.
“Ah, yes. Let's go, Doah.”
Hah… seriously, what is wrong with me today.
I squeezed my eyes shut and stepped into the booth.
*
I knew the VTuber and the real person behind her were different, but I was honestly pretty surprised when Doah suggested the horror experience.
After all, I'd thought the VTuber Luka was the type to tremble at the mere mention of the word 'horror'.
Once, a horror game came up on the roulette wheel, and Luka had screamed so much while clearing it that she seemed half-unconscious.
It was so realistic it was hard to believe it was just an act.
All the viewers said she was faint of heart…
Glancing beside me, I asked one last time just to be sure.
“Doah.”
“…Yes?”
Her voice sounded a little stiff.
“Are you okay with scary things?”
“Ah, of course… I'm the one who suggested it… But…”
That was the moment. Our vision suddenly went black.
The devices installed for a more realistic experience began to activate.
An eerie background music echoed in my ears, and at the same time, I felt a chill brush against my cheek.
Whoa… this is actually creepy…
“I… I… Oppa…”
“Yeah?”
Doah seemed to want to say something to me, but our communication ended there.
A sound like metal scraping against the floor followed, and then a ghost with its neck twisted 180 degrees appeared before us.
“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
Doah's scream startled me twice as much as the ghost did.
What the hell? Didn't she say she was fine with horror?
I tried to talk to her through her panicked screams, but it was no use.
The sign wasn't lying when it said, [We will deliver the pinnacle of fear].
Even for me, someone who can handle grotesque and scary things well, there were quite a few scenes that made me flinch or jump. For people without a tolerance for this kind of content…
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
“Uwaaaaaah!”
“Oppa! Oppaaaaa!”
It was more than just grabbing my arm.
Seeming to have lost her mind to fear, Doah couldn't even bear to look forward anymore and just buried her face in my chest.
This… this isn't Doah, this is Luka, isn't it?
It seemed her terrified reaction to horror wasn't an act after all.
No, but if that's the case, she should have just said she couldn't do it. Why…
Deciding this was no longer the time to pay attention to the content, I gave up on watching and focused all my efforts on calming Doah down.
“Doah. It's okay.”
“Oppa's right here.”
“Doah, close your eyes. Close your eyes.”
Aish… why is this thing so long?
It felt at least twice as long as the rhythm game from before.
Even without looking at the screen, the sounds and sensations alone must have been unbearable, as Doah gripped me so tightly her palms were sweating.
I could feel my t-shirt getting damp with her tears under my denim jacket.
-SLAM!
The experience ended with the scene of a door slamming shut loudly.
Bright yellow lights came back on inside the booth.
“Doah…?”
Doah didn't move an inch, even though the video was over.
With Doah still in my arms, I could only stand there awkwardly, not knowing what to do.
“Okay~ You can exit now~”
Only after hearing the staff member's call did Doah manage to pull herself up.
Of course, the fact that she was still holding my hand tightly hadn't changed.
Seeing her looking completely drained, I led her to a bench and sat her down.
“…Are you okay?”
Her bright red eyes told me she had been crying.
Doah, seemingly unable to speak, just gave a small nod.
It was getting embarrassing to keep holding her hand like this, and I thought it might be okay to let go now, but…
“…Just a moment.”
A slightly choked-up voice escaped her lips.
“…Can we stay like this for just a little longer?”
I couldn't refuse the request of my tearful favorite.