Chapter 152: Don't Touch Him.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 152: Don't Touch Him.
“Did you sleep well?”
The bed felt infinitely more comfortable than the one in my apartment.
Through my blurry vision, the one asking after me was my dear girlfriend.
“Yeah. Thanks to you.”
“I was completely knocked out thanks to you, too.”
When I opened my arms, Doah slipped into my embrace instead of answering.
The fresh scent of her shampoo was incredibly pleasant.
Because she was so petite, I always felt a strange sense of security whenever she hugged me.
“Doah.”
“Yeah?”
“So, when on earth did you buy that?”
I pointed to the Luka costume draped carelessly over a chair, and Doah looked embarrassed.
“Oppa. It was after you finished your acting job. The day after we decided to go on this trip? Or maybe the day after that?”
“...Really?”
Recalling the blissful night we’d just had, I felt like I was swimming in a dream.
If I tried to tell my friends about this, I could guarantee not a single one of them would believe me.
“How did you end up... buying it...?”
Had she originally planned to buy it, or did she get it just to show me?
I thought it was highly likely the latter, but you never know.
She might have wanted to try on her own character’s costume at least once.
“Because I thought you’d like it.”
...So it wasn't the latter.
“I like you even if you don’t do things like this.”
Even if she didn’t go out of her way to imitate Luka or wear her costume, she was already my precious girlfriend.
“I know. But it’s something I wanted to do for you.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
The aftereffects of last night lingered quite strongly, and it wasn't until the sun was high in the sky that we finally went out to resume our activities.
“Where should we go first today?”
“Food?”
After a hearty meal of rice bowls near our hotel, we set off for the main event of our trip.
The place we were perhaps most excited about.
“Wow. This is incredible.”
Doah nodded in agreement.
So this entire building is an otaku paradise?
The scale was on a completely different level compared to Korea.
It was amazing enough that a single building was filled to the brim with this kind of content, but the entire block, this whole area, was like this...
Is this... heaven...?
“Should we start by going in there?”
Doah was a subculture enthusiast herself.
Her dark brown eyes were sparkling with excitement.
As we entered the otaku shopping center, which was laid out like a department store, all sorts of merch stretched out before us.
“Wow! Oppa, look at this!”
Doah couldn’t take her eyes off the display stand.
“Aren’t they so cute!”
As she shook a keychain of her favorite character, I thought she was even cuter than the item itself.
“It’s cute. How much is it?”
“This one? 3,500 won?” [Approx. $2.50 USD]
“Seems a little pricey...”
“Come on. Where else would we buy it if not here?”
My girlfriend grabbed a shopping basket and marched forward on her short legs.
“Oh, fuck.”
A curse escaped my lips as I rounded a corner.
“What is it? Did you find something?”
Doah, who had been browsing a different section, came over to my side.
“It’s... it’s the merch corner for that game!”
It was only natural for my eyes to glaze over when I saw an entire section dedicated to the game I’d whaled so hard on.
“Ah... so it is...?”
“You see this and you don’t feel anything?”
Luka-tan! You played this on your stream!
Do you know how much I donated when you were doing your gacha pulls!
“I thought it was just okay...”
Doah's indifferent tone made me want to pout, but this was no time for that.
It was a huge relief that I hadn't bought any clothes yesterday.
With at least a little emergency cash on hand, I continued my shopping with the utmost care.
I wanted the photo cards, and I wanted the SD figures, too.
If I had my way, I’d buy one of everything.
With a trembling hand, I took out my wallet and meticulously checked how much money I had available, down to the last coin.
“What are you doing?”
Doah, who had already paid for a whole bundle of things, was holding a white shopping bag.
“Choosing and focusing.”
“Is there something you really want?”
“Yeah. Haa... I’m seriously debating whether to buy this or not.”
When I pointed to a desk mat with the tip of my finger, Doah’s expression changed subtly.
“Hmmm... It’s pretty~”
“What. You don’t like it?”
“No? If you want to buy it, you should buy it.”
It was so well-made that it felt like buying it was the polite thing to do.
Just as I steeled my resolve and reached for the package...
“...Oppa.”
I turned my head at the sound of Doah’s voice, which sounded quite displeased.
“Y-Yeah...?”
“If you buy that...”
What is it? Does she already know I’m short on cash?
No way. I didn’t tell her.
“Does this mean... the Luka-tan desk mat at home... is heading for the trash can...?”
“What...?”
Why is the conversation going in that direction?
I frantically tried to explain that wasn't the case, but Doah’s puffed-up cheeks showed no sign of deflating.
“No. I’m not throwing it away! I said I won’t! I can just put it in the closet and use it again later!”
“No? If you have that one, you’ll be looking at her face every time you eat, not Luka’s. You’re just going to shove me in a corner!”
“You said you’re not Luka!”
“If I’m not Luka, then who is!”
In a corner of a foreign otaku store.
A fierce battle of wits unfolded between a couple.
“Ah! Whatever! Buy it or don’t!”
But this time, I had no intention of backing down.
It was like the Romeo and Juliet effect—the more she tried to stop me, the more determined I became.
The thought of letting go of the desk mat in my hand completely vanished.
“Hmph!”
Doah, refusing to talk any further, stormed off to the upper floor. I quietly picked out just two other pieces of merch.
I wanted to grant most of Doah’s requests and whims, but this was just unreasonable.
I mean, it’s not like the desk mat has her face on it, so why is she getting on my case about it?
I even said I wouldn’t throw the other one away and would use it again.
Muttering to myself, I finished paying and waited for her on the first floor, since she hadn't come out yet.
What’s taking her so long?
Don’t tell me she’s sulking and staging a protest upstairs.
I was getting tired of waiting and was about to go look for her when I saw Doah emerging from the exit.
“What took you so long?”
“Here.”
Doah held out a white bag from the same store.
It wasn't very big.
“You want me to hold it?”
“No. It’s for you.”
After checking the contents, I knew I had to completely re-evaluate my opinion of Doah.
No, of Doah-nim.
“How could you give me something so precious...”
The bag was filled with merch from that game.
The items I could only drool over because I was buying the desk mat were now shining brilliantly before me.
“Hey, why did you buy so much...”
If she wanted to give me a gift, a single photo card would have been more than enough to make me happy.
“Ah, just take it when I give it to you.”
She brushed off my concern as if she didn't want to talk about it and raised an index finger at me in warning.
“But in return, you have to cheer up when we get back to Korea, okay?”
“What?”
“Don’t go around looking all gloomy and sad in Korea. I’m telling you to look at this stuff and get some energy.”
Doah spun around and walked away without waiting for an answer. Wanting to express my gratitude, I carried all of her bags for her.
“Wow... I bought a lot, but you went all out, too.”
By the time we finished our long shopping spree and were ready for dinner, my hands were full of bags of every color.
“What can I do? They were cute.”
True. If I’d had more money, I probably would have bought twice as much.
There was a lot of high-quality merch I’d never even seen in Korea, and the prices were surprisingly reasonable.
“Omatase itashimashita~ (Sorry to keep you waiting~)”
When the sushi we ordered arrived, Doah took out her camera and diligently took pictures.
“Okay, let’s eat!”
I thought you were going to perform a ritual with your chopsticks.
But just as they say the fruit is sweeter after a long wait, the raw fish performed a magic trick, melting away the moment it entered my mouth.
“Wow...”
“Incredible...”
We focused on our meal rather than chattering, silently and diligently filling our stomachs.
A happy smile spread across my face from the pleasant fullness.
Before we knew it, the night sky had grown dark.
As we were walking through a bustling street, Doah said she needed to use the restroom and went inside a shopping center.
Left alone outside, I was mindlessly fiddling with my phone when...
“Ano...”
Wondering if they were talking to me, I glanced over to see two Japanese women looking up at me.
“Kankoku no moderu-san desu ka?” (Are you a Korean model?)
Out of the blue, the two asked if I was a Korean model.
I shook my head to say no.
“Moshi yokattara...” (If you don't mind...)
Fuck, why do they keep saying they need something from me?
And there are two of them.
“No, no, no, no.”
As I was trying to express that I wasn't interested and they should leave, I felt a presence behind me.
It was my girlfriend, Doah, who naturally linked her arm with mine.
“Watashi no kareshi ni you demo aru no?” (Do you need something with my boyfriend?)
The mix of Luka’s unique voice and her fluent Japanese created an effect straight out of an anime.
She was smiling brightly, but her eyes weren't.
“I-Iie...!” (N-No...!)
Only then did the two women walk away.
I blinked and asked Doah what she had said.
“It means, ‘Don’t touch what’s mine.’”
Doah kissed me on the cheek.