Chapter 167: You Read Stuff Like That?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 167: You Read Stuff Like That?
It wasn't that I didn't expect to hear something like that.
But today, of all days.
With our second album about to be released and in the middle of talking all about it, I never dreamed that topic would come up.
[Uh...]
Ah, wait. I shouldn't have trailed off like that.
Failing to move on smoothly, I mentally screamed, ‘Shoot!’ but this was no time to be spacing out.
[You don't know?]
Right. This was the best approach.
Just play dumb.
[We have no way of knowing the personal information of the winners.]
[Anyway. Getting back to what we were talking about, for the second album, there were some scenes where the members filmed together, right? And during one of them, Clover unnie...]
Sorry, Clover unnie.
I didn't want to sell you out, but to grab the viewers' attention, I needed something a little more provocative.
[Suddenly, we heard this sound? It was super loud, kind of like a fart.]
The murmurs about RKRO died down in an instant.
The Pink Army in my chat burst out laughing, completely engrossed in my story.
[So we were all like, what was that? Unnie, you have such a prim and proper image... No way... right...?]
Wow. I feel like I’m going to get dragged into a private meeting on Voicecord after this.
Taemin oppa is definitely watching this too.
I could only pray he would recognize my tearful efforts.
[Unnie kept denying it, explaining that it was just the chair making a noise, but you guys know how it is. Once you’re framed for something, it’s over.]
[And when Leah even joined in, Unnie completely lost it.]
Ah, whatever. Minna gomen~
I’ve sold them all out~
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Oh, Clover...]
[Luka-nim, can you handle the consequences?]
Ah, I don't know. You guys kept saying weird things, so I had no choice.
After finishing the stream, which lasted about an hour, I checked Voicecord and felt a shiver run down my entire body.
[...Luka-tan.]
Being tagged in blue text meant someone was looking for me.
I considered just pretending I didn't see it and going home, but... haah...
[Yeah? Unnie? What's up?♥]
It wasn't that I didn't usually act cute, but today called for double the usual amount.
No, maybe even triple.
[I think I heard something strange during your stream~]
[Oooh~ Really? Luka-tan has no idea what you’re talking about~]
[Kim Luka.]
...Ah. Why are you being so serious? It's scary. Sob.
[Yes, ma'am.]
But my instincts were sharp, and I knew in an instant that this was my cue to get on my knees.
[I thought we all agreed to keep that off-air? ^^]
[Ahahaha... Well... the... the viewers kept asking if there were any fun behind-the-scenes stories~ They were sooooo~ curious~]
[And you decided to sell me out for that!!!!!]
The chat message felt like it was being screamed at me.
I immediately sent an emoji of someone slamming their head on the ground.
[I'M SOOOORRRYYY!!!]
[Hey! And I told you it wasn't a fart! How many times did I say it wasn't a fart! Me!]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Ah~ Unnie! I was gonna be the one to expose you if it came down to it.]
Murin, who seemed to find the whole situation hilarious, jumped in and started spamming messages like a toxic viewer.
Damn it... Fumurin... why are you laughing... You look pretty happy to see your unnie suffer, don't you?
Jennifer unnie showed up late, laughing.
Leah was nowhere to be seen, probably having gone to bed.
In the end, I was dragged into a voice channel and thoroughly chewed out. It was a full two hours after my stream had ended that I was finally able to head home.
A message from Oppa was waiting on my phone.
[Doah, are you home?]
[...? Why aren't you answering?]
[??? Are you still working?]
I knew he was just worried.
But for some reason, I felt resentful, so I pressed the call button.
[Hello?]
[It's me.]
[Oh? Where are you right now?]
[The studio.]
[Your stream ended a while ago. Why are you still there instead of heading home?]
[Because I was getting chewed out by Clover unnie.]
Oppa seemed to understand what I meant and let out a hearty laugh.
[You're laughing? You think this is funny?]
Who do you think I sold out my family for? Huh?
[Ah, sorry. Should I come pick you up?]
[...Hurry up.]
[Okay, got it. Wait for me.]
But even so, I could never truly hate him, especially when he was willing to rush over this late at night just because I asked.
"Doah."
A voice came from outside the door.
I had already gotten ready to leave, but I opened the door slowly on purpose.
"...Hmph."
"Ah, why are you mad at me?"
"You have no idea how hard today was for me, Oppa."
"I do. Of course I do."
He naturally wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into a tight hug.
"Let's go home."
On the way back, I relentlessly poked him in the side.
After the competition, I had gotten much closer to Yoonje and started joining him for drinks more often.
I felt more comfortable around him, and besides, if it weren't for his help, I wouldn't have won the award or met my teacher.
Today's meeting spot was a world beer pub near my house.
As I entered and looked around, he raised his hand high.
"Hey! Han Taemin! Over here!"
"Ah, yeah."
He was munching on some peanuts and had clearly already started drinking, as he took a sip of his beer.
"So what's up? Why'd you want to meet up all of a sudden?"
"Dude. I got rejected."
"By who?"
"You know, that girl I was seeing."
Without me even asking, Yoonje launched into the tragic tale of his situationship with her.
"Isn't she a real bitch?"
"She does seem a little off, yeah."
"I mean... come on. After all that, it was a total green light! Right? We were calling and texting every day, we even exchanged gifts. Shit... haah..."
It seemed like more and more people were asking me for validation these days.
"Ah, I was sure I was gonna seal the deal this time."
I understood what he meant by "seal the deal" and simply took a sip of the beer in front of me instead of replying.
"That sucks. But hey, you can just meet someone else, right?"
"Tsk~ Han Taemin~ You lucky bastard. It's because of your face that girls are like automatic doors for you."
...The problem was, I never asked them to open, but they did anyway.
Realizing there was no point in saying that, I just patted his shoulder.
"Hey. So, did you read that thing?"
"That thing?"
"The one I recommended the other day."
"Ah... yeah..."
I instinctively scanned our surroundings.
Because the topic he was about to bring up was a vulgar and sordid story that should never be overheard by others.
"It's insane, right?"
"Honestly, you were hyping it up so much I only read it because I felt like I had to, you know?"
His dull eyes began to sparkle.
"Yeah."
"But I have to admit, it was pretty surprising."
"Dude, that author is on another level, I'm telling you."
What Yoonje had recommended to me was, surprisingly, an erotic novel.
It was a story serialized on a platform called Novel World, titled [I Imprisoned Her.].
"How far did you get?"
"I'm on the second..."
"Dude, the fourth heroine is insane. She's the hottest one."
"...Really?"
It was a new experience for me.
I wasn't very close with the medium of text and didn't read much in general.
I'd watch manga or anime, sure.
But I didn't really read books.
And if I were to satisfy those kinds of sordid desires, it would obviously be with videos.
Of course, the frequency had dropped significantly after I started dating Doah and we started sleeping together, but I couldn't just call her over every single time.
Our schedules and desires had to align.
How could I possibly insist on it every time I felt like it?
It was a moment that made my past self, who foolishly thought guys with girlfriends wouldn't need to watch porn, seem incredibly naive.
"You have to read it. All the way to the end."
"If I have time."
"Just don't let Doah catch you."
"Ah, of course."
I had never once been caught with porn.
But reading this thing made me think it might be better to get caught with porn instead. The content was that intense.
Who knew a story about taming someone through training could be this erotic?
"Agh... I should get going. I have a 9 AM class tomorrow."
It was 10 PM, a rather early time to be leaving a drinking session, but Yoonje got up from his seat.
I hadn't planned on staying late either, so I went to the counter and paid.
After saying our goodbyes, I got home and was startled to see a pair of shoes that weren't mine.
"...Doah?"
What the. Is she at my place right now?
Soon, I heard the sound of blankets being rustled.
Dressed in pajamas, it seemed she had come prepared to spend the night and was waiting for me.
"Hey, you should've told me you were coming."
"...Who announces a surprise inspection?"
"A surprise inspection?"
"You've been hanging out with Yoonje oppa way too much lately, so I came to keep an eye on you."
Doah stood with her hands on her hips, her cheeks puffed out.
It was a situation that might have annoyed some people, but to me, she just looked adorable.
"Come on. Why would I do anything when I have you?"
"Phone."
Doah held out her palm.
"What, you want my phone?"
"Yeah. I'll just check your recent contacts and give it back."
I wasn't thrilled about it, but since I had nothing to hide, I handed it over without protest.
I expected her to just check it right there and give it back, but...
"Oh... Oppa."
Her voice was laced with confusion.
Unable to guess the cause, I asked her calmly.
"Yeah? What is it?"
"...What is this?"
Ah, fuck.
I forgot to close that.
What Doah showed me was the Novel World tab, still open in the list of recent apps.