Chapter 189: Farther Away.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 189: Farther Away.
Unlike when we were both unemployed, we had now become one of those couples who cherished their weekends.
While Doah still streamed in the evenings, my life had become no different from that of a salaryman who commutes to work on weekdays.
“Oppa! Hurry up!”
Doah beckoned me over.
I quickened my pace and sat down next to her.
Maybe because it was the weekend, the PC bang was quite crowded.
As expected, there seemed to be a lot of middle and high school students, and couples on dates like us.
“What the. Your game isn't even over yet.”
“Come here and give me some pointers.”
She asked for pointers, but if a Bronze player had the skills to understand them, wouldn't they not be in Bronze anymore?
“An enemy might pop out of this bush, so be careful.”
“Okay.”
She said okay, but then walked straight ahead anyway.
It was a move so straightforward, I wondered if a more honest one could even exist.
Just as I'd predicted, the enemies were all waiting inside. Doah's character took all their skills head-on and died.
“Hmph.”
Looking embarrassed, she made a cute, pouty sound and looked up at me.
“Sit next to me. Let's play together.”
“No, it's a nice day. Let's go outside.”
“Oppa, you don't want to play?”
“I'm more amazed that you still play games off-stream after streaming all the time.”
A PC bang date wasn't bad, but I just wasn't feeling it today.
“Then let's go after this match. I think it'll be over soon anyway.”
“If you die the same way one more time, I think you're just out, aren't you?”
“Ahem. No bad words.”
But despite her prohibition, my words proved to be a prophecy, and Doah once again found herself on the verge of being demoted.
“...I'm done.”
Doah pouted, even though it was her own fault.
“That's why I wonder why you even play this disease of a game.”
I held out my hand as a signal to get up, and Doah slowly pulled herself toward me.
“Ah, but I had a feeling today was going to be a good day.”
“You say that every time you stream.”
“But there are days when I actually do well.”
“Few and far between.”
As we bickered our way up the stairs, a sweltering heat was waiting for us.
“Ugh... The weather's nice, but it's too hot.”
The asphalt seemed to be sizzling.
But there was a reason we had come all this way today.
“You're the one who wanted to come.”
“That's true.”
“So? Did you see the thing you wanted to see?”
“Nope! I saved it so we could go together.”
Enduring the sweat that trickled down, we arrived at the subway station.
“Ta-da!”
Countless sticky notes already covered the space in front of it.
“Wow. Is this what it means to be world-class? Is this what an idol is?”
We walked up to the digital billboard and carefully examined the notes one by one.
[Happy birthday, Murin unnie! I love you! ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥]
[Fumurin! You're the best!]
[I. LOVE. YOU. FU.MU.RIN. Murimuridan~ I'll always be cheering for you~]
“Let's write one, too. Hurry.”
“Me too...?”
I don't really have anything to say.
“Come on. Oppa, you've met Murin a few times. You can at least leave a happy birthday message.”
“I guess so...”
Doah handed me a Post-it note from her bag, then pressed herself against the wall and wrote a letter in her characteristically neat, small handwriting.
“What did you write?”
“To the re-recording fairy, I'll always love you~”
The term 're-recording' was no longer something that only applied to others.
In fact, during the Summer Records sessions, I'd had no choice but to keep her behind to record again.
It felt almost like she was a student staying for remedial classes.
Even so, she worked hard to meet my demands to the very end before she left.
“Murin said she's coming next week to take a proof shot and read all of these.”
“Ohh. She hasn't come yet?”
“Yeah. She said she wants to wait until they've all piled up and then come see them all at once.”
“Then I guess I should write something proper, too.”
I uncapped my pen, hesitated for a moment, and then left a message for her.
[You worked so hard on the recording. I hope only good things happen for you from now on! Go, CLOSER! Happy birthday~ ^^]
...This should be fine, right?
Doah, who had been reading my message out of the corner of her eye, suddenly poked me in the side with her index finger.
“...Why?”
“...I don't like that little smiling emoticon.”
“Hey, it's not like I smiled at her. It's just an emoticon. What's the big deal?”
“I'll let it slide since I didn't bring an eraser today, but you know you can't do that next time, right?”
I raised both hands in surrender.
“So, what are we doing after this?”
Still, we were in a pretty central part of Seoul, so it felt like a waste to just go home.
“Umm... Want to get some coffee?”
“We could do that.”
“Or the arcade?”
Doah, an arcade enthusiast, seemed to still go by herself often when I wasn't home.
“No thanks. You can do that at home.”
“Hmph. You never come with me even when I ask.”
“You go during the day, Kim Doah.”
How am I supposed to go with you when I'm not home?
In the end, our destination was a pretty cafe with a vibe fit for Instagram.
“Oppa. Look here.”
Doah aimed her camera at me, wanting to take a picture.
Normally I wouldn't have been up for it, but since we were both dressed up today, I figured it wasn't a bad day for a photo.
“Peace~”
The image of the two of us, captured on the screen.
Doah must have liked the photo, because she held her phone with both hands and kept staring at it.
“What's wrong? Is it bad?”
I thought it came out nicely.
“No. But your face is too small.”
“...Are you saying something about my mom?”
“No, no, no, no! When did I ever say anything about your mother! I just meant your face is so small that you look cool.”
Startled by the mention of my parents, Doah immediately retracted her statement.
“So what do you want me to do?”
“Let's take it like this.”
Doah made me stand way in front while she stood far behind, trying to make our faces look the same size.
I mean, it's not like Doah's head is that big, either.
“Hey, if you stand that far back, it'll look like we're not close.”
“Our hearts are connected.”
Doah whispered the sweet lie in her signature Luka voice.
“Ah, hurry, hurry, let's take the picture like this.”
“I can't with you.”
There was no way I could win against Doah.
I reluctantly took a photo with the slightly bizarre composition, and Doah, pleased with it, giggled happily.
“Mmm~ Iced tea is the best when it's hot.”
Doah sipped enthusiastically at the drink with the worst value for money, as if it were delicious.
“But iced tea is too sweet.”
“That's because you're an old man, Oppa.”
“Are you dating an old man?”
“If it's an old man this handsome, then yes.”
This Kim Doah, such a sucker for a pretty face.
“Anything special planned for next week?”
“Umm... Ah, there is something! We're going to be on a variety talk show!”
“Ooh... All of you?”
“Yep. Ah, this is a huge secret, so you know you absolutely can't tell anyone, right?”
“Doah, don't you have any faith in me?”
Besides, if you tell me every little detail while calling it a secret, is it really a secret?
It had gotten to the point where I'd feel bored if something wasn't labeled a secret.
“Oppa. I remember everything perfectly, you know?”
“What.”
“You told your teacher all about the collab stream schedule with Leah that I told you! It got leaked to the community beforehand, so we ended up playing a game of Mafia among ourselves!”
Since it was a relatively recent incident, I kept my mouth shut.
Ah. See if I ever tell that guy anything again.
“Ah... right... I definitely won't tell the teacher.”
“Not anyone else, either.”
“Who else?”
“...Like Yoonje oppa.”
She's just throwing out names since she can't think of anyone else.
“So, have you filmed the variety show already? Or are you going to?”
“We film next week, and it airs on a major network the week after.”
...A major network?
“Yes! It's a Metaverse special!”
The whole world is all about CLOSER, isn't it.
The thought of seeing Luka-tan on TV made me happy, but my head also felt fuzzy.
“Oh... I see.”
“I bet you know the show, Oppa. Have you heard of this one?”
Doah fumbled for her phone and played a video for me.
“Huh? I know this show.”
“Right?! I'm going to be on it!”
I mean, this was a show hosted by a really famous MC. The fact that she was going to be on it felt incredibly strange.
“It's great that you're going on, but how will it work?”
“Ah... obviously we won't be there in person. They said they're setting up a huge monitor on the set for us to appear on.”
So it'll be like a beam projector, then.
“You must be nervous.”
“I am. I'm super nervous, but my heart is also pounding with excitement.”
“Wow, you've really made it. I remember watching when you only had 50 viewers.”
“I know, right? I can hardly believe it myself. I get surprised every time Manager unnie brings us news.”
“At this rate, aren't you going to become international stars?”
“I hope so. To the Billboard charts, let's gooo~”
What made her fantastical wish come true...
...was their final album.
The album produced by my team, Bitdam Producers.