Chapter 3: In Search of Evidence.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 3: In Search of Evidence.
After disconnecting from Voicecord, I sat there for a moment, staring at my monitor.
Han Taemin...
Of all the people in that class, I can't believe I ended up in the same group as Taemin Oppa.
The heavens are so cruel.
Or maybe the professor is the cruel one.
The thought of having to see his face until the end of the semester was enough to make me miserable.
“Haaa...”
I leaned my chair all the way back and stared at the ceiling.
“Get a grip, Kim Doah.”
It’s been months. Why are you still hung up on him?
I rubbed my face with my hands, but even that couldn't wash away the feelings that had been festering for so long.
There was a time. A time when I thought I would even give up streaming if it meant I could have a dream-like romance with someone like Taemin Oppa.
A time when I lost sleep, dreaming of how wonderful it would be to walk around campus with him, sharing a love so sweet it would make everyone envious.
But Taemin Oppa was a wall.
Not a door, a wall.
When I realized the person I was knocking for was a wall and not a door, my hopes shattered into pathetic little pieces.
The fragments fell and lodged themselves in my heart, leaving a nasty scar.
...It was bitter.
No. Maybe it was for the best. Thanks to him, I was able to grit my teeth and focus even harder on streaming.
In the end, I figured the only ones who would like someone as lacking as me were my viewers. To repay them, I worked tirelessly, streaming constantly and planning new content.
After double-checking that Voicecord was disconnected, I started singing the song I’d been practicing earlier.
“The warm sunlight. That dazzling smile.”
My skills were lacking.
Sure, for an amateur cover, people said it wasn't unlistenable, but it was true that I fell short compared to the other candidates in the project I was preparing for.
I couldn't believe it when I heard an actual musical actress was participating in the audition.
Why is a real singer trying out for a virtual idol position?
But it wasn't an industry where singing was the only thing that mattered.
Since it was for virtual idols, concepts and character were just as important, and the application guidelines stated that a knack for streaming was also a key factor.
“I can do this. I can do this.”
Shaking my head to clear the thoughts of Taemin Oppa, I threw myself back into practicing the song for the final audition.
Kim Doah... Kim Doah... Kim Doah...
I scrolled way down on my phone, looking for my last chat with Doah, and found our conversation buried at the bottom, on the verge of being archived forever.
“Our last conversation was...”
The moment I saw it, I was overcome with the feeling of cold sweat trickling down my forehead.
Seriously. Why do I talk like such an asshole?
[Oppa. Are you free tomorrow, by any chance?]
[No.]
[Um... it’s... about the class materials from last time.]
[Ah. Then 3 pm. k.]
Honestly, it wasn't that different from how I talk to my friends, but thinking I was talking to Luka like that made it feel incredibly rude.
It wasn't even a gender thing. My texting style is just that dry.
Come to think of it, after texting that, I met her at 3 and turned her down...
I couldn't bear to look at my phone screen anymore.
To the girl who might be Luka-nim... I committed such an atrocity...
Should I just kill myself?
But I didn't know back then. I thought it was a completely different situation.
Based on my experience, whenever I made a little time to meet one-on-one or have a private meeting, girls would always cross the line and want a more serious relationship with me.
And honestly, I thought Doah would be no different. She said something similar, about wanting a serious relationship with me.
It wasn't that my policy itself was flawed and needed fixing, but the important thing was that I, with my own hands... Luka...
“I’m a moron...”
It felt like all sorts of negative emotions were eating away at me.
Like all the depression in the world was crashing over me in a wave.
There was only one prayer I could make now.
“Right... Doah might not be Luka...”
I could just be mistaken, letting my imagination run wild and jumping to the conclusion that Doah is Luka.
Yeah... that's right... If Doah isn't Luka, then everything can go back to normal...
To deny reality, I had to find a reason why Luka couldn't be Doah.
And finding that evidence wouldn't be too difficult.
An hour before class started, I reviewed the various pieces of information I’d jotted down while watching Luka’s streams.
Luka’s favorite snack.
The vegetables she hates.
Her favorite ice cream flavor from a popular chain.
The music she’s been listening to lately.
Luka often spent time chatting about daily life before getting into games or other main content, so finding this stuff out wasn't hard.
Just the day before yesterday, for instance, Luka had talked about a show she’d recently enjoyed.
[Guys, have you seen it? That prosecutor show that’s popular right now.]
[I was so into it, I completely lost track of time.]
[It’s only out up to episode 7, so you should all hurry up and binge it!]
I figured talking about this show would be a natural way to start a conversation without raising suspicion, so I’d stayed up all night watching it up to the latest episode.
Now, if she says she hasn't seen it or doesn't know what it is, then she can't be Luka.
My last name is Han, so my attendance number was always at the end of the list, and I usually walked into the classroom a little late. But not today.
“What’s this? You’re not late?”
Yoonje, the club rat who was sitting in the back, greeted me with a look of surprise.
“What, man.”
“Dude, you always walk in right as they call your name.”
“The bus just came early today.”
This was our first in-person class since the Voicecord call.
We had to sit with our groups, so I turned my back to Yoonje and looked around for Doah...
“Han Taemin!”
Junseok, our group leader, waved at me.
“Yeah. Coming.”
My group members—Minji, Junseok, and Doah—were sitting in a row.
Naturally, the seat next to Doah, on the very end, was mine.
Even though I’d arrived, Doah didn't look my way.
Her dark brown hair fell like a curtain, hiding her expression.
“Oppa! Hi~” Minji greeted me, and only then did Doah glance in my direction.
But no matter how I looked at her... could this girl really be Luka...?
The difference between Luka, the resident bully for all the stream otakus, and the Doah I was seeing now was just too extreme.
The Doah in my memory was by no means a cheerful person.
Of course, I hadn't talked to her much or heard anything about her, but based on what I'd seen, she was an incredibly timid person.
“...Hello.”
Anyone could tell she was uncomfortable talking to me.
It was a perfectly normal reaction. If I were her, I wouldn't be able to laugh and chat with the guy who'd rejected me either.
Anyway, I needed to steer the conversation in the right direction before class started, but...
Junseok and Minji were chatting about something. Doah was just staring down at her desk.
If I started talking, it would be a one-on-one conversation with Doah, and that wasn't going to be easy.
How many times in my life had I ever intentionally started a conversation with a girl first?
“...Doah.”
Still, I couldn't just sit there in silence.
I called her name in the gentlest tone I could manage.
“Yes?”
When I said her name, Doah looked over, somewhat surprised.
“Um... what was it... you know...”
Why can't I remember it all of a sudden?
My original plan was to bring up the show, but a completely different question popped out of my mouth.
“Do you like banana milk?”
“Huh?”
“Uh... you know... banana milk. The chubby kind.”
After spitting that out, I realized I should have talked about the prosecutor show, but I guess this could also be part of the investigation.
After all, banana milk was what Luka drank at the start of every single one of her streams.
“Ah... yes. I... I like it.”
“The low-fat kind?”
Luka always emphasized ‘low-fat.’ She said it was more refreshing.
Honestly, I thought it all tasted the same, but to Luka, the difference seemed to be huge.
“I only drink the low-fat kind.”
Doah answered my question dutifully, but her face clearly said, ‘Why are you asking me that?’
When I didn't react to her answer, Doah tilted her head.
Not being much of a talker, I felt pressured to continue the conversation and ended up spouting more nonsense.
“But I was thinking, does drinking low-fat milk really help you lose weight? I feel like it doesn't really do anything, you know?”
Minji, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, chimed in.
“Oppa, Doah’s been drinking that because she’s on a diet.”
...Luka-tan never explained that part.