Chapter 48: I'll Definitely Confess When This Is Over.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 48: I'll Definitely Confess When This Is Over.
I thought I had given it my all.
I had gathered all the data from the otaku romance shows I'd watched and successfully nursed Doah back to health. I was so proud of myself.
Haaa... It was absolute perfection.
Subarashii!
A thermometer. A drink. Medicine.
And even a wet towel, the most classic of classics!
I even managed to pull off the classic 'towel on the forehead' move, straight out of a manga scene, and even got Doah's approval.
She called me a genuine guy.
Doesn't that put me on the same level as Rengoku?
Thinking back on it, I was pretty damn awesome. My trip down memory lane over, I got out of bed and picked up my phone.
Should I text her first, or not?
Hrmmm...
But maybe it's not right to keep bothering someone who's sick.
Putting the idea of contacting her on hold, I went online instead.
[Birthday gifts for women in their 20s]
Tomorrow is Doah's birthday.
If I didn't know Luka was Doah, I would have just celebrated with a hefty donation, but not anymore.
I had to get her a real gift.
But it's not like I've ever given a gift to a girl before.
I've never even given a small piece of candy on White Day. I had no choice but to rely completely on the internet.
[The best gift is something your girlfriend actually wants!]
[If there's something she's mentioned wanting, or a piece of clothing she said was pretty, why not get her that?]
That definitely made sense.
Something Doah likes...
Actually, I knew very well what she liked.
After all, what Luka likes is the same as what Doah likes.
["I'm really into interior design."]
["I like pretty lights, and little decorative items? Things like that."]
["Oh, and figurines are okay if they're really pretty. You know how a cool model car can look really stylish just sitting there?"]
Ah, but would this be too obvious?
I didn't want to reveal that I was part of the Pink Army just yet.
But I didn't want to give her a completely random gift either.
After struggling with it on my own, I decided to just head out.
"Achoo!"
Ah, why am I sneezing?
Unlike Doah's cute little sneeze, mine sounded way too much like an old man.
Figuring it was because the weather had gotten colder, I pulled my coat tighter and got on the bus.
My destination was IKEA, about a 25-minute ride from my house.
I figured I'd find something decent there.
I knew what Doah's room looked like, so I just had to find something with a color scheme that would match.
I'd looked through various recommendation posts, but they were either for things that were very taste-specific or expensive luxury goods.
We weren't even officially dating yet, so an expensive gift felt like a bit much.
And honestly, I didn't have the money.
My budget was 50,000 won. I was setting out on this journey with a maximum of 100,000 in mind.
After getting off the bus and heading into the store, I was surprised by how few people there were.
Maybe because it's a weekday. It was packed when I came to look at furniture before.
Arriving at the lighting section, I crossed my arms and scanned the display from one end to the other.
Why are there so many?
A long line of similar-looking items were arranged by size.
As I slowly looked around, wondering if I should just pick one of these, an unexpected item caught my eye.
I pressed the button, and with a soft click, a gentle, light pink glow appeared.
The shape was pretty cute, but the important thing was the color.
This shade, reminiscent of Luka, seemed like it would suit Doah perfectly.
The price was reasonable, too.
It seemed like a really good, tasteful gift.
But the nagging question was whether she'd figure out I was in the Pink Army.
I decided to look around a bit more and come back to it if I found nothing else. After another hour of searching, I still hadn't found anything suitable, so I returned to the item I'd mentally bookmarked.
Right. Does liking pink automatically make you part of the Pink Army?
Just because someone likes pink doesn't mean they're a Luka fan.
It felt like my brain was running a rationalization program, but I didn't have any other options.
Her birthday was tomorrow, so it was too late to order something online.
I'll just buy some wrapping paper later and wrap it at home.
"For exchanges or refunds, please bring your receipt within one week."
"Okay."
Taking my card back, I hummed a tune as I headed outside.
Was it the cold air hitting my nose?
"Achoo!"
I couldn't stop sneezing.
Now my nose is running, too.
Thinking I should get home quickly, I got on the bus and checked my phone.
[Oppa.]
A message from Doah, sent about 30 minutes ago.
I replied as soon as I read it.
[Yeah. How are you feeling?]
[I think I'm doing much better than yesterday. ㅎㅎ]
That's a relief.
It's your birthday tomorrow, I was worried you might take the day off, Luka-tan.
[Are you free this weekend, by any chance?]
[The weekend?]
[Ah. Tomorrow's my birthday, but I have plans, so I don't think I can see you then...]
Doah trailed off, as if she felt bad for not being able to see me on her birthday.
[No! It's really okay, don't worry about it.]
Besides, those plans are with me anyway, Luka-tan.
And there's no way I'm missing your birthday reactions on stream.
You only do them once a year. How could I miss that?
If anything, I would have tried to stop you if you'd said you were going to see me instead of streaming.
[So, when's good for you this weekend? Saturday? Or Sunday?]
[Saturday! ㅎ]
I wasn't sure if she'd actually recovered, but I really liked the energetic exclamation mark.
[Alright. Let's go get something delicious then.]
[I'd love that!]
[Okay. Take care of yourself, and I'll see you this weekend! Later!]
[Okay!]
...Guess I need to find a restaurant, too.
It seemed like this Saturday, after the birthday festivities, would be the best time to confess.
[Luka-tan, are you feeling okay?]
[Aigo... What are you going to do, being sick on your birthday.]
[Unnie, don't dieeeee ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
One hour before the official stream.
A birthday party for me was unfolding in the Closer Voicecord chatroom.
[No, I'm not dying, Murin. Would you please stop killing me off?]
[Then again, thinking about all the donos our Luka's gonna get today, she'd never be able to close her eyes and die lolololololol]
[Ah! Clover unnie! Seriously!]
She keeps trying to paint me as some money-grubbing maniac, but no way.
Of course, that's not to say I hated getting donations.
Who's going to say no to free money?
But I had no intention of forcing them out of people by making up weird excuses.
[But Luka, you don't seem to have any plans today? Are you okay not spending it with friends or family?]
[I got birthday texts from my parents this morning, and as for friends... well, my fans are my friends!]
[Unnie. What about a boyfriend?]
According to the CLOSER contract, just having a boyfriend wasn't a problem.
The problem only arose if you got caught.
I couldn't remember the exact wording of the contract, but I remembered what the manager had told me loud and clear.
Never. Not for the company's sake, but for your own, never get caught.
[Don't have one! Trying to catch me out, are we, Murin? I'm gonna have to lay down the law.]
Honestly, I never thought the word 'boyfriend' would make me flinch like that.
After getting dumped by Taemin Oppa, I thought that word would have nothing to do with me ever again, so I felt a strange mix of emotions.
I'll have one soon, right?
If I just keep up this pace, I think I can score a goal, right?
Remembering Oppa's face as he placed the towel on my forehead, I felt my cheeks flush hot again.
He wasn't even trying to look good, so why was he so handsome?
As I was chatting warmly with the other Closer members, the time crept closer to 8 PM.
[Good luck with your streams, everyone, and thanks for the birthday wishes~]
[Yup yup! Have a good stream, Luka~]
[Happy birthday~]
Hooo... Alright, shall we get started?
This is my first time celebrating my birthday as an idol.
Convinced this would be one of the most unforgettable birthdays of my life, I squeezed my eyes shut and started the stream.
[Ahhhhhhh, helloooooo~~~~~]
As if I hadn't been sick at all.
As if I were in the best mood ever.
[As you all know, today is your idol Luka-tan's birthday! Yahoool!]
I was flustered by the chat, which was scrolling at least three times faster than usual, but I still did my best to project my voice.
[SushiOmakase-nim! Thank you so much for the 10,000 won donation! I'll put it to good use!]
[Lukashousemold-nim, thank you so, so much for the 10,000 won, too~]
[Whoa! LukaLukatantan-nim! A whopping 200,000 won! Nuaaa! Thank you so much! My goodness, why are you giving so much!]
My plan to chat with everyone while reading the comments was a naive one.
The donations were pouring in much faster than I'd expected, and I reached a point where I couldn't even properly host the stream.
J-Just slow down a little! You guys!
I want to give you all proper reactions!
[Happyhamster-nim! Thank you for the 5,000 won!]
[Wow! Lucario-nim! A 20,000 won donation! Thank you so much! I'll keep working hard~]
To think I'd live a life where so many people celebrate with me.
It was truly a heart-warming birthday.