Chapter 52: Stop Running Away.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 52: Stop Running Away.
[Oh, shit! Wait! Wait! This isn't right!]
Luka's character ran around frantically.
[No, man. I'm so sorry! I'll never mess with you again! Uwaaah!]
Luka had announced a short stream because of her exams.
She said she'd play a bit of Legends of League before ending, but for some reason, she was playing top lane today.
[No way! How can I die under my own turret?!]
Smash!
As the sound of her fist hitting the keyboard rang out, the viewers spammed "cuteee" in the chat.
The champion Doah had chosen was Sett. Her opponent was Darius, a notoriously difficult matchup in the top lane.
[Who was it that recommended Sett?]
At this sudden attempt to pass the blame, the Pink Army responded in unison with a flood of question marks.
[I can't win this! It's structurally impossible to win, I'm telling you!]
[Hahahahahahahahahahahaha]
[Luka-nim! I think you would've won if you'd used Ignite...]
[Ah lol, why'd you go for a brawler position you never play?]
[Luka-nim! What's the most important thing?]
It was a meme that was trending online. Luka held back a laugh and immediately played along.
[An unbreakable heart!]
But contrary to her cool declaration, Doah...
-Hanamuramoroyo is on a killing spree!
-Hanamuramoroyo scored a double kill!
-Hanamuramoroyo is dominating the battlefield!
[Guys. I think this is a total disaster.]
Having already destroyed the turret, the enemy Darius, Hanamuramoroyo, had casually roamed to other lanes and was now blowing up the heads of Doah's teammates.
[Luka-nim! Even in a situation like this, what's the most important thing?]
[No, guys! My heart isn't broken! But I think my team's is about to break before mine does!]
In the in-game chat, a flood of surrender votes directed at Luka was pouring in.
[No! You can't feed them that much if you want to play the game!]
[Ah... why is it always our top laner that ends up in this mess...]
Luka, who must have seen the chat, gave a slightly embarrassed laugh.
[I'll be turning off the chat now~]
Yeah, that was probably for the best. Not for Luka's sake, but for the other players'. The mischievous Pink Army didn't forgive those who genuinely harassed Luka.
The result, unfortunately, was a loss.
The rest of her team fought hard, but the god of war, Darius, mercilessly destroyed their base.
[Ah... too bad... not really. The guy who recommended Sett earlier, show yourself. You need to be banned.]
The chat was flooded with laughter, and Luka let out a deep sigh.
[Alright~ That's all for today's stream.]
[As soon as my exams are over next week, let's do a marathon stream until dawn.]
[Honestly, I haven't studied at all, so I'm totally freaking out.]
[Okay, okay. Until 5 AM. Okay? Deal?]
Only after they'd managed to extract a promise for a 5 AM stream did the Pink Army finally let Luka go.
[Alright everyone, Lubye~ Have a good night~]
As soon as Luka ended her stream, my hand instinctively reached for my phone.
Now was the time I could contact her.
I, who always made sure not to disturb Luka's business, cautiously sent a message.
[Doah.]
A reply came about ten minutes later.
[Yes.]
[Should we meet this weekend?]
Since we were just rescheduling a postponed plan, I thought she'd easily agree.
[Ah... I'm a bit busy this weekend...]
I knew she was busy on Saturday with a collab stream, but it seemed she had something on Sunday too.
That meant the only days left were tomorrow and Thursday.
With her fixed schedule of four streams a week, I was reminded of how little personal time Doah really had.
[What about tomorrow?]
[We have our mid-term presentation for the planning project on Wednesday, so we have to finish that.]
...Right.
Our group had decided to choose at least one map, shoot a short video, and bring it as a sample.
[Then Thursday...]
[I have a liberal arts exam on Friday.]
A strange sense of déjà vu.
I felt like this way of speaking was incredibly familiar, and I quickly figured out why.
[Then should we just meet next week?]
[Let's see when the time comes. lol]
She's using formal language, but this is totally me, isn't it?
Realizing her replies were almost identical to the ones I used to give women when I was putting up a wall, I started to have a mental breakdown.
Why? What for?
Weren't things good between us?
Unable to think of a clear reason, I felt a surge of anxiety.
It was a feeling I'd never experienced before.
Why is Doah pushing me away?
Was the gift that bad?
No, that can't be it. Her reaction that day seemed fine.
[Oppa. I think I need to study now, so I'll contact you later ㅠ]
Hit with a direct blow that basically told me not to message her at all, I collapsed onto my bed.
I rubbed my face and tried to recall the last day I saw Doah.
To be honest, my memories weren't clear since I'd been so sick.
I racked my brain, but the conclusion was...
“Ugh... I don't know...”
Maybe I just couldn't keep up with the delicate emotions of a woman.
I'd never even been in a relationship. I wasn't at a level where I could debate the intricacies of a woman's heart.
I was just level 0. A newbie among newbies.
I hesitated, wondering if I should contact the guy who seemed to have the most dating experience, but then shook my head.
Forget it. What kind of trouble would I get into if I texted Yoonje?
I might get a bit of advice, but I'd have to be prepared to be teased for the rest of the semester.
In the end, there was only one option for a beginner like me...
“...I'll ask her on Wednesday.”
After the mid-term presentation.
It seemed we needed to talk.
If knowing something meant you could do it, what in the world would be impossible?
After bluntly shutting down Oppa's invitation, I stood in front of the mirror with a nervous heart.
Even yesterday, when we were preparing for the group project, we pretty much only talked about the project.
Of course, Junseok oppa and Minji were also part of the conversation, so there wasn't much time for a private chat with Taemin oppa, but we barely exchanged a single word.
I tried my best to run away and buy time, but an offline group project with him was an unavoidable fate.
It'll probably be fine, right...?
After wrapping a scarf around my neck and slipping on my sneakers, I buttoned up my coat.
Colorful autumn leaves of all shapes and sizes decorated the ground.
A pleasant sound rustled with every step I took, but my head was spinning with thoughts of Oppa.
Everything Hanbit unnie said was right.
Every single word was on point.
But a person's heart, their emotions... it seemed they didn't change just because you knew something.
If he said he only met me because he was curious about a girl who was a VTuber, what should I say?
What if he starts imitating Luka to make fun of me?
A chain of negative thoughts tormented me.
Growing more depressed the more I thought about it, I stood in front of the classroom, took a deep breath, and went inside.
As I glanced around looking for my group members, I felt my body instinctively freeze.
Only one person from our group had arrived: Taemin oppa.
I had no choice but to go sit next to him. As I put down my bag, he called my name.
“Doah.”
His tone suggested he had something to say.
“Ah, I... I really have to use the restroom!”
I dashed out before he could even say what was on his mind.
...It should be safe to go back in now, right?
When I entered a minute late, the professor was taking attendance.
With a last name like Kim and a first name like Doah, I was always one of the first to be called. I had missed it, so I'd have to wait until the end when he asked if anyone was missed.
“Alright, the Metaverse Group. Come up and begin your presentation.”
We were third in line. Junseok oppa, who was in charge of presenting, stood at the podium.
“Hello, everyone. For our project, we decided to plan a travel advertisement using the themes of the Metaverse and VR...”
Junseok oppa was a really good speaker. It was a different kind of eloquence from a streamer's.
He had the air of someone who would excel at giving briefings at a major corporation, and he finished his explanation cleanly.
“That concludes our presentation.”
“Ooh... what did you all think of that?”
There was a brief period for feedback from the other students, and most of them found it interesting.
Guys... it just looks cool when you only scratch the surface, doesn't it? I figured they were reacting this way because they didn't know how people who were truly passionate about it lived.
“Great work. From now until the final, let's aim to create a one-minute video based on this. Next group, please come up!”
As we all shuffled back to our seats, Junseok oppa whispered to the group.
“I think we did pretty well, right?”
“I know, right? It was great! But honestly, wasn't this all thanks to God Doah's carry?”
Minji exclaimed from beside me, slapping my thigh.
“No, I didn't really do anything.”
“What do you mean, nothing? Girl, you handled all the camera angles and everything.”
...That's because it's literally my job.
Taemin oppa just nodded without saying a word.
Good. If I can just leave the moment class ends, I'll be fine.
After all the groups had presented, the professor gave a brief summary and told us we were free to go.
“Great work, everyone!”
Junseok oppa stretched, looking pleased.
“You all worked so hard.”
“Good work, everyone.”
Taemin oppa picked up his bag and stood up.
Ah. Why are you packing up so fast, Oppa?
“Alright, let's take a break and talk later on Voicecord.”
“Okay!”
After replying, I walked quickly out of the classroom without a single glance back.
I got out of there so fast. I was just thinking that he wouldn't be able to catch me unless he sprinted, when...
“Doah!”
I glanced back at the familiar voice.
Taemin oppa was running toward me.
In that moment, I was so flustered that I just bolted forward.
What, what, what, what. Why is he chasing me?
I ran out of the media hall, and just as I was about to catch my breath, thinking I must have lost him...
“Hey! Why do you keep running away?”
Oppa's hand grabbed my shoulder tightly.