Chapter 64: A Reward
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 64: A Reward
I wanted to pick the prettiest picture possible.
Of course, I knew that for a photo to turn out well, the subject had to be pretty to begin with, but still.
It was only natural to want to use the best one.
I was trying on different filters for the most decent shot when I asked for Oppa's opinion.
“Which one do you think is cuter?”
After a moment of silence, Oppa looked at the photos and finally spoke.
“The first one?”
I guess cool tones really do suit me better, I thought, and was about to do the final touch-ups.
“...Doah.”
His voice, tinged with echo, leaked through the microphone he hadn't turned off.
“...Yes?”
When I looked up, my boyfriend was standing there, holding the mic with both hands and pouting.
“Hey, am I singing by myself again?”
“Oh. I'm almost done here. I think it'll be fine if you just sing one more song...”
He clearly didn't like my answer.
“W-well... should I sing one, then?”
The moment I took the microphone, he nodded eagerly, all traces of his sulking gone.
Wait. What am I supposed to do with the mic if I haven't even picked a song yet?
I turned off the mic, set it on the table, and picked up the remote.
Now, what to sing.
I had received two song requests, but there was no way I could sing them as my first song.
No, to be honest, I wasn't confident I could sing them at all, even if I saved them for last.
If the sound somehow leaked out and students from my university heard me, I'd seriously have to spend the rest of my days hiding my face behind a mask and a hoodie.
To think I had to sing a song with such maximum weeb energy in a semi-public place...
“Okay, I'll sing this one.”
After much deliberation, I pressed the start button, and a cheerful acoustic guitar intro began to play.
“How could you be so indifferent...”
It was a song I sang often.
And a decent one to start with.
I was singing, my phone lying face down on the table, when I glanced to my side and flinched.
“Ah. Um, Oppa.”
“...Yeah?”
“Could you... maybe not stare at me so hard?”
It's too much.
This is way too much pressure.
I mean, I wanted him to look at me, but not... not stare so intently.
It wasn't just a simple look, either.
It felt weird to say it, but his expression was... almost perverted.
It was a look I'd never seen on him before.
Anyway, his stare was making me really self-conscious, so when I complained, he quickly took action.
“Oh. Okay.”
But he didn't have to whip his head around to face the wall!
I tried to ignore the wave of awkwardness washing over me, gathered myself, and gripped the microphone again.
“I was a fool for waiting for you...”
“Now I'll be the one to leave first!”
Singing the lyrics, I couldn't help but think they suited Oppa quite well.
“Huuu...”
After a short sigh, I glanced beside me. My boyfriend was there again, his eyes sparkling.
“...How was it?”
“It was amazing.”
He must have truly meant it, because he was smiling at me with a look of pure satisfaction.
I wondered if he made that face when he watched my streams.
The thought made me let out a small laugh.
“Do you want to sing now?”
I tried to pass him the microphone, but he shook his head vehemently.
“No!”
His shout was so resolute it sounded like a command.
“Uh... should I sing one more, then?”
“Please!”
...He's acting just like the Pink Army.
Well, I guess he is part of the Pink Army.
An image of the Pink Army emote trailing after the pink-haired Luka avatar kept popping into my head as I picked up the remote again.
This time, I'll pick something from the popular charts.
I liked Japanese music, but I listened to plenty of Korean pop, too.
Ah, this one. I'll do this one.
The instrumental intro started playing.
“...Wanna record this?”
“Huh?”
“You said earlier that I could record myself singing.”
“And this song? It's a limited edition version I've never sung in front of anyone else before.”
Even in the dim room, I could clearly see him gulp.
“...Limited edition?”
“If you don't want to, that's fine.”
Even though I said that, I hoped he would record it.
Because I wanted Taemin Oppa's phone to have more of Doah than Luka.
The idea of watching my real self slowly outnumber the pink-haired girl on his phone felt like it would be... nice.
-Click.
Hearing the camera app open behind me, I felt a wave of nervousness wash over me.
Ah, just knowing I'm being recorded is making me tense up.
It felt just like when I recorded my first song for the CLOSER audition.
“I can't get closer, only watch you from behind...”
“Afraid that if I take a step, you'll just move farther away...”
He was still recording, I assumed.
A thought suddenly struck me mid-song.
If he keeps filming from there, isn't he just getting the back of my head?
I didn't like that, but I couldn't muster the courage to turn around.
I was afraid my voice would crack the moment I saw that overwhelming look on his face.
Ugh... what to do...
Maybe I'll just sing like this until the chorus and then finish with a quick glance back?
The tempo picked up, and soon the chorus arrived.
“Is this really Love? Someone, please tell me...”
I angled my body slightly.
At least he'll get my side profile this way.
“Even the time I spend waiting for you softly melts away...”
-Beep.
It was only after I heard the sound of the recording stopping that I turned to look at him, and I honestly didn't know what to do with this man.
He was like a puppy.
A very, very big puppy.
“Doah noona, I'm dying.”
I burst out laughing at his joke.
“Hey, why are you calling me noona?”
“I dunno. Just be my noona.”
“Ugh, no thanks.”
The instrumental for the second verse began, but right now, I felt more like talking with him than singing.
“Did the video turn out okay?”
“Yep. Recorded in the highest quality.”
Nice.
It was worth singing through my nervousness.
“So, from now on, when you want to hear Luka sing, you'll listen to that first?”
“I'll save that for my song request.”
...That damn song request.
It felt awkward to start singing again, so I just hit the cancel button.
“What are you going to sing next?”
“Me? Uh... hang on.”
He fumbled for his phone, unlocked it, and stared at a screen densely packed with text.
“What's that?”
“...A song list.”
“A list?”
“I made it at home before we came. For singing with you today.”
A flurry of question marks popped up over my head.
I needed a moment to understand what he was saying.
“So... you wrote down a list of songs to sing today?”
“Yep.”
Then came the most important question.
“...Why?”
You can just sing whatever comes to mind.
It's not like I'm a judge on an audition show. I had no intention of shaming him if he wasn't a good singer.
“This is my first time at a karaoke place with just one other person.”
His answer only made me more surprised.
“And I didn't want to make you do all the singing.”
“Ah...”
I didn't know how to respond, so I just sat there quietly while he took the remote and punched in a number.
It was a song I recognized.
I was just surprised because it was really old.
A song I'd completely forgotten.
The instrumental of a nostalgic song from my childhood filled the small room.
“Come on out and have a drink with me...”
“That's how I'm calling out to you...”
“I still can't forget you, so I empty my glass once more...”
Oppa gripped the mic, his eyes fixed on the screen.
Before, I'd been too distracted by my phone to really listen, but now I was paying full attention.
Objectively speaking, putting aside the fact that he was my boyfriend, he wasn't a good singer.
His pitch wavered, and his technique was nonexistent.
But I loved it anyway.
I could picture him at home, agonizing over which songs to pick.
His thoughtfulness was so warm.
I grabbed the tambourine from the table and started tapping it along to the beat.
When the song finished, he looked at me with an awkward smile.
“...I'm pretty bad, huh?”
“No, you were great!”
“You're lying.”
“Well, I enjoyed listening to it.”
Realizing how much he struggled with singing, I tapped on the remote.
I switched the language to Japanese.
Haaa... this is so embarrassing.
Am I really about to sing this here?
But looking at my boyfriend, who so clearly loved hearing me sing, my resolve crumbled.
I flipped through a couple of pages and found it: an anime OST.
...I can do this.
...I can do it.
You're an idol, aren't you?
You can't handle this?
Sure, I was a being made of data from another world, but that didn't change the fact that I was an idol from a major entertainment company.
The flashy, sound-effect-laden intro started, and from behind me, I once again heard the telltale chime of his phone's camera.
I'm not turning around this time.
Nope. Not even if it kills me.
“Anata ga suki! Moe! Kyun! Moe! Kyun!”
My voice was breathy, half air and half sound.
But since I was already doing it, I figured I might as well go all out and raised my voice.
“Koi no omajinai yo~ Todoke~”
After the first verse, I just didn't have the mental fortitude to get through the second.
I slammed the cancel button and practically threw the microphone onto the table.
-Beep.
Just like before, the sound of the recording ending chimed, and I immediately buried my face in my hands.
I wanted to die.
I wanted to die.
I wished someone, anyone, would just teleport me back to my bed.
I spread my fingers slightly to peek at him.
My boyfriend was staring at me with a look that was even creepier than before.
Annoyed that he was just sitting there, I snapped at him.
“...If you liked it that much, the least you could do is hug me.”
What followed was a hug that took my breath away.