Chapter 68: What Day of the Week?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 68: What Day of the Week?
[...Luhai?]
A voice I always heard.
A voice I would seek out on days she wasn't streaming flowed through my earphones.
[A-Are you sure it's okay to do that here?]
Of course, I was happy, thrilled, and so surprised that I wanted to jump up and down in my seat, but security came first.
[Ah, here? It's fine. I've set it so no one can enter unless I invite them first.]
Luka’s right arm waved through the air again, as if she were fiddling with the settings window.
[Yep, yep. No one can get in.]
Luka nodded and moved closer and closer to me.
Her avatar, which had been visible down to her thighs, was now so close I could only see her from the shoulders up.
Luka was right in front of my eyes.
She gave a soft smile, and I felt an intense urge to dive right into my monitor.
[Honestly, Oppa. I'm a little curious about your real face right now.]
[Me? My face?]
[Did you know you've just been moving your body this whole time with a blank expression on your face?]
I knew I could change my expression with the controls, but I hadn't paid it any mind. It was a completely unnecessary feature for my role as an NPC who was just here to watch and help film.
[Uh... hold on...]
What was the key for this again?
After clicking around with my mouse, I finally managed to find the expression-change function.
[Ugh... This is me right now.]
This was probably the closest, right?
My real face might look a bit more perverted, but I chose the one that best reflected what I was feeling.
After striking a pose impossible for a real human—[>_<.]—I moved my mouse up and down, making it look like I was nodding at Doah.
[Pfft. Ah, so that's your face?]
Finding my clumsy controls amusing, Doah reached out and waved her hand frantically.
[How is it, Lucario-ssi? Feel like you can ascend to heaven now?]
Luka noona... I'm dying...
My heart can't take this.
Ah, fuck, I should've bought a VR headset.
I’d told myself I’d buy one once I saved up enough money...
I never imagined I’d get the chance to meet Luka-tan in person so soon.
That was one thing that hadn't changed, even after I started dating Doah.
If Doah had said she couldn't stand the sight of VR when we were on a date or hanging out, I would have been disappointed, but I never would have forced it on her.
So I thought my only chance was to become a lucky member of the Pink Army and get chosen to join a stream.
But here I was, having met her a little sooner than expected, and all I could do was resent my thin wallet.
[Oppa, have you ever actually been chosen to participate while watching my streams?]
[...Never.]
Way to hit me where it hurts.
Despite applying so many times, I’d been rejected every single time, and the thought left a bitter taste in my mouth.
[Really? Did you apply a lot?]
[...I think I applied pretty much every time I watched.]
Doah giggled at my answer.
[Then how did you not get picked even once?]
[I don't know, either.]
It felt like Luka was teasing me, not Doah.
She was clearly laughing at me, but even that felt amazing.
To me, Luka was a world-class idol.
And I was just one of her nameless viewers, cheering her on.
[Still, I don't really want to do a VR date.]
Luka squinted one of her pink eyes.
[Oppa. It's so obvious you're loving this, and I hate it.]
I denied it reflexively.
[No! I'm not! I hate it!]
Please don't say that, Doah.
Please...
Her words were like a death sentence. I shook my mouse left and right, hoping it would look like I was shaking my head.
[But you're just watching on a monitor, so doesn't it just feel like a PC game to you?]
[I guess so.]
[And you still like it that much?]
She sounded like she didn't quite get it.
I hesitated for a moment before deciding to just be honest.
[Yeah. I do.]
I didn't think being a fan of Luka was something bad to tell Doah.
Even if the persona she showed on stream was an act, it didn't change the fact that I was completely captivated by her charm.
At my calm reply, Luka's face immediately flushed.
[W-Well, flattering me like that won't get you anything.]
It was the exact tone she used when she was role-playing.
[Hk.]
I held my breath.
Otherwise, I was afraid Doah might have a fit and run away at the sound of my laughter.
[What are you doing?]
Since she couldn't see my real state through the avatar, Luka tilted her head and asked.
[Ah, I think something's caught in my throat.]
[Oh my... Are you okay?]
[Yep, yep. Totally fine.]
After a moment of silence, Luka moved a little farther away and said her goodbyes.
[I'm going to log off now.]
[...Huh?]
[You promised you'd finish editing and give it to Junseok oppa by today.]
[Ah, but that won't take long! I can easily spare an hour to hang out!]
The moment she showed signs of logging out, I frantically tried to appeal how much free time I had.
[Oh, really?]
Luka nodded, seemingly convinced.
[Then I guess I'll just go over to your place and watch you edit.]
Without even waiting for my reply, my girlfriend vanished from the virtual world. Left all alone in the Chinese Castle ruins, I...
"Aaaaaaaahhhhh!"
...could only throw my earphones down in frustration.
"Hm~ hmm~ hm-hmm~"
Having announced I was going over to Oppa's place, I was now debating what to wear.
Ah, maybe it's fine to just go like this.
It wasn't exactly shabby, but I was in a tracksuit.
It was still the early phase of our relationship.
Although it was a time when I wanted to show him only my prettiest side, I'd already shown him plenty of embarrassing sides of myself.
We'd met when I was in my sleep-pants.
And he'd already seen my ugly, crying face.
Deciding to do the bare minimum, I put on some simple makeup and threw a hoodie on over my jeans.
The weather had gotten much colder, so I should have layered up more, but since he was right next door, my plan was to just make a quick dash for it.
I opened my door, left my building, and sprinted toward the one next to mine.
Ugh, it's so cold.
Even though I think I made it inside in about twenty seconds, a chill still clung to my body.
I climbed the stairs and stood in front of Oppa's door. Taking a deep breath, I knocked.
I heard footsteps.
"You're here?"
Taemin Oppa was wearing a black t-shirt and gray shorts.
I thought that if I had an older brother, this is probably what he would wear every day.
"Yeah."
"It's cold outside, right? Hurry and come in."
As I took off my shoes and stepped inside, the diffuser I had given him as a gift when I first visited his home caught my eye on top of a bookshelf.
"You set this up?"
Feeling inexplicably happy, I fiddled with the diffuser.
"Yeah. It smells nice."
My boyfriend stood awkwardly beside me.
It seemed we were still a bit shy around each other.
"I'll just sit quietly behind you and watch you edit."
I pulled over the computer chair and gestured for him to come over.
"Time to get to work. You even got to meet your beloved Luka-tan."
At the mention of Luka's name, Oppa's expression darkened slightly.
"...Right. Time to work."
Huh... what's with that reaction?
I tried to think of what his response reminded me of, and the perfect analogy came to mind.
He had the exact same expression I used to have as a kid when I was told to stop watching TV and go to bed.
Seeing his face, like a child who had his toy taken away, I let out a small smile.
"What's wrong? Were you disappointed?"
"...No."
"Then why are you acting like this?"
Without a word, Oppa sat down in front of the computer and opened the video editing program on his monitor.
"I'm just going to work on this."
"...Are you sulking?"
"I'm not sulking."
Anyone could tell from his tone that he was sulking.
The reason was a bit silly, but seeing him pouting like that was actually kind of cute. I quietly approached the back of his chair.
Oppa, busy importing files with his mouse, didn't seem to have noticed me yet.
...Should I do it?
It was something I saw a lot in dramas.
I felt confident when I took the first step, but now that I was about to do it, I could feel the blood rushing to my face.
Ah, whatever. Just do it, Kim Doah!
It would be awkward to retreat and go sit on the bed now.
I stretched out my arms and wrapped them around Oppa's neck.
I leaned my upper body forward, lowering my head to an angle where we could see each other's faces.
The first thing I noticed was his flawless skin.
How could a guy have such smooth skin?
Startled by my action, Oppa's eyes widened and met mine.
"...N-Next time there's a chance, I'll show you another version of Luka's avatar with a different outfit."
I wanted to sound confident and sly like Luka.
Why is the real Kim Doah like this!
The moment I stuttered, I knew I'd messed up, but I stubbornly continued.
"So stop being upset..."
My plan was to hear his answer and then quickly retreat to the bed.
"...What day of the week?"
...Seriously. Why are you so dead serious about this?
His overly earnest face left me speechless.