Chapter 71: So Annoying.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 71: So Annoying.
“Ugh…”
The only sound filling the silence of my room was the clicking of my mouse.
I was browsing a game store website.
The search term was [Horror], the very thing I wanted to avoid so badly.
I clicked on a thumbnail that looked at least somewhat tame.
“Eeeek!”
No! Nooo!
I quickly spun my chair around and grabbed a pillow from my bed.
I felt like I needed something to hold onto to feel even a little bit better.
“Ah, seriously…”
How can the thumbnail be so different from the actual content?
I clicked it because it looked fine, but the ghost with a broken neck that popped up on the page was absolutely terrifying.
If I left it on, I was fated to have to turn it off eventually.
Thinking it was better to just rip the band-aid off, I took a deep breath and turned back around.
Keeping my eyes glued to the keyboard, I spammed the close-window shortcut. The screen switched back to my wallpaper—a high-quality fanart of my other self, the idol Luka.
I let out a sigh of relief and rubbed my face with both hands.
Why on earth did I agree to that?
[...So, you'll stay with me, Oppa?]
I absolutely hated horror games.
Why would anyone pay money to have such a terrifying experience?
Of course, the company would pay for the game if I decided to play one, but I still hated the idea.
But Oppa's offer to stay by my side all night wasn't just tempting—it sounded sweet.
The fact that I'd already experienced it once was also a big factor.
When I remembered how devotedly Oppa took care of me at the VR experience center back then…
In the end, I succumbed to the temptation and accepted his offer.
I told my viewers I would consider playing a horror game as the reward for our song’s performance on the charts.
Ah, whatever.
I flopped back onto my bed and picked up my phone.
I decided it would be better to get recommendations later instead of picking a game myself.
It wasn't even confirmed if I had to fulfill the pledge yet, and I was already on track to spend a sleepless night just from watching game trailers.
I decided to call my mean, malicious, Pink Army boyfriend.
[Hello.]
[Hello?]
[Oppa, what are you doing?]
[I'm working on a general ed assignment right now.]
[Are you busy?]
Aww… I saw something scary, so I wanted to see you…
His voice clearly sounded like he was focused on something else, and my energy just drained away.
[Uhm… a little?]
Ah. Just as I thought.
[Okay.]
Just as I was about to hang up, he stopped me.
[Why? Is something wrong?]
[No, it's not that. I was just looking up horror games and thought of you…]
[Whoa. Did you decide on one?]
His slightly flat voice was suddenly full of life.
[No. I just saw a thumbnail, got too scared, and closed it.]
[Really? So you haven't picked one yet?]
[Yeah.]
[Hold on…]
I could hear the sound of rustling paper over the phone, and then Oppa spoke again.
[Hey. This should take me about two hours, tops. Want to pick one together later?]
Seeing him and going on a date is nice, but the subject matter is a bit…
Just how serious is he about horror games?
Honestly, this guy.
My desire to see him was just a tiny bit stronger than my annoyance, so I decided to accept.
[Okay. Come over to my place when you're done.]
[Yeah. I'll finish up quick. I'll probably be there around 10! Bye!]
My boyfriend, hanging up without a second thought.
Feeling alone again, I pulled the blanket up and wondered what to do for the next two hours.
I opened the streaming platform on my phone, and a list of familiar names appeared.
My schedule was to stream on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but not all the members had a fixed schedule like that.
Three members were streaming today.
[Jennifer] - 17,902 viewers
[Fumurin] - 11,237 viewers
[Leah] - 8,024 viewers
Wow. Jennifer unnie is really popular.
Everyone's viewership was gradually increasing, but Jennifer unnie's numbers were overwhelming compared to the rest of us.
It really made me think you can't ignore the influx of foreign viewers, but I didn't have that option.
I didn't grow up abroad, and my English isn't good.
I decided to watch the other members' streams until Oppa arrived, so I started with Fumurin's, since I'd gotten closest to her.
Fumurin was doing a ‘just chatting’ stream.
Her tone was even higher than when we usually talked, showing just how excited she was.
[No, really, everyone! You can totally look forward to it! Our first album is gonna be a huge hit~~~ Mwaaaang~~~]
What on earth is ‘mwaang’?
I couldn't help but smile at the strange sounds Fumurin was making.
[Luka: Heyyy Fumurin]
The moment I typed in chat, all the attention snapped to me.
[Oh? Luka unnie! Hiii~]
[I was just bragging about how freaking awesome our music video is!]
Well, I had no reason to argue with her ‘awesome’.
I didn't know how high the fans' expectations were, but at least to my eyes, our music video had far surpassed them.
[Luka: No spoilersssss]
With all eyes on me, I suddenly felt the urge to be a little malicious.
[It's not! I didn't give any spoilers! I just told them to look forward to it!]
[Unnie, you should tell everyone in my chat how awesome it is before you go!]
She wants me to manage their expectations without giving spoilers.
I wanted to say something witty, but nothing came to mind, so I decided to just say something appropriate and move on to another stream.
[Luka: Fumurin sang really well this time, so please look forward to it~^^]
Fumurin and I were inseparable re-recording buddies.
Knowing this was a targeted call-out, Fumurin's voice rose.
[Ah! Luka-tan! Why! Again!]
I didn't even stick around to hear the rest of her whining and headed to Leah's stream next.
I wonder what she's up to.
Surprisingly, the ages of the Closer members were quite varied.
Fumurin, who had just become an adult.
Leah and I, who were now twenty-one.
Jennifer unnie was twenty-three, and Clover unnie, the eldest, was twenty-five.
When I clicked on Leah's stream, the sound of a sorrowful song filled my ears.
[Loving someone is surely impossible, but…]
It was a song I knew.
I couldn't remember the name, but I thought it was from a game's ending OST.
[Even so, I want to be loved.]
There was almost no text in the chat.
It was just filled with emotes of a leaf-shaped character waving a lightstick.
Deciding to say hello later, I quietly listened to her song.
[Hold me so tight my body might break.]
[Even if I stop breathing, I'll remember this moment.]
The emotion was palpable, even through the broadcast.
And it seemed I wasn't the only one, as crying emotes started flooding the chat.
Ah, why is this so sad?
My mood was fine just a moment ago when I was teasing Fumurin in her stream.
[...Kiss me.]
Even after the final, breathy part ended, the piano accompaniment continued, and the viewers, including me, just waited quietly for the music to finish.
[...Thank you.]
Only after Leah switched the background back to her ‘just chatting’ screen did the praise come pouring out.
[Wow! Seriously, Kim Leah! That was insane!!!]
[Leah unnie, I love youuuuu ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[Wow. She could seriously dominate real-life idols with that, no problem.]
If this had been a real stage, I would have given her a standing ovation, too.
[Luka: Leah-chan... aren't you a little too good...]
Leah, who was checking the chat, spoke up.
[Luka. You saw me singing, huh?]
Leah's avatar gave an awkward smile, as if she felt a little burdened by the praise.
[How was it?]
Was she asking sincerely?
Or did she just want a compliment?
The answer was already decided.
[Luka: What's there to say~ Our main vocal~~]
At my enthusiastic cheer, Leah's fans also joined in to worship her.
[Hmph... hmph...! Ah. Then, I'll sing the next requested song.]
The background darkened again.
Something like a karaoke mirror ball spun above Leah's head, casting lights down on her.
[Why did I fall in love with you?]
[If I knew it would be like this, I wouldn't have.]
Haa… she's so good…
Even as I admired her, I felt a bitter sting inside.
After all, Leah and I were singers in the same group.
Comparisons would be inevitable.
Of course, it's not like I wasn't practicing singing on my own, but my skills were still embarrassingly far from what you'd expect of a singer who makes a living with their voice.
But I was originally a streamer.
I was cut from a different cloth than Leah, who had been training to be a musical actress.
In fact, it might have been stranger if I could sing on par with her.
The more I watched Leah's stream, the smaller I felt.
Pathetic Kim Doah.
I just kept watching the stream silently, without typing a single thing in chat.
Knock, knock, knock
Hearing the knock, I got up and opened the front door.
“You're earlier than I expected.”
I thought you'd be here around ten.
“Ah. I came early because I wanted to see you.”
Lies.
He just came to watch me be scared.
The moment I thought that I should go turn off Leah's stream…
“What's this?”
Taemin Oppa's hand caressed my face.
“What's with your expression?”
…Why are you so perceptive only at times like this?
…So annoying.