Chapter 73: An Obstacle
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 73: An Obstacle
Even though it was winter, the sunlight was still dazzling.
It stung my eyes, and I raised a hand to block it, squinting at what was in front of me.
...Huh?
It wasn't a familiar sight.
Where there should have been nothing but a messy blanket, the top of a head of jet-black hair was facing me.
The memories of yesterday came flooding back.
[Hwaaaaaaah! Please, Oppa! I'm gonna die! I'm seriously going to die!]
[No! Seriously! Oppa! No! Gyaaaaaaaaaaah!]
Preparing for the horror game challenge with Taemin Oppa.
I thought I was going to die, but apparently, people don't die that easily.
After being forced to watch about ten videos that gave me goosebumps just from the sound, I'd begged Oppa not to go anywhere.
I mean, come on.
What was I supposed to do if a blood-soaked ghost popped out the moment he closed the door and left me alone?
And this was the result.
It looked like Oppa had fallen asleep sitting in the chair, hunched over.
Feeling sorry for him sleeping like that, I poked his cheek.
"...Oppa."
There was no response, so I poked him again. With his eyes still closed, he slowly straightened up.
"Ugh... so sleepy..."
"Oppa. Don't you have class today?"
We had separate schedules today, so I didn't know exactly when his classes started.
"...What time is it?"
"It's 12:30."
"...Really?"
His voice sounded wide awake now.
"...I'm screwed."
As if he couldn't believe me, Oppa checked his phone before brushing his bangs back.
"Have you missed a lot of classes?"
"No, it's not that."
Oppa sighed deeply and got up from the chair.
"Ah, whatever. I'll just take the day off."
"Okay. You'll be super busy in December anyway, so it's better to miss one now than then."
Missing one class during exam season felt completely different from missing one when things were more relaxed like now.
If it were right before exams, I would have told him to run for it even now.
"Yaaawn~"
As Oppa stretched his arms up, his t-shirt rode up, revealing a sliver of his pale skin.
"Doesn't your back hurt?"
I thought he'd just watch me fall asleep and then leave.
I never expected him to actually stay the night with me.
"Honestly, it hurts a little, but I think I'll be fine."
I was half apologetic.
The other half thought, Well, I'm the one who begged him to stay.
His back must have been pretty sore, because he kept leaning against the wall to stretch.
"...You should have just slept next to me."
It might have sounded a little strange, but I meant it.
If Oppa had asked to sleep in the same bed, I wouldn't have refused.
No, in fact... I might have even...
As the thought crossed my mind, my ears grew hot, and I looked away.
"How could I do that?"
I'd mumbled it quietly, but his hearing was sharp enough to catch it.
"Why not? You could have slept over."
"The bed's too small for you. I couldn't do that."
He was clearly saying it out of consideration, but I felt my pride getting more and more bruised.
I mean, am I that unattractive?
From what I heard from my friends and the unnies in my gaming chat, it seemed like guys were always dying to find a way into the same bed.
But for some reason, my boyfriend seemed to have no interest in that sort of thing.
His tone, which drew a line as if he were talking to a female friend he wasn't close to, proved it.
"...Oppa."
I called his name to start the conversation, but the next words wouldn't come out.
It felt a little weird to ask.
And it was something that could cause an unnecessary misunderstanding.
"Yeah?"
Oppa flopped back down onto the edge of the bed and looked at me.
I hated those eyes that still looked like he had no idea what was going on, so I decided to be brave.
"Do you... not like being physical with me...?"
"Huh?"
My question must have flustered him, because a rather dumbfounded sound escaped his lips.
"No? It's not that."
"Then why."
I stopped myself before finishing the sentence.
Somehow, I felt like saying any more would just hurt.
That was when it happened.
"...Ah."
Oppa's arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me in.
My upper body naturally lost its balance and stumbled forward.
My head came to rest against his chest.
"...I like it."
His fingers, almost too pretty for a man's, brushed against my cheek.
"I'm not sure what you're thinking, but."
His dark eyes looked down at me as if they were about to devour me.
"I like touching you."
His words were bolder than I could have ever imagined, and my eyes didn't know where to look.
I liked it. I really did, but.
This guy has no middle ground.
Oppa's unannounced words and actions were practically an assault.
My heart was pounding.
Does that mean there's a next step?
How far does 'liking to touch' go?
With a flicker of anticipation, I looked up at Oppa's face and waited for his next words.
"But you know, right? That I can't just act recklessly."
The moment I heard that, the question that popped into my head was, 'Why?'
Why can't he?
We're not in the 'talking' stage anymore.
Even everyone at school knows we're dating, so why is he saying he can't?
"Why?"
Unable to guess the answer, I chose to ask him again.
"You said it on your stream. That it's disgusting when it's obvious guys are only dating girls for the physical stuff."
My blood pressure shot up.
No... that was... I only said that because it was for the streammm!!!
Of course, what Luka said wasn't an act, but I felt this was a different situation.
I'm your girlfriend!
And besides, who would like it if I went on stream and said, 'I love being physical with my boyfriend'!
If someone else had said it, I could have argued that it wasn't true, but since they were my own words, I had no one else to blame.
I clicked my tongue in disbelief.
"Haaah..."
Luka. You again.
It was clear that when it came to my love life, Luka was an obstacle.
*
[Luhai luhai~ Hello~]
How does her voice change so drastically like that?
It had already been over three weeks since I started dating Doah, but I still hadn't solved that mystery.
Is it even possible without an on/off switch on her vocal cords?
Every time Doah used her Luka voice in real life, I would flinch in surprise.
[Luka-tan's teaser was insane!]
[Wow, the quality was crazy good, right?]
[Seriously. Isn't she gonna blow up and go global?]
She'd only said hello, but the chat was already noisier than usual.
[Ahem! It seems quite a few of you have already seen it, even though I haven't mentioned it yet, huh?]
Doah. Aren't you underestimating the Pink Army?
Ever since the teaser release schedule was announced, I'd been refreshing the site over and over, just waiting for the video to drop.
In real life, I was a shut-in who never crawled out of his room, but when it came to an internet queue, I was confident I could rush to the front faster than anyone.
And it was Luka-tan's first-ever music video teaser, no less.
Any self-respecting pro in the Pink Army would have been twiddling their thumbs, waiting for this moment.
[Alright. That being said, today we'll be having a 'Watch the Music Video Teaser with Luka-tan!' session!]
The viewers who hadn't seen it yet.
The viewers who had already replayed it so many times they knew the music by heart.
Everyone cheered as Luka looked at the browser window.
The song's title was Boundary.
It was an English word meaning 'border' or 'divide,' and people were already connecting the short video with the title to post their own interpretations.
Something about it dealing with the boundary between reality and virtual reality, blah blah blah.
Honestly, I'd seen them too, but I thought it was a bit premature to be writing those kinds of analyses.
Maybe after the full version comes out, sure. But it's overkill for a mere 15-second clip.
[Alright. Is everyone ready?]
Luka gently closed her left eye in a wink.
The chat was flooded with [ㅗㅜㅑ].
Someone will clip that, right?
Grinning at the thought of rewatching it later, I waited for her to press the play button.
[Here we gooo~]
With the tak of a spacebar being pressed, the video began.
On a dark stage.
Only the footsteps of the Closer members could be heard as they moved into position.
The moment the camera stopped moving, brilliant blue, linear lights reminiscent of a futuristic city filled the stage.
Soon, five silhouettes appeared.
Man. I've already seen this, but it still gives me chills.
One by one, their faces came into close-up, and then the music started.
[On the other side of the boundary, I'm waiting for you.]
[If you can hear this voice, reach out your hand to me.]
The video ended with a shot of the most popular member, Jennifer, reaching out her hand.
Even though it was a very short video, the production was on par with any real-life idol's music video and was more than enough to send a thrill down my spine.
The chat was already full of 'Kyaa'.
Luka nodded with a satisfied expression.
[How was it? It came out great, right!]
Pleased by the positive reactions, Luka swayed her head from side to side with a happy smile.
[The full version will be even more amazing than this, so please look forward to it!]
It was time for everyone to shower Luka with praise.
The hype was so strong that I decided to sneakily jump on the bandwagon.
[I love you, Luka-tan! I love you, Luka-tan! I love you, Luka-tan! I love you, Luka-tan! I love you, Luka-tan! I love you, Luka-tan! I love you, Luka-tan! I love you, Luka-tan!]
[Luka-nim! I love you so much ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
There was a lot of spam and emotes in the chat, so I added a comment of my own.
She probably won't see it, right?
[Lucario: Take me, Luka-tan!]
But was I mistaken?
[Not buying.]
Her scornful gaze.
...It was a reward.