Chapter 74: ...Go.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 74: ...Go.
[No way. She actually caught that?]
[Oppa. Did you really think I wouldn't see that?]
Considering how fast the chat was scrolling, I thought it was entirely possible she’d miss it.
Maybe you needed that level of visual acuity to be a streamer.
I had resolved to watch Doah’s stream quietly, without typing in chat, so I wouldn’t be a distraction.
Unfortunately, it seemed I’d been caught red-handed by my girlfriend.
Calling each other after her stream was part of our daily routine.
We had reached a point where we’d feel disappointed if we didn’t.
I never called her first, though.
Just in case she hadn’t turned off her stream yet. There were a truckload of cases where streamers, not just VTubers, had been caught doing something stupid because they didn't realize their stream was still on.
We had an agreement that she would call me after she had safely wrapped everything up.
[What was that? “I’m taking you home”? Huh?]
I couldn’t help but smile as Doah’s voice mimicked my chat message.
Why was she so cute?
She was so different from Luka on stream.
Her energy wasn’t as high, and her voice was soft and gentle, but it was still full of its own subtle emotional fluctuations.
[Hey, it’s not like you see chats like that once or twice a day. Everyone was just having fun, so I got caught up in the mood and typed it.]
[...Banned.]
[Huh?]
[Oppa. You’re banned from chatting when you watch my streams now.]
It might have sounded like an adorable command, but to me, it was a matter of grave importance.
[...I haven't even typed five things today?]
I was a man who used to type over a thousand messages a month.
Even now, I was fighting withdrawal symptoms, constantly typing and deleting messages. And she wanted me to stop completely?
Please don’t do this, Doah.
Don’t take away my small happiness.
I had a feeling that if I pleaded with genuine desperation, she’d just double down and take it away for good, so I tried to sound as pathetic as possible.
[I’ll be polite~ Or how about I only use emotes? Is that bad, too?]
[Hmm...]
It seemed there was some room for consideration, as Doah went quiet for a moment.
[No more over-the-top fanboying. Got it?]
[But I only do it because I like you...]
It was the truth.
I wasn’t mocking or being sarcastic; I was genuinely cheering for her because I liked her.
[Then just like me.]
[What do you mean? You’re both you.]
When I replied with a laugh, Doah emphasized her point even more strongly.
[Instead of Luka, can’t you just like me a little more?]
That was a very difficult request.
Because Doah was currently my favorite 3D human on planet Earth.
[You’re already my favorite person. How could I possibly like you more?]
[That’s not true. Who do you think you’re fooling?]
[It is true. You’re the one I care about more than anyone else.]
I felt like I’d read it somewhere before.
That women are beings who constantly need reassurance.
I didn’t know if it was true or not, but I figured that spouting these cheesy lines was the best way to convince her right now.
[Ugh...]
After a moment of silence, she started nitpicking.
[But you don’t like me more than your family, right?]
More than family...
I didn’t make a sound, but a bitter smile formed on my face as I let out a small sigh.
[No. I like you more than my family.]
[Huh? You’re lying.]
[I don’t lie about things like this.]
Family takes a different shape for everyone.
Doah’s reaction didn’t feel particularly strange.
[Hmph... Anyway, if I catch you typing weird things in chat again, I’m just going to... block you.]
[Wow, Luka-tan, you’ve really changed. You used to let me get away with all sorts of toxic stuff back in the day.]
I laughed it off playfully, and after talking for another thirty minutes, we decided it was time to go to bed.
[Good night, Oppa.]
[Yeah. You too.]
[See you in the morning.]
[I’ll be waiting.]
When the red screen indicating the call had ended appeared, I plugged my phone back into the charger and crawled into bed.
I was falling for Doah more and more.
It was undeniable.
The feeling I had right now was proof enough.
But at the same time, there was something that was becoming a deeper concern.
Doah likes me because I’m handsome.
There was a high probability this was true.
It was a thought that had been crossing my mind more often as my feelings for her grew.
If I were ugly, would Doah and I have ever gotten together?
If I hadn’t been born with a pretty face, would she have even given me a second glance?
Realistically, I knew my appearance wasn’t likely to change drastically.
Unless something dramatic happened, like I suddenly started binge-eating and gained a ton of weight, or my face got mangled in some ridiculous accident, I would continue to look the same.
But that also meant she loved my shell, not the person I was.
Would she be swayed if she met someone more handsome than me?
Like a real-life idol, for instance.
I had no intention of doubting Doah, but when I was alone in my room like this, my delusions would start to spiral.
“Haaah...”
I wish she liked my other parts, too, not just my face.
With that thought, I closed my eyes.
*
“Achoo!”
Ugh, why won’t this sneezing stop?
Maybe it was because the weather was getting colder, but I couldn’t stop sneezing.
“Are you okay?”
Oppa stopped walking and asked with a smile.
“Yeah, I’m fine... Achoo!”
My nose was so itchy.
I sniffled as my nose started to run, and Oppa rummaged through his bag to pull out a tissue for me.
“Here.”
“Thanks.”
I turned my back to him and blew my nose, feeling much better afterward.
Spotting a trash can in front of the bus stop, I jogged over, threw the tissue away, and returned to his side.
“Ugh... It’s really bad today.”
“It’s cute, though.”
“You find the weirdest things cute.”
“I’ve watched your sneezing compilation clips so many times.”
Him, the Pink Army... why did people like watching others sneeze so much?
It’s just a normal sneeze, like anyone else’s!
I looked up at my boyfriend with a disgusted expression, but he just gave me a goofy smile.
How could he still look so handsome even with that dopey grin?
His looks were truly devastating.
I linked my arm with his as we passed through the school’s front gate.
We weren’t trying to hide it anymore, and the rumors had already spread throughout our department, so we walked confidently down the tree-lined path.
“Kim Doah! Kim Doah! Kim Doah! Kim Doah!”
Hearing a familiar voice, I turned around to see Minji and Sooin walking toward us.
“Hi, Taemin Oppa!”
It was the cheerful voice of a social butterfly.
Minji’s energy level in real life was about the same as my on-stream persona.
“Oh. Hey.”
Compared to how he greeted me, his tone was incredibly dry.
It might seem indifferent to others, but I actually liked it.
There was something about knowing the person you like is only nice to you that just makes you feel good.
“Doah, are you busy today?”
It wasn’t that I had nothing to do.
It was a no-stream day, but I still had assignments to finish and a proposal the company had asked me to write.
“Uh... well... I have some homework. Why?”
“Hansu is enlisting next week, so we’re all going out for drinks.”
“Oh... Hansu hadn’t gone yet.”
He was a guy from my year who was pretty close with Minji and the others, but I’d barely ever spoken to him.
“Yeah. So I thought it’d be great if you came, too. You barely hang out with us anymore now that you’re dating~”
“Seriously, no joke, everyone is coming out today.”
I couldn’t deny that I hadn’t been seeing them much lately.
I was never the type to participate much in department gatherings to begin with, but after I met Oppa, I stopped going altogether.
“Anyway, let’s hang out today! Doah~ Huh? It’s a party to send him off to the military, you can’t skip this! Oppa! It’s okay if Doah hangs out with us, right?”
Oppa, who had been listening in silence, looked at me with an unreadable expression, as if he hadn’t expected the arrow to suddenly be aimed at him.
His pupils trembled as if an earthquake had struck.
But Minji, giving us no time to confer, wedged herself between us.
“C’mon~ Taemin Oppa! I’ll take full responsibility and make sure Doah gets home safe, so please, just trust me and let her come out this once~ Please?”
“Ah... uh. Sure...”
Oppa stammered, agreeing before he could think.
“Hey, Doah. I’m telling the others you’re coming, okay? See you at Sapal Pocha at 7!”
Having said their piece, Minji and Sooin disappeared down the hall, leaving us to stare at each other with slightly dazed expressions.
“...Is it okay if I go?”
A drinking party with guys and girls.
I’d heard it was always a major stumbling block in relationships.
Oppa wasn’t the type to go to those kinds of places himself, so I hadn’t given it much thought.
I never expected I’d be the one to bring up this issue first.
“...Go.”
...That doesn’t look like the face of someone telling me to go have fun, Oppa.
Why did I forget at that moment?
That my boyfriend was a hardcore, stalker-level Pink Army fan with a 12-month Tier 1 subscription.