Chapter 133
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 133
The community forum had a feature called ‘Post Anonymously.’
As the name implied, it was a function for when you didn’t want to reveal your nickname while writing a post or a comment. And isn’t that just how it is?
People hide themselves when they have something to be ashamed of, or when they don’t want to take responsibility for their actions.
Why do I bring this up? Because Eun-sam was currently making insane use of that very ‘Post Anonymously’ feature.
=
-GoraniLover: What a fucking shitty novel lol
└(Anonymous): -Troll-
└GoraniLover: ? The hell are you
└(Anonymous): -Troll-
└GoraniLover: Why the fuck am I a troll, asshole
└(Anonymous): -Troll-
=
Do you know the two ways to infuriate a person?
One is to stop talking mid-sentence, and the other is to repeat the same thing over and over.
Whenever an insult was posted about her novel, Eun-sam would rush in and infuriate the commenter by repeatedly leaving the reply, ‘-Troll-’.
-Troll-
It was short for buntangchung, a derogatory term for malicious commenters who nitpick at a novel just to insult it.
Whether those people were actually trolls or not, wouldn't it be natural to get angry when someone calls you that?
Thanks to Eun-sam’s intervention, the community forum began to burn even hotter, and in the end, I was the one who got my account banned for bringing in a controversial novel.
…Thankfully, it was only a one-month ban.
Eun-sam kept up her keyboard battle for a good while longer, only finally lying down in bed as it neared midnight.
Dokyun, who had been watching the whole spectacle with a churning stomach, could finally close his eyes in peace.
Who was this fight even for? The thought wouldn’t leave his mind… but then he figured, Well, Eun-sam looks happy, so maybe that’s all that matters. Trying to fall asleep before his mind could decay any further, Dokyun relaxed his body.
Just as he was about to drift off.
“Dude.”
Eun-sam spoke.
Dokyun looked at her with weary eyes. Eun-sam was staring at the ceiling, her own eyes sparkling.
“Yeah?”
“Is this for real?”
What could she mean? As the thought crossed his mind, Dokyun belatedly realized she was talking about the current situation—the fact that The Legend of the Seven Dicks had skyrocketed in popularity. He let out a small chuckle and answered.
“What, you think it’s a dream?”
“For real…”
Rustle.
The blanket shifted.
Eun-sam, who had been lying on her back staring at the ceiling, turned to face him.
“So it’s not a dream…”
Her voice was a little choked, thick with emotion.
Dokyun thought, If it weren’t for that way she talks, this would have been a genuinely touching moment. He managed a smile and replied to her.
“Congratulations. Your eight years… no, you must have been writing even before that. Your whole life’s work has been rewarded.”
He said it with a few soft chuckles.
Eun-sam giggled in response, then studied Dokyun’s face for a long moment before finally continuing.
“…Thanks, man.”
“It was nothing.”
“I’m not just talking about the review, dude.”
Dokyun’s gaze returned to her.
Her face was calm, holding a faint smile.
Dokyun found himself thinking that the expression on Eun-sam’s face right now didn’t suit her at all.
And wasn’t it true? Seeing a person who usually spouted nonsense with a lewd, half-lidded expression make a face like that—what could be more awkward?
Feeling his insides twist at the thought, Dokyun turned his gaze to the ceiling. Eun-sam let out another giggle and continued in a soft, low voice.
“I’m sayin’ thanks for helping our ‘gallery master,’ our ‘cute one,’ and our ‘moderator.’ And the other dudes, too, y’know.”
“…You know you ruin the touching moment when you talk like that, right?”
“Sincerity always gets through one way or another, doesn’t it?”
“My ass.”
Pfft. A laugh escaped Dokyun’s lips. At the sound of his laugh, Eun-sam laughed along with him.
“You know something?”
“What now.”
“We were always stuck in place.”
Eun-sam said, pausing to catch her breath before continuing.
“The gallery master was in a bad state, you know? Like a ticking time bomb that would go off if you touched it wrong. So we had to give up on a lot of things to get by, y’know.”
It was an unexpected story.
The story of how Eun-ah and the other personalities had lived all this time.
His curiosity piqued, Dokyun looked at Eun-sam. She saw his expression, giggled, and went on.
“Eun-ji always had to be alone in this house, Eun-byeol couldn’t go out and meet people like she wanted to, and the moderator had to work without a moment’s rest. And, well, the cute one… you know how she was, right?”
It was a story he had more or less expected. But hearing it from her directly made his heart ache all the same.
“You coming here is what allowed us to change.”
She was praising him.
After saying so, Eun-sam paused again, staring at him for a long moment before she spoke.
“Thanks.”
Hearing her words, Dokyun felt his stomach flutter and his body squirm with embarrassment. He finally managed to reply in a blunt tone.
“You’re being awfully sentimental today.”
“…Am I?”
At Dokyun’s words, Eun-sam’s voice instantly took on its usual lewd tone. She turned back to lie straight on her back and closed her eyes.
“You’re right. I was being a little sentimental today.”
“Just go to sleep.”
“G’night, dude.”
“Yeah, you too.”
Eun-sam fell silent, and Dokyun finally drifted off into a much-delayed sleep.
*
The next morning, it was Eun-byeol who greeted him.
“Morning, honey.”
Dokyun spotted Eun-byeol making coffee in the kitchen and tilted his head.
“Was it your turn, Eun-byeol-ssi?”
“Nope. I just felt like coming out.”
She answered as if it were nothing. Dokyun’s jaw dropped.
“Wait, are you allowed to do that?”
“And why shouldn’t I?”
Eun-byeol shrugged, then pushed the coffee she’d been brewing toward him.
“Want some?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Come and sit down. I made breakfast.”
Dokyun took the coffee from her, his eyes darting between the cup and the dining table. Spotting the toast laid out on the table, he let out a deep sigh and went to take a seat.
Did I fall asleep too late? It seemed he hadn’t even heard Eun-byeol wake up and prepare breakfast.
Dokyun picked up a piece of toast and took a bite, then looked at Eun-byeol, who had sat down across from him and started her own meal.
“You should apologize to Eun-ah-ssi later.”
“Already wrote it down in the notebook~”
The reply came back with practiced smoothness.
When Dokyun let out a groan, Eun-byeol chuckled.
“Why? Would you rather I disappeared?”
At her words, Dokyun’s body flinched.
He shuddered, then glared at Eun-byeol with a hardened expression.
“…Don’t say things like that.”
His tone was tinged with anger.
Her words had made him angry.
He didn’t want to hear Eun-byeol talk about herself as if she were nothing, as if she could disappear without a trace—not even as a joke.
Even if the day came when they had to part, even if the day came when she became a part of Eun-ah, to Dokyun, Eun-byeol was Eun-byeol.
On that final day to come, Dokyun wanted her to think of herself as a happy person.
As Dokyun glared at her with these thoughts, Eun-byeol seemed a bit flustered, stammering out a question.
“Uh, huh?”
“It’s not funny. Making a habit of self-deprecation like that will destroy your self-esteem. Don’t say it, not even as a joke.”
He’d gotten worked up and said more than he’d intended.
Eun-byeol listened quietly, her mouth closed as she stared at him. Then, she covered her mouth with her hand.
“Oh, you almost made my heart skip a beat just now.”
Flinch.
Dokyun’s body shuddered.
Hearing her words, he lifted his gaze to look at her. Seeing her watching him with a face full of amusement, he curled in on himself.
“…Anyway, that’s how I feel.”
“Ooh~”
Eun-byeol leaned her upper body toward him, her voice playful.
“You’re kinda cool, you know?”
At her words, Dokyun’s head sank even lower. His face flushed hot for no reason.
Did I get carried away and overdo it? Eun-byeol’s reaction filled him with a wave of awkwardness. Avoiding her gaze, he glared at his toast and muttered.
“Just eat your food.”
“Really, you’re making my heart pound to death.”
Her voice was laced with laughter and a heavy dose of mischief.
Suddenly, PTSD struck.
This situation felt strangely familiar.
No, her words were familiar.
The words he’d heard after helping a girl from the class next door during his high school trip.
He’d seen her wandering alone, lost, and had simply led her to the assembly point. The girl had said, “Thanks for your help,” and, “You were kinda cool.”
He had taken her words as genuine, gotten his hopes up, and asked for her number. The girl had gotten flustered, left, and then proceeded to spread the story to everyone.
A montage of painful public humiliation flashed through Dokyun’s mind.
The moment he got the nickname ‘Sweet-gyun.’
The moment he saw that girl whispering with her friend in the hallway.
The moment he went to karaoke with his friends and was teased as the ‘Singing Sweet Sword Saint.’
His heart seized, and his breath caught in his throat.
Dokyun took a sharp breath, steeled himself, and glared at Eun-byeol.
Not a chance!
He would never become a plaything for the popular kids again.
As that resolve lit up his eyes, Eun-byeol glanced at his face, then turned her head slightly.
“My, your gaze is so intense…”
Pfft.
A laugh was mixed in with her voice.
As was to be expected, Dokyun’s body trembled.
*
After they finished eating and Dokyun had showered, he found Eun-byeol sitting on the sofa, scrolling through her smartphone.
“So, what’s the special occasion for you being out today?” he asked.
He still hadn’t heard the reason for her appearance.
If she had popped out so suddenly, there had to be a reason, but Eun-byeol hadn’t mentioned anything about it.
Dokyun sat down next to her. Eun-byeol finally glanced at him, then gave him a wide grin.
“Because there’s a game today.”
Flinch.
Dokyun felt a tremor run through his entire body. His voice came out choppy.
“I-Is that so…”
His gaze darted between the floor and Eun-byeol.
Don’t tell me…
Are we going to the baseball stadium again? Just as the thought crossed his mind, Eun-byeol, seeing his expression, burst out laughing, ending his anxiety.
“I’m just going to watch the broadcast on my phone today. I’ll go right back in after the game’s over. Today’s a really important game.”
“Ah…”
An important game.
For some reason, those words sent a wave of anxiety rising through him.
As Dokyun looked at her with trembling eyes, Eun-byeol, her own eyes filled with anticipation, moved closer and showed him her smartphone.
On the screen was the score of her team’s, the Lattes', games up until yesterday.
“See this? We’ve been losing until now, but… if we win all the remaining games starting today, we can make it to the postseason, you see?”
At her words, Dokyun’s gaze fixed on her.
Her eyes were sparkling.
…No.
They were gleaming with madness.
Her eyes were bloodshot.
Eun-byeol stared at the screen as she spoke, then turned to Dokyun with a somewhat dangerous expression.
“From today on, every single game is critical.”
“I-Is that right?”
“Honey, they can win, right?”
Dokyun couldn’t bring himself to speak.
Faced with that expression, he didn’t have the confidence to tell her that winning the lottery was more likely than her team winning all their remaining games.
And so.
“R-Right…”
He lied.
Eun-byeol nodded, looking utterly satisfied, and put her phone away.
“Today is the beginning of our great comeback story…”
Her voice was dreamy.
Watching her, Dokyun was reminded of a certain saying.
That dreams are called dreams because they can’t come true.