The Ring Around My Neck
Staring at the ring hanging around his neck always made him feel strange. Even now, Suhyun couldn't get used to the cold, slightly scratchy sensation against his skin. Hana's face kept floating into his mind. The way her cherry-like lips had moved while she fastened the necklace on him. He wasn't sure if she knew it, but she had that same habit of nibbling her lips when she played guitar. It showed up more whenever there were tricky parts or complicated sections. Her front teeth would press against her lips in a way that looked almost three-dimensional. He thought it was cute. No. It would probably be more rude not to think so. After all, Hana was practically a human flower.
Suhyun had to admit it. He felt his heart flutter at her gestures. But at the same time, he had to hide it. She probably hadn't meant anything by it. The more he found her charming, the more consciously he tried to keep his distance. That was the right way to respond to someone's kindness. Jumping to weird conclusions just because someone was a little nice to you was the lowest thing a loner could do. Even clueless outsiders had their own set of rules. And Suhyun had zero intention of creating a situation that would be bad for either of them.
He pulled on a stretched-out white long-sleeved shirt. Slipping his feet into slippers, Suhyun grabbed the doorknob. His destination was Juyeon's place. Once again, she hadn't told him the agenda and had simply called him over to her house.
The doorbell rang—ding-dong, ding-dong—and footsteps approached from inside. Juyeon peeked her head out. Her sleek, dark brown bob swayed neatly as always.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
It was the kind of casual familiarity you'd expect from a couple living together. The moment Suhyun stepped inside, he took a deep breath. “What did you eat?”
A mysterious scent, something like thick melted cheese, wafted through the air.
“I haven't eaten yet.”
Juyeon turned around and opened a dark beige paper bag sitting on the table. A savory aroma instantly filled the room. Inside were hot dogs that still radiated heat. They looked so fresh that even the batter appeared perfectly crispy, as if she'd just bought them.
“What? You just bought these?”
“...Yeah. I wanted to eat them with you.”
When Suhyun blinked without saying anything, Juyeon timidly clutched the edge of the bag.
“...Do you hate it?”
“No. I like it.”
It wasn't that he disliked hot dogs. He was just stunned by how touched he felt by her words. Having someone buy food because they were thinking of him was something that almost never happened—except from his parents. Even though he had a few close guy friends, none of them showed this kind of delicate consideration.
“Here.”
Juyeon held out a hot dog on its stick.
“Thanks.”
“You know you have to work as much as you eat, right…?”
Suhyun let out a small chuckle at her words. “I'm not sure if I can even cover the price of a hot dog.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you'd bought me chicken, I probably couldn't give you something of equal value.”
For advice worth about 2,500 won, Suhyun figured he could manage just fine.
“So… what's today's meeting topic?”
“I… I want you to be my manager.”
“Hm?”
Suhyun, who had been chewing a bite of hot dog, tilted his head. “Manager?”
“Yeah. Broadcast manager.”
Larger internet streams often needed managers. The main role was to handle or ban viewers who didn't follow chat etiquette. Since it was too much for the streamer to manage every single chat themselves, this was the system they used.
“...Is it really necessary?”
His question made Juyeon feel a slight sting of humiliation.
“Yes. It is.”
“Why?”
Juyeon began explaining what had happened last week. Her stream usually had around fifty viewers. It had grown a little, but she was still firmly in the small-fry category. Even in such a tiny pond, though, there were always trolls. One viewer had started causing chaos in her chat. He'd nitpick random things and stir up trouble. If it were a big stream, she could have banned him without hesitation, but with a small one, there were definitely limits. She needed a helper who could make firm decisions for her. And Juyeon hoped that person would be Suhyun.
“A hot dog probably won't cut it for that, huh?”
If they were talking pure hourly wage, it had to be at least 10,000 won, right?
“Ah… then… does that mean you'll do it…?”
When Juyeon started fumbling for her wallet, Suhyun quickly grabbed her hand.
“No… uh… um…”
The reason felt both valid and trivial. And if she really wanted a reliable guard, wouldn't it make more sense to ask one of the viewers who watched her regularly instead of him? Asking Suhyun to decisively kick people out was basically like leaving fish with a cat. To be honest, he wasn't confident he could do it well.
“I… I don't even stream that often! Just twice a week.”
“That's true, but…”
“I'll pay you… I'll give you snacks… and buy you food…”
In a way, it really did look like an employer hiring part-time help.
“Please…?”
Suhyun was someone who could understand how Juyeon felt. She must have agonized over asking him this. And their relationship wasn't the kind where he could just coldly turn her down…
“Two cafeteria meals.”
“Huh?”
“On the days I watch your stream, you buy me food. That's it.”
That was the absolute limit of the compensation Suhyun was willing to accept.
Juyeon's eyes widened into perfect circles. Her mouth, which couldn't hide emotions, stretched into a huge grin.
“Deal.”
Another thread had formed between them. Department friends. Club friends. Fellow loner friends. And now, manager and streamer.
“But… Suhyun.”
“Yeah?”
“Is that necklace something you bought?”
The unfamiliar silver chain had caught Juyeon's eye.
“Oh. This.”
Suhyun hesitated to answer. Hana had sent Juyeon home first and given him the gift separately. If he thought about why, it was probably because she didn't want anyone to know… But she hadn't specifically told him to keep it a secret, so deliberately hiding it felt awkward too.
“It was a gift.”
“I see.”
Juyeon didn't ask anything more.
“That's surprising. I didn't think you'd do something like that.”
“Since it was a gift, I thought I'd wear it for a while.”
“From a girl?”
Suhyun coughed violently at the direct, almost shameless question.
“Uh… yeah. That's right.”
Saying it was from a guy would have sounded even weirder.
“...I thought we were comrades. Turns out you're more popular than I expected.”
Juyeon glared at him like she'd met a traitor. She looked like she was seriously considering kicking him out of the Loner Alliance.
“But then shouldn't you not be here?”
This was, after all, a girl's studio apartment. If he had a girl he was talking to, he shouldn't be coming into her space.
“It's fine. Here.”
“I'm starting to feel a little upset.”
Juyeon wondered if he didn't even see her as a girl.
“It's not that kind of gift, so it's okay.”
Suhyun cracked a rare joke. It was the kind of quick-witted response that would have been impossible anywhere else. It only worked because the atmosphere between them was so comfortable.
“Anyway… well. Looking forward to working with you, Manager.”
Juyeon held out her hand like she wanted to shake on it.
“But if there aren't any troublemakers, doesn't that just mean I get to watch your stream the whole time?”
“Yeah.”
“Won't that be embarrassing for you?”
“I started streaming to get over being embarrassed.”
If the other band members had seen the two of them talking like this, they probably would have felt betrayed. These two people who usually stuttered and could barely hold a proper conversation were speaking so smoothly here, like professional actors.
“Got it. Then I'm heading out now.”
Suhyun cleaned up the trash and stood up.
“The first stream will be the weekend after the performance.”
“Weekends come with overtime pay, you know.”
“How much? I'll pay it.”
“I'm kidding.”
Juyeon walked him all the way to the front door and stood politely in front of him.
“Get home safely.”
“It's literally three minutes away.”
“Still, get home safely.”
When Juyeon waved, Suhyun waved back once and returned to his own place.
Sigh… Being Juyeon's stream manager… Suhyun felt a strange mix of worry about whether he could do it well and whether there was even anything to do. He flopped down onto his bed and tried to organize his thoughts. At least after Friday, once the festival and after-party were over, he'd probably have some free time. He picked up his phone, thinking he should check how other small-stream managers handled things.
Right then—weeeeing—his phone vibrated.
The caller was Hana. The fact that she was calling this late probably meant it was something urgent. Suhyun slid the screen and brought the phone to his ear.
“Yeah, it's me.”
“Hey, Lee Suhyun. Do you have plans with anyone on the second day of the festival?”
“No, I don't?”
Hana was silent for a moment. Just as he wondered if the call had dropped and checked the screen again—
“Then… do you want to hang out with me?”
It was getting harder and harder for Suhyun not to misunderstand.