Exposed
The moment I saw the Twitch notification pop up on Oppa’s phone during Nya_12’s Just Chatting stream, my head filled with a whirlwind of thoughts.
Why did he lie?
If he’d gone so far as to set an alarm, it was obvious he didn’t just casually watch the channel. So why would he lie and claim he only watched VTubers? Was watching a streamer really something to be ashamed of?
“...Ugh… I don’t know…”
No matter how hard I racked my brain, there was no way for me to figure it out alone. Oppa must have had his reasons for hiding it. Still, of all the possible alarms, it had to be Seo-yeon’s stream. Was it really just a coincidence?
My imagination kept spiraling, one wild thought chasing another.
“Fine. I’ll just ask him when he gets back.”
He’d only gone to the convenience store right in front of the building, so he’d be back any minute. Honestly, it wasn’t even that big of a deal. Hiding what streams you watch wasn’t some terrible crime. More than anything, I just wanted to ask him why he’d lied to me.
“Maybe I should get some cups ready?”
He’d said he was buying drinks, so I figured I’d set out some cups on the table. I got up from the bed. Sitting there doing nothing would only make my thoughts spiral even worse. I just wanted to move my body.
I walked over to the sink. But the drying rack only held a few plates. No cups in sight. Even if he lived alone, wasn’t this a bit much? Did Oppa not even own any cups?
Since I had nothing better to do, I decided to look for one. I opened the cabinet above and started rummaging around.
“Just more bowls in here too.”
Rice bowls, small plates, all the everyday dishes you’d need. The cabinet was packed with them.
Wait… isn’t that a cup handle?
I looked more carefully and spotted a tiny bit of a cup handle peeking out from between the dishes. Why would he shove a cup all the way in the back like that?
The second I moved the bowls aside and pulled the cup out, the strength left my fingers. I nearly dropped it.
“Th-this…”
Why is this here?
It was the limited-edition mug from the very first event I’d done with the company after my channel started growing. Only a hundred had been made, each featuring an illustration of my character. And now it was sitting in Oppa’s kitchen cabinet.
Combined with the Twitch alarm for Seo-yeon’s stream just now, and the fact that he’d lied to me about only watching VTubers… everything came crashing together in my mind. I started to feel dizzy.
What the hell is going on?
Did Oppa already know who I was?
If he owned that mug, he had to be a fan. But if he’d known from the beginning, why had he pretended not to?
My mind was spinning.
Just then, the electronic lock at the front door beeped.
Without thinking, I shoved the mug back into the cabinet and slammed the door shut.
Oppa walked in wearing a bright, innocent smile, as if he had no idea what was happening. In his hand was a cold sports drink.
“Yuna, you like Pocari, right?”
He looked at me as he asked. I wanted to blurt out the question right then and there.
Oppa. Why did you lie to me?
But if he’d been willing to answer, he probably wouldn’t have lied in the first place. And now… what was going to happen to us?
Too many thoughts flooded my head. It felt like my brain was about to overload. I needed time to sort through everything alone.
“...Yuna?”
When I didn’t answer, he called my name again.
I forced myself to act like I was in a hurry so it wouldn’t seem awkward.
“Ah, sorry, Oppa. Something urgent came up. I should head out first.”
I grabbed my bag in a rush and headed for the door.
“Ah… really? That’s too bad.”
He looked incredibly disappointed as he watched me.
“Then be careful on your way home.”
Even as he said it, he started to follow me out. I really didn’t want him walking me out right now.
“It’s fine, you don’t have to. I’ll go on my own.”
“Ah, okay.”
And just like that, I fled from his apartment like I was being chased.
I walked quickly away from his building, practically running back to my own place. The second I got home, I buried my face in my bed.
“What the… what is this?”
It was supposed to be a weekend I’d been looking forward to, but now everything felt completely messed up.
Had it all been in my head from the start?
Everything Oppa had done for me suddenly looked like it might have been a lie. No… it probably wasn’t a lie. Maybe all those gestures I’d taken as affection had just been fanboy behavior.
Maybe Oppa didn’t have any feelings for me at all…
“Was I the only one who thought we were dating…? Was I the only one who thought we were in the talking stage…?”
Everything I’d done up until now suddenly felt pathetic. All those moments when my heart had fluttered, when I’d been happy and nervous. All the times I’d convinced myself he liked me back. All the times I’d thought we were getting closer.
If that was really the case, I’d be kicking myself under the blankets for the rest of my life.
Then something suddenly hit me.
Wait, what was that thing again? Uni_clip or something? You said you were growing that channel.
The conversation I’d overheard at the café flashed through my mind. Back then, Oppa had tried to hide the channel name.
Why did he have to hide it from me?
Maybe… maybe he’d known I was Uni all along.
“No way… no way…”
If my suspicions were right… if all the evidence pointed to it… then Oppa was…
Don’t tell me Oppa is Uni_clip?
If that was true, then everything finally made sense. The Uni fan goods in his cabinet. The way he’d been so kind to me even when I’d only caused him trouble. The way he always smiled at me and treated me so gently.
“I should contact him. If I ask, I’ll know for sure.”
The answer was probably with that Jae-min guy. I needed confirmation that Oppa really was Uni_clip.
I immediately sent a text to Ji-yoon.
I asked if she was close with Jae-min Oppa. After a short pause, she sent me his phone number.
It wasn’t important to her. But to me, it was everything.
My heart was racing too fast to wait for a text. I called Jae-min Oppa right away.
Tu-ru-ru. Tu-ru-ru-ru.
It rang several times with no answer. He was probably out enjoying his weekend like the social butterfly he was. But I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep until I got an answer.
Finally, there was a click, and his voice came through.
“Hello? Who is this?”
Typical social guy, picking up calls from unknown numbers without hesitation.
“Oppa, I’m really sorry for calling on the weekend. This is Lee Yuna from the business department.”
“...Yuna? Oh~! Yeah, what’s up?”
He sounded surprised, which made sense. We weren’t exactly close enough to be calling each other.
“I’m calling about Woohyuk Oppa.”
“I knew it. So how are you two doing? The vibe between you two seemed pretty serious lately.”
The second I mentioned Oppa, Jae-min jumped right in. Was he being rude or just overly friendly? We weren’t even that close, yet here he was casually asking about my personal life.
But I wasn’t in the mood for small talk. I’d called because I thought things were going well, but now I wasn’t so sure.
“No, we’re not like that yet.”
“Ah. Right. Not yet. Not yet.”
The way he emphasized “not yet” was annoying. I quickly changed the subject before I got too irritated.
“That’s not why I called. Oppa, do you know the name of the VTuber channel Woohyuk Oppa runs?”
“Oh, so that’s why you called? Why are you curious about that?”
“I just have my reasons. Do you know it or not?”
“Yeah, I know it.”
My heart started pounding like crazy.
If my guess was right, he’d say yes. If I was wrong, this whole situation would get even more complicated. I’d probably have to confront Woohyuk Oppa directly.
“Yeah, I think it’s Uni_clip? He said it was the channel he streams on Twitch.”
My grip on the phone tightened.
Just as I thought. It really was him. Oppa was Uni_clip.
The ridiculous rom-com plot I’d complained about before was actually happening in real life.
“So what about it?”
“...”
“Hey, Yuna?”
I stood there frozen, phone still pressed to my ear, completely dazed.