Carrying My Favorite Streamer Home

After the first round, the mood must have been good because quite a few people raised their hands when someone asked, "Who's up for a second round?" The ones who didn't were me and the girl named Yuna I'd noticed earlier. It looked like the two of us who had been dragged along were going to sit out after the first round.

"Jaemin, I'm heading out now."

"Yeah, take care! Thanks for today, Woohyuk."

That guy's got game. Jaemin already seemed to have hit it off with one of the girls. The two of them kept slipping outside and coming back in together. But that had nothing to do with me.

I left the bar and walked slowly toward home. Once I got back, I'd watch some Uni VODs and go to sleep. Drinking and hanging out with people had tired me out more than I'd expected. Watching my favorite videos after a shower and lying in bed was like the only drug the country allowed. It was the happiest moment in my life.

I was happily debating what to rewatch today when...

"Huu... I'm dizzy..."

A girl's sigh came from beside me. It was Yuna. It seemed we were heading in the same direction. That was fine by me. What worried me was how unsteady she looked. It seemed like she might run into something. Yuna couldn't even walk straight, like those completely drunk old men. I was genuinely worried she might fall over or crash into a tree or something.

She must have drunk too much while sipping alone. If we were complete strangers, I might have ignored it, but we already knew each other's faces. We were even in the same department.

"Huuua... ugh."

The staggering Yuna let out a strange groan and plopped down right there on the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠spot. Then she pressed on her head with one hand, frowning deeply.

When someone collapsed in front of me, I was startled and walked over to her.

"Hey. Are you okay?"

It was a question born from pure concern. Yuna looked up at me with a heavily flushed face and answered.

"Wh-who are yooou?"

How drunk was she that she couldn't even recognize someone she'd been drinking with just moments ago? We had literally just been drinking together. Was I that forgettable? Well, I guess I hadn't said a single word the whole time.

"We were just drinking together. Don't you remember?"

Yuna seemed to think for a moment.

"...Oh. Got it. You're Woo-hyukie, right?"

She called my name with a completely slurred, drunken pronunciation. At least she remembered something.

"Yeah. So can you stand up?"

"Mmm~. I can't get uuuup."

The girl put her hands on the ground, shaking her head from side to side while speaking in a cutesy voice. So she became the affectionate type when drunk. There were all kinds of drunk behaviors, but hers was relatively tame.

It was obvious she couldn't make it home alone, so I asked where she lived, planning to call her a taxi.

"Where's your house?"

"My house...? Over theeere."

"That white villa?"

When I said that, Yuna nodded repeatedly. The place she pointed to was a white villa on a hill a short walk away. It was less than five minutes on foot from here. Calling a taxi for that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠felt awkward. But leaving her here didn't sit right with me either. There had been a lot of minor crimes in the area lately, with police patrols increasing. If I left her and something happened, I'd never get a good night's sleep.

I couldn't just tell someone who could barely walk to go by herself. Sigh... I really don't like butting in like this.

"Get on my back. I'll take you home."

Yeah. I'd just close my eyes and endure for five minutes. I squatted down in front of her and patted my back to signal her to climb on.

"Mmm. Okay."

I wasn't sure if she understood me, but she was listening well enough, which was a relief. She wriggled around, climbed onto my back, and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. The problem was that she was drunk, so there was no strength in her arms. In the end, I supported her thighs from below and stood up.

"Upsy daisy."

When I lifted Yuna, the smell of alcohol mixed with the scent of her shampoo. And with her body fully pressed against mine, I could feel every soft curve. For someone with zero experience with women, it was quite a strong stimulus, but I tried hard to ignore it. At least she was light. From the outside, Yuna looked slim, and she wasn't that heavy on my back.

"Ehehe. This is funnn."

"Hey, stay still."

She wasn't a little girl being carried by her dad, but Yuna was laughing excitedly from behind me. Her seemingly pure innocence made me laugh despite myself. This girl really shouldn't drink.

I started walking toward Yuna's house with her on my back. With both hands occupied, I couldn't use my phone, so random thoughts kept popping into my head.

"No matter how many times I hear it, it's exactly the same..."

I'd noticed it from the start, but her voice was way too similar to Uni's. Even her drunk voice. I vaguely remembered Uni's voice from when she did a drinking stream. How could they be this alike?

Come to think of it, that day Uni had dropped a legendary cute clip that everyone teased her about for ages. But even if it matched, there was no way to confirm it. Uni was what they called a "faceless" streamer. She used a self-made character illustration and still never turned on her camera.

Still, aside from her face, she'd shown plenty on camera already. She did hand cams often, and during unboxings her whole body naturally appeared.

"Stop with the delusional otaku thoughts!"

No matter what, her being Uni? That couldn't be. This wasn't some drama. Things like that didn't happen in real life.

As I let my imagination run wild, we arrived in front of the villa before I knew it. As expected for a building where a girl lived, there was a shared entrance.

"Hey. The entrance code. What's the password?"

"Not 'hey.' It's Yuna."

She wanted me to call her by name? She really was a handful.

"Okay. Yuna. What's the password?"

"The passworrd... 6024."

At least she knew the password. Thank goodness. Honestly, if she didn't, I was going to just leave her there. I'd done more than enough; my duty was fulfilled.

"Yuna. Which unit is your place?"

I pressed the elevator button and asked Yuna.

"My plaaace. 402."

"Good. You're answering well."

"Hehe."

...Adorable. What was I supposed to do with this girl? If she'd run into a weird person instead of me, it could have been a disaster.

We took the elevator that soon arrived and got off on the fourth floor. Unit 402... this was it. Standing in front of the door number she'd given me, I asked Yuna again.

"Yuna. Do you know your home password by any chance?"

"...Mmmnya."

"Yuna?"

Was she actually sleeping on my back? We'd made it all the way here. Just needed to open this door.

I shook my body to wake her up somehow.

"Hey! Don't sleep—open this quickly!"

"...Mmm?"

"Tell me the password and then sleep."

"1224... mmm."

1224...?

It was the same as Uni's birthday. ...It must be a coincidence. Who would be dumb enough to use their own birthday as their home password?

Whatever. I just wanted to finish this quickly and go home.

- Beep beep beep beep.

I entered the door lock password, opened the front door, and stepped into the shoe rack area. The house was neatly organized and carried a pleasant scent. She must keep it really clean. How did such a put-together girl end up like this? That's why alcohol is scary.

"Hey. You can get down now. I need to go home."

Finally, I was free from this burden. I shouldn't butt in like this in the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠future. It had been that kind of day.

But what Yuna did next was even more ridiculous.

"Get down...? Nooo... Carry me to the bed..."

Like a child throwing a tantrum, Yuna gripped my shoulders tightly and refused to let go. I really wanted to flick her forehead. At this point, shouldn't I get paid for this? Heat was slowly rising inside me, but she hadn't asked for any of it; I'd butted in on my own.

Yeah. Since I'd come this far, I'd think of it as extra service. Just up to here.

With that thought, I moved my now slightly trembling legs and stepped inside the house. The layout was simple—one living room and one bedroom—so finding the room was easy. I opened the door and tossed Yuna onto the bed that was immediately visible.

"Mmm... It's a bed. Heehee."

Upon landing on the bed, Yuna giggled and smiled happily. Now I could go home. Thinking that, I was about to leave the room when the desk in front of the bed caught my eye. Computer equipment that didn't seem common in regular homes. Two monitors, a flashy-looking PC case, and even a microphone on the desk whose purpose I wasn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sure of. For me, whose only hobbies were streaming and gaming, it was an interesting sight.

So there are girls who set up proper equipment like this for gaming. It felt like seeing the fantasy girl from streams in real life. And the moment I saw the small bear doll placed next to the monitor, I snapped to attention.

"Wait a second... Why is that here...?"

It wasn't just any bear doll. It was a pink bear wearing an outfit with "UNI" embroidered in English. It was the doll I'd sent Uni as a birthday gift.

She had definitely said that...

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

My heart started pounding fiercely once I realized it. The familiar voice, the unusually high-end equipment, and even the bear doll I'd gifted her. It felt like all the puzzle pieces were fitting together perfectly.

"Is this for real...?"

If my guess was correct... It seemed like I was currently standing in my favorite streamer Uni's house.