Home Study Plans
Getting to the lecture hall today had been rough from the start. I already hated drawing attention, but I could feel people glancing at me over and over.
Who would’ve guessed it got posted on the community boards? Ugh.
I seriously considered taking a leave of absence next semester just to avoid the classroom.
But if I looked on the bright side, it wasn’t all bad. Maybe it had actually strengthened things between me and Oppa. At least other girls wouldn’t be approaching him now.
Besides, not everything in life turned out badly.
After class, when Oppa and I rushed out of the room together, he suggested we study for exams together after I casually mentioned the upcoming tests.
I was caught off guard at first, but then a good idea hit me. It was the perfect chance to celebrate his birthday.
“I don’t focus well in places like cafés…”
“Yeah.”
“…How about we study at my place?”
It was the moment my morning plan could finally come true. Saying I couldn’t concentrate in cafés wasn’t a complete lie—I really did get distracted by noise—but it was at least half an excuse. A stepping stone to get Oppa over to my apartment.
I couldn’t believe I was already pulling off moves like this. Maybe all the dating talks with Seoyeon unni were finally paying off. I was starting to feel like a real pro at this romance thing.
“…Your place?”
“Yeah.”
I looked at Oppa with clear eyes when he hesitated.
“Would that be okay?”
“Of course. You’ve already been to my place once, remember?”
“I mean, yeah, but…”
Oppa was the only guy who had ever come into my bedroom. Even my dad had never visited my studio apartment. Since he already knew my secret, there was no need to hide the room anymore. The first time was the hardest; the second time felt easier. My mental resistance to inviting him over had honestly dropped a little.
…And seriously, Oppa, what are you being so cautious about? We’ve already held hands and done everything else. We just haven’t confessed yet. I already thought of us as basically a couple.
Was I the only one who felt that way?
“Alright. If you’re okay with it, I’m fine too.”
“Then how about the ninth? Are you free that day?”
“The ninth? Should be fine.”
Oppa still didn’t seem to realize it was his birthday. I’d specifically picked that date. Maybe he just didn’t care much about birthdays.
“Then look forward to it, Oppa.”
“…To what?”
I let out a soft laugh at his confused expression. Imagining how touched he’d be once he saw the event I had planned made the corners of my mouth curl upward.
Even if I mostly ordered delivery, I’d been living alone for two years now. It was time to show off the cooking skills I’d been honing. There was a saying for a reason—if you capture someone’s stomach, their heart follows right after.
I was happily running through every optimistic scenario in my head when—
Today’s stream title stood out more than usual.
The tournament date was getting closer, and today was the last scheduled day for the five of us to practice together in person. I was actually starting to get attached to this team. Probably because we’d been meeting so often lately.
Haju’s urgent voice was followed by Seojeong’s cheerful reply. The moment the teleport finished, Seojeong’s Malphite slammed her ultimate straight into the enemy team.
Back at the start of our scrims, Seojeong’s ego had been way too strong. When someone who wasn’t good had a big ego, it usually ruined the game. After dozens of team practices, Seojeong was now reacting to Haju’s calls like a spinal reflex. It was like Haju was the brain and Seojeong was just the body moving. That feeling was especially strong since top and jungle needed tight coordination.
Haju’s nickname was “RomanticLucianHaju.” He was playing Briar right now, but the moment Malphite’s ult landed, Uni and the rest of the team followed up perfectly. Haju, who had the biggest lead, spammed his ultimate and skills to clean up every kill. Briar really was delicious when fed like this.
Of course, Uni had no idea the chat was flooded with Haju’s name. She was too busy kiting and dumping damage with Kai’Sa. To be fair, Uni was playing well too—it was just that Haju’s plays stood out even more.
Seojeong and Rua were the type to get excited like this every day. You could call them the team’s morale boosters.
Even Haju’s voice sounded a little excited. The team’s coordination was finally coming together, and it showed. That was the charm of team games. Even in solo queue, people got hyped when they synced with random teammates, but the thrill of practicing together with voice comms for a tournament was on another level.
Everyone cheered along with Haju’s confident words. And while the whole team was hyped, our Uni—
—muttered “let’s go” in the tiniest, most timid voice, like a little kid tagging along. Watching her made my head start to throb.
I had the same thought as the chat. We’d been practicing together for a while now, yet she was still the only one acting awkward. It was cute and a little pitiful at the same time. Uni, what are you going to do when your stream gets even bigger later?
Ever since we started preparing for the tournament, Uni’s viewer count had been slowly growing. Fans from the other team members’ streams were occasionally dropping by her channel too.
Using that fight as a turning point, Uni’s team pushed forward and destroyed the enemy Nexus. After the win, the team members chatted and complimented each other, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at how sappy they sounded.
After Haju’s closing words as the team leader, everyone left the voice channel together.
Uni ended the stream after chatting a bit about the game. She’d streamed later than usual today.
Ah. That was a really fulfilling stream.
I felt a deep sense of satisfaction from the longer broadcast and closed the black screen. Just as I was about to turn off my phone and go to sleep—
A message from Yuna caught my eye. I had been planning to sleep, but that didn’t really matter right now.
She wanted to call? Honestly, I wasn’t used to phone calls. I barely even texted anyone except Yuna.
…What if I say something weird?
It would be my first time talking on the phone alone with a girl. It felt awkward somehow.
It was late, so maybe she had something important to say.
A smile spread across my face at those words. How could I refuse when she said something that sweet?
All my earlier worries vanished as I started calling Yuna. She picked up almost immediately.
Hello? Oppa…?
…Yuna.
Man, this was awkward. But nothing got easier without practice. If I ended up dating Yuna, it was something I’d have to get used to anyway.
…Oppa, whose stream were you even watching?
I hadn’t expected to hear Yuna’s sulky voice like that.