The Ban
The stream dragged on much longer than usual.
After all, Yuna had promised to go extra long as an apology for yesterday.
She'd done a full Legend of League session, followed by a second part packed with variety games, and even spent time chatting with her viewers. Only now was the end finally in sight.
But the frequent yawns and the sleepy drag in her voice made it obvious she'd hit her limit.
Of course, the viewers didn't seem to agree.
Yuna let out a small laugh at the flood of disappointed reactions.
The screen finally faded to black, just like it always did at the end of a stream.
A wave of satisfaction washed over me at the thought that I'd watched the whole thing again today. And I was genuinely relieved that Yuna seemed to have recovered her energy.
Even though my King Don had played a part in that, I felt pretty good about it.
From tomorrow on, I could watch Yuni's streams without worrying.
I set my phone down, ready to get some sleep myself.
“Ugh… I’m definitely going to sleep through class tomorrow.”
It was way too late. A sense of crisis hit me as I realized how much time I’d spent watching the stream.
With exams right around the corner, some lectures were basically just self-study sessions anyway. I could probably just pass out on my desk. All I could do was hope tomorrow’s classes would let me get away with that.
Right then, my phone buzzed. I picked it up on reflex.
A message from Yuna, who had just finished her stream. She was probably lying in bed by now too, getting ready to sleep.
The thought of her burrowing under the covers and staring at her phone was so cute it made my chest feel warm.
...And this was our first time, wasn’t it?
It was the very first message we’d exchanged since becoming a couple.
Everything feels thrilling and exciting the first time.
Honestly, Yuna probably already knew.
She must have realized that no matter how late her streams ended, I never went to sleep until they were over.
In fact, the later it got, the more I enjoyed the atmosphere. Sure, the viewer count dropped a bit, but there was a special late-night vibe to it. The annoying kids usually logged off too.
Wait, how did she know?
Her message made my heart skip a beat. A pang of guilt hit me.
Should I deny it? Or just admit it?
I didn’t feel like lying, so I answered honestly.
Ah… of course that shows up when you donate.
Now that I thought about it, even if I donated anonymously, the streamer could still see my username.
But what did she mean by the way I typed? Did I have a recognizable typing style even online?
Yuna’s intuition was honestly terrifying.
I’m the one who made it, though?
Well, if we’re going there, that’s still better than using your own birthday as a door lock password.
That was the best way to shift the mood, though?
Usually, once one person does it, the rest of the chat follows. That’s how you steer the atmosphere, Yuna.
As someone well-versed in online communities and internet broadcasting, I’d simply chosen the optimal move.
I could feel the guilt in her texts even through the screen.
I didn’t want her worrying about stuff like this.
That’s why I’d done it anonymously and hadn’t planned to tell her.
Hey… that’s not fair!
What kind of ridiculous rule is that?
The death sentence she’d just handed down made my head spin.
Occasionally tossing in a thousand-won donation and watching the chat explode was one of life’s little joys.
What’s so uncomfortable about it? You’ve been accepting them just fine until now.
If I could, I would’ve spammed crying emojis all over the chat.
My hands were practically shaking as I waited for the judge’s verdict.
I couldn’t back down any further than this.
If she didn’t accept this, I’d just make a new account and donate with that.
Yuna had just made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.
All I could do was swallow my tears and reply that I understood.
...Better to stop donating than have my account dissected.
Just the thought of Yuna looking through my chat history was mortifying.
My heart started pounding wildly.
Tomorrow was one of the days we had the same class.
Going to school together with your girlfriend for the first time… wasn’t that every college student’s dream?
We hadn’t exchanged schedules yet, after all.
There were probably plenty of days we could line up.
Yuna sent me a nodding cat emoji.
It was such a Yuna thing to do.
We ended the conversation with the kind of sweet goodnight typical of couples.
Well, at least I didn’t get chat-banned. That was something.
I comforted myself with that thought and hugged my blanket tight.
But I wondered if my girlfriend knew…
…that she had taken away one of my greatest joys today.
The day started busy from the moment I left for school.
Normally I would’ve just thrown something on and left, but today my mindset was completely different.
...Because I’m going to school with oppa now.
I wasn’t going to dress up like I would if I was meeting other girls, but I still wanted to look decent.
We’d decided yesterday that we’d go to school together.
There weren’t actually that many days our schedules matched. Only about two days a week.
It was a little disappointing, but still — going to school with your boyfriend was a precious experience.
It was something I’d never gotten to do in high school.
“Do I look okay?”
I checked myself one last time in the full-length mirror before heading out.
Not bad.
I put on my shoes and headed down to the first floor of the villa. Oppa was already waiting out front, pacing back and forth.
“...Shall we go?”
He smiled when he saw me.
The bold thing I’d done yesterday flashed through my mind, and I suddenly felt too embarrassed to look him in the eye.
But I didn’t regret it. Our first kiss had been that sweet.
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
We walked side by side toward the bus stop.
It was a path we’d walked countless times, but today it felt completely new.
Was it because I was walking with oppa? Or because it was our first time walking together as a couple?
“...Ah.”
Then suddenly, oppa’s hand slipped into mine.
The warmth of his big hand wrapping around mine made me let out a small sound without thinking.
What the—? When did he get so forward?
“Don’t like it?”
“No, I was just surprised.”
Maybe he was only bold once he had his “prey” caught.
Or maybe it meant we’d grown that much closer.
Even as I thought that, I squeezed his hand back tightly.
“Oppa. Should we walk around campus together from now on too?”
“Uh… I don’t mind.”
“Then can we hold hands on campus?”
I didn’t necessarily want to show off, but I really wanted to experience what it was like to act like a couple on campus.
All those dramas, webtoons, and movies had planted that fantasy in my head.
“Sure. That should be fine.”
His answer was a little half-hearted, but it was enough for me.
We took the familiar bus and arrived at the school gate.
I held his hand tightly, as if I never wanted to let go, all the way to the business building.
The business building was always crowded, and walking through it hand-in-hand with oppa drew quite a few stares.
Some looked envious. Others looked annoyed.
“This is more embarrassing than I thought,” oppa muttered.
He still wasn’t used to being the center of attention.
I actually felt a strange sense of superiority from those looks, so it wasn’t so bad for me.
I’m in a couple now, after all.
And then, far down the hallway we were heading toward, I spotted Jaemin oppa.
He was laughing and talking with some girl.
Still, Jaemin oppa seemed like a good guy both in looks and personality. No wonder he was surrounded by girls.
“Ah… why does that bastard have to be right there?”
Oppa’s quiet complaint reached my ear.
“Yuna, should we go around the other way for a second?”
“Why?”
He looked at me with shaky eyes as he said it.
I had no idea what he was thinking, so my head filled with question marks.
But Jaemin oppa noticed us much faster than oppa expected.
He must have spotted us from far away, because he was already walking toward us with quick steps.
“Heyyy~ Kang Woohyuk. Long time no see. You haven’t called me once lately. What’s up with you?”
But that wasn’t what caught my attention.
Whatever Jaemin oppa was saying didn’t matter at all.
The moment Jaemin oppa had spotted us, oppa had quickly let go of my hand.
“Oppa?”
I called out to him in surprise, but my voice was so small he probably didn’t hear me. He didn’t answer.
Why all of a sudden?
Did oppa want to hide the fact that we were dating…?
The emotions that rose up inside me were anxiety and displeasure.
Ugh. It bothered me so much.
His indifferent attitude pissed me off, so I shot him a sharp glare.
You’re dead once Jaemin oppa leaves, Kang Woohyuk.
That was the only promise I could make to myself for now.