It's Weird That This Collab Turned Into a Total Mess (1)

After leaving the snack shop, Yuna and I stopped by a cafe. I ordered a chocolate latte. Yuna went with a strawberry smoothie. I wondered if she also hated bitter flavors like I did, but she said she drinks coffee pretty well. She has an adult's palate, I guess. After that, nothing much happened. We chatted about this and that for a little while before quickly going our separate ways. We both had streams scheduled today, after all, so we couldn't spend too much time together.

'Ugh, I want to die... What the hell kind of show did I put on back there...'

The second I parted ways with her and found myself alone on the train, a crushing wave of shame hit me and I hung my head. The only thing flashing before my eyes was my disgraceful behavior at the snack shop. It was a piece of dark history so bad I seriously wanted to turn back time. To think that just having air blown in my ear made me let out those weird noises. And then, because I couldn't handle it, I even agreed to do some yuri business?

'How pathetic, Ryu Seolhwa... There can't possibly be another idiot like you in the world.'

And on top of that, I was crying and drooling everywhere, clinging to Yuna like I was begging her to stop. Ugh, I have to see her at school tomorrow too. What kind of face am I even supposed to make when I look at her?

'But still... it's not my fault my ears are so sensitive. I was just born this way.'

Yuna was being mean too. The moment I tried to refuse, she started blowing air into my ear. Even when I was crying and begging her to stop, she wouldn't quit. Just remembering it makes my whole body tremble even now. Next time I end up alone with her, I should probably prepare earplugs in advance.

'That aside. Doing yuri business with Yuna... That's going to be tough...'

Still, since I'd already promised, I had no intention of half-assing it. Truthfully, yuri business itself isn't that difficult. You just have to be proactive about it on stream. The only real problem was that I didn't usually watch Shura's streams that closely.

It wasn't like I was deliberately avoiding her. There are twelve members in Unimori up through the third generation. Between streaming hard, giving feedback on what needs improvement, working on the channel, and recording songs, there isn't much free time. Whatever little there is has to go to my oshi, Mari.

'At least lately I've been watching Serin's streams a bit more because of the yuri business...'

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Shura was still lower priority. I only tuned in when Mari and Priya weren't streaming. I had no idea what kind of content she usually did.

'Maybe I should binge her clips before we start the yuri business.'

Clapping doesn't make a sound with just one hand. I pulled my smartphone out of my pocket. Since time was precious, I figured I'd go over Shura's videos on the way home.

Maybe because it was a quiet weekday afternoon, the train was mostly empty even though it wasn't exactly rush hour. I didn't have to worry about other people watching. If I was going to do this, I might as well do it right and with zero regrets. I put in my wireless earbuds and stared seriously at the screen.

I ended the chat with an exasperated look on my face. By the time I got home it was around three o'clock. It was still bright outside, which felt strangely awkward. The moment I opened the front door, Mom came rushing out of the master bedroom to greet me.

"I'm home."

"S-Seolhwa! You're back! How was the entrance ceremony?"

"It was fine. Nothing special. Where's Hayeon?"

"She should be watching TV in the living room... I think?"

She sounded unsure of her own words, her eyes darting around. Why did she end it like a question? I tilted my head, and that's when I noticed Mom's disheveled clothes.

'...Now that I look closer, her face seems a little flushed too.'

W-wait, no way? With Hayeon still in the house? I stared at Mom in disbelief. She must have realized what my shocked expression meant, because her ears turned bright red and she hurried off to the kitchen.

When I went into the master bedroom to greet Dad, I found a 190-centimeter wall of muscle waiting for me.

"...I'm home."

"O-oh! Seolhwa! Welcome back! Did you have a g-good time at the ceremony?!"

"I did..."

"Hahaha... Well, um, Dad's going ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to take a quick shower..."

His clothes were just as messy and he was covered in sweat. He kept clearing his throat awkwardly. No matter how you looked at it, this was the aftermath of some very sticky affection. Both of them were almost forty, yet their passion was still burning hot. It was honestly impressive.

'I hope I don't end up with a new sibling at this age...'

Well, that would be a blessing in its own way. Still feeling a little uncomfortable, I headed to the living room. Hayeon was sprawled on the sofa. She'd already changed out of her uniform into comfortable home clothes. She clearly had no idea what Mom and Dad had been doing in the master bedroom. She looked completely at peace, lying there without a care in the world.

Her gaze slowly slid toward me.

"You're late. You said you were hanging out with a friend."

"Yeah. What did you have for lunch? Don't tell me it was meat?"

"We had galbi."

"What! I love galbi too!"

The three of them eating galbi without me... I'm so jealous. I set my bag down and flopped onto the sofa. Hayeon crawled over like a caterpillar and latched onto me.

"Sis, why did you go have fun without me?"

"Huh? Oh... something came up suddenly."

"What'd you eat?"

"Tteokbokki."

"Hmm... Sniff sniff. Your clothes do smell a bit like that."

"Pfft, why are you even smelling me?"

I'm not a dog. It tickles. I lightly pushed the playful Hayeon away. But she didn't seem interested in letting go. She pulled my arm into her embrace. Her face looked genuinely sulky.

'Hmm... Is she upset that I didn't celebrate her entrance? But Hayeon doesn't usually care about stuff like that...'

Still, it was her first time starting high school. It was kind of cute how she was acting spoiled. I decided to just let her keep my arm. It had been a while since we'd spent time together like this. We chatted lightly.

"What do you think of our school's uniform?"

"It was average."

"You were the freshman representative, right? Weren't you nervous?"

"Not really. The national competition had way more people."

"What about your classmates? Think you'll get along?"

"Probably better than you do, Sis."

Yeah. This is what sisterly conversation should be like. I was grinning at our satisfying back-and-forth when my body, which had been cold from being outside, gradually warmed up from the heater and Hayeon's body heat. Right around the time I started feeling my clothes grow damp with sweat, I decided it was time to wrap up the conversation and go wash up.

"So we'll be going to school together starting tomorrow. Take care of me."

"Same here... Hey, Sis, where are you going?"

"Hm? I haven't changed out of my uniform yet. I'm going to change and then take a shower. Um, can you let go of my arm?"

I couldn't win against Hayeon with raw strength, so I politely asked her to release me. She stared at me for a moment, then suddenly said something strange as if a thought had just occurred to her.

"...Sis, want to shower together?"

"Huh? You haven't showered yet?"

"No, I did... Ugh... I-I was just kidding!"

The sudden joke made me tilt my head. But Hayeon looked like she'd made a mistake, let go of my arm, and bolted to her room. Our bathroom has a tub even though we don't use it much, so there wouldn't be any problem if we showered together... But since she's on the sports team, she's probably used to group showers. It must have just slipped out without her thinking. I shrugged and went to my room to grab clothes before heading to the bathroom.

"Haa, that feels so much better..."

After a light shower, I returned to my room. I sat on the edge of the bed and pulled out my smartphone. I was planning to stream after dinner tonight, so I wanted to post a notice on the fan cafe in advance.

"I'll be on at 7 PM today... Okay, that should do it."

The great boss once said that the most valuable thing in internet streaming is sincerity. People say everything is forgiven in this industry as long as it's entertaining, but apparently sincerity is often more important than entertainment. That's why he kept reminding me to always leave notices about streaming schedules. Not posting one would have bothered me to no end.

"Do these guys really like me that much? Hehe..."

The moment I posted the notice, comments and hearts started pouring in. They were satisfying my need for validation again today. When I feel this loved, it makes me want to treat my viewers even better. I was lying in bed smiling at the rapidly scrolling comments when I noticed a notice that had gone up earlier than mine. It was from Yuna, who had gotten home around the same time as me. In other words, it was Shura's streaming notice for today.

"Huh, so Shura's going live at four..."

She got home around the same time as me, yet she already had the energy to stream. Her stamina was impressive. In that case, maybe I could put on her stream in the background while I worked. I stepped into my soundproof booth and sat down at the computer. That's when a notification chimed on my phone. I wondered who was messaging me at this hour. The sender was none other than Serin.

I suggested voice chat on Buscode instead of a regular phone call since she seemed to want to talk. I still had work to finish before my stream, so I planned to multitask. I could watch Shura's stream at the same time. As I was splitting my monitor and setting things up, Serin joined the voice channel almost immediately after I sent the message. Just in case, we made sure not to use real names here. We had to stick to our nicknames.

"Snow, I'm here..."

"Oh, welcome."

I'd expected her usual energetic greeting, but her voice sounded strangely listless. She was always so relaxed and confident, yet right now she seemed completely deflated. Had she remembered her trauma again? Worried, I asked her.

"...Why does your voice sound so gloomy? Did something happen?"

"I-it's not like that. It's really nothing..."

"Even if it's nothing, tell me. I'm worried."

"W-worried?! Um, well..."

I kept gently pressuring her until she finally spoke in a very small voice.

"...I wanted to eat lunch together. But when I came back after talking to our homeroom teacher, you were ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠already gone..."

"Eh."

"S-see? It's really trivial, right? I'm sorry. I must be losing my mind... I keep thinking about you, S... I mean, Snow..."

What is this adorable creature? This isn't the Serin I know. Did someone steal her body? You're not supposed to be this fragile. You're the proud wolf who handles everything by herself!

The gap was so huge I blanked out for a second, but I quickly pulled myself together and answered.

"O-oh, I see. Sorry. My family decided to eat out together at the last minute. My little sister started high school this year, you know!"

"Family dinner... Then it couldn't be helped."

"Next time something like this comes up, don't just suffer alone. Ask me beforehand, okay?"

"...Okay."

I had been about to tell her I'd eaten with Yuna, but a sudden sense of danger stopped me. Depending on my answer, the gentle puppy might bare her fangs like a wolf. If I said I'd eaten with Yuna and then she asked to eat with me too... there was no way I could refuse. Being alone with her scared me. I was terrified of ending up in the same horrible situation as last time.

Luckily, Serin didn't seem to suspect anything. It was also true that my sister had started high school and we'd eaten galbi.

'Sigh, my heart hurts for no reason. Maybe I should have just been honest? I got strangely nervous...'

Anyway, time to finish my work. I cleared my head and started typing. That's when Serin's voice reached my ears again. She sounded puzzled, and somehow colder than before.

"Hm? Yeah?"

"What?"

"...Hey, Shura's streaming right now. Want to check it out?"

Why was she suddenly bringing up Shura's stream? I blinked at the unexpected suggestion, then turned up the volume on the stream I'd had minimized until her voice came through clearly.

"Ack."

"...Seolhwa?"

A chill ran down my spine. It felt like I'd been caught red-handed at the scene of a crime. My hands froze in shock, but I somehow managed to explain the situation with a trembling voice. I told her I hadn't known Shura was Yuna, that she'd suddenly asked if I was Snow at school, and that I'd been dragged along because I had no choice but to talk to her.

Apparently that still wasn't enough for her. She asked in an icy voice.

"Why... did you hide it? You even lied to me?"

"W-was I scared you'd get jealous?"

"...I was so down because I couldn't eat lunch with you, and the whole time Shura was happily playing around with you...?"

...Huh? Wait, she's mad at Yuna, not me?

Serin's voice was colder than usual and it sent a shiver through me, but my instincts told me that hesitating now would only make things worse. I gathered my courage and apologized.

"Sorry for lying. I was scared to tell you the truth. I mean, you said you like me and all."

"...It's fine. At least you're being honest now. I'm not really angry with you. I'm just... a little jealous..."

Let's eat lunch together next time too. I couldn't possibly refuse Serin's request. Still, I was relieved it ended at this. I secretly let out a sigh of relief and stroked my chest.

'Wait, but what the hell is Yuna even talking about on stream?'

Revealing someone else's size to the viewers without permission? I'd never even mentioned it on my own stream, and she does this? My face felt hot, so I fanned myself with my hand. That's when Serin, who was still watching the stream, spoke up innocently.

"I want to touch them next time too."

"...Just to be sure, touch what?"

"Your confidence pouch."

"Th-that's sexual harassment! And where ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠did you even learn that weird phrase?!"

I reflexively wrapped my arms around my chest. Even though we were talking through the computer, it felt like Serin was staring straight at my body. This was seriously dangerous. Once Serin decides to do something, she follows through no matter what. I was terrified of what might happen the next time we met. I had to change the subject, and fast!

As I was growing anxious, my smartphone on the desk suddenly lit up. A single message appeared on the screen.

It was a very welcome suggestion from Airi, more than enough to completely change the flow of the conversation.