158. If You Could Step Back a Little
158. If You Could Step Back a Little
***
Clink.
Tap.
Lunch passed unexpectedly quietly, with only the soft white noise of two people's hands moving between spoons and dishes.
Even while eating, Eunha kept stealing glances at Serin.
"..."
Serin's pale face, framed by her unkempt long silver hair, wore such a composed expression that it was hard to tell what she was thinking.
And after the small exclamations they had exchanged only at the very start of the meal, the two of them focused on eating, and silence naturally settled over the space.
That quiet stillness.
For no particular reason, Eunha liked the calm atmosphere. In a way, it was a late, almost humble lunch alone with Serin.
Just eating together gave her a kind of comfort.
Clink.
The soft sound of moving tableware.
The food Eunha tasted during the meal was thoroughly satisfying.
Most of the dishes were mild rather than stimulating, clean and neat in flavor.
The food was generally lightly seasoned, so much so that it even felt like health food. Yet it was strange how delicious every single side dish was.
'I think it's better than what the lady at home used to make.'
Even that thought crossed her mind, and Eunha suddenly looked at Serin—just as Serin raised her head, and their eyes met.
Such clear blue eyes. Eunha found herself thinking Serin's eyes were pretty, and her lips moved.
"Serin, really. You're such a good cook, too."
"...Thank you."
Serin gave a small nod at the compliment and absently looked at the steamed egg in the center of the table.
'Is it really that bad?'
It somehow seemed like she was the only one eating the steamed egg, and looking at how much had disappeared, that really did seem to be the case. The steamed egg was the only dish on the table that she had made herself.
It tasted fine to me, but for some reason, Eunha hadn't touched it.
Eunha kept reaching only for the side dishes Seoyun had made, avoiding the steamed egg. Serin tried not to care, but since she was the only one eating the steamed egg, it felt strange.
"Um, Eunha, the steamed egg... is it not good?"
So she ended up asking, and Eunha shook her head.
"No. It's good. Why do you ask, Serin?"
She said it was good so casually that Serin, uncertain, almost blurted something out before holding it back.
'Then why aren't you eating it?'
Saying that would have sounded like she was openly asking Eunha to eat the steamed egg.
The more Serin ate, the more she realized anew that Seoyun really was a great cook.
She usually only ate strongly seasoned delivery food, so the mild but neat taste of Korean home cooking had a different kind of charm.
But even so, she couldn't shake this vaguely unsettled feeling.
"No. I just... wondered if it suited your taste, Eunha."
With that, Serin reached for the steamed egg again and scooped up a large spoonful. Eunha quietly watched her for a moment, then hesitated.
'Am I the weird one?'
Sharing food like stew or pot dishes with someone else was deeply unfamiliar to Eunha.
Maybe she was more conscious of it because the other person was Serin. For no particular reason, her eyes kept drifting to every little thing Serin did.
That was what had just happened again.
Serin's pale hand casually lifting a spoonful of steamed egg, and her red lips slowly parting with it.
Bite.
And when the spoon that had touched those lips soon reached back toward the steamed egg, Eunha honestly felt reluctant to put her own spoon into it.
If someone else had done that, Eunha would certainly have frowned visibly enough for it to show. But because it was Serin, it didn't look bad—yet the feeling was still so strange.
'Serin would probably think it looks bad if I'm the only one being so fussy about manners.'
Getting out an extra dish now just to portion out the steamed egg would itself seem like making a fuss, but if she didn't eat it at all, she could feel Serin quietly sulking, just like a moment ago.
After going back and forth thinking, 'Am I the weird one?', Eunha finally acted.
Eunha reached her spoon toward the steamed egg, and Serin, who had been eating, unconsciously stopped and looked.
Because Eunha had finally touched the steamed egg that Serin had thought she would end up eating alone.
"..."
Eunha carefully scooped up some steamed egg from near the part Serin had taken from and brought it to her mouth.
As she ate, Eunha felt the gaze on her and raised her head.
What she saw was Serin, stopped mid-meal, looking at her with clear blue eyes full of expectation.
'...?'
There were plenty of other delicious dishes, but Serin seemed to react especially strongly to the steamed egg. Eunha slowly moved her lips.
"The steamed egg is good, too."
For some reason, she felt like she had to say that.
"Right?"
When Serin smiled brightly at her words, Eunha smiled faintly as well.
"Yes. It's good."
After that, Serin reached for the steamed egg again. And this time, at the exact spot Eunha had eaten from.
Eunha couldn't bring herself to say anything, and just watched with an ambiguous look in her eyes.
"......"
And so.
Eunha did not touch the steamed egg again.
***
When the late lunch ended, with Serin and Eunha each carrying their own thoughts, the two left the living room and entered Serin's room.
Click.
As soon as they stepped inside, the first thing that caught Eunha's eye was the large white bed, big enough that two people could lie on it with room to spare.
Then the space where the Another World capsule sat, and the area with the PC. Eunha looked around the room with a curious expression, and Serin, quietly watching her, introduced the space in a calm voice.
"This is where I usually spend my time. As you can see, Eunha, the PC area and the Another World capsule are both set up over here. Oh, and of course, I do all my personal streaming from here, too."
As she spoke, Serin sat on the edge of the wide bed and patted the blanket, drawing Eunha's attention. Eunha carefully sat down on one side of the bed.
Serin looked at her and continued.
"So the collaboration stream I mentioned earlier will be happening in this room soon. What do you think of the place after looking around, Eunha? Even for a streamer's room, there's not much to it, right?"
Serin smiled as she said that, and Eunha looked around the room once more before letting out a small sound of admiration.
"No. I think you've really decorated it nicely, Serin. It feels cozy just to look at, and this big bed, too... Everything looks pretty to me. Oh, if you stream from here, then you usually sit in that chair, right?"
She pointed at the fluffy chair in front of the PC, and Serin nodded.
"Before I connect to Another World, I usually sit there for my streams. Oh, speaking of which, would you like to try sitting in it, Eunha?"
"Can I?"
Eunha blinked as she asked, and Serin let out a small laugh.
"Yes, go ahead."
Eunha reacted with wonder to every little thing, so even small exchanges of conversation were pretty fun for Serin.
Eunha got up and carefully settled into the chair in front of the PC, while Serin sat in another chair she had prepared in advance and pressed the power button on the nearby PC.
Click.
The PC screen booted up with a small sound.
It felt a little strange to see someone else sitting in the chair she usually used, and Serin thought once again that Eunha was pretty.
Maybe because she had set up the cam to briefly show only Eunha during today's collaboration stream, Eunha's appearance caught her eye anew.
She was pretty as a person, and on top of her looks, her way of speaking and careful movements made her seem utterly feminine. Even now, just sitting demurely in the chair, she looked like something out of a painting.
As she was thinking that, Serin quietly moved closer to Eunha.
Eunha had been looking with interest at the various icons on the booted PC screen when she turned her head at Serin's sudden approach.
Then, as the distance between them rapidly closed, she panicked for a moment.
"Um. Serin...?"
Pressed back against the fluffy chair, Eunha carefully called Serin's name. But at some point, Serin's gaze was no longer on Eunha.
"Oh, Eunha, hold on. The screen looks off from this spot, so I think I need to adjust it a little."
Despite the flustered note in Eunha's voice, Serin said that and then stood up fully, beginning to adjust the monitor's angle little by little. To Serin, the screen from that seat was more uncomfortable than she'd expected, and the monitor angle needed adjusting.
Since this was where Eunha would be sitting during the stream, she wanted to pay a bit more attention to it.
So Serin moved, twisting the angle.
Tap.
Then, by accident, Serin's leg brushed between Eunha's demurely gathered legs, and Eunha looked at her with visible alarm.
Eunha normally disliked even small contact with other people, so her fluster was greater than ever.
Slide, slither.
Now Serin seemed completely lost in her own thoughts as she fiddled with the monitor angle, and her white-silver hair swayed this way and that, even tickling Eunha's face. Eunha's hand twitched involuntarily.
"...!"
Eunha chewed her lips, not knowing what to do about the ticklish sensation of the white-silver hair brushing her face. She opened her mouth for a moment, then gave up.
She figured it would be over soon, so she decided to endure it a little.
"Ah! I think it's done now."
After fiddling with the dual monitors for about a minute, Serin spoke with satisfaction and turned her head.
"Actually, since this is where you'll be sitting, Eunha, I wanted to pay extra—"
As she was speaking, Serin unconsciously lowered her face.
'Why is she so close?'
The space was cramped because the chairs were close together, but when she turned her head, the closeness was overwhelming.
"Ah, um, then for now, Serin? If you could back up a little."
Seeing that it was over, Eunha smiled awkwardly and gestured.
She lightly brushed aside the white strands of hair that had fallen over her face, and Serin hastily pulled away.
The chair set up for the collaboration stream was naturally farther away than Serin's usual seat. Moving to adjust the monitor had brought her much closer than she'd intended.
Close enough that just now, when Eunha spoke so calmly, Serin could clearly feel her breath.
Back in her original spot, Serin hesitated for a moment before speaking.
She felt like she should say something, since Eunha had probably been uncomfortable.
"Um, I'm sorry. That must have been really uncomfortable for you, Eunha."
Eunha, who had been lightly touching the spot where the silver hair had brushed against her, smiled faintly and shook her head.
"...No. It's just that I was a little surprised, seeing how serious you really are about streaming, Serin."