82. Serin, Can't You Just Stay the Night?
82. Serin, Can't You Just Stay the Night?
***
After stepping inside Sua's home like that and setting down the wine, I followed behind her as she showed me around the various rooms, and it was fascinating to see.
Being given a tour of someone's home was a feeling I hadn't experienced in a very long time.
And being shown a home this lavishly decorated was actually a first for me.
Click.
Sua opened another door and stepped inside.
"Oh, and this is the dressing room."
"You even have a dressing room."
I answered naturally as I slowly looked around the space, and my first impression was that the whole room looked like a massive storage space.
Large and small storage compartments were packed tightly together, forming a U-shaped design centered on the entrance.
Everything had been neatly organized; it was immaculate.
And whenever I watched Sua's streams, I always thought she wore pretty clothes every single day, and now I realized all those clothes came from here.
Countless storage compartments, large and small, filled the entire space as if they would overflow, and inside them, various clothes were packed in with no empty space.
From the left side, where dresses, blouses, tops, and bottoms were neatly hung by type, to the central space, where accessories like earrings, necklaces, and rings were displayed beautifully, everything had its place. On the right, shoes like heels and sneakers were sorted separately. It was so tidy that it was genuinely pleasing to look at.
'So this is the life of a celebrity...?'
It really was the kind of dressing room you'd only see in a drama, and the thought came to me before I knew it.
I briefly wondered if all 1.2-million-subscriber NewTubers and streamers lived like this, and then I found myself pointlessly curious about how much Sua's income actually was.
As I looked around the room like that, my gaze drifted over the heels, accessories, and clothes, and at the end of it, my eyes landed on Sua.
Sua, who had been standing silently while I looked around the room, opened her mouth as if she'd noticed my gaze.
"Ah, honestly, there are a few things I took out and displayed on purpose to show you, Serin. So, what do you think of the dressing room?"
"What do I think...? I guess you've made a really nice life for yourself. The designs all look good, and seeing you have a separate dressing room makes me think this is what a celebrity's life is like."
If she could set aside a whole dressing room and decorate it this beautifully, Sua was probably already living the kind of life women her age dreamed of.
On top of that, Sua was only 23, and already living alone in a place like this. That was proof of success in itself.
And I normally had no interest in accessories and wasn't especially interested in clothes either, so I hadn't really understood it before. But looking at the dressing room Sua showed me, I felt in a completely different way what being 'feminine' could mean.
The atmosphere of the room let me feel how she normally lived, and at the same time, even looking at the items she was interested in, she seemed very different from me.
Then suddenly, Sua, who had been acting very relaxed until just now, smiled awkwardly and spoke.
"Actually... you know what? You're the first person I've ever shown my home to like this, so honestly, I'm not even sure if I'm doing it right. I've been talking like I'm showing off, but it hasn't actually been that long since I decorated this dressing room."
It was cute that she was only getting embarrassed now.
"What's there to be embarrassed about now? And this is my first time being shown such a luxurious home by someone else too, so I'm just full of admiration."
Even as I answered, the current situation of both of us saying it was our first time was funny for no reason.
Then I got curious and asked.
"But am I really the first person you've shown your home to?"
Sua seemed to think about my question for a moment, then gave a small nod.
"Yes. Well, the people I actually meet in person are my editors and occasionally someone from the MCN, but I've never shown my home to them either. So the people I've privately brought into my home like this... really, even thinking about it again, you're definitely the first, Serin."
From Sua's personality that I'd seen so far, I'd thought she would get along well with all sorts of people, so it was very unexpected.
As if she'd noticed my puzzlement, Sua smiled brightly.
"Actually, since I moved into this officetel, I haven't really socialized with anyone. Most of the people who know me don't even know I live here."
"...Why? If it were me, I'd want to show it off. It's a really nice place."
If she'd moved into a high-end officetel like this, I'd want to brag about it, so Sua's words felt even more unexpected.
"Honestly, there were a lot of people who were really annoying at the place I lived before."
Sua said it casually, as if in passing, and at those words, I stopped looking around the interior and turned to face her completely.
As if hoping she'd explain a bit more.
Seeing me like that, Sua naturally began to speak.
"How should I put it? Something about dealing with people isn't as comfortable as it used to be? From the moment I became famous as a NewTuber and streamer and started making a lot of money, people all started to seem shallow. I could feel every single one of them treating me with pretense, so dealing with people itself started to feel exhausting."
She spoke with feigned calm, but hearing Sua's words made me feel even more strange.
Because Sua's outward appearance and the content of her words felt too disconnected.
Even now, Sua's expression looked as if she were saying, 'What should we have for dinner?' without a single worry, but the actual content seemed like she was telling me about the troubles she held inside.
"Sua, are you okay?"
So I ended up asking without realizing it.
"...Huh? What do you mean?"
She actually asked back what I suddenly meant by that.
Sua's expression looked like she hadn't even realized she had these worries.
I wondered what I should say to that, but then I just let out a silly laugh.
The day had come when I was worrying about someone else's relationships. It was absurd.
"No, it's nothing. I just... I'm glad I decided to drink with you today, Sua."
"Come on, what kind of thing is that to say? Hmm. I think we're about done with the dressing room, so next I'll show you my bedroom!"
......
And so we left the dressing room, and the next place we headed was Sua's bedroom.
Click.
The moment I stepped into the bedroom, what I felt was that it was a room decorated entirely in sky blue, to the point of having a rather lyrical atmosphere.
I'd secretly expected a college girl's room drenched in pink, but contrary to that, it just felt calm.
As soon as we entered the bedroom like that, Sua leaned against the large bed and sat down lightly.
"Oh, come to think of it, isn't it dangerous for you to go home after drinking?"
"What's dangerous about it? I can just take a taxi when I go back."
It was funny that she was already worrying when we hadn't even started drinking yet.
And it had only been a few minutes since I'd been with Sua, yet I already felt like I was laughing more easily.
"Ah, don't be so cold. Serin, why don't you just sleep over today?"
Pat, pat.
As she said that, she patted the large bed beside where she was sitting, and I suddenly wondered what she was doing.
"Sua, suddenly, what do you mean sleep over."
"Oh, come on, what's the big deal between two girls? And honestly, I don't open up to people easily, but with you, how should I put it, you're strangely comfortable? I strangely like how you have no pretense. Really. The way you've casually asked for things or asked for help all this time has felt friendly to me."
She smiled brightly as she said it, and I thought she really didn't keep much distance between us.
'Is she subtly messing with me right now?'
Then that thought came to me too, and wondering if I was just imagining things alone, I laughed and asked.
"If I actually took you up on that, you'd think I was being a nuisance, right?"
"No? If it's you, Serin, it might be okay?"
"What do you mean 'might be okay' instead of just 'it's okay'?"
"Oh, just, it's that kind of feeling. Anyway, if you feel dizzy after drinking or can't hold yourself up, you really can sleep over. I mean this sincerely."
As she said that, Sua lay down on the bed and fiddled with the blanket, then gestured for me to come over, and the sight of her doing that was funny for no reason.
I wondered what a bed that was clearly luxurious at a glance, all in sky blue, would feel like, and pretending to give in to Sua's urging, I sat down on one side of the bed.
The mattress sank so much that I couldn't even feel the sensation of sitting, and I wondered what this was. It really was far better than I'd expected.
'How much does this thing even cost?'
I pointlessly bounced my body lightly on the bed, and admiration slipped out.
"It really is soft. Seriously."
"Right, right!? Serin, I don't know about anything else, but I really paid a lot for this bed."
"How much?"
"It was probably around 30 million won?"
"...It's worth the price."
I pointlessly bounced my body and checked the feel again, and it seemed like it was worth the price.
I'd felt my own bed was good enough, but compared to Sua's bed, it felt a little lacking.
"Wow, what's with you not being surprised at all after hearing the price of the bed? Serin, you're actually a gold spoon, aren't you!?"
"What gold spoon. I just think it's worth the price."
"Oh, come on, even when you stream, you don't accept donations under 50,000 won. Even when you get 50,000 won, you just give a light thank-you and don't even react, right?"
"Yeah. That's right, I guess."
Then I poked the blanket, and it sank in softly wherever I poked it, and I thought it would definitely be comfortable to sleep under this bed and blanket.
"Serin, don't just sit there, lie down."
I didn't resist the hand gently pulling me and lay down.
"..."
The bed sinking deeply along the contours of my body was a whole new world.
"How is it? It's really nice, right?"
"Yeah. It's nice."
"You're sleeping over today, right!?"
"No, I don't know?"
"Ah~ why not!"
She spoke as if throwing a tantrum and subtly bumped her body against mine, and I flinched for a moment.
'This girl's got a nice body.'
I felt a softness greater than what was visible. Feeling awkward for no reason, I gently pushed Sua's body away and sat back up from the bed.
"...Sua, we agreed to do a collab stream. I'm going to fall asleep at this rate."
"Ah, talking with you makes me want to just skip streaming today. Should we just blow it off completely?"
"Then wouldn't I get cursed out for making you not stream?"
"Serin, can't you just get cursed out? I suddenly don't want to stream."
Without a word, I took Sua's hand and pulled her up.
"Ah... I suddenly just want to drink and hang out with you like this."
"Sua, then let's just stream for about two hours and then hang out."
I didn't know how I'd ended up in the position of coaxing her, but that's how the situation had turned out.
"Ugh."
Then she suddenly hugged me, and wondering what Sua was doing, I just stared blankly at her.
"Wow, Serin, are you mixed or something? How can a person's body be like this?"