071. Beneath the Scarlet Ceiling Light, the Kitchen
071. Beneath the Scarlet Ceiling Light, the Kitchen
The spoon Gomdori had been holding dropped to the floor with a clatter.
［...］
As if it had turned into a real doll.
Gomdori went rigid in place, not even twitching.
Bubblegum furrowed her brow and studied Gomdori closely.
Then, slowly approaching our side, she asked,
"Hey, teddy bear. Are you Gyejipsa? Your voice is exactly the same as Gyejipsa's."
［···N-No! I'm a doll!］
Gomdori sat there answering the question again.
The creature had intellectual problems every bit as severe as Bubblegum's.
If only it had kept pretending to be a doll and stayed still, it might have halfway pulled it off.
"How can a doll talk? You are Gyejipsa!"
Bubblegum snapped out the words.
There was no way she would be fooled by Gomdori, whose intelligence was even lower than her own.
［Me not Gyejipsa... Not yokai either...!］
Even though everything had already been exposed.
Gomdori kept denying that it was Gyejipsa.
"Don't lie! You're Gyejipsa!"
［Wakyapya! Not Gyejipsa!］
"Warkyarpya! You are Gyejipsa!"
［No! I am a doll!］
Bubblegum, who had come right up to its nose before I knew it, scrunched up her face and stuck out her lower lip.
"...Why do you keep pretending you're not? Did you really hate meeting me in person that much?"
［I-I don't hate it! Like Bubblegum! But me not Gyejipsa!］
"Still lying to the end? I'm disappointed, you bad little shit..."
［Ah, uh...］
When Bubblegum abruptly turned her head away as if she were sulking, Gomdori looked at me with a flustered expression.
It was a gaze asking for help.
I let out a deep sigh and spoke.
"You fucking idiots are putting on a whole damn show. It's not like this is some lovers' quarrel... And Gomdori. Everything's already out in the open, so why are you telling a lie that won't even work? Just admit you're Gyejipsa."
Under normal circumstances I would have helped hide its identity, but in the current situation there was absolutely no way to salvage it.
And I figured it was fine for Bubblegum to know its identity.
She didn't seem to care at all even after learning Gyejipsa was a yokai.
For now, I decided to step in and sort out this mess.
***
Gomdori admitted that it was Gyejipsa.
In addition, I also told them that Gomdori was a yokai harmless to humans.
Because you couldn't lump it together with those human-eating yokai I'd encountered at the house next door.
Well, not that Bubblegum seemed to care in the slightest whether Gyejipsa was a yokai or a human.
［Bubblegum... Me yokai... Sorry for hiding. Afraid you would hate me if you knew yokai.］
"What are you saying? I don't care if Gyejipsa is a yokai! Gyejipsa is just Gyejipsa!"
［Bu-Bubblegum...!］
"Gyejipsa!"
Bubblegum threw her arms around Gomdori and began spinning round and round on the spot.
［Bubblegum!］
"Gyejipsa!"
The two kept shouting each other's names over and over.
They looked like a pair of idiots.
‘Anyone watching would think they were separated family members reuniting...’
I watched that ridiculous spectacle for a while.
Because they were happy to see each other, and I didn't want to spoil things for no reason.
But even as time passed,
"Gyejipsa!"
［Bubblegum!］
that shit show didn't end.
Already five minutes.
They kept calling each other's names, spinning in place without getting tired.
"I get that you're happy, but cut it the hell out now, you crazy bitches."
I had to forcibly separate the two of them.
They looked like they'd keep it up until dawn broke.
"And Bubblegum. I told you not to come up to the second floor. Why don't you listen?"
"Oh, right, I forgot! Sorry!"
"I told you at lunch and again before I cleaned up. Does it make any sense that you forgot?"
"Actually, my memory's a little bad right now! My brain hasn't fully regenerated yet, hehe."
"...What's that supposed to mean? When did you even get a head injury?"
"Yeah! I got hit by a yokai earlier and my brain burst!"
Bubblegum's expression as she answered was completely innocent.
Her eyes didn't look like she was lying.
Maybe she thought I was suspicious of her.
Bubblegum began explaining the circumstances to prove her innocence.
*
*
*
To summarize Bubblegum's explanation.
When she stopped by the bathroom,
she was attacked by a yokai and her head was crushed.
She had now fully restored only the exterior of her head, and the regeneration of her brain was not yet complete.
Because of that, her memories were all jumbled up.
That was about the gist of it.
‘No wonder her intelligence suddenly seemed to have severely degraded...’
The reason she'd been acting distractedly like a little kid up until now was apparently because she had suffered brain damage.
Not that she ever looked like she had a high IQ from the start.
But she still hadn't been as severe as this.
"...More importantly, that's amazing. That you can regenerate your head — no, even your brain."
"Hehe. Jealous?"
［Bubblegum amazing!］
"What are you, like some kind of immortal?"
"I'm not immortal! I do have a weakness! But my weakness is a secret!"
［Wakyapya! Weakness is secret!］
I had no intention of asking about her weakness anyway.
What would I even use Bubblegum's weakness for?
"Alright... For now, since you're saying you lost your memory because you injured your head, I'll forgive you."
"Thank you!"
"And, what you said about being a test subject when we first met..."
I stopped mid-sentence and scratched my head.
She had said that whatever the test subject thing was, it was a secret too.
‘I just wouldn't ask about her identity.’
I was curious, but.
I didn't want to pry if she seemed reluctant to reveal it herself.
‘Who cares if she was not human.’
Test subject, yokai, person from another world — it didn't matter.
As long as she wasn't a being that threatened me, I didn't care at all.
So I decided to stop worrying about this part.
"Huh? Se-hun, why'd you stop talking?"
"...Nothing. Anyway, let's go eat now."
"Ah! Can I eat here with Gyejipsa?"
"With Gomdori?"
"Yeah! I want to play with Gyejipsa more!"
"...Do whatever you want. Just come downstairs first. We've got to get you some food."
So I took Bubblegum back down to the first floor.
***
After returning to the living room,
I handed two bowls filled with jjamppong rice to Bubblegum.
"Don't make a mess, and play quietly."
"Okay!"
Bubblegum took the dishes and pattered back up to the second floor.
After that,
I called out to the women sitting at the dining table.
"What are you just sitting there for? You gonna come get your food or not?"
Then the women all looked at me at once.
Every single one of them had a flustered expression.
They must have figured that since they were guests, I would dish out the rice for them.
Unfortunately, there's no such treatment in my house.
"What're you all staring blankly for? If you don't want to eat, go ahead and starve."
I said that as I took only my own portion of food and sat down at the table.
"...Quite the guest treatment in this house."
"I've never received this kind of hospitality somewhere I was invited..."
"I didn't expect any to begin with."
And so, one after another,
Plum Blossom, Catgirl, and Dick Lover grumbled as they went to get their food.
For a bunch of stalkers, they sure had a lot to say.
They should be grateful I even invited them in.
I wasn't the only one who thought so.
【Reformed Guburi】─Be satisfied you got invited to Gye Bastard-hun’s house at all, you cunts. How dare you expect to be waited on too.
【Se-hun Defense Force】─If you've got complaints about the treatment, get out of the house. lol
【Yoho】─Exactly. Do you not know that the homeowner is king. -_-
【BigGirl】─Se-hun even made you dinner, the least you can do is dish it up yourself...
【Semen Thief】─You all should do the dishes too!
【Qkrnfl892】─For real, Se-hun, make those bitches do the dishes no matter what. They're the type who start thinking kindness is a right if it keeps going.
【Min-ji】─If it were me, I'd have done the dishes and cleaned the whole house too. heh
【Hottie Licker】─If it were me, I'd lick the floor like crazy with my tongue. Slurp.
【Reverse-Rape Maniac】─That's right. Se-hun's floor looks like it would taste good.
【Drift AI】─I speak. I urge the two individuals above to kill themselves.
【Hottie Licker】─Drift slurp! Smooch!
【Drift AI】─I say, please fuck off.
These were chat messages that I liked, for the first time in a while.
Except for a few of them, of course.
【Bubblegum Collector】─Wakyapya! Plum Blossom and Dick getting roasted like hell!
【Gyejipsa】─Wakyapya! Dick getting roasted!
【Reformed Guburi】─But hey, didn’t that Bubblegum bastard chase after Gye Bastard-hun because she wanted to eat with him? Why is she eating with Gyejipsa?
【Bubblegum Collector】─Wakyapya! Can just eat breakfast with Se-hun tomorrow!
【Gyejipsa】─Wakyapya! Eat breakfast!
【Reformed Guburi】─Idiot. You’re supposed to eat dinner and breakfast together. Don’t tell me you like Gyejipsa more than Gye Bastard-hun. Are you a lesbian?
【Bubblegum Collector】─Warkyarpya! Just like both!
Bubblegum answered that way, but.
Judging by her reaction earlier, she definitely liked Gyejipsa more than me.
Because she'd been way happier when she saw Gyejipsa than when she met me.
【Bubblegum Collector】─To be precise, I like Se-hun romantically, and I like Gyejipsa as a friend! Wakyapya!
【Gyejipsa】─Wakyapya!
I decided to ignore that last chat.
I picked up my spoon while checking the messages that were coming up after it.
【Reformed Guburi】─Hey, CondomCollector. But what does Gyejipsa look like? I'm fucking curious.
【Bubblegum Collector】─Wakyapya! Looks cute!
【Gyejipsa】─Wakyapya! Cute!
【Reformed Guburi】─lol They say you call someone cute when they're ugly.
"Guburi. You're cute too."
【Reformed Guburi】─You son of a bitch.
【Min-ji】─Guburi still curses even when she gets a compliment. lol
【Reformed Guburi】─That's obviously a roundabout way of calling me ugly. -_-
Guburi had a worse persecution complex than I thought.
I was just speaking sincerely, regardless of the chat context.
"What do you mean, roundabout? I told you you were cute when we did a video call, too. Did you already forget that?"
【Reformed Guburi】─Of course I didn't forget that. I recorded it and I listen to it every night before I sleep. lol
【Yoho】─Wow. That gives me the creeps.
【Min-ji】─That's seriously gloomy...
【Hottie Licker】─Guburi's cute. Slurp.
【Se-hun Defense Force】─LOL did you actually record it?
【Qkrnfl892】─It's probably a joke.
【Reformed Guburi】─Huh? It's not a joke?
『'Reformed Guburi' has donated 500 won.』
└[Audio file: More than that, your face is cute too, just like your voice.]
My voice played out from the audio message Guburi had sent.
It was a line I'd said back when I complimented Guburi before.
"You crazy bitch..."
It gave me the creeps, so I gave Guburi a one-minute chat mute.
***
After finishing the meal, it felt like a waste to just go straight to bed, so I brought out a little alcohol.
I was planning to do a short, simple drinking stream.
As I set the drinks out on the dining table, I spoke.
"Come to think of it, Maniac won't be able to watch anymore."
【Reverse-Rape Maniac】─I'm watching with my mom right now though? Isn't it fine if you have a guardian?
"Oh, really? If you're watching with a guardian, then no problem, I guess. But you can't watch with that ID, right?"
【Reverse-Rape Maniac】─Nah, this was originally the Maledom Maniac ID. I just changed the nickname. I don't use my old ID because I can't watch adult streams with it. lol
"Well, that's good then. Gyejipsa, switch the setting to 19+ Adult Rating right now."
【Gyejipsa】─Wakyapya!
【Semen Thief】─Huh?
The moment I switched to adult broadcast mode to do the drinking stream.
『'Semen Thief' has left the stream.』
The viewer who had just come in for the first time today disappeared from the broadcast.
That viewer must have also been a minor.
【Qkrnfl892】─lol poor thing.
【Yoho】─It's not pitiful. It's time for students to go to sleep.
【BigGirl】─Well, nothing you can do about it.
"I thought that one seemed like a minor for some reason."
【Reformed Guburi】─Yeah, just looking at her chat, she seemed like a young brat. Fucking cunt.
【Hottie Licker】─Why're you cursing? lol Slurp.
【Reverse-Rape Maniac】─Semen Thief's last words: Huh? LMAO that's fucking hilarious.
【Se-hun Defense Force】─Maniac's excited she can watch the stream this time. lol
【Min-ji】─Maniac. That thing about watching it with your mother isn't a lie, is it?
【Reverse-Rape Maniac】─It's not a lie. I can verify it.
I decided not to ask for verification.
At this point, Maniac was a pretty old viewer, so I decided to just trust her.
"Anyway, the 19+ Adult Rating setting is on now, so let's just drink."
Right at that moment while I was pouring the alcohol into the glasses.
Plum Blossom and Dick, who were sitting at the dining table, asked a question at the same time.
"Se-hun. Are we really just going to drink?"
"Aren't we doing a drinking game?"
"What drinking game... Just down it."
I wasn't really in the mood for a drinking game or anything.
‘Was this not a drinking game where the loser drank? Why the hell would anyone do that?’
I genuinely couldn't understand it.
Unless the winner was the one who drank.
I did not understand why anyone would want to play such an absurd game, where the loser monopolized the alcohol.
But I seemed to be the only one who wasn't keen on a drinking game.
"Still, this is a broadcast, so a drinking game or two would really liven things up!"
Catgirl also wanted to play a drinking game.
And the viewers watching the stream were in the mood to have a drinking game too.
【Reformed Guburi】─Yeah, it's better to at least play a game rather than just downing booze. lol
【Yoho】─A drinking game isn't bad either.
【Min-ji】─As long as it's not the King's Game. heh
【Qkrnfl892】─How about the finger-folding game?
【Se-hun Defense Force】─Oh, that's good. That one's probably the most harmless.
【Reformed Guburi】─What the fuck is the finger-cutting game.
【Reverse-Rape Maniac】─I know the finger-jabbing game though. lol
【Yoho】─What kind of game is that?
【Hottie Licker】─You don't know the finger-folding game? Do you guys not have friends?
【Drift AI】─I speak. I will explain the finger-folding game. The finger-folding game, I say, is a game where you fold your fingers.
【Reformed Guburi】─?? What the hell are you saying, you fucking bitch!
【Min-ji】─Is she a low-intelligence AI?
【Reverse-Rape Maniac】─You're fucking terrible at explaining...
Naturally, they were deciding on the game among themselves.
【Yoho】─But the host has an expression that says he doesn't want to do it, you know?
【Reformed Guburi】─Nah, she looks like she wants it like crazy. Gye Bastard-hun, you’re playing a drinking game, right?
"...I'm not really into it, but I'll do it since you guys want to. In exchange, let's make it so the winner drinks. That way I can enjoy myself while playing."
In the end, I found a compromise and decided to play a drinking game.
With the rule that the winner drinks, not the loser.