Building a House (2)
After accepting the wood, Kay whispered that I should invite her once I built a nice house. [Make it really good and invite me. I'll be waiting. Sorry, this is so embarrassing.]
"Ah, n-nooo… it's okayyy… I-I'm just a little embarrassed, so you don't have to block the aegyo clips or anything… heheh."
[Then is it okay if I upload it too?]
"Y-yeah…?"
When I answered in a flustered voice, she flinched slightly, bowed her head in apology, and started spinning in a windmill animation. I almost burst out laughing, but worried it might be rude, I forced it down and replied.
"…I-It's fineee… *sniff*… I-I'm not mad… Good luck with the stream."
[R-Really? You're not actually mad, right? I'm not on your bad side or anything?]
Kay asked in a panicked voice. Her voice was so pure that I felt another laugh trying to escape.
"I-It's really okay… Take care."
The fastest way to escape this situation was obviously to run. I hurried toward the exit without stopping, making sure I couldn't hear Kay's voice anymore.
Amid the giggling chat and donations, I finally understood why I'd felt that weird vibe when I saw the name of the person I'd just met.
"Ah… Kay's friend server… right."
The Jireongis were laughing their heads off. Seeing their reactions, I felt my face heat up.
'So embarrassing…!!!'
It was mortifying. I couldn't believe I'd been acting all cutesy without even realizing it was the server owner. I could only hope the server owner wasn't offended by my aegyo.
'…Maybe she asked if she could upload it just to archive it and make fun of me later.'
That thought wouldn't leave my head.
After leaving the starting village, I looked out at the vast wild world spread before me. Since the server had only just started, everyone was busy building houses. There weren't any landmarks yet. Once I left the village, it was pure wilderness. Seeing that, a strange sense of satisfaction welled up in my chest.
'Ah… this feels great. I really feel like a pioneer.'
A pioneer. Like someone who fearlessly explores uncharted land and turns it into a livable place. The thought that I would now pioneer this place and build my own little house made my heart flutter.
From what I could see, there were still some decent spots left geomantically. In that case, it was even better. I could just build wherever I wanted.
"Eheh… Th-this is niceee… So this is the charm of joining early… Everyone's still in the middle of building……"
When I looked around again, everyone was indeed building incredible structures. From towering spires to clock towers modeled after Big Ben, Eiffel Tower replicas, and even buildings shaped like Sungnyemun Gate. I couldn't help but gasp in admiration. I'd heard that Minecraft players were highly skilled after all these years, but I never expected this level of craftsmanship. My jaw dropped even further.
"Th-this… I-If I build something, won't it just look pathetic compared to these……"
When I voiced my lack of confidence, the Jireongis quickly jumped in to reassure me. I felt oddly touched, but my vanished confidence didn't return.
'Even if I died and came back to life, I could never build something like that.'
My admiration had only grown. With a sigh, I was about to head somewhere with fewer people to build alone when—
[Makdungiiiiii!!]
Mamang's voice rang out from afar. The moment her voice was heard, the chat exploded with activity. But most of the messages were……
They were busy treating Haram like an evil spirit or natural disaster. I tilted my head in confusion, but the moment I saw her with my own eyes, I understood.
Her obsession had gone way beyond normal.
"M-Mamang… Hellooo……"
[Hic… It's real!! It's really Snakeyyy!! Kyaaaaah!!!]
"…!?"
"…Huh?"
Mizuame Akari—that is, Haram—was confused by the current situation.
"Why can't I invite her?"
She had rushed over with a bright smile, ready to send an invite, only to see that Suhyun was already in the server. Then came the devastating news.
"What?!"
Startled, Haram leaned closer to the chat window. The chat immediately flooded with ;; and told her to back off.
"Why? It's fine. You guys like me, right? Stop playing hard to get and just tell me why."
With that, Haram launched into an interrogation like a detective. She learned that while she'd been struggling, Yeona had gathered all the diamonds in just one day—no, in just a few hours—and called Suhyun over.
"Ah……"
A deep sense of emptiness washed over her.
The viewers cheered on the pitiful Haram, calling her a fan even if she couldn't send the invite. Just as Haram was trying to pull herself together and continue streaming, another donation came in.
"…!!"
A donation that even scratched at a mother's maternal instincts. …Well, she wasn't her real mother, but still! Honestly, Haram had developed something like maternal affection toward Suhyun, who could potentially become her sister-in-law. After all, Suhyun had a cute, adorable, and delicate appearance and personality that made you want to protect her. Being called "Mamang" by Suhyun felt surprisingly good. Even though they spoke casually in real life, Suhyun always used formal speech and the title "Mamang" on stream. Thanks to that, Haram had been nurturing her maternal instincts as if she really were a mother. And now, one comment scratched at that mental state.
'You lost your daughter, good job.'
"…Want to bet?"
Thus, Haram entered into a bet with the viewers. The bet was:
"Whether I really lost my daughter to my daughter or not!!"
It was naturally related to the donation that had scratched Haram's pride. It was a showdown over whether Suhyun would still call her "Mamang" or not. Though she couldn't send the invite, she couldn't let the title "Mamang" be taken away too. With that resolve, Haram arrived in front of Suhyun, and Suhyun looked at her and said:
[M-Mamang… Hellooo……]
Haram heard the words she'd been longing for most. What followed was, of course, sobbing.
Of course, even as Haram cried and wailed, her viewers didn't exactly comfort her.
I told the sniffling Haram everything that had happened. How she'd worked so hard to invite me, only to have it all turn to nothing right in front of her eyes.
"I-I seeee… Th-that must've been hard, Mamang… And you'll always be my one and only Mamang."
[Right… See?!]
Haram sniffled. When I smiled at her, she sent me a Discord message.
"Wh-what's this…?"
[Hehe… I made a Snakey skin. Try it on… heheh.]
Haram had even made a skin for me. Feeling grateful, I quickly changed into it.