Outing Tales (3): Air Conditioner Joy and First Samgyeopsal
When I cheerfully talked about how nice it was to finally have an air conditioner, everyone in chat congratulated me.
"Air conditioners… they're really something, aren't they?"
"Anyway, so I got another air conditioner as a gift… I haven't bought a single one with my own money yet……."
Honestly, I just felt a little guilty. I was starting to earn money myself, and it felt wrong to keep relying on my siblings, Yeon-a, or Haram.
'Borrowing money from people is already too much……'
Contrary to my resolve to stop accepting help, the chat exploded with the opposite reaction.
"I-I've already received so much help… I can't keep asking for more."
I tried to push back, feeling the weight of it, but the chat wasn't having it.
"I-I'd feel too guilty……"
I puffed out one cheek and made a sulky face. The chat immediately erupted again.
"I'm not cute… I'd rather you say I'm cool… then I'll gladly accept it."
The chat flooded with thumbs-up emotes and "got it" messages. Smiling proudly, I moved on to the next story.
"After that we wandered around for a while… there wasn't much to eat at the department store so we went outside……"
They already knew what I'd eaten for dinner, so they guessed right away. I smiled and nodded.
"Yep, samgyeopsal… it's good… rich and fatty so it's a bit heavy, but still delicious… hehe……"
I scratched my head awkwardly.
"I'm in my twenties but the grease is too much… I don't eat much so my digestion isn't great. I only ate enough not to throw up……"
"Eung-nim…! Thank you for the thousand won. Being healthy is the best… Thanks Kits, I'll buy chicken with this. GoToTheHospital-nim… I'm sorry for being sick……"
Right as the mood started dipping, a donation cleverly shifted the topic. Grateful, I returned to the story.
"Anyway, so… the samgyeopsal was delicious……"
Come to think of it, this was my first time eating samgyeopsal in this life. I smiled brightly and continued.
"It was my first time trying samgyeopsal…! I only ever saw people eating it, like construction workers during their company dinners… I could never join because I had to rest at home for the next day's work."
"You can do construction and other work… if you're not superhuman, you're just burning through your lifespan……"
I gave a slightly mischievous smile, and the chat went wild again.
"…I did my best. I wanted to feed my siblings no matter what… hehe."
They praised me for raising my siblings so well. I nodded proudly.
"That's right… honestly, they grew up well on their own. I basically just left them alone and bought chicken a few times."
Before the chat could get weepy again, I quickly moved on to the story of us eating meat together.
"The meat was so good. We kept wrapping it in lettuce and feeding each other."
"Me, Gyul, and my little sister."
Minu and Haram had also been feeding each other, but I decided not to mention that.
'…That part would cause too much trouble if I said it.'
Haram doesn't do those kinds of streams, but she's naturally very affectionate, so jealousy was inevitable. I didn't want my sister to become a target.
After that, I told them how the group had avoided giving me alcohol for my sake and how fun the meal had been.
"The food torture was seriously scary……"
The chat praised the group for "torturing" me with food. I smiled softly and nodded. Honestly, without them, I wouldn't have stayed full this long.
"Anyway… yep, that's all I can share for the stream. Did you enjoy it?"
"E-even though I'm a pro gamer……"
When the chat kept begging for more rambling, a donation flew in.
"Ah… t-that's a different case……!"
I reassured the slightly uneasy chat.
"I-It's fine. It doesn't bother me anymore! It was actually fun."
I forced a smile. I wanted to turn everything related to my dad into just another old story. I didn't want to stay trapped in the past forever.
"…There's still a long way to go, but I want to be able to talk about games while smiling. A-as long as it's not too often… it's okay……!"
A warm, fluffy feeling welled up in my chest.
'This is the best… truly the best day.'
Going outside, meeting Mom. It really had been the best day.
"…I'm a bit tired today, so I'll just post the editor recruitment notice and head off."
"Ah, I'm not leaving yet…!"
The moment I said I'd leave soon, they started saying goodbye right away. Startled, I watched the chat burst into giggles.