NOVEL NEXT Chapter 14
Why did I get caught and end up in this situation?
Even while watching the beef sizzling right in front of me, I could only keep a troubled expression.
“Uju, so what happened? That person is your fan? When did you meet? Are they pretty? How old are they?”
“Sis, please stop the nonsense and let’s eat first….”
I sighed while rubbing my forehead, thinking that even a tornado wreaking havoc in America lately wouldn’t have been this relentless, as my older sister bombarded me with questions.
But if I stop here, I wouldn’t be the mighty Kang Yeon-joo.
True to her my-face style that resembled our mom, she stubbornly kept tossing questions my way despite my resistance.
“Isn’t it fine to talk while eating? So what do they look like? Do you have a picture? Can’t you show me just once?”
In the midst of this, it was just like my older sister to want to take the tongs and start grilling the meat herself.
Which is why it’s despairing. This person never lets go of her prey once she gets a taste.
“Do you think I have a picture? I’ve only met them twice!”
“Oh, is that so? But how did you become so close? If you’re going on dates alone, it’s not an ordinary relationship, is it?”
“I’ve told you multiple times, it wasn’t a date….”
It seemed she had no intention of even considering my words.
From the moment she started hanging around me at home, I repeated countless times, ‘It’s not a date,’ ‘She’s not my girlfriend,’ ‘Please don’t misunderstand,’ but it seems all those words just erased themselves from her mind.
Or maybe she did hear them but simply chose to ignore them. That’s even more malicious, damn it.
“Hah…. I just happened to meet Seo-ha noona at a Twip Party. She was briefly there as a staff member, and then she recognized me because she’s my fan.”
“Huh? Didn’t you say you don’t show your face when you stream?”
“I told everyone what I’d wear the day before, so I guess that’s how she recognized me.”
“Really? She must be a true fan.”
That much is true.
It wasn’t a lie, so I nodded moderately.
“Anyway, I just went to Aiteks yesterday to look at a game I got sponsored for, and I just happened to run into her there. Then she asked if we could hang out together.”
“They say coincidences that pile up become fate. How romantic…!”
“……”
This sister of mine must have spent so much time managing things at home that she’s been binge-watching web novels or webtoons, and it’s obvious she primarily reads romance stories.
The viewers who squeeze out “ㅁㅇㅁㅇ” every time something happens between a guy and a girl on various streamers’ broadcasts overlap in my mind.
At this point, in my sister’s mind, Seo-ha and I have probably already transitioned into a couple rather than being in a broadcaster-fan relationship. Oh, lord.
“Nom nom…. So what kind of person is she?”
As I put a few well-cooked pieces of beef on my sister’s plate, she swiftly gobbled them up two pieces at a time while eagerly digging for information about Seo-ha.
I figured there was no point in running away, so I decided to give whatever answers I could manage.
A response here or being interrogated at home later would be the same.
“What kind of person, you ask…. I don’t know much. I only heard her name the first time we parted.”
“Come on, that’s not what I meant. What does she look like? How’s her body? Is she your style?”
“Uh, I mean….”
With such blatant questions, I would normally retort with, “What are you talking about?” and brush it off, but I suddenly recalled Seo-ha’s appearance and found myself at a loss for words.
She was pretty, no doubt about it. At least among all the people I’ve seen in person, and even including the celebrities I’ve seen on TV, she might be the prettiest.
As for her figure….
Slap!
“U-Uju!? Why did you suddenly hit me…!”
“…I just thought to myself that I’m also a guy who’s loyal to his instincts.”
I desperately tried to erase the contours that almost popped into my head and fought to keep them from reappearing.
Damn it, Kang Woo-joo, you fool. If you ever meet Seo-ha again, get yourself together first. What kind of look do you have for someone who approached you with pure intentions as a fan?
“Anyway, yeah, she’s pretty. So pretty that you’d wonder, ‘Why would such a beautiful person be my fan?’”
I’m not fond of criticizing others in a place where there’s no one around, but since my sister was so curious, I figured I might as well give her a rough impression.
“Is she at that level? Then how does she compare with your lovely sister?”
Then, out of nowhere, with shining eyes, my sister pointed to herself and shot the question at me.
Well, she isn’t someone who hasn’t been told she’s pretty before.
“Sis, even so, some things shouldn’t be compared. How do I compare you with someone else?”
“Hehe, right? No matter what, noona is the best….”
As I sighed, indicating it was impossible to compare, my sister shrugged her shoulders, completely blissful.
I feel like she’s under a serious delusion here.
“Of course, Seo-ha noona is way prettier.”
“…….”
In general, people should listen until the end.
Without a shred of hesitation, I declared Seo-ha noona’s victory, and my sister, who had previously been about to pop the meat into her mouth with a grin, shot me a sulky look.
“…I’ll tell Dad everything.”
That almost sounded like something a little elementary school girl would say as a snitch, leaving me with a bitter smile.
If she thinks that we aren’t kids anymore and that I’ll retract because she just said she would tell Dad, she’s sorely mistaken….
“I’m just kidding. How could there be anyone more beautiful than our dear sister, who’s currently a model?”
“Isn’t that right?”
…It wasn’t.
Because our dad is a classic daughter fanatic and quite foolish.
The moment this story reaches his ears, it’s clear as day that I won’t be returning home in one piece the next time I visit the family home. Sometimes, it’s necessary to swallow your pride a bit.
I should internally apologize to Seo-ha noona for having succumbed to violence and uttered this falsehood.
“Anyway, like I said earlier, I’m not in that kind of relationship with Seo-ha noona, so drop it. I don’t want you to misunderstand anything about a fan.”
“Got it. If you insist, I won’t pry anymore.”
When I once again earnestly requested that, this time she smiled as if she really understood.
She’s my-face all the same, but she isn’t someone who’s completely uncommunicative. If I explain well, she has a personality that respects boundaries.
Whew, now I can eat comfortably.
“Still, Uju, remember this.”
“What is it?”
As I bit into a piece of sirloin that had just been grilled, she raised her finger and opened her mouth.
There was something in her tone that made her sound like the older sister who used to give me advice when we were younger; it made me involuntarily focus on her words.
“Just like with guys, girls don’t spend their time or behave in such a way towards boys they aren’t interested in. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“…Ah, here we go again.”
As her words flowed out, I thought, “Here we go again,” but this time I didn’t strongly oppose and just resumed eating.
Looking at me, my sister chuckled to herself, then subtly took the tongs and started grilling meat for me to put on my plate.
All things considered, she’s definitely a grateful sister.
*
By the time we spent some time out and returned home, the sun was beginning to set. It hadn’t been long, but I guess it was because of winter that the days were so short.
As soon as we got home, my sister, irritated by the smell of meat on her clothes, said she would take a shower and started to undress.
“Uju, sorry, but can I wash up first?”
“Uh, did you bring a change of clothes?”
“Yeah, they’re all in my carrier.”
“Okay.”
Since it wasn’t my sister’s first time in my studio apartment, I figured she’d use things as she pleased and turned on the computer.
I needed to share the story from yesterday’s AGP broadcast, so I had to organize the photos that would be used for it. Although there weren’t many, it was good to prepare ahead.
Click. Click.
While working, I thought I might find some broadcasts to serve as white noise and headed to the Twip main banner. As always, several popular streams with the most viewers were lined up.
Huh, but what’s this?
“…Is it a foreign stream?”
Among them, there was a broadcast with over 300,000 viewers where an older-looking foreign man was chatting away by himself, seemingly no different from other streams, making me wonder why so many people were watching it.
Saying it had 300,000 viewers doesn’t mean much; even top-tier streamers in the overseas market find it hard to hit that mark.
I could understand a little English, so I thought about browsing it, but the moment I hovered over the stream to click, the hidden title appeared.
It was a foreign broadcast, but intriguingly, the title was written in Korean, and as I read it aloud, my eyes widened in disbelief.
“Twip…. Korean service…. termination notice…?”
Twip was ending its service in Korea?
What the hell kind of nonsense is this?