『CravingWarmAmericano: StarPork.』
『StarPork: Yes, yes, yes!!!』
『CravingWarmAmericano: Do you happen to play any instruments?』
『CravingWarmAmericano: Like castanets or something?』
『StarPork: What?;;』
『StarPork: Ah』
『StarPork: Is any instrument okay? I played the flute since I was a kid.』
『StarPork: I was also in the orchestra club in high school!』
『CravingWarmAmericano: As expected.』
『CravingWarmAmericano: Our apprentice is the best.』
『StarPork: But why castanets?』
『CravingWarmAmericano: (link)』
『CravingWarmAmericano: It’s homework.』
『CravingWarmAmericano: Let’s do it together next time.』
『StarPork: What??』
『StarPork: A collaboration??』
『StarPork: I love it!!! Hahahaha』
『CravingWarmAmericano: 🙂』
『StarPork: Oh』
『StarPork: I just saw the gift you sent…….』
『StarPork: With this game……? You’re not serious……right?』
『CravingWarmAmericano: I can’t wait.』
『CravingWarmAmericano: Ah』
『CravingWarmAmericano is typing a message…….』
『CravingWarmAmericano: It’s an easy game that even beginners can play.』
『CravingWarmAmericano: Don’t worry.』
『StarPork: I』
『StarPork: Watched it live.』
『CravingWarmAmericano: 😅』
* * * *
A vibration sound. I forced my heavy eyelids open.
When did I fall asleep?
I vaguely remembered leaning back for a moment to rest my exhausted body… Hold on, it was already 3 PM… No, that couldn’t be.
It really was.
Had all the alcohol dissipated in the meantime?
Unlike when I woke up a few hours ago, my entire body was crying out in pain. It was a bill from overconsumption of alcohol, but an even bigger problem was my sleeping posture.
I hadn’t intended to sleep. The strange and comfortable position I took, with my knees on the floor and the upper half of my body slumped over the bed, was supposed to be just a brief rest… Maybe that was my fatal mistake.
The price for staying in that position for a full three hours was catastrophic.
The headache and stomachache were one thing. My back was stiff… and there was pain in my hips, knees, and even ankles. I felt like a walking hospital.
With a bitter smile, I picked up my phone to check the source of the vibration.
It was Lee Yeri.
『Are you eating well these days? Sorry I can’t see you often lately.』
『I’m taking a vacation next week, so let’s hang out a bit!』
『Let me know if you need any allowance!』
I had braced myself for an angry message demanding a clear answer about whether I would attend the afterparty or not.
In a way, this was an even more burdensome text.
I hesitated briefly, considering postponing my reply with an emoji, then slowly moved my fingers to type back, 『Yes, thanks. See you next week.』
Next week. Next week, huh.
When I lived day by day, it felt like a distant future, but in reality, it was a time that arrived with a blink of an eye.
Just like the afterparty. The next Friday I mentioned in the text was already today. I let my body slump down to the floor. If someone found me like this, would they think I was dead?
The coolness of the floor against my cheek felt surprisingly pleasant, so I kept my eyes closed for a little longer.
I had no idea how much time passed.
When I slowly opened my eyes, a woman, who seemed weary of everything, was staring back at me from the mirror across the room.
Was it a good thing that I still thought I looked pretty?
I didn’t know.
One thing I knew was that staying in this room was… not good for anyone.
Shower… should I start with a shower?
I dragged my staggering body to the bathroom, leaning against the wall for support.
With cold water— No. No.
I slowly moved my hand reaching for the faucet. After a brief gush of cold water, warm streams embraced my body like a cozy hug. Since I successfully pulled through the challenge, a little reward shouldn’t be too bad.
The small studio bathroom quickly filled with warm steam. Although there was no thermometer, it must have been rather hot inside the bathroom since the steam obscured the view.
Just as the comforting feeling, as if wrapped in a cozy blanket, was overwhelmingly pleasant and made me think I wanted to stay like this forever, a viewer’s comment popped back into my mind, saying that my colleagues were waiting for me. It made me chuckle involuntarily.
The mood was broken. My emotional flow… shattered too.
I reached out and wiped the mirror to see myself smiling.
How awkward.
Probably because my eyes weren’t smiling.
But-
“I need to get used to it.”
Talking to myself more and more became a habit from broadcasting. If I think about it that way… it might be seen as my personal touch. With a bitter smile, I squeezed out some shampoo.
Time to get ready to go.
* * * *
“Wow, Revan! Hello! Wow, seeing you in person, wow. I don’t want to sit next to you; I’ll look like a squid. Oh! I’m StarPork.”
“…… Hello. I’m Revan. I came as quickly as I could, but I’m a bit late.”
“No, you’re just on time! Hehe. You’re practically our first. Ark and I came here early for a preliminary visit.”
It was quite a luxurious Korean beef restaurant, with a stunningly impressive atmosphere.
There wasn’t a pair of tongs or scissors to be found anywhere inside the spacious individual rooms. It meant that the staff would do all the grilling.
Everything smelled of money. Even the neatly designed menu placed beside the elegant water bottle with a floating lemon gave off an orderly and refined vibe.
The menu needed additional explanations like, ‘We believe one serving is 110 grams. And no, this isn’t the price for two servings.’
Ark, who received countless advertising proposals thanks to the recent rise in popularity, bought the first round as a token of gratitude, and the second round was to be covered by Guntak, who originally belonged to a considerable enterprise.
‘Reckoning from the vibe of this expensive restaurant, paying for six people… seems way too extravagant.’
Revan, shihoon sat down, deciding he’d later check the bill and discreetly send over roughly half the amount separately.
‘… Oh. Maybe it’s not six people.’
“Please, take the seat of honor. Our Shihoon, who plays games well, deserves the seat of honor.”
“…… The one treating should take the honored seat. I’ll sit in the corner.”
Ark’s, Jinhee’s playful banter and demeanor hadn’t changed much since the last tournament. To say the least, she was significantly different from on camera. With her prominent features highlighted by makeup, she exuded a powerful aura.
She probably adopted a softer look in her broadcasts, which suited her gentle personality quite well, Revan thought.
‘But this one’s almost the same as on camera.’
StarPork, who was chattering endlessly in front of him, looked exactly as she did on broadcast—a harmless and cute face reminiscent of a hamster, squirrel, or perhaps a newborn baby bunny or puppy.
Separated from the bad influence of her mentor, it was hard to believe that such a face had once said something like, ‘because the haters are scum…’
Thud.
“Oh, hello. I’m Guntak, a late learner. I see all our teachers are here, but I’m late. Sorry about that.”
Accompanied by the sound of the sliding door opening, a man with a friendly face, who might have looked like an average middle-aged man on the street, bowed his head as he entered.
“Am I the last one? Ah, GetDevoured-nim hasn’t arrived yet. When will she be coming?”
Guntak, who was instructed to address others informally, uncomfortably called them teachers instead. Habitually bowing to greet him, Revan’s thoughts were elsewhere as he responded courteously.
It was because of the message he had received earlier.
『Lee Yena: I won’t be able to make it to the first round』
What did this mean? True to her nature, her words were always confusing. Did she mean she would come to the second round if she couldn’t make it to the first?
No, knowing her, she might very well send a message at 8 saying, ‘I can’t make it to the second round either.’
It was better not to think about it. Predicting anything with her only led to confusion.
“Ah, right. Does anyone know if GetDevoured-nim is coming? We should probably start ordering the meat.”
‘She didn’t mention it to anyone else?’
As Ark asked the question, Revan hesitated to answer, wondering why she had only spoken to him. Thinking he should relay the message anyway, he was about to open his mouth-
“Oh! I just got a message now. She says she can’t make it to the first round!”
“Ah, as expected. I got it too. That’s too bad. But is she coming to the second round?”
“She didn’t say anything about that……”
StarPork and Ark raised their voices as they exchanged messages. Everyone must have sent her a message individually. Why this sequence? No, don’t think about it. It’s probably in alphabetical order.
“What, no way. Do you have a separate chatroom just for the women?”
“Oh no! It’s private messages, private messages!”
“I can’t trust that. Revan-nim, go infiltrate with your good looks and investigate.”
It was tough to focus on the conversation. Playing along and lightheartedly responding, Revan chugged the soju in his glass as if trying to wash something down.
Bitter, forcing a grimace on his face.
Alas, soju really didn’t suit him.
“Wh-what, why are you drinking alone!”
Revan clinked glasses with StarPork, who joined in belatedly, while his left hand still fiddled with his phone.
He was worried that if she did come, she might drink and cause an incident. Why was it more unsettling now that she wasn’t coming?
Was it even a stubbornness?
No, it’s curiosity. It’s because of curiosity.
It might even be better if she turned out to be shockingly unattractive—Revan thought.