Looking back, the places I liked often went out of business.
It wasn’t that I was under some kind of curse. I just preferred shops with a tranquil, leisurely atmosphere. And such quiet and secluded places were usually either very upscale—or quickly going out of business.
So, the shops I cherished, which I patronized despite my modest means, often hurtled toward a predetermined fate.
Occasionally, there were decently good shops that weren’t very crowded—
“I’m sorry, but we’re about to close.”
“Oh, yes, yes! We’re getting up. Sorry about that.”
This usually only happened when closing time was approaching, like now.
It was 1:30 am… a late hour, indeed.
“It’s a bit disappointing to wrap up now. How about you, Ark?”
“Hm? No, they said they’re closing… the staff must be tired; we should leave.”
Ark replied gently, a slightly flustered look on her face, as she began to gather her belongings.
… Why did her response feel rushed? Oh. Did she think I meant we should try to stay past closing time?
“…I was asking if you’d like to go somewhere else for another drink.”
“Oh! Ah, yes. That sounds good.”
… She seemed to be serious.
Is it that she had low trust in people? Who would be troublesome enough to insist on staying in a closed establishment? Not to mention, someone as morally upstanding as me wouldn’t imagine such a thing.
“Let’s head out.”
We left the pub as if we were chased out, and then tried entering another establishment… only to be told shortly after that they were also closing soon.
Even establishments that seemed to still have patrons weren’t keen on taking in new customers past 2 am.
Well, it’s understandable. Even if they managed the current situation somehow, nobody likes taking on new work just before closing time.
I get it. I can understand… but I couldn’t help but think maybe we should have stayed a bit longer at the previous place. Not that I wanted to overstay, just maybe hung around until the very last minute…
Ark came out of another place making an X above her head. That one didn’t work out either.
Maybe this area wasn’t the kind to stay open late into the night. Given that it’s a bustling district, surely if we kept looking, there would be some place still open—though they might tell us we only have an hour left before closing… And I didn’t want to risk another misunderstanding.
“How about we drink at home.”
It was a spur-of-the-moment suggestion, perhaps out of a slight sense of exasperation. My legs were getting tired, and more than anything, the initial buzz of alcohol was starting to wear off.
As long as it was a place where we wouldn’t get chased out, anywhere would be fine.
* * * *
“Have a seat anywhere you like. There’s one chair left, but since the table’s floor-level anyway…”
What on earth was this flow? Trying to hide her slightly confused thoughts, Ark sat down on the floor following the landlord’s guidance.
They couldn’t find an open place, so they wandered around together… and then suddenly got invited home, reassured that there was plenty of alcohol and not to worry—
“White, red, champagne available. No rosé, not my taste.”
Peeking slightly from the kitchen, Lee Yena then smoothly extended her hand, holding three wine bottles by their necks.
“… Wow, Yena, you have a strong grip.”
“There’s a trick to it. Anyway… what do you prefer?”
“I like everything. What would you like to drink? Red?”
“I like all as well. Alcohol is fair… but since we mentioned it, red sounds good. After all, if you think about it, this is red cap.”
“Red cap?”
Ark felt a sudden urge to search. Despite liking wine, she wasn’t familiar with famous varieties or brands. Surely a wine recommended by an alcohol connoisseur like Lee Yena would be quite decent—
Ark’s anticipation was shattered in no time.
Impatient, Yena came out holding all three wine bottles, but was actually opening a red-capped soju.
‘Red cap… oh.’
“… Is that the red cap you meant?”
“Yes.”
Watching her nonchalantly twist off the cap, Ark let out a light sigh.
“I’ll join you.”
Ark didn’t particularly like soju. She had never actively sought it out in her life, nor had she ever thought she wanted to drink it.
But—
She couldn’t flat out refuse when there was someone in front of her whose expression brightened just by saying she would join.
To Ark, soju felt like that kind of distance.
.
.
.
“Oh, this! This is our after-party photo! It turned out well! Who took it?”
“Unlike the people who took the other photos, this one was taken by a sober employee. If you look closely, you can see the back of logger’s head, too.”
“Oh… right. All five of us are in this photo. Huh? What’s with the dog? Did you get a dog?”
“We encountered the dog at the convenience store on our fourth round. Don’t you remember? Ahri circled around the dog and took like 20 photos… Jinhee ended up apologizing to the dog’s owner for her.”
“Oh… that time.”
That meant it was a total stranger’s dog. Why on earth had she stuck that photo on the wall as if it were precious? Though Ark couldn’t understand, she decided to interpret it as a sign that the after-party had been a good memory.
Trying to understand Yena forcefully often led to confusion—a basic principle with her.
And so, passing a shot of soju back and forth, it was already 2:30 AM.
It might have been because they were drinking in a warm, cozy room that suited everyday life. Even Ark, who normally didn’t enjoy alcohol, found the rising intoxication wrapping around her body to be not entirely unpleasant.
‘Soft and…languid.’
Leaning back against the bed, she relaxed her body and glanced around.
Contrary to what one would expect from Lee Yena’s room, where it seemed like daggers and hoods would be hanging everywhere, it was surprisingly ordinary. Though the fact that about five empty soju bottles were neatly placed on the floor could be overlooked.
The large desk that took up most of the room had two monitors, a not-so-expensive-looking microphone, and—
“Ocarina, you were serious about it?”
A music stand with an ocarina on it. Why did the various densely written notes on the music sheet catch her eye?
“Yes. Would you like me to play you a piece?”
“… It’s 2:30 in the morning, though?”
“If I play softly, it’ll be fine. Last night at 3 AM, someone played a war movie on stereo… And there’s a friend who actually dreams of becoming a guitarist. Compared to that, an ocarina is quite quiet here.”
“… No, no… It’s okay.”
“Hmm… then shall I do a quick broadcast?”
“Huh? A broadcast?”
“I invited you to my home, after all, and if we have nothing to do at home, I wouldn’t be much of a host, would I? Just a moment.”
Lee Yena rose from her seat with a smoothness that seemed to defy gravity, and began rummaging through a drawer next to the desk.
“What about the cam? I won’t be on it, so whatever you’re comfortable with, Jinhee.”
“Oh, I came with my broadcast makeup on, so if I just touch it up a bit…we can turn it on. But isn’t it risky? We’ve been drinking. What if you accidentally appear in the camera angle even for a moment?”
“Hmm…well. Not using the cam isn’t because I’m afraid of revealing my real identity. Besides, I plan on using this today. So there’s no need to worry.”
Saying this, Lee Yena started putting something over her head.
It was the smartphone head mount she had used during her first broadcast.
* * * *
From Gwangjil to CrispyCrust, ReformedGwangjil, and even ReformedRogue.
Over the past few months, the changes in his username (paid for in cash, no less) were a clear testament to his increasingly fervent fandom.
=Victory!=
Of course, the most evident proof was his improving skills as a rogue.
『ReformedThief(Rogue): Rogue carried the team』
『ReformedThief(Rogue): Anyone who doesn’t believe it should come to the underground』
『Lobbytron(Warrior): Isn’t it shameful to act all bossy like a master when you’re just a clown?』
『ReformedThief(Rogue): A clown?』
『ReformedGwangjil(Rogue): Accept the Friend Request』
Today marked his fifth win. His daily routine of achieving five victories as a rogue turned into a complete success.
During that time, he even witnessed a fool who picked a fight bravely challenge him to a duel, only to disgracefully chicken out and flee. It was a perfect day.
‘Would be great if someone could start a broadcast now – oh?’
It was as if someone had read her mind.
『CravingWarmAmericano is streaming!』
『Afterparty Afterparty Afterparty』
He clicked on the notification that popped up in the corner of his vision, almost hypnotized. There hadn’t been any announcements. Though she did random early morning streams frequently in the beginning, her schedule had grown quite regular recently.
‘Wonder if something happened?’
The screen loaded quickly, and the familiar setup appeared. Two monitors. The espresso cup everyone knew about. And…
“Is it on?”
“Ah. Can you hear me?”
“Wow, the viewer count is rising so quickly… it’s almost 3 AM, and this is insane.”
Two familiar voices resonated. One was obviously CravingWarmAmericano, and the other…
It was Ark. She had been his favorite broadcaster before switching to CravingWarmAmericano’s channel as his main.
A collaborative broadcast between the two was an unexpected gift.
“Isn’t mentioning the viewer count banned?”
“That’s our broadcast rule… CravingWarmAmericano’s broadcast is famous for only banning rogue hate. Isn’t that right?”
“Are you implying our viewers have nothing better to do at this hour than flock to rogue streams? Apologize. If you’re going to do a dogeza, I’ll lend you my pants.”
“What? You weren’t like this a moment ago! Guys, this person changed as soon as the broadcast started. Seriously. Huh? Oh, hi, everyone! I’m Ark! Nice to meet CravingWarmAmericano’s viewers. We were having a drink together, and CravingWarmAmericano suddenly wanted to broadcast, so here we are.”
“What does the broadcast title mean… It’s an afterparty for a drink party we had after the afterparty.”
“… That explanation only made it more confusing.”
“It’s because there isn’t enough beer. Here.”
The sound of alcohol being poured. As the camera shook and the chat complained, ReformedGwangjil quickly accessed the donation site.
‘Ah, I still have some leftover balance. Let’s quickly donate-‘
-ReformedGwangjil has donated 100,000 won!-
【I was waiting for the afterparty story! Haha, Ark and CravingWarmAmericano collaboration is the best】
“Ah, thank you for the donation. ReformedGwangjil… Oh, I’ve been following your match records. You’ve been keeping it at five wins since last month. Keep it up.”
“Wow? That person is Gwangjil? Really?”
“He’s ReformedGwangjil now. If he returns to being a Warrior… the fifty million rogue users, including me, won’t forgive him. He’s the leader of the Rogue Revival Movement. We can’t lose him.”
From his perspective, it was a deeply satisfying donation.
TL’s Corner:
Please point out if you see any pronoun issues.