“Ah, um… wh-when, how long, starting from when?”
What exactly was she trying to say? Ark’s words tumbled out in a disjointed manner, a testament to the overwhelming confusion she felt.
“Not that long. Maybe… around 30 minutes.”
Revan’s response left her staring blankly at him, standing in the hallway in front of the open door.
‘Living together? Are they dating? Since 30 minutes ago? So, they just confessed? No, that wouldn’t be it. Sharing a room? Sharing a room, right? But if they’re sharing a room-‘
Lost in countless thoughts, Ark stood there frozen, not even registering Revan’s beckoning gesture to come inside. Given the situation, her reaction was understandable.
“… So, she really didn’t tell you, huh? Anyway, let’s go in and wait.”
Revan sighed and shook his head as he watched her.
-Ding
The elevator, which had gone down to the first floor, returned, and the source of all this confusion appeared, nonchalantly.
Lee Yena, carrying a heavy-looking plastic bag over one shoulder like an outer coat, approached with slow yet graceful steps.
Revan and Ark’s eyes naturally turned to her. Indeed, she had an aura that made her the protagonist no matter where she appeared. Though, it wasn’t the only reason she was attracting attention now.
“…You’re here. Why aren’t you going inside?”
Lee Yena tilted her head slightly, her half-open eyes showing a clueless expression. Whether she meant it or not, it was a tough question for Ark to answer.
She couldn’t just say, “I was shocked because I thought you and Revan were not just dating but living together.”
“…Let me carry that. I thought you were just getting water and sent you alone, but you bought a lot.”
Revan stepped out, extending his hand. To Ark, who had known Revan for a while, this was his usual caring gesture combined with an unfamiliar scolding tone.
Lee Yena stubbornly shook her head at Revan’s outstretched hand.
“I don’t let guests work. Besides, why is a guest playing the doorman? Please step aside and let our Jinhee in.”
“I’m not a doorman—ah, fine. Let’s go inside. Jinhee, snap out of it.”
“Huh? Oh, ah, yeah.”
It was the beginning of a very noisy gathering.
* * * *
“…So, I thought you two were doing a joint broadcast today! That’s why I put a lot of effort into my makeup. Got it? It’s broadcast makeup. Ready for the camera anytime. You remember we did a surprise cam broadcast last time, right? You remember?”
“Yes. …Oh, your glass is empty. Let me refill it.”
“Huh? Oh, thanks. Cheers- But, hey. You’ve been handing me drinks this whole time without answering… why didn’t you tell me Shihoon oppa was coming too?”
“…I didn’t… tell you because… you said you’d make me buy expensive alcohol.”
“Wha?”
“Someone said they’d bring it… considering who would actually buy alcohol and bring it home… I thought you would naturally assume it was Revan… of course, I didn’t mention the name… uh…”
Was she being sincere? No, that couldn’t be true. From the start, Ark couldn’t even meet Yena’s eyes and kept turning her head at a peculiar angle, clearly showing how embarrassed she felt.
She was a person who felt shame at strange points. If there were so many other points where she could have been embarrassed, why choose this moment? Thinking that, Revan chuckled softly, and Lee Yena glanced at him.
The moment their eyes met, Lee Yena silently mouthed a distress signal.
‘Hel-p-me?’
Though Revan couldn’t quite understand what she wanted help with—
‘Woo-d-cu-tter… sigh.’
Even if she did understand, she definitely wouldn’t have cooperated.
.
.
.
In the end, Revan quietly enjoyed his whiskey, amusing himself with the scene where Ark asked Lee Yena to promise several things: an apology, discussing the participant list for any future gatherings in advance, banning her from watching sub-account streams, and even arranging a follow-up drinking session and collaboration.
It wasn’t that Revan had no intention of mediating. If Lee Yena had been genuinely angry or showed even the slightest sign of discomfort, he would have intervened without a doubt.
But when that wasn’t the case, and she was just being cornered, growing more desperate with each glance for help, why would Revan put an end to it?
Honestly, Revan only felt regret that such an amusing time would end so soon.
Ark, successful and satisfied with all her demands, left for the bathroom, wearing a pleased expression—
And Lee Yena, looking considerably more dejected than before, narrowed her eyes at Revan and spoke.
“… I heard distress signals from a sinking ship are supposed to be answered, even if it’s the enemy’s vessel. Respect basic human rights.”
“Well, from what I know, if an SOS contains a declaration of war, it doesn’t have to be answered. Could be an exception.”
“You’ll regret this.”
Lee Yena grumbled, furrowing her brows, and downed an espresso cup filled with whiskey. Despite the fact that this was an expensive whiskey meant to be savored for its aroma and body, no one voiced any complaints.
‘Honestly, I had such a good time. I don’t think I’ll regret this at all-’ Revan thought but swallowed the words before they left his mouth.
It was said that Xi Shi, one of the Four Beauties of China, looked so beautiful when she furrowed her brows due to an illness that many palace maidens would mimic her expression. He thought it was an exaggerated old tale, but now, it seemed to make sense.
Lee Yena, usually passing by everything in a dreamy and languid gaze, now furrowed her brows slightly and narrowed her eyes at Revan. This look gave him the illusion that only he could give her what she wanted, filling him with an inexplicable sense of duty to relieve her expression.
Those people who claimed to be bewitched by a fox must have felt like this. Revan thought so.
“Even without stealing the winged robe, I had already gained the fairy’s consent. Just help me once and become the logger, but now you refuse… Revan, you’d probably be expelled from the Woodcutter Association. You should switch to being a rogue.”
The fact that the white fox in front of him was incessantly spouting nonsense was actually a relief.
Really.
* * * *
“So, are you going to start the broadcast tonight? Yena seems to have drunk quite a bit.”
“Well… I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it. I’m not really drunk though.”
“If you’re going to start streaming, it might be better if I leave. Imagine the chaos if a male broadcaster suddenly appears on a home broadcast without prior notice… we can’t even predict how big the fire will be.”
“Oh. Then should I start it?”
“… What do you mean by that?”
What do I mean, indeed. The weather had been getting colder lately… it had been a while since I had warmed up by the fire.
Of course, I didn’t answer honestly. I could already foresee the reaction I’d receive if I confessed my true feelings here. Unless I had a fellow understanding… yes, maybe if StarPork was here.
Anyway, I agreed that it wasn’t the optimal environment for streaming. Still, I had installed the VR equipment… it felt like a waste not to use it.
“Shouldn’t it be fine? As long as it’s not just you showing up, I’m here too.”
“That’s what makes it even crazier. We should consider going to a VR room instead.”
“Should we? Yena, what do you think?”
Yeah, what did I think?
I tried to ponder over it a bit – but as my brain was fueled by alcohol, it only generated impulsive, entertainment-driven suggestions.
Why not… it could be fun watching and giving instructions – like that.
“Why don’t we take turns playing KoK, with two people giving real-time instructions? It could be fun.”
“… You want us to broadcast that?”
The look… was a bit rude, wasn’t it?
* * * *
『Post Author: ㅇㅇ』
『Title: When is this event happening?』
『Why is the broadcaster messing around in someone else’s broadcast
Just start your own broadcast if you want to mess around!!!』
– Well… it’s guilt-free pleasure
– “Because I can”
– I want to know GetDevoured’s account number too…
『Post Author: RetADevoured』
『Title: Isn’t their break schedule syncing too much?』
『(Screenshot of a calendar)
Recently, Revan’s break days match too closely with GetDevoured’s
“Considering the statement ‘Bring the alcohol too’, isn’t it reasonable to be suspicious?”
“Go GetDevoured, I’m cheering for you.”
– “Teacher’s break days overlap with StarPork and Ark. Are you implying Teacher is having affairs with both men and women, three at a time? What a scoundrel. I don’t think that, though.”
– “ㄴ What the…”
– “ㄴ Writing whatever you want and then saying you don’t think that doesn’t make you invincible.”
– “It’s more strange not to have overlapping break days when you take five days off a week, damn it!”
– “ㄴ True. It’s harder to find a broadcaster whose break days don’t overlap with recent breaks taken by Tenyeon.”
『Author: Anonymous』
『Title: I Miss ‘The Rogue’…』
『Back in the glorious days of ‘The Rogue’, GetDevoured never took breaks… Now that it’s back to Zozotime, there’s no streaming… I miss ‘The Rogue’…』
– “Caught a Rogue Fan.”
– “But ‘The Rogue’ did have its own charm.”
– “ㄴ Is there a way to watch again?”
– “ㄴㄴ There are highlight edits on FanTube.”
– “ㄴㄴ I already saw those. I want the full streams.”
– “ㄴㄴ Then go check A Cup of Coffee’s archive.”
– “ㄴㄴ How many FanTubes are there, wTF LOL.”
– “Nostalgia my ass; when that cursed game was held for six days straight, morale was almost at the point of rebellion.”
– “ㄴ It was a mess only until day three, and everyone was satisfied in the end. Just some troublemakers here.”
– “ㄴㄴ Everyone (just a handful).”
『Author: Anonymous』
『Title: Oh, it’s alright, it’s alright, Go GetDevoured Doesn’t Need to Broadcast』
“Whatever, I could just go to the rooftop.”
– “What…”
– “No, don’t say that.”
– “Oh, wait, is the broadcast on?”
– “ㄴ Nah, not falling for it. I’m already at the elevator.”
– “ㄴ What? It’s actually on.”