The time flew by in an instant, and as I spent each day looking forward to the collab with Chocoa, the moment to meet her was now just a few hours away.
“Wouldn’t this look better?”
At that moment, I had flung open the small wardrobe in the corner of my room and was pulling out all my clothes to hold an impromptu fashion show.
My audience, if you could call them that, consisted of Min-young, Eun-ah unnie, and Strawberry.
“It’s summer right now. Get a grip.”
“Then, how about this one?”
“…You still haven’t gotten rid of your old guy clothes?”
“Why would I throw them out? They’re a little big, but I can still wear them!”
The moment I confidently declared that my slightly oversized pants slipped down.
Letting out a weak scream, I hastily pulled them back up, and Eun-ah unnie’s laughter rang out, far too mercilessly.
“We really should have gone shopping together this week…”
Min-young muttered as she stared at me intently with Strawberry.
“…”
In the end, nothing was decided, and everyone went back to their own rooms.
By the time midnight had passed, the only thing I could feel was the weight of Strawberry sleeping on me.
Even during that last outing, which could have been called a date (?), I hadn’t done much.
The outfit had been decided by my sister and Eun-ah unnie.
Even though I had invited Chocoa, I couldn’t lead properly, and everything had proceeded thanks to Ga-young’s help.
I let out a deep sigh, the warm breath brushing past Strawberry’s fur.
“Would it have been like this even back then?”
I shifted my gaze from the faint, dark ceiling to the sight of Strawberry in my arms.
Even so, she didn’t stir, only letting out tiny breaths that I felt against my arm.
Matching her pace, I slowly breathed in and out, clearing my mind of unnecessary thoughts.
Tonight felt both more nerve-wracking and more exciting than before.
“Unnie, wake up!”
“Mm…what…?”
The loud voice of my sister shattered my slumber.
Half-coherent words escaped my lips as my body jolted from being shaken so roughly.
But she didn’t stop shaking me.
“Why…?”
Only after several seconds of dizziness and disorientation did the shaking finally stop, and my question was acknowledged.
“Ga-young unnie is here outside!”
“…Wha…?”
***
Choi Ga-young POV
“Didn’t you have plans today?”
It was my mom’s voice that dared to interrupt a college student’s sacred vacation sleep.
I tried to pull the blanket back over myself, but in the end, I gave up, sitting up instead.
Mom left the room, slightly startled by how quickly I got up.
“You’re all ready already?”
I felt unusually light today.
It took less than 30 minutes to wake up, get out of bed, wash up, and prepare.
Normally, just getting out of bed would’ve taken me over 30 minutes.
I wasn’t sure if it was because of the summer vacation or something else entirely.
I checked the time on my phone…
“Mom, what time is it right now?”
“Now? It’s about 11:30. Why?”
“It’s just… my phone’s dead.”
I had fallen asleep watching Su-yeon’s stream last night, but it seemed I hadn’t plugged in the charger.
As soon as I turned on my phone, the screen went dark again.
If I had stayed in bed this morning, I could have charged it for at least 30 minutes.
But since I had gotten up right away to prepare, there hadn’t been time.
“…I’m doomed.”
Time wasn’t waiting for me at all.
Regardless, I got on the bus and glared at my unresponsive phone, trying to move forward with the small plan I had come up with while watching the stream last night.
From nearby, I heard a faint “eek”—likely someone startled by my sharp gaze.
Beep—
As soon as I saw the familiar streets, I pressed the stop button and got off the bus.
The café where Su-yeon had worked part-time had changed.
It had shed its previous franchise feel, and the exterior now gave off the impression of a perfect café waiting for its grand opening.
I walked towards Su-yeon’s place with light, quick steps and soon found myself knocking on a familiar door.
Knock, knock, knock—
“Su-yeon?”
Seconds passed after knocking and pressing the doorbell, but there was no response from inside.
I wondered if she had already left for the meeting place.
I sighed, almost certain that my plan to meet Su-yeon early and go together had failed.
Normally, she’d answer within five seconds of a knock.
As I turned to leave, I heard the sound of the door opening behind me.
There stood Su-yeon’s sister, Min-young, with slightly messy hair, disheveled pajamas, and eyes rubbing at the remnants of sleep.
After staring at me blankly with her usual vacant gaze, she muttered, “Hold on,” and went back inside.
The door’s passcode was my own birthday—0715—a fact I knew well.
“…Haaahm…”
I waited outside for a few minutes.
In the meantime, I spun around a few times and even knocked on the door to Eun-ah’s apartment upstairs, but got no response.
Leaning against the cool wall with my head resting on it, I began to feel the sleepiness I had shrugged off earlier creeping back.
Clatter—
“!”
The door suddenly flung open, jolting me wide awake.
Out burst Su-yeon, looking hurried and disheveled.
Her hair was still damp, her shoes were on the wrong feet, and her clothes were slightly rolled up, exposing a soft glimpse of her stomach.
But what caught my attention the most was her face.
It was clear she was panicking.
Her slightly open mouth and unusually wide eyes told me she had been caught off guard.
She looked like a child who was late for a playdate, trying to come up with excuses as she avoided my gaze.
“Um, I stayed up too late last night…not on purpose or anything, of course! I didn’t think you’d come over like this, and I’m not trying to make excuses but…”
Su-yeon fiddled with her hands as she gave excuses that weren’t really excuses, but when I suddenly laughed, she looked at me with a dazed expression.
Wiping away a few tears, her face turned slightly red, clearly from embarrassment.
“Today… why did you come here…”
Su-yeon, who still seemed sorry, was adorable and pretty as she matched her steps with mine while glancing at me cautiously.
Her neatly styled hair didn’t look like it was prepared in a rush. She seemed like the same familiar Su-yeon, even though she had recently switched to a wavy style, which now appeared undone.
When I shifted my gaze from her hair, her lips stood out with a noticeable color, as if she’d put on lipstick today. Her round eyes and the slightly anxious way she bit her lips were captivating.
She had a stunningly attractive face that could make anyone fall for her.
Her outfit was the simplest—just a plain white T-shirt and jeans. It was the perfect style for Su-yeon, who didn’t like flashy things.
“I just thought it’d be better to go together with you than alone.”
Su-yeon blushed like before, avoiding my gaze while blurting out soulless phrases like, “The weather’s nice today~ Looking forward to it~ Wow~.”
“…The weather’s bad though?”
“Haha… The rainy season starts tomorrow, so… but it’s still nice for now!”
“Do you remember today’s schedule? My phone’s not working, so I can’t check the time.”
I showed her my phone, which wouldn’t turn on even after pressing the buttons.
Su-yeon naturally recited the entire schedule for the day, including the times, as if she had memorized it all.
Once she started talking, she stopped glancing at me nervously and began sharing small, everyday things.
Now a full-fledged streamer, even her mundane stories sounded fun, and neither of us stopped talking until we arrived at the meeting place.
***
Lee Ye-eun POV
“Welcome!…yo!”
-If you’re gonna add “yo” at the end, drop the awkward tone lol.
-Shut up. That’s what makes it cute.
-Noonaaaaaaa, I’m dyingggggggggggg.
-What’s with this entrance that’s enough to kill me…
In the corner of a restaurant, streamer Ninima had already started her stream, visibly excited about the upcoming collaboration.
Despite it being midday on a Friday, when there would usually only be 200–300 viewers, the stream had already surpassed 500, likely because rumors about the collab had spread.
At that moment, the arrival of Baraa and Chocoa was enough to send the anticipating viewers into a frenzy.
“Hello.”
“Ah… hello!”
Chocoa and Baraa greeted the camera briefly, while Su-yeon, setting chopsticks for the group, smiled naturally at the camera aimed at her.
Her pure and adorable smile, perfected through countless experiences, was something no one could possibly criticize.
“To be honest, I thought others might at least bring some kind of camera, but unfortunately! Since it’s only my stream, let’s… take donations here!”
Ninima emphasized one word loudly before quickly changing her phrasing to finish her sentence.
She said this with a look so genuine it seemed devoid of any lies.
Unlike Ninima, who had planned and prepared everything, the main guests had only brought themselves.
Neither Ga-young nor Su-yeon had a selfie stick that would allow shooting from multiple angles, and viewers were slightly disappointed, wondering if they really needed another camera when there was already one.
But Ninima didn’t care about that disappointment and continued her broadcast smoothly.
“Today, the place we’re at is! Spicy cheese dak-galbi!”
The only people who knew that Su-yeon couldn’t handle spicy food were Ga-young and Min-young. Those two, and no one else.