NOVEL NEXT Chapter 48
“Eh.”
Lee Da-ram stared blankly at Moon Si-hyun.
With her face as pale as ever, devoid of any makeup, and the pristine voice that had just flowed out.
Moon Si-hyun sipped as if the alcohol was truly sweet, drinking slowly several times. Drink a bit, drink a bit.
She emptied the bottle that had hardly anything left.
The green bottles were especially gathered beside Moon Si-hyun. There were about eight of them.
The woman next to her was resting her chin on her hand, staring blankly ahead, while the man, with his head laid on the table, was barely making any sound.
“Uh, Da-ram.”
The first to notice Lee Da-ram was that woman. Her voice was slightly slurred, just enough to hint at a pleasant buzz. Eventually, Moon Si-hyun looked at Lee Da-ram with a dazed expression and exchanged glances.
“Da-hyun unni?”
“Worried about Si-hyun? I was keeping an eye on her since it was her first time at a drinking party. But wow, she drinks really well. Heh. Did you leave early with her?”
As she spoke, she poked the man slumped over beyond Moon Si-hyun.
“Unni…”
Lee Da-ram gazed at her with sparkling eyes.
Park Da-hyun. At first glance she seemed intimidating with her various piercings, but having worked with her for a while, Lee Da-ram found her to be much warmer than she initially appeared.
Park Da-hyun, still resting her chin on her hand, smiled at Lee Da-ram, then shifted her gaze to the right, staring intently at Moon Si-hyun.
“……”
Her jet-black eyes fixated on her. Moon Si-hyun, feeling somewhat flustered, took another sip of her drink while avoiding Park Da-hyun’s gaze.
Park Da-hyun opened her lips.
“Hey. But really, you look good with piercings. Your face is so delicate.”
“Th-thank you.”
“Wow… how are your ears so pretty?”
“……”
Lee Da-ram briefly imagined what Moon Si-hyun would look like with earrings.
…She really thought it would suit her. But somehow, she didn’t want to see it in reality.
Park Da-hyun, with her slightly swaying hand from being tipsy, placed it on Moon Si-hyun’s shoulder and then examined her ear more closely.
“First, you should start with earrings… If it looks good, maybe get lip piercings too—just kidding. Your personality doesn’t match your appearance at all.”
Park Da-hyun chuckled as she lowered her hand from Moon Si-hyun’s shoulder.
But as her arm fell, her body tilted slightly to the side.
“Oops.”
– Thunk
Lee Da-ram supported Park Da-hyun’s shoulder as she wobbled. Getting closer, the strong smell of alcohol was unavoidable.
“Ah, thanks. I’m feeling a little out of it. I tried to keep up with Si-hyun’s pace. Heh… I was supposed to take Si-hyun home, you know.”
Park Da-hyun chuckled awkwardly, looking up at Lee Da-ram.
“Yeah. Sorry, but Da-ram, could you take Si-hyun home? I heard it’s nearby. She might seem fine now, but who knows.”
“Uh? Um… Okay. Are you okay, unni?”
“Yeah. I’ll just call a taxi. This one? Just throw her away. Yoyo. Bad kid. Taking care of someone so clueless. I was really surprised seeing Si-hyun today. She’s too innocent. I get why you’re so protective of her.”
As she spoke, she kicked the man who was sprawled on the floor. He made muffled sounds every time he was poked.
“……”
– Thud.
“Ugh.”
Understanding the situation somewhat, Lee Da-ram lightly hit the man as well. It was her own form of revenge.
“Si-hyun, can you stand?”
“Yes.”
Moon Si-hyun stood up without any hesitation.
“Heh, right. Who am I even worrying about? See you later~ Da-ram, when you become an adult, let’s drink together with Si-hyun!”
Park Da-hyun waved goodbye to them as they departed. Lee Da-ram nodded her head, bowing along with Moon Si-hyun, and they walked out of the front door.
*
[Mom <3] - Da-ram, where are you??? - Mom, I’m a bit late ㅠㅠㅠ - I went to see an older sister for a bit. - I’ll be home soon!!! After chatting a bit about why she went so far as to worry Moon Si-hyun, Lee Da-ram sent a message to her mother and put her phone back in her pocket. Then she looked at Moon Si-hyun. Moon Si-hyun was still walking perfectly fine. It was hard to believe that she had truly gotten drunk, as Park Da-hyun had said. "Unni. You really aren’t drunk?" "Yeah. I guess not." "How many bottles did you drink alone?" "Um, I didn’t count, so I don't know." "......" Lee Da-ram felt a bit foolish for worrying. After a shallow sigh, they walked together in silence for a while. At times, whenever they passed by a cafe or convenience store with neon lights offering sweets, Moon Si-hyun would fixate her gaze and turn her head. Then, as if sensing Lee Da-ram’s eyes on her, she glanced back at her. This happened sporadically. "......" Lee Da-ram tried hard to suppress a laugh, not wanting to get caught while grinning at Moon Si-hyun. She looked up for a moment as she suppressed her laughter. It was a spring night sky. An unexpected outing. Still, Lee Da-ram found this moment cozy and nice. It was definitely because of the person she was walking with. 'When did we become this close?' She never imagined that Moon Si-hyun, who was just a light-hearted acquaintance from the restaurant, would become her only friend. After being ostracized and severing all human connections, her only truly precious friend met her after graduating middle school. That also made her worry a lot. She couldn’t help but be concerned about Moon Si-hyun, who seemed to live life so naively. But Moon Si-hyun always wore a carefree expression. It felt a bit disappointing. 'Unni doesn’t know how much I worry about her.' Of course, she kept those one-sided thoughts tucked away in her heart. "Unni, we’ve arrived. No stairs, right?" "Yep. It’s the elevator." "Thank goodness. Be careful going in." Lee Da-ram waved her hand and was about to turn back when— "Da-ram." "Yes? - Huh?" Lee Da-ram felt a weight on her head. It was Moon Si-hyun's hand. What was this? Was she finally feeling a little tipsy? Or had she just gotten a bit more comfortable with physical contact with Lee Da-ram? - Stroke stroke Moon Si-hyun patted her head briefly before pulling her hand away. "Da-ram. Thanks for worrying about me. Be careful going in." Moon Si-hyun said and walked into the entrance. Lee Da-ram stood there motionless until she disappeared around the corner. As Lee Da-ram mulled over that warmth, she suddenly quickened her pace home, excitement in her steps. Then, she was met with a serious scolding from her mother, who had been waiting in front of the house. *
The next day, Moon Si-hyun woke up at the usual time. No hangover.
So, like usual, she went for a jog and then turned on her broadcast.
―――
tlgus123 has started broadcasting.
―――
Hi
Munha
Jinha
Hi
Gonunghai
Why didn’t you broadcast yesterday?
―――
“Hello.”
As Moon Si-hyun spoke, she set her virtual model. The bear doll popped up from below.
―――
Ah
Ah
“That doll”
Ha
Wtf can’t we have another model?
Do we really have to see the bear doll bouncing around again today…
Could you do the doll mask model?
―――
Many people were hoping for that doll mask.
“Oh, doll mask? Um, the bear doll is cuter—looks better though.”
Even so, Moon Si-hyun was fundamentally weak against viewer requests. She tried to accommodate almost everything that viewers wanted.
“There are many who want it. Got it. But I won’t use it every day.”
As Moon Si-hyun spoke, she waved her fingers in the air a few times.
Then, the bear doll disappeared and the coveted doll mask model appeared.
Her virtual model, like others, had a physics engine applied to it.
The doll mask model also swayed slightly depending on the physics engine.
And besides that, various parts of her body also shook.
―――
Kya
Kya
Kya
It’s so cute lol
Wow, if I do Fiore with this, damn…
―――
First, I took off my pants[7]
My shape is similar <<< Isn’t this basically asking for it???[5] Thank you to the creator[5] Her body is seriously so sexy[4] Is it really better than this?[3] This is your fault!!! It’s your fault for simply granting our innocent request!!![9] If I do Fiore, it’s going to shake like crazy[6] Is this just pretending to be unaware? Y-Yeah[8] ――― The viewers expressed their discreet pleasures while speaking in ambiguity, while in the deeps of their discussions, they articulated their desires outright. The previous broadcast had revealed that her doll mask held much more explosive appeal than she had anticipated. "...... Bust morphing? What’s that?" Soon, this amusement caught the attention of Moon Si-hyun, who was reading the chat. ――― Gasp Um Huh I don’t know What’s that about? If you search for it, you might get a virus. You can skip it. ――― "Oh, so it’s a virus search term?" ――― Yup Yup Yup You shouldn't search for that, it's like a horse thing. Yup Yup Yup Absolutely don’t search for it. ――― "Ah... Okay. Thank you for letting me know." Moon Si-hyun nodded and opened Fiore. Suddenly, she raised her arms up, tying her hair back. And viewers found it very appealing. ――― Kya Kya Huh Are you tying your hair up? ――― Damn, she’s really playing along lol[7] Are you tying it in a ponytail?[5] Wow, she even made a handle?[6] With this level of intelligence, I’d believe she’d call it a mistake if someone touched her butt on the street[4] Damn, I want to see her armpits.[2] Seeing her innocence, she must be a virgin.[2] ――― Thus, the viewer's happiness continued unabated. *
While the broadcast continued, a donation came in as she started the game again.
―――
ㅇㅇ has donated 1000 won.
But why didn’t you broadcast yesterday?
―――
“Ah, I had a team dinner at my part-time job yesterday. I came home a bit late and couldn’t go live. I’m sorry.”
―――
Oh
Hmm
Um
Oh
Interesting?
―――
The broadcasts are originally irregular, so there was no need to apologize for that, and there was nothing strange about mentioning the team dinner.
However, with the combination of alcohol and boys, late at night, viewers couldn’t help but imagine the worst due to their position of not being able to see it firsthand.
―――
ㅇㅇ has donated 1000 won.
Did someone hit on you?
―――
“…… It would be rude to mention that person.”
Moon Si-hyun’s voice fell low. You could see her body slightly tense up.
Although she pretended to hide it, she had already revealed the answer.
―――
??????????????[1]
Damn, it got through[5]
Farewell, Virgin.[14]
Dragged away by an alpha male… seriously[7]
This is over, isn’t it?[3]
No freaking way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![5]
Si-hyun, do you want to be a “Squirrel” right now?[9]
―――
The chatroom was relatively quiet. However, the undercurrents were in complete turmoil.
―――
The latest drama: Squirrel Moon Si-hyun clip. [5]
You guys, Squirrel said she brought her home yesterday, right?[2]
From what she’s saying, Moon Si-hyun seems surprisingly defensive. [6]
Why are there so many goldfish here lmao[4]
She drinks well, huh?[10]
Damn, if she really did get “marked,” she wouldn’t be talking like this, you idiots.[4]
―――
However, the discussions sparked by Lee Da-ram’s words when she returned home yesterday, along with the nuances of Moon Si-hyun’s phrases, quickly quelled the flames of public opinion.
Before long, Moon Si-hyun’s game connection was caught. Finally, the usernames of the users appeared.
―――
Wow, now even those champions are getting matched up.
It seems like the queue has been pretty high.
I even see some familiar faces I’ve seen in pro broadcasts ㄷㄷㄷㄷ
Isn’t that Hyunpot??
―――
“…… Oh.”
A familiar username caught Moon Si-hyun’s attention.
Hu-ji. A simple two-character name.
―――
Hu-ji (Current Realm/Support): Would it be possible to let me take the current damage?
Moon Si-hyun (Current Realm/Damage Dealer): I’m sorry. I can only deal damage.
―――
“Um……”
Moon Si-hyun briefly rested her fingers on her chin.
The name Hu-ji. A common word, yet unique because duplicate usernames are impossible.
At some point, she had seen it somewhere. Long ago, before she entered this world.
“Ah!”
Then it hit her.
Moon Si-hyun’s voice raised in delight. In her excitement, it slipped out before she could filter it.
“You were the person who taught me the game at the VR room before! You said you’d tell me more later and even got me a drink!.”
?
???
?
What the
Damn, what’s happening here
?
?
??
???
Damn, this place is getting wrecked[5]
A VTuber… number…? Ugh… my head…[3]
What does that even mean, Si-hyun[5]
??[3]
Isn’t that person a broadcaster?[2]
Isn’t that the Fighter girl?[4]
My previously healed horn is starting to hurt again[6]
Wait, are you saying you received her number? Then isn’t that okay?[7]
Damn!!!!!!![2]
This is totally over[6]
―――
Unicorns were wailing.
*
Moments after the clip generated earlier, the video donations were cut off.
The donor’s username was, “Explain it.”
“……”
Silence fell heavily over the man’s broadcast.
―――
Who is that person?
Is that for real?
???
?
؟
Hu-ji, say something
Did you give your number??
Is my Hu-ji actually giving out her number?? To that person?
Isn’t that person a female broadcaster…?
“……”
The chatroom froze instantly.
The man glanced between the game’s chat and the broadcast chat.
Cold sweat ran down the man’s forehead.
This was the man who had spoken to Moon Si-hyun at the VR room. He was also a broadcaster.
And his viewers’ gender ratio was 3:7.
―――
Is that real??;;
Please, Hu-ji, say something ㅋㅋ;
Did you mute yourself? ㅎㅎ
―――
The one who was actually in trouble wasn’t Moon Si-hyun, but that man.