NOVEL NEXT Chapter 38
I bought myself a week’s time.
Today is the first day of that week, and since I’m done practicing, I finally have some spare time.
My vacation, which was supposed to start with rolling around in my blanket, began with soothing my pouting little brother.
“Unni, you don’t even know how I feel, do you? I’ve been keeping an eye on your broadcasts while juggling everything else.”
“I know.”
“Just today! You might not have seen it, but there were some harsh comments in the chat while you were playing. What’s the manager doing? Not managing those chats at all.”
“There are too many people. It would be hard for one person to manage that many chats.”
“We need to hire more managers. Or give me the authority.”
“You should focus on your studies. You’re a student.”
I wanted to say she was being overly worried, but I knew better than to ruin the mood with such comments.
Ji-yeon, who was grumbling at my meek response, made a suggestion.
“There’s a festival at the nearby university, let’s go check it out together.”
She just wanted to hang out with me. She’d been messaging me to come out for a while.
I often rejected her because my schedule was upside down or I was simply annoyed.
The timing seems okay; checking out a festival isn’t too difficult. After all, as the older sister, can’t I take care of a little sibling who just wants to have fun?
“No, unni. You’re probably tired from focusing today. Let’s go another time.”
“Is there going to be another festival?”
“Well, there should be, right? They’ve been having a lot of festivals lately.”
Worried that I might find her annoying, Ji-yeon cautiously checked my reaction and got me to stand up by holding onto my shoulder.
Her face brightened as I put on a cardigan.
I thought it’s better to smile than to sulk as I left the house.
*
“The Gaon University festival has heated up even more! Here to light up the stage, the invited singer, Leon!”
“Come have a drink! The first drink is free!”
“We’ve got green onion pancakes and makgeolli here! Green onion pancakes and makgeolli~”
A lively and bustling atmosphere surrounds me.
Just being here makes me feel young.
I feel like I’m getting younger too.
Though I’m young now, should I say my mind feels old?
Such contradictions I felt.
“Heh.”
Ji-yeon is holding a chicken skewer and staring at the male singer on the stage.
She looks completely entranced.
From an objective view, I’d say he was handsome.
He’s singing well enough, not bad at all.
I realize this is the first time I’ve seen him, but judging by the crowd’s reaction, he seems quite famous.
When the host introduced him and he came on stage, it was deafening.
However, unlike other girls, even when I see a good-looking guy, I don’t feel much.
Hmm, he looks like a parasite, how annoying; that was my thought back when I was a guy, but now it’s just, “He’s handsome,” a rather dull observation.
There’s been a slight change in my perception, but that’s about it.
Would I ever like a guy?
Given my current state, that seems impossible.
If I have to continue living in this body, someday I’ll have to ponder that.
“Unni, what are you doing?”
Lost in my thoughts, Ji-yeon approached me.
The chicken skewer she held was gone, and the male singer had already left the stage.
The performance is now heading toward the finale.
With a worried look, Ji-yeon asked me, “Are you okay? Do you want to go somewhere else? It’s too crowded.”
Seeing me quiet, she might have thought my anxiety kicked in, and she hurriedly tried to lead me away.
I assured her I was fine and looked around.
I should probably move; it’s too noisy, and I’ve seen enough of the performance.
What else might be fun?
Soju, beer, makgeolli, cocktails… from the most common pubs to fortune-telling, free hugs.
There’s a lot to explore.
Ji-yeon hasn’t brought up anything that piqued her interest, just quietly following me.
I was worried she might show interest in alcohol already, but thankfully, she didn’t look that way.
All she did was pick up some flyers handed out by students.
As we passed various pubs and cafes, we stumbled upon a new spot.
What’s this… a game center?
The indoor space was filled with dim lights and various game booths.
Darts, bowling, shooting…
Shooting?
I felt my curiosity spark and moved closer.
“Is this a real gun?”
“Uh? No, it’s not a real gun, it’s just a BB gun that kids play with.”
“Unni, there’s no way it’s a real gun.”
The college student yawning nearby looked confused by my question.
Ji-yeon, following behind, whispered to me, embarrassed.
Looks like these days, even kids’ toy guns are made pretty realistic.
Well, it wouldn’t make sense to set up a real shooting range at a school festival.
Thinking logically, that’s quite obvious.
“Want to give it a try? If you hit the targets over there, you can win prizes.”
Rows of targets stretched before me.
The ones further back had better prizes, while the target at the end was looking a bit faded.
“Sounds fun, unni. Why don’t you try it out?”
“I guess so.”
I took the heavy black toy gun into my shoulder.
I should probably win a teddy bear for Ji-yeon.
It’s time to show my skills as a marksman.
*
“Wow, there are so many people! This is definitely a festival. Huh? Leon was here? Oh, I’m too late. He must have already left after his performance.”
The crowd was leaving the performance area.
Some students were tidying up the place.
A guy using a selfie stick to stabilize his phone spoke to it.
“Where to next? Are there any Gaon University students here?”
[Pub ㄱ?]
[Let’s hit the pubs]
[Maid Cafe]
[Are there pretty girls?]
[Gaon University is surprisingly big]
[Kind of in Seoul]
“I’m going to check out the pubs first. Green onion pancakes and makgeolli. That’s a solid booth anyone can enjoy. I’ve done it a couple of times-.”
As the guy rambled on, people started to turn their attention toward him.
Some seemed to recognize him, whispering among themselves.
“Isn’t that Kim Eun-ho?”
“Looks like it. He came to Gaon too.”
The broadcasting Kim Eun-ho.
Famous for his outdoor broadcasts where he visits hot spots.
I guess he came to the Gaon University festival today too, as people muttered.
Meanwhile, someone approached him.
A girl came over claiming to be a fan, which made Kim Eun-ho’s face light up.
After a selfie session ended, he turned to the camera, speaking with a triumphant air.
“Did you see that? I have plenty of female fans, you know?”
[How much did you get? Be honest]
[But she was pretty, why’s she into this dude?]
[Reverse, man]
[Kim Eun-ho isn’t dead yet, lol]
“A fan just told me that if you go behind the pub, they’ve made a comprehensive game center inside! They say there’s even a bowling alley.”
[Scale’s unreal ㅇㅇ]
[Looks like the school has a lot of money]
Not bad reactions.
He’s visited countless places for outdoor broadcasts, but often when he gets there, the hype doesn’t match the reality.
This time, it seems there’s enough material for a video.
Thankful to have found something to upload on YouTube, he decided to start checking out the pubs one by one.
“Wow, they’re selling cocktails too. Is there a bartender? Huh? Just a taste? Ah, thank you very much!”
[The world’s gotten better]
[Eun-ho has turned into an old man…]
[If you’re a 16-’d batch, you’re a fossil, lol]
[But those cocktails look impressive, doesn’t seem skewed]
[These days, those are everywhere]
After sampling some drinks and having a bite of meat while making small talk with the students he met, he finally arrived at the game center.
“This place is well done, amazing. Bowling, billiards, darts… there’s shooting too? Why are there so many people over there? Is something going on?”
He sensed potential for another video angle.
Kim Eun-ho thought as he walked forward.
In each section, people were evenly spaced, but there was a crowd densely packed around the shooting area.
Excusing himself, he pushed through the crowd towards the camera. There was a woman in the center.
Click
A small sound echoed.
The BB gun in the shooting area discharged.
At the same time, the target ahead fell over, and cheers erupted from the crowd.
“How many in a row now? She’s shooting really well.”
“She’s skilled even with a BB gun.”
“It looks like this might be the last shot.”
Taking a peek, I could see that the nearest target had fallen one after another.
Though I didn’t know how many shots she had, it was clear she never missed once while steadying her aim.
It wasn’t just her skill; there was another reason for the crowd gathering.
“Wow, that back view is stunning…”
A soft voice from someone behind.
As people turned to look, the speaker hurriedly cleared his throat and averted his gaze.
That voice really was loud.
Kim Eun-ho resonated with what was said.
There were two women who looked like friends… or rather sisters.
One of them was holding a bunch of prizes in her arms, and from my quick look, she was far prettier than most live-streamers.
And then there was the mysterious shooting master, only showing her back.
Without any response or losing focus, she kept aiming her gun.
But there was something extraordinarily captivating about that view.
Glug
Kim Eun-ho found himself swallowing hard, forgetting that he was broadcasting.
Then, startled by a notification sound from his phone, he snapped back to his senses.
<Nibble-noodle-water-buffalo donated 1000 won!>
-Show us too, don’t just show her!
“Just a moment… I need to adjust the angle.”
Kim Eun-ho did his best to avoid showing too many people and instead focused on the shooting range and the girl aiming with the gun.
With the audience catching on to the situation, another click rang out in the air.
And just like that, the last target fell, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Ah, you’re all done! Please wait a moment, I’ll bring the prizes!”
As the girl, munching on popcorn, stepped away, the girl finally turned her head.
With her long hair flowing as she turned, Kim Eun-ho’s jaw dropped, and he stepped forward.
“I’m Kim Eun-ho, the broadcaster. Do you have a moment?”
This definitely seemed like a YouTube goldmine.