My Favorite Has Started A Live Broadcast!

“……”

As I walked toward the station, which had a few trees planted around it, I started to hear a familiar voice through my headset.

– That’s what makes it fun!!

– Can’t you just tell me where we’re going? Geez, you’re such a dummy, Yoon Gae!

– ……. Sigh…

In the distance, I saw a man and a woman bickering loudly while a middle-aged man watched them with an exasperated expression. People walked by, whispering among themselves, but the two continued arguing as if they were in their own world.

As expected, the three people were Yoon Gae, Ninima, and Gunkoo. Some passersby seemed to recognize them and muttered their usernames, but oddly enough, there were more eyes directed toward me than the bickering group.

“Hmm hmm…”

Ignoring the unusually heavy stares, I quickened my pace and walked toward them.

Gunkoo, who had been watching the childish argument for several minutes with a sigh, exhaled again as he noticed something. In the distance, a girl with bright red eyes and snow-white hair was trotting over.

“Hello.”

“Ah… Hello…”

Before I could greet them, Gunkoo broke up the quarreling pair and greeted me with a nod. His expression, though worn by many years of experience, seemed calm, and he didn’t look surprised to see me. The stiffness in his posture seemed to ease slightly.

After I greeted Gunkoo, Yoon Gae and Ninima, who were staring at me with wide eyes from either side, also awkwardly greeted me.

“Um… Hello… I’m Yoon Gae…”

“Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my! What is this?!”

Ninima cut off Yoon Gae’s greeting and stepped right up to me, exclaiming over and over. Her voice was pleasant, so I didn’t feel the need to cover my ears like I did with Yoon Gae’s. Not that his voice was bad… it’s… well, nice… yeah…

“This is real?! Wow… what’s with this hair… it’s so soft… sniff… unbelievable… Can I call you unnie? Unnie?”

Since Ninima’s attitude was so different from how she’d seemed before, I felt a bit awkward and took a few steps back. Yet, Ninima didn’t stop, asking questions and speaking to me without hesitation.

“Um?! I’m really 21 years old though…”

While answering her questions, I took another step back, only to feel something solid behind me. It wasn’t exactly a hard wall. It was soft, and it smelled incredibly good, a fragrance so overwhelming it made my head spin. I turned around, feeling a strange sensation and a quickening heartbeat.

“…Hello.”

***
Choi Gayoung POV

“……”

I was feeling the pleasant night breeze for the first time in a while, and as I walked, I saw the meeting place in the distance. The place was in front of the station near my house—not that I had suggested it, but since it was only about a 20-minute walk, I was heading there at a relaxed pace. I ignored the occasional curious glances and whispered words and kept walking toward the station.

“Hmm…”

It was still 40 minutes before the meeting time at 8:30. It was too early to go back home, but there wasn’t really enough time to do anything else either. If I went somewhere else and the others arrived early, I’d be the one causing delays.

“Maybe I’ll go to that café nearby… they say it’s a must-visit place.”

I hailed a passing taxi and headed to a café that had recently become popular as a weekday lunch spot.

“Could you please wait a bit while I grab some coffee?”

It was a weekend evening, so it didn’t look too crowded, and the driver nodded lightly as I stepped out. As I left the taxi, a thought crossed my mind.

It’s rare to find people like that nowadays… He must be really kind, like the sort who wouldn’t charge a fare to someone holding a stray kitten they just rescued on a rainy day.

“Thank you.”

I thanked the driver and got out, noticing a crowd of people gathering a short distance away. Although my hands were heavy with coffee cups, I had a feeling I knew why the crowd was there, so I headed in that direction.

– Are you really 21? You look like a high schooler or someone who’s barely 18!

– Isn’t this a bit extreme…? No, really, I’m 21…

As I gently squeezed through the crowd, apologizing, a path opened up for me. Before I could even register the sudden opening, I bumped into something.

“……..”

The noisy street fell silent, as if someone had hit a mute button. My vision filled with something soft and white, and before long, trembling red eyes with a slight pink hue appeared in my sight.

“…Hello.”

***
Lee Suyeon POV

The thought, ‘What’s going on?’ crossed my mind as countless images flashed in my head—the creation of the universe, the balance in my bank account from last month, memories of my siblings, Chocoa’s voice, her appearance, her streams, her birthday, and so on. I thought of a million things, but I couldn’t come up with anything to say in response to Chocoa’s greeting.

“………….Hey…? Baraa?”

“……”

What was I planning to do when I finally met Chocoa? Should I just greet her normally? Or propose to her right away? No… that would make me seem crazy. Just the right amount of…

Hug—

A hug between girls is perfectly normal. This is common sense.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!! I just lost my mind for a moment… I’m so sorry…”

Chocoa’s scent and the feel of her embrace lingered vividly on me.

Despite my rash actions, Chocoa just chuckled and handed me a chocolate latte.

“Hehe…”

“Unnie! Why don’t you do that for me!”

Ninima, who had decided to call me unnie even though we were the same age, looked at me with a pout.

“Uh… huh… well…”

“Do it for me too!”

Ninima opened her arms, looking expectantly at me. Glancing around, I saw only the astonished faces of the others and Chocoa’s expressionless face.

“Uh… okay…”

“…N-no! This isn’t right!”

Hugging wasn’t a big deal—I used to do it a lot for my younger siblings. But in this situation, it felt a bit awkward. Ninima puffed out her cheeks and said,

“Why don’t you do it like that for me, too, unnie? With lots of love!! Cutely!”

“With… lots of love…”

Embarrassment surged over me, and I could only cover my face with my hands.

“Alright~ So, the place we’re going to today is!”

Yoon Gae held a selfie stick and led the way. Although I couldn’t read the comments clearly from the small screen, I could tell they were scrolling by quickly. I glanced from Ninima, who was on the verge of starting another argument, to Gunkoo, who was looking at his phone while walking, and then finally to Chocoa. After what had happened earlier, I was unconsciously keeping my distance, but somehow Chocoa was walking right beside me. Not only that, she was watching me intently.

“…….Is there something wrong?”

“I just find it amazing, like I’m meeting a celebrity.”

“…Me too…”

For a few seconds, we looked into each other’s eyes before I looked away first. If I’d kept staring, my heart might have exploded.

“Tada!”

Inside a spacious, luxurious-looking restaurant, an employee led us to a private room, where a large table and some cozy cushions were set up. Within minutes, the table was laden with so many side dishes and meats that it was nearly overflowing. It was my first time experiencing something so fancy, and I could only exclaim repeatedly in awe.

Sizzle—

“Wow…”

As the juicy beef, or what I assumed was beef, began to grill on the hot pan, it sizzled loudly.

“Isn’t this discrimination…?”

I tilted my head at Yoon Gae’s odd remark, and he gestured with his chopsticks toward the small plate in front of him and then to Chocoa’s. There was really no discrimination, other than the fact that Chocoa’s plate had four times the amount of perfectly grilled meat as his.

The reason I had taken control of the tongs was simple: Yoon Gae was terrible at grilling. He’d practically ruined several pieces of what looked like expensive meat and thus lost his right to the tongs, which I then took over.

“…No, it isn’t.”

“……”

“Pfft… Then let’s toast!”

Yoon Gae’s expression changed the moment we raised our glasses. While the others clinked their beer, soju, or soju-beer mix, I clinked my water glass, which they accepted with understanding.

Now, I could see two chat messages on the camera set up nearby.

Aroalo – Cheers

CoffeeIsBeer – Cheers

As everyone excitedly chatted about the tournament and other stories, Chocoa tapped my leg gently.

“…Do you want some?”

In her hand, she held the beer glass she had just been drinking from.