Chapter 4: Meal Date.

Yuna suddenly appeared in front of me.

“Yes. I’m Kang Woohyuk…”

What business could she possibly have with me.

Except for running into each other once at the drinking party, we were practically complete strangers.

Judging by how she’d come all the way here, she must have been waiting for me.

“Um… I have something to say. It’s a bit awkward to do it here. Do you have time?”

“Ah. Yes.”

Back then at the drinking party we’d used casual speech to avoid awkwardness.

But now using casual speech felt even more awkward.

We weren’t particularly close.

“That’s a relief. Then could you spare some time?”

I nodded without knowing the reason.

I followed Uni to a café near the university.

We ordered drinks appropriately at the kiosk and sat down.

Perhaps because it was early afternoon, the inside of the café was still quiet.

– Whirrr.

When the vibrating pager rang in the meantime, I stood up first.

“I’ll go get them.”

“Huh? I was going to go… Okay.”

I couldn’t make Uni do something like this.

I returned the pager at the counter, received the drinks, and came back to the table.

“Here.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

I placed one drink in front of Yuna and wiped my slightly sweaty hands from nervousness on my pants.

How could I not tremble.

Who was the person sitting in front of me.

But showing that I was nervous would be strange, so I took a short deep breath and steadied my heart.

Act like I don’t know. Act like it’s nothing.

“Do you remember me?”

“Of course. We drank together last week.”

It would be harder not to remember.

The first impression had been quite intense, after all.

“I’m really really sorry… I was so drunk that day… Haa… Why did I do that…”

Yuna bowed her head deeply and apologized to me.

She must have come to apologize because of the drunken antics from that day.

Honestly, anyone could see it had been excessive.

“It’s fine. Really. I was just the one who stuck my nose in on my own. It’s nothing.”

At Yuna’s truly apologetic appearance, I waved my hands and spoke.

It might have been something she definitely needed to apologize for, but for me it might have been a good thing.

“Thank you for saying that even if it’s just words… Huu. Why did I really do that…? I’m crazy.”

As she spoke, the memory must have come back, because Yuna hit her own head and blamed herself.

She planted her head on the table and kept it lowered so she couldn’t even look at me.

She must be really embarrassed.

I probably would have been the same.

She’d gone and thrown every possible drunken fit at a complete stranger.

And same school, same department at that?

It was the kind of shame play that could make someone seriously consider dropping out.

“You got dragged there that day and just kept drinking alone the whole time. It can happen.”

The words that came out of my mouth as some kind of comfort.

But I also knew well what happened when you got dragged to a drinking party.

While everyone else raised their tension and had fun, sitting alone with your mouth shut made it really boring.

So when you quietly sipped drinks alone, it became hard to gauge how much you’d drunk.

The bar we’d gone to that day wasn’t the type that brought out many side dishes either.

“…Huh? How did you know I got dragged there? Did I say something like that while drinking?”

“No. It just looked that way. You didn’t talk at all and only drank. I also got dragged there and was drinking.”

We were in the same situation, but I was the type who handled alcohol well.

I didn’t particularly like drinking, but I wouldn’t get drunk even after three or four bottles of soju.

“Ah… Really? You’re right. Actually I find those kinds of places uncomfortable, but my friend asked me to fill a spot so I got dragged out against my will.”

Wow. How is she exactly the same as me.

Finding even this small common point made the words “that’s so me” come to mind.

“Ah. So that’s why you left right after the first round.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

Yuna nodded as if she’d just realized.

She must not have been very interested in other people at the drinking party.

Yuna briefly sucked her drink through the straw with a slurping sound and continued speaking.

“So that’s why you came into my house…?”

She remembers up to there?

I was surprised she remembered such detailed parts even though she’d been drunk.

I’d thought the film would have completely cut off at that level.

“Yes. That’s right. You were sitting on the roadside and leaving you alone looked a bit dangerous. It’s been rough around here lately.”

“You’re really a kind person… Thank you so much.”

Please don’t look at me with such sparkling eyes.

I’m not that good of a person, you know?

I can’t even speak because I’m nervous.

“By any chance… Did I say anything weird?”

Yuna asked me in a worried voice.

“Anything weird? No. You didn’t say much of anything.”

I thought I knew what she was worrying about.

She was probably worried she’d said something about streaming or things like that…

She didn’t seem to want people around her finding out she streamed.

In truth I had realized she was Uni, but I just pretended not to know and let it pass.

“Then that’s a relief. I was worried I might have said something wrong.”

“It’s fine. There was nothing like that.”

“It’s a relief that the person who helped me is such a good person. I’m really sorry once again. There’s nothing particular I can do for you…”

She doesn’t have to do anything particular.

If I had one wish.

Could she stream a little longer?

Honestly three hours of streaming a day is too short.

Wouldn’t something like streaming twenty-four hours a day work…

“If it’s okay with you, shall I treat you to a meal later?”

…A meal?

The moment I heard those words, my mind snapped awake.

A meal with Uni?

No matter how little desire I had as a person, I was absolutely not mature enough to brush off a temptation like this.

“Yes. I’d like that.”

An instant answer that came out of me reflexively without realizing.

Ah. Isn’t this too obvious…?

I checked whether the corners of my mouth had risen too high.

I couldn’t show that I was too excited here.

I had no desire to reveal that I was a fan here for no reason.

Because it was obvious Yuna would feel uncomfortable with me then.

“Then shall we exchange contact information? We need to set a date.”

“Contact information…? Yes yes.”

“Okay. Then could you tell me your number? I’ll call you.”

With a trembling heart I told Yuna my number.

Yuna listened to the entire number, called me, and hung up right away as she spoke.

“That’s my number. It would be best to coordinate the schedule through messages. I have class next.”

“Ah~. Yes. Understood.”

“Then.”

Yuna picked up her drink, stood up from her seat, and disappeared.

I watched her back and screamed a silent cry inside.

How should I express this.

It felt like I’d picked up a bag while walking down the street and found about ten billion inside?

…Am I allowed to be this happy?

Such sudden good fortune had poured onto me that my mind felt dizzy.

Exchanging numbers with my favorite and even a meal promise?

This was basically no different from a one-person fan meeting.

“I feel like I’m going crazy. Seriously.”

I sat blankly at the table for a long time until my sense of reality returned.

*

Kang Woohyuk.

This guy. He was the kindest human among the people I’d met.

No. At this level, wasn’t he actually the reincarnation of Buddha?

“If it were me I think I still would have gotten annoyed.”

The guy named Kang Woohyuk I’d met at the café was too calm.

He told me it was fine to my apology as if nothing had happened.

Even though I’d thrown every possible troublesome fit.

As if he had been the same and understood my situation.

“At least it seems I didn’t say anything weird.”

I’d honestly been worried I’d gone around blabbing that I stream.

Even if it was only a small stream with about a thousand regular viewers.

If someone at school recognized me for no reason, going to school would become tiring.

I’d offered to treat him to a meal partly to keep his mouth shut and partly because I felt sorry and wanted to do something for him.

“I’ve never even eaten alone with a guy before…”

What should we eat?

I was an only child so the only male family member I had was my dad.

With my extremely timid personality and having gone to an all-girls middle and high school, I wasn’t that comfortable with guys.

Even if I wasn’t thinking of him romantically.

I didn’t really know what guys usually ate.

Naturally I also didn’t know what they liked.

“Should I turn on the stream and ask the kids.”

It would soon be time to stream anyway.

Since I was a girl, a lot of my stream viewers were guys.

Being a general game streamer probably made that even more the case.

Guys usually played games a lot more, after all.

“I should start preparing soon.”

There were things I needed to prepare before starting the stream so it took a little time.

I turned on the computer and lightly patted my cheeks.

It was my own little ritual to clear my head before starting the stream.

The basic settings were done and now it was time to go live.

[Hi everyone.]

The moment I turned on the stream, viewers flooded in like a tidal wave.

[Uni hi~!]

[Uni hi! Uni hi! Uni hi! Uni hi! Uni hi! Uni hi! Uni hi!]

[What are we doing today?]

[Huh? My clock is finally moving.]

Without realizing it a smile started spreading across my lips as I looked at the chat.

Streaming was truly a fun thing for me.

Along with the warm heat from the computer, my mouth started moving.

It was time to work.