Chapter 44: Suspension of payment (5)

Part 11

I suggested Jooyoung at least come in to see my parents, but she smiled, said she didn’t want to bother them on a weekend, and left. I doubted anyone in my family would consider her a nuisance, and I was pretty sure she’d heard me say so, but she didn’t stop or turn back.

My feelings were a bit tangled, though not entirely bad. I stood there, staring at her receding figure, until I realized moping at the door was silly. With a small chuckle, I punched in the door code and slipped inside.

“I’m back!” I called out.

The faint hum of the TV greeted me. My voice trailed off, a bit deflated. I’d made it home before dinner, but after snacking at the café, I wasn’t hungry. Maybe it was the heavy lunch or the short shift, but I wasn’t exactly worn out either.

“Yoonseo, you’re home?” Mom’s voice came, probably from near the living room.

I flinched, realizing she’d been worrying since lunch. Saying something like, “I’m not hungry, I’ll skip dinner!” would probably make her pout even more. Should’ve just had coffee, I thought, kicking off my shoes and tiptoeing down the hall, buying time to think of an excuse. Realistically, I wasn’t going to get hungry in an hour or two.

“Why’re you sneaking in like that?” Mom asked.

“Huh? Oh, uh…” I stammered.

The hallway was too short for me to come up with anything good. Despite dragging my feet, I found Mom grinning at me and Dad blankly watching TV.

“You said you were with Jooyoung?” Mom asked.

“She said she didn’t want to bother you guys and left at the door.”

“That girl! We’ve known her for years. She should feel comfortable by now,” Mom said.

Hearing my parents’ take on Jooyoung, so similar to mine and the others’, pushed my complicated thoughts aside, and I let out a small laugh. Her reputation as kind, thoughtful, and just distant enough to not be overbearing was probably universal, even among strangers.

“She says that distance feels right for her,” I said.

“She’s a good kid, though,” Mom added.

Maybe Jooyoung figured out early on how to stay a “good person” while keeping her boundaries. She was probably working hard to be the Jooyoung we all knew.

Come to think of it, my image of her was just that: the nice, kind girl who helps out and goes along with things. Jooyoung will help, Jooyoung will understand—that assumption had taken root without much basis.

She’d told me I didn’t need to force myself to be “me,” that whatever I became was still me. Was it enough to just feel relieved by her acceptance? Not just her—Seokyoon, Youngjun, Seongyoon—they all had their own worries, even if they didn’t show it. They might not have the bandwidth to give me special treatment.

“Next time, I’ll drag her in,” I said.

“Good, good. Why not pick a day and invite the others over when I’m around? It’s been a while since I cooked for them,” Mom said.

“Your cooking’s so salty, Mom. Everyone outside our family complains about it.”

“Really? Your only friends are those four, and I doubt they said that.”

My narrow social circle was coming back to bite me. Oh, the mysteries of life.

“By the way, Sanghyeon was looking for you,” Dad said suddenly, cutting through Mom’s chuckles.

I glanced over, dropping my mock-pout. His eyes were still glued to the TV, but somehow he’d perfectly timed his next words.

“He asked why you weren’t here yet. I told him you were with friends and not to bother you. You should check on him.”

“Sanghyeon?” I asked.

If he was looking for me, it was probably stream-related. Had I done anything lately? Tilting my head, I noticed my parents didn’t seem to know specifics either, as the TV’s news filled the silence. Something about his urgency gave me a bad feeling, though.

“I’ll head over now. If I’m late, eat without me. I’ll grab something later,” I said.

“What’s up?” Dad asked, his voice quick, a hint of concern showing.

No clue, honestly. But saying that wouldn’t justify my “I’ll be late” excuse, so I laughed it off with an “Aha…” and hurried toward Sanghyeon’s room.

Part 12

“…Haha…” I let out an awkward laugh, glaring at Sanghyeon sitting next to me.

From the moment I knocked and he flung the door open, chanting “Thank you!” like a mantra, I knew something was off.

I was plopped down in front of a voice chat screen showing an unfamiliar guy. But the name at the top—Bonfire—felt familiar. If memory served, that was the streamer I’d watched around lunch.

He seemed startled by my sudden appearance, unprepared, but being a streamer, he recovered quickly. His long-winded apology, starting with “Thanks for the 5,000 won donation…,” had just been interrupted by his viewers. My role as a machine spitting out “Yeah, sure” and nervous laughs was apparently over.

“It was a genuine compliment. I wasn’t offended at all. Don’t worry about it,” I said.

• Ahem. Really, thank you so much for saying that…

I’d heard he drew spicy stuff and had this image of a cocky, top-tier streamer, but talking to Bonfire, he felt… human. Blushing while saying embarrassing things, not dodging or brushing it off—charmingly earnest, in a way.

• If it wasn’t Nunabbattajo, we’d be screwed lol.
• Hnnng… Nunabbattajo’s an angel… Gotta confess in front of her…

“No weird comments, please,” I said.

Unlike the initial shock of seeing him, this felt like a pleasant connection. That said, my mild irritation at Sanghyeon for dragging me into this straight from work, unwashed, remained.

“So, Cheungjeokun, you pulled me here, fresh from work without a shower, for this?” I said, eyeing him.

“…Well, uh, you see! He’s a busy guy, and he’d been waiting a while!” Sanghyeon stammered.

• Nunabbattajo without a shower… hnnng…
• So spicy!!!!!!!!

Every time, I wonder—what’s with these people?

• Waiting? Nah! Thanks to you, I got to play a game after forever. Thought I’d be rusty, but you carried me and ran the show so well. Honestly, I’d love to keep in touch.

“Haha, I’m honored!” Sanghyeon replied.

Bonfire’s interruption derailed my attempt to grill Sanghyeon. With a final glare promising we’re not done, I sighed and slid my chair aside, giving him the spot in front of the monitor.

“So, uh, Nuna, you heading to shower now…?” he asked.

“Since a big-shot reached out, it’d be a shame to dip out. I’ll shower before bed.”

• Ooh, how about a joint stream with both of them today? You guys would love that, right?

Sanghyeon clearly wasn’t thrilled about Bonfire’s presence. Testing the waters with a suggestion to co-stream, I smirked inwardly as Bonfire jumped on it. I’d deal with Sanghyeon later—he deserved a bit of grief. His face paled, and I couldn’t help but think, Gotcha.