Chapter 28 : Daily date (2)

Gaia froze, stuck in the position she’d been in when making her request, as if she hadn’t expected to be refused.
I, on the other hand, wondered why she thought I’d agree.

“Why there, of all places?”

“It’s my hometown… and where we first met?”

Silence hung between us.
Was it my imagination, or was she looking at me as if I’d promised and was now backing out?
She kept glancing at me, gauging my reaction.

Seizing the opportunity, Yena jumped into the conversation.

“I, I!! Want to eat with you again in real life.. This time, meeting from the morning..”

“We’re in the middle of a conversation!”

“Aren’t you being rejected right now?”

“Why are you talking with a smirk? Viewers will think you’re being malicious. You know that, right?”

“Yep~ I’m going to be malicious and go eat with WooSeok~ If you don’t like it, get out of your capsule~”

“But, you said you’d help me before….”

Honestly, I’d be mad too if I were Gaia.
The fight earlier seemed to have stemmed from Yena breaking a promise.
Or was it ridiculous to even compare her to an AI?

Gaia looked back and forth between Yena and me with a reproachful expression.
Staring intently, as if throwing a tantrum, she gave me a look that dared me to not take her side.

“Ugh, fine. I’ll do both. Guess I have to take tomorrow and the day after off.”

“Really? Promise? I’ll make an announcement then!”

“If you go back on your word this time, it’s all over, got it?”

The unicorn clearly was some trauma, but it was impossible to refuse such a plea.
I figured it was best to get it over with quickly, hoping for smooth sailing.
More than anything, seeing them both so happy brought me satisfaction.

“I’ll log in on time tomorrow. Shall we meet in the waiting room?”

“No, no, no! I’ll wait for you in the game tomorrow!! I kind of want to feel the atmosphere, or maybe I’m just nervous because it’s my first time..”

Her usually jade-like face flushed crimson with embarrassment, her hands fluttering as she mumbled. The contrast to her usual intellectual and divine demeanor made me blush as well.
Did such a small difference in behavior really evoke such different feelings?
The air grew slightly awkward as we were both overcome with shyness.

“WooSeok! I want to go to the amusement park! The one that newly opened!”

Sensing the shift in mood, Yena loudly broke the silence.
She rolled her eyes dramatically, attempting to change the subject.

“An amusement park? Usually, you’d just grab a quick bite and head to a capsule room..”

“Hey, even if I’m easygoing, I wouldn’t do that on a date with a guy!”

Hitting a nerve, Yena initially stammered before raising her voice, trying to justify herself. She looked a little… pathetic.
Lately, Yena seemed different around me.

“Like in anime, they shout ‘The ocean!’ right? I want to do things like that with a guy too… but the ocean is a bit hard for a day trip, so the amusement park is my second choice…”

“We can go to the ocean later.”

“Huh? Huh.. Huh??!!”

My careless words caused Yena to malfunction like a broken machine, repeating the same syllable.
In contrast, I patted Gaia’s slumped back and continued.

“I’ll make it up to you, Gaia.”

“I-It’s not like I wanted that!”

“Tsundere concept, huh! It just occurred to me, but if I seduce you enough to the point you’re obsessed, wouldn’t you want to stay here forever?”

“You’re saying that out loud? You weren’t this much of a slacker when I first met you..”

“If you don’t choose me, I’ll cut this!”

Trying another concept, Gaia pulled out a cutter knife and held it to her wrist, trembling. When I didn’t react, she glanced at me, then slumped over in disappointment.

Since neither of them was in their right mind due to excitement or anticipation, I figured it was time to end the conversation.
I tossed my empty drink can into the trash and prepared to log out.
Sometimes, this overly realistic waiting room made me confuse it with reality.

“See you tomorrow.”

“Ah, you’re leaving already?”

“Yeah. Dinner’s out, so I’ll just go home early and sleep. I’ll also check today’s feedback and do some self-reflection.”

“So I didn’t get to stream today either.”

“Guess not. If the diligent Choi Yena is going on dates, how many days off will you have a week? You’re losing your touch.”

“Hmph, then should I cancel the date and stream?”

Yena teased me, narrowing her eyes flirtatiously. Her healthy, tanned physique made my heart flutter a bit, making me say something different from what I intended.

“Go ahead.”

I liked this side of her. I was grateful that her essence hadn’t changed, even if the world had.

“Sorry. Got a little carried away. Please don’t cancel.”

Like Gaia, Yena, caught up in the moment, dramatically prostrated herself and clung to my pants, crying. Although it seemed a little genuine…

“I’m really going. See you tomorrow.”

I logged out, watching Gaia wave goodbye. Yena, sticking her tongue out at Gaia until the very end, seemed a bit childish.

After a few seconds of darkness, I opened my eyes to my familiar room.
My room, unchanged and lacking any sense of life.
The messy state I’d left it in, my phone left on from gaming or research.

“And.. Yena?”

“Well.. I logged in with your sister’s account today.. I was worried something might happen since it’s your first stream….”

“You could have told me if you were home. No need for excuses. You had good intentions. Probably wanted to have dinner together, right? It’s not like you did anything weird.”

Yena avoided my gaze. …Did she actually do something?

“Yena. Whatever it is, we’re friends.. Let’s confess?”

“It’s not like that! Anyway, see you in two days!”

Yena’s hasty escape, as if running away, was undeniably suspicious.
Acting like a thief with a guilty conscience…

“Hey, wait!”

“Bye!!!!”

As if to defy her hopes, my sister burst through the door at that moment, causing Yena to smack her face against it and crumple to the floor.

“Ouch..”

“Yena-unni, what are you doing? You look like a startled rat..”

Ah, she said it.
There’s a line, you know, and she’d kept quiet until now…

“Right? It’s like she snuck into the capsule without telling the owner.”

So, Yena, you didn’t get permission to use my sister’s capsule..
Seemingly forgetting the pain of hitting the door, Yena started sweating profusely, avoiding my sister’s gaze.

“Some people waited from the day before for oppa’s stream, even preparing viewer participation events, but someone inconsiderate made them quietly watch on their phone.”

If this were a game, Yena would be dead for sure. I could practically see her HP draining just from listening.

“And then, taking the manager position, constantly talking to oppa… I think we need to talk. Right?”

“W-WooSeok…”

Yena looked at me with teary eyes, her expression like a hero on the brink of death, powerless before the demon king.

“Oppa, you too, oppa. Do you know what the problem is?”

“Uh.. Me too?”

“For a guy to cosplay and stream like that… All the girls in the world…”

My sister raised her hand again to start her lecture, so I exchanged glances with Yena. It was clear she would keep at me until she was satisfied.

I signaled to Yena with my head that we should leave, then discreetly started to move. However, the moment she got out, Yena slammed the door shut and yelled an apology as she ran away.

“Sorry!!!!! I’ll remember!!”

“Choi Yena!!”

Naturally, my sister’s gaze snapped back to me, and I had to endure her reprimand until she was content.
I shouldn’t have helped a black-haired beast. I should have known when she shot the person who saved her.

“Oppa, are you even listening? As a man, you need to be careful about your behavior..”

Tonight seemed like it was going to be a long one.