The after-party ended without any issues.
The atmosphere was cheerful, and everyone who met again after a long time had bright faces.
It was somewhat expected. As long as there were no personal problems, we all had been steadily heading upward in terms of our broadcasts.
The starting point of that upward trend was the Eo War streamer competition, which brought us closer together.
The truth is that free food is always delicious.
Tex, boasting about his first place, had gently lured in the beef. For someone with as small a stomach as I did, small portions like this were perfect, but good-tasting food was the best.
He must have paid a higher price than expected, but Tex looked perfectly unfazed. He surely was a big person. Judging by how smoothly he managed both broadcasting and his love life, it seemed like he had a different depth of heart than I did. He must have the luxury to spare a little to others.
While my life had improved significantly, including economically, my heart still wasn’t spacious enough to share a corner with someone else. Tex possessed what I lacked. Perhaps that’s why I felt a twinge of envy. The unconscious jealousy stemming from a petty mindset led to somewhat mischievous antics.
Even with the annoying pranks, Tex just laughed it off without getting angry. It was a clear display of his maturity. Now that he was in his 30s, perhaps he thought raising his voice over such matters was inappropriate.
As I continued my thoughts, I realized that I recognized myself as the 20-something woman Ji-eun. Unlike before, when I had to force my identity to fit, this realization felt completely natural.
The man in his similar age group, who had once had a thick growth of leg hair, had transformed into a beautiful young lady with smooth, fair skin.
And now, quite a bit of time had passed since I became this lady, and I had become more accustomed to this body.
The unusually developed senses and the heavy feeling in my chest with every step. The will of nature that came around once a month.
What I once found uncomfortable would now feel strange if absent.
If I were to turn back into a man, would I be able to adapt again?
However, that thought was fleeting as I felt a soft pressure enveloping me.
“Ugh…”
I turned my head to the side. Ryu-a was twisting her body and had draped her arms and legs over me. The sensation of pressure I was feeling came from her limbs.
This was something I was familiar with.
This had been the case the morning after the Switch party as well. The difference this time was the location and the composition of people.
I turned my head to the opposite side. It was Si-young. I wondered why she was sleeping here. The three of us were sharing a not-so-large space, so why did it have to be this way?
As if to prove that point, even though Si-young was the tallest among us three, she took up the least space while lying down. It was slightly crumpled, but she still kept her sleeping demeanor neat, contrasting with Ryu-a, who had laid her limbs over me.
What had caused me to drift into such thoughts? This was the scene I encountered as soon as I opened my eyes. It was awkward to squeeze out through the middle, so I had just stayed still, thinking.
So, what was the reason for this sleeping arrangement? I slowly retraced my memories.
First of all, the place we were in was my home. Why did we come to my house? Because it was the closest to the after-party venue.
And I wasn’t just a lone attendee; I had dragged along others.
– “Let’s go for round three, girls. Ji-eun’s house, let’s go~”
It was Ryu-a’s fault, who was sleeping soundly beside me. She had joyously declared my house as the place for the next round. Papijoa, representing the women, showed great interest since she had never been to my previous rental house or my newly settled home.
At that time, I was so tired that I agreed without a second thought. No, maybe I thought it would actually be easier that way. As long as I could get home, I could rest comfortably.
The third round after getting home. In reality, it was dubious to even call it a ‘third round’ since we hadn’t had any more drinks. The host was a lightweight when it came to alcohol.
We simply gathered in the living room and chatted, largely featuring stories about Papijoa’s romantic experiences.
From how she started dating Tex to how well he treats her now and what their future plans are.
Of course, since group talk like that wasn’t my specialty, I just languidly listened. It was fascinating to hear stories from a world I had never experienced.
Si-young also wasn’t very talkative, so she just stared blankly and occasionally chimed in. Naturally, the leading figure in our little discussion was Ryu-a.
The third round, led by Ryu-a, ended faster than expected. The reason was Ji-eun complaining about tiredness.
That meant I was sleepy.
With that settled, we had to decide where to sleep, and my house had two rooms.
One was the broadcasting room, and the other was the bedroom with a queen-size bed.
Whenever people came over to my house, Ji-yeon had expressed a desire to sleep hugging her older sister, so there was only one queen-size bed.
And there was a small empty beanbag in the living room. One sleeping bag was in the broadcasting room.
The sleeping bag resulted from somewhat impulsive shopping. Fueled by my camping aspirations, I had unknowingly ordered it without realizing. By the time I came to my senses, delivery had already started.
In the end, the sleeping bag had remained in the broadcasting room, occasionally serving as my blanket.
Four people, one decent sleeping arrangement— a bed for two, one in the beanbag, and one in the sleeping bag. This seemed like the best arrangement.
Of course, the worst option among them would undoubtedly be the sleeping bag. Compared to the comfy beanbag, sleeping on the floor was a bit uncomfortable. It was fine for me, though, as I had gotten used to it by now.
Thus, I decided it was reasonable to sleep in the sleeping bag. Having become accustomed to it, and considering the others were guests in my house, what kind of bad host would I be to offer just a sleeping bag?
So I crawled into the sleeping bag and requested how the three of them should split the beanbag and bed.
– “First of all, Ji-eun looks tired, so let’s get her in first.”
My opinion was lightly dismissed, and I was forced into the bedroom. As they carefully tucked me under the blankets for warmth, my tired mind simply shut down.
When I woke up, this was the situation.
I dared to guess that the original bed occupants had probably been determined to be me and Si-young.
I had deliberately left the inside spot open while sleeping, inviting anyone who wanted in.
After realizing my intent, Si-young might have come in late to claim the inner spot.
Given her personality, she would have done her best to use as little space as possible so as not to disturb my sleep.
Later, Ryu-a must have invaded the space, as she was now sprawled out on the far end.
When I lifted my head slightly, it confirmed my guess as I spotted a sleeping bag sprawled across the bedroom floor. I guess the sleeping situation had been quite uncomfortable for her if she felt the need to encroach on the bed. Perhaps Ryu-a, having grown up with a sense of privilege, had never slept on the floor.
People like that sometimes exist.
“…”
In any case, that was the state of affairs, and it was time to wake up. This was because staying in one position for too long had begun to make my arms and legs numb. It wouldn’t be too bad while sleeping, but now that I was awake, it was more than I could bear.
Not knowing whether to wake Ryu-a next to me, I was pondering when I heard a light knock.
“Knock, knock.”
A short knock. Moments later, the bedroom door opened.
“Are you all up? I’m coming in!”
It was Papijoa’s voice. She looked slightly taken aback when she entered and saw the state of the bedroom.
“Why is Ryu-a sleeping here…?”
Prompted by her gestures to wake up, Ryu-a stirred.
Papijoa, nice assist.
*
“Ugh…”
A refreshing feeling swept through me, and I let out a natural sound.
Ryu-a, who was next to me, teased, “You sound like an old man. My dad does that when he eats.”
Well, I used to be an old man. Sipping soup like this and holding back my sounds wasn’t exactly courteous.
“Is it seasoned well?”
“It’s the best, the best.”
I gave a thumbs up to Papijoa, who smiled back at me.
On this late morning, Papijoa rolled up her sleeves to take over my kitchen for those who had been drinking, and what came out was this beef soup. I wondered when she had gone grocery shopping, as she pulled out dried pollack from my fridge, which I didn’t remember having, and in no time set the table.
The smell that started wafting was unusual; this kid had tremendous power. A refreshing broth like this would be perfect for a hangover.
“Mollu didn’t drink much but seems to be enjoying it the most?”
Now that I thought about it, that was true. Due to my earlier display, I barely touched alcohol. I only felt a bit light-headed, but I didn’t need a hangover remedy.
Nevertheless, with soup like this, I could enjoy it without having to drink. There’s nothing better than a clear broth to start the day.
With those thoughts in mind, I joked, “Papijoa, can I marry you? I don’t want to give this up for Tex.”
“Mollu really talks like an old man,” she said.
Is that so? These days, it seemed like I spoke even more stream-of-consciousness.
Looking over to hear the others’ opinions, I saw Ryu-a wearing a serious expression.
Si-young also stirred her spoon, seemingly deep in thought.
“Does Ji-eun like someone who cooks well…?”
Ryu-a suddenly blurted that out.
Do I like someone who cooks well? Of course.
“On a yes-or-no basis, it’s better if they’re good at it.”
I’d thought about this a lot when I was drinking more often. Every morning, I would clutch my sore stomach and wish someone would cook me a hangover soup. There’s a reason those proposal lines existed about cooking me soybean paste stew every morning.
“Right, that makes sense… Cooking is important,” she replied, seeming to reach some decision upon hearing my answer. Was she thinking of learning to cook?
Cooking isn’t bad. These days, both men and women cook well.
I even thought of picking it up a bit. I couldn’t always eat soy sauce and egg rice, and it seemed more efficient to learn myself than to look for someone who would prepare breakfast for me every day.
The teacher in front of me must be Papijoa. After all, she’s the one who made the soup that triggered these thoughts.
It seemed I wasn’t the only one with this thought as Si-young also spoke up.
“Could you share the recipe with us?”
Si-young said, glancing subtly at me. I felt a strange sense of kinship in her gaze.
So you feel the same way too.
