“Second round, second. Don’t say we can’t go. I’m a bit sober now.”
The streets were lively even at this late hour after dinner.
Above the well-decorated lights, laughter filled the air, echoing with the sound of “wa-ha-ha.”
Papijoa felt she could somewhat understand Mollu’s words that the real party starts at night.
Jackie’s team was just as chattery as everyone else on the street.
Perhaps because everyone had a glass of high-ABV wine, they all seemed to be in a good mood.
Leading the group was Ryu-a, who stood out the most with a gleam in her eyes.
Though Ryu-a was the youngest in the team along with Mollu, she felt like the absolute youngest.
That was because Mollu had an aura that made her seem older than her age.
Not only Ryu-a but the entire team was surprised to find out they were the same age.
Her behavior wasn’t recklessly carefree, and it was at least manageable.
Rather, Cheol-woo and Jackie, who were among the older members of the team, could only view Ryu-a’s antics cutely.
Tex, who had come up with Ryu-a, sighed lightly and asked her.
“Your face color looks fine now, but why are you staring like that?”
“Am I lying down? What’s wrong with my eyes?”
With her half-open eyes scanning the surroundings, Ryu-a suddenly grinned and moved as if she had spotted something.
Perhaps due to the wine she had been drinking, her face had a light blush as she seemed lost in the night city’s scenery.
Ryu-a thought it looked just like a beautiful painting, and she wasn’t the only one; those who noticed her within Mollu’s vicinity stopped in their tracks for just a moment to stare.
Like a hunter after prey, Ryu-a dashed toward her target.
Despite her appearance, she buried her head on the shoulder of a woman who was shorter than her.
Mollu, who stood behind her, remained motionless as Ryu-a hugged her and rubbed her face against hers without any reaction.
Under normal circumstances, that would have felt boring.
Usually, she would tease Mollu for not being fun and distance herself from the hug.
Even this indifferent reaction felt so natural with Mollu that Ryu-a found herself wanting to act spoiled unconsciously.
“Ji-eun. You’re coming for the second round, right? Let’s go, okay?”
Ji-eun was of similar height to Ryu-a, who was often evaluated by her friends as small and easily clingy.
There was a strange pleasure in being the one who initiated the action while always being the one that clung.
Ryu-a clung to Ji-eun, making a racket, and even though Ji-eun had previously been unresponsive, she turned her head and spoke.
“The second round… I personally don’t care since I live in Seoul, but is it okay for you? You live in Busan, right?”
“Yeah, Ji-eun, let me sleep at your place. I want to go there.”
“That’s a bit…”
Embarrassment leaked through Ji-eun’s typically expressionless face.
The drooping corners of her eyes matched her cold impression and were very attractive.
As Ryu-a admired her face earnestly, she shook her head.
“I’m joking; I already reserved a room in advance. So we’ve got to go for the second round, right?”
Only then did Ji-eun relax her face and nod.
Ryu-a could only smile like a fool, looking at her.
<Is this where it cuts off? LOL, legendary>
If lucky during the broadcast, maybe the gallery master’s face would be leaked. K.
Mollu’s Yuksu: Does Mollu look like a loser? Even if it does, everything is calculated, and there’s absolutely no chance of a leak.
ㄴ Ricardo: Your level is funny lol.
ㄴ Mollu’s Yuksu: Your face.
ㅇㅇ: You idiots.
<Please refrain from reckless broadcasting.>
Well, everyone, I don’t know who this streamer named Mollu is, but since this is the Dragon Lord gallery, why not talk about Dragon Lord?
Every single thought you have about the gallery helps create a clean community.
ㅇㅇ: Yeah, shut up~ Mollu is the gallery, and the gallery is Mollu itself. Praise Moll-Hwang.
ㅇㅇ: Why are you speaking formally in the gallery? It sounds so creepy.
ㅇㅇ: Broadcasting is over the line, but the person writing is already out of the loop since they don’t know Mollu.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ: If you don’t know Mollu, just leave for real.
ㅇㅇ: The gallery has completely been taken over by Mollu lol.
<Why are you all making a fuss about something trivial? lol>
Did Mollu go to the drinking party without leaving a notice?
Did it really have to be in the same space as male streamers after 10 PM?
Did she wear pretty clothes unusual for her and only notice the sleeves?
Did she speak in that slightly intoxicated voice from the beginning?
Lol, why is there so much commotion…?
ㅇㅇ: Hide, hide!
ㅇㅇ: This guy has a conceptual Yuksu, the real Yuksus are in the midst of watching reruns of the streamer while trying to figure out where the bar is.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ: That’s not a Yuksu; that’s a stalker, right?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ: True lol.
ㅇㅇ: I can feel the seriousness in the author’s last line with the number of dots, it’s scary.
ㅇㅇ: You crazy idiots… you probably never watched it from the beginning, yet you’re making so much noise. I watched from the start, promoted, donated, and subscribed since it was Hakkō, and I’m special. You just pollute the chat.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ: Mollu is working hard for her money…
ㄴ ㅇㅇ: Being a Yuksu is not easy lol.
<Real fans don't write here; they write in the cafe.>
All the kids causing a ruckus over Mollu are trolls lol.
ㅇㅇ: But the cafe is so stifling… I have to write everything formally.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ: Why does this guy talk like that? Is he gay?
ㅇㅇ: Think of it as wearing a mask; it’s more comfortable.
ㅇㅇ: The current cafe isn’t much different from here, what are you talking about lol.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ: Seriously, why are they all unmasking and acting like that?
The late-night broadcast of Jackie’s team, lasting just over 20 minutes, caused a significant stir in the community.
<...Did you just wake up? How much did you drink?>
“I didn’t drink much at all. I just came home late last night.”
Waiting for me with only a vague memory of coming in before dawn was a phone call from my very angry younger sibling.
Feeling a strange déjà vu about this situation, I responded to my sister’s furious words like an answering machine.
<Don't lie. You drank a lot again, didn't you? I asked you to contact me when you get home.>
Whether I couldn’t lie or Ji-yeon’s intuition was just good, I was currently dealing with the consequences of falling into a blurry stupor from being heavily drunk.
“I’m sorry I didn’t contact you; I fell asleep right away because I was tired from coming home late. But I really didn’t drink much. Maybe just a few glasses of wine.”
<That's not the point. You're going to meet people you've never seen before; why would you be so careless? >
“There were two other girls besides me. They’re all my team members.”
<But what if you went there and it was just guys? >
“I was told they’d all come by contact. Seriously, you’re worrying too much, Ji-yeon.”
It’s reckless to broadcast without fear. What if your face gets revealed? Or if someone from the viewers shows up at the place where I’m streaming?
“Then I might as well show my face, it wouldn’t be bad for viewers to increase-.”
<Sis!! >
“I’m joking, why are you so mad? I have no intention of revealing my face. I’ve been careful to stream without showing my face; what’s the deal?”
Even in this moment, I felt like there were too many viewers, and I had no reason to add fuel to that fire.
Sometimes I even miss the days when there were fewer viewers.
The first broadcast, chatting with 800 people in a cozy setup, back and forth with jokes…
In fact, 800 was already an overly generous number for me.
As I pondered over this trivial thought, I heard a sniffle through my phone.
<Sis, it’s always like this. Always, you never listen to me. I’ve been up all night... Sigh… it’s just me...>
No, Ji-yeon. What do you expect me to do if you just keep pouring it on?
Was it said that knowing your enemy and knowing yourself means you will never lose?
The theory that if you know your enemy and yourself, you will never be defeated.
But in this case, I wasn’t the subject.
Ji-yeon knew my weaknesses so well, and I knew nothing about my younger sibling.
This significant gap ultimately led to defeat, and I was once again giving up my precious personal time.
She mentioned we should go to Eun-ha’s shopping mall again, and that she would keep contacting me.
<It’s already completely winter; you should buy some clothes too. You’ll catch a cold. >
“I’m fine-.”
<Hmm. >
I couldn’t overcome Ji-yeon’s subtle persistence, and I couldn’t guard my wardrobe, which was looking like it could burst open with clothes all strewn about.
I’m sorry; please endure just a little longer. I’m feeling too lazy to organize my clothes right now.
Is there a reason to buy more clothes when winter outfits look good on me?
I don’t go out much, and the more clothes I have, the messier it gets.
Ji-yeon didn’t seem to think that way, emphasizing it several times.
Just like before, where does she get all that money from?
It seems that our parents’ wealth is more than what I’ve been able to see.
<Are you going to go with me when you have time later? >
With an indefinite promise made with Ji-yeon, I lay down on the bed and picked up my phone.
Rising late in the afternoon, experiencing a bit of a hangover from last night’s alcohol, I logged into the community out of habit.
Oh, I remembered that I had opened a cafe – it was my fan cafe created by Si-young.
I entered a space meant solely for discussing me.
“What is this?”
I was faced with a flaming hell.
