The two avoided Mollu’s gaze as if it were a game of wits.
The target was Ryu-a.
“Ryu-a.”
“Uh, yeah?”
“When did you get so far away? Come sit here.”
Ji-eun gestured and patted the seat next to her.
Ryu-a was deeply touched that Ji-eun, who usually showed little reaction and rarely expressed her emotions, was displaying such behavior.
Yet, Ryu-a knew.
If she stepped into that space, it was game over. Just like Tex from earlier, she would be in trouble.
“Hey? Why aren’t you coming? I’m bored.”
“Just a moment…”
Ji-eun’s slightly furrowed brow, as if she would be disappointed if Ryu-a didn’t come, was too alluring.
It felt as if she had committed a significant mistake and that she must hastily fulfill Ji-eun’s request.
What did Ji-eun say again?
Ah, she said to come over.
Right, let’s go over there.
To the seat next to my beloved Ji-eun.
What was there to hesitate about?
It was a simple matter of getting up and taking a few steps.
As if entranced, Ryu-a had stood up and was about to walk when—
“Ryu-a! Snap out of it…!”
“Eh? Huh?”
“If you get dragged down too, it’s all over…!”
Ryu-a snapped back to reality at Papijoa’s whisper beside her.
That was close.
As she gazed at Ji-eun’s forlorn expression, she found herself swayed.
Now, in a sense, the restraints had come undone.
Her already powerful appearance had been somewhat restrained until now by her dry expression.
But not anymore.
Ji-eun’s face, glowing with happiness as if she found something delightful, was undoubtedly the most charming sight Ryu-a had seen.
‘No!’
With a clap—
Ryu-a almost lost her senses again.
She slapped her cheek lightly to regain focus.
“What should we do? If this continues, we’ll both end up like that…”
“There’s only one way…”
“What is it?”
Ryu-a murmured seriously.
“We have to feed Ji-eun and send her off first…”
It broke Ryu-a’s heart, but she thought this was the best option.
If Ji-eun caused both Ryu-a and Papijoa to collapse,
who would look after the delirious Ji-eun?
Even if the other team members were secondary, Ji-eun was the priority.
Recently, there had even been a stalking incident, and even without that, Ryu-a felt Ji-eun was constantly exposed to danger.
Because of her glaringly bright appearance.
It struck Ryu-a suddenly that Ji-eun must have suffered a lot all this time.
Despite some benefits from her appearance, Ryu-a sensed that Ji-eun’s twisted personality stemmed from her innate exterior.
Something must have happened in the past.
While Ryu-a was lost in thought, Papijoa whispered beside her.
“Indeed, that seems to be best…? We must control Mollu one way or another.”
“Let’s do it.”
The plan to get alcohol into Mollu’s hands was established.
First, they needed to get closer.
As Ryu-a moved toward Mollu, holding a glass and alcoholic drink,
“Are you two talking about something…?”
Mollu’s voice made Ryu-a turn her head.
Oh no, in concentrating on the operation, they had neglected the most critical target care.
Ji-eun had a sulky look on her face.
Pouting her cheeks and glaring cutely was oddly endearing.
Ryu-a wanted to run over and pat her head immediately.
No, that was wrong.
Ryu-a was currently supposed to be executing a plan.
She couldn’t get embroiled in emotions.
If they were mobilizing beauty tricks, it meant that the other side was also feeling rushed.
“You’re both having fun together… whispering to each other… do you both dislike me? Is that so…?”
Ji-eun sulked and lowered her head.
Ryu-a and Papijoa quickly denied it.
“No, it’s not like that…”
“Why would we dislike Mollu? We like you a lot.”
“Exactly. Ji-eun, you’re all I have! I can’t live without you!”
Ji-eun slowly raised her head.
The corners of her mouth, which had been downturned, had somehow risen again.
“You don’t dislike me…?”
“Of course not!”
“Absolutely!”
As Ji-eun’s face lit up, she again patted the seat next to her.
“Then come over. Play with me.”
That was a counterattack.
The meaning of asking to play didn’t require deeper consideration.
Just look at the drink shaking in Ji-eun’s hand.
Ryu-a spoke with a trembling voice.
“That’s a bit…”
“…Enough. You don’t have to lie. You really do dislike me, don’t you?”
Ji-eun sharply turned her head.
It seemed that Ji-eun’s mood was not improving.
If this continued, they wouldn’t be able to execute the plan at all.
What on earth should they do—
“Um, is it alright if I take a moment?”
Ryu-a’s worries, which had hit a dead end, began to shift direction with the sudden appearance of a man.
“I’m Burpee, a Switch streamer and YouTuber. I’m live right now; could I possibly film you?”
The man, politely asking while covering his phone camera with a selfie stick, looked rather well-known, as Papijoa recognized him from the side.
Ryu-a also felt a strong sense that she had seen him somewhere while fiddling with her phone.
“I kept seeing chat requests wanting to see Team Jackie, so I dropped by to check it out, but it looks like it might be tough.”
Burpee scratched his head, looking at the male members who had perished.
“They want to see our team?”
“Yes, Team Jackie is famous for various reasons. Most requests were for Mollu.”
“Me…?”
A woman crawled out from under the table, as if she had overheard the conversation between Burpee and Papijoa.
A brief silence filled the air from the sudden bizarre behavior.
As a professional streamer, Burpee quickly assessed the situation and spoke up.
“Are you Mollu…?”
“Yes, I’m Mollu…”
“It seems the rumors weren’t exaggerated.”
Burpee’s jaw dropped in awe at Ji-eun’s devastating appearance.
As Ryu-a regained her senses, she stepped forward to organize the situation.
“Um, I’m sorry, but she’s not in great shape, and it’s just me and Papijoa here who are fine. So, broadcasting might be a little difficult.”
“Unfortunately, it can’t be helped. Hopefully, there will be another opportunity—”
As Burpee began to withdraw and the atmosphere seemed to be closing, someone interjected.
“Broadcast…? Is it a broadcast?”
“Ah, Mollu. The viewers have been looking for you so much. But today might be tough. How about we try a broadcast together next time?”
“Why is today tough?”
Mollu tilted her head in confusion, prompting Burpee to reply calmly.
“Well, it’s because you and everyone else have been drinking…”
“Who’s drunk? Who gets drunk after one cocktail? I’m completely fine…! Just look at this.”
Then Ji-eun began to spin in a silly elephant pose as if proving she wasn’t drunk.
Everyone, including Burpee, was startled by Ji-eun’s unexpected behavior and rushed to stop her.
“Yes, you’re not drunk. I was mistaken.”
“Hehe. Right? I told you I’m not drunk. You have no idea how strong my alcohol tolerance is.”
“Haha, indeed, that’s true.”
At that moment, as Burpee slowly started to step back,
“Um… Burpee? V-Pee?”
“It’s Burpee, Mollu.”
“Yes, Burpee. Would you like to have a drink with me?”
“Haha, I’m fine. I already had enough over there.”
In any other situation, being asked to drink by such a beauty would have been a dream come true,
but Burpee instinctively knew he should not get caught up in this situation.
With tears in his eyes, he declined her invitation.
However, Mollu’s next words were enough to stop him in his tracks.
“Then how about we broadcast together…?”
“Yeah?”
“You asked earlier if you could broadcast. Were you not planning to film with that?”
Mollu wobbled and pointed to his phone.
“Ah, yes… that’s true, but are you okay with it?”
“Of course… but my face can’t be shown…”
When Ji-eun sent an okay sign, Ryu-a looked puzzled, as if asking what Ji-eun meant.
“Ji-eun, what do you mean? A broadcast?”
“Uh-huh… I want to broadcast. Since neither Ryu-a nor Papijoa are playing with me, I’m bored.”
Ji-eun whined as if she had regressed to a child.
On hearing her words, Ryu-a slapped her forehead.
It was exactly like saying one escapes a deer only to encounter a tiger.
Trying to smooth over an awkward situation only made it more awkward.
“I’m worried since it’s been three days since the last broadcast…”
My café might go up in flames…
Burpee, caught in the middle and unsure what to do, wore a troubled expression along with Papijoa.
And Ji-eun looked determined with a flush to her face.
There was no way around this.
“Then, we’ll just broadcast for a moment, okay?”
“Uh-huh… can it be longer?”
“But Burpee can’t stay here forever. You have to check out other places too.”
Recognizing the signal from Ryu-a’s grimace, Burpee hurriedly replied.
“Sure, I need to meet others besides Mollu. Maybe 10 minutes? 5? Should be enough.”
“Is that so…?”
“Shall we start the broadcast, then?”
Burpee took out his phone and began setting it up as Ji-eun muttered softly,
“Isn’t it too short?”
Seeing Ji-eun like that, Ryu-a thought.
Please let nothing happen.
