167 - I Unknowingly Rejected My Favorite

EP.167 #167. Do You Watch That? It wasn't something I hadn't heard before. But today. Especially with the launch of our second album just around the corner and everyone chattering about it, I never expected it to be mentioned then. [Uh...] Oh, wait. I shouldn't have let my voice falter like that. I should have smoothly brushed it off, but instead, I was internally yelling "Oops!" to myself while standing there in a daze. [You don't know?] Yeah. This is the best route. Play the ignorance card. [We can't access the personal information of the winners.] [Anyhow. Back to what we were talking about, for the second album, there were scenes we filmed all together with the members, right? And during that, our sister Rover...] Sorry, sister Rover. I didn't want to throw you under the bus, but we needed something sensational to grab the viewers' attention. [Suddenly, there was a noise? Something like a fart sound echoing loudly.] For a moment, the murmurings about RKRO paused. The viewers in our live stream room burst into laughter, completely absorbed in my story. [No, seriously. We were all like, what was that? Sister, with your demure image... could it be...? No... right?] Wow. I might get dragged into a private voice chat after this. I'm sure Taemin oppa is watching this too. I hope he can appreciate my tearful efforts. [She kept insisting it wasn't, saying it was just the chair making that sound, but you know, once a frame is set, that's where it ends.] [Even Lea joined in, totally breaking sister's mental guard.] Ah, forget it. Sorry, Mingna~ I sold you all out~ [lololololololol] [Rover Rover...] [Luka, are you okay with this?] Oh, forget it. It's because you guys keep saying weird stuff that I can't help it. After wrapping up about an hour of the broadcast, I checked my voice chats and was instantly covered in goosebumps. [...Luka-tang.] Being tagged in blue text means someone is calling you out. I thought about pretending to forget and just going home... but... sigh... [Yes? Sister? Why'd you call me?♥] I wasn't normally one to act cute, but today I might need to crank it up twice. Or maybe even three times. [I heard something strange during the live stream~] [Reeeally~? Luka-tang doesn't really know~] [Kim Luka.] ...Ah. Why the serious face. Scary. [Yup.] But I, with impeccable timing, realized this was my cue to kneel. [Wasn't it agreed we wouldn't bring that up?^^] [Ahaha... well... the viewers were just sooo curious about any interesting behind-the-scenes stories~] [Oh, so you sold out your sister!!!!!] A voice-chat like experience. I immediately sent an apologetic bowing emoji. [I'm soooorryyy!!!] [Hey! And I've told you countless times it's not a fart!] [lololololol Whoa, I was going to spill the beans first anyway.] Muring suddenly crashed in, laughing, sending messages like a mischievous viewer. Gosh... Humoring... Why are you laughing... Seems you enjoy seeing sister get what she deserves. Huh? Finally, Jennifer sister appeared, laughing. Lea must have gone to sleep, as she was nowhere to be seen. I was dragged into the voice chat and thoroughly scolded for over two hours after the broadcast, only able to return home afterward. A message from oppa awaited me on my phone. [Are you home now?] [...? Why aren't you picking up?] [??? Are you busy with work?] I knew he sent it out of concern, but I couldn't help feeling a bit resentful, so I pressed the call button. [Hello?] [Oppa.] [Hm? Where are you now?] [At the studio.] [The broadcast ended ages ago. Why aren't you home yet?] [Got scolded by sister Rover.] Oppa burst out laughing, seemingly understanding. [You're laughing? Is this funny to you?] Who am I selling out for? You know? [Ah, sorry. Need me to pick you up?] [...Come quick.] [Sure. Just hang on a bit.] Yet even after telling him to come, the fact that he immediately rushed over late at night... I couldn't possibly stay mad at oppa. "Doa." His voice came through from outside the door. Having already prepared to leave, I deliberately opened the door slowly. "...Hmph." "Ah. Why are you sulking at me?" "Oppa, you have no idea how much I went through today." "I do. Of course, I do." He naturally wrapped his arms around my waist and hugged me tightly. "Let's go home." I pestered oppa the entire way home, not giving him a moment's peace. * * * Since the contest, I had become more familiar with Yoonje, ending up at gatherings he invited me to from time to time. I was also becoming more comfortable because I knew that without Yoonje's help, I wouldn't have received the award or met the mentor I have now. Today's meetup was at a world beer shop near my house. As I entered and looked around, he raised his hand to catch my attention. "Hey! Han Taemin! Over here!" "Oh, yeah." He was munching on peanuts and had already started drinking, sipping on his beer. "So, what's up with this sudden meetup?" "Hey, I got dumped." "By who?" "Remember that girl I was kind of seeing?" Without waiting for me to ask, Yoonje began to recount his sob story about him and her. "A real piece, huh?" "Yeah, she's kind of something else." "I mean... Ah. That should've been a definite green light, right?! We were messaging every day, exchanging gifts. Damn... sigh..." I've noticed that people asking for empathy have become more frequent these days. "Ah. I thought I was going to seal the deal this time." I understood exactly what he meant by "end it" and merely sipped my beer in response instead of offering any words. "That's rough. But you know, there are other fish in the sea." "Ugh~ Han Taemin~ You annoying bastard. With a face like yours, doors just open automatically, don't they?" ...I'd never asked for those doors to open, but it was indeed problematic that they just did. Thinking it pointless to argue, I patted his shoulder instead of responding. "Hey, did you read it?" "Read what?" "The thing I recommended to you last time." "Oh... yeah..." I found myself checking the surroundings out of habit. The topic he was about to broach was something quite scandalous and should not be overheard by just anyone. "It's intense, right?" "Honestly, you made such a fuss over it, I checked it out grudgingly." His previously dull eyes lit up with excitement. "Yeah." "But it was pretty surprising." "See? That author is incredible, right?" The thing Yoonje had introduced me to was surprisingly an adult novel. A web novel titled "I Captured Her" on Novel World. "How far did you get?" "I'm on the second..." "Man, the fourth heroine is something else. She's hot." "...Is that so?" It was definitely a new experience. Texts weren't a medium I was particularly fond of, so I rarely read anything at all. I was more likely to read manga or watch anime. Books just didn't interest me. And to satisfy those shadowy desires, well, videos were the go-to. Since dating Doa and getting intimate, the frequency had dropped significantly, but it wasn't like I could always call her over. Both our schedules and moods had to align. It's not like I could enforce my desires every time. I had ignorantly thought that those with girlfriends wouldn't need to resort to such means, and looking back now, that seemed quite naive. "You have to see it through to the end." "If I have time." "Just don't let Doa catch you." "Obviously." I had never been caught with adult videos before. But watching this, I wondered if maybe being caught with videos might've been better. Who would've guessed taming through seduction could be this provocative? "Ahh... I have to go now. I have class first thing tomorrow." Though it was a mere 10 o'clock - early for a drinking session - Yoonje got up to leave. Not planning to stay much longer myself, I went to the counter, paid, and returned. Parting ways after saying goodbye, I returned home only to be startled by shoes that weren't mine. "...Doa?" Wait, was she at my place? The sound of a blanket rustling followed. In pajamas, she seemed ready to sleep, clearly planning to stay over. "Couldn't you have told me if you were coming?" "Who tells you in advance about a surprise inspection?" "Surprise inspection?" "You've been hanging out with Yoonje oppa a lot lately, so I'm here to keep an eye on you." Doa, with her hands on her hips and cheeks puffed up. While some might find the situation displeasing, I just found her adorable. "Hey, I wouldn't do anything behind your back." "Phone." She held out her hand. "What, you want my phone?" "Yes. I'll just check who you've been contacting." Reluctant but having no reason to worry, I handed it over willingly. I expected her to just check it on the spot and return it promptly... "O... Oppa." Her voice suddenly sounded flustered. Having no idea why, I calmly asked her. "Yeah? What's up?" "...What's this?" Ah, damn. I forgot to close that. What Doa showed me was the novel World tab still open in the recent apps list.