171 - I Unknowingly Rejected My Favorite

EP.171 #171. Whoa... You're here? The first thing I noticed upon waking up was a slightly tingling muscle pain. Instinctively reaching for my lower back, I exhaled a breath mixed with pain. "Phew." It didn't strike me as odd. After all, yesterday was nothing short of a rigorous exercise marathon. In my relationship with Doa—or rather, have I ever exerted my back so intensely in my life? Even including my time in the military, I doubt I ever have. While I was complaining of the pain, Doa was breathing softly next to me, looking as peaceful as the world at peace. Her light, pastel pink lips. Underneath, on her neck, the marks from yesterday were still vividly there. Perhaps it was from the necklace being too tightly fastened. Though the marks remained, worried they might scar, I gently caressed her neck. "Mmh...!" At my touch, Doa twisted, as if telling me not to. I decided to let it go and got out of bed first. I pulled on some track pants and picked up the T-shirt I had tossed aside in a corner. While it felt lucky I had come across that novel, I thought perhaps it was time to stop reading it. If my insignificant curiosity made Doa uneasy, then stopping was the right thing to do. "...Oppa." A voice called from behind. Turning around, I saw Doa, pulling the blanket up, peeking at me with only her eyes showing. "...Morning?" Until dawn yesterday, we were master and slave. But the morning sunlight reset our relationship to its original form, like gravity. "...Pfft." Maybe Doa was thinking the same thing, as we met eyes and shared an awkward laugh. "You weren't planning on just dressing and sneaking out, were you?" "Of course not." "Suspicious." She squinted at me with tired eyes. "I was going to have breakfast before leaving." Sitting on the bed, I reached out to brush her bangs aside. "What time is it?" "I don’t know." I rummaged through the hoodie pocket for my phone to check the time. The little battery left had turned red, a warning that it would soon shut off. "It's past noon." "Thank goodness, it's not past 2." "Isn't 2 a bit too late?" I chuckled and asked, and Doa shook her head playfully. "No... Seeing how you were yesterday, even two days might not be enough rest." The memory of yesterday had my face burning. There were too many embarrassing scenes to explain with words. "Well... Are you hurt anywhere?" "Mmm... I don't think so." "That's a relief." The mark on her neck bothered me, but as long as she wasn't in pain, it was okay. "But oppa." "Hmm?" "Are you really... into that kind of thing?" "No, it was just a one-time thing; I don’t plan on doing it again." The fingers clutching the blanket twitched. "...Really? Then I won't do it again." Something told me if I said no here, such events would never happen again. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy it... Still, saying no might be for the best. "...Pervert." Before I could respond, hesitating, Doa called me out. "It's okay if you don’t." "Too late." "Really." "I saw 200% sincerity in your reaction yesterday, you know." The answer was clear, and all I could do was laugh. "Ah! Let's just eat!" The conversation had become too racy for noon. "What do you want to eat?" Doa puffed her cheeks but seemed to want me to decide. "Let's get pizza." I opened the delivery app and showed her mouth-watering pictures. Using food to steer away from tension seemed like a simple tactic, yet surprisingly effective. "...I like the ones with cheese crust." It worked well. When I stubbornly suggested ordering a weird pizza, Doa shook me by the collar, asking why and if I’d eaten something wrong. Yeah, getting through it this way was cheap and easy. We sat together watching YouTube on a tablet, devouring pizza due to hunger from last night's workout. "Take the leftovers with you, oppa." Doa wrapped the remaining slices in foil and handed them to me. "Why don’t you keep it?" "You paid for it, so why should I?" "Hey, we don’t worry about that kind of stuff between us." "Anyway, I already packed it for you." "Oh, talking back to your master!" It was a joke, but blushing, Doa playfully pushed me out. Even as the door shut with a bang, I couldn’t take my eyes off her and still wore a grin outside. "Ah, seriously cute." How can anyone be that cute? * * * Today was the official release day for Closer's second album. Even the teaser had stirred the internet, and now the full version would be released. With ten minutes to go, YM’s official channel chat was a torrent of messages. Of course, they were mostly nonsense. [I love Closer ♥ I love Closer ♥ I love Closer ♥ I love Closer ♥] [Please, let Jennifer have more screen time.] [Silver, protect our maknae, Humuling~] [OMG, look at all the people! LOL] This place was like a holy ground for collective monologues. Leaving the chat open, I sipped on the convenience store coffee. Phew... I was nervous... I was confident that the music video would turn out well. After all, it was by YM, and even the person involved, Doa, had told me to look forward to it, which spoke volumes. Nevertheless, I couldn't shake off the feeling similar to watching a daughter perform at a school play. Luka had decided to start her stream after the official video was released so we could watch together. I was already anxious about how much she might receive in donations today. The first album had been no joke, and with the fanbase having grown several times since then, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she might receive hundreds or even thousands in donations. After the mess of multi-lingual chats flooded the screen, the English logo illustration of Closer faded into black. The intro scene, which had already been revealed in the teaser, began to play. Five girls wearing shoes emerged, each donning a school uniform with slight variations, fitting the concept of attending the same school. Hoomling, the youngest member, took the lead. With her generally considered one of the weakest singers, she and Luka were usually featured at the beginning. [The warm spring has passed] [A hot summer approaches once more.] Hoomling's avatar, in her summer uniform, struck a pose as if wiping sweat from her brow while gazing up at the sky. I watched, holding my breath, eagerly awaiting Luka's appearance. Jennifer sang the next verse, and finally, Luka appeared. [Even when nothing goes right] [And everything seems to fall apart] Ah... No, this is unfair. Her outfit was a total cheat. I'd assumed they all wore different summer uniforms, but I was wrong. Inside the music video, Luka donned shorts that seemed quite brief for gym attire, running through a gymnasium. Her pink-haired avatar was poised, tossing a basketball with clasped hands. The ball missed the hoop, bouncing off and landing on her head. With a slightly clueless expression, she rubbed her head... Even knowing she wasn't really hit, and questioning whether Doa even filmed that segment, I couldn’t help but find the scene irresistibly cute. The chorus followed. In unison, Closer, in their teaser-revealed uniforms, moved in perfect sync with the choreography. Wow, even with close-ups, their skin was flawless, showcasing the advantages of the metaverse. This clear, unblemished appearance was truly what it meant. How could 3D possibly compare? The three minutes zipped by in the blink of an eye, and fans began dispersing into the individual streams of their favorite members. I joined that bustling crowd. If there were a physical form to the internet, we’d all be like the common commuters packed into a chaotic subway. When I entered Luka’s stream, what awaited us was... "Whoa... Are you here?" There she was, the pink-haired idol, dressed precisely in the gym outfit from the music video. My girlfriend.