episode_0155

Arriving on the 15th floor, Jung Dayoung took the lead and opened the door to her own home.

“I’m back~”

“Oh, hello. Please come in.”

As Jung Dayoung greeted and entered, Kim Daeyoon followed suit with a greeting.

But as Jung Dayoung observed their actions, she couldn’t help but chuckle.

“No one’s here. I just greeted out of habit.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Why the disappointed look?”

While Kim Daeyoon thought he was relieved, he might have unknowingly hoped for a warmer reception.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I was just a bit nervous, but now I’m fine…”

“Well, welcome to our home. It’s a first for me to bring a guy home since high school…”

“Huh?!”

“Oh, no. I didn’t bring anyone home in middle school either.”

Jung Dayoung suddenly realized that she had never brought anyone home wherever she went out to play. That was probably because her mom didn’t like it when she brought people home back then.

Of course, her mom here wasn’t Jung Doyeon.

“Consider it an honor.”

“Yeah.”

Kim Daeyoon looked around the room, turning his head here and there.

“Why are you looking around like that? The structure is the same for units in the same building anyway.”

It was true that apartment structures were the same. Even if they were remodeled, the basic framework couldn’t be changed, so the upper and lower units had the same design.

“Still, it’s fascinating, you know.”

“What is?”

“If you think about it, this is where the nerd lives, anyone would think it’s a sacred place, right?”

“Oh! A pilgrimage!”

If she considered herself virtuous, then the house where the nerd lived was definitely a sacred place.

“Is that so? Haha.”

“Well, just kidding. Anyway, please have a seat on the sofa in the living room. I’ll change my clothes and bring some drinks.”

“Okay.”

“Oh, give me your bag. I’ll hang it in my room.”

“Huh? Oh, no need. I can hold onto it…”

Before he could finish speaking, Jung Dayoung grabbed his bag and went straight into her room.

Left alone in the living room, Kim Daeyoon felt extremely uneasy being left alone in this unfamiliar space. He kept looking around nervously. Eventually, Jung Dayoung sat on the sofa as she pleased, took a deep breath, and began to carefully inspect the house.

First, the living room. A large frame hung above the TV in front. It seemed to be a family photo commonly found in homes. Two women and one man. While Jung Dayoung and Mamang were familiar to him, the other young man who looked like a teenager had a slightly colder impression. However, Kim Daeyoon could see some resemblance to Mamang in the overall facial features and impression, so he guessed that he was Jung Dayoung’s younger brother.

“He’s good-looking too.”

By now, it was certain that the genes in this household were exceptional.

“But where’s the father…?”

And now that he thought about it, yesterday Mamang’s face had stiffened for a moment when asked about his father on the broadcast. From Mamang’s hesitant tone, it was clear that there was some issue with the father in this household.

“No, wait. According to what Mamang said, the mother had an affair and the father accepted it. But the way my parents describe Jung Dayoung’s mother, it’s definitely not Mamang. So, the incident the day before yesterday was puzzling.”

What on earth happened?

Kim Daeyoon vaguely speculated that perhaps Jung Dayoung’s father had remarried, and Mamang was the new stepmother… but given yesterday’s remarks and the close relationship between Jung Dayoung and Mamang, it was hard to think that way.

“Ah!”

Could it be? Has Mamang been close with Dayoung since before, so how did he end up getting along with my father and even remarrying? Then what about my dad? Could he have been deceived by Mamang? No, maybe Mamang took advantage of my father remarrying shortly after and took care of the children out of a sense of responsibility? It’s not even like a comic.

And on top of that, the stepmother has already caught a young man in his twenties so stunningly that no one can say a word?

I briefly entertained such thoughts, but as expected, nothing was certain.

There was nothing good about delving into other people’s family affairs. However, family photos in front of my eyes, conversations we had at home the day before, all these things kept stirring up curiosity in my mind.

Well, anyway, it seems like Jung Dayoung’s family situation is quite complicated.

Thinking like that, Kim Daeyoon felt a bit of sympathy.

What can I say, Jung Dayoung always shows a bright side on broadcasts… No, Jonglaeng, I never imagined he had such pain. But seeing it like this, it seems that streamers are no different from comedians.

Even if they lose a parent the day before recording, or if their mother gets cancer, comedians are destined to keep laughing.

What about me among comedians?

Streamers are the same. Anyone can watch a show that is enjoyable and happy, but if the host of that show shows sadness or difficulty, who will watch that show?

Even if you’re a broadcaster, you’re not made of iron, so showing a weak side might make you feel more human and friendly and help you grow as a broadcaster. However, if that sadness, that difficulty, exceeds the level that viewers can accept, then from that point on, viewers will get tired. Saying that viewers are tired is synonymous with saying that they won’t look for that broadcaster anymore.

In fact, these days, families without parents, raised by grandparents, or even great-grandparents, are so common that they are no longer considered unusual.

Whether Mamang raised a child as a single mother, or whether the father was there but left, in any case, the children cannot be without scars, and knowing that fact made Kim Daeyeon feel a sense of sympathy.

With a slightly heavier heart, Kim Daeyoon looked around the living room again.

Other than the family photos, there was a wall-mounted TV, a soundbar on the shelf below, some decorations, a large rug on the floor, and a small balcony where laundry could be hung. Turning his head to the left, he could see the kitchen, and just before the entrance to the kitchen, it seemed that Jung Dayoung had gone in, so that must be Jung Dayoung’s room. And next to Jung Dayoung’s room, facing the entrance to the kitchen, there was a door, which might be the master bedroom. He used that part of his house as the master bedroom. When you entered from the front door, you came out into the living room on the left, but if you went to the right, there was a bathroom and a room, which was probably Jung Dayoung’s younger sibling’s room.

By the way, Kim Daeyoon’s room was also located near the bathroom, in a place that was presumed to be Jung Dayoung’s younger sibling’s room.

Having seen everything there was to see and feeling a bit bored, he just sat quietly, then took out his phone. Thinking about playing a game or something, he ended up just browsing through YouTube since he didn’t know when Jung Dayoung would come out.

“Ah, earphones.”

Realizing that he had left his earphones in his bag and couldn’t watch videos as he pleased, Kim Daeyoon entered his YouTube channel studio. He checked the video he had planned to upload today once again, thinking that if everything was fine, he should make it public.

-Click.

At that moment, Jung Dayoung opened the door and entered the living room.

“Ah!”

Unexpectedly, at an unexpected timing, the door suddenly opened, leaving Kim Dae-yoon flustered as he dropped his phone from his hand. Desperately trying to catch the falling phone, he reached out his hand, only to miss it.

– Thud!

His reaching hand missed and the phone flew off into the distance.

And then.

“Senior, I’ve been waiting for you… huh?”

Jeong Da-young picked up the phone that had fallen from his hand.

“Oh!”

And then, looking flustered, she quickly approached him.

“This is…”

She picked up the phone and checked the screen.

“No way!! Senior likes seaweed soup?”

Jeong Da-young asked, looking at Kim Dae-yoon with wide eyes.

In response, Kim Dae-yoon, with mixed emotions, replied.

“Yes. I like… no, seaweed soup.”

“Wow… amazing.”

“Sorry.”

Jeong Da-young, with a cold look, stared at him after Kim Dae-yoon’s sudden joke.

“Hmph, it’s really surprising. The senior living upstairs turns out to be a fan of ‘My Little Seaweed’? But it’s not a novel, it’s an essay?”

She was almost saying the same lines she had thought before I came to her house.

“What can I say? The fact that the streamer I used to watch is now my junior living downstairs would sell better these days, right? Anyway, most light novels are aimed at male readers.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“By the way…”

As he regained his composure enough to joke, Kim Dae-yoon looked at her outfit.

What can I say.

She’s pretty.

I had only seen her in a school uniform every time (even though I had only seen her from a distance within the school, and had only seen her since the day before yesterday when we got entangled), seeing her in casual clothes gave me a very different feeling.

She was wearing a white t-shirt with a brownish sleeveless dress on top, which felt very innocent… but at the same time, it had a volume that made it feel very sensual.

“How do I look? Is it okay?”

Jeong Da-young asked, looking at her outfit.

“Oh, no. It’s fine.”

“Just fine?”

“Yes, it’s pretty!”

Satisfied with his answer, Jeong Da-young smiled and nodded.

“Well. Anyway, are you thirsty? Juice, milk, water, or coffee. What do you like?”

“Um… coffee?”

In fact, he liked juice, but for some reason, he felt that would be too childish, so he just answered coffee.

Without saying anything, she smiled at Kim Dae-yoon and then went straight to the kitchen. And a little while later, holding the drinks for Kim Dae-yoon and herself on a tray, she went to the living room… and instead of coming out, she headed straight to her room.

“Follow me.”

“Uh, um? Isn’t that… your room?”

“Well, then, should we keep talking there until my little brother comes?”

Indeed, the handsome boy from earlier seemed to be her little brother. But more importantly.

“Oh, no matter what.”

“Huh? Why is your face turning red? What, you’re not thinking weird things, are you? Then you should go back home right now.”

“Oh, no, it’s not like that!”

Provoked by her, Kim Dae-yoon stood up and followed her into her room.

Seeing that, Jeong Da-young said.

“It’s too easy.”