Ch.216216 – The Phantom of the Opera 1

# 216 – The Phantom of the Opera # 1

“Ah, I messed up again! No, I definitely pressed jump!”

[CaveBigSquirrel: lol has-been]

[BeakyRaccoon: Argh my molars are going to break]

[RumblingBarkBark: Apologize!]

“So that’s all for today’s stream.”

Click-

After ending the broadcast, Kwon Sua stretched with a languid feeling.

She made a huge yawn while making an “awuwawuwauwa-” sound, and she looked so free that I felt refreshed just watching her.

“Good job with the stream today.”

I handed Sua an ion drink after she finished her day’s work.

Sua gulped down the drink without even taking a breath. I wondered where all that liquid went. She must have some kind of pouch in her body to store drinks. Not just one, but probably two.

“This game was especially difficult because it’s a physical game. It’s a game where you just jump to climb a tower, but it really makes people angry! And I can’t swear during the broadcast!”

Kwon Sua, originally an idol, was a master of thorough self-management even after becoming an internet broadcaster. She said that showing her best to her viewers was the professional attitude of someone who gets paid.

“Next time, should we try a game we can play together? A Ha Yeongwon special! We could buy something like a Nintendo and play Mario Festival! With Dahui and Juhui too!”

Yu Dahui and Yang Juhui occasionally appeared on Kwon Sua’s broadcasts. Bong Jiyeon, Jin Seoyeon, and Jeongseok also sometimes appeared on her streams.

By the way, the MeTube video with Congressman Jeongseok had the highest number of views. People must have been curious about an idol-turned-broadcaster being friends with a young congressman.

“I’ll pass.”

I liked getting attention but was also embarrassed by it. I guess the current level was just right for me. And wouldn’t I be a burden to Kwon Sua if I appeared on her broadcast?

“Female streamers lose viewers when they reveal they have boyfriends. If we broadcast together, wouldn’t people dislike that?”

“Tsk tsk, Yeongwon, you’re still a novice. I’m past that stage. That might have been true when I was an active idol, but now I’m at the stage where I need to milk family and romance content!”

Kwon Sua seemed to be worried about her declining viewership lately.

“There are too many pretty young girls these days! And so many new idols debuting! Some people even ask who Kwon Sua is nowadays!”

Having her name forgotten seemed to be a big shock to Sua.

Since it’s been a long time since she debuted and was active as an idol, her fame might naturally decline compared to junior idols who are currently rising in popularity.

“In the past, all idols were older than me. But nowadays, most celebrities are younger than me. I’m really getting old.”

Twenty-five-year-old Kwon Sua seemed to think she was getting old. Her face looked somewhat lost in nostalgia and regretful.

Kwon Sua retired as an idol at the peak of her career at seventeen.

She transferred to Yeongji High School and spent ordinary days with us until graduation. They were truly ordinary days.

The only unusual thing was that whenever we heard rumors about ghosts, we would go there to defeat them and earn points.

We went to the beach together during vacations and studied together during exam periods. Looking back, my second and third years of high school were simply enjoyable.

But while spending that time, I also wondered if it was okay for everyone to spend their school days like this.

Taking Kwon Sua as an example, I wondered if it was the right choice to quit being an idol who received cheers from people and live like an ordinary person.

“Do you sometimes want to go back on stage?”

“Sometimes.”

Kwon Sua seemed to be lost in memories of being surrounded by countless people and receiving cheers on stage. Then she giggled.

“Once a year. Just that much. For the other 364 days, I mostly want to stay home and play games. I like staying home, eating, and having fun. I’m a grasshopper by nature.”

“It is nice to have fun.”

“So let’s get married quickly and have fun rolling around with our massive wealth!”

Pat-!

Kwon Sua pounced on me.

Before I could block her, she hugged me and bit my chest with her teeth.

If you get bitten by a spider, you become Spider-Man, and if you get bitten by a vampire, you become a vampire. So what would I become after being bitten by Kwon Sua?

“Aack! I’ve become a lazy bum too!”

“I’m not that lazy!”

Most of my dates with Kwon Sua consisted of lounging around at home, reading comics, playing games, or watching movies together. It was because Kwon Sua didn’t really like going outside.

She said there was no point in going outside when the weather was hot, just to suffer. I agreed with that, and we spent a pleasant summer under the cool air conditioner.

“This is Karamazov risotto.”

We cooked our own food.

Kwon Sua, who had been working hard preparing for a cooking broadcast lately, was quite good at cooking.

“What kind of dish did you say?”

She seemed to be good at everything she did, probably because she was talented enough to be an idol.

“It’s delicious.”

“I may not look it, but I’m confident in cooking and housekeeping. By the way…”

Squish-

Kwon Sua pinched my belly fat. Wondering what she was doing, I met her eyes, and she narrowed her eyes while examining various parts of my body.

“I think you’ve gained weight lately.”

“Of course I’d gain weight if I just play and eat at home.”

“…”

Instead of answering, Kwon Sua rubbed her own stomach with her palm.

Then she took out a scale from somewhere, went into a locked room, and after about 5 minutes, let out a loud scream.

“Aaaah…!”

Did a ghost appear? Or was a cockroach breakdancing? Otherwise, such a scream wouldn’t be possible.

When I hurriedly entered the room, Kwon Sua was sitting on the floor, crying her eyes out.

“It changed!”

“What did?”

“The first digit! This can’t be! It’s shocking! This can’t be! The first digit changed!”

I had developed a keen sense from spending a long time with women. I could tell she was talking about the first digit of her weight changing.

But was it that serious?

To me, Kwon Sua still looked slim. If her weight had increased…

“…”

“Why are you looking at me like that? You’re criticizing me for gaining weight! You actually think I look like a fat raccoon!”

“No, that’s not it.”

“If I stay like this, I’ll be the only one with a tight dress at the upcoming wedding photoshoot! I need to diet! I need to exercise!”

Watching Kwon Sua make a fuss, I honestly wondered if she needed to overreact like that. She looked just fine to me.

The important thing was that Kwon Sua started going outside diligently again. She went out to exercise and met her junior idols at the broadcasting station.

# # #

“I got a letter from Mom.”

Mom and Dad traveled abroad frequently. They stayed overseas for about 350 days a year.

They traveled around the world and sent photos, letters, and souvenirs home. Today, something had arrived from Egypt.

“It won’t open.”

It was a gold-plated box. It looked very antique with Egyptian hieroglyphics drawn on it. What could be inside?

“Maybe it’s a millennium puzzle that splits souls in two. Hmph!”

But no matter how hard I tried, the box wouldn’t open. There didn’t seem to be any lock. There was no explanation in the letter either.

It just said “I’m enclosing a gift” and “We’ll make sure to arrive in time for your wedding.”

“It’s probably just some meaningless trinket.”

Mom and Dad often bought strange items from foreign countries. Vampire fangs, nymph hand bones, and such. 99 percent of them were fake.

This item was probably one of those fakes too.

“You’ll look good here.”

I placed my parents’ gift box in my private study. One of my small hobbies is buying and collecting mysterious items.

The “Four-Leaf Clover Charm” I received from a boy who dated a ghost high school girl, and the “Friendly Porcelain Doll” I received from Yang Juhui’s grandmother’s acquaintance were also stored here.

Items collected while receiving requests about mysteries and seeking out work myself. These items are proof that I’m living my daily life and are time itself.

“I’d like to collect dinosaur fossils too. Where are dinosaur ghosts anyway? Dinosaur ghost. I’ll catch you for sure.”

My dream was to place a huge Tyrannosaurus fossil in the center of this collection storage. I also wanted to display a real Spinosaurus and Giganotosaurus if possible.

While I was thinking about that, I got a message from Kwon Sua.

─Yeongwon, you need to come to the broadcasting station!

What broadcasting station?

It seemed like something had happened to a junior Kwon Sua had been meeting frequently while exercising hard recently.

─I think my junior has been possessed by a ghost!

Possessed by a ghost?

What could it be?

Curious, I headed to the broadcasting station to meet Kwon Sua.

“You’re here! This is my junior idol Christina. She’s the center of the currently popular ‘Nymphia.’ You’ve seen her in MeTube videos, right?”

Kwon Sua introduced me to a woman named Christina. Had I seen her somewhere before? Honestly, I was the type of person who thought all idols looked the same.

“You don’t know her? She’s eighteen this year and the media talks about her as the official successor to me, the once greatest idol!”

“Hmm.”

“Her album sales are right below our Dorangmul Girlz album!”

“Unnie, we’ve caught up with your sales. And why am I your official successor? We have different genres. Our Nymphia is more girl crush…”

I understood she was famous. But there are so many idols that unless they have a distinct characteristic like Kwon Sua, they’re hard to remember.

In that sense, Christina was unfamiliar to me except for her pink hair. Was she of mixed foreign descent? It seems even native Korean idols are having a hard time surviving these days.

“This is Yeongwon. I’ve mentioned him sometimes when I was doing CrossFit, right?”

“So this is the one with three or more girlfriends! I can’t believe such a person actually exists!”

There was some wariness in Christina’s expression as she looked at me. Women who meet me for the first time generally have this kind of reaction these days.

They unilaterally dislike me with a feeling like ‘enemy of women’ for having multiple girlfriends.

They seem to think of me as some shameless playboy, but considering that I’m actually more passionate about monogamy than anyone else, it’s a sad misunderstanding.

“So, you’re saying Christina here has been possessed by a ghost?”

“Yes! My cute junior has fallen for a ghost. I can’t allow that! We need to drive that ghost away and turn it into points!”

“No! That person is not a ghost! He’s my teacher! My idol teacher! Without him, I wouldn’t be where I am today!”

It seems opinions aren’t aligned between the idol seniors and juniors. But I trusted Kwon Sua. Honestly, among us, Sua had the best instincts.

She suffered a lot because of it.

Though she seems to have overcome it these days.

If Kwon Sua says there’s a ghost, there really must be a ghost.

I decided to hear the story from this pink-haired idol.

“Tell me what happened. I’ll make my judgment after hearing it directly.”