Ch.6969. Toast

[I Am the Sea]

After much deliberation, I finally sent my reply.

Hana fidgeted with her lips nervously.

Still, suggesting a trip right away seemed too sudden.

Dating definitely had proper stages that should be followed.

It should start with something light like going to a movie theater or a café.

Or perhaps visiting a famous restaurant.

The next steps would involve more substantial outings.

Amusement parks, swimming pools, or other unique all-day dates would fall into this category.

I thought we should at least go through these stages before traveling to a different region, but how many steps had Suhyeok just skipped?

[Okay]

All I got back was this simple acknowledgment.

What?

Is that it?

I waited for two minutes, but no additional messages came through.

Seriously? I tell him I like the sea, and all he says is “okay” and that’s the end of it?

He should at least tell me his own preference!

Hana’s eyes widened as she glared at the screen, her hands trembling with frustration.

“Hana says she likes the sea too.”

Suhyeok put down his phone after reporting to the club president.

“Ohhh~ Then it’s settled! This year, we’re going to the sea! Bang bang bang!”

Seo-eun rested her fist on her palm like a judge delivering a verdict.

“Hmm~ I wonder if the East Sea would be better? The West Sea is closer, but not really great for swimming.”

“Let’s go to Haeundae Beach!”

“That’s a bit too far though.”

Seo-eun stroked her chin, considering Choi-gang’s suggestion.

“Ah! Let’s discuss it properly on Friday! When everyone’s together.”

“We’re meeting on Friday?”

Suhyeok hadn’t heard about this.

“Of course! We might not have practice, but we should still hang out!”

“Really?”

“Wow… Suhyeok… I thought we’d become pretty close… but was this just business for you, ending when the performance is over…?”

Seo-eun made a sniffling sound as if feeling hurt.

“No, I just thought we weren’t doing any activities.”

“I think we’ll keep hanging out until final exams.”

“So what are we doing this week?”

“What should we do? How about we do whatever you decide this week, Suhyeok?”

Suhyeok immediately regretted opening his mouth.

Ugh… why did I ask…

What would be good…

“H-How about Han River?”

It was May, before the summer heat had fully arrived.

Definitely a good time for a picnic.

“Ohhh~ Han River. Not bad. What do you think, Gang?”

“Are we going to ride bicycles too?”

“We can rent them there.”

“Let’s do it!”

And just like that, they made two plans—one for the short term and one for the long term.

Of course, Hana and Juyeon’s opinions weren’t considered since they weren’t present.

“Great, great. I’ll bring a picnic mat~”

Seo-eun hummed as she got up from her seat.

“Let’s tell Hana to bring her acoustic guitar so we can do some busking!”

“Busking?”

“Yeah. Juyeon and I did it a few times last year.”

Suhyeok was quite surprised at the thought of Juyeon singing in public.

“Juyeon agreed to do that?”

“No? We made her do it~ Would she ever volunteer?”

That was exactly what he expected.

Hmm… busking…

Suhyeok wondered if he should ask Hana to teach him guitar if the opportunity arose.

* * *

[Streamer Yeon-i has started broadcasting.]

Sitting in front of his monitor, Suhyeok moved his mouse.

Today was the day Juyeon would showcase gaming on her stream for the first time.

Promoted from a regular viewer to a manager, Suhyeok clicked through the new functions he’d never used before.

Oh… so this is how you kick someone out.

It was something he never thought he’d have the occasion to do.

[Ah. Ah. Can you hear me?]

Juyeon’s voice came through the speakers.

[Yeon-ha~ Yeon-ha~]

[Yeon-i! Hello!]

[Yeon-ha]

Since the broadcast had just started, there were only about ten viewers.

[Hello, everyone. Hehe…]

Now in her fifth month as a streamer, Juyeon had become quite natural with greetings and small talk.

[So… today I’ll be singing, but I’m also going to try playing a game!]

[Wh-who was it… Ah, I forgot the nickname. A viewer recommended it…]

[Yes, I’m definitely going to clear it today!]

Perhaps she was trying to be professional for the broadcast.

Suhyeok could detect a subtle cuteness in her tone that wasn’t usually there.

[No way… how could you say I can’t do it! That’s not true…]

[I-I practiced, you know?]

When she mentioned that she had practiced the game beforehand, the viewers responded with jeers.

[No… I just wanted to do well… I practiced to look cool for all of you…]

Juyeon grumbled as if offended.

When she declared that she would skip the game and just sing, the viewers had to spend some time persuading her to reconsider.

[Shall I start now?]

After singing for a straight hour, Juyeon nervously turned on the game.

The familiar intro music played.

It was music that Suhyeok had heard many times with her.

[Even though I practiced, I’m not super good at it, so please just watch and laugh with me. Hee.]

I wonder how long this will take.

Suhyeok crossed his arms, trying to predict her future.

If her skills had improved, maybe four or five hours.

If not, she might be at it for a full 12 hours.

[One. Two. One. Two.]

Emphasizing safety first, Juyeon began inching her way up without using the run key.

[Yeon-i, Yeon-i…]

[I think you can run in this section?]

[I’m going to go insane]

[LOLOLOLOL When do you plan to clear this?]

Despite various complaints, Juyeon stubbornly maintained her safety-first approach.

[Look! Everyone! Can you see down there?]

[This great path was pioneered by my cautiousness!]

[L-look! It’s so far down!]

Juyeon had certainly climbed higher than Suhyeok expected.

She had made it quite far on her first try, making him wonder if she had secretly practiced without telling him.

[You’re all saying that because you’re afraid I’ll clear it too easily, right?]

[Hehehe… can’t do it? But I’m being so careful—]

At that moment, an offensive chat message appeared.

It wasn’t exactly hate speech, but it was definitely inappropriate.

The expression “human condom” had no place in this stream.

Monitoring in real-time, Suhyeok kicked out a viewer for the first time.

[Ahem… ahem…! Let’s continue.]

Juyeon, who had momentarily frozen in response, noticed that Suhyeok had removed the offender and smiled with joy.

He was indeed reliable.

Suhyeok was a dependable person.

And knowing that he was watching her intently made her competitive spirit burn even hotter.

[Heave. Ho. Heave. Ho.]

An hour and a half had passed since she started.

“Yaaawn~”

Watching her character constantly twitch was starting to strain Suhyeok’s eyes.

[Now… I’ll jump right here like this…!]

Juyeon’s character soared into the air.

It should have landed safely in a smooth parabolic arc, but…

[…Huh?]

The platform she thought was solid began to fall away.

[Huuuuh???]

Juyeon was so shocked that she took her hands off the keyboard.

But-but I landed perfectly!

I didn’t do anything wrong!

[N-Nooooo!]

She frantically mashed the spacebar.

She tried to reach out and grab onto something, but the game creator cruelly sent her back to the beginning.

[Uuugh… mmmmm…]

Anger. Despair. Pain. Emptiness.

All the negative emotions in the world washed over Juyeon like a wave.

[Nooo! What is this?!]

Her tiny fists pounded the desk in uncontrollable anger.

But the chat and Suhyeok’s reactions were different.

[Ex. Treme. Troll.]

[LOLOLOLOL This is it~]

[Again~]

[Yeon-i! That’s a trap section!]

Suhyeok burst out laughing in real life, finding it hilarious that the usually calm Juyeon was reacting this way.

It wasn’t an expression he would use to a friend, but Suhyeok genuinely thought Juyeon was adorable.

In games, there are traps that even the most skilled players fall for if they don’t know about them.

What Juyeon experienced was exactly that kind of trap.

She sighed and moved her character to look up at the sky.

The point she had fallen from was so high that it wasn’t even visible from the ground.

[I’m… going again…]

It was a promise she had made to Suhyeok and her viewers.

Though it would have been understandable to run out of frustration, Juyeon continued with the same careful approach.

And so, after another hour, she reached the trap section again.

[Th-this time I won’t fall for it! I won’t!]

Having avoided the trap and climbed higher, Juyeon was finally able to clear the game after a total of four hours.

[Everyone! I did it! I cleared it!]

Juyeon rejoiced like a child.

It was natural to be excited.

She had spent hours climbing up, wiping away sweat!

[Congrats congrats congrats]

[Yeon-i! You’re actually good at games?]

[Let’s play games next time too]

[Good job~]

The few remaining viewers congratulated her on her success.

[Thank you so much to everyone who watched until the end.]

[I’ll stream again next week. Sleep well!]

And so, the six-hour marathon came to an end.

Considering she usually streamed for only about two hours, this was her longest broadcast ever.

-Bzzzzt

Suhyeok’s phone vibrated.

[Suhyeok!]

Her voice was surprisingly cheerful despite how tired she must have been.

[Yeah?]

[Did you see me clear it? I’m good, right?]

Suhyeok smiled like a proud father.

[Yeah, you did well.]

[Ahh… I’m glad I practiced. Without you, I’d still be stuck at the bottom.]

[Still, it was funny when you fell.]

[Ah, I was so angry when that happened, I thought I was going to die.]

Though it was a bit late, Juyeon wanted to celebrate her achievement.

[Want to have a beer?]

[Huh? Now?]

[Yeah. I’m going to buy some from the convenience store.]

It was 1 AM.

Not late enough to feel sleepy yet.

[Since you helped me… I’ll buy the beer.]

After hesitating briefly, Suhyeok accepted her offer.

[Just one can then.]

[Okay!]

In high spirits, Juyeon put on her sweatpants and trotted down the stairs.

They agreed to meet in front of the convenience store.

Since it was closer to Suhyeok’s place, he arrived first.

“Suhyeok!”

Juyeon called his name with a smile.

Suhyeok greeted her with a gentle smile of his own.

“Congratulations on clearing it.”

“Heh. Thanks.”

It was congratulations she wouldn’t hear from any other acquaintance except Suhyeok.

“How was I today?”

Here’s what she wanted to hear:

You did well.

You were cool.

Your commentary was good.

You seemed like a professional broadcaster!

But Suhyeok didn’t give her the answer she wanted.

“You were really cute.”

“…Eh?”

A rather foolish exclamation escaped her lips.