Chapter 10 : Sister Rice Bowl (4)
by fnovelpia
It’s a karaoke room.
Not one of those trendy coin-operated ones.
This place is tucked away in a corner of the red-light district.
Next door, there are global businesses with names like “Vietnam This” or “Sweden That.”
The wallpaper is peeling and grimy.
A poster of this month’s “latest hits” hangs crookedly, though who knows when it was last updated.
A tambourine with a broken jingle rests on a dusty table.
An ashtray is crusted with cigarette burns.
‘This is exactly the kind of place Manager Kim would’ve brought us to for the third or fourth round.’
I had absolutely no intention of singing.
It’s the kind of place you come to drink and mess around with guys.
The twins entered the karaoke room without hesitation, like they already knew the layout.
‘Should I run away right now?’
Just earlier, the eyes of the twins, Hayu and Hami, were like those of hunters.
Bringing me to a karaoke joint like this doesn’t bode well.
In the worst-case scenario, there might be some scalpel-wielding Chinese-Korean lady waiting inside.
[TIP: A responsible dad never shows his back.]
[And if you run, your payment gets voided.]
Dding!
The [Rental Papa] app offers its smug advice.
Yeah, I know.
I scowled at the smartphone screen for no reason.
I’ve already suffered a humiliating defeat—I can’t let the money become a bad check, too.
Resolving myself, I followed the twin sisters.
Whatever happens, it has to be better than becoming the landlady’s house dog.
Three chairs were arranged in a backward “ㄷ” shape around a small table.
I sat in one, with the older sister Hayu and the younger sister Hami sitting across from me.
“Hayu unni, maybe don’t pull that out?”
It was the younger sister who spoke first.
“Ba-ba-bam—♫ Here it is, ready to serve!”
Despite Hami’s protest, her older sister cheerfully pulled something out.
‘………..???’
Contrary to my fears, it was an extremely mundane item:
Three wooden chopsticks in a paper cup.
“Girls, what is this? A paper cup?”
I pointed at the paper cup and chopsticks as I asked.
The twins answered in near-perfect unison.
“What do you mean, ‘what’? It’s for the King’s Game.”
“You’ve always wanted to try it, haven’t you? Come on, let’s go, let’s go.”
The King’s Game.
Draw lots to choose a king.
The king gives commands to the rest.
It’s a drinking party game—not exactly known for its wholesome image.
At my old job, they made people do cringey dance trends or down shots.
So this is the game the twins were talking about?
Well… it is usually played with mixed genders.
And technically, three people is the minimum needed.
Still, this feels… hollow somehow.
‘No matter how much they said they liked games… King’s Game?!’
These girls—especially Hayu—seem likely to make me do worse things than Manager Kim ever did.
I tensed up a bit.
Dding!
My phone and theirs pinged at the same time.
[King’s Game option (+30 minutes) costs 180,000 won.]
[The King’s Game lasts for 3 turns.]
*
Certain actions are restricted.
Apparently, the [Rental Papa] app had an official King’s Game feature.
The price was steep: 180,000 won.
It was six times the cost of the “one-bite feeding” option Miss Sewon had paid for.
An amount too cruel for a high school girl to spend.
We had already paid 200,000 won each for the base fee.
Though I missed the chance to earn money, I was relieved.
They’d surely give up on the King’s Game after seeing the cost—or so I thought.
“It’s cheap.”
“Hmph, it’s cheaper than [Propagation B] Secret Rare.”
“Cheaper than hitting the gacha ceiling too.”
They chatted casually, unfazed by the price.
They looked ready to purchase the King’s Game option without a second thought.
“Aren’t you overdoing it just to play with your dad?”
I tried to speak like a caring father.
But Hayu and Hami, just like when we first met, both flashed V-signs at the same time.
“Not overdoing it at all. We’re rich, Daddypa. We work together.”
“They’re troublemakers, but the strongest.”
What kind of work do they even do?
Anyway, the option was purchased.
[King’s Game option has been purchased. Please conduct the King’s Game between 01:35:09 and 00:30:00.]
The countdown for the King’s Game began.
Looks like the option must be used within the time limit.
I had no choice but to pull a chopstick from the paper cup.
What was the result of the first turn?
‘Oh no, I picked the King right from the start.’
There was a crown-shaped sticker on the end of the chopstick.
Normally, people just color the tip with a black marker, but this was legit.
I showed the stick to the twins.
“I’m the King.”
“Father, who will you command, Number 1 or Number 2?”
Hami asked quietly.
So one of them is #1, and the other is #2.
“Then Number 1…”
“Kyaa~ Getting totally commanded by lame Daddypa~♡”
Hayu shouted in a dramatized voice.
She revealed herself as #1 even before I gave the command.
This cheeky little brat.
Who are you calling lame?
“…Sing while dancing.”
I was originally just going to make her sing,but feeling annoyed, I added dancing too.
“That’s your command?”
“Feels like you picked a safe option. But this is a game, not a rehearsal. Please be serious.”
The scolding came from both Hayu and Hami.
What do they want me to do?
“Hamimi, that song please.”
☆ (>ᴗ0 )
Hayu winked and pointed at her sister with a fingertip.
“Get out. Sis.”
〆(･･｡)With almost no change in expression, Hami operated the karaoke machine.
Perhaps because it was old, the background music came out muffled.
‘It’s a Japanese song!’
[Oshi no Ko OP – Idol]
I don’t know much about recent anime,but I remember seeing tons of parodies of Oshi no Ko.
Just like with duels, these sisters are really into subculture.
The lyrics were in Japanese.
The tempo was lightning fast.
I thought singing it while dancing would be impossible.
Until I saw Hayu complete the mission flawlessly.
Despite her usually nonchalant attitude, her performance was powerful.
Who knew a hyper song like that could be so fierce?
For a moment, I thought she was a top idol.
After finishing the song, she wiped sweat from her chest with her sleeve.
“Yay~ Done!”
“Perfect score. Sis, want some water?”
“Nope. I’m good.”
She high-fived her sister, who clapped half-heartedly.
Smack, the sound echoed.
Hayu stepped toward me and held out her hand.
I grabbed it immediately.
“That was amazing. Did you take lessons or something?”
Even I, a total amateur, could tell it was impressive.
But the one who offered her hand first didn’t say anything.
She hesitated, then finally spoke—and carefully pulled her hand away from mine.
“Uh… that was… I meant for a high five. Not for you to hold it.”
“Hayu unnie’s a glass cannon. Her defense is 0.”
“Be quiet. Since I did it, now it’s your turn to pick the King again!”
She flicked her sister Hami on the head.
(Though the one hit didn’t seem hurt at all.)
Hayu spun the paper cup with the chopsticks again.
‘Looks like it’s #2 this time.’
The King’s role shifted to someone else.
“Hehe. This time I’m the King. Prepare yourselves.”
It was Hayu again, showing the chopstick with the crown sticker.
She was full of thoughts of revenge.
“Ohh.” Hami gave a half-hearted response.
She was probably Number 1 by default.
I watched closely to see what kind of order would be given.
“Ta-da.”
What she pulled out from her bosom was none other than Pepero.
A biscuit stick coated in chocolate, except for the handle.
Yeah, that snack we celebrate with on November 11th.
What kind of terrible command is she going to give using Pepero?
Ugh.
I clenched my sphincter.
“Number 2 will take the Pepero and…”
“That’s me. Alright. What do I have to do with the Pepero?”
I spoke gently to Hayu.
It was an attempt to curry favor, hoping she wouldn’t choose a harsh punishment—but Hayu suddenly looked flustered.
“Uh, feed it to the king. Please feed the king.”
She quickly said this while tossing me the box of Pepero.
‘What’s with girls that age and this “feeding others” thing? Sewon was like that too.’
My wife wasn’t like that though.
Anyway, an order is an order.
It’s a pretty simple one, so there’s no reason to refuse.
I obediently opened the Pepero packaging and pulled out a stick.
I brought it close to Hayu’s mouth.
Crunch crunch.
It was crushed quickly by her front teeth.
She almost bit me.
For real.
Hayu licked her lips as if unsatisfied.
“Unnie……”
“I know. That was just a practice round. I’ll be the king next time.”
(⩌‸⩌)-(◍ᐡ₃ᐡ◍)Hayu and Hami communicated only through their expressions.
What a close pair of sisters.
‘My wife and her younger sister didn’t get along like that. They were distant and barely similar.’
Hami picked up the disposable wooden chopsticks on the table.
She put them in a paper cup and shook them.
The King’s Game with options had three total rounds.
This was the last one.
I picked stick Number 1.
I wasn’t the king.
“I’m the king this time.”
Hami smiled slightly as she revealed her stick.
For some reason, that smile felt a little ominous.
“Watch closely, both of you. This is how you give a ‘King’s Order.’”
She spoke with needless gravity.
Sigh… why act all dramatic over a silly mini-game.
“Number 1 and Number 2, do it.”
CLANG~~!!!!
The “Deal Meter” shattered.
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