Is This a Green Light? (2)

I closed my eyes and poured the soju into my mouth. It was the first drink since becoming a woman.

“…Ah?”

I thought it would be incredibly bitter since it had been so long, but surprisingly it was sweet.

“Whew- So good.”

“Oh my? The way you’re sighing sounds like a real drinker.”

Then Rilme asked casually.

“Have you drunk before? You’re only twenty.”

Ah, I have drunk.

I’ve drunk enough to make my nose crooked.

…In my past life.

I pretended to be innocent.

“No. It’s my first time.”

“I guess so. You must have been working every day after graduation. Oh no, our HaYoo! Let unni teach you how to drink properly, okay?”

“Ah, get lost.”

Then Hyun Junho said worriedly.

“If you can’t drink it, dilute it with water.”

“No. I think I’m fine. If it gets hard, I’ll ask you to be my black knight.”

“…Okay. Do that.”

Of course, that won’t happen…

Who am I!

Who was Han Yujin in her past life!

I made an impression on the seniors at freshman orientation and joined the student council.

I was a heavy drinker who never missed a single drinking session with seniors and juniors, always going home without getting drunk.

A million-dollar liver function. There’s no way someone like me would need to ask for a black knight!

The three of us continued drinking and chatting about various things.

Broadcast talk, money talk, Galaxy War talk.

Then the conversation flowed to their first meetings with me.

Rilme reminisced about her past entanglement with me.

“Hey, Hyun Junho. Let’s be honest. What was your first impression of HaYoo? I’ll go first. I really, really almost killed her, you know? She stole my editor completely. But as I watched her, she was so funny. What did she say again? Did she call ‘ultra’ ‘ullari’? Damn, so hilarious. So I decided it was good broadcast material and deliberately picked a fight with her.”

Then Hyun Junho rolled his eyes as if recalling memories and said.

“At first, I was really pissed off at Yujin-ssi too. I was doing a reeducation content on clueless attackers, but as a pro gamer, I was instead toyed with by an amateur, so my face turned red like a ripe persimmon. Wow, even now I get dizzy just thinking about that time. But I never expected that first meeting would lead to this…”

I know, right.

I didn’t know I’d come this far with you guys either, really.

Suddenly Rilme asked with a puzzled expression.

“Hey, but why aren’t you guys talking casually? Isn’t Kong Junho five years older?”

Hyun Junho and I looked at each other glumly.

“Please feel free to speak casually.”

“No. I’m comfortable like this.”

Rilme clapped her hands as if finding the current scene funny and started speaking.

“Hey, but I’ve been curious about something with HaYoo for a long time!”

“What is it?”

“I’ve watched your broadcasts a lot, you know? But you never once called anyone ‘oppa’?”

“…”

Rilme spoke with an expression that said she had caught something.

“Okay, then let’s settle the honorifics here. Kong Junho is oppa. Han Yujin is Yujin-ah. Deal?”

“Get lost.”

“Hmph.”

Oppa, my foot!

There’s no way that hideous sound would come out of my mouth!

As one bottle became two bottles, and two bottles became four bottles.

“I’m bored, shall we play a drinking game?”

Rilme suggested with a slightly tipsy grin.

“What? I don’t want to.”

“Yeah. Why suddenly a drinking game?”

“Ah, come on! This is really fun, I’m telling you!”

Rilme rustled around and took something out of a bag.

It was a lie detector with cat ears attached.

“This is a nekomimi lie detector, you know?”

Rilme, who was in high spirits, demonstrated it herself.

“Ask me any question.”

I thought about what question to ask and then opened my mouth.

“Honestly, have you ever been conscious of my viewer count, or not?”

“Oh, never!”

And when I pressed the button, the cat ears that had been still started flapping wildly.

[The chat messages react with laughter]

Rilme bit her nails and readily admitted.

“Okay. It would be a lie to say I don’t care. Anyway, that’s how it works. Understand?”

The rules were simple.

The answerer must always deny, and if they lie, they have to drink two shots in a row as punishment.

“Then I’ll go first!”

Rilme snorted and folded her arms confidently.

First, Hyun Junho asked Rilme a question.

“Is there someone here you wish would leave quickly, or not?”

“…There isn’t.”

Then the cat ears moved around.

“Ah, damn it!”

Rilme frowned and drank two shots of soju.

Then I asked.

“Can I ask something risqué?”

“Ah, of course!”

“I’m an exhibitionist, so I like dressing like today, or I don’t.”

“I don’t!”

[The chat messages react with laughter]

…Huh?

I was sure of victory, but unexpectedly Rilme’s cat ears were fine.

Wasn’t this person an exhibitionist?

“Hey, really! What do you take me for!”

Rilme took off the cat ears, put them on Hyun Junho’s head, and immediately asked.

“You’re next. Looking at me now, do you feel something, or not?”

“Are you crazy? Of course I don’t.”

Hyun Junho’s cat ears were as calm as a sea without waves. Then Rilme snorted as if dumbfounded.

“You’re really impotent, right?”

“You’re just not attractive.”

And Hyun Junho quietly asked me, who was spacing out.

“Aren’t you going to ask a question?”

“Uh…”

I scratched the back of my neck with an awkward expression.

“I’m not sure if I should ask this.”

“Ah, it’s okay, ask anything.”

“Then…”

I swallowed once and asked.

“I’m just asking in case… Do you have someone you like, or not?”

“…I don’t.”

Then a siren sound went off and the cat ears shook again.

[The chat messages react with laughter]

Hyun Junho, who had been watching my reaction, drank with a flustered expression.

“Okay. Now it’s HaYoo’s turn!”

Rilme rubbed her hands together, ready to bark questions.

“Hey, you asked something risqué too, so can I go hard?”

“Do whatever.”

“Alright. Have you kissed before, or not?”

“I haven’t.”

My expression on the screen was calm, but inside I was frantically chanting.

Please, please, please, don’t shake.

Fortunately, my cat ears were fine.

…But why do I feel so sad?

I turned my head to look at Hyun Junho. Hyun Junho opened and closed his mouth with a reddened face before speaking.

“Then… I’ll ask the same question. Do you have someone you like, or not?”

“Hah, I don’t!”

I was sure about this one.

I know my own feelings best.

I don’t. I really don’t. I don’t have a single person I’m interested in!

“Oh yeah, HaYoo’s turn!”

“…Huh?”

[The chat messages react with surprise and suspicion]

…What’s going on?

I drank two shots of soju with a bewildered expression.

Rilme giggled and asked directly.

“So who do you like?”

“…I really don’t like anyone.”

“Stop lying. The machine is always accurate. Hurry up and tell me. Who do you like?”

“Who do I like?”

I snapped my fingers and answered impromptu.

“Who else! My viewers, of course!”

[The chat messages react with disbelief and jokes]

I fiddled with the machine like an athlete disputing a call.

“Wait, isn’t this broken? There’s no way Rilme unni isn’t an exhibitionist!”

“What do you mean broken! Accept it!”

“Viewers. Then try asking me a question through donation. Just something ridiculous.”

Then,

‘FunPlatformAsia’ gifted 100 star balloons!

-I am a woman, or I am not a woman?

Hearing the question, I answered while holding back laughter.

“…I’m not.”

The cat ears on my headband were quiet.

“See? I told you this is broken. I lied saying I’m not a woman, but the ears are fine!”

“Oh, really? Why is it like this? You’re not trans or something, are you?”

“Did you get shot? Do I need to strip here to prove it?”

[The chat messages react with jokes and relief]

Rilme grumbled while touching the cat ears.

“There’s no way it could be broken…”

---

After that, the glasses continued to clink.

With each clink, spirits rose, and that intoxication made them forget restraint.

“Hey, HaYoo. Do you really want to have a drinking battle with me?”

“Puhaha! Ah, go ahead! Don’t you know a sparrow’s legs will split if it tries to follow a heron?”

Han Yujin and Rilme, with slurred speech, conversed like a comedy duo.

Both of their faces were flushed red like ripe strawberries.

Han Yujin picked up some salmon and ate it with bleary eyes.

“Hehehe. Strange. I’m chewing hair in the salmon. Refund!”

“…That’s because you’re eating your own hair.”

Hyun Junho pulled out Han Yujin’s hair that had gotten caught in her mouth.

Rilme, whose gaze stopped on the two of them, pointed a finger while hiccupping.

“Hic! Hey, something’s weird with you two. It’s a green light.”

“What are you talking about, crazy. Drink up!”

“Come on, both of you stop and now…”

Han Yujin put her finger on Hyun Junho’s lips as he tried to stop them.

“Ah, let’s drink more. I’ve been so stressed I couldn’t even drink until now.”

Han Yujin, whose aegyo increased with the rising intoxication.

Her voice had become coquettish without realizing it.

At that seductive sight, Hyun Junho’s vision swayed in all directions. He focused his scattered gaze and stared at Han Yujin.

Clear and deep eyes. A straight nose. Lips that looked sweet like cream puffs just by looking. Flawless features.

Even a single strand of disheveled hair looked beautiful.

Han Yujin’s light brown eyes looked even clearer today, as if wearing circle lenses.

And,

Those eyes looked at Hyun Junho.

Han Yujin, holding a soju glass, said.

“If I drink this…”

“…”

“We’re going all the way?”

Han Yujin swayed unsteadily, about to collapse at any moment.

“Ugh!”

Hyun Junho firmly grasped Han Yujin’s shoulder as she was about to fall backwards.

“…You still want to drink?”

“Yeah. I’m having a hard time.”

“Oh my…”

Hyun Junho downed the half-full soju glass. And he thought to himself.

As much as he hated to admit it,

He wished this moment together could last even a little longer.

“Alright. Let’s drink more.”

The three people’s glasses clinked again.

There’s a story that office workers and students can relate to.

If you hear birds chirping outside the window, there’s a high chance you’re late.

Human intuition is really scary.

Just with hearing alone, you can sense an ominous foreboding.

That’s how it was for me now.

I woke up to the sound of an unknown bird crying outside.

Even without opening my eyes, I clearly felt it.

That something was wrong.

That something was fucked up.

And when I opened my eyes.

Rilme was sleeping soundly in front of me.

“…Ah, what the.”

A throbbing headache tormented my head as if it was about to crack.

And.

Rilme opened her eyes. As soon as she saw me, her eyes curved like crescent moons.

“…Hey.”

“What.”

“…You don’t remember yesterday?”

Ah, the smell of alcohol.

“No. I don’t.”

“Want me to tell you then?”

“What is it?”

With eyes almost closed and bleary, Rilme grinned.

“We embraced each other. We explored each other’s lips. And…”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

“Hehehe! Actually, I don’t know either. What happened to us?”

I crawled on my knees and turned on the phone that had fallen on the floor.

Then,

[Missed Calls]

Jang Bonggyu (41)

Moon Jaehyun (27)

Han Sejun (15)

Han Sejin (11)

Han Sieun (10)

Seong Dojun (11)

“…Shit, what the!”

Before I could collect myself,

I heard a sound I shouldn’t have heard.

‘Rilbak’ gifted 100 star balloons!

-Hi, are you awake? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

“…What?”

No way.

Was the broadcast still on?