Han Yujin Risk, Idol Gate (4)

What… what are you doing?

You awful person!

I should visit a speech therapy center.

At this rate, I might develop aphasia beyond just stuttering.

In this suddenly absurd situation,

I froze in place, dumbfounded.

Hyun Junho, unaware of my presence, is completely absorbed in the monitor screen.

More precisely…

Yeah. He’s absorbed in yesterday’s me.

He’s comfortably watching yesterday’s broadcast of mine, chin resting on his hand.

[Here’s a quiz. What’s inside this long padded coat? Number 1, pajamas. Number 2, bra and panties. Number 3, all nude.]

At my words, Hyun Junho snickered and muttered to himself.

He sounded quite confident.

“As if it’s number 3. It’s not like everyone watching Han Yujin’s broadcast is a pervert. It’s obviously all a trap, and number 4 will come out.”

…Correct answer.

What are you, this person!

A fortune teller? A Han Yujin critic?

At this rate, he could quit being a pro gamer and open a detective agency right away.

Ah, whatever!

[Ta-da! The answer was number 4, a dress!]

Hyun Junho, who got the correct answer alone, shook his head.

“So predictable. How can these so-called fans not know Han Yujin’s tendencies, really…”

I’m terribly sorry for being predictable, hey.

But…

Is it also predictable that I’m watching everything from behind right now?

I feel like grabbing Hyun Junho’s hair and asking, “Is this predictable too?”

…No. Let’s be patient for now.

I was curious to see how far Hyun Junho’s one-man show of excessive affection would go.

When the me in the video took off the long padded coat and revealed the dress,

“Wow…”

Hyun Junho let out an admiring sigh.

After watching me twirl around once and act cutely in a shy manner.

…Argh, crazy!

He started rewinding the video and watching it again. About three times.

I couldn’t see Hyun Junho’s expression, but even just looking at the back of his head, I could clearly feel that the corners of his mouth were reaching his ears.

What is this feeling?

Hyun Junho is the one secretly peeking, but why am I the one feeling embarrassed!

“Sigh, another day of practice.”

Hyun Junho, who had finished watching my broadcast to the end, stretched refreshingly.

I swallowed a sigh and put my frozen hands on both of Hyun Junho’s cheeks.

Then,

Hyun Junho’s body jerked like a freshly caught live fish.

“Ah, cold!”

He’s saying things like “Ah, cold.”

I stuck my head out and greeted him.

“Hello.”

“Aaagh!”

Hyun Junho was startled as if he might die of fright.

His face instantly turned pale, like a child caught by his parents while watching an adult video.

The color drained from his face to the point where it turned bluish. He looked so haggard that even if you pricked him with a needle, not a drop of blood would come out.

“I’m sorry that your junior is so predictable, senior.”

I said, narrowing my eyes.

“Ahaha…”

Hyun Junho scratched his cheek and laughed awkwardly. At the same time, he discreetly closed the internet window with his mouse.

And,

My eyes widened again.

Because the desktop background was a bit strange.

Because…

Hyun Junho’s desktop background image was a photo of two people.

Jung Suhyeok. And me.

Hyun Junho, who had been alternately looking at my face and the monitor, belatedly realized and made an “oops” expression.

“H-Han Yujin! Don’t misunderstand!”

“Please don’t make me misunderstand.”

Please.

Hyun Junho explained, sweating profusely like a witness at a hearing.

“I watched your broadcast just as a fan, as a colleague, as a senior!”

“And?”

“As for the desktop photo…”

Hyun Junho’s lips trembled.

“It’s not because I have any other feelings. It’s because my goal is Suhyeok and you. I set it like this to motivate myself.”

My eyes widened.

One word from Hyun Junho’s mouth stuck in my ear like an arrow.

“…Motivate?”

“No, um, not that kind of motivation!”

Hyun Junho wiped his cold sweat with a frustrated expression.

“Am I some kind of bisexual? As a pro gamer, I want to overcome you two, that kind of goal, you know! It’s not like Suhyeok and I are in a hugging relationship!”

“…Hugging?”

I covered my mouth exaggeratedly.

“Oh, come on!”

Hyun Junho’s face became a time bomb. It looks like it might explode if I poke it a little more.

“You’re teasing me now, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Sometimes I think you’re quite skilled at teasing people.”

Then Hyun Junho muttered timidly.

“Well, you were originally a malicious user…”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“That’s not a compliment!”

Hyun Junho, who was chewing his lower lip as if upset, let out a sigh.

“Seeing that I’ve been caught by a junior so far below me, I guess I’ve been a gamer for too long.”

“…Caught?”

“Stop, stop, stop!”

Hyun Junho’s face turned bright red like the flesh of a ripe persimmon.

As expected of a proven reaction hotspot, the taste of teasing is exquisite.

It felt refreshing enough to clear away all the stress I received from Yeon Sangho.

Hyun Junho let out a long sigh.

“Because of you, I probably won’t live out my natural lifespan.”

“……”

“Won’t live out my natural lifespan,” he says.

It’s actually the opposite…

Without me, Hyun Junho will die.

I recalled the future memory I had been deliberately forgetting.

Hyun Junho’s tragic future where he ends up taking his own life after continually despairing over his life of always being the runner-up.

Remembering that fact made my heart heavy, as if a stone had settled in it.

I slapped Hyun Junho’s back.

Hyun Junho looked up at me as if he couldn’t believe it.

“Why are you hitting me?”

“You’re saying depressing things. I’ll make sure you live a long life, so put those worries aside.”

“What are you suddenly talking about…”

Then Hyun Junho looked at my lips and suddenly asked.

“By the way, what happened to your lips?”

…Is this déjà vu?

Today, many people are asking about the condition of my lips.

“I bumped into something.”

“What did you bump into to…?”

“I must have bumped into a wall or something, or did you think I got hurt while kissing?”

“……”

For a moment, the practice room fell silent.

So quiet you could hear Hyun Junho’s Adam’s apple gulp.

Scratching the back of his neck, Hyun Junho slowly opened his mouth.

“Um, I have a question…”

“Yes.”

“Your broadcast cut off suddenly yesterday, right?”

Ah, right.

My heartfelt love confession to the viewers was cut off due to this damn battery before I could finish speaking.

“Oh, that…”

“It seemed like you were about to say something important. What were you going to say?”

“Are you that curious?”

“Yes. I’m curious.”

“I’ll tell you, then.”

I smiled pleasantly and said.

“I love you.”

“…What?!”

Hyun Junho’s eyes wavered.

“I said I love you. That’s all.”

“…Ah!”

Hyun Junho nodded as if he understood.

At that moment.

There was a thud sound of something falling on the floor behind us.

I turned my head to check the floor and saw a white ointment had fallen.

And Son Yena was staring at us both with half-focused eyes.

“You two…”

Son Yena’s mouth gaped as she trailed off.

“No. It’s not like that.”

“Hey, you’re misunderstanding right now.”

Both Hyun Junho and I waved our hands dismissively at the same time.

Son Yena slowly opened her soft lips and muttered to herself.

“I knew it. I thought something was strange.”

“Yena?”

“It was suspicious that you suddenly had a lip injury on Christmas Eve.”

“Son Yena.”

“So that was the reason…”

“I think there’s something wrong with your head right now.”

Whether she could hear my words or not.

Son Yena kept mumbling.

“How passionately did you do it for your lips to end up like that…”

“Hey!”

What kind of imagination is this mouse-sized thing running in her head right now!

Is it because she’s at the age for romance?

Son Yena’s romance cells and fantasy circuits are not just fresh, they’re about to burst.

A heavy silence settled.

And 3 seconds later.

Son Yena’s clear voice swallowed the entire spacious practice room whole.

“You two are dating, right?!”

“We’re not! We’re not! We’re not!”

My hands waved faster than a helicopter’s propeller.

Even Peter denying Jesus probably didn’t deny it this vehemently.

Son Yena opened her clear eyes wide and asked boldly.

“Then what did I hear! Why did you say you love each other!”

“No, uh, really, that’s…”

This is driving me crazy.

How am I supposed to explain this?!

Karma.

They say if you tease people, you’ll get it back, and it’s really true.

After happily teasing Hyun Junho, now I’m about to be in trouble.

At that moment.

The practice room door opened with a creak.

Led by Park Mutae, ELF’s captain, players like Ju Sehun and Gil Taeseong came in chattering.

Son Yena looked at Park Mutae and started raising her voice as if about to tattle.

“Mutae oppa! These people are having an office roma… Mmph!”

In my urgency, I pulled Son Yena’s pigtails and covered her small mouth.

Park Mutae looked at me and Son Yena as if we were dumb and dumber.

Park Mutae took a sip of coffee and said to Hyun Junho with fierce eyes.

“Hey, Junho. Take care of the kids.”

“Huh? Oh, okay.”

“My goodness, our chicks are full of energy from Christmas morning. Some of us are dying of exhaustion. Sigh, when you get old, you should die quickly.”

Thwack!

Someone hit the back of Park Mutae’s head. Park Mutae rubbed his head and shouted.

“Ah, shit! Which bastard was it?”

“It’s the coach bastard, you bastard.”

It was Coach Yang Myeonghyun.

After confirming who it was, Park Mutae was startled and lowered his tail.

“Coach… Merry Christmas.”

“What Merry Christmas. You should die when you get old? You were saying that for me to hear, weren’t you?”

“Come on, how could that be? You’re already getting a ton of insults as the coach of the last-place team, Coach Yang should live longer than me.”

“Oh my, you’re talking nonsense.”

Yang Myeonghyun, who hit Park Mutae once more, looked at me and Son Yena and frowned.

“What are you two doing hugging there? Are you filming Titanic from the morning?”

“…It’s cold.”

“Okay. You guys aren’t normal either.”

Yang Myeonghyun clapped his hands and shouted to the players in a thunderous voice.

“Now, we’re in last place! Does a team in last place deserve to rest on Christmas? No. I know everyone’s tired, but let’s practice like dogs and cows today, gritting our teeth.”

The players responded and sat in their designated seats, turning on their computers.

Good. The aggro has been dispersed.

Now then…

What should I do now?

Son Yena is struggling with all her might to escape from my grasp.

Wicked thoughts started swirling in my head.

Method 1.

Break Son Yena’s neck right now.

Method 2.

Suffocate Son Yena right now.

Method 3.

Cut out Son Yena’s vocal cords right…

Argh, this is driving me crazy!