episode_0026

“Wow, amazing. That was… wow!”

Unlike Seungyoon, whose eyes were noticeably filled with excitement, Dayoung covered her eyes as if feeling embarrassed.

“Haah, really.”

Dabin looked at the situation with a smile as if finding it amusing, while I glanced at them from time to time while baking leftover pancake batter during the day.

Stars and fans sitting face to face at the table. Isn’t this like a perfect 1:1 fan meeting?

“Can’t we talk about this somewhere else? It’s a secret.”

When Dayoung said that, Seungyoon nodded frantically as if crazy in response.

“Of course. Absolutely. Observing is a basic skill of a fan, you know.”

I don’t know what “observing” means or who “fan” is, but Dayoung sighed deeply, seemingly still not reassured.

“Sigh~ Okay. Well. Anyway. Since it’s come to this, let’s ask. Why do you watch my broadcasts?”

“What?”

“Well, you see. Basically, my broadcasts are no-cam. Except on special occasions like anniversaries, the camera doesn’t even turn on, and my voice isn’t particularly pretty either. So why do you watch my broadcasts?”

“Because it’s pretty!”

“What?”

“Your voice is pretty. It’s not just feminine and cute voices that are pretty, right? Your voice is also pretty enough and… charming. And you’re good at games. Your personality is refreshing, and, well… even if you speak harshly, you always turn around and apologize every time. You have that tsundere charm. Yes.”

As Seungyoon suddenly poured out his words like a waterfall, Dayoung’s mouth shut. Glancing back curiously, she seemed quite embarrassed.

Well, Dayoung already has a lot of embarrassment inside. It’s strange not to be embarrassed when Seungyoon, whom she calls a fan, openly praises himself in front of her.

“Uh… um… really.”

“Oh, sis is flustered.”

Dabin looked at Dayoung as if finding it amusing, and Dayoung still couldn’t pull herself together and felt embarrassed.

“Oh, and!”

Seungyoon seemed to remember something.

“I’ve been watching your broadcasts since the early days. I even have a subscription badge.”

I heard later from Dayoung that on the platform where she broadcasts, fans can pay a certain amount each month to subscribe. There aren’t many benefits, but it serves as proof of being a fan of that broadcast, and every time it renews, the broadcaster gives thanks. Also, for early subscribers, there’s a subscription badge mark that appears next to their chat messages.

“Huh? Wait a minute. Is your nickname by any chance?”

“It’s Jjeonddeogi. More precisely, it’s Jjeollaengdan_Jjeonddeogi.”

Dayoung widened her eyes as if recognizing that name.

“Oh, that’s you? Wow, what a small world. Nice to meet you. Hey.”

Saying that, she reached out her hand to Seungyoon. Seungyoon shook her hand somewhat bewilderedly. Dayoung shook hands vigorously.

“Dabin, did I mention this before? Why did a fan give me a drawing as a gift? I feel like I bragged about it before.”

Oh, I remember that too. I received a gift claiming to be the first one after starting the broadcast and boasted about it to the whole family. I was quite happy.

“Oh, I remember. Wait, did you draw that, Seungyoon? I remember you drew quite well back then.”

Dabin clapped his hands as if remembering and asked Seungyoon. Seungyoon scratched the back of his head.

“Hehe, I actually draw as a hobby.”

Indeed, it’s a small world. A friend who seems like our daughter’s number one fan turns out to be our son’s friend. After that, the three of them had a very enjoyable conversation, and I brought the pancakes to the table.

“Well, it’s nice to have a pleasant conversation, but let’s have snacks while we’re at it.”

“Oh, this time it’s fruit pancakes?”

In response to Dayoung’s question, I replied that I had bought milk hastily in the morning, causing laughter.

“Hahaha, who’s the one who always drinks all the milk?”

Their gazes naturally shifted towards Dayoung as those words were spoken.

“Me, me? Me? Now that I think about it, it does seem like that. No, why put in so much effort drinking if you’re not going to grow taller and just end up somewhere else?”

Dayoung is a little under 160cm tall. To be precise, 158cm. She was on the shorter side compared to her peers.

“I think I know.”

Dabin said that while looking at Dayoung’s chest.

Well, she may be shorter than her peers on average, but her chest is outstanding even compared to adults.

“Hey! That’s sexual harassment!”

Dayoung snapped while covering her chest. Dabin chuckled and replied.

“There was no subject.”

Dayoung’s face turned red and blue. Sensing a potential fight, I intervened at an appropriate point.

“Hey, Seungyoon is here too. Are you guys going to act like this? Why are you blushing today when you never did before?”

Saying that, I cut the pancakes and served them on each plate. Despite that, with sugar entering her system, Dayoung’s expression softened noticeably, and I sighed and asked.

“By the way, where does Seungyoon live? Did you tell your parents you’re staying over tonight?”

Seungyoon awkwardly smiled in response to my question.

“Oh, yes. They didn’t pick up the phone, so I sent a text.”

“Huh? Your mother? Then contact your father at least. He must be worried.”

Seungyoon’s expression stiffened slightly.

“No, it’s my dad. My mom isn’t here.”

“Oh…”

Today, I felt particularly sorry for other people’s family situations. Dabin seemed to be hearing this for the first time, his expression turning awkward.

“Do you live alone with your father?”

“No, we used to live with my grandmother too. But these days, my grandmother is unwell and in the hospital. So my dad goes there right after work.”

Normal families seem rare these days. Whether it’s single-parent or step-parent families, why are there so many of them? It somehow weighed heavily on my mind. Our family was one of those.

I involuntarily sighed deeply.

“Sigh… Well, Seungyoon, you’ve been through a lot. Come over to our house often from now on. Even if the rest is unknown, I can cook delicious food. Come anytime, eat, play with Dabin, you know?”

Seungyoon cautiously nodded.

After finishing the somewhat heavy atmosphere with the pancakes, Dayoung made an effort to speak brightly.

“Dabin, when are we doing Ring Fit?”

“Oh, well. If we exercise right after eating, won’t it be tough?”

“Okay, then. Let’s start in 30 minutes.”

“Oh, okay.”

Hearing Dabin’s response, Dayoung added, looking at me.

“You too, Mom.”

“Huh? Me, too?”

I knew what Ring Fit was because I had seen Dayoung and Dabin occasionally playing it. Although I could be considered knowledgeable about games compared to other moms, having distanced myself from games for about 15 years since my early twenties, I wasn’t sure.

“Just think of it as substituting for going to the gym. If the four of us take turns clearing one stage each, time will pass quickly.”

With Dayoung saying that, I nodded without much thought.

“Yeah, sure. Got it.”

We dispersed to our rooms to rest for a bit and gathered in the living room after 30 minutes. We changed into comfortable clothes for exercising. Dayoung and I wore dolphin pants with white T-shirts, while Dabin and Seungyoon came out in suitable tracksuits.

“Dabin, how’s the outfit? Does the size fit?”

I asked Seungyoon.

“Yes, it’s a bit small, but it’s still wearable.”

Indeed, Seungyoon was slightly bigger than Dabin in stature. In terms of height and physique.

Before starting the game, we decided to do the stretching we used to do before exercising every time. Since there were two of us,

the biggest me and the next biggest Seungyoon were on one team, and Dayoung and Davin were on the other team as they proceeded with the stretching.

“Since I’ll lead, just follow along. Got it?”

“Yes, yes.”

After thoroughly loosening our bodies for about 5 minutes and completing the stretching, Davin started the game.

“How about playing a team match?”

“Huh? A team match?”

“After playing on the same map, we calculate each person’s record, and the team with the shortest clear time wins.”

“Like a competitive match. Mom agrees. It seems more motivating than just playing.”

Dayoung and Seungyoon also agreed enthusiastically.

Then Dayoung asked, “How should we divide the teams?”

To which Davin replied, “Should we decide with rock-paper-scissors? Oh, rock-paper-scissors is when two people show either rock or paper, and those who show the same thing become a team.”

“I know that much too, kid.”

Who would think of us as old fogies? Well, it’s true. But still, not knowing that much doesn’t make us old fogies. We’re still in our 30s!

“Alright, let’s begin. Rock-paper-scissors!”

“This, this one!”

“Oh, since three people showed the same thing, let’s try again! Rock-paper-scissors!”

This time, they could finally divide into teams of two.

“Oh~ Is this how the teams are formed? Fun.”

I said with interest, raising one corner of my mouth.

It’s going to be a truly fun game.