My Favorite Has Started A Live Broadcast!

“But what is that?”

Chocoa, who had been sipping on cola as a trophy from our trip to the cinema, pointed at the small paper bag in my hand with her finger.

“Huh? Oh, um, this… it’s… kind of… like a… gift…”

I answered slowly, trying to buy time as I thought of how to respond to Chocoa’s sudden question while walking beside her.

“What kind of gift?”

“This is… Agh!”

Not watching where I was going came with a bigger price than I expected. I walked straight into a telephone pole, banging my head against it and sinking down on the spot. The street was deserted, so there wasn’t a crowd, but I could feel several eyes on me, and the most embarrassing part was knowing Chocoa’s gaze was among them.

“Ouch… Ow… Hang on a second!”

While I was rubbing my forehead, Chocoa crouched down to pick up the spilled gift from the paper bag.

“Hmm~”

Chocoa stared at the necklace and hairpin for a long time before trying on the hairpin, then reached out to pull me up. Though the sunlight reflected off her face, making it hard to see, the hairpin, even awkwardly attached, looked incredibly pretty and suited her well.

“It feels strange to do this here, so put it on me later when we’re having dinner.”

With that, she handed me the necklace.

“So, what are we eating?”

“Um… I didn’t really have a plan… Whatever Chocoa wants to eat is fine with me.”

“Then…”

The place Chocoa led me to was a huge snack bar. The only snack bars I knew served tteokbokki in tiny 200-won cups or large 500-won cups, but the one Chocoa took me to was massive. There were tons of customers, several tables, and an extensive menu with staff who seemed capable of handling it all.

“Wow… This is way different from my family’s place…”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

Chocoa asked as she casually sat in a corner seat. I looked around the shop and quickly took a seat.

“My parents run a small restaurant in the countryside… I hope they’ll be able to open something like this one day…”

“Oh… I’d like to visit sometime. What kind of food do they serve?”

I started sharing stories about my family, feeling nostalgic.

“Hmm, you’ve lived quite a normal life, huh? Looks like the food’s ready soon.”

“Huh?”

When I asked her to clarify, Chocoa pointed with her finger to the pot of tteokbokki that was bubbling away.

“Will you put it on me now?”

“Oh… Sure!”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

As Chocoa wore the hairpin and necklace I gave her, she began serving the food. While I watched her with my head slightly tilted, she made a small noise and put her finger in her mouth, startled by the hot broth splashing onto her hand. I just sat there, dumbfounded, staring at her.

“…But… is this spicy?”

“No? I’ve come here before with a junior and could handle the spiciest level. This is, like, level two. It’s for beginners.”

The broth might have looked clearer than usual, but it was still a bright red. My hands trembled a bit as I picked up a rice cake and took a bite.

“Haeeeek… Ahhhh…”

“Can we get some cold water over here? I’m so sorry… I didn’t think you’d have such trouble with spicy food…”

I flailed around in pain, my tongue hanging out like a dog in summer. I suddenly felt it would be a terrible idea to start a livestream today.

“I’m sorry… I brought you here because it’s so delicious…”

“N-no problem… I’m okay…”

With my swollen tongue struggling to move, I did my best to cheer up the now-gloomy Chocoa. Though we’d ended up sharing a simple toast on a bench afterward, we’d promised each other to go somewhere better next time, and stood up once the toast was gone.

“…I want to give you a gift too… When’s your birthday?”

“My birthday? Um… it’s… in two days.”

“…”

***
Eunah POV

“Oh no~ It’s over already.”

Feeling a bit disappointed that the entertaining moment was over, I crunched on some half-finished popcorn, and then I heard a sigh beside me. Turning, I saw Su-yeon, gazing hopefully and wistfully after our senior, who waved goodbye as he walked away, sighing even deeper.

“…Sigh…”

“Hey, you. If you weren’t family, you’d probably get married, wouldn’t you?”

“…”

“What? Why? What’s wrong?”

When I teased her like that, Minyoung shot me a glare.

“Seriously… You’re so annoying…”

“Hm.”

I chewed another piece of popcorn while listening to Minyoung grumble away.

“This was not the original plan…!”

“Hm.”

“The plan was to follow them on their date and take a bunch of photos of my senior looking cool… and hang around them casually… and after everything, I’d act all surprised to bump into them and join them for fun!”

“Hm, is that it?”

Minyoung, out of breath, sat back down on the bench, panting. I handed her the popcorn bucket, and she looked at me before grabbing a handful to munch. After a while, she started choking on it, so I offered her my nearly-empty coffee.

“…Ugh…”

Minyoung turned the straw around and finished the rest of the coffee.

“Blegh! Cough… What is this bitter stuff…”

“Oh dear, that’s an espresso with three shots.”

I smirked internally, knowing her tongue would be tasting nothing but bitterness for a while, and tossed the empty popcorn and coffee cup into the trash.

“Hey, there’s Su-yeon heading off. Should we follow?”

Minyoung, still coughing, quickly straightened her hair and walked briskly ahead.

“Senior!!!”

“…Oh geez… What should I get for her birthday present…”

***
Lee Suyeon POV

“Huh? Bitter?”

On my way back home, Minyoung and Eunah unnie said they were a bit hungry, so I put together some snacks for them, but my sister said it tasted bitter.

“Uh… No… It’s all because of that person…”

She glanced curiously at Eunah unnie, who merely shrugged in response.

***

‘Baraa has started a livestream!’

– OMG, OMG, it’s a 500-dollar PC!

“Hello.”

Once I started the stream, a lot of viewers poured in. The large, fancy computer was silently running, showcasing colorful components through its glass case. Minyoung, looking impressed, sat on the bed beside me. Shortly after, I turned on the webcam, showing both of us in the same outfits as earlier. It seemed my sibling had dressed up as well for some reason.

-Noonaaa! OMG, what is this!!!

-😲

-Minyoung noonaaa!!!

“Wow…”

Within seconds, 2,000 viewers had gathered, and the chat was scrolling by quickly. Indeed, it was smooth. In the past, my old computer would’ve lagged out or frozen, unable to keep up with the chat speed, but now it flowed perfectly. I glanced briefly at my old computer sitting in the corner before looking back at the screen.

“It feels different, doesn’t it?”

“Totally. Let’s try a game.”

When MInyoung quickly grabbed a chair, Eunah unnie also brought one over. Now that I’d gotten used to this group, I prepared to launch a game.

**Gunkoo:** Want to try a new game to celebrate the new computer?

“…What kind?”

**Gunkoo:** Escape from Nikita

-Eek!

“Eek… What? Why? What’s wrong?”

Eunah unnie, mimicking the chat reactions, muttered shyly and buried her face in her knees when everyone kept looking at her.

“What kind of game is it?”

“Hm… A very interesting game.”

Gunkoo spoke in a stilted, almost textbook-like tone. It felt deliberate, so I asked Gunkoo for more details about the game.

“Well… it’s quite difficult. Very complex, and probably challenging. For first-timers, it’s naturally hard, so even if you don’t manage, that’s totally understandable. Not many women play it, so if you do, well… expect some hardcore advice from Nikita fans.”

Gunkoo’s description painted a nightmare of a game. Even Lesik seemed straightforward compared to the insane difficulty of this one, and I could tell just from the explanation. Not only did it involve reloading but also discarding magazines during quick reloads, checking the chamber, verifying ammo count, bulletproof ratings, and looting and escaping—unusual mechanics for an FPS game. Hearing all this, I was genuinely intrigued.

“Oh… How much is it?”

“I’ll buy it for you as a gift. Hardly anyone plays it anyway…”

“Excuse me?”

“Ah, nothing. Just buy it, and I’ll cover it with a donation.”

With Gunkoo’s enthusiastic offer, I followed Eunah unnie’s directions to hide the stream screen, signed up, and bought the game, for which Gunkoo then donated 70,000 won.

“Even with a good computer, the download is large, so it’ll take a while. Call me when it’s done.”

After saying that, Gunkoo disconnected from the call.

“Hm… It says 30 minutes left… What should we do in the meantime?”

“I don’t have any ideas.”

“Play with Strawberry.”

Minyoung brought in Strawberry, who had been lounging around the living room. Nestled in my sibling’s arms, Strawberry, perhaps missing some attention today, snuggled up to both of us even more than usual.

“Meow~”

So, for the next 30 minutes, my sister and I played with Strawberry, while Eunah unnie passed the time watching a series of fan-requested video donations featuring moments from today’s events.