The collaboration with Mr. Exit didn’t wrap up until 11 PM.
Usually, we stream until the early hours, but since it would be inconsiderate to overstay at someone else’s house, and we had already made the most of our broadcast, we decided to finish a little early.
“Ah, today’s broadcast was great. Thank you, Mr. Cosmo.”
“Oh, no! I should thank you. I was worried I might have made the atmosphere heavy.”
As Mr. Exit offered his hand for a handshake, I bent at a 90-degree angle and grabbed his hand.
Honestly, I was quite anxious. Not only was I concerned about any awkwardness caused by my stories, but I also worried that I hadn’t caused any trouble on someone else’s stream.
However, Mr. Exit seemed to appreciate my honesty, mentioning that given the recent incidents in the streaming community, my story was quite refreshing.
I felt a bit choked up at that moment, but I forced a smile to hide my emotions.
“Mr. Cosmo, you worked hard today.”
“Ah, thank you. I caused some inconvenience staying late.”
“Inconvenience? I had so much fun watching the broadcast! If there’s another chance like this, please come by again.”
“Oh, of course! I’ll come whenever you call.”
After exchanging greetings with the wife, I sat back down on the living room sofa for a moment to relax, following her suggestion.
Compared to when I was tense earlier, the living room scenery seemed clearer now. It felt like the fog had lifted from my vision.
“By the way, Mr. Cosmo, you’ve had quite a tough time, haven’t you? I felt a great deal of empathy when I first saw you.”
“Empathy?”
As I was about to sip my warm wine while sitting across from the sofa, Mr. Exit suddenly dropped an unexpected comment.
“I also experienced a hard childhood and was bullied. I’ve never talked about it on stream…”
“Oh, I didn’t know that…”
“That’s how I got into streaming as an escape. When I started, my bank balance was only 400,000 won. My wife came to live with me during that difficult time.”
Oh.
I knew Mr. Exit had been in a relationship with his wife for a long time from watching the stream, but I hadn’t realized she was the one who reached out to him during tough times.
“You never know where life will take you. So I sincerely hope you and that person work out well, Mr. Cosmo. Finding someone who highlights your worth—that’s the law of romance.”
“Ooh…”
That was quite a touching adage, and I couldn’t help but let out a soft exclamation.
Finding someone who brings out your value in romance. It resonates more than any expression I can think of.
Just then, as I was basking in this calm feeling, Mr. Exit’s wife approached with some snacks, playfully tapping my shoulder and raising her voice to a deliberately audible tone.
“Mr. Cosmo, don’t be fooled by this guy’s talk. When he proposed to me, he said, ‘I only have 400,000 won in my bank account, but I want to spend it on you, the person I value most.’ I must have been crazy to fall for that line!”
“Hey, that was a romantic sentiment, what’s wrong with it?”
Chhh…!
Ah, wait. I shouldn’t be laughing.
Yet, the image of Mr. Exit’s cheeky face made it impossible for me to suppress my amusement. Still, I felt I should side with Mr. Exit here.
“Well, if you think about it, knowing he’s a shameless guy with only 400,000 won, he must have really wanted to be with you, suggesting a proposal! That’s pretty noble, isn’t it?”
“Right, right! Mr. Cosmo, you understand!”
Interpreting Mr. Exit’s feelings back then really did give him a reason to pat my back with approval.
“Oh dear, all men are the same…”
Mrs. Exit clicked her tongue, turning away, but I could see the smile on her lips.
Given how she spoke, it was obvious Mrs. Exit’s heart was moved by Mr. Exit’s confession, causing her to nod in agreement.
“Mr. Cosmo, next time, let’s have a drink together, just the guys. I feel we’ll have a lot to share.”
As the atmosphere began to ease towards a close, Mr. Exit made a friendly proposal as I started to rise.
“Oh, sounds great! But I’m not really a heavy drinker…”
“That’s alright. My wife’s the only one who drinks well; I’m terrible at it.”
Mr. Exit smiled wryly, claiming he could barely drink a bottle of soju. After all, he often said on the stream he wasn’t good with alcohol.
But Mrs. Exit drinks well? That’s quite surprising.
“Mrs. Exit, you drink well? You seem like you’d struggle with just one shot of soju.”
“She may look delicate, but she’s quite the drinker… whoa!”
“What are you saying?! Instead of babbling, go see Mr. Cosmo out quickly!”
Ah, that sounded almost bone-breaking.
I quickly sent a silent prayer for Mr. Exit’s shinbones as we made our way to the entrance. Since Mrs. Exit had to watch over So-yul, who might wake up at any moment, we said our goodbyes in the living room.
“Oh, and all the donations from today will go to Mr. Cosmo’s account, so just keep that in mind.”
“Excuse me? No, that can’t be…”
While waiting for the elevator, Mr. Exit dropped this shocking news in a slightly lowered voice, causing my eyes to widen in disbelief.
What had seemed like a light comment translated into a statement that he would essentially forgo the payment for a day’s work!
Sure, I had gotten a lot of donations from my viewers at the end, but most of them came from people who originally were watching Mr. Exit’s stream.
“If you really feel bad about it, just do me a favor and share some stories once things go well with that person. Later, let’s have a meal with my wife too.”
“Ah…”
I didn’t want to be so shameless as to swallow it whole, but Mr. Exit’s casual pat on my shoulder left me in a daze.
“Yes, I’ll be sure to do that.”
“Great! And since we’ve collaborated today, how about we call each other more casually from now on?”
“Casually?”
That meant, well, you know what that means, right?
Quickly recalling Mr. Exit’s name, I carefully uttered it.
“Yes. Uh, then I’ll be counting on you. Mr. Park Gun-ho.”
“Alright, Uju. Can I speak casually too?”
“Of course.”
After forging a brotherly bond with my idol, my steps felt light as I got into the elevator.
*
Once back home, I washed up, changed into comfortable clothes, and half-collapsed onto the sofa, letting today’s events play out like a movie in my mind.
So many things happened.
Still feeling like I was floating on a cloud, I worried that if I sleep now and wake up tomorrow, it might feel like none of this ever happened.
“…I should call tomorrow.”
Fiddling with my phone to check the message from Older Sister Seo-ha, I eventually set it back down.
She probably has work tomorrow; she’s likely asleep by now. The broadcast ended quite early after all.
And with the time it took to chat with Mr. Park Gun-ho and Mrs. Exit afterward, returning home took a little longer. Keeping her waiting at this hour would be inconsiderate.
Right now, it’d be best to have a good sleep and contact her tomorrow.
I did have a message saying she arrived, so I just needed to send back, “I just got home.” Okay.
Beep beep beep.
“…Huh?”
Just as I finished sending the message and was about to head back to my room, I heard the sound of someone entering the door lock.
Could it be…? I turned with hope to see a small presence approaching quickly from the entrance, revealing Older Sister Seo-ha.
“Uju!”
“N-Noona? You’re still awake…!?”
As I imagined a romantic reunion like in a romance novel, my hopes were dashed when she charged at me like a rampaging triceratops, delivering a headbutt.
Okay, it wasn’t meant to be a headbutt, probably just a hug, but her speed was too much for me to catch.
Oof, my chest feels sore.
“I’m so sorry…! I got too excited…”
“It’s- it’s alright. This is nothing…”
After a brief awkward scene, I managed to recover and stand up.
I’ve felt this before, but she really has a strikingly bold side to her.
“By the way, you’re still awake? It’s pretty late.”
“After watching a stream like that, how could I sleep? I was waiting for you to come back!”
“Ah…”
Well, if I were in her shoes, I wouldn’t sleep easily hearing something like that either.
Unless the person I wanted to meet was far away, if they were right next door, it’s human nature to want to talk face-to-face immediately.
“So, how was it? Did you get to convey what you wanted…!?”
Just as I was about to mumble a nervous line with no real atmosphere, the moment froze.
Swoosh.
I caught the faint scent of shampoo as Seo-ha’s long black hair brushed softly against me, and then she embraced me.
Feeling the soft warmth of her body caused my head to spin; I stood there unable to react while she looked up at me, smiling gently.
“I still don’t know. So for now, can you just hold me like this, silently?”
I could tell her words were a little white lie, but as a man, it would be impossible not to fall under that affectionate charm.
With a little more strength, hoping the feelings that should’ve already been conveyed could reach her, I embraced her back.
In response, she tightened her arms around me and gently rubbed her head against me.
For the first time, I truly felt how warm a person’s presence could be.
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