The meeting didn’t last long.
The original goal had already been achieved. I prayed while listening to the New Year’s bell ringing right there.
There was an unexpected interview during the wait, but that went smoothly too. I guess because it was a crowded place, it was pretty amazing to see cameras from the broadcasting station everywhere.
The New Year’s bell has rung, and we made our wishes. So, it was time to part ways.
At this late hour, two grown women had nothing much to do and nowhere to go. What were we going to do? The only places to go were the jjimjilbang or the PC bang. Honestly, staying home, turning on the electric mat, and just warming myself up seemed a hundred times better.
But our Riri seemed to think differently than Dahee.
“Uh, since we heard the bell, how about we go to the beach and watch the sunrise?”
“Excuse me?”
I thought I misheard her; surely, that’s a bit over-the-top. We should be going home—when would we go to the beach again?
Especially since Riri was shivering from the cold. It could be fine for me, but with that chilly ocean breeze, she’d probably end up in a bad state—not good at all. She might catch a cold and end up bedridden.
Pointing that out made her smile awkwardly.
“Or not, hehe…”
She was fiddling with the scarf I gave her, looking like she wanted to spend a little more time with me.
Did she really not want to go home? I started piecing things together as the train of thought rushed through my head.
Why wouldn’t she want to go home? Now that I think about it, didn’t she say she lived alone? I’ve heard that those who live alone often feel quite lonely.
I’ve been alone all my life, so that makes sense to me, but it seemed that Riri, like most people living alone, found her home quite lonely.
Otherwise, there wouldn’t be any reason for her to cling to me like this.
Well, it wasn’t like I didn’t have a proper response. If she didn’t want to part, we could just stick together. I’m not so bad of an adult that I wouldn’t listen to a single complaint about wanting to be together.
“Then let’s go to my house since it’s cold.”
“…Huh?”
Riri’s eyes widened as she finally understood what I meant.
“Nowadays, they even livestream sunrises. We’ll watch the sunrise warmly at my place and sleep over, okay?”
With that final word, she finally nodded.
This is what you should’ve done from the start. Why were you being so stubborn?
“Well, this is what happens. Why is she being so stubborn these days?”
With a somewhat dazed expression, Riri grabbed my hand and we headed toward my house.
*
I’ve mentioned it countless times, but Kayak was like an idol to Dahee.
From the moment we became a team, or rather, even before that, she had taken an interest in him.
After Kayak saved Dahee from the torment of the fierce competition rumors, her feelings deepened, and when she met Kayak at a gathering afterward, it peaked.
Since then, under Dahee’s lead, they continued to meet, and I felt that… even though Kayak was younger than her, he exuded a grown-up vibe.
Was it the kind of ease you get from seniors who graduated first and are in the workforce?
No, Dahee experienced something even more relaxed, like he had seen it all and come through every storm and trial.
He was always one step ahead of Dahee. The woman in front of me.
Even now, it was the same. The signal to not want to go home was sent by Dahee, but I never expected the reply would be to go to his house.
In the beginning, it was just a petty complaint. It would have been nice if Kayak showed some concern, but even if he firmly said they should part ways today, it was the kind of situation she could return home feeling a bit disappointed.
Before they had started meeting, there was no way she could have anticipated this from all the dozens of conversation simulations she had run through in her head. That’s why Dahee, having made the first move, went blank when Kayak came on strong.
As they approached Kayak’s house, she bit her lip like an idiot and couldn’t say anything meaningful. Kayak just thought she must be really tired.
By the time Dahee got her wits about her, they had arrived in front of a strange building she had never seen before.
A neatly designed small officetel.
This was Kayak’s house.
I wonder how many outsiders have come here.
Dahee thought, humorously, that Kayak probably wouldn’t let just anyone into his personal space.
“E-excuse me….”
In front of the tidy shoebox with only slippers and casual sneakers, she muttered an empty greeting, which reflected how overly tense she was about Kayak’s invitation.
“What are you saying hi for? It’s just the two of us anyway.”
A soft whoosh of air came from behind. It was Kayak’s chuckle.
If it were any other day, Dahee would have felt a bit proud about making Kayak laugh, but right now, she was focused on something else.
“There are only two…?”
Dahee mumbled Kayak’s last words and swallowed slightly. It felt as if her mouth was drying up.
The sound of her gulp echoed unusually loudly in her ears.
*
Two-room, or maybe 1.5 rooms.
Kayak’s place, classified under that name, was pretty comfy for living alone. At least, it seemed that way on the outside.
A short hallway led to a tiny kitchen and sink, following a little shoe cabinet.
Next to that was a small room. And if you stepped inside that room, a spacious living room awaited. In the corner of the living room, the broadcast equipment, including a computer, was set up.
You could say it was minimalism, or you could say it lacked any sense of home. The only sign of life was the computer chair, which had its cushion slightly indented.
You could find Kayak’s shiny white hairs here and there on the floor. Dahee guessed that this meant Kayak wasn’t a neat freak.
It seemed like Kayak mainly lived in the living room, considering the bed was placed right behind the computer where she broadcasted.
This was the usual view when Kayak turned on her camera, and Dahee found herself lost in a peculiar sentiment.
It felt like she had won a fan meeting with streamer Kayak and had been invited to her home.
“Make yourself comfortable, make yourself at home.”
“Ah, okay.”
Dahee, lost in thought and pacing around, finally sat down at the homeowner’s invitation.
That seat was a cute rocking chair. It was the kind of chair that rocked back and forth, providing comfort to whoever sat in it.
—
However, not realizing it was a rocking chair, Dahee leaned back comfortably and suddenly tumbled backwards.
She flailed silently for a moment but soon realized she was safe, stopping her struggle.
‘She didn’t see that, did she…?’
According to the physics of rocking chairs, as the chair came back up, Dahee’s gaze returned to the front. There, she saw Kayak looking at her with a somewhat kind smile.
The reason Dahee’s ears flushed again was clear. She averted her gaze from Kayak, staring aimlessly at the ceiling, and wiggled her feet to bury herself back into the rocking chair.
It was because of that. With my eyes glued to the sky, I absentmindedly kicked my feet and sank back into the rocking chair.
I wondered if this was where Kayak usually relaxed.
Images of Kayak sitting here, rocking back and forth with a book in hand, filled Dahee’s mind. Or perhaps she was catching up on other streamers’ broadcasts while sitting here.
Countless imaginations raced through my head, but none felt out of place.
It was probably due to her unique appearance. The atmosphere she exuded was substantial enough that just sitting still could create a photogenic look.
Even though the chair creaked back and forth without making a sound, it was clear Kayak used it regularly. It had a similar scent to the scarf she wore.
It was refreshing yet subtly dizzying. She wouldn’t spray perfume on her usual chair, so it must be her natural scent.
‘How can a person smell like this…’
It was a strangely addictive fragrance. The more I smelled it, the more I wanted to keep smelling it.
So there I was, tilting my head and sniffing the scent of the chair.
Eventually, I realized that my action looked quite inappropriate, and I froze.
Sticking my nose into someone’s chair to sniff? I had no defense if I got labeled as a weirdo.
‘Look, did you see that?’
I checked Kayak’s movements again, creaking as I did, but thankfully, she had vanished. The rustling sounds from the kitchen suggested she was preparing something.
Only then did I snap back to reality and cease the creepy act. At that moment, Kayak walked out of the kitchen.
In her hand was a familiar can of drink for me.
Kayak mentioned it was barley tea. In other words, the kind of imported beer that convenience stores sell four cans for ten bucks…
“We should have a drink. There’s still plenty of time until sunrise.”
Dahee didn’t usually enjoy drinking. She could, but recently, she had been deliberately refraining due to the gaining pounds.
However, for some reason, Kayak looked so excited. Plus, Dahee also felt a tinge of awkwardness being at Kayak’s house.
“Uh, should we?”
Rarely did she end up saying such a thing.
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