♬: Nobody knows me
Ni-el conjured an eerie melody on the violin.
I delicately tapped the piano keys in staccato to match his tune.
Ding!
Every note fell perfectly in place, and at last, the long OST medley came to an end.
“Ahhh, finally done.”
Crack-crack-
I cracked my fingers and twisted my waist from side to side.
My body felt sore after playing 12 OSTs non-stop for 30 minutes.
Ni-el set the violin down and approached from behind the piano bench, giving my shoulders a good rub.
“Great job, Na-me-na-me!”
“Oh wow.”
I leaned back against her.
Looking up, her ample avatar bust blocked my view.
Ni-el wore an inscrutable smile and suddenly stuck her long snake tongue out.
Hisssss. Slurp.
A damp sensation brushed against my cheek.
“Ah! Wh-what are you doing?!”
I jumped up and spun around in shock.
Did this human just lick my cheek?
“Hehe, in our Safari World, that’s a way of saying thank you.”
“No way, snakes don’t lick like dogs for that reason or anything.”
“Is that so?”
“Anyway, it’s fine. I’ll edit today’s performance video by sections and upload it to V-tube.”
[NoName / Judex Ch.]
[Just Chatting – Kaizen World BGM Medley]
[Broadcasting Time – 1:18:30]
[Number of Viewers – 63302]
– Kyaaaaaa
– Why is this person even a V-tuber?
– Are they really pros? Hahaha!
– 30 minutes playing flawlessly without any sheet music!
– Gasp gasp gasp
– I wanna lick Na-me’s cheek too! Me too!
– It was so sweet I fell asleep in the middle!
[‘SuspiciousFox123’ donated 10,000 won!]
– The culture of licking cheeks to say you’ve worked hard is an ancient tradition from Goguryeo watermelon fest.
“Ooh, Na-me says that!”
“I don’t believe it.”
I replied in a unimpressed tone, clicking my tongue.
[‘jimin38’ donated 5,000 won!]
– Did you prepare a handling fee for Yudi?
“Is it necessary? Buying him a meal should be enough, right?”
– Total scumbag mode ON! Hahaha!
– Such shamelessness!
– Let’s just call it even with one meal. ^^
– If it’s a meal date with Na-me, then I totally agree!
– Wow, what did you eat?
– Na-me never even thought of giving anything in the first place~
“Everyone, did you know? Na-me bought me something super yummy! Ahaha, it’s a shame not to spill the beans about it.”
With a side glance, Ni-el was watching for my reaction.
I nodded, signaling her it was okay.
“Around four days ago, I got a message from Na-me. ‘Yudi, great work, thanks for helping with the BGM! I’ll treat you to a meal soon.’ But as you all know, it’s a common courtesy among Koreans.”
“I really planned to treat you, though.”
“Anyway, I just brushed it off at the time. I ended up sleeping over at the boss’s place after broadcasting BlockCraft until dawn.”
[‘serpanty’ donated 20,000 won!]
– Casa CEO crying over an empty house. T_T
“Hehe, I couldn’t help it. To get work done quickly, I have to face-to-face with Na-me. But I’m nocturnal, so I’m especially terrible at waking up in the morning. Plus, I was so tired after broadcasting till 5 in the morning.”
“Oh wow, so you slept at 5? No wonder you couldn’t wake up that day.”
“But around 11 in the morning, someone kept banging on our door. I thought the boss was back already and opened up, only to find Na-me waddling in her pajamas. Yep, the boss lives right above Na-me. What did you say back then, Na-me?”
I closed my eyes, recalling that embarrassing moment.
“Sis, we’re in trouble.”
*
Even with Na-me, I couldn’t escape the fate of a mere developer.
At the critical final stages of the launch, strange bugs I had never experienced before started popping up like fleas everywhere.
After staying up all night, I finally managed to register Kaizen World at the shop without issues.
Na-me woke up to a particularly refreshing morning that day.
Her eyes shot open, and her mind was alert.
The layers of fatigue that had built up over the past few days melted away in just one day.
She felt a strong urge to get out of bed and start moving.
However, that pleasant feeling quickly transformed into a sense of foreboding.
There was no sign of anyone in the house.
Saetbyeol had gone to school, and Professor Cheon had left early for a lunch appointment with acquaintances.
“What time is it now…?”
As she rubbed her eyes and checked the clock, memories she had momentarily forgotten slowly surfaced.
It wasn’t just about what time it was; knowing what date it was turned out to be even more urgent.
Na-me had secretly planned to take Daniel to a seafood course restaurant as a thank you.
April 14th, Monday; today was that day.
The clock cruelly chimed exactly 11 AM.
“Oh no…! Only 20 minutes left!”
Na-me, still in her pajamas and wearing the duck slippers Saetbyeol had given her, dashed upstairs to the boss’s apartment.
Every small hop of her feet let out a cute squeak.
Quack-quack-quack!
She wasn’t forgetting the lunch reservation at the restaurant.
It was just a minor flaw of her perfect memory that she struggled to distinguish between the past and present, leading to frequent date mix-ups.
‘I kept it a secret because I thought Ni-el might refuse due to the expensive price… but yesterday I was so busy, I didn’t even think of telling her…’
Ding-dong-ding-dong!
Pressing the doorbell with one hand, she pounded on the door with the other.
As she was about to input the password and enter, the door opened with a click.
With a haze in her mind, Ni-el groaned out.
“Umm… Na-me, what’s the matter?”
“Sis, we’re in trouble. There’s no time, just get ready quickly… or rather, we don’t have time to get ready, let’s just go like this.”
“Eh? Like this?”
After hearing the full story in the elevator, Daniel’s eyes widened in surprise.
“A fine dining restaurant? And it costs 500,000 won per person?”
“It’s not about the money. If we don’t go now, we might not get another chance.”
It was a restaurant Na-me had reserved since before going to the United States.
Not wanting to miss the opportunity, Na-me grabbed her hand and stepped out of the apartment.
“Na-me! I haven’t even done my makeup, and more importantly, both of us are in our pajamas…! I’ll rush upstairs, grab my cosmetics, and change!”
“Honestly, there’s no time for that! We only have 15 minutes left. And we already have our room booked, so it’ll be fine.”
As Na-me said, even if they grabbed a taxi right away, they would definitely be late.
Thus, two pajama-clad girls appeared at the main gate of the apartment complex.
There aren’t many people who could completely ignore Daniel’s yellow polka-dot pajamas and NoName’s shark animal pajamas.
Ni-el squatted down and hid her face as she felt the eyes on them even from across the six-lane road.
While riding in a driverless taxi, Na-me and Ni-el checked each other’s faces.
“Na-me, you’ve got something on your lips.”
“Hmm? Here?”
“No, a little lower. Come here; I’ll wipe it for you. What’s stickin’?”
“Ah, I had hot chocolate and didn’t brush my teeth… huhm…”
“All clean now! But since it’s fine dining, shouldn’t we dress a bit neatly, at least?”
“Unless it’s too open, but with just the waiters around, there’s really no need to bother.”
Na-me had contacted the restaurant in advance.
“We should be arriving about 10 to 15 minutes late; is that alright? Sorry about that.”
[Oh, there’s nothing to be sorry about, NoName! That will be perfectly fine! I believe other guests will understand as well.]
To Na-me, the taxi driving strictly under the speed limit felt like a total drag.
While fixing Daniel’s hair with her hands, they suddenly arrived at the Michelin 3-star restaurant ‘Adoracion.’
“I’ll cover the taxi fare, Na-me!”
“Really? Oh, alright.”
“Our sweet little sister, thank you for treating us to such a delicious lunch. I’ll enjoy it!”
While Daniel took out the card to pay, Na-me stepped out of the taxi first.
“Huh?”
The narrow alley in Cheongdam was crowded with people.
Waiters in white shirts and black suits suddenly came pouring out at just the right moment.
Among them walked a chef in a white uniform.
“Whoa…”
Ni-el, getting out of the taxi behind, felt a flush of embarrassment that made it hard for her to lift her head.
Yet the chef did their best to greet guests to avoid making them feel awkward.
“Thank you so much for visiting our establishment, NoName Wizard.”
“Hello, nice to meet you.”
“Um, the outfit you’re wearing today is so cute! Haha…”
“I’m sorry if it’s inappropriate, but we had our reasons too.”
Na-me couldn’t exactly say she overslept like a child.
“Oh, not at all; I think it’s lovely! Thank you for brightening our restaurant’s atmosphere with your adorable attire.”
The waiters nodded vigorously in agreement, regardless of age or gender.
Na-me politely bowed to greet the attentive waiters.
They watched her every gesture with honey-dripping gazes.
“We’ll guide you to your table right away.”
“Whoa!”
Ni-el suddenly yelped, startled.
“Is there something wrong?”
“Ah, no, nothing at all. Na-me, let’s go quickly! I can’t wait for the food!”
“Yeah, I’ve wanted to come here since I booked it six months ago! But first, you need to do me a favor later.”
Na-me led Ni-el forward inside the restaurant, her face wearing a cunning smile.
“Sis, do you drink well?”
“Well, somewhat.”
“I heard their wine list is globally recognized! I’ll buy you a bottle, so pick without worry.”
“I’m not good with wine…”
“Hey, hey!”
Na-me decisively cut off Ni-el’s words of refusal.
“If there’s too much leftover after drinking alone, you can leave some. Teehee!”
This was the moment her grand six-month plan was set to unfold.
*
“That langoustine was really delicious… Can I share a secret with my viewers, Na-me?”
Gulp!
Ni-el looked at me with a satisfied grin.
Why do you look so nervous all of a sudden?
It’s making me anxious too.
Are you trying to ruin my precious establishment?
“A secret? What is it? I have no clue.”
I played dumb.
Ni-el raised an eyebrow, surprised by my ignorance.
“Wait, you didn’t know? Ah, Na-me, you still have that innocence.”
Was she talking about having enjoyed wine?
My mind was spinning, trying to guess.
Ni-el clutched her outfit, swaying back and forth.
“I went braless that day. I nearly had a heart attack because I thought I’d get caught.”
“Eh? Seriously? Why would you say that here!?”
“Hahaha, what’s the big deal? So Na-me, just don’t forget to wear a bra when you’re old enough to go out.”
“I can handle myself; please just…”
– No way, LOL!
– Yudi was a bit quiet because he was in front of Na-me.
– Whoa, the broadcast is spicy!
– No-bra pajamas at fine dining? What level of difficulty is that? Haha!
– Na-me’s face is so red right now!
– Better than wasting money for a few minutes late!
– If it had been anyone else, Adoracion wouldn’t have accepted them after just one minute late, but Na-me was lucky.
– Na-me wears a bra…? This is hell…
– Na-me will never grow up… Na-me is forever a little kid…
