My Favorite Has Started A Live Broadcast!

“…….Li…fe…”

When I entered the room that could be called both the break room and the changing room, the manager handed me a long brown skirt, just like the one he was wearing, and left immediately.

“………….Sigh….”

I took off the long pants that had been bothering me even more after I started being conscious of them. Once I removed the pants, my pale legs, which had been hidden until now, were revealed. I tried to recall the memory of girls in my class changing into their gym clothes and wearing skirts, as I put one leg into the skirt.

“Ugh….”

Of all days, I had run out of the mentally acceptable spandex shorts, and in my rush this morning, I ended up wearing ordinary plain white underwear that my little sister had packed for me. It was a double dose of mental damage. I felt my spirit crumbling. As I pulled up the skirt and zipped it, the tightness compared to the pants irritated me for no reason.

“……It’s comfortable…”

As I exaggeratedly swung my legs around while walking in circles in the break room, I had to admit it was comfortable. Although it wasn’t as cozy as the pants I had at home, it was a hundred or even a thousand times better than the pants I had on earlier.

“Ugh…..Seriously… Why am I… wearing this…?”

Just as I was about to go out, I noticed a jelly on the table.

“…….Munch munch….”

Chewing on a gummy bear, I went back into the shop.

“……Ew…..”

As I awkwardly walked toward the counter, I could feel everyone’s eyes on me, like a prickling sensation on my skin. When I stood at the counter, the manager and Si-ha were staring at me with wide eyes, and someone even whistled, heightening the indescribable atmosphere.

“Th…that… looks really…good on you…”

The manager stuttered.

“……..”

“It… it really suits you, so stop blushing… You look like a strawberry…”

I had no idea how to respond, so I just fidgeted with my hands before bolting into the bathroom.

Locking the bathroom door, I stood in front of the mirror. The reflection showed my silver hair tied neatly in a ponytail, my eyes looking redder than usual, and my ears and face burning as red as my eyes.

Shhhhh-

“…….Phew….”

Splashing cold water on my face helped calm the redness a bit, but my ears were still bright red.

I had been away for too long. I couldn’t waste any more time, so I hurried back to work.

“Next time, wear a skirt again! The customers just keep coming in!!”

“Haha…..”

As more and more customers poured in, time flew by. Eventually, I left the store, with the manager sporting an oddly bright expression.

“Ugh…….”

The moment I got home, I collapsed onto the bed.

Though only half of the day had passed, it had been filled with exhausting moments. I wrapped myself in the blanket, rolled around for about five minutes, and got up. It was still only 3:30, and there was plenty left to do.

First, I changed into comfortable clothes, grabbed the overflowing laundry basket, and headed out.

“My arms hurt….”

In the past, I could easily carry this much, but now I could barely hold it for five minutes. When I arrived at the laundromat and put the basket down, my arms trembled from the strain, but I managed to get the laundry going. The washing would take about an hour… and considering the drying, the timing should roughly coincide with when Chocoa started her stream.

Growl-

My usually quiet stomach grumbled loudly today, signaling its hunger.

Since I had about an hour to spare, I decided to grab some food.

Brrrrrr-

– Hello?

“Hey, Minyoung. Have you eaten?”

– Yeah, I have… Why?

“Oh… that’s too bad… I was hoping we could eat together. I guess I’ll see you later.”

– Ah… well, next time, give me a call anytime.

“Got it.”

Unfortunately, it seemed I wouldn’t be able to eat with my sister. Swallowing my disappointment, I stepped outside the laundromat and unexpectedly ran into someone.

“Huh…? Landlord?”

“….? What is it…”

As usual, the landlord was holding a cup of coffee and walking somewhere.

“Landlord! Where are you going?”

“Me…? To get lunch.”

I was happy to have suddenly found a lunch companion, so I quickly caught up to her.

“Let’s eat together!”

“Ugh… You… stop shoving those annoying airbags at me… Fine, what do you want to eat?”

“I don’t have any particular cravings… Shall we just go anywhere?”

“Hmm… How about over there?”

The landlord pointed to a small pizza place.

“Wow…..”

After ordering the pizza and sitting at a table, the landlord finished off the last bit of her coffee with a small straw and swirled the remaining ice around in the plastic cup as she spoke.

“You know, I’ve been meaning to visit the place where you work…”

Come to think of it, the landlord had said before that she would come by the store, but she had never actually visited. Feeling a little disappointed, I asked her about it.

“Oh… I’m really sorry about that… The truth is…”

She suddenly stopped shaking the cup and looked me straight in the eye. The sudden serious atmosphere made me swallow my saliva as I waited for her next words.

“………I was sleeping.”

“….Pardon?”

Sleeping?

“I’m starting my classes the week after next, so I have to get as much sleep as I can now.”

“……..”

“What? Why are you looking at me like that…”

“Nothing… So, do you drink coffee to wake yourself up?”

The landlord was always drinking coffee.

“Uh… no? I just really like coffee… And now that I think about it, we haven’t really talked much before… I don’t know much about you.”

“Haha… I guess life’s just been too busy.”

“Let’s chat a lot today, then. Do you have any plans after lunch?”

“Hmm… after lunch, I have to do some laundry….”

“Ah… sorry about the lack of a washing machine… Money issues are such a headache…”

“No, no..! It’s fine! But, by the way, landlord… How are you the landlord at such a young age?”

I’d been curious about this for a long time. We were only a year apart in age, but she was a landlord, living in Seoul and attending university. I had always thought she was the complete opposite of me.

“Oh… Well, technically, it’s not really my building. It’s my mom’s.”

“Huh?”

“To be honest, my family’s pretty well off. My dad works abroad, so I don’t see him much, but my mom handles things here. She runs a kindergarten and manages a few buildings… One of them is the apartment you live in. My mom gave me that building to try managing it, but I still live in one of her buildings.”

“Wow… That’s amazing!”

“Uh… thanks… but…”

“Yes? What is it, landlord?”

“When are you going to stop calling me ‘landlord’? It feels too… transactional.”

“Uh….. then…”

“Just call me by my name.”

“……E… Eunah… Sis…”

“Isn’t it supposed to be ‘unnie’?”

“………Eunah…. U…Un…Un…Unnie!”

“……Pfft…. Hahahaha!”

As I forced the word ‘unnie’ out of my mouth, trying to suppress the ticklish feeling inside, what I got in return was laughter.

“Hahahaha!! Haa… Haa… Ah~ Sorry, sorry… You said it so funnily…”

“…..”

I stared at Eunah unnie with a gaze full of resentment at her teasing tone.

“Sorry… Did I go too far…?”

“No, it’s fine, landlord.”

I responded in the coldest tone I could muster.

“……….Could you say it… one more time…?”

“…………Eunah….Unnie…”

“… I honestly didn’t think you’d say it again…”

“This much doesn’t make me that angry, don’t worry.”

Soon after, the pizza we had ordered arrived, and I savored the taste of pizza I hadn’t had in a long time.

“Mmm~!”

“Eat as much as you want. I’m buying.”

The pizza I hadn’t eaten in a while tasted incredible. It wasn’t one of those overly topped Korean pizzas but a simple pepperoni one. The cheese stretched just right, and the slight sting of the cold cola in my throat was also perfect.

“Ahh… I should come back here with my sister next time…”

“If the timing works, let me join too. I don’t have anyone to eat with.”

“Oh… sure…”

“So, what are you going to do next?”

“Hmm… next…”

I checked the time and saw that almost 50 minutes had passed.

“My laundry should be almost done! I think I should go now!”

“Really? How much time do you have left?”

“About 10 minutes?”

“Hmm… Let’s walk around a bit more. It’s nice to be out in the sun.”

“Just a minute…”

“Then let’s go.”

I had planned to pay the bill, but Eunah unnie effortlessly pulled out her card and paid.

“Where are we going?”

“I’m taking you to a café I used to frequent. It’s a bit of a walk, but I know a shortcut. Follow me.”

“Th… This place is…”

“Yeah, it’s the café I used to visit often.”

The café Eunah unnie led me to was the one where I worked. She navigated the narrow alleyways without hesitation, making a trip that usually took 20 minutes into a 5-minute walk.

“By the way… More people have started coming here lately… It used to be quieter, which I liked.”

Eunah unnie said this as she walked into the café.

“Welcome….. Oh?”

“Hi.”

“Hello, Manager!”

“What brings you here?”

“I just went out for a while, bumped into her, and we grabbed lunch together, so now I’m here for some coffee.”

“Oh…. What’s your relationship?”

“She’s my landlord…!”

“Really? So, what are you going to order? I already know you want an iced Americano… What about our mascot here? I still don’t know her preferences.”

“Hmm….. I’ll have the same!”

“Ha… At least this place still makes the best coffee around.”

“Mmm….. This is good….”

Drinking coffee, we made our way back through the narrow alleyways, heading for the laundromat… or at least tried to…

“Ugh, this is what happens when your chest is ridiculously big—it gets stuck.”

“Urgh..!”

After squeezing through the shortcut, we arrived at the laundromat.

“Phew….. Another hour….”

“Yeah? Well, I’m heading out now.”

“Ah, yes! Thank you so much for today!”

I said goodbye to Eunah unnie, who was heading home, and made sure the dryer was working properly before heading back to my apartment.

Baraa-nim has started a live broadcast!

– I’ll play for just an hour and then head out.