Banye’s large hand gripped me with a different force than before. Banye easily stood me upright as my body flailed, having lost its center.
As he helped me up, his face was too close, and I involuntarily gasped, “Huk.” Once my body was upright, Banye let me go.
“What are you doing?”
“Ah, no……”
“If you want to watch, just watch comfortably.”
“……I can do that?!”
“Yes.”
Banye even pulled my chair, which had been pushed far away, closer. My heart pounded with unconscious tension at the shortened distance.
[Party][Anajokiwojo] What?
[Party][Banye] Again
Although Anaki expressed confusion as the hunt had stopped because of me, Banye resumed hunting instead of explaining in detail.
I moved in close and watched Banye’s play.
“Oh……”
Banye’s play, seen from closer up, was as natural as flowing water.
While I would hunt and then get stuck and stop at certain moments, Banye had no blockage at all in his series of movements—using a skill and immediately moving, then attacking again.
I watched my Lilith being controlled by Banye with fascination, forgetting the psychological distance between Banye and me, and muttered.
“……As expected, instead of doing part-time work, it would be better to just be a streamer.”
Without even looking at me, Banye continued playing the game while only responding.
“Streamer?”
“Yeah. You’re good-looking, your voice is decent, and above all, you’re skilled……”
“……”
As I said that, I realized I had complimented Banye’s appearance and felt slightly embarrassed.
So I glanced at Banye, but he was just clicking his mouse with no particular change in expression.
As expected, it was an attitude that showed he knew he was handsome to the point of being sick of it. While somewhat annoying, that nonchalant aspect looked so impressive it was almost enviable.
I pouted my lips slightly, then quickly composed my expression before Banye’s gaze could reach me.
Banye glanced at me like that, then muttered as if talking to himself.
“……Do streamers make a lot of money?”
“They make tons!”
Thinking Banye had become interested in streaming, I quickly spoke to persuade him.
“If you become a streamer, you really make a lot of money, Banye-ya. There are even people who make 100 million won a month.”
“100 million…… But why don’t you do it, hyung?”
“Huh?”
“If it’s that good, why don’t you do it, hyung? Streaming.”
“I, I…… can’t do it because I have no talent for games……”
“Because you’re ugly, your voice isn’t good, and your gaming skills suck?”
“……Mmhm.”
I felt somewhat upset, but since it was the truth, I nodded my head.
Then Banye pressed his lips tightly together as if suppressing laughter, and silently played the game again.
I alternately looked at Banye’s face and hands, then carefully asked once more.
“A-aren’t you going to do it?”
“Do what?”
“Streaming……”
“I don’t know how to do it.”
“That’s nothing! First you upload videos to NewTube, and then you start live streaming on Twitch……”
To debut Banye, I enthusiastically rattled off about how to become a streamer to the best of my knowledge.
Each time, Banye seemed to listen seriously while adding interjections like “Mm……,” but then suddenly, as soon as the party ended, he typed [#1 earning streamer] into the NewTube search bar.
And clicked on the video of a male NewTuber that appeared first.
[Co.ca.ine……]
“……”
“……”
And for about 15 seconds, we watched some man make a strange expression, stick out his tongue, and perform a sexy dance, sliding his hands down his body.
Banye asked expressionlessly.
“……You want me to make money doing this shit?”
“N-no…… Th-there are people who do that kind of content……”
I was so flustered I almost bit my tongue.
“G-game streamers don’t do that kind of thing……!”
As I said that, I hurriedly searched for game streamers and showed them to Banye. However, Banye remained lukewarm even while watching those streamers.
“They’re all people who are good at pleasing others and telling jokes.”
“You’re pretty funny in your own way though……”
“Me?”
“Yeah……”
I muttered to myself, ‘Isn’t it kind of funny when Banye goes on and on……?’ I thought that Banye’s charm was that he made me want to keep nitpicking at him.
But I didn’t say that much because I felt like it might hurt his pride.
And Banye didn’t say anything, furrowing his brow as if he didn’t agree with what I said. Then, after a short sigh, he said this.
“I can’t do this kind of thing.”
“Why?!”
“It’s awkward.”
Saying that, Banye said he would just look for an ordinary part-time job.
I was very disappointed, but since I couldn’t force someone who didn’t want to do it, I said I understood for now.
In the end, that day, Banye went for an interview at a place that told him to come right away.
* * *
About an hour after Banye left for the interview.
Banye texted me saying he passed the interview at a franchise restaurant not too far from my house. And since the owner asked if he could start working today, he said he would work and come back.
So when he said he’d close at 10 PM and come home, around 9:30 PM I went out to meet him (without telling Banye) and slowly walked to where that restaurant was.
“Hm……?”
But I saw a familiar person in the alley by that restaurant. There weren’t many people who were this tall and well-built.
It was Banye.
“Ban……!”
I was so happy I almost called out loudly, but then I realized that Banye was also a game nickname, and looking more carefully, I saw he was smoking a cigarette in the alley and hesitated.
Banye was smoking, but his expression was somehow…… should I say expressionless but menacing? It’s hard to describe, but anyway, he had a face that was difficult to approach.
Bang―!
“Eek!”
Moreover, after standing still for a moment, he suddenly kicked a trash can in the alley.
I was so shocked seeing the plastic trash can smashed by Banye’s fierce kick that I trembled.
Then, worried Banye might spot me, I hid in another alley and sent Banye a text.
[Um… did work end well…?]
I was about to send “Nothing happened, right……” but deleted it, and in the meantime, a reply from Banye arrived.
[Yeah]
It was a simple answer, but I was one hundred percent certain something had happened to Banye.
“Did he get fired……?”
In the end, I gave up on picking up Banye and returned home. And I asked Banye to contact me when work was over.
Banye didn’t text that he was in front of the house until 10:40, well past closing time. Pretending I knew nothing, I brought Banye inside the house.
“How was today?”
“So-so.”
Banye only spoke briefly and looked tired. I didn’t ask any more. And starting the next day, Banye began looking for another part-time job again.
‘As expected, he got fired…….’
Why?
This morning, I observed Banye, who was forcefully eating the 3-minute curry I prepared for him with a distasteful expression, resting my chin on my hand, wondering to myself.
‘This guy seems to have a bit of a hot-tempered streak…….’
Like hitting that ahjussi and leaving home, and suddenly kicking the trash can……
‘But…… he’s never shown me that kind of behavior…….’
Does he not find me annoying? Or is Banye holding back?
‘I wonder if it’ll be okay to keep living together…….’
I had some concerns while looking at Banye’s large hand gripping the spoon.
If Banye became violent, I would have no way to stop him. Because I’m not confident in fighting…….
But then, Banye scooped up the last spoonful and said to me.
“Actually, I got fired from that restaurant last time.”
“……!”
I froze, startled that Banye would bring up getting fired with his own mouth.
Banye avoided my face at an angle and looked down, then scraped the empty plate with his spoon. He seemed embarrassed, and also seemed to be taking a moment before bringing up the topic.
“When I first interviewed, they liked me, but around closing time they asked if I had a health certificate. When I said no, they said they thought I obviously had one, and where the fuck would someone come to a restaurant interview without a health certificate, they really chewed me out so……”
“……Ah.”
“I got kind of annoyed. So I just left while being scolded……”
Banye said up to there, took a big sigh, then apologized to me.
“I’m sorry. I need to find one quickly and move out.”
