My Favorite Has Started A Live Broadcast!

“It felt weird to just come empty-handed…”

Chocoa stepped onto the sparkling clean floor, which I had meticulously tidied the previous day, and handed me a small gift.

Her bangs were neatly pinned with the hair clip I had given her previously, and a heart-shaped necklace, reflecting light here and there, hung proudly around her neck.

I stared at her unintentionally, and when she gave me a questioning look, I hurriedly accepted the gift.

“Thank you…”

The gift was an assortment of candies and strawberry-flavored snacks.

I placed the gift on the dining table and went into the bathroom.

“Whoa… Whoa, whoa, whoa…!! She brought tea…!!”

Thinking about Chocoa, wearing the hair clip and necklace I had given her, my face heated up until I finally calmed down and stepped out of the bathroom.

“……”

“…Why?”

As soon as I emerged, Eun-ah unnie and Chocoa, sitting at the dining table, exchanged glances while Eun-ah unnie sipped her coffee and watched YouTube.

“Are you coming along too?”

Chocoa’s question was met with a shake of Eun-ah unnie’s head.

“Nah, I’m just going to stay home and nap.”

“Is that so…?”

The conversation flowed naturally, even more smoothly than when she talked to me, and I couldn’t comprehend the situation.

“Do… do you two… know each other?”

“She’s my senior in the same department. Oh, sorry. I meant to tell you but forgot. It doesn’t really matter now, does it?”

Eun-ah unnie shrugged as she put her empty cup into the sink.

Feeling a sudden wave of betrayal, I glared at Eun-ah unnie.

Carrying a hint of tension, I entered the house. It was tidy.

The cleanliness was partly because it had been well-cleaned, but also because there was almost nothing beyond the essentials, giving it a minimalistic look.

The living room, likely a play area for the cat named Strawberry or simply an unused space, contained only a small toy box.

The kitchen, in contrast, showed signs of frequent use with many tools and traces of activity, contradicting Eun-ah’s occasional claims that she rarely used her kitchen.

***
Choi Ga-young POV

“Hello~”

Lying upside-down on the bed, Min-young, Su-yeon’s younger sibling, greeted me.

When I waved slightly, I noticed a small creature peering at me from near her stomach.

As I turned my gaze, I spotted a familiar face.

“Do… do you two… know each other?”

Su-yeon, having exchanged a few words with me earlier, finally emerged.

Eun-ah smiled mischievously and answered Su-yeon’s question.

“Why~ I’ve already talked a lot about you.”

“Still…! If you’d told me sooner… I would’ve tagged along…!!”

Watching the two chat and bicker affectionately made me feel a little envious.

After unpacking my belongings in a corner of the living room, I sat at the dining table opposite Eun-ah and asked,

“…Is there an extra room here?”

“Are you moving in?”

I knew Eun-ah owned the building. Few people at school were aware of this fact, as most didn’t perceive her as wealthy.

It wasn’t something I had heard from a friend, but rather something I picked up from random conversations while sitting quietly in class.

Eun-ah’s habit of wearing old slippers and tracksuits probably deterred anyone from imagining her as a landlord.

However, as we grew closer, I naturally learned about it and decided to bring it up for the first time.

“…Would that be okay?”

“Well… I guess so. If you’re interested, contact me later.”

“…Alright.”

As we wrapped up our half-serious, half-joking conversation, Su-yeon emerged from her room with puffed cheeks, having apparently lost an argument with Eun-ah.

“What?”

“…I’m getting ready now.”

Eun-ah asked, and Su-yeon quickly composed her expression, replying while opening the fridge.

From across the dining table, I noticed the cat ears twitching on Su-yeon’s hoodie.

Though I felt an inexplicable urge, I was more drawn to her professional demeanor as she skillfully prepared an array of ingredients with a focused expression.

“Oh… I brought the camera.”

“Ta-da~”

The long-time cooking tools I brought from my sibling’s house that morning were now neatly arranged in the kitchen, making me feel ready to cook.

“I’ll just start cooking roughly, so please wait for a bit.”

Pulling up the hood and rolling up the warm sleeves, I got to work.

Though it was a shame to lose the warmth, I’d be heating up soon enough.

Just as I turned on the gas and lit the stove, Eun-ah unnie returned with a blue box that seemed to contain a cake and an impressive-looking camera.

“Oh… Expensive things really are different… Hey, wait a minute. This is my first time using it, so I need about five minutes to adjust the filters and settings…”

“……”

Flames roared, and the sounds of frying and sizzling filled the house.

Although Su-yeon had been cooking for less than ten minutes, various sauces and dishes were already nearing completion.

She moved through the kitchen with elegant, efficient motions, so focused that I retreated into the room to avoid being a distraction.

“My sister is amazing, right?”

The moment I entered, Min-young, Su-yeon’s younger sibling, spoke proudly as if boasting about herself.

“…Yeah. Was she like this on your last birthday too?”

“Um… No.”

Minyoung paused, appearing to think it over, then shook her head.

“Last year, she didn’t have much free time. Around this time… she had just graduated and moved to Seoul to look for a job. For my birthday, she barely managed to come to my place close to dawn because of work.”

“……”

While Chocoa was deep in thought with a serious expression, she felt a strange sensation on her leg, something she had never experienced before.

“Meow~”

At the characteristic soft, high-pitched meow and the touch of smooth fur, I lowered my gaze.

“…Hello?”

I knelt slightly and, with a trembling hand from nervousness, reached out toward the fluffy white creature. Strawberry gently nudged its head against my hand.

“……Purr…”

Hearing the tiny purring from within my palm, I could only silently stroke Strawberry’s head.

***
Lee Su-yeon POV

“…Isn’t that a bit too close for filming?”

Although Eun-ah unnie and her camera weren’t large, the small kitchen was cramped enough that she was practically glued to me while filming. I couldn’t help but wonder what she was thinking.

“The viewers will probably prefer it this way.”

“…Sigh.”

“But why so much seafood? Aren’t you all going to Busan tomorrow to eat some anyway?”

Indeed, the cooking theme seemed to center around seafood.

“Min-young likes it. It’s her birthday, so I should make what she likes the most.”

“Did you get a wallet out of it?”

Thud!

“Ah—hey, sorry, but don’t use that to cut me.”

The sudden loss of strength in my grip caused the knife to slip, embedding itself into the wooden cutting board like Excalibur. I quickly adjusted my wrist and forcefully pulled the knife out, feeling its familiar weight settle in my hand.

“…Is that a cleaver? What kind of knife gets stuck in a cutting board like that…”

“It’s a knife I’ve been sharpening since I was young.”

Even now, I keep a whetstone ready in storage, just in case.

“Meow~”

By now, Strawberry had gotten comfortable on Chocoa’s lap, eating the snacks she was feeding it. Watching them, Eun-ah unnie asked quietly from the side.

“…Jealous?”

“Yes—uh, no! No, not at all!!”

I think the early celebration of Min-young’s birthday went very well.

The large fried shrimp, spring herbs, mushrooms, octopus, and various seafood in the bubbling seafood hotpot emitted fragrant steam.

Besides that, there were several side dishes and additional dishes prepared, but perhaps because of the crowd or my sister’s appetite, nearly everything was gone in under an hour.

Even the ramen I added at the end, which is usually left untouched, was delicious.

“Hah, bet you all can’t eat anything like this.”

Eunah unnie taunted the camera, addressing the future viewers who would see this in the edited video.

Min-young, having devoured all the food, sat as if nothing had happened, sipping the plum tea I had brewed.

Strawberry tried to leap at the food on the table but, hindered by its lack of jumping power and my vigilant defense, had to settle for snacks and Churu instead.

“Cats shouldn’t eat fried food! I think…?”

“Meow…”

Strawberry licked its lips regretfully before retreating into the room.

After finishing the cake, the clock neared midnight. Honestly, it felt like more time was spent chatting while eating cake than actually eating the meal itself.

“Hey, come here.”

Eun-ah unnie called out to my sister, who was rubbing her eyes sleepily. She began explaining how to use the camera to her half-asleep audience.

“What are you teaching her now?”

“Why~ It’s not a bad thing. I’m not going tomorrow, so someone has to handle the camera. Shoot whatever you want. Oh, by the way, if you want to stream, log in with this account—”

Late at night, after Eunah unnie and my sister had left, the only light in the house came from my room.

“I’ll sleep on the floor…!”

Last time, I ended up sleeping beside Chocoa by accident because of drinking, but this time, determined to avoid upsetting her, I lay down on the floor.

Though it was a bit uncomfortable without a pillow, my pajamas kept me from feeling cold.

“…Why are you lying there? There’s so much space left on the bed.”

Pat, pat.

Chocoa, propping herself up with her upper body, patted the empty half of the bed with her palm.

“…Purr.”

And now, here I was, lying next to Chocoa, sharing the same blanket.

If I turned my head even slightly, I felt like I wouldn’t be able to sleep, so I focused on staring at the ceiling.

Although Strawberry, sprawled on its back and snoring softly, caught my attention, I couldn’t bring myself to look.

It wasn’t because I couldn’t resist my desires.

Even though I had cleaned, the floor was still dirty. If I ended up getting sick from bacteria and disrupting tomorrow’s plans, it would be a problem. That was the only reason I climbed onto the bed.

It wasn’t because I wanted to sleep next to Chocoa. Definitely not…!

“Good night, Su-yeon.”

“……”

Until I fell asleep, I couldn’t utter a single word.