My Favorite Has Started A Live Broadcast!

I opened my eyes.

It was a ceiling different from usual. I stared at the ceiling for a moment and then remembered where I was.

For a brief moment, the unfamiliar surroundings made me tense, but once I recalled where I was and with whom, the tension left my body.

“Yaaawn… am I?”

As I lifted both arms and naturally tried to yawn, my hands wouldn’t move up.

“……”

I turned my head, and there was Minyoung, hugging my arm tightly while sleeping.

“What about the left one…”

I understood why my right arm was restrained—it was wrapped in Minyoung’s embrace—but why couldn’t my left arm move?

As I exerted a bit of strength to move it, I heard a small mumble from the left.

“Mmm… five more minutes… just five more…”

“……”

It should be okay to sleep just a little longer. The sunlight wasn’t bright behind the curtains yet, and the event wouldn’t start until 10 o’clock anyway.

I decided I’d ask questions or wake them up later.

While I sneakily turned my head to watch them sleep, Chocoa began to stir, and her eyes started to open.

I quickly turned my head back, and shortly after, Chocoa sat up.

“Mmmrrrr….”

Stretching out, Chocoa looked at me with half-closed eyes and greeted me briefly.

When I returned the greeting, Chocoa spoke before I could ask anything.

Her voice, having just woken up, was huskier than usual and tickled my ears in a strange way.

“Last night… I woke up and couldn’t sleep well because the place felt different from usual… So I hugged what felt the best.”

“…Me?”

“Yes. I noticed it last time too… You’re really soft.”

“I agree.”

A muffled voice came from the other side.

Despite being awake, she still didn’t let go of my arm.

“Beach!!!”

Minyoung, unusually full of energy, was running around the white sandy beach.

It seemed eating two rounds of breakfast was for the sake of this moment, as they tirelessly ran back and forth along the line where the sand met the waves.

Letting her have her fun, I walked slowly along the beachside with Chocoa.

Whooosh—

Since I was wearing sneakers, I avoided getting them wet by stepping aside whenever the waves came up, walking on the already damp sand instead.

Chocoa, on the other hand, seemed unconcerned, walking casually in black sweats with her hands in her pockets, her gaze fixed on the sea.

“……”

As the slightly higher waves seemed to wet her socks, Chocoa silently moved closer to me.

“Do you come to the beach often?”

“Not that often, but this isn’t my first time either.”

“……”

Something about her gaze and words felt as if she had visited with an ex-lover before, which lingered in my mind uncomfortably.

***
Choi Ga-young POV

…I wanted to sleep.

Choi Ga-young usually slept in on weekends, waking up no earlier than 10 a.m. or even as late as noon.

However, today, unable to adjust to the unfamiliar sleeping environment, she woke up much earlier.

Though she knew she had to pack and prepare, breaking her usual routine left her feeling unusually fatigued.

Yet, seeing Su-yeon looking troubled and her sister so excited, she felt she needed to wake herself up properly.

She cautiously guessed that Su-yeon’s expression had something to do with the competition later that day.

***
Lee Su-yeon POV

“Unnie! Look at this!!”

Minyoung, who had dashed far off, came running back, shouting.

Though she had been at least 50 meters away, she quickly closed the distance, eyes sparkling as she spoke.

“It’s a shell! Do you think we can eat it like yesterday if we take it back?”

“…That’s just an empty shell.”

Her eyes widened in shock when I revealed the truth.

At moments like this, she still seemed like a child.

“Ugh… hmmph…”

When I suddenly patted her head, they made a strange noise.

“I’ll make you something later.”

“Okay! I’ll keep this for now!”

She stuffed the small, blue shell into her pocket.

Hoping it wouldn’t break, I wandered the beach a bit longer.

“Wow… There are way more people than I expected.”

The scene was vastly different from the quiet atmosphere of the previous evening.

The event area was now packed with people, almost to the point of overflowing.

It felt like looking at a golden field of ripe rice in autumn, though here, most of the crowd was clad in black.

“When does the competition start?”

As soon as Minyoung picked up the camera, Chocoa naturally switched to a polite tone while addressing us.

As I walked toward the event’s entrance, I thought about the time.

“Hmm… It’s in the afternoon, so we still have a few hours. We can look around a bit and then start preparing.”

Pulling my cap lower, I walked further inside.

“Oh, this one’s still unbroken.”

While maneuvering through the crowd and going with the flow, I ended up at the shooting booth from yesterday.

On the whiteboard by the wall, my score of 1415 and Gunkoo’s 1215 remained unbeaten.

Most of the other rankings had been overtaken.

Feeling slightly proud, I headed toward the center of the event area.

Yesterday’s center was empty.

Aside from the staff diligently setting up equipment and a few people wandering aimlessly, there wasn’t much going on.

A large stage was prepared, but it was already late, and the competition was scheduled for today, not yesterday.

Now, the area was bustling with people.

I picked up an event flyer that had fallen to the floor and unfolded it.

“Hmm… It looks like a lot of things will start soon. A food-eating contest… Why is that even here? Anyway, it seems things will begin shortly. Since the cosplay event is last, we can take some time to look around.”

For some reason, the competitions being held as part of the Lesik event felt oddly fitting, even though only reflexes and shooting contests seemed relevant.

I spent the remaining time playing with the camera while waiting for the event to start.

“…Unnie, I want to join this.”

Minyoung spoke softly while standing in front of the crowded stage.

“What?”

“Is there anyone else who’d like to participate?! With so few participants this time, you have a great chance of winning!”

The host’s voice echoed through the large speakers, and Minyoung tugged on my arm.

“What are they eating?”

“…Burgers.”

“…Isn’t that too much—”

“Please…”

She clasped her hands together and looked up at me with a pleading expression.

Since she’s taller than me, she even bent her knees halfway to emphasize her desperation.

I sighed.

“Don’t win, just take it easy…”

Taking the camera, I watched as Minyoung, eyes sparkling, weaved through the crowd and climbed onto the stage.

“Excuse me for a moment…”

Hearing a familiar sound, I checked my phone to see who was calling.

It was Si-ha, likely about the competition.

I handed the camera to Chocoa and answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Hello? Um… by any chance, was that your sister who just went on stage…?”

“…”

“Well… when the contest ends, could you step outside the event area for a bit?”

“Got it. Should I bring anyone else?”

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll let them know.”

“Alright, see you in a bit.”

After ending the call, I returned to the original spot to find Chocoa still standing there.

“Sorry about that. How’s it going?”

“…It looks like your sister is going to win.”

I looked toward the stage and realized Chocoa’s words were likely true.

The stage was filled with participants, Minyoung, and the host.

The participants looked formidable—there were huge individuals who seemed like they could eat a lot, lean ones who appeared to have starved just for this moment, and others who simply looked confident.

Among them, she stood out, and I couldn’t help but feel a bit worried.

“…Take. It. Easy.”

By the time she had devoured nearly half of the dozens of burgers stacked next to her, several participants had already dropped out.

Only three, including Minyoung, remained.

Yet, it was clear her pile of burgers was much smaller than the others.

Most of the burgers had already disappeared into her small stomach.

I stared at her and mouthed my words slowly for emphasis.

“…!”

Startled, she froze for a moment, glancing nervously at me.

Their hand trembled slightly as they reached for another burger, but when I shook my head, they dropped their head in resignation and announced their withdrawal.

“Ah! Contestant Number 9!! Despite being the strongest contender, they’ve unexpectedly forfeited!! Was it too much for them after all?!”

“…”

I had plenty to say to the host but chose not to bother.

As I guided my disappointed sister off the stage, I tried to comfort her.

“You know eating too much isn’t good for you… I’ll make something better for you later.”

“…”

Even as I promised to cook something tastier, she still wouldn’t meet my gaze.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure if this was my fault, but I continued to console her.

“I’ll let you do whatever you want.”

“…Really?”

As her eyes began to light up, a loud voice called out from the distance.

“Baraaniiiiiiiiiim!!”

The moment I turned around, a heavy yet soft sensation covered my vision.

“Gah!”