Though Gabi's attire could be considered plain compared to when she had dressed up before—just a comfortable short-sleeved shirt and very short shorts (dolphin shorts, I believe they're called, though I'm not sure how they got that nickname)—it didn't diminish her appearance at all. Compared to the fresh dress she wore last time, she definitely came dressed more casually.
Yet for some reason, my heart was racing at the sight of her unadorned appearance. It's not like Gabi being pretty was anything new. I should be getting over these feelings—this is becoming troublesome.
...But emotions aren't something I can control at will. All I can do is hide them.
"Mmm, I'll be right out. Gabi, where are you going to sit at the table? I want to set the angle so you won't be on camera."
"Me? Next to Noel. Or would sitting across be better?"
"Hmm... Since both you and Jaemin know each other through me, it might be better if I sit between you."
So I need to act normal. Make rational choices based on proper reasoning and causality. And show consideration for my friends.
The reason we've been close since childhood is probably because we've always been considerate of each other. That shouldn't change just because I've become a woman.
While Gabi arranged the chicken on the table, I headed to the kitchen to get plates. Chopsticks and cups for drinks too. Looking at the glasses briefly reminded me of my father hitting me when he was drunk, but people are the problem, not alcohol.
"Ah, I should have set this up while Noel got the plates."
"You don't know where everything is in the cabinets. It's better if I do it."
As I went back and forth several times between the table and the drawers by the sink, Gabi seemed to realize something and came over. Like during the cooking competition before, it's more efficient to have me stay in one place while others do the moving around.
But as the host, it feels wrong to make guests work. Though I'm not really the homeowner—I didn't buy this place with my own money. The deed isn't in my name... Oh, I suppose it will become mine after completing the inheritance procedures.
That thought gave me mixed feelings. It wasn't a house I earned through my own efforts, so I didn't feel particularly happy about it. If possible, I'd transfer ownership to my mother and work hard as a professional gamer to get my own place.
Anyway, we set up the table for three people. When I turned on the broadcast on my phone, viewers were still waiting in the stream.
"Were you waiting all this time? I thought you'd come back when the broadcast resumed. I feel bad about that."
Though some people probably left when it stopped being a gaming stream, the viewer count had actually increased, likely because of the mukbang tag.
- SilverPanthea: Looks like your friend arrived before Jaemin
- TearRipper: Is that four-legged chicken from Hamsik? It has more legs than you
- Myaminai: ??? Is it okay to make disability jokes like that?
- Dedica: Life tip) When you order four-legged chicken from Hamsik, it usually comes with more legs than normal people have
- TripleAction: Where in the world would you find a person with four legs lol
- OlEunNeoGul: There's a mammal with a duck bill that can detect electromagnetic fields like a shark, has no stomach so food goes straight to the intestines, has poisonous spurs, no nipples so milk comes from sweat glands, and lays eggs—so why not a person with four legs?
- SeoulGuardian: For real, there are giraffes and elephants and narwhals, so why aren't there unicorns?
- MyHornHurts: There aren't people with four legs because that would be a centaur, not a person
Some viewers were joking about the chicken brand Gabi bought. Even though the text wasn't visible, the cute logo of a hamster with its mouth wide open and tongue sticking out was easy to recognize.
That's right, humans normally have two legs. So "four-legged chicken" naturally has more legs than most people.
Hearing that actually cheered me up. What does it matter if I have one foot and others have two? We all have fewer limbs than octopuses or squids anyway.
So I laughed it off and showed off the chicken to the viewers.
"Here's the chicken Gabi bought. Half spicy, half soy sauce. Oh, Gabi, this seems like a lot."
"That's because it's two chickens. One would be too little for three people. If it's not enough, we can go to the convenience store for snacks."
"Hmm, could you eat a whole chicken by yourself, Gabi?"
"Me? I could if I forced myself, but I don't really want to eat that much."
"That's true. Once you start getting full, the taste isn't the same as when you first start eating. I don't know if it's because the threshold rises or if fullness just dulls your taste buds."
"Taste has thresholds too?"
"I've never studied neurology, so I'm not sure. But if pain and smell have thresholds, wouldn't taste have them too?"
"I guess so?"
As I chatted casually with Gabi while watching viewer reactions, I noticed something strange. No one was saying the chicken looked delicious or that they were hungry too. No one was even envying us for eating chicken.
Instead, most comments were about how skinny people always have small appetites. Some argued you should eat until you're full, while others claimed that feeling full is the body's way of signaling you've reached the right nutritional intake.
A few people agreed with our conversation, but they were the minority.
This was surprising. I never expected such a heated debate on this topic.
Of course, the internet is full of passionate debates about trivial things. The classic "to pour or not to pour sauce on sweet and sour pork." The soft peach versus firm peach debate. People can argue for hours about all sorts of topics.
So it's not that I didn't believe this could happen—I just didn't expect it to flare up right now.
I wondered how to moderate this. Should I join in? Refute each point? Or just let them argue among themselves?
Just as I was pondering this dilemma, our savior arrived.
[Noel, it's me, Jaemin. Can you open the door? I can't press the doorbell.]
Jaemin had arrived outside. So I left the lively chat and went to greet—
"I'll go. Noel, you'll hurt your knees if you keep crawling around."
"Well, it feels weird to hop around too..."
"That's why I'm saying I'll do it. Just stay put while I'm here. Or should I carry you?"
"...Yes, please."
"Though, you're still sweaty, so it might be uncomfortable if I carry you, right?"
I couldn't go.
Gabi apparently found it difficult to watch me crawling around the house.
To be fair, I'd probably feel the same. Seeing someone with one foot crawling around, worried about making noise for the downstairs neighbors—I'd probably look at them with pity too.
But understanding that didn't make me feel any better. Of course not.
At the same time, being carried by Gabi to the entrance was embarrassing. Despite my youthful appearance, I'm a grown adult. Being carried by a friend? By a woman? It was awkward and made me feel guilty.
Plus, Gabi was already sweating from going to the chicken place in this heat, and that sweat smell... No, it wasn't unpleasant. It was just the inevitable summer scent that somehow made my chest tighten. That personal scent people have.
So how could I let myself be held in Gabi's arms? Just sitting across from her, catching that scent made my heart flutter. If I got closer to her...
This makes me sound like a pervert. Getting flustered over Gabi's sweat smell. I deliberately leaned toward the chicken, trying to use its aroma to forget Gabi's scent.
"Ah! Noel's trying to eat the chicken first!"
"Perfect timing, we just finished setting up. Come on in."
Thankfully, Jaemin's dramatic entrance helped me escape that awkward feeling.
I wasn't actually trying to eat the chicken first, but it was better to let them think that.
And the viewers wouldn't notice anything. I didn't mention anything about smells or Gabi out loud.
My refusal to be carried by Gabi would just be interpreted as embarrassment, which was fine. They were all teasing me about being light and easy to carry, but that kind of teasing comes from affection.
Much better than being called a pervert who blushes at the smell of Gabi's sweat.
Definitely better.