Chapter 18: Yuri Gallery Cooking Contest

Kim Jiyeon, Kim Jia’s older sister, had recently become addicted to posting on online communities—or “gallerying,” as it was called.

Until she’d been caught writing sexually suggestive posts about her younger sister, she’d considered quitting both the community and life itself. But her sister’s unexpectedly forgiving reaction had led to a peaceful period.

Ironically, her gallerying increased after Ji-a found out. What had been occasional posts fueled by guilt and a sense of transgression transformed into an addiction after receiving (what she interpreted as) her sister’s tacit approval.

The truth was, Jia never gave permission, but Jiyeon misinterpreted her silence as consent.

Regardless, she had her sister’s (misinterpreted) permission to write about her desires. The Yuri Gallery wasn’t the type to actively censor those posts.

She’d also changed her nickname after Jia discovered her posts, preventing identification.

Writing about her sister brought inexplicable satisfaction. It was a release from her desires that she couldn’t express openly, and the responses were satisfying.

She’d recently been called a “regular poster,” but she wasn’t writing for attention, so she didn’t care.

After writing a post fueled by work stress, the desire to go home, and the longing to see her sister, she felt like writing again. She logged back onto the community.

[Banned by Yuri Gallery Manager. [Duration: 10 minutes] / [Reason: Sexually suggestive and creepy.] / [Available: 2024/02/07 16:55:31]

A new window greeted her—something she’d never seen before while using her fixed nickname.

“What…?”

“What’s wrong?”

“No… nothing.”

Her involuntary utterance made a coworker curious, but she just shook her head. The unease remained.

This had never happened before. And look at the reason: sexually suggestive and creepy. It was true, but hearing it directly felt bad.

Who had banned her? The message said the gallery manager, but she’d posted far more provocative content without being banned.

She scrolled through her posts, searching for the possible cause. She checked the popular posts.

And soon found the likely culprit:

Kim Jia.

The name of the new assistant mod. The fact that it was the same name as her sister added to her annoyance. The ban was particularly irritating since it was from someone with the same name as her sister.

It felt like a stain on her sister’s name. While Kim Jia wasn’t unusual, the fact that it was the same name as her beloved sister was infuriating.

Although it was only a 10-minute ban, she disliked the new assistant mod.

There would be no friendly relationship between them. She vowed to punch the assistant mod if they ever met and put away her phone.

Gallery management was easier than expected.

I just read posts and ban the inappropriate ones.

Or… maybe Hwajuyeon’s gaslighting convinced me it was fine. It was unpaid work; the fact that I felt it was acceptable frightened me.

Besides the initial post about my sister, nothing else was truly inappropriate. Even that post felt like overkill.

I felt guilty. But it was only a 10-minute temporary ban; it should be over by now. I decided to ignore it.

With the gallery stable, I had nothing to do, so I stretched and looked at my clothes. I was still in my school uniform.

I hadn’t even showered yet. Embarrassed, I closed my laptop and went to shower. I undressed and entered the bathroom.

Adjusting the water temperature, I looked in the mirror. I held my long brown hair, which now reached my chest.

Should I cut it? I really wanted to. It was undeniably pretty; I’d often murmured to myself while looking in the mirror.

But long hair took longer to wash and dry. Drying alone took twenty minutes, and managing it properly took even more time.

I stared at my hair in the mirror for several minutes before shaking my head and starting to shower. My indecisiveness was a waste of time; I’d ask my sister next time.

After showering and drying myself, I put on my underwear and pajamas. With a towel around my neck, I left the bathroom and checked my phone; two messages.

[Sister: I’ll be home soon!]

Perfect. I could ask her about short hair. I replied and checked the next message.

[Cho Hyeseol: I’m hosting a competition.]

It was from the Yuri Gallery moderators’ group chat. I’d muted the notifications due to excessive socializing, but Hyeseol had tagged me.

Why would she contact me? Curious, I opened the message to find she’d tagged everyone, creating a massive commotion.

No one had read it yet; ignoring it felt rude. I blinked and replied.

[What?]

[Cho Hyeseol: Cooking competition. Interested?]

[What?]

It was random. The competition was surprising, but a cooking competition? I couldn’t follow the conversation.

[Cho Hyeseol: I’m setting the prize.]

[What is it?]

[Cho Hyeseol: A chance to be my wife.]

[What????]

[Cho Hyeseol: Just kidding.]

Hyeseol remained playful, just as expected. But I hadn’t expected her to joke with me. The tension eased.

[What’s the real prize?]

[Cho Hyeseol: Maybe a 50,000 won gift certificate?]

[Cho Hyeseol: We can decide on the dates later; we can change it.]

[Yes….]

I thought she was incredibly impulsive and headstrong. This is the personality of an assistant mod, I thought.

[Cho Hyeseol: So, that’s settled? I’ll post the notice.]

[You haven’t even asked the others…? ]

[Cho Hyeseol: It’s fine.]

[Cho Hyeseol: Also, drop the formalities.]

What’s fine? I stared blankly at the message. She responded nonchalantly and changed the subject.

I sent a message asking what was fine, but she didn’t read it, suggesting she was posting the notice.

I put the towel in the mini washing machine and turned on my laptop. I take that back; I’ve never encountered someone this forceful.

I impatiently opened the community and Yuri Gallery; a user had already posted.

[[Competition] Surprise! Cooking Competition! ]

[Author: SixteenYuriFlowers]

Dates) Now until the end (will be announced).

Format) Post a picture and description with “Cooking Competition)” in the title.

Content) A detailed description showcasing your culinary skills and plating; the goal is to demonstrate your wife-material qualities.

Prize)

3rd Place: 10,000 won
2nd Place: 50,000 won
1st Place: A chance to meet me.

Reason for competition) Looking for a good cook for a wife?

[Likes: 36 / Dislikes: 12]

[All Comments]

00: What’s the reason, and where’s the proper explanation? lolololol

Loo: They clearly want someone to date.

00: I’ll join; what do you like?

SixteenYuriFlowers: Figure that out yourself.

Loo: Translation: I won’t tell you.

ThisPostWasWrittenByACat: I’m joining.

00: Honestly, it’s worth trying to date this person.

ThisPostWasWrittenByACat: I wouldn’t have joined if it was just money; I’m doing it for the first prize.

I was shocked by the post. Nothing was planned. Was the “wife” thing a joke? The post was shocking.

And even more surprising was the positive response.