Chapter 22: Her Design

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The plan to buy a cup of coffee changed slightly, and it was decided that we would have lunch together.

I was a bit nervous before my meeting and had skipped lunch, and Seoha noona also hadn’t eaten, thinking she would have a meal with a friend.

“This place looks kind of fancy.”

“It’s a place I occasionally visit when I have something nearby. Is it okay?”

The Italian restaurant we visited was clearly not an ordinary place. The entrance seemed to scream, “It’s expensive here.”

However, I’ve been making decent money lately, and since I didn’t have much else to spend on, I thought I would treat noona to a proper meal, no matter how expensive it was, so I followed her inside.

Once we found a suitable table and sat down, the waiter brought us water along with the menu, and we quickly placed our orders.

“By the way, how was the meeting?”

“It was good. They seemed to view me positively, more than I expected.”

As I took a refreshing sip of water, noona leaned forward, resting her chin on her crossed hands, and asked with a faint smile, to which I responded with a smile of my own.

Then, noona’s lips curved into a deeper smile as she brushed her chest. She seemed to have been genuinely worried since I had mentioned there was a meeting today.

“Really? That’s a relief. I was worried if they were someone who couldn’t recognize your worth…”

“…Excuse me?”

What does she mean by “someone who couldn’t recognize my worth”?

Startled by the intensity of noona’s voice, I let out a confused sound. Realizing her slip, noona quickly collected her words.

“Oh, no. I meant I was worried they might not recognize your true value.”

“True value? I’m not that great of a person.”

I appreciated noona for defending me as a fan, but it also felt a bit embarrassing. I had never thought of myself as someone worthy of such praise.

“Well, from my perspective, you’re definitely a remarkable person. So please don’t say such things anymore, okay?”

“Alright, I’ll be careful with my words from now on.”

“Just remember that.”

With a slightly pouting expression that looked a bit sulky, noona quickly returned to her usual self. This was a new side of her, and I found it quite refreshing.

At first, I thought she was just a pretty noona with a calm and mature charm, but it turns out she has various sides to her. People really do show their true colors over time.

In the meantime, I could feel that this person truly cherishes me, and my heart swelled. It might be hard to find a fan like this again in my life.

“Ah, by the way, haven’t you heard anything about the partnership contract? I’ve heard some talk while watching other streamers’ broadcasts…”

“Actually, I was a bit surprised about that. I never expected to receive a partnership contract offer.”

In reality, not many people mention partnership contracts during broadcasts. Usually, it’s only well-known corporate streamers.

I was first surprised that I received such an offer, and secondly surprised that they had specific expectations for me. I never thought they would pay such close attention to a streamer like me.

“Really? I thought you would definitely get it, Cosmos.”

“Me?”

However, noona seemed to think quite the opposite, showing a satisfied smile as if it was no big deal.

I was surprised and wide-eyed, pointing at myself as I asked, and noona nodded as if to say, “Why are you asking something so obvious?”

“Of course! You’re my favorite streamer.”

“…Isn’t that a bit biased?”

“What if it is? I like you.”

This noona is quite bold in a subtle way.

She must know I wasn’t asking in that sense, yet she confidently asserted that I would definitely be able to secure a partnership contract because I am her favorite.

I really have no comeback for that.

“Your food has arrived.”

“Oh, thank you.”

As we were laughing and chatting, our ordered food started to arrive at the table.

We ordered linguine pasta and aglio e olio for ourselves, along with ravioli topped with tomato sauce.

Ravioli is like Italian dumplings, and my first experience was last year when noona came to Korea. It turned out to be quite tasty.

“If I hadn’t driven here, I would have paired it with some wine; it’s a shame. You can drink without worrying about me…”

“Ah, no. If you’re not drinking, how can I drink alone? I’m sure there will be another opportunity.”

Drinking alone with a girl is a bit challenging for me, so it was just a passing remark.

But in that moment, noona’s eyes sparkled, and she looked at me as if she were about to devour me whole.

“Really?”

“Yes?”

“You said there would be a chance to drink together next time. You weren’t just saying that out of politeness, right?”

Her sharp gaze felt like it could see right through me, and I instinctively looked away.

It was true that I had casually said it, like, “Let’s grab a meal sometime,” but I never expected her to jump on it so eagerly.

If it had been a meal instead of drinks, I would have meant it genuinely. But drinks are a different story, especially since she isn’t a same-sex friend.

In fact, I’ve never had a meal alone with a girl before today, except for noona and my mom.

“Ah… um, yes.”

But knowing how the atmosphere would turn if I spoke honestly, I forced a nod.

“Hmm… well, I’m glad to hear that.”

Noona finally smiled with satisfaction as she looked at me, her eyes radiating intensity, and started her meal.

Wow, that was nerve-wracking.

By the way, I never expected noona to be such a drinker. I wouldn’t have thought she would be this excited about talking about alcohol.

“Is the food here good? The chef is from Italy.”

“Oh, really? No wonder it tastes different from other Italian restaurants.”

She was genuinely concerned.

“Really? That’s a relief. I was worried it might not suit your taste…”

“…Excuse me?”

What did she mean by “very”?

Caught off guard by noona’s suddenly intense tone, I blurted out a confused response, and only then did she realize her slip and quickly backtrack.

“Oh, no. I meant I was worried they wouldn’t appreciate your true value.”

“True value? I’m not really anyone special.”

I appreciated her defending me as a fan, but it was a bit embarrassing. I had never thought of myself as someone deserving of such treatment.

“Hmm, I think you’re definitely special. So please don’t say that again, okay?”

“Got it, I’ll be more careful from now on.”

“Just be aware, okay?”

With a pouty expression that seemed slightly sulky, noona quickly returned to her usual self. It was a refreshing change, as I realized there were various sides to her. At first, I thought she was just a calm and mature woman with a pretty face, but it turned out she had many facets. It’s true that you can only understand a person’s true character by spending time with them.

In the meantime, I could feel that this person truly cared for me, which was heartwarming. It’s unlikely I’d find another fan like her in my life.

“Oh, by the way, did you hear anything about the partnership contract? I’ve seen some discussions about it on other streamers’ broadcasts…”

“I was actually a bit surprised about that. I didn’t expect to receive an offer for a partnership contract.”

In reality, not many people bring up partnership contracts during broadcasts. Usually, it’s only well-known streamers from major companies.

First, I was shocked that I received such an offer, and second, I was surprised that they had specific expectations regarding me.

I never imagined someone would pay that much attention to a small streamer like me.

“Really? I thought for sure you’d get one, Cosmos.”

“Me?”

Noona seemed to have a completely opposite perspective, smiling warmly as if it wasn’t surprising at all.

Her response left me wide-eyed in astonishment as I pointed at myself and asked, “Really? You think so?”

“Of course! You’re my favorite streamer.”

“…Isn’t that a bit biased?”

“What if it is? I like you, after all.”

This noona had a surprising level of boldness. Even though she knew that wasn’t the intention of my question, she shrugged her shoulders, as if to say that it was natural for her to think I could secure a partnership contract since I was her favorite.

I felt completely outmatched.

“Your food is ready.”

“Oh, thank you.”

As we were laughing and chatting, our orders started arriving at the table.

We ordered linguine pasta and aglio e olio for ourselves, along with ravioli topped with tomato sauce to share.

Ravioli is an Italian dumpling-like dish, and my first experience with it was last year when noona came to Korea. It’s quite delicious.

“If I had brought my car, I would have paired it with some wine, but it’s a shame. You can drink if you want, Cosmos…”

“Ah, no. How could I drink alone if you’re not? Maybe next time?”

Having dinner with a woman is quite a challenge for me, so I was just casually mentioning it.

However, at that moment, noona’s eyes lit up, and she looked at me as if she was ready to devour me whole.

“Really?”

“Yeah?”

“You said we’d have a chance to drink together next time. You weren’t just being polite, were