Chapter 38: I am succeeding the main admin (4)

I averted my gaze from my sister’s intense stare.

But her gaze didn’t waver, and I called out in a trembling voice.

“Unni…?”

“Yes, what?”

What do you mean, “what?”

Why are you staring at me like that?

The way she looked at me was like a predator eyeing its prey.

I felt sweat trickle down the back of my neck from the sense of impending danger.

“I’m… curious why you’re looking at me like that…”

“What?”

Unni shrugged, feigning ignorance.

If this continues, I’ll be devoured!

My instincts were screaming.

I subtly slid my chair backward, preparing to escape at any moment.

As I scanned the room, searching for an exit, my sister’s face loomed closer.

“Uh, Unni, you’re too close.”

“Jia.”

“O…?”

“Don’t look away, look here.”

Her expression was devoid of any playfulness. Overwhelmed by her seriousness, I cautiously nodded.

Unni smiled, satisfied, and sat down.

“Jia, do you remember when we first met?”

Her sudden question made me rack my brain for the memory.

Ah, I remembered.

“When we met at the supermarket, right?”

“Whoa. You remember?”

Of course.

You’re the only one who proudly announced you’re the main moderator of the gallery from our first meeting.

It was such an impactful memory that I haven’t forgotten it.

I nodded.

“You know, when I first saw you, I really liked you.”

“Really?”

“Yes. That’s why I approached you and asked for your number.”

So that’s how it happened.

At the time, I thought the crazy woman with orange hair was a cult member when she did a gallery-outing and asked for my number.

Now, I’m having dinner with that person at their house. Life’s full of surprises.

“As you can see here, Unni has quite a bit of money.”

I looked around the room at my sister’s words.

Even at a glance, there was a high-end TV and expensive-looking ornaments.

It certainly seemed that way.

“Since I was young, I could have anything I wanted. I’ve always had a ‘must-have-it’ personality.”

I thought she was just living lavishly, but she had a wealthy background.

I blinked, thinking of the terrible thoughts I’d have if she heard me think it; I might get hit.

“And that applies to dating too.”

“…Why dating?”

“If I find someone I like, I have to keep them by my side. Unni’s quite attractive, right?”

“That’s… true.”

It was true.

Unni was a beauty, objectively speaking. Look at how well she carries off that orange hair.

“I’m attractive and wealthy, so I was quite popular. And among those, the s*x…”

“W-wait!”

I hastily covered Unni’s mouth, my face flushed, and shouted.

“Oops.”

“Let’s skip that part…!”

“Jia, you’re so innocent.”

Isn’t it weird that you’re saying that so casually?

I tried to hold back my anger from erupting.

If I react here, it might seem like I’m getting worked up over nothing.

Unni was already looking at me with a sly gaze.

“To return to the main topic, even after becoming the main moderator of the Yuri Gallery, I continued living that way. If I liked someone, I’d hang out with them, and when I got bored, I’d move on to someone else.”

“I see…”

“But at some point, it felt incredibly meaningless. Like something was missing.”

After saying that, Unni paused before continuing.

That’s when I met you.

“Me?”

“Yes, you.”

“Why me…?”

“I think I realized what love was for the first time then. It felt like the emptiness was filled.”

Unni fidgeted with her hands, seemingly excited just thinking about it.

Personally, I couldn’t relate.

I questioned if I was worth that much to her.

“But love isn’t that easy. Maybe I’ve been too self-assured.”

“Everyone’s life is different, so that’s possible.”

“Jia, I think I really, really like you.”

“…”

It would be a lie to say I didn’t know. Unni had been sending me obvious signals from the beginning.

I had been avoiding her feelings, trying to ignore them.

And that behavior of mine…

“Jia, will you go out with me?”

It came back to bite me today.

I’m not good at rejection.

This was true even before I became a woman, when I was a man.

I don’t know why. Maybe I hate facing the disappointment of the person I rejected.

I put a strawberry candy Unni gave me in my mouth.

Recalling the confession, I forced my stiff lips to form a refusal.

The reason for my rejection…

It was simply because I was struggling to adapt to my changed reality. I wondered if someone as pathetic as me was even worthy of love.

My thoughts were tangled, leading me to conclude I had to reject her.

And what did Unni say then?

“I expected that!”

Or something like that.

I clearly saw the trembling in Unni’s fingertips as she forced a smile. She seemed oblivious to it, though.

My heart ached.

Thankfully, or perhaps fortunately, Unni seemed to recover quickly.

What she said afterward was too much for me to handle, but…

“Then can I continue to like you?”

“…Yes.”

“Really? You said yes. Jia, you’ve given me a chance.”

How could I reject her pleading expression?

I’m a flawed person with many selfish desires, and I didn’t want our relationship to become awkward after today, so I agreed, regardless of the future.

And Unni then said something even more shocking.

“I’m going to step down as the main moderator of the gallery.”

“Huh? Why?”

“I now have a clear goal in life. I’ve achieved what I needed to do as the main moderator, so it’s time to step down.”

No way.

“…That goal is…?”

“I’m going to pursue you, Jia, no matter what it takes.”

Haha… I rolled my eyes, searching for an escape.

“Then who will take over as main moderator?”

“Isn’t that already decided?”

Unni poked my chest.

“Jia can do it!”

“Why me…?”

I changed the subject, but received an even worse result.

I’m already overwhelmed as an assistant moderator…?

“I can’t give it to Hyeseol or Hwayeon. Jia does the best job.”

I couldn’t refute her, even though it was frustrating. I nodded, biting back tears.

So that’s why they say you shouldn’t be exceptionally good or bad at anything—just average.

Because I do a better job than the others, I’ve been entrusted with the extra work.

That’s how I ended up accepting the position of main moderator, and this is how I got here.

Before leaving the house, I recalled one of my sister’s remarks.

“Jia, I’ll work hard to win you over!”

Unni had a determined look on her face as she said that.

Scared by her words, I simply responded vaguely and escaped.

But since Unni shook off her gloomy feelings and found a new goal, maybe it’s a happy ending.

The problem is that that goal is me.

It’ll be alright for now, right?

I blankly stared at the darkening sky.

It’s cold; I need to go home quickly.

Upon returning home, Mom greeted me with dinner.

“Whoa. You waited for me?”

“I just finished making it. Aren’t you hungry, my daughter?”

“I am!”

Actually, I wasn’t hungry because I’d eaten at Unni Juyeon’s house.

But how could I tell Mom that I wasn’t going to eat the meal she prepared for me? I somehow managed to eat it.

Just as I was finishing, my sister came out of her room.

My real sister, not Juyeon.

“Did some bad person do anything shady to our Jia?”

“No, Unni… nothing happened.”

“Jia is pretty and kind, so you always need to be careful not to get kidnapped!”

She was making a big fuss. I half-heartedly listened.

“

Really, nothing happened, so don’t worry.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Really.”

I finally calmed my sister down and went to my room.

Glancing at my phone, I saw a message saying the manager had been assigned.

The moment I’d hoped wouldn’t come. The main moderator succession.

I closed my eyes and turned on my computer, accessing the online community.

[Notification: You have been assigned as manager.]

It finally came to this. With a sense of emptiness, I entered the Yuri Gallery.

<What? The main moderator changed?>

<Celebration!>

<Was the previous main moderator impeached?>

As expected, the gallery was in chaos due to the change in main moderator.

It’s a large gallery, and Unni Juyeon had a long reign, so the impact was even greater.

Should I write an inaugural address first?

Gathering my scattered thoughts, I started typing.

Author: Kim Jia

I have been appointed as the new main moderator.

The previous main moderator stepped down due to a change of heart and real-life issues.

I want to express my gratitude for their hard work, and I will work hard to live up to the name of the Yuri Gallery.

Thank you.

oo: As a new main moderator, you should start something big lol.

Please make our life more colorful!

00: What change of heart?

-oo: Isn’t it just that she’s bored?

I_won’t_ask:What? It really changed.

-00:0_0?

-oo:I don’t care about anything else, but I’m happy that the previous main moderator is gone lol.

(Two months later) The previous main moderator returned

-oo:(Fact) That will never happen.

Thus, I officially became the main moderator of the Yuri Gallery.

Help me.