Chapter 73: When the White Snow Falls

The year was coming to an end.

Outside, Christmas trees were lit up, carols played through the streets, and white snow fell heavily from the sky each day.

Despite the freezing temperatures, people were busy moving about, caught up in the holiday atmosphere.

They met friends they hadn’t seen in a while, local governments hosted events, and it seemed like a festival for everyone.

As usual, none of it had much to do with me.

The only difference was that I was watching it all from a distance this time.

I took a sip of warm coffee while looking out from the window of my new apartment.

I cracked the window open slightly, letting a bit of the cold air seep into the cozy warmth of my home.

It felt nice.

At this level, I could at least say I had enjoyed the holiday season.

With no plans and no one to meet, my plan was simple—stay under my heated blanket and peel some mandarins.

That was the plan until my phone rang.

“A party?”

–Yeah! I think it’d be great if you came too, Ji-eun. What do you think?

It was a call from Ryu-ah, inviting me to a party.

I asked what kind of party it was, and she explained that Twitch was hosting a year-end event.

A festival for streamers, a gathering for content creators.

Just hearing about it gave me secondhand exhaustion. It reeked of extrovert energy.

–Our entire team is going!

“Really?”

I opened my chat app, which I had muted, and sure enough, there were messages about it.

Ryu-ah and Tex, both from out of town, had already planned their departure and arrival times down to the minute.

“You sure you can take so many days off?”

I had noticed that Ryu-ah had been taking frequent breaks from streaming lately.

Her community board had been catching fire occasionally.

–Ugh, as if you don’t take breaks all the time.

“Well, yeah…”

I had always streamed on an irregular schedule.

People were used to it, and at this point, they were grateful if I even posted a notice before going live.

Ryu-ah, on the other hand, was the complete opposite.

She had always been a diligent streamer—streaming every single day, never going under eight hours a session.

That was who she was.

But ever since the Age of War tournament, where we became teammates, she had gained a reputation for becoming lazy.

Honestly, I did think she had become a bit more relaxed.

But by normal standards, she was still incredibly hardworking.

This was why consistency mattered.

If someone who always did well slipped up even a little, they’d be criticized.

But if someone who always underperformed did slightly better, they’d be praised.

It was an unfair system, but it was how things worked.

It seemed like Ryu-ah was finally realizing that.

–Whatever, it’s the end of the year. I’m taking a break too. The people who get it will understand.

“Mm… yeah.”

I suddenly remembered the emails I sometimes got.

People complaining that “Ryu-ah is turning into Mollru. Take responsibility.”

Turns out… they weren’t entirely wrong.

–So, Ji-eun, you’re coming, right? You have to come, okay?

I stayed silent, sipping my coffee.

To be honest, I found the idea exhausting.

I already considered it a hassle to take out the trash and recycling.

Why would I voluntarily go outside in this weather, where even stepping out for a second would leave my nose red?

And I didn’t trust the weather reports.

If it snowed while I was out, I’d probably freeze to death on the spot.

I also wasn’t a fan of crowds.

And I wasn’t keen on being the center of attention in a room full of unfamiliar people.

There was always the risk of someone digging too deeply into my personal life, like at the last team dinner.

I had plenty of reasons to decline.

I was about to turn her down when—

–…Don’t you want to see me?

Damn it. She got me.

It had been about a month since I last saw Ryu-ah.

I didn’t think that was a long time, but clearly, she did.

For someone who didn’t look it, she was surprisingly sensitive to loneliness.

“…Of course, I want to see you. It’s been a while.”

–You hesitated. Lee Ji-eun.

Her voice was playful, but I could hear the laughter in it.

She knew exactly how to get her way with me.

Si-young, Ji-yeon, and Ryu-ah—they all knew me too well now.

They knew I was indecisive and easily pushed around.

“Where is it?”

–So you’re coming? Actually, why don’t we go together? I’ll come to your place.

–You have no sense of direction anyway.

She giggled, and I had no comeback.

After all, the last time, I had gotten lost and arrived late.

And if I was going to a party, it would definitely be better to go with someone else.

Given how much attention my appearance already drew, I could already picture what would happen if I went alone.

If I had Ryu-ah by my side, fewer people would try to approach me.

Besides, parties always gave me a certain image in my head.

When a new person arrives, everyone turns to stare.

People who were having fun suddenly start wondering, Who’s that?

Maybe I had the wrong impression because I had never been to one.

But in my head, that was what a party looked like.

Walking into a party alone had to be one of the most awkward things imaginable.

Wait, then… could it be?

“Uh… does this party have a… you know…?”

–Huh?

“A dress code.”

I had read somewhere that if you didn’t follow the dress code, you’d stand out like a sore thumb and look clueless.

When I asked, Ryu-ah answered in a strangely strained voice, as if holding something back.

–Uh… yeah. There’s… there’s a dress code.

“…Guess I need to prepare for that too.”

That was close.

I had planned to just meet a few familiar faces, stay quiet, and leave, but I nearly ended up drawing unwanted attention.

As for an outfit… I’d probably have to visit Eun-ha’s boutique again.

She would know how to make me look presentable without overdoing it.

–L-let’s prepare together! Let’s match our outfits. I’ll come over early.

“Sure.”

Judging by how confident she sounded, Ryu-ah was used to these things.

Rather than struggling on my own, it made more sense to rely on an expert.

Since she was the one dragging me into this, I might as well take her help.

“Oh my, Ji-eun’s friend is so pretty too! They say birds of a feather flock together, and wow, that couldn’t be more true.”

I had returned to Eun-ha’s boutique.

Ryu-ah had brought some of her own outfits, suggesting that if one fit me, I should just wear it.

But… the ones she brought were completely inappropriate for me in more ways than one.

They fit me, sure.

But they felt… indecent.

The way they emphasized my chest and hips—there was no way I could take more than three steps outside in one of those.

After sighing at me in some inexplicable frustration, Ryu-ah took a look at my wardrobe and quickly decided it was lacking.

Her solution?

“Let’s just buy a new one.”

Eun-ha, of course, welcomed us enthusiastically.

For some reason, her tone had started sounding more like an old lady’s, but I kept that observation to myself.

Somehow, I knew that commenting on it would be a terrible idea.

“Did you know Ji-eun used to model?”

“Oh, of course! Everything she wore sold out instantly. We kept restocking, but it just kept flying off the shelves.”

Eun-ha proudly showed Ryu-ah my old photoshoots.

Ryu-ah scanned through them with wide eyes, clearly impressed.

At this point, bringing new people here and showing them my photos felt like part of some bizarre initiation ritual.

“The outfits are gorgeous. No wonder Ji-eun modeled for them. She’s not the type to enjoy being in the spotlight.”

“Thanks to her, my store has expanded, and we’ve added a ton of new collections.”

So the store had gotten bigger.

I had thought it looked more spacious than before—it wasn’t just my imagination.

“If you’re looking for a festive, year-end feel, these styles are the most popular.”

Eun-ha gestured toward a section filled with dresses.

Red, black, white, gray—there was a variety of colors.

However, I immediately felt a slight discomfort.

Most of them had a certain level of exposure.

Nothing too extreme, but they all at least revealed the shoulders, and the skirts were above the knees.

“Doesn’t it look perfect on her?”

“Well… yeah…”

Ryu-ah glanced at the dresses, then quickly scanned me.

She nodded, as if she already knew what would suit me best.

…Just like last time, I felt like my outfit was going to be decided for me.

“If we pair this with that, it’ll give off a subtly luxurious vibe. What do you think?”

“Honestly, she’d look good in anything… but it’s cold out, so that might be the best choice.”

While I stood there cluelessly, the two of them finished their discussion and handed me the chosen outfit.

“Let’s go with this one. What do you think?”

It wasn’t bad at all.

The main color was black, which I liked, and it wasn’t too revealing.

The lining was thick enough to keep me warm.

I nodded in approval.

“Come again! You’re welcome anytime.”

Before I knew it, we were on our way to the party venue.

It wasn’t far, and since we took a taxi, chatting with Ryu-ah made the ride pass in an instant.

The entrance to the venue gave off the subtle feel of a nightlife establishment.

That made me a little anxious, but Ryu-ah seemed completely unfazed.

“Verification complete.”

At the entrance, we confirmed our identities before heading inside.

The staff member at the door widened their eyes briefly before letting us in with a neutral expression.

Despite my initial nerves, the inside felt surprisingly cozy.

It seemed like they had rented out a regular venue and repurposed it for the party.

Groups of people were scattered around, chatting and drinking.

Even though we hadn’t made any loud entrance, I could feel people’s gazes shifting toward me.

I realized something at that moment.

People at parties were very interested in seeing who was coming in.

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