Jin-ho looked at the chat as the match results settled.
He gave a small nod and spoke calmly.
“Thanks for watching today.”
He paused for a moment, then continued.
“I need to announce something important.”
The chat slowed down as messages stopped flooding in.
“For now, I’m going to stop streaming for a while.”
He adjusted his posture slightly before explaining.
“I’ll be focusing fully on Tekken 7 and preparing for my tournament.”
“This is not something I can split attention on anymore.
If I want to improve and compete properly, I need full focus.
Streaming will only slow down my practice and limit my progress.”
He glanced at the chat again.
“So I’ll take a break from streaming and concentrate on training, match experience, and character preparation.”
After a brief silence, he added one last line.
“I’ll come back after the tournament.”
Before the announcement fully settled in, the chat immediately broke into mixed reactions.
Some congratulated him, while others tried to lighten the mood.
A few viewers joked that it was a “speedrun hiatus,” since it was only his second stream and he was already taking a break.
Others said he was “speedrunning pro player arc” instead of content creation.
Despite the teasing, most of the chat still supported his decision, treating it as part of his focus on competing seriously rather than streaming casually.
“That’s for understanding guys.” Jin-ho said as he see the chats, thankful for their encouragement and support.
After that, not long after that.
He just ended the stream after saying goodbye to the viewers.
Jin-ho puts the arcade stick aside then stood up.
He felt mentally drained and a little hungry again.
His eyes landed on the empty sandwich wrappers on the table.
He gathered them quietly and threw them away.
After a moment of hesitation, he decided to head out and grab food from the convenience store.
He put on a hoodie and a mask, then changed into long pants since it was colder outside than he expected.
Once ready, he stepped out of his apartment and made his way down the street.
He walked at a slow, unhurried pace, one hand resting in his pocket.
There was no urgency, just a quiet need to clear his head.
As he approached the convenience store, he noticed a few people sitting outside on the provided chairs, while more customers were inside.
It was busier than he preferred, but still manageable.
He paused briefly at the entrance, then decided to treat himself a little more than usual and picked out extra items instead of just the basics.
He entered the convenience store and took a basket.
He started walking through the aisles, picking items without thinking too much.
For food, he chose a microwavable kimchi fried rice pack and a bulgogi rice bowl.
He also added two triangle kimbap, tuna mayo and bulgogi flavor.
Then he took a small microwave rice pack.
At the hot food section, he picked a fried chicken snack pack.
For drinks, he grabbed bottled water and banana milk.
For snacks, he added a small pack of choco pie.
After finishing his selection, he went to the counter.
Unbeknownst to Jin-ho, someone inside the convenience store had already noticed him.
That person was Won-young.
Beside her was Yu-jin.
Both of them were wearing masks and hats, carefully covering themselves to avoid being recognized.
The two had come to buy snacks and desserts for the members.
With preparations for their comeback becoming more intense, everyone had been craving something sweet lately.
They could always work it off during practice anyway.
Yu-jin was carrying a basket already filled with drinks, snacks, and other items.
Suddenly, Won-young lightly tapped Yu-jin’s arm while staring in a certain direction.
Yu-jin looked at her in confusion.
“What?”
Won-young quietly pointed toward Jin-ho, who was standing near the counter waiting for his turn.
Yu-jin glanced at him, then looked back at Won-young.
“Who?”
She did not recognize him at all.
“The guy who helped me before.”
Won-young leaned closer and whispered.
“The time I secretly came here to buy snacks.”
Yu-jin paused for a moment before remembering what she was talking about.
“Oh…
him?”
Now that she knew, she felt like she should thank him too.
But first, they needed to finish buying their things.
Yu-jin headed toward the self-checkout counter.
Meanwhile, Jin-ho walked to the regular cashier because some of the food he bought needed to be heated.
Won-young stayed close behind Yu-jin, careful not to attract attention.
Even with their disguises, they could not be careless.
They were still well-known idols after all.
Jin-ho paid first and waited near the counter while the clerk heated his food.
A few moments later, he received the bag, thanked the clerk, and walked out of the convenience store.
Not long after, Yu-jin and Won-young finished paying as well.
But instead of heading back, Yu-jin started walking in the same direction as Jin-ho.
Won-young blinked in confusion.
“Wait…
aren’t we not supposed to do this?” she quietly asked.
Yu-jin adjusted her mask and continued walking.
“I’m just thanking him.
Nothing else.”
They did not approach him immediately.
There were still too many people nearby.
If they were going to thank him, it would be better to do it somewhere with fewer eyes around.
Jin-ho had been walking for a while when he noticed something.
Someone was following him.
He did not turn around to check.
He simply felt it.
The footsteps behind him had been there for too long to be a coincidence. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
For a moment, he wondered who it could be.
Instead of confronting them immediately, he calmly turned into a quieter alley nearby.
Behind him, Won-young and Yu-jin followed without realizing that Jin-ho had already noticed them.
As they entered the alley a few seconds later, both of them paused.
“…Huh?”
He was gone.
They looked around in confusion.
Then a voice suddenly came from behind them.
“Why are you following me?”
Jin-ho was leaning against the wall, one hand inside his pocket.
He slowly pushed himself off the wall and walked toward them.
Both Won-young and Yu-jin jumped slightly in surprise.
Thankfully, their reaction was quiet.
There was no one else around to notice.
They quickly turned around.
Jin-ho stood in front of them.
Still wearing his mask, he stared at the two figures for a moment before removing it.
“Why are you following me?” he asked again, his tone calm but slightly serious.
His eyes moved between the two of them.
For some reason, they felt strangely familiar.
Won-young and Yu-jin looked at his uncovered face.
Seeing him in person felt different from seeing him in a video.
He looked even better up close.
But that was not why they were here.
“I wanted to thank you for helping her.”
Yu-jin spoke first.
Jin-ho raised an eyebrow, confused, but she continued before he could say anything.
“If you hadn’t stepped in that day…
I don’t even want to imagine what could’ve happened if those drunk guys kept bothering her.”
Hearing that, Jin-ho finally understood why they had followed him.
Still, he remembered already telling Won-young before that it was fine.
There was no need to thank him again.
Wanting to properly express her gratitude, Won-young slowly removed her mask.
“Thank you for saving me.”
She bowed her head slightly as she spoke.
A moment later, Yu-jin also pulled down her mask.
“And thank you from me too.”
Jin-ho stared at them.
Silent.
For a second, his mind completely froze.
It felt like he had just been flashbanged.
Standing in front of him were Won-young and Yu-jin, their faces fully visible now.
Even after recognizing them, it still felt unreal.
Who would have expected something like this to happen?
The two looked at Jin-ho, waiting for a response.
But he remained completely still.
Won-young and Yu-jin exchanged glances.
“…Was our thanks not enough?” they wondered.
Jin-ho stood there quietly, staring at the two of them.
His eyes moved from Won-young…
to Yu-jin…
then back again.
A few seconds passed.
Then a few more.
The alley became strangely quiet.
Won-young and Yu-jin started feeling awkward under his silence.
Jin-ho blinked once.
Twice.
Then he slowly raised a hand and pointed at them.
“…Wait.”
A brief pause.
“You’re serious?”
His expression, which had stayed calm until now, finally shifted.
Not panic.
More like confusion catching up all at once.
“No, hold on.”
He looked at Won-young.
Then at Yu-jin.
Then back at Won-young again.
His eyes narrowed slightly, as if his mind was trying to verify what his eyes were seeing.
“…Won-young?”
“And… Yu-jin too?”
He rubbed his forehead.
He then looked up at the sky briefly before letting out a small breath.
“No wonder you two felt familiar.”
Jin-ho stared at them again.
Then suddenly laughed quietly in disbelief.
“I save someone once and suddenly two IVE members are following me into an alley.”
He shook his head.
“That sounds like the beginning of a fake story.”
Won-young and Yu-jin stared at him.
“…What kind of story starts like that?” Yu-jin asked.
Jin-ho immediately answered.
“I don’t know.
I’m still trying to understand why this is happening.”
He looked at the two of them for another moment before scratching his cheek.
Then, after finally calming down a little, he spoke honestly.
“…I’m not going to lie.”
“I think my brain stopped working for a few seconds.”
Now that the shock had settled, his expression softened.
He looked at Won-young and gave a small shrug.
“And…
“I just did what anyone should’ve done.”
Then he looked between the two and added:
“But still…”
He paused.
“…I wasn’t expecting this when I went out to buy food.”
“Especially… two of them are not just members of IVE, but from IZ*ONE.”
Yu-jin and Won-young heard his words clearly.
For a brief moment, their expressions softened.
It was a small reaction, but meaningful.
Someone who actually knew them from their IZ*ONE days.
Someone who recognized them beyond their current image.
That alone made them quietly happy.
Not loudly.
Not visibly exaggerated.
Just a warm, subtle feeling inside
They then continued talking to Jin-ho as if the situation had naturally turned into a small fan meeting.
Yu-jin asked him a few simple questions, mostly about how he was doing and what brought him out.
Jin-ho answered calmly, one question at a time.
No rush.
No pressure.
It was strange, but the atmosphere had softened.
For a moment, it no longer felt like a random encounter in a convenience store alley.
More like a quiet, improvised fan meeting between people who just happened to meet at the wrong time, in the wrong place.
But Won-young suddenly broke the flow of the conversation.
“…What’s your relationship with Karina from aespa?”
The question slipped out before she could stop herself.
Yu-jin and Won-young had just been talking normally with Jin-ho, but the atmosphere immediately froze.
For a moment, there was silence.
Won-young blinked.
Then realization hit her.
“…Ah.”
Her eyes widened slightly as she understood what she had just said out loud.
A faint blush quickly appeared on her cheeks, her embarrassment setting in.
That was far too personal to ask so suddenly.
Yu-jin turned her head slowly toward her, staring at her in disbelief.
“…What are you talking about?”
Her expression clearly said she could not believe Won-young just said that.
Won-young quickly raised her hands in defense.
“No, I didn’t mean it like that— I just…”
She hesitated, searching for a way to take it back.
“…I mean, I didn’t mean to say it like that.”
Jin-ho looked at her, still trying to understand why she asked that question.
For a moment, two things crossed his mind.
The scene with Ji-min during the promotion stage.
Or the phone call where her name appeared on his screen.
But he quickly set those thoughts aside.
He answered calmly.
“She’s my childhood friend.
I’ve known her since we were kids.”
His tone was simple, matter-of-fact.
Then he added, after a brief pause:
“…Is that enough?”
He glanced at Won-young.
“Or were you expecting something else?”
A faint, almost teasing smile appeared on his face, but his voice stayed relaxed.
Won-young’s cheeks turned even redder at his answer, and she quickly dropped the topic, no longer willing to push it further.
Yu-jin, on the other hand, quietly felt relieved that she hadn’t jumped to conclusions earlier about his relationship with Karina.
After a brief pause, it seemed like the conversation had naturally reached its end.
They were about to part ways.
Then Jin-ho spoke again.
“…Can I take a picture with both of you?”
Won-young and Yu-jin looked at each other for a moment, then nodded.
“Sure,” Won-young replied softly.
They did not think much of it.
To them, it felt like a fan simply asking for a memory.
Jin-ho then took out his phone.
Won-young stood on his left, while Yu-jin stood on his right.
He raised the camera and took a few shots, his expression softening into a light smile.
Both Won-young and Yu-jin instinctively adjusted their posture, switching into their idol-like poses without thinking.
It felt natural to them.
After a few pictures, Jin-ho lowered his phone.
“Thanks.”
His tone was simple and sincere.
He gave a small nod, then slowly stepped back.
With that, they began to part ways.
As Won-young and Yu-jin walked away, they had already put their masks back on.
The night felt quieter now, the earlier tension fading as distance grew between them and Jin-ho.
Yu-jin glanced over her shoulder once, making sure he was no longer there.
When she was certain he was gone, she leaned slightly toward Won-young.
“…Why did you ask that earlier?”
Won-young let out a small sigh.
“I don’t know.
It just came out suddenly.”
She sounded genuinely embarrassed, still replaying the moment in her head.
Yu-jin shook her head lightly.
“Good thing he didn’t take it badly.”
She paused.
“Otherwise that would’ve been really awkward.”
Won-young nodded in agreement, pressing her lips together.
“…Yeah.”
Without saying anything else, they continued walking back toward their dorm.