Since I Became a Woman, I’ll Do Cosplay - Chapter 89
The cross-back blouse that accentuated her chest, drawing stares indiscriminately, was placed on one corner of Arin’s desk.
It felt awkward to just leave it on the floor, and sharing a wardrobe seemed too cumbersome, so naturally, the empty space on the desk became the chosen spot for storage.
Casually tossing an easy-to-stretch cardigan on top completed the outfit change.
Hayoon slowly climbed onto Arin’s bed and pulled the blanket over herself as she sat down.
She was about to start the Cosplayholic screening…
“Hey, what about snacks?”
“Hmm?”
“What…?”
“I forgot them…”
Hayoon just gave an embarrassed laugh in response to Arin’s question.
“I forgot.”
Too captivated by her own reflection in the mirror, she had left behind the most important item.
“Well, I guess it’s my job to take care of your snacks anyway.”
“Ahaha…”
Was she mistakenly taking herself as Hayoon’s snack shuttle, thus wounding her pride strangely?
Arin, bluntly snapping at her, shook her head and left the room.
Later, she returned with a tray in hand…
And on that tray was…
“Tteokbokki?”
It was red sauce-coated tteokbokki, shining with a glossy finish.
“Mom made it because she knew you were coming over. Anyway, it’s better to eat this with your hands instead of snacks. She said she’ll see you later.”
Though Hayoon didn’t press Arin for leaving the agreed-upon snack behind, she kindly handed her a fork with an amiable smile.
Hayoon really thought, ‘With her wide heart like the summer sun, she’ll make an excellent mother someday.’
‘Sorry, to your sister’s child.’
Silently apologizing for enjoying privileges that Arin’s future child should have enjoyed first, Hayoon accepted the fork.
“Here, I have a portable desk that I use as a secondary one. Attach it to the bed and eat comfortably. But remember, no spills on my white bedsheet.”
“Come on, I’m not a kid; I won’t spill my food.”
“Fortunately, not spilling is a good thing. Try some while I set up the game.”
“Okay.”
As Arin adjusted the computer to start the game, Hayoon ate her portion of tteokbokki on a small plate.
“Wow…!”
The chewy texture of the rice cake delighted her mouth, and the spicy yet sweet seasoning pleased her tongue.
This was the kind of stable taste that would’ve caused a crowd rush if sold at a school snack shop.
“It’s delicious, sister.”
“Then later, say hello to my mom on your way home…Ah, wearing that outfit might lead her into another rant, so you can borrow my clothes and wear them home.”
“Yes, sister.”
During this, Arin even planned Hayoon’s exit, and with a grin, Hayoon also tasted the well-seasoned fish cake.
“Ah…”
Really, why do mothers cook so well?
Do they all become excellent cooks just by becoming mothers?
Amazed by a different genre of flavor from the one provided by Yun Suhee, Hayoon stopped her fork for a moment, not wanting to finish it all herself.
And then Arin…
“Alright, it’s set… How about the name?”
“Let’s go with the basic movie feeling name?”
“Okay, let’s do that…and subtitles on auto-play…”
After quickly finishing the setup, Arin adjusted the monitor angle for better viewing from the bed and took a fork beside Hayoon.
“Okay, now let’s eat!”
A voice full of high spirits.
Was it because she loved her mother’s cooking?
Or was she excited about the Cosplayholic results?
Or was it because she enjoyed being in the same space as Hayoon?
For some reason unknown, their Cosplayholic screening began with a good mood.
#
Cosplayholic.
Since it was Hayoon’s first work written from scratch, the story was passable.
Judging by the plot alone, it wasn’t bad enough to be called a failure, but it also wasn’t good enough to be labeled a masterpiece…
Perhaps it fell into that peculiar category…
Due to clichés and overused sentences, the story remained mediocre.
However…
“Whew, it definitely feels worth the effort.”
“True.”
What gave wings to this mediocre story was Hayoon’s original illustrations, Arin’s animation, and the punctuations provided by the appropriate acting of the voice actors.
While Hayoon wasn’t good at writing, she had enough insight to discern good acting and the ability to express it in words.
And the result was this.
“Definitely, just looking at it makes you hungry.”
A delicious game had been completed.
As Hayoon would put it, it was a game that focused on visuals in the world of visual novels.
And in independent teams that didn’t hire professional writers, it was common to focus on visuals to elevate reviews.
If visual novels only need to be visually appealing, why is story so important?
This extremely one-dimensional marketing approach was something Hayoon greatly disliked.
“Although the story is a bit bland…”
Upon realizing she was using such methods as a developer herself, Hayoon realized the situation.
Not only would hiring professional writers increase costs, but even in visual novels, the difference between a beginner and a professional writer wasn’t that significant.
Moreover, hiring professional writers didn’t guarantee good stories.
But investing in illustrations increased the quantity and quality accordingly.
Thus, many indie teams focused on illustrations.
As someone who performed and evaluated this theoretically known method directly, Hayoon, as a visual novel genre fan, felt a part of her conscience being shaken.
“This method works too, because it makes money. That’s why other teams make games like this.”
“Yeah, who reads these days anyway? Ultimately, if the illustrations are pretty, they stick in your memory as a masterpiece.”
In the midst of this, Arin, someone from the animation side and a fashion otaku whose primary concern was illustrations and animation details, calmly made comments that could incite story purists like Hayoon to rise immediately.
With the tteokbokki completely finished, the two pushed the portable desk aside, leaned their heads against the walls, rested shoulder to shoulder, and listened to the voices of the actors and the soothing BGM.
“Well, it doesn’t seem entirely wrong either.”
Hayoon partly agreed with Arin and thought that good illustrations could indeed cover up some of the story’s blandness…
At exactly that moment…
‘Let me just peek at the reaction once…’
On a day in October.
Recalling the ‘prank’ done by Hayoon and Hong Seohyun, Arin quietly slipped her hand under the blanket.
Both Hayoon and Arin were under the same blanket, covering their lower bodies, leaning against the wall and enjoying the movie-like flow of Cosplayholic’s story on the monitor.
Just then, the ECG that both Hayoon and Arin had worked their hardest on appeared on the monitor, with the protagonist and heroine exchanging lines.
As Hayoon seemed focused, now was the moment to pull a prank.
‘Just slide my hand under her skirt…’
Arin quietly slid her hand under the blanket and placed it on Hayoon’s skirt.
Hayoon seemed engrossed in her creation and didn’t even notice Arin’s touch.
Perhaps this was a good moment to be a little bolder?
Arin nodded her head after a short ponder.
‘Hong Seohyun also boldly started touching Hayoon’s b*tt when she was restless…’
Why shouldn’t I be able to do it?
Frankly, I’ve known Hayoon longer, and Hayoon probably finds me more comfortable.
Thinking this, Arin’s index finger cautiously slid inside the hem of Hayoon’s skirt.
‘Ah, I touched it…!’
Perhaps ‘lightly grazed’ would be a better description.
Arin was already celebrating within herself at the mere touch of her index finger on Hayoon’s thigh.
With this feeling, surely dragging Hayoon to the wall and handling her carelessly like Hong Seohyun might be possible?
‘I didn’t expect to feel this sense of satisfaction…’
Even with just her fingertip barely touching the thigh, Arin felt the satisfaction of having her way with Hayoon.
This is what being an older sister’s authority is all about.
What makes up this authority?
‘Just a little further inside…’
Arin’s hand was now deep within Hayoon’s skirt, reaching deep into the territory known as the absolute realm, almost touching the inner thigh…
“Mmm…?”
“Ah…”
Hayoon, slightly turning her head, grabbed Arin’s wrist, moving her face so close that their lips were mere inches apart, and then…
“What’s this? Everyone around me seems to have gone crazy trying to touch my body, don’t you think, sister?”
“Ah…?”
“Both you and the senior keep sneaking touches, thinking I’m some kind of touch toy.”
Hayoon smiled mischievously and placed Arin’s hand on her voluminous chest.
“What about being more direct? I might do the same.”
“That…”
Arin, who tried to stifle the rest of her words, began trembling uncontrollably as her eyes widened.
What are you saying Hayoon…?
As if realizing something…
“Truthfully, I’m more confident now. You could say I’ve begun to ‘understand’ how much skinship is allowed between women…”
Why has the atmosphere become so terrifying all of a sudden?
Arin, right now, felt like a rabbit in front of a wolf. She hiccuped uncontrollably, and the painstakingly produced Cosplayholic automatically progressed toward its ending.