Chapter 42: Suspension of payment (3)
Part 7
I ended up shutting off the stream I’d been dipping in and out of. Not because a flood of customers suddenly showed up or anything—it was just too embarrassing.
“…Wow. Wowowow…”
Last week, that viewer told me to do an ego search, saying the boards were going wild. I’d brushed it off as fan-driven exaggeration. After all, I hadn’t done anything noteworthy. Unlike Sanghyeon, I don’t play games on stream—I just chat and react occasionally. That’s it.
“Need a break?” Youngjin asked, poking his head out from the kitchen.
Seeing me slumped in the chair, he probably thought I was tired. He knew I wasn’t exactly in peak health, so his concern made sense.
“I’m fine. Not tired,” I said.
“You look like you’ve lived a thousand years.”
Oh, right—I’d casually mentioned taking a break earlier. Maybe I should clear up the misunderstanding. Straightening up slowly, I wondered where to start. Then, figuring it didn’t matter, I just let the words spill out.
“I was bored with nothing to do.”
“Those moments do happen,” he said.
“I don’t play mobile games, so I was wondering what to do.”
“…Right?”
His expression screamed, What nonsense is this now? Ungrateful jerk. Did he forget I was here because of his request?
“If I’d brought a book, I’d have read it. But I didn’t, so I thought of streaming.”
“Ever heard of an e-book?” he said.
“…Oh.”
His deadpan comment left me speechless. Why hadn’t I thought of that?
“That’s not the point!” I snapped.
“Go on, then,” he said, smirking as if indulging me.
His attitude annoyed me, but arguing further would only make me look foolish. I cleared my throat, pretending it didn’t bother me, and caught his lips curling into a silent grin. Just you wait, you smug punk.
“Anyway, I don’t play games, so gaming streams didn’t appeal to me.”
“Hm.”
“So I watched an art stream.”
“Illustration stuff?”
“Yeah.”
He still seemed clueless about how this connected to my world-weary expression. Honestly, I’d have reacted the same way. It was that unexpected.
“Do you know Bonfire?” I asked.
“Kindling?”
“Yeah, him. He’s famous, right?”
“Super famous. Nobody in that scene doesn’t know him.”
“That’s what I figured. His stream was at the top of the recommendations.”
Judging by the chat, even though it wasn’t his usual streaming time, about 2,000 people were watching. That meant even more at peak times.
“I got annoyed seeing him outdo Sanghyeon, so I checked it out. Turned out to be an art stream, and I got curious.”
“Your reasoning is…” Youngjin trailed off.
“It stings when a stranger’s doing better than family.”
“Whatever. So?”
He was clearly tired of me beating around the bush. I shot him a glare for brushing off Sanghyeon’s stuff, but his crossed arms and silence didn’t budge.
“…Anyway, he draws really well.”
“No weird stuff today, then?”
“He seems to draw a lot of spicy stuff.”
I recalled him bantering with viewers about whether it was too early for 19+ content or joking that he wasn’t that depraved. Maybe it was lucky I caught him at a tame moment.
“He’s kind of a pro at it, huh?” Youngjin said.
“…You don’t even watch Sanghyeon’s streams that closely.”
“Sanghyeon’s not some bottom-tier streamer who’d tank from one less viewer. Why’re you so obsessed?”
His casual knowledge of the scene irked me. I leaned in, voice low, ready to argue, but his incredulous look threw me off. Did he, an only child, not get how siblings feel?
“Family matters are serious!” I said.
“It’s not just about Sanghyeon, is it?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re getting attached to streaming.”
My sharp glare softened, eyes widening at his words. Wait. Was I really just mad because Sanghyeon was outshined?
“…Huh?”
“You’ve been popping into streams, chatting with viewers, for a month now, right? Even saying ‘hi’ to a stranger every day for a month builds some bond. Laughing, joking, making memories—it’s only natural.”
Was that it? Now that he mentioned it, it made sense. Watching Bonfire’s stream, I’d pictured Sanghyeon’s setup—the chat, the screen, the cam, the laughter, the playful messages. It felt like those daily memories were being dismissed—
“No way,” I said.
“What?”
“Just—no!”
My face flushed again. Without thinking, I started swinging my fists at him, pummeling his chest.
As usual, he didn’t seem fazed.
Part 8
“So you were fighting over that?” Jooyoung asked.
“Fighting, my ass. I was getting one-sidedly pummeled,” Youngjin said.
“Didn’t look like it hurt.”
My pointless flailing continued until Jooyoung showed up, looking baffled. It must’ve seemed like a real fight, and her soft heart probably had her worrying it was serious.
“So, why the half-dead expression earlier?” she asked, turning to me.
“Oh… right, we were talking about that,” I said.
After teasing Youngjin, her gaze landed on me again. The small break room felt cramped with three adults squeezed in. Youngjin’s mom had kindly given us 30 minutes to hang out since my friend was here, but it was tight.
“Anyway, I was enjoying the art stream when my name came up out of nowhere,” I said.
“Your name?” Jooyoung asked.
“Yeah, apparently people keep asking him to draw me.”
They were internet-savvy enough to get the gist without a full explanation. Wait—did they check those streamer boards too?
“So he went digging through Sanghyeon’s stream captures to see what the fuss was about, and someone had snapped a pic of me stretching.”
“…Hm,” Youngjin said.
“It was just that, but the chat was going wild with praise, so I got embarrassed, donated 5,000 won to say thanks, and turned it off.”
A brief silence fell over the break room. Why?
“…You messed up,” Youngjin said.
“This is gonna make Sanghyeon’s stream tonight interesting,” Jooyoung added.
“Why are you two acting like you know something? Fill me in!” I demanded.
Their cryptic chuckles lingered, but they didn’t explain. What the heck?
Part 9
- I was so flustered I couldn’t even apologize for the slip-up, haha…
“No, no! It wasn’t anything bad—you were just complimenting her! My sis—er, she’s shy, but I bet she was secretly thrilled!” Sanghyeon said.
The stream had barely started when a video donation poured in, followed by the whole fiasco and then a call from a big shot. What is this, a hidden camera? Pushing down the absurd thought, Sanghyeon listened to Bonfire’s endless apologies over the voice chat, his mind racing about him and Yoonseo.
- So, uh, is she… around right now?
“She’s out at the moment… probably back in about 30 minutes.”
- Oh… I see.
Damn it, let them sort this out themselves. Why drag me into it? The thought looped in Sanghyeon’s head. Why was he stuck dealing with someone from a different scene, on a different scale? Where was Hyung, anyway? Unvoiced complaints turned into soft sighs.
“Right, so…” Sanghyeon started.
- I can’t just leave like this. Wanna play a round of League until she’s back?
“…Huh?”
This was going in a completely unexpected direction. Wiping cold sweat from his cheek, Sanghyeon braced himself.