Chapter 64: Promising (4)

Part 7

The sudden donation voice made me burst out laughing, giggling uncontrollably for a moment. Bonfire, who’d been quietly waiting, let out a low cough. It hit me—Oh, right, makeup starts again soon. Realizing time was tight, I carefully stifled my laughter and waited for the next question.

“Let’s continue…” Bonfire said.

A series of short questions followed. It wasn’t exactly three minutes, but with limited time, the exchanges were calm and surprisingly orderly. An orderly Q&A on a popular stream? Come to think of it, this was probably how Q&As were supposed to feel.

“Any favorite games?” Bonfire asked.

“I lean toward RPGs over fighting games. Honestly, unless friends drag me into something trendy, I don’t game much on my own,” I replied.

“Oh? Your brother’s a variety gaming streamer, though,” he noted.

“If I get into it, I guess I could learn any game with him around. Convenient, right?” I said.

“So that’s the sibling vibe?” he teased.

Conversations like this flowed between me and Bonfire. It felt odd, like chatting with viewers through a middleman, but… Why is he sitting across from me instead of side-by-side, looking at the phone together?

As an ordinary person, I gave unremarkable answers to simple questions. Bonfire’s charisma and light reactions kept things going. Maybe because I lacked a distinct image, people always seemed curious enough to ask me things.

“Ugh… sorry, I brought bold lip colors thinking of cosplay, but they don’t suit you at all…” Hyunji’s voice came.

“Sounds like it’s time to transform again. Guess we’re saying goodbye to Jeokranun-nim for now?” Bonfire said.

The lounge door opened, and Hyunji rushed in, breathing heavily, her voice mixed with urgency. Bonfire’s playful tone followed. It’s only been three or four minutes—surely he’s not ending the stream already. What’s next?

• You’re staying for the whole stream, right? Keep showing her lol

“Wow, thanks for the 5,000-won donation, but the staff said no way—she can’t be shown constantly, especially with folks calling it a disguise. Say your goodbyes for now, everyone. The chat’s invisible, but donation voices get through. Send donations, not hate, for Jeokranun-nim!” Bonfire said.

His giggles prompted my own smile. I could never do it like that. Even if I started streaming, I’d probably be too stiff, boring viewers and tanking my graph. As I thought this, donation sounds—coins clinking—poured in, followed by more voices.

• Full-body shot later, right, Nuna?
• Heeung, Nuna’s on both Cheungjeokun’s and Jangjak’s streams…
• Jangjak… I still like you more than girls…

“What kind of… fresh perspective is this?” Bonfire muttered.

I don’t mind casual swearing. I was used to rough-talking friends, and his effort not to curse felt almost pitiable. I nearly said so but stopped—calling out another streamer’s audience might look weird. If he’s being considerate, I’ll take it gratefully.

“You’re popular with the ladies, in more ways than one,” I teased, half-joking.

The donation voice was male, but the comment implied a female viewer, right? I threw out the quip, but Bonfire’s face froze. His gaze flicked to me, wandered, then returned to the phone as if nothing happened. Why my face? Did I say something wrong? The stream probably wasn’t showing me, so—

• Jeokranun-ssi, no way there’s a girl in this chat lol
• Yo! Jangjak’s got female viewers too! Jealous!

“The one who sent that donation? Definitely not a girl. I’d bet on it,” Bonfire said.

“…Oh… probably a guy, then…” I mumbled.

Now that I thought about it, saying “I like you more than girls” had a weird nuance, like girls were the default preference. Did I misread it and embarrass him?

“Anyway, Jeokranun-nim, can you give a bright greeting?” Bonfire asked.

“Huh? Oh, sure,” I replied.

Just as my doubts started swelling, his voice cut through, snapping me out of my thoughts. This isn’t Sanghyeon’s stream—focus.

“A bright greeting?” I asked.

“They want to see your smiling face,” he said.

“That’s easy enough…” I replied lightly.

I straightened up, adjusting my posture. Smiling’s no big deal. But how do you smile “brightly”? The more I thought about it, the harder it got. Just be natural…

Hyunji, now close but out of the camera’s frame, signaled it was time to resume. My lips twitched, far from “bright,” stuck in an awkward limbo—otherwise, it was fine.

“…Jeokranun-nim?” Bonfire prompted.

“Oh, hold on,” I said.

Whatever. I raised both index fingers, pressing the corners of my mouth upward.

“Had fun—see you soon!” I said.

My words came out slightly muffled, but Bonfire’s thumbs-up suggested it was fine. The outfit’s okay, and I probably don’t look bad…

“Alright, I’ve got nothing to do for a bit, so I’ll sneak in some drawing. Internet? Hotspot, of course. Connection’s iffy, but what can you do? Thanks to our helper and Jeokranun-nim for their time—see ya!” Bonfire said.

With a mischievous grin, he slipped away. Hyunji took his spot beside me.

“Your voice might’ve been caught earlier—are you okay?” she asked.

“As long as my face wasn’t shown, it’s fine. The ‘no face’ rule was just the staff begging me not to do anything reckless,” I replied.

Part 8

“Wow… this is really…” I said.

“I heard it’d be light, but it’s a total transformation,” Hyunji replied.

A confident chuckle came from beside me. Even I, clueless about makeup, could tell her skills were impressive.

“The base is so good, I barely touched anything, but doesn’t it look completely different?” she said.

It did. The sensation of makeup on my face matched the unfamiliar reflection in the mirror. Longer—or maybe actually extended—eyelashes. The subtle eyeliner at the corners gave a bolder impression. Soft pink lipstick. A faint glow on my cheekbones—highlighter, maybe?

“Ten minutes to the shoot,” someone called.

“Already done~ Honestly, there was so little to touch, the base took longer,” Hyunji said.

Her giggling laughter rang out, but my eyes stayed glued to my reflection. My fingers, reaching toward my face, froze mid-air, trembling slightly.

I blinked. The girl in the mirror blinked.

I tilted my head. The sensation of hair brushing my ears and neck matched the mirror’s girl, her head and hair swaying.

I blinked slowly. It felt like a dream. Cliché or not, I found myself muttering the words.

“…Is this really me?”

“Pfft. I’ll teach you makeup later. Sit up straight—we need to do your hair,” Hyunji said.

I’d thought my face was fine as is, but this… maybe I was wrong.