Chapter 131: My younger sister is a streamer (3)

Prologue (Part 0)

Familiar awkwardness—Sanghyun wasn’t sure how others would interpret the phrase, but that’s how he felt.

In that strange mood, his eyes fluttered open. A plain white ceiling, devoid of decoration, whispered, This is my room.

“…Yawn.”

A sweet, girlish yawn, so unlike the voice he remembered, tickled his ears. How a yawn could feel sweet was beyond him, but Sanghyun—no, Seohyun—mused that enjoying her own voice might be a blessed life. She rose from bed.

How many times had she had this dream? Lately, it felt more frequent. Or rather, which was the dream—

“Time to eat.”

4:30 p.m. Despite the doctor’s diagnosis that her youthful appearance wasn’t just skin-deep, requiring a healthier lifestyle for growth and well-being, months had passed without changing her entrenched habits. Shifting her streaming schedule abruptly would upset viewers used to her current times, and she’d grown accustomed to sleeping better when the sun was up.

“…Was there such a diagnosis?”

Today’s dream felt oddly vivid. Adjusting a loose T-shirt slipping off her shoulder, Seohyun thought, This must be a dream.

The familiar T-shirt design from before her change, the detergent’s scent on the sheets, the curtain swaying in the summer breeze, the lingering trace of last night’s rain—all of it.

“…Slept too long. Noona might get mad.”

Surely, it was all a dream.

Part 0 (Streaming Scene)

“Today, we’re playing that game.”

• Again with Horizon??
• Cloud, please play LoL!!!!
• You said you’d hit Master this season!!!!

“We’re raiding with Noona as a guest.”

• Truly a masterful choice, our eternal host.
• So hyped for this week’s homework ㄷㄷㄷㄷ

Honestly, streamer StarCloud preferred PvP over PvE—AOS, sometimes FPS, rarely fighting games. The steady growth and achievement of PvE’s playable characters felt tedious to the impatient StarCloud.

“Guys, aren’t you here for me? Why’s the reaction so different when Noona’s mentioned?”

• Pretty next to pretty is twice as good, obviously.
• That’s right.
• Yup.

“These people are animals.”

• Hands off keyboards!!!
• Mods usually let stuff slide, what’d you type lol

Her dive into the PvE-heavy, raid-focused RPG Legacy of Horizon—played so persistently it drew complaints—was entirely due to her Noona, StormCloud. It started lightly, thinking, My family did voice acting and modeling for it, so I should try it.

“Sadly, Noona’s only joining via voice from her room—”

“Seohyun, my headset’s broken. Got a spare?”

“…Here.”

• StormCloud Noona hi!
• Saintess!!!
• Ooooh those pants

On the streaming monitor, a stunning blonde with golden eyes—hardly looking Korean—peeked through the door. Her casual ponytail, loose strands framing a sheepish smile, wore a plain T-shirt and dolphin shorts revealing her thighs, unbothered by eyes on her.

“I told you to dress properly during streams,” Seohyun said.

“You bought me these clothes.”

“That’s not… Ugh, fine. Enjoy the eye candy, folks.”

• Thank you… thank you…
• I’ll go to church next week…

“Donate to the stream, not church!”

As Seohyun’s girlish shout rang out, she yanked off her headset, waving it at StormCloud. The gesture’s meaning was clear.

“Search my room. Keep the audio going.”

“Eh…”

“There’s tons of Noona fans. Give them some eye and ear candy. Multitasking.”

“Multitasking…?”

• Noona, where’ve you been!!!!

“…Thanks for the 10,000 won donation, DawnOfKremlin-nim.”

Though flustered, StormCloud, with nearly a year of streaming experience, seemed to catch on quickly. As her soft voice filled the room, Seohyun, out of the camera’s frame, leisurely searched for an old mic.

“Seriously, a variety gamer makes more from casual family streams than variety gaming. What nonsense.”

Muttering quietly, her fingers reached for a drawer. Familiar scenery, familiar time, yet her slender fingers on the old drawer’s handle felt strangely foreign.

“…A dream. A dream.”

Drag it out as long as Noona’s okay with. Mess up the stream, sweet deal. A dream, but good is good. Unaware of eyes glancing at her back, Seohyun steadied her trembling hand, reassuring herself.

Part 0 (Post-Stream Scene)

“Ughhh…”

“Good job.”

Even with predictable monster patterns, the grueling hours of battling a deviously designed boss in a raid was as exhausting as PvP. Multiple raids in a row? Beyond words.

“This damn game never gets easier,” Seohyun groaned.

“Maybe because you’re an assassin rogue? Squishy. One hit, you’re dead,” Yoonseo said.

“Poison and shurikens aren’t rogue-like. No romance in that.”

Ending the stream earlier than usual, Seohyun was as tired as ever. 2:40 a.m. It struck her that being in the kitchen at this hour, seeing Yoonseo awake, felt rare.

…Or was it? Last stream too… or was it?

“Seohyun.”

“Why, hyung…”

Her gaze flicked to Yoonseo as she held a cup to the water dispenser.

“…Noona.”

Correcting herself after catching Yoonseo’s sullen look, the following “Haa” sigh suggested it was too late.

“I’m tired, it just slipped. I usually get it right,” Seohyun said.

“Impressive,” Yoonseo replied.

“Why the scary sigh…”

Here comes the lecture. As Seohyun braced herself, a soft touch grazed her head. Her red eyes widened at the warm, slender fingers. The cold water stopped. She gripped the cup tightly, as if nothing happened.

“What’s wrong?” Yoonseo asked.

“Nothing. Just tired from three raids. A bit sleepy.”

“If you don’t want to talk, fine, but I can listen. Doesn’t have to solve anything.”

Yoonseo was always like this—before and after her change. As if reading minds, she offered these not-quite-comforting comforts whenever Seohyun was troubled.

That’s who she was.

“…It’s really nothing,” Seohyun said.

“Then no harm in saying, right?”

In a dreamlike haze, the vivid sensation of fingers brushing her hair stood out. The faint scent of body wash, lavender soap’s fragrance.

“…What if,” Seohyun began.

“Hm?”

“What if this moment’s a dream, and I’m still a guy, living well.”

“Huh?”

Seohyun turned to face Yoonseo. Her tilted head and golden hair shimmered like sunset under the dim light.

“…What would you think, Noona?”

“I’m no philosopher.”

“Not that deep.”

“Hmm… This moment’s a dream…”

The warmth stroking her hair faded.

“If I suddenly told you, ‘This me is fake!’ what would you do?”

“What?”

“Like, ‘A fake’s posing as my family, begone!’ or something?”

Yoonseo’s playful smile froze Seohyun momentarily. Her reply was reflexive.

“…I’d say, ‘Stop nonsense and make dinner.’”

“Yeah?”

“Eh?”

Caught by Yoonseo’s sly grin, Seohyun’s cheek was pinched, garbling her words into a comical sound.

“Same here,” Yoonseo said.

“…Wha?”

“Pfft. Dream or not, how our family treats you won’t change. No need to worry, right?”

Laughing lightly, Yoonseo released her cheek.

“Time to sleep. Got bakery work too.”

Part 1

A slight sting. The vivid sensation, hard to dismiss as a dream, buzzed in Seohyun’s dazed mind.

“…Yeah.”

“Sleep soon. The doctor said early to bed, early to rise, how many times now?”

Right. In her foggy mind, Seohyun smiled faintly.