Chapter 18: Going Live: Siblings Under the Spotlight

1.

One thing I realized while heading to the streaming capsule room was that living as a woman was far more exhausting than I’d expected.

“Excuse me, you’re totally my type. Could I get your number?”

“Sorry.”

So many guys asked for my number as we walked.

Some even approached Noona, despite her hiding her face under a hoodie.

“Our Hayul’s pretty popular, huh?”

After I turned the guy down, he scurried off.

Noona smirked, poking my side.

“Is this what you always dealt with?”

“It happened a lot in school. Less after I started commuting by bus to the factory, but there were… incidents there.”

“That must’ve been tough.”

“You’re just realizing this now? It’s the curse of being born pretty. In your case, the curse of becoming pretty.”

The unwanted attention was getting on my nerves.

Who knew it could be this annoying?

“I’m rethinking this streaming thing.”

“Why? Don’t like the attention?”

“It’s not the attention itself. It’s being noticed in ways I don’t want.”

Noona paused, lost in thought, before responding.

“Streaming looks easy, but it has its own struggles. Things happen that you can’t control. If you’re worried, think it over carefully.”

“Okay.”

Talking about streaming, we arrived at the capsule room.

“Why’d we come here specifically? There are plenty of capsule rooms near your place.”

“This is where I worked part-time when I first returned. I wanted to come here with you.”

“Really? How’d that happen?”

“No idea. Right after returning, I was told to show up for work here.”

“That’s wild.”

I only worked here a few days, but it felt oddly nostalgic.

“Let’s go in.”

“Yeah.”

We entered the capsule room and tapped the kiosk. Available seats popped up.

“Where should we book?”

“Somewhere in the corner, maybe.”

At Noona’s request, I reserved seats in the furthest corner.

We grabbed the receipt and headed down the hall when—

“Oh!”

A familiar face approached.

“Hayul!”

It was the capsule room owner, beaming as he walked over.

“Boss, been doing well?”

“I’m great. How about you? You quit for school, right? How’s that going?”

Noona muttered, “School?” beside me. Ignoring her, I replied.

“Yeah, it’s going well, thanks to you. I really appreciated your help back then.”

“No way, you’re the one who made this place the most popular in the area. It’s the least I could do.”

He looked healthier than when I’d first met him. Could a few days make that much difference?

“Especially that kimchi fried rice recipe you gave us—it’s a hit. It’s our signature now!”

“Really? It’s not even that special. That’s surprising.”

“Haha, it’s special alright. Others have tried copying it, but no one’s topped ours yet.”

“That’s unexpected.”

I’d just followed a recipe from a YouTuber video, and they couldn’t beat that? Not my problem, though.

“So, what brings you here? Thinking of working again?”

I shook my head.

“I’m here to game with my sister.”

“Oh, got it.”

He glanced at Noona, who flinched slightly.

“Hello, you must be Hayul’s sister.”

“Y-Yes, nice to meet you.”

Noona shrank, bowing awkwardly but forcing a smile.

“We’ll head in now.”

“Oh, sure. I held you up while you’re here with family. I’ll throw in some free time and drinks—enjoy!”

“Thanks!”

The owner walked past us. Noona leaned close and whispered.

“He seems nice.”

“Yeah, he is.”

There’s a reason I came all this way.

We went to our reserved seats, stashed our stuff in lockers, and sat in the capsules.

“See you inside.”

“Yeah.”

We waved, and I pressed the button.

The capsule lid closed, and my vision flickered.

『‘Noir’ has invited you to their MyRoom.』

A white door appeared. I turned the handle and stepped into a new space.

“…This is.”

Worn floor. A cheap clock on the wall.

A thin blanket on an electric mat.

It was the exact one-room apartment from my memories.

“Welcome.”

I turned at the voice.

Silvery hair flowed like silk.

Deep gray eyes held the night sky, and her skin was a cold, pale white.

Her mystical, dreamlike appearance captivated me briefly, but I noticed her face resembled Noona’s real one.

“Why’re you staring? Falling for me?”

“…A little? Your avatar’s seriously pretty.”

“Really? I put a lot of effort into it, so that’s rewarding! It took ages to make.”

She grinned brightly.

“But what’s with your avatar?”

“What about it?”

“Why’re you using the default? You’re not planning to stream like that, are you?”

“That was the plan.”

It’s not my stream, after all.

Plus, this was an explanation stream—wouldn’t default be more sincere?

“No way!”

She vehemently objected as I shared my thoughts.

“Why not?”

“Think about it. This explanation stream will draw a ton of viewers. It’s huge exposure!”

“That’s true, but I can’t just pick an avatar on the spot.”

For a long-term streaming avatar, I’d need to choose carefully, not now.

“No choice, then. Want to pick from ones I made as a hobby?”

“…Sure.”

Her unyielding stance left me no choice.

“Choose here.”

She opened a wardrobe, revealing countless high-quality avatars.

“Why are these all so good? And so many?”

“It’s my hobby. When I was stressed, making avatars made my worries vanish.”

“You always liked creating stuff. Except cooking—you’re terrible at that.”

Her hands are so skilled; why’s her cooking so bad?

“…Cooking’s hard. Just pick an avatar!”

“Alright.”

I scanned the avatars. All were gorgeous, but none stood out.

“This one…”

As I considered rejecting her offer, the last one caught my eye.

Golden hair framed the face neatly. Deep turquoise eyes glowed softly under thick lashes.

‘It looks like Arbel, the hero.’

The one I followed with my life, who fought beside me and saved me in that other world.

Seeing an avatar resembling her stirred something in me.

‘Maybe…’

“Like that one?”

Noona’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

“…Yeah, I like it.”

“Nice. I knew my sibling would pick the one I worked hardest on.”

“Regret giving it up?”

“No way. It’d just sit here if you didn’t use it. Better it gets used. I’ll transfer it now.”

『‘Noir’ has transferred ‘Hero’ to you.』

Words appeared as she manipulated the air.

“…Hero?”

“I made it imagining the hero in my head. Suits you?”

“Perfectly.”

Arbel was the greatest hero I’d ever seen.

“This feels weird.”

Moving in the Hero avatar felt off. Almost like guilt.

“It’s normal at first. You’ll get used to it, so hang in there.”

“Okay.”

“Now that the avatar’s set, let’s start the stream.”

“Got it.”

“Come here.”

She created a new door.

Stepping through, I saw the familiar streaming set from her videos.

“So this is where you stream.”

“Yup.”

With only one chair, she made another beside it. A camera appeared before us.

“Just hit start, and we’re live.”

Her fingers trembled.

She touched her dry lips, breathing slowly to calm herself.

I gently held her shaking shoulder.

“Nervous?”

“Yeah. What if people don’t believe us and get suspicious…?”

“Then that’s their problem.”

“…Their problem?”

“Yeah. We can’t control what people think or feel. So don’t stress too much. I’m right here.”

“You’re right. You’re with me now.”

She smiled, clenching her fist, looking braver.

I mirrored her smile.

“Ready to start?”

“Yup.”

Together, we pressed the start button.

『Stream has started!』