Chapter 20: Tangerine Flower Paper (2)
Part 4
“…Everyone, it’s still daylight—why are you all glued to your computers? Go out and meet some friends.”
– Whoa, dropping an AOE attack out of nowhere!
– Gotta have friends to meet them lolol
– Internet friends count as friends!
The chat scrolling by was filled with mostly heart-wrenching comments.
Was asking this question during the mid-afternoon of a holiday, when people are glued to streams, like stepping on a landmine?
“…Oh. Sorry?”
– That hurts the most ;;
– Stop the violence!!!
And just like that, they erupted into a flurry of “lol”s, clearly enjoying themselves.
Weird people.
The thought made me let out a stifled chuckle.
Was it camaraderie, knowing I wasn’t the only one craving connection?
Or just the humor in how they consoled each other?
Either way, it put me in a good mood.
“Well, I’m only streaming because I didn’t have anyone to talk to either.”
– Lies!
– Total scam!
– With your looks, how do you not have friends?!?!
“Hey, TwoEyesTooturuBbaraBba… I thought you explained what was going on. Didn’t you, like, advertise this or something? What did you say?”
A glance at the viewer count showed it had passed 60 and was nearing 70.
For it to spike like this so soon after they said to wait, they must’ve promoted it somewhere.
I couldn’t imagine what kind of spicy bait they’d thrown out to draw this crowd to my plain black-screen stream.
– ? Just posted that you’re doing a talk show, that’s it.
“What…”
A brief lag, then a 1,000-won donation notification popped up with a message, making me freeze.
Hard to believe? No, it was beyond my comprehension.
My first thought was, Why?
“It’s not even a talk show—just me aimlessly reading chats. I’m not famous or anything, so isn’t it weird that 70 people are watching a random person do this in broad daylight?”
– This is the dark side of Korea lol
– Give us loners a friend to talk to whenever we want!
– Just hearing your voice makes me happy. It’s like ASMR, lol.
“…Should I be flattered by that?”
Their reasons for watching varied.
Some were just killing time, others genuinely needed someone to talk to, and some saw it as ASMR.
My voice isn’t exactly soft, though?
I always thought it was pretty high-pitched, even if bone-conducted sound differs from what others hear.
“…Anyway, this isn’t good. I’m stuck at home for personal reasons, but you guys shouldn’t be.”
– King-level shade… I’d go out, but no friends to hang with…
“No way there’s no one. Open your chats, grab someone, and go get coffee. Then hit a PC bang, pool hall, or bowling alley. You’ll get sick if you don’t get some sun.”
– Chats… with friends I can just ask to grab coffee…?
– Confirmed scammer lolol
The responses were strikingly similar.
At first, I thought it was a joke, but the consistency made me wonder if there was a real problem.
Do these people actually have no friends?
“…Hold on a sec.”
I paused the chat and opened the voice chat program I’d installed for group projects.
Still skeptical, I wanted to confirm.
If it was true, I figured I could offer some advice based on my own observations of people.
“If you’re serious about having no friends, add this ID. Let’s see if you’re really a loner or just faking it.”
Part 5
[Cheungjeokun fans, assemble!!!!!!!] – Anonymous
– Search for Cheungjeokun’s sis right now, and she’s taking confessions for free, no donations needed. This is your only chance before it becomes a paid service, go go go!
┕ Anonymous: ? Confessions?
┕ Anonymous (OP): She’s taking voice calls from loners and giving life advice.
┕ Anonymous: ??? Is it really his family?
┕ Anonymous: Just getting to talk to her once is a jackpot lolol
┕ Anonymous: She only pops up on Cheungjeokun’s streams occasionally, not a streamer herself, right?
┕ Anonymous (OP): Said she’s bored with a schedule gap and wants someone to talk to.
┕ Anonymous: Not just cameos anymore—she’s like a regular now? Their banter’s like a mukbang-level fixed segment.
┕ Anonymous (OP): Anyway, go now for a chance to talk to her, go go go!
Part 6
Emerging from his room in a groggy haze, Sanghyeon’s first sensation was unease.
Normally, this time of day would be filled with the looping playlist he left on for hours, but today felt unusually chaotic.
No parents around.
Maybe Yoonseo, at most.
“…A phone call?”
Gulping cold water from the dispenser, Sanghyeon grew certain of his hunch.
He couldn’t make out the conversation, but the pauses suggested someone was on a call.
“Oh… the guys said they were coming over.”
There was probably more to talk about.
Sanghyeon didn’t think much of it.
They hadn’t seen each other in ages, and meeting today would give them plenty to catch up on.
With that thought, he checked the fridge and washed his face lightly.
When Yoonseo first came home changed, Sanghyeon had been so embarrassed he’d hesitated to even enter the bathroom.
The fact that he could now casually do so felt like a small happiness.
“Too early to stream. Not hungry yet…”
Gaming could wait for the stream.
With nothing else to do, he absentmindedly opened a community site and typed in his nickname, something he checked occasionally.
Ego-surfing often left him more bruised than boosted, but curiosity about how others saw him always won out.
“Let’s see which punk’s gloating about sniping me this time…”
Search entered.
A short load.
Feeling a subtle pride at the number of posts about him, he decided to skim the titles leisurely, no need to dive into the details.
“…Huh?”
It was just another afternoon.
– Yo, Cheungjeokun’s sis is legit savage lololol [17]
Part 7
[Yo, Cheungjeokun’s sis is legit savage lololol]
– She said showering once a day keeps you from smelling even if you’re out half the day in summer, and not to lie about it, lmao so savage lolol
┕ Anonymous: Hnng… her scolding voice is too good…
┕ Anonymous: Straight-up reward material lol
┕ Anonymous: Academic consensus says people are saying gross stuff on purpose to get scolded.
┕ Anonymous (OP): But that sigh she lets out before lecturing, and how her voice drops… kinda hits different…
┕ Stratocumulus: Drop the stream link.