Chapter 49: The Calm Before the Firestorm

1.

The day of the collab with Chef Kang Tae-yeon arrived.

I posted the announcement without delay.

“You didn’t mention Chef Kang’s name?”

Noona tilted her head, checking the post.

Hiding the biggest draw was understandably puzzling.

“It’s better to surprise viewers. Plus, don’t we want to shut up those haters in the gallery?”

I grinned, opening the community.

As expected, posts about me were flooding in.

【Virtual Streamer Gallery】

[General] What’s with Carrier’s collab announcement???

Another cooking collab tomorrow, they say. Recreating nostalgic dishes again.

– Still not getting it lol. Doing this now with all the fake drama???

– Gotta admit, their guts are impressive lol

– Wonder who’s the guest this time?

– The cooking streams are fun, but why keep doing the nostalgia thing? Just stirs up fake accusations.

└ Fr, the VR cooking itself is entertaining—why complicate it?

“Word spreads fast…”

Noona, peering at my screen, marveled.

Thankfully, she stayed calm despite the hate.

“At this point, aren’t they basically your fans?”

“…I’d rather not have fans like these.”

“Keep scrolling.”

Like piranhas smelling blood, people kept trashing me.

Then, the target shifted.

[General] One thing’s clear

The third guest on this shady cooking stream?

<< Just brainless lol. Probably some nobody trying to leech clout, agree? lolol

– Lmao, fr. With the gallery’s vibe, no way anyone legit shows up lol

└ The gallery isn’t the whole world…

└ Shut up shut up shut up

– Not just here—other communities are buzzing with fake accusations too.YouTuber haters are spreading clips.

└ Doing another cooking stream without addressing it lolol. Balls of steel fr.

Now they were targeting the guest. At least Elena and Yura weren’t catching flak.

Why bother with spoiled meat when fresh prey’s right there?

“Why’re you laughing?”

Noona’s giggle pulled my attention.

“It’s just funny. They’re badmouthing without even knowing who’s on. Imagine their faces when they see Chef Kang.”

“They’ll freak, then turn on each other… and eventually drag Chef Kang too, right?”

“…Seriously?”

Noona frowned, unsure if they’d go that far.

I was certain.

“They will. Humans can get endlessly ugly when they choose to—especially when they don’t have to own their words.”

That’s just human nature.

“Shall we set a little trap, then?”

“Trap?”

Instead of answering, I started typing a post.

[General] What if the guest is someone world-class like Chef Kang Tae-yeon???

They said in an interview they want to taste a dish one more time.

If they’re the guest? And Carrier actually recreates it? What then???

“…Haryul.”

“I’ve taken so much crap here. A little mischief’s fair, right?”

Noona shook her head, exasperated.

I hit post. Moments later, comments flooded in like crazy.

– Tobacco stan???

– (Then die! Con)

– (Drolong stroking chin Con)

– (Not human ㅠ Con)

– Wtf lol Why would Chef Kang show up on Carrier’s stream???

– Michelin 3-star look like trash to you????

– Tobacco stan’s finally lost it lol

– What’s with the daydreaming?

The comment section was instantly buried in insults.

The reaction was so intense, downvotes shot past 100.

“Haryul, your post just hit the trending board.”

“Really? They must’ve upvoted it to pin it for ridicule.”

I meant it as a tease, but they went and immortalized it.

‘Even better.’

This post would later prove their ugliness.

“Look, it’s spreading to other communities.”

Noona showed me screenshots of my post being mocked across platforms.

Not every community was hostile, sparking heated debates.

“This… got bigger than we meant.”

“Yeah.”

“Can I have some fun too, then?”

“What’re you planning?”

Noona smirked, opened the gallery, and started typing.

[General] Isn’t the poster Carrier themselves?

What if Carrier’s subtly hinting at a collab with Chef Kang Tae-yeon???

“…Noona.”

She grinned mischievously. Her community savvy was unmatched.

“You posted something too. Can’t I have a little fun?”

“Fine. But this is it. Don’t overdo it—long tails get stepped on.”

“Of course.”

The post went up, and comments poured in.

– You’re that jerk from earlier? Same IP lol

└ (OP) Am I the only one with this IP?

└ You’re the only one posting this crap…

– Stop the nonsense pls lol

– Caught red-handed.

– Get lost lol

– Alt account wtf

“Pfft hahaha!”

Noona burst out laughing at the comments, even replying to some.

She was having a blast.

I shook my head and stood.

Just then, Yura called.

“Noona, ease up on the community. No more posts or comments.”

“I’ll just look. Just look.”

Didn’t she say she’d cut back? Old habits die hard, I guess.

“Hey, Yura.”

I walked to my room, flopped on the bed, and answered.

We’d agreed to drop formalities after the last collab.

“Haryul! What’re you up to?”

“Ate dinner, now chilling on my bed. You?”

“I ate with family and was relaxing! Oh, Mom said to thank you! She wants to treat you if you visit Japan!”

“Yeah, saw your SNS post. Glad they enjoyed it. Was it really like your grandma’s?”

“…My cooking’s terrible, so not as good as yours. But even then, Mom said it was close!”

“Good to hear.”

I smiled softly.

Talking with Yura always felt calming.

“Sorry for calling late. Mom spread word that it was like Grandma’s, so relatives came over, and I had to cook it again!”

“It’s fine. Happens.”

As we chatted, a groan came through the phone.

“What’s wrong? You okay?”

“I’m in the living room, and my family’s here… Speaking Korean like this feels embarrassing.”

“(Then let’s speak Japanese.)”

I switched to Japanese.

Yura gasped.

“Huh!? You speak Japanese?”

“Yup.”

A blessing from the other world—automatic translation.

If I wanted, my Korean would sound like their language.

“Wow, talking to you in Japanese feels so wild.”

“Yeah?”

“I’ll switch back later. Not now!”

A commotion erupted on her end.

“What’s up?”

“My family heard me speaking Japanese and wants to join. It’s a bit much.”

“I get it.”

Talking to others’ families always felt awkward to me, especially adults.

I never know what to say.

Probably because I never had parents.

That’s how I see it.

“So why’d you call? Not just to chat, right?”

“…Caught me.”

“Calling me during family time? Gotta be a reason.”

“You’re sharp… It’s not a big deal. Just heard about tomorrow’s collab and got worried.”

I chuckled.

“Worried about what? I told you, I don’t care what people say.”

“Still, even if you’re chill, little hurts can sneak in. Just checking.”

“Thanks for worrying.”

“…No, I’m the grateful one.”

A brief silence followed, but it wasn’t awkward—warm and pleasant.

“Oh, Mom’s calling. Gotta go. Let’s meet when you’re back in Korea!”

“Sure. Have a good night.”

“You too, Unnie!”

The call ended.

“Unnie, huh…”

I stared at the screen, then smiled.

“Not bad.”

Time to sleep early.

Tomorrow’s gonna be a big day.

‘I’m excited.’

My heart hadn’t raced like this in a while.