Chapter 2: Invitation to the Party

The day for internet streamers always starts late.
And I’m no exception. By the time I opened my eyes and checked my phone, it was already 1:13 PM.

“…Ugh, what a mess.”
Yawning widely as I got up from bed, those were the first words I muttered.

Come to think of it, I need to take out the trash today, including the food waste. If Mom happens to drop by and finds out, she’ll definitely lecture me and tell me to go back home right away.

Rustle.
I opened the lids of the trash bins in my room, living room, and kitchen, grabbed the ends of the black garbage bags inside, and tied them up tightly. Then, I retrieved a larger trash bag from the balcony and carefully pressed everything down into it. The bag was a bit small, so fitting everything in was a bit of a struggle, but I managed to handle it with sheer force.

Phew. Already feeling exhausted.
I decided to leave the trash by the shoe rack and throw it out when I go out for my workout later. For now, I returned to my room and sat down in front of my computer. I needed to check the donations I received yesterday.

My hand, which had been clicking the mouse, suddenly stopped when I saw the amount on the screen. A gasp of disbelief escaped my mouth.

[12/04 Total Donations: 2,164,000 KRW]

Is this for real? Looking at the donation amount, anyone would think I’m some kind of major corporate streamer. Is this all thanks to the Chairman’s generosity?
Of course, it’s not every day that they donate like this, but with such a huge amount of support, I can’t help but feel overwhelmed. That’s why I’ve become extra cautious about how I spend my money lately.

I still remember last year on my birthday, they donated a staggering 10 million won. It was such a large sum that I hesitated for a while, but in the end, I sent 3 million won each to my parents and used the remaining amount, after taxes, to upgrade my computer.

But seriously, who throws around money like this? Are they the heir to some conglomerate or something? I really hope they’re someone with plenty to spare.
One thing’s for sure: this is someone I’d never cross paths with in real life. Aside from the streamer-viewer relationship, of course.

“…Hm?”
After checking everything, I decided to take a look at my email. As usual, there was a bunch of spam sitting at the top of my inbox.
But what caught my eye was an email from a familiar sender—none other than the official platform I stream on.

Click.

I pressed the mouse button to open the email. Just to be safe, I double-checked it several times to make sure it wasn’t some kind of phishing scam. But it was indeed an official email.
The content of the email made my eyes widen in surprise from the very first line.

[You’re invited to Twip’s Year-End Party!]
-Cosmo Streamer, hello. Thank you for always being with Twip.
Today, we are excited to extend an invitation to you for Twip’s Year-End Party. Warm up this winter with fellow streamers at our heartwarming year-end gathering. How does that sound?

Wow, is this for real?
I read through the email thoroughly, not missing a single word, yet I still couldn’t believe it. Did I really just get invited to a year-end party?

To clarify, the year-end party mentioned here is a gathering of streamers hosted by the Twip platform itself.
To qualify, you need to be a partner streamer, and even then, only the top percentage of streamers, selected by the platform, receive an invitation. For most small-time streamers, attending this party is a distant dream.

And yet, I’ve been invited to this party? Wow, Kang Wooju, you’ve made it.

“I guess I need to go shopping for clothes.”

It’s a party that even big-shot corporate people attend, so I can’t show up looking all scruffy like I do now. I’ll need to spend some money on clothes for the first time in a while. And later tonight, I’ll brag about it to my viewers.
Today’s off to a great start.

[Cosmo] has started streaming.
“Kyaaahhhoooo!!!!!”
When I turned on the stream, I displayed the fan art of my character big and bold on the screen, just like always.

Soon after, viewers started popping up in the chat, greeting me as usual, and a few of them checked the stream title and expressed their curiosity.
Since I hardly ever change my stream title, it’s no wonder they’re curious. They must be wondering what kind of good news I got.

“Guys! I got an invitation to Twip’s party this morning!”
Without any formal greeting, I excitedly shouted the news that I’d been invited to Twip’s year-end party, loud enough to nearly break my soundproof booth. The reactions that followed were mixed.

Some viewers congratulated me sincerely,
[PositiveVibesOnly] – You’ve been wanting to go, and now you finally made it! Congrats!
[BottomOfThePotRice] – Congrats, congrats, congrats!

While others, knowing how much of a recluse I am, expressed their concerns:
[SojuScentedHandCream] – You’ll probably just end up sitting alone in a corner like a loser again.
[NextDoorHani] – I can already picture it, lololololol.

These guys know me too well. I mean, who needs to state facts like that? Come on, let’s stick to playful teasing and exaggeration, shall we?

“Anyway, I bought some clothes to wear to the party. Can you help me decide what to wear?”

[BloomingChaos] – How the hell would we know?
[NextDoorHani] – Look at this guy subtly trying to humblebrag.
[18-Year-OldCollegeGirl] – So jealous. Should we break your legs so you can’t go to the party?

Hey, what am I supposed to do if you all react like that? I really bought several outfits today, hoping to get some genuine advice. Now you’re just ruining it for me.

[CosmoFanProtectors] – Actually, I know a bit about fashion. Want some advice?
“Ooh!”
Just as I was considering scrapping the whole content idea, a familiar username popped up in the chat. It was the Chairman. Finally, the advice I was waiting for.
Wow, the Chairman even has a good fashion sense? Complimenting someone’s fashion sense isn’t something you hear every day, so that means they really know what they’re talking about.

More viewers started chiming in, offering to help as well.
[K-HipHopCosmo] – I’m in the fashion industry too, so I can give you some advice.
[PureWhite] – I pick out my boyfriend’s clothes, so I can help too.

Looks like that person is a female viewer and has a boyfriend. Should I ban them for showing off their relationship?

[CosmoFan] – Honestly, it’s all about the face. Who cares about clothes?
[SeafoodSpicySauce] – Even if you wear designer brands, they’ll probably ban you at the entrance, lol.
[BloomingChaos] – Like when chatters get turned away at the entrance of clubs.
[BINGO] – For real!!!

The chat was buzzing with viewers who seemed eager to roast me. But honestly, they’re not wrong. It’s not even surprising to say that looks matter more than fashion.

“Anyway, I tried on the outfit that the salesperson recommended. I’ll show you a picture of the clothes real quick.”
[OctopusSashimi] – Lol
[BOOMBOOM] – Let’s see it, bring it on!
[LucidDream7] – Bet you bought something ridiculous at Dongdaemun, lololol.”

Looking at the chat, anxiety began to creep in, but I trusted that my viewers weren’t all that mean-spirited. So, I took pictures of the outfits, transferred them to my PC, and displayed them on the screen one by one.

For reference, I was currently wearing beige cotton pants, a black half-turtleneck sweater, and a gray cashmere jacket. I didn’t know the names of any of these clothes, but I did my best to remember the detailed explanations the store clerk had given me.

I could still see the smiling face of the female employee who had kindly helped me choose the outfit. It had been quite overwhelming.

Viewers examined the outfits on the screen, and fortunately, the reviews were relatively positive. However, the general consensus was, “The clothes are fine, but it all depends on the person wearing them.”

These bastards never miss an opportunity to roast me.

“So, it’s okay to wear this, right? I mean, aside from the fact that my face is trash.”

[CosmoFan] – Yeah, the clothes aren’t bad.
[PositiveVibesOnly] – Just wear it like that.
[PureWhite] – My boyfriend would look good in that too.

And there they go again, subtly showing off their relationship. I’m tempted to block them.

[‘CosmoFanProtectors’ donated 10,000 won.]
“So, are you going to wear that to the party, Cosmo?”

As I was about to close the image window and return to my usual chat, the Chairman appeared with a sweet 10,000 won donation and asked the question.

“Thank you for the 10,000 won donation! Yes, that’s my plan for now.”

I figured the clothes picked with the help of collective viewer input would be better than something I chose on my own, so I decided to go with it.

***

10:28 PM.

At this time of night, most people are wrapping up their day, heading to bed, or relaxing in preparation for tomorrow.

“Hello, this is me. Secretary Kim, are you available right now?”

But despite the late hour, the woman who made a sudden phone call didn’t seem to think it was rude at all. She spoke in a calm voice. The response she received was extremely polite.

The woman shifted her gaze away from the computer screen she had been staring at and stood up. Her demeanor was far more serious than when she had been watching the stream alone.

“You’ve heard of Twip, right? It’s an internet streaming platform.”

“Yes, of course, I know it.”
It would be strange not to know about such a famous platform. Even if one wasn’t familiar with it in detail, they would have at least heard of it. Secretary Kim, the man on the other end of the line, was one of those people.

His employer was relatively young, so perhaps they had developed some interest in streaming. As he prepared to respond with his limited knowledge, an unexpected request hit him out of the blue.

“In that case, this will be quick. I’m planning to attend the year-end party they’re hosting. Could you arrange a spot for me?”

Secretary Kim couldn’t help but wonder if he had misheard. If anyone knew who this woman on the phone was, they would react the same way.

“I’d like to meet someone there. Can you make it happen?”

Once he realized that his ears hadn’t malfunctioned, Secretary Kim was left speechless.

The situation of a subordinate suddenly being handed a high-difficulty quest late at night was truly a sad one.