Chapter 20: The Streamer’s Dilemma

The day after breaking up with Moon i-hyun, Song Chae-hyun was staring at her phone, grinning from ear to ear.

On the screen was a photo of herself alongside a girl with gray hair who looked at least ten centimeters shorter. It was a picture with Moon i-hyun.

So cute…

A spontaneous snapshot taken because she wanted to remember this cuteness.

Even caught off guard, she’s still this adorable.

Song Chae-hyun repeatedly zoomed in and out, enjoying the girl’s face.

Long eyelashes, soft-looking cheeks, and an appearance that, while youthful, didn’t look overly childish.

Song Chae-hyun found herself instinctively wanting to protect her, mistaking her for a minor.

Really, she looks like a small animal; she’s so cute.

As she continued to gaze, Song Chae-hyun pondered, Did I really like cute things this much?

But that thought was fleeting.

A tall shadow appeared behind her.

“You’re going to put a hole in your screen. What are you looking at?”

“Huh? Oh, it’s you, Chae-rin.”

It was Song Chae-rin.

She had likely showered right after Song Chae-hyun, wearing light clothing and a towel draped around her neck.

“Look at this girl; isn’t she cute?” Song Chae-hyun exclaimed, showing the photo like a proud pet owner.

“What is it?” Song Chae-rin bent down to peek over her shoulder.

“Ooh… Who is she? A celebrity? Did you take a picture with her?”

“Ah, haha. She’s not a celebrity, but she’s that cute and pretty, right? She’s just my classmate’s little sister.”

“What?”

Song Chae-rin was a bit taken aback, having assumed she was a celebrity.

“Wait a sec.”

She briefly scanned the girl’s face, then remarked, “She’s pretty. Is her hair dyed? Are her eyes colored contacts?”

Song Chae-rin took the phone for a moment, admiring Moon i-hyun’s face.

Seeing someone with whom she could connect, Song Chae-hyun began to excitedly explain.

“No, it’s natural. Isn’t it amazing? She also has an incredible voice. She’s quiet and calm, yet so cute…”

As Song Chae-rin half-listened to her gushing, she kept examining the photo.

Hmm. She is pretty.

Just looking at her brought a sense of happiness.

… But…

Song Chae-rin paused, putting her finger to her mouth in thought.

I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere.

A celebrity doppelgänger?

No. It’s not like celebrities with that eye and hair color are common.

Then, an image flickered in Song Chae-rin’s mind.

Could it be…?

“Hmm?”

Ignoring Song Chae-hyun’s question, Song Chae-rin returned the phone and walked to her room.

After briefly tossing her phone onto the bed while showering, she turned it on and entered the bell live-streaming platform.

She accessed a past broadcast, and then appeared the streamer she had been frequently watching lately—a girl with gray hair and gray eyes.

Song Chae-rin’s pupils widened in shock.

“Hey, give me back the phone!”

“Uh, uh? Okay.”

Startled by Song Chae-rin’s frantic behavior, Song Chae-hyun handed the phone back to her.

Song Chae-rin alternated between looking at her phone and Song Chae-hyun’s phone.

“Hey… Is that person a streamer?”

Song Chae-hyun blankly stared at the video playing in front of her.

On the screen was someone who looked just like Moon i-hyun, speaking with an almost identical voice while cursing and playing a game.

Though wearing a mask, her beautiful eyes were unmistakably the same.

Most importantly, she was wearing the clothes Song Chae-hyun had bought for her.

Honestly, the cursing was a bit shocking, but she looked quite inexperienced.

Damn…

Shit…

There were signs of hesitation in her words.

Is she trying to adopt some kind of concept?

Though Song Chae-hyun didn’t know much about streaming, she vaguely understood that some streamers adopt specific themes for entertainment.

The swearing was surprising, but she could somewhat understand it.

After all, she had been quite rebellious around that age, too.

With Moon i-hyun appearing to carry some emotional scars, she felt a twinge of sympathy for her swearing, which didn’t seem to suit her at all.

However, what was really bothering her was the comment about wanting to touch her breasts.

–

But what size are they? They look slim but not scrawny.

So how many experiences does she have?

At least 50 people are expected, haha.

–

There were particularly many chats like that.

‘Is internet chatting always this messy?’

Just that thought made my face scrunch up.

Every time such chats appeared, Moon i-hyun flinched.

Her eyes seemed to shimmer as if they were filled with tears.

Every time I saw that, a pain that felt like my heart was being crushed washed over me.

‘She must be trying hard to adapt to the internet because she has no one to protect her and no money.’

After finishing such speculation, Song Chae-hyun thought,

‘I have to help her.’

She opened Moon i-hyun’s contact and was about to call, but paused for a moment.

Should I really expose Moon i-hyun’s personal life like this?

We hadn’t known each other for long, but wasn’t there a reason she hadn’t mentioned it?

What if the broadcast itself was a sore spot for Moon i-hyun?

Thinking that way made me hesitate a bit about calling.

‘… It hurts my heart, but…’

Let’s just watch her a little longer.

That’s what she thought.

But—

“Are you broadcasting?”

I asked her just a few days after I had been suffering alone.

“Ah, ah, no?”

Cold sweat trickled down.

Her voice trembled.

What the heck?

How did she know?

Does she like broadcasting or something?

She didn’t seem like that.

Song Chae-hyun fell silent for a moment, then blurted out,

“A high school graduate, unemployed, single…”

“Ugh!”

How did she know? How could she possibly know?

My face turned red.

“Right…?”

If I had reacted like this, I had no choice but to talk.

I steadied my racing heart and said,

“Um… how did you know?”

She told me about my life.

“Ah…”

A sigh escaped me.

Damn it…

As I was cursing, Song Chae-hyun spoke in a heavy voice.

“Is it okay if I stop by for a bit today?”

It was too serious of a tone to just say no.

“Uh… sure…”

I allowed her in.

Before long, Song Chae-hyun arrived.

Unlike before, she rang the doorbell to announce her presence.

Creeeeak.

I carefully opened the door.

Through the widening gap, I could see Song Chae-hyun.

But then—

“!?”

Song Chae-hyun rushed towards me and hugged me tightly.

She came running, wrapped her arms around me, and locked them tightly.

As she bent at the waist, my back bent too.

In that position, I couldn’t move.

She must have had a tough time.

Her kind, locked voice tickled my ear.

“Ah, um?”

Memories of when she protected me from the man and at the baseball field came to mind, making my face feel slightly warm.

In that state, I stumbled over my words until Song Chae-hyun released me, allowing me to breathe.

My heart raced.

I was breathing a little unevenly.

Was it because I had almost suffocated in her embrace, or was it for another reason?

After releasing me, Song Chae-hyun wore a sad expression.

“F-First, come in.”

I led my slightly shaky legs inside.

We sat facing each other in the middle of the room.

As my ragged breaths calmed down a bit, a heavy atmosphere settled in.

She was looking down at me with a dark expression.

…

“Are you really upset that I’m broadcasting?”

It’s not exactly an unhealthy stream.

I just chat and hang out most of the time.

As I thought this, she opened her mouth.

“I-hyun.”

“Y-yes?”

Her low voice made me hesitate for a moment.

“Can’t you stop streaming?”

“Pardon?”

I was taken aback by the sudden question.

“I understand that you might swear and all, and it’s not too bad. But the viewers there are really harmful.”

“Ah…”

So that was the problem.

I thought it wasn’t good for someone at such a young age to be easily exposed to the internet world.

“I’m on DC, you know… Maybe they’ve grown up by now. But I had no way of knowing that, and it’s a bit awkward for me to say this,” I mumbled.

“There are really a lot of bad people. I found out about DC when I searched for your nickname. And it was my first time visiting there. But…”

As Song Chae-hyun spoke, she pressed her lips together.

I also fell silent.

Sometimes, out of curiosity, I enter the broadcasting forums. I still come out feeling not-so-great like before.

The quality of my viewers isn’t that great. It’s like a muddy puddle, at best.

But I can accept that. It’s something I chose and brought upon myself.

However, for someone like Song Chae-hyun, it must have been quite shocking.

It probably looked too overwhelming for a young girl like me to handle.

Sometimes, I do find it mentally taxing.

“Thank you for worrying about me,” I said carefully.

“But I really don’t have money. I barely make rent…”

I didn’t even pay it myself.

At my words, Song Chae-hyun showed a slightly sad expression.

“And honestly, it’s not all bad. I feel good when I hear compliments about being pretty or cute…”

“But…”

After her words, we fell into a brief silence.

She was kind.

Even though she could have urged me to quit by raising her voice in impatience, she felt helpless knowing my situation and shared my pain instead.

…

I felt a bit warm about that.

Did I deserve to feel such emotions?

“unnie.”

“Yeah?”

I broke the silence, and Song Chae-hyun looked up.

Now, “unnie” had stuck to my lips.

So, maybe it was okay to act a bit like a younger sister.

I crawled over to her with my arms and legs and hugged her.

I rested my chin on her shoulder and tucked my arms under her armpits.

It felt really cozy.

“I-hyun…?”

“… unnie, thank you.”

In that position, I whispered to her.

“Thank you for treating me well. But really, it’s okay. Not everyone is bad.”

Song Chae-hyun, without saying a word, gently stroked my back and head with her hands.

Her hands felt really big on my back and head.

“I’m a little upset that there’s nothing I can do.”

I thought she was really kind.

After all, I was a complete stranger to her.

I quietly stroked her back with my small hands.

“… Ah.”

At that moment, a good idea struck me.

“unnie, could you help me a little?”

“Sure?”

“Could you pass me your phone for a moment?”

“Sure.” Huh?

She handed it to me with a blank expression.

“Excuse me.”

I said and searched for Twitch in the app store.

But whether it was to watch my stream or not, it was already installed.

She probably had an account as well.

I quietly chuckled to myself and typed her nickname in the command box.

• dlgusdl123

… That’s my name.

I smiled quietly, gave her manager permissions, and handed her the phone.

“What did you just do?” she asked.

“I made you a manager. You can kick out and ban harmful users.”

“Oh…”

Song Chae-hyun’s eyes sparkled with interest.

“If you’re worried, you can manage the chat during my streaming hours. That way, you can worry less, right?”

At my words, Song Chae-hyun smiled.

Then, she patted my head and said,

“It feels nice to know you’ll be around more. Thank you for caring about my feelings.”

“Hehe.”

As we both laughed, Song Chae-hyun stood up.

“Well, now that the worries are resolved, I’ll be heading out.”

“So soon?”

I said with a hint of regret.

“I want to stay a bit longer, but I have a lecture soon.”

“Guess there’s nothing we can do…”

I said as I followed her to the shoe cabinet.

“I’ll come again next time, I-hyun. You don’t have to come out to see me off. I’ll chase away all the bad people, so don’t worry!”

She said, striking a strong pose.

I laughed at that and replied,

“Hehe, okay. See you next time!”

With a brighter expression, Song Chae-hyun waved goodbye and opened the door to leave.

Even back in middle school, she was part of the student council. Looking back, I remember she would straightforwardly point out things to the seniors without any hesitation, which often led to conflicts.

She never bent her will, even once.

It might suit her temperament well.

I gazed at the room where she had just left, feeling a bit relieved for some reason.

Wait.

Does she not know that I’m being sued for defamation?

Given her personality, she might genuinely get mad if she finds out.

But seeing her say nothing makes it seem like she’s unaware.

…

Well, it’s likely that the topic is cooling down anyway. There’s a high chance she couldn’t find out about it.

And as time passes, it will only get less relevant.

Moreover, with all the rumors about me being a “virgin” mixed in, she might not even believe it.

… If that’s the case, it’s really a relief…

I guess her younger sister didn’t mention it either.

Or maybe she just doesn’t know.

For now, I should secretly add related terms to the banned words list.

I hadn’t planned to control this part too much.

But this… I really have no choice.

After that, I lay down and started using my phone.

Suddenly, my phone rang.

• Yoo Ji-eun

Yoo Ji-eun?

Is there something urgent?

It’s not even evening yet.

I answered with a puzzled mind.

As soon as I did, a cold voice came through.

[Who is this?]

“Y-yes…?”

[Who’s the new manager? I’m asking about I-hyun123.]