Chapter 41: People Are Kind

Wide Awake

Unlike usual, I woke up late one bright morning, feeling alert and refreshed in bed.

Once I got my routine in order, my body began to wake up naturally at the same time each day.

The days of feeling exhausted and lingering lazily in bed were rare now.

I woke up when I wanted, feeling refreshed and ready to start the day.

This body was truly a marvel.

It was quite a contrast from my previous life, where my sleep patterns were a mess, my waking hours unpredictable, and fatigue a constant companion.

“Hmm…”

But today felt different.

For some reason, I just wanted to rest a little longer, to laze around in the comfort of my blanket.

Perhaps I was more tired than I realized.

After all, I’d been streaming for long hours lately, spending as much time gaming.

Although Camilla’s sturdy body didn’t physically tire, my mind wasn’t quite as resilient.

So, unlike usual, I spent more time in bed, rolling around on the soft mattress.

I pulled out my phone and browsed Abyss Gallery, even searching for my name.

Reading posts praising my performance from yesterday gave me a little boost of satisfaction.

Watching Abyss Shorts on VTube quickly consumed an hour without me even noticing.

It felt like mere moments had passed, but somehow, time had flown by.

The phone, the community, and VTube had conspired to steal my time away.

It was time to get up.

The clock read 11:36 a.m., and it was about time to head out for my usual walk in the park, followed by lunch.

Out and about, I strolled, ate, and, on my way back, ran into my young neighbor, Si-hyun, whom I’d met previously.

“Munch. How’s work going?”

“You’ve got a curious way of asking questions for a kid.”

Even last time, I noticed how mature Si-hyun seemed.

Perhaps the environment made them grow up faster than most.

Even now, they asked a question more suited to an adult than a child.

They were alone at the playground, so I happily pushed their swing and treated them to ice cream.

And here they were, munching on ice cream and asking thoughtful questions.

To be fair, I found this mature demeanor easier to interact with than typical childlike behavior.

As Si-hyun chomped down on the ice cream, staring at me, I casually replied as if updating a friend about my life.

“Work… yeah. It’s going pretty well.

People are steadily showing more interest, and the money’s good, too.”

“Oh, I see. By ‘people,’ do you mean customers? Like, more people are coming to find you?”

“Exactly. The ice cream you’re eating now was bought with their money, you know.”

“No wonder it tastes so good. Hehe!”

Si-hyun hummed a little tune, swinging their legs back and forth while sitting on a bench.

Then, suddenly, they took the ice cream stick out of their mouth and let out a deep sigh.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah, it’s my uncle.

Seeing you work so hard makes me think of him… I wish he’d start working already.”

Right, their uncle was unemployed, wasn’t he?

Hearing this made me curious, but it felt like too sensitive a topic to bring up directly.

As if reading my thoughts, Si-hyun put the stick down and slowly began to explain.

“These days, it’s really awkward having him at home.

Grandma keeps nagging him to find a job, and my uncle just says he’ll handle it.”

“Does your uncle not work at all?”

“No, that’s not it. He used to be like that, but lately, he’s been working part-time.

Still, Grandma’s worried.

She thinks he should find a stable job before he gets any older, but that’s easier said than done.

Finding a job these days is really tough.”

“Uh, yeah… that’s true.”

I wondered if this was really a topic to be discussing with an elementary school kid.

It made me think twice.

“I can understand where Uncle is coming from.

He used to have a main job, and he’d prefer to find something in that field rather than just taking any job.”

“What’s your uncle’s specialty?”

“Hmm, video editing?

I think that’s what he said.

Yeah, he’s always watching weird videos in his room these days, so I’m pretty sure.”

“Weird videos, huh… Oh.”

Oh.

I get it now.

I immediately understood.

If Si-hyun’s uncle wasn’t too much older than me, he was probably still in his prime.

But still, he should be more careful about certain things when living in the same house as a kid.

“Si-hyun, when your uncle’s watching videos, try not to get too close.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“Well… um… it’s a bit hard to explain, but let’s just say there’s a reason.

When he’s focusing like that, he probably needs some privacy.”

I fumbled through the explanation.

I wasn’t entirely sure why I felt compelled to say this, but it seemed like the right thing to do.

Better for Si-hyun to heed my advice and take things slow than to stumble into a whole new world unprepared.

“Si-hyun, who are you… What are you talking about…”

It was then that a deep, heavy voice spoke from behind me.

Noticing the shadow looming over us, Si-hyun turned their head and smiled brightly.

“Oh, Uncle! You’re done with your workout?

You’re back earlier than I expected.”

“Well, yeah, but what were you just saying about me to someone else—”

The man trailed off mid-sentence.

His eyes started darting around aimlessly, his pupils trembling.

He looked at my eyes, then my lips, then my chest, back to my eyes, then my chest, and then my face again—

Ah, come to think of it, I hadn’t introduced myself.

If a stranger were suddenly chatting with his niece, it would make sense for him to be wary.

“Hello, I’m Moon-ah. I live in the studio apartment nearby.”

At my greeting, Si-hyun’s uncle froze for a moment, his face blank and his mouth slightly open.

“…Uncle, what are you doing?

You have to respond when someone greets you!”

Si-hyun nudged him sharply in the side, and only then did he snap out of it with a startled sound.

“Oh, uh, yes!

I’m Kim Jae-joon, Si-hyun’s uncle.

Nice to meet you!”

His voice was overly loud, his face flushed red, and his gaze slightly off-center even as he spoke.

Understanding the situation now, I smiled awkwardly, fully aware of what his reactions meant.

“Uncle, Grandma says you should look people in the eye when you’re talking to them.

It’s rude if you don’t.

Why aren’t you looking at her face when you introduce yourself?”

“Well, there’s… that…”

Kim Jae-joon awkwardly grabbed Si-hyun, who was persistently poking at his side, and bowed his head to me.

“Well, we’ll be heading back now.

I have some errands to run, and if I stay out too long, my mother will start looking for me.”

“Okay.”

“Hey, Uncle!

You can’t just carry me like this!

Bye, unnie!

Thanks for the ice cream. See you next time!”

With Si-hyun slung over his side, Kim Jae-joon walked briskly away.

I waved back at Si-hyun, who was clinging to her uncle and waving her hand.

Then, I stood up and began walking back home.

By the time I got back, it was 2 PM.

I had planned to eat lunch and take a quick stroll, but my unexpected meeting with Si-hyun had extended my outing longer than I’d expected.

Still, it wasn’t a bad thing.

It was nice catching up with Si-hyun after a long time, and chatting with her had put me in a good mood.

This leisurely, peaceful life was unbelievably sweet, and for the first time in a while, I was able to truly enjoy some proper rest.

The life of a semi-unemployed person wasn’t all that bad after all.

Of course, it wasn’t just today—I had been living more or less like a part-timer, doing as I pleased for a while now.

There was still about a week left until the finals of the upcoming tournament, and there were no scheduled team practices today.

Riri and Han-gang had personal plans.

So today was set aside for either individual practice or rest.

That’s why I didn’t feel any immediate pressure to start streaming in a few hours.

But then… why was my hand reaching for the stream start button again?

Today was supposed to be a rare day of pure rest, with no commitments.

I could watch a movie, browse online communities, grind ranked games—anything I wanted.

Yet here I was, drawn to streaming.

Was my brain hardwired from all the streams I had done recently?

Or was it the thought that I should strike while the iron is hot, now that I’ve been doing so well lately?

No, it wasn’t either of those things.

It was simply a habit—a way to satisfy my desires.

I had become addicted to streaming lately.

Talking with viewers, seeing their reactions to my actions or even just my words—it all gave me a peculiar sense of joy.

Streaming had grown into something special for me.

Of course, there was the added benefit of making money.

That had been the main goal when I first started, but now it was just a secondary perk.

To me, streaming was now a second sanctuary—a haven of sorts.

It was like a playground where I could interact and have fun with people who were interested in me.

With that thought in mind, I started the stream, and viewers quickly began pouring in.

[Midday stream? What’s this? What’s this?]

[Noona ㅠㅠ I missed you so much I cried!]

[You just left us hanging last time again, huh? Typical.]

[The greatest streamer of our era, Kayak! The greatest streamer of our era, Kayak!]

[No hand cam today?]

[Hi, please acknowledge me!]

[I had a dream last night, and you were in it!]

[So when are we getting Abyss?]

[MVP Kayak is here!]

Hmm… looking at these comments now, I couldn’t help but feel a bit deflated.

The sentiments I had just a moment ago felt overshadowed by how direct and, well, unfiltered my viewers’ comments were.

I let out a faint sigh.

Still, I knew deep down they were good people.

They might not be the best at expressing themselves, but their hearts were in the right place.

[Noona ㅠㅠ Turn on the cam and show us your face!]

[I was rewatching your VOD, and the veins on the back of your hand are so sexy, especially when your fingers move intensely during battles…]

[Please bring the mic closer and just say “damn” for me once, I beg you…]

Good people…

Uh, good people…

They’re good people, right?