Chapter 53: First meeting with the editor

Lee Seong-hyun and I walked together along the nighttime streets for a while.

As we walked, we talked about all sorts of things—editing, my stream, how delicious the food we had earlier was.

Lee Seong-hyun took the lead in the conversation, and I was too busy laughing at everything he said.

Was I always this quick to laugh?

While pondering that, the awkward moment from earlier came to mind.

The uneasy atmosphere when I refused to let him pat my head.

Every time I thought about it, I stole glances at him, trying to gauge his reaction, but Lee Seong-hyun didn’t seem to care at all.

He kept smiling as if he’d completely forgotten about the awkward moment.

I swallowed hard.

What if he’s actually upset?

What if, after today’s meeting, he starts treating me coldly?

That fear began to creep up inside me again.

…

I hope he doesn’t hate me.

With that thought weighing on me, I hesitantly opened my mouth.

“Se… Seong-hyun…”

“Yes?”

“I, um… You don’t hate me, do you?”

“What?”

Lee Seong-hyun blinked in confusion and asked again.

“It’s… just a random question…”

Unable to express my true feelings, I turned my head away and mumbled.

He stared at me for a moment before breaking into a gentle smile.

“Why would I hate you, I-hyun? You’re such a wonderful person.”

As expected, he’s a good person.

Suppressing the urge to act spoiled, I giggled.

Whether or not he truly meant it, I wasn’t sure… but at least that smile seemed genuine.

As he watched me chuckling to myself, he spoke again.

“It’s about time to part ways. It’s getting late.”

“Oh, right…”

I felt a pang of disappointment, but I knew there was no helping it.

He smiled softly and said, “I’ll walk you home. It’s dark out, and there aren’t many streetlights around here. It’s not safe.”

“Really?!”

A smile spread across my face.

He’s thoughtful, even to the very end.

I had been feeling a bit nervous about the dark streets, so his offer was reassuring.

“That would be… perfect! Thank you so much.”

Just then, the ringtone of my phone cut through the moment.

“Oh, one second.”

I checked the screen—it was a group video call from Yoo Ji-eun and Song Chae-hyun.

“Huh?”

It was already that time?

When I checked the clock, it was exactly 9:00 PM.

Right, this was the time I had promised to call them.

Looks like I might get scolded.

“Sorry about this. My friends were worried, so I need to take a quick video call.”

“Ah, sure.”

I gave him a polite nod and stepped a little further away.

…It would be embarrassing if they started yelling at me to hurry home while he could hear.

“Hello?”

Both Yoo Ji-eun and Song Chae-hyun were already on the call.

• “Why didn’t you call first?”

“Sorry, I forgot…”

• “Well, as long as you answered…”

I watched Chae-hyun nod, and suddenly remembered something.

“Hey, do you notice anything different about me?”

• “Hm? Hmm… Not really.”

“Really…”

They didn’t seem to notice my makeup.

Maybe it wasn’t visible because the lighting here wasn’t great, and the video quality wasn’t the best due to my data plan.

It was a bit disappointing, but there wasn’t much I could do.

“Never mind. I’ll ask you again later when the lighting’s better.”

• “Alright, ask us next time. So, how was today?”

“It was amazing!”

I started excitedly recounting the day’s events.

Since Lee Seong-hyun was waiting far enough away, I didn’t feel embarrassed to gush about him.

I told them about how he had already paid for the meal without telling me, how considerate and kind he was, and how every little thing he did was so thoughtful.

I went on for nearly a minute without stopping.

They both stayed silent, quietly listening to me.

“Isn’t he such a great person?”

I finished my story with a smile, expecting them to agree wholeheartedly.

But instead, their response was…

• “Really?”
• “…Is that so.”

But for some reason, the two didn’t seem too pleased.

• “Alright, it’s time to head home now, isn’t it?”
• “Yeah, it’s getting pretty late. Go home quickly.”

“Yes, I was just about to.”

After exchanging farewells and preparing to end the call, I remembered something.

“Oh, Seong-hyun said he’d walk me home!”

I blurted it out, my voice slightly higher and faster than usual, wanting to show off the treatment I was getting.

• “What?”
• “What did you just say?”

Their voices turned much colder than before.

“Uh… yes?”

I stammered in confusion at their unexpected reaction.

“Why? What’s wrong?”

They were silent for a moment before one spoke.

• “Haah… seriously, I don’t even know what to do with you, I-hyun…”
• “I-hyun, have you lost your mind? No, seriously, what are you doing?”

Their scolding caught me completely off guard.

“Wh-what’s wrong?”

• “Are you doing this on purpose?”

Ji-eun’s voice was heavy with a sigh, tinged with exasperation.

“I-I’m sorry… I really don’t get it.”

• “Why would you give your home address to someone you barely know, I-hyun?”

“Oh…”

So that’s what this was about.

“I mean… I think it’ll be fine.”

After all, Seong-hyun seemed like a genuinely good person.

• “Absolutely not. If you let him take you home, we’re seriously going to scold you. Keep us on a video call while you walk instead. If anything happens, we’ll come running.”

Chae-hyun’s tone was firm, and Ji-eun nodded in agreement.

“Okay…”

Why do they keep scolding me?

I pouted slightly.

“But he’s not a stranger… I do know him.”

I muttered a bit petulantly.

• “I-hyun. No talking back. Or else.”

“Eek! I’m sorry…”

Startled by her stern voice, I apologized reflexively. Another pair of sighs echoed through the call.

…

But honestly, I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.

The idea of something bad happening felt like something I’d only seen on the news. It didn’t feel real or likely to me.

Besides, I couldn’t imagine Seong-hyun being a bad person.

I wanted to walk home with him.

But my desire to avoid disappointing Chae-hyun was stronger, so I reluctantly nodded.

“Okay, fine. I’ll say goodbye and call you back right after.”

• “Alright, we’ll wait.”
• “Call us back immediately.”

After ending the call, I hurried back to Seong-hyun.

“Seong-hyun, um… my friends said no. I’m sorry.”

I shouldn’t have said it like that—it sounded so childish.

He looked a bit disappointed but nodded understandingly.

“Oh, I see. It can’t be helped. Let me know when you get home safely. Be careful.”

“Okay! You too, be safe on your way home!”

After bowing slightly, I headed off toward my house.

As I walked, I prepared to call them back when suddenly—

“Oh! Right.”

It hit me.

…

This was bad.

It was well past 9:00 PM—now it was 9:24 PM.

Hurriedly, I stepped into a public restroom in a nearby building.

Making sure it was empty with all the doors open, I took out my phone.

• Click.

I snapped a photo, carefully avoiding showing my face. I didn’t want them to notice my makeup just yet.

I wanted them to notice during a livestream instead.

After checking the photo to ensure there was nothing weird about it, I logged in to post it.

“What the heck…”

The platform’s simultaneous user count was ranked number one.

I stared at that unexpected record in shock before scrolling through the latest posts.

• “Holding my breath until the pretty girl appears.”
• “Gasp!”
• “…You know, while you’re suffocating, the editor might be enjoying a meal with the pretty girl. Lol.”
• “LOL this man is crazy LOL.”
• “DieDieDieDieDieDieDieDie.”
• “CancelCancelCancelCancelCancelCancelCancelCancelCancel.”
• “HEY!!!! YOU [BLEEP]!!!!”
• “Breaking news… blatant liar…jpg.”

It was pure madness.

Unemployed (not really)
Ugly (not really)
Virgin loner (as of today, not anymore)
Pretty girl (only this part is true)

• “Change your broadcast nickname to FudaMisoPrettyGirl already, you liar!”
• “As of today, not anymore? Seriously, you [bleep]!”
• “Ugh… my heart hurts…”
• “Don’t write posts like this; it seriously feels like my heart is breaking. I really believed in you, Pretty Girl… How could you betray us like this? My heart genuinely aches…”
• “Virgin loner gang… How could you enjoy a late-night outing with the first guy you meet? You said you’d post a photo… It’s already been several minutes. Forgetting about us must mean the editor is more important than us, right? Do you like him that much?”
• “I need a cigarette…”
• “You liar…”
• “This is seriously a mental illness.”
• “When are you coming back?”

“…What the heck.”

These people…

It’s like they’ve turned my stream into a fanfiction playground, crafting narratives all on their own.

Why don’t they just keep going and write a whole book while they’re at it?

I quickly hit the “Compose Post” button, uploaded a photo, and began typing.

Proof I’m Alone.jpg
(Restroom selfie)

“Sorry I’m late, I got caught up in a long conversation. Please stop doubting me. I’m heading home now. I’ll stream once I get back. See you then.”

The moment I posted it, my phone buzzed incessantly with notifications.

“…What is this?”

I opened the app to check.

• “The unicorns have resurrected LOL!”
• “I always believed.”
• “I believed, I believed, I believed, I believed!”
• “This is it LOL!”
• “Gain some weight; your legs look so thin!”
• “Seriously, if someone low-kicks you, they might snap!”
• “Selfie archive +1.”

“Ah… you guys…”

Relieved by the somewhat improved mood, I let out a sigh of relief.

Their loyalty is like a rubber band—so fickle and easily stretched.