Chapter 57: Back to Everyday Life

“I’m going for round two, round two. Don’t say no—I’ve sobered up a bit.”

The streets outside were bustling with life, even at the late hour.

The well-placed lights illuminated the area, while bursts of laughter echoed around, creating a lively atmosphere.

Papyjoa thought back to what Molru had said: the real party begins at night.

She was beginning to understand that sentiment.

Jackie’s team was just as lively as the rest of the crowd. Everyone had taken a sip of the strong wine, and it was clear they were all in good spirits.

Among them, Ryuah stood out the most, leading the group with a sly grin.

Though Ryuah was the same age as Molru and technically the youngest in the team, she gave off a distinctly “baby of the group” vibe.

Molru, on the other hand, carried an aura that made her seem far beyond her years.

The entire team, not just Ryuah, had been shocked to learn they were the same age.

Ryuah’s tipsiness wasn’t the troublesome kind, either.

If anything, her behavior was endearing, especially to the team’s older members, Chulwoo and Jackie, who found her antics cute.

Tex, who had joined the group alongside Ryuah, sighed lightly and asked her, “Your color’s back to normal, but why are you squinting like that?”

“My eyes? What about my eyes?”

Ryuah, scanning her surroundings with a sleepy gaze, suddenly lit up with a mischievous grin as she spotted her target.

Her face, slightly flushed from the wine, made her look even more striking against the night lights.

She focused on Ji-eun, who seemed captivated by the cityscape, unaware of the attention she was drawing.

Ji-eun’s serene demeanor was like a work of art, and Ryuah wasn’t the only one who noticed; even passersby paused briefly to admire her.

Like a predator pouncing on its prey, Ryuah dashed toward Ji-eun with a playful shout.

Wrapping her arms around Ji-eun from behind, she buried her face into her shoulder and rubbed her face affectionately against her.

Ji-eun, unfazed by the sudden embrace, remained motionless, her lack of reaction perfectly fitting for someone like her.

Normally, Ryuah would find such a nonchalant response boring, maybe even tease Ji-eun for being dull.

But this time, Ji-eun’s calmness felt oddly right, making Ryuah want to indulge further.

“Ji-eunnie, are you coming to round two? Let’s go, okay?”

Ji-eun was small, like Ryuah herself, which made her easy to cling to.

Ryuah relished the role reversal, finding joy in being the one to initiate physical affection.

When Ji-eun finally turned her head and responded, her voice was cool and composed.

“I’m fine with round two since I live in Seoul, but are you sure? You live in Busan.”

Ryuah, clinging tighter, whined playfully, “That’s why you should let me sleep at your place! I’ll just crash at your house.”

Ji-eun’s normally stoic face softened slightly, revealing a hint of discomfort.

Her downward gaze, combined with her sharp features, was irresistibly captivating.

Ryuah stared at her for a moment, then shook her head with a smirk.

“I’m kidding! I already booked a place. But since I did, you have to come with me. Deal?”

Relieved, Ji-eun nodded, her expression easing. Ryuah simply grinned at her, giggling foolishly like a child.

<They cut it off here? Legendary.
If the stream was on, we might’ve gotten a face reveal from the queen herself. What a missed chance!>

Molru’sSimps: Do you think Molru acts without calculating? Everything she does is deliberate, trust me. Zero chance of a slip-up.

Ricardo: Nice username, lol.

Molru’sSimps: Your face, lol.

Anon: Idiots.

“Guys, I’m not sure who this ‘Molru’ streamer is, but isn’t this supposed to be the Dragon Road gallery? Let’s keep the topic relevant.”

Let’s work together to maintain a clean and focused community.

Anon: Yeah, no. Molru IS this gallery. Bow down to Queen Molru.

Anon: Why are you using polite speech here? It’s creepy AF.

Anon: Stream talk is over the top, but OP not knowing Molru is a dealbreaker.

<Why are people freaking out over nothing?>

Did Molru leave without posting an update?

Was she hanging out past 10 PM with male streamers?

Was she wearing a particularly flattering outfit?

Was there a hint of tipsiness in her voice?

Seriously, why is everyone losing their minds?

Anon: Breathe, bro!

Anon: This dude’s not a real simp. Real simps would spend this time replaying the stream to pinpoint her location, lol.

Anon: That’s not a simp; that’s a stalker.

“OP’s tone at the end really shows their sincerity; it’s kind of scary.”

“These lunatics are so loud when they probably didn’t even watch in the first place. I’ve been here since the beginning, even promoted the channel, donated, subscribed, and supported when it was small. I’m special. But these people are only here because they have nothing better to watch, and they’re polluting the chat.”

“Molru really works hard for her money…”

“Running a fanbase isn’t easy, you know, haha.”

<True fans post in the fan café. No one writes in this community.>

“All the chaos over Molru right now is just trolls stirring up trouble, lol.”

“But the café is so frustrating—everything has to be written formally.”

“What’s with your tone? Are you gay or something?”

“Just think of it as everyone wearing masks and playing along.”

“Honestly, the café isn’t much different from this place now, so what’s the point?”

“For real, why has everyone dropped the act there too, haha.”

A mere 20 minutes of Jackie’s outdoor stream caused an uproar across the community.

“Just woke up? How much did you drink?”

“I didn’t drink much. I just got home a little late last night.”

With only a vague memory of returning before dawn, I was greeted by an angry call from my younger sister upon waking.

The situation felt eerily familiar as if I’d been through it before.

Automatically, I answered her scolding like a voicemail machine.

“Don’t lie. You got drunk again, didn’t you? I asked you to call me when you got home.”

Was it that I was a bad liar, or was Jiyeon just that sharp?

Paying the price for dozing off in a drunken haze, I endured her lecture like a repentant criminal.

“I’m sorry for not calling. I was so tired when I got home that I passed out. But I really didn’t drink much, just a few glasses of wine.”

“That’s not the point! How could you go meet strangers so carelessly?”

“There were two other women there besides me. They were all teammates.”

“But what if only men had shown up?”

“Everyone confirmed they’d be coming beforehand. You’re worrying too much, Jiyeon.”

“What about streaming recklessly? What if your face gets revealed? Or someone tracks you down to where you were hanging out? What then?”

“Then I’ll just reveal my face for real. More viewers, nothing to lose—”

“Unnie!!”

“It’s a joke! Don’t get mad. I’m not planning to reveal my face. I’ve been careful enough with my streams to keep it hidden.”

I already feel like I have too many viewers. Why would I give them more reasons to focus on me?

Sometimes, I miss the days when the streams had fewer viewers—when it was just 800 people chatting and joking together.

800 people, even then, felt like an overwhelming number to me.

Lost in my trivial thoughts, I suddenly heard sniffles over the phone.

“You’re always like this, unnie. You never listen to me. I stayed up all night worrying… and now it’s just me… again.”

Oh, Jiyeon. If you start crying, what am I supposed to do?

They say knowing your enemy ensures victory, but in this case, I was the one at a disadvantage.

Jiyeon knew all my weaknesses, while I knew nothing about hers.

This imbalance always led to my defeat. Once again, I had to sacrifice my precious personal time.

Apparently, she’d been messaging me nonstop about going to Eunha’s shopping mall again.

“It’s practically winter now. You need new clothes, or you’ll catch a cold.”

“I’m fine, though—”

“Tsk.”

Unable to resist Jiyeon’s persistence, I ended up neglecting the rights of my overcrowded wardrobe.

Sorry, closet. Please hold out a little longer. Sorting you out feels like such a chore right now.

Why should I buy more winter clothes when I already have perfectly good ones?

I don’t go out often anyway, and the more clothes I have, the messier things get.

Jiyeon didn’t see it that way, though, no matter how much I tried to reason with her.

Where does she get the money for all this shopping, anyway?

It must come from our parents, whose wealth I’ve yet to fully comprehend.

“Promise me you’ll come shopping with me later, okay?”

And just like that, I made an indefinite promise with Jiyeon, picked up my phone, and lay back in bed.

Suffering from a light hangover in the late afternoon, I habitually checked the community.

Oh, right—I’d made a fan café. A space that Siyoung had set up for me, dedicated entirely to topics about me.

Excited, I logged into the exclusive space designed for me.

“What is this?”

I was greeted by a fiery mess—a burning hellscape.