Chapter 64: Why is this happening to me?

Rest is essential for busy modern people.

In a fast-paced society, if you don’t prove your abilities, you’re left behind.

Instead of resting, people carve out their limited personal time to focus on self-development or spending time with family.

They’ve forgotten what they even liked to do, collapsing into bed as soon as they get home from work.

The point is that having personal time is important.

Time that truly feels like rest to oneself.

“Hey, are you listening? You seem so out of it.”

“Yeah, I think the left one is better.”

“The left? Are you sure about that?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Doesn’t seem like you were paying attention…”

Ji-yeon pouted, gathering up the clothes she held in her left hand.

The yellow dress made her look like a cute little chick.

At her age, wearing something chick-like was practically a cheat code for adorableness.

In contrast, the outfit on the right… felt way too bold.

Not exactly fitting for a mere high schooler.

“All the kids dress like this nowadays, sis.”

“Still… it’s just… something about it doesn’t sit right.”

Of course, Ji-yeon’s looks were striking enough that she’d look good in anything.

They say a good face completes any outfit, and even with a revealing dress like that, her face still shone.

But conversely, doesn’t that mean it doesn’t matter what she wears?

Maybe I’m too old-fashioned, but why take the risk of showing so much skin?

“If you’re that against it, I won’t wear it, hehe.”

Spending time with family is also a form of rest, right?

I didn’t come out willingly, but I know myself—I’d stay holed up in my room forever if no one dragged me out.

Under the guise of spending time with my one and only sister, I declared a break from streaming.

Ji-yeon only appeared once during my early broadcasts, but viewer sentiment toward her skyrocketed, almost breaking the ceiling.

It feels like I’ve earned a legitimate excuse to take breaks.

I thought about using Ji-yeon more often as I picked up a magazine lying in front of me.

I took a sip of tea and opened the magazine.

A pretty woman struck a confident pose on one page.

Maybe it’s because the model is stunning, but the clothes seem decent, too—

“Ugh! Cough, cough!”

I forcibly swallowed the tea in my mouth.

That’s me?!

The woman in the magazine was me.

No wonder the clothes looked familiar; they were the ones I wore during a previous photoshoot.

Eun-ha suddenly plopped down in front of me.

“Looks great, doesn’t it?”

“You even made a magazine?”

“This isn’t for sale; it’s just a keepsake. I made it to commemorate the moment.”

Why would you commemorate something like that?

I couldn’t bring myself to voice such complaints to Eun-ha, who was smiling brightly while holding the magazine.

I’ve felt this before—she’s quite the mood-driven person.

Yet she never crosses the line; if I asked, she’d delete the magazine and any footage of me from the online store and YouTube.

“All the outfits Ji-eun wore sold out completely. The feedback’s been great, and the sales have been phenomenal.”

“Is that so?”

“I’ve been sending regular reports… Haven’t you read them?”

It turns out she had been sending me frequent texts about how much the products sold and what positive feedback the model had received.

The term “regular report” was fitting, given how consistent and enthusiastic she had been.

I… don’t remember any of it. I think I just marked them as read along with the daily flood of spam texts.

I marveled at how she kept sending those texts despite never getting a reply.

“I’ve been waiting for the day you’d return to the shop. You seemed so busy that I’ve been thinking I should do something to thank you.”

“Oh, no, really. That’s not necessary.”

After all, this started partly because of Ji-yeon’s urging and partly for my own benefit.

It was part of my effort to grow accustomed to what once felt awkward.

Plus, I was already paid for my modeling work, so I felt I’d been sufficiently compensated.

“I figured you’d say that, so I prepared everything in advance.”

“Excuse me?”

“We just got some new arrivals in. The moment I saw them, I immediately thought of you.”

Apparently, Eun-ha didn’t think the compensation was enough.

She compared it to how companies give bonuses when a certain level of performance is achieved.

As someone who’s experienced the corporate world, I couldn’t help but agree.

One by one, she pulled out shopping bags from somewhere, piling up clothes at a frightening speed.

I began to wonder, Can I even wear all of this?

“Ugh…”

Dragging my tired body, I headed home.

Just a little further. Really, just a bit more.

Eun-ha had insisted on walking me home, saying it was dangerous at night, but I firmly refused.

If anything, my underage sister was at greater risk.

My body felt heavy.

In my left arm were the clothes Eun-ha had given me; in my right, the side dishes Ji-yeon had brought.

Truthfully, I don’t go out often and tend to skip meals, so from a purely practical standpoint, neither was particularly useful.

But how could I refuse when both had gone out of their way, thinking of me?

Life isn’t something you can live cutting ties mechanically and coldly.

Especially not when the relationships have already deepened, like in this case.

Sigh…

The night air was both cool and crisp.

It was now cold enough that my breath formed visible puffs when I exhaled.

I looked up at the night sky.

The moon was beautiful.

I sat on a nearby bench, almost entranced, and took in the night scenery.

It was just another ordinary end to a day, yet I felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.

No, not an ordinary day after all. Strictly speaking, things had changed.

The old me, rotting away in my room, disconnected from anyone, had vanished.

I, who once felt an inexplicable emptiness every day, had started to step tentatively outside my cage.

Now, I was basking in the warmth of sunshine, receiving love that felt almost undeserved.

Is this what life is supposed to feel like?

If so, does that mean my previous life was fake?

In hindsight, it felt indistinguishable from a sham.

At the same time, I realized that this transformation wasn’t a curse—it was a blessing.

A new name, a new life.

It felt as though I’d discovered another side of myself, one I hadn’t known existed.

Was I always this bright of a person?

Even my words have become more plentiful.

Although I wouldn’t call myself talkative, I certainly speak more now than I used to.

Back then, I barely spoke ten words in a day.

How long had I been sitting there in a daze? It was getting cold.

Time to go inside.

If I stayed any longer, I’d freeze.

Just as I reached my front door and was about to step inside, I felt it.

“?”

A strange but familiar sense of discomfort crept over me.

My sharp senses pinpointed the source.

It felt like the heavy, sinister stares you might experience in a crowded place, only stickier and more unsettling.

It was as if someone… was watching me.

A chill ran down my spine as I quickly turned to look behind me.

All I could see was the dark, rustling foliage of the night.

I turned my head left and right, but nothing seemed out of place.

Maybe it was just my imagination.

Blaming it on exhaustion, I stepped inside the building, ignoring the faint rustling sound behind me.

“Is this how we should proceed?”

—”Yes, just read the file we sent you and follow the instructions. Everything is outlined in detail. Since it’s a live broadcast, we’ll be monitoring everything in real-time, so there’s no need to worry. Do you have any questions?”

“Hmm… Not at the moment, but I’ll contact you if I do.”

An advertisement deal had come my way.

It was a live commerce ad, akin to the home shopping programs of the past.

The difference was that it aired on internet broadcasts rather than on public TV.

A fusion of live streaming and e-commerce, it targeted consumers who were familiar with mobile shopping.

Looking at trends like this made me realize just how much the world had changed.

Well, if I could change, why wouldn’t the world?

It was a trendy format where products were sold live on air.

Usually, a host would lead the broadcast, but this time, I’d be the host.

In other words, I’d have to conduct the live broadcast solo and promote the product.

And what was the product, you ask?

“Cold noodles in the middle of winter… These people must be out of their minds.”

I picked up the bag of cold noodles that had been delivered in advance and chuckled.

Assigning me a food ad already seemed odd, but this company seemed to operate on a completely different wavelength.

Han-Areum F&B Inc.—a startup, perhaps?

I’m a streamer who doesn’t turn on my camera.

In other words, I can’t show myself eating live.

What’s the most important aspect of a food advertisement?

Sure, you can show pictures of the food, but there’s no denying the impact of watching someone enjoy it.

Yet this company entrusted me with a cold noodle ad, despite my lack of that crucial selling point. It was borderline insane.

But that insanity was precisely what drew me in.

Even though I’d ignored countless ad offers in the past, I accepted this one.

Why?

Because it seemed fun.

That was all. What other reason did I need?

An ad whose outcome I couldn’t even begin to predict.

With a pounding heart, I started the broadcast.

To be continued…