Chapter 50
[Today's WayoMom]
(WayoMom playing Metcha Paint)
A whole different level from that colorblind guyㅋㅋㅋ
-Kyaaㅋㅋㅋ
-No, she's at a professional level;
-WayoMom's voice sounds so young?
ㄴHonestly, she could stream too
[Why is WayoMom so cultured??]
She's so refined, on a whole different level from the hostㅋㅋ
-For real
-How is this Wayo's mom?
-WayoMom was famous, though
ㄴ?? Where, exactly??
ㄴ This fucking newcomer doesn't know WayoMom?ㅋㅋ
ㄴ Another early Wayo fan?
ㄴ Your gatekeeping is fucking intenseㅋㅋ
[Wayo, but how do you know about art?]
I've never seen a VTuber explain paintings in an art museum while playing that game;
-Wayo's secretly cultured
-Wayo's an educated VTuber, at leastㅇㅇ
[Seeing how both Wayo and WayoMom are so cultured]
Wayo, this bastard, is definitely a trust-fund kidㅇㅇㅇ
-That's a given
-Can't you see his watch?
ㄴ Ahㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ Wayo's kitchen alone proves he's definitely a trust-fund kid
[WayoMom, why don't you have her on as a guest?]
She looked insanely popular on the earlier stream
-For real
-It'd be fun if she came on and told us stories about Wayo
ㄴ Judging by Wayo's reaction, she'd never do thatㅋㅋㅋ
[Wayo ordering his mom to leave]
(Wayo kicking his mom out)
Even in the middle of that, spicy as hellㅋㅋㅋ
-Now that's a filial daughterㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-The way she treats her little brother is something else tooㅋㅋ.
ㄴ For real, you'd think she was the breadwinnerㅋㅋ
[But what's with the day off tomorrow?]
If he really draws in the tournament viewers and his mom's attention, he'd blow up;
-Taking a day off even after all that is what makes Wayo Wayoㅇㅇ
ㄴ For real;;
ㄴ It's Wayoㅋㅋ
-He just likes being a small-time streamerㅇㅇ
[I've never seen a VTuber who looks less desperate than Wayo]
Even the most refined streamers hit the gas as soon as they see an opening,
but this guy throws away the oar in his handsㅋㅋ
-Capsizing the boat is Wayo's specialtyㅋㅋ
-He has another job
ㄴ What kind of job makes him so indifferent to streaming? He could make ten million won a month if he did well
ㄴ I guess they make even more
ㄴ Could they be a civil servant or something?
ㄴ The hours don't exactly fit thatㅋㅋ
[At this point, I'm really curious about his day job]
What does Wayo do that he doesn't care whether his stream takes off?
-They really mean they don't knowㅋㅋㅋ
-His start and end times are fucking random
-Someone compile all of Wayo's days offㅇㅇ
[Wayo, putting his day job aside]
Doesn't Wayo just have a boyfriend?
-Fucking master;
-Employee of the Yearㅋㅋ
**
“What are you doing, sis?”
“When did you get here?”
A-hyeon and Friends, A-hyeon's Social Club, Neighborhood Boss A-hyeon and Her Lackeys, and so on.
It's been ages since I attended the gathering that had gone by all sorts of names.
“I'm here because I'm taking a break these days.”
I've always grumbled inwardly that they were obnoxious, that they'd only grown more full of themselves, and so on.
But it was still nice to see them again after so long.
After all, weren't we connected for ten years since childhood?
“Oh, a break~”
“I saw you, sis!”
“Where?”
“Here….”
When one of the younger kids who knew me said they'd seen me, I wondered what they meant.
Then they showed me a video on their phone.
Me reacting at the live Rell tournament….
Click.
“Why'd you turn it off?”
“Now that I see it again, it's embarrassing.”
Ugh, knowing someone I know watched it makes this a little awkward.
“What's embarrassing about it?”
“Is this Rell? The one you said you play.”
“I didn't know you'd make it all the way to a tournament. Who did you go with?”
On top of that, these kids didn't even know about the Rell tournament.
There was no way they could understand the feeling.
“First, give me some space.”
Before that, I first had a word with the kids clinging to me.
There were plenty of seats, so why was everyone gathered around me?
“But….”
“You haven't come around lately, sis.”
“Why do you never check your messages?”
Chatter-chatter—
They each had something to say, and it was chaos.
For reference, we'd rented a studio for the occasion.
It's a place I use often because it's good for gathering with some privacy.
Taejin probably rented it, right?
He'd always been the one to foot the bill.
“Where's the benefactor?”
“Who paid… Oh, Taejin oppa? He hasn't arrived yet.”
“What a slacker.”
He'd told us all to come, and now he was late?
I glanced around and saw several empty seats.
“A few people haven't come.”
“Even so, attendance is pretty high today.”
“Really? Why?”
“Because you said you were coming.”
That was kind of touching.
It seemed the kids still remembered the days when I used to wipe their noses for them.
“But why haven't you been coming around lately, sis?”
“You're all grown up now. You should take care of yourselves.”
“...Aren't you only a year older than me, sis?”
“Tsk.”
What? Was a one-year age gap not an age gap now?
In the Land of Morning Calm, one year meant a hundred dan of difference in taekwondo.
"But you talk casually with all the other older girls and guys…."
“More importantly, where's the booze?”
"Huh?"
“Taejin must have left some here.”
Well, since I'd come to a gathering, I should drink, right?
Nod, nod.
Hear ye, the ladies are already here, so bring out the liquor.
*
People are creatures that split into two factions once even four gather.
Let alone a group of more than ten and nearly twenty people, it was impossible not to have factions.
The A-chin Society also had two major factions.
“This new release….”
“Do you know anyone who knows that designer?”
“Don't get me started on how obnoxious they are….”
The traditional model faction, who had continued their modeling careers since childhood and were still working as models, and
“You really shouldn't go on that producer's show.”
“If you're going to appear, go on that one….”
“I heard you got a regular spot this time?”
the broadcasting faction, who had gotten a taste of streaming and gone astray along the way.
These two groups sat a little apart from each other while exchanging relevant information.
As for me… I was neutral, so I kept my distance and watched.
I was part of the traditional model faction professionally, but I was the one who introduced the producer to those broadcasting kids and connected them.
It was hard to take either side.
Well, in a way, I might just have been an outcast who belonged to neither faction….
But so what?
Sip.
I leisurely enjoyed the gathering while drinking the wine that had been prepared in advance.
I'd also driven off the kids who'd been clinging to me earlier, so I was drinking alone.
I considered listening in for some industry gossip, but decided it wasn't worth the effort.
It had been so long since I'd had a break that I didn't want to hear about work.
Besides, wouldn't they tell me anything important separately?
Sharing information was naturally one of the A-chin Society's purposes.
They were all established celebrities now, so the information they brought back was surprisingly juicy.
“How long has it been?”
So, as I drank wine and watched the gathering,
Taejin, that guy who had arrived late, quietly sidled over.
He sat beside me, keeping his eyes forward.
It was because he was on the model side of the gathering….
…this creepy bastard.
“Dating within our group is forbidden.”
“But everyone dates behind the scenes and does whatever they want.”
“You're forbidden, you bastard.”
Do you want to watch this gathering fall apart?
For reference, only I knew about Taejin's niche sexual preferences.
“So, how does it feel to come back after so long?”
“Everyone's too busy acting smug. Look at us split into factions.”
Silence.
The gathering leader fell silent for a moment at my words.
What the hell?
“...What's wrong? I was joking.”
“No… you're scary, sis.”
As she said that, the girl who'd clung to me earlier glanced around cautiously.
Had everyone been listening to our conversation this whole time?
“When were we acting smug?”
I was briefly flustered that the kids had overheard our quiet conversation before
a girl from the broadcasting faction approached us.
“Oh, Cha Yujin.”
“I hear A-hyeon's famous these days.”
Cha Yujin.
In my eyes, she was the de facto leader of the broadcasting faction.
"You think I'm as famous as you?"
She was extremely famous to the general public. Famous enough that I thought all our viewers probably knew her too.
“Come on, A-hyeon's not on broadcasts.”
As Yujin said that, her gaze flicked past Taejin beside me.
Could she be….
Oh, please, don't let it be that.
“...I suppose I don't.”
“Why don't you? Everyone's been clamoring for you to introduce her.”
“I'm busy even without broadcasting.”
“Really…?”
Putting her fame aside,
I was already busy whenever I had work. If I started broadcasting on top of that, when would I ever have time for my personal stream?
I needed to enjoy my hobbies too.
“...More importantly, A-hyeon.”
At my answer, Yujin, who had been looking at me and occasionally sneaking glances at Taejin,
spoke to me with a slightly tense expression.
“When are you going to call me ‘sis’?”
“Huh?”
“I'm two years older than you.”
Oh, right.
There were a few people in the A-chin Society who were older than me, including Yujin.
But even so, weren't they all snot-nosed elementary school kids when we formed the group?
Naturally, as the older one in spirit, I'd spoken casually to them.
But now that they were adults, it seemed they wanted the proper title.
“You want me to call you ‘sis’?”
Well, in the Land of Morning Calm, did a two-year age gap mean a two-hundred-dan difference in taekwondo?
Of course I should call her sis.
However….
“Do I really have to?”
It was a little awkward to start doing that now.
I stared straight at Yujin.
Then….
“Ah, no….”
“Right?”
Yujin quietly looked away.
Right? It would be awkward to call her sis after all this time.
“Our Yujin wanted to hear me call her ‘sis’?”
Wasn't it friendlier to keep the atmosphere like we were the same age?
I stood up and draped an arm over her shoulder.
“D-don't.”
“The height doesn't line up.”
“....”
For reference,
Yujin was quite short for a model.
That was also why she'd gone into broadcasting.
She'd been the tallest among her peers as a child, but hadn't grown much during puberty.
Anyway.
“I said don't put your arm around me.”
“Come on, let's go have a drink together.”
Just as I was about to go have a drink with Yujin, who seemed bored,
Bang.
the studio door opened and a familiar face walked in.
“Look who decided to show up late.”
I hadn't seen that person in a long time either.
That person was one of those who had switched over to broadcasting along with Yujin and become corrupted.
“Oh, hey.”
“You think you can just show your face here?”
However, when the latecomer entered, several of the kids shot to their feet.
It was similar to when I'd arrived earlier, but the atmosphere was different.
It felt hostile rather than welcoming.
What happened to our gentle little lambs?
“What is it? What's going on?”
“Didn't you check the group chat?”
The group chat? What?
“They leaked it in an interview.”
They leaked something?
Even if we had wholesome fun, it wasn't as if there had never been incidents and accidents.
There were dating scandals, the occasional fistfight, and so on.
So I asked whether they'd mentioned one of those things, and
Yujin gently furrowed her brow as she answered.
“Our gathering.”
“Huh?”
“They let slip that we have a group that meets together.”
Whaaat—?
That idiot had leaked the existence of our gathering?
In an interview?
“...So what?”
…What's wrong with that?
At my genuinely puzzled expression, Yujin let out a hollow laugh.
“Are you serious?”
“Do you think we're the Freemasons?”
I was the one who became flustered instead.
The A-chin Society wasn't some dark secret organization, was it?
Even if people found out, they'd just think we were friends and say…
“But the name is the A-chin Society.”
“Uh…?”
"Everyone was asking what it meant."
A-chin Society.
A-hyeon's Social Club.
Thump.
I removed my arm from Yujin's shoulder and clutched my head.
“Juri….”
“What?”
“Twist that bastard's legs.”
There are things this bastard could've leaked and things he shouldn't have.
Start by twisting his legs.