Chapter 11
By the time I woke up, it was already afternoon, just past noon.
Lately, maybe because I’d suddenly been going out so much, my stamina seemed to have dropped considerably.
As an unemployed loser, my only redeeming quality had been my ridiculously good body clock.
"Mmm..."
Stretching, I glanced at my phone.
Then I noticed a KakaoTalk message from an unfamiliar name.
That name was.
Yoo Jieun
"Huh!?"
Startled, I hurriedly checked KakaoTalk.
8:34 AM [What are you doing?]
8:50 AM [Ihyeon?]
8:56 AM [No answer, huh.... ㅎ.ㅎ]
It had already been four hours.
And her tone sounded like she was prodding me for a reply.
She’d sent a smiling emoticon, but didn’t seem happy at all.
Am I screwed?
Had she already filed the complaint?
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
With trembling hands, I hurriedly tapped out a reply.
12:36 PM Ah, I was sleeping ㅠ
12:36 PM I’m sorry for the late reply ㅠㅠㅠㅠ I’m really sorry
12:36 PM Do you need anything?
12:38 PM [Yes]
12:38 PM What do you need?? I’ll really do anything
If there was a chance I could earn some points, I was all for it.
12:39 PM [I]
12:39 PM Yes!
12:40 PM [The reason we’re in touch]
12:40 PM [Is to make sure you’re not up to anything bad]
12:40 PM [Like probation]
12:41 PM Yes, yes!
12:41 PM [But I can’t know your every move, can I?]
12:42 PM Right...
12:42 PM [So]
12:42 PM [I’ll call every night]
12:43 PM What?
12:43 PM [I’ll call every night]
12:44 PM [And you’ll tell me about your day]
What was this?
Why go this far...?
I hesitated over whether to ask, but soon made up my mind and tapped out a message.
12:45 PM Um... Do we really need to go this far?
12:45 PM [ㅎㅎ?]
At that moment, a chilling sensation swept down my spine.
12:46 PM: Yes, understood. I’ll call you.
12:47 PM: [Okey ^.^]
12:48 PM [Oh, and I have one last request. Is that okay?]
12:49 PM Yes, of course!
12:49 PM [I]
12:49 PM Yes, yes, yes!
12:50 PM [Send me a selfie]
"Why...?"
What was this...?
Why did she want a selfie of me?
...No way.
To put me on blast?
To publicly shame me?
Was she trying to get revenge for my verbal abuse by posting my picture?
In an instant, I imagined a post on DC Inside taking shape.
Anonymous (117.118): Chyeo Juk Juk Chyeo <<<< Got her selfie
Views: 3,334 Upvotes: 323 Downvotes: 64
Do what you want with it lol
And then countless comments full of sexual harassment and mockery.
...
I started feeling wary of her.
Of course, she was probably just a normal person who didn’t know anything about DC Inside.
Besides, it was generally best not to send selfies to people.
So, hiding my wariness as best I could, I asked why she wanted it.
12:54 PM Of course, I can send you one
12:54 PM But could I ask why you need it? ㅎㅎ...
12:55 PM [If you send one, the chance I’ll file a complaint goes down]
...??
12:55 PM What?
12:55 PM [ㅎ.ㅎ]
12:55 PM You’re not going to use it for anything bad, right?
.
.
.
A few minutes passed before she replied.
12:58 PM [Yes, I promise]
12:58 PM Please wait just a little ㅎㅎ
Something about this felt off.
But she was a woman, so it should be fine.
Anyway, if there was a chance she’d be less likely to file the complaint, that was great news for me.
...
I’d also wanted to try taking a selfie.
Honestly, it felt like a waste not to take one with this face.
I had taken pictures of my body before, though.
This body was as pretty as its face.
The room was clean now, so I didn’t have to go searching for a place to take it.
When I switched to the front-facing camera, my face filled the screen.
I tilted my face and the camera side to side, up and down, checking how I looked.
Hmm.
Definitely.
Pretty.
I might not be the most reliable judge, but I was stunningly beautiful.
Pretty enough to give you an endorphin rush just by looking at me.
I had a different vibe from Yoo Jieun, and I was the complete opposite of Song Chaeyeon.
Song Chaeyeon was a healthy-looking beauty; I was the exact opposite.
My pale face, ash-gray hair that was a little less pale, tightly pressed lips, and faint dark circles all seemed to plead that I had a tragic past.
I tried smiling, grinning, stretching my cheeks, and playing around with my face, then came to my senses and got ready to take the picture.
As demurely as possible. No weird poses; just take it.
I didn’t want her to misunderstand me again.
But when I tried to take it normally, something felt missing.
Wouldn’t it look like I hadn’t put any effort in if I just took it like this?
I wasn’t wearing makeup, either.
Honestly, my natural face was pretty enough that it still looked good.
So I held the phone in my left hand and, feeling like something was still missing, made a V sign with my right hand.
Click—
Then I opened the gallery.
...
...
Hmm.
It came out exactly as I’d expected.
Which meant it came out pretty.
My expression was stiff, lips pursed because I was a little nervous, but the V sign beside me softened it.
Satisfied, I went back to KakaoTalk.
1:10 PM Me
1:10 PM I took one
1:11 PM Sent a photo.
1:13 PM [Hmm... Something about it... ㅎㅎ...]
1:13 PM Huh?
I started to feel a little anxious.
Her reaction was kind of ambiguous.
Had I just imagined that I was pretty?
I felt a little deflated.
1:13 PM [No, it’s nothing]
1:14 PM [Thanks for doing that]
1:14 PM Do you need anything else?
1:14 PM [No, get some rest~]
1:15 PM Yes
1:15 PM Thank you
1:16 PM Thank you
1:16 PM Have a good day
1:17 PM [Thanks @.@]
This emoticon was cute.
I chuckled and put my phone down.
...But am I really ugly?
I don’t think so.
I took a careful look at my selfie, but couldn’t tell, so I closed it and tossed my phone onto the mattress.
Come to think of it, how old was Yoo Jieun?
She seemed older than me.
Though there was no way I could ask.
Anyway, I’d finished talking with the person who held my life in her hands.
...Time to make money.
There was rent, a possible fine, and food costs, which had gone down in quantity but gotten much more expensive because I was eating better.
I still had a long way to go...
With a sigh, I turned on the computer.
I felt a little excited.
I wasn’t sure if it had been happening since last time or when it had started.
Whenever I turned on the stream, I started feeling a little thrilled.
...Not today, though.
* *
"Give me money."
---
?
??
?
Now she’s extorting us too... Amazing! A non-virgin beauty!
---
First, I banned that guy.
Starting today, I’d decided to use polite speech.
I didn’t know how long I’d keep it up, but maybe speaking politely would make people more likely to donate.
"Please give me money. Seriously. My life is ruined."
I said it in a voice tinged with a little irritation.
---
Legendary
Why’s she suddenly speaking politely?
Crazy bitch ㅋㅋ
Why’s your life ruined all of a sudden?
---
"Sigh..."
That question made me sigh.
...Should I just tell them the truth?
"...... I can’t tell you."
No, then my already rock-bottom image would hit the absolute bottom.
I knew all too well that there was always something lower than rock bottom.
---
Spaghetti123 donated 3,000 won.
Tell us the truth and I’ll give you 30,000 won
---
Whoa.
"Really? Thank you for the 3,000 won..."
I rolled my eyes for a moment, weighing it up.
The scales began to tip, little by little.
"You really, really have to give it to me."
---
Spaghetti123 donated 1,000 won.
Sure, or I can ban you
---
"Phew..."
Well, whatever. I wasn’t going to meet anyone in real life, and I wasn’t going to have a social life anyway.
No one I knew was watching, either.
I’d just tell the truth.
I took a deep breath.
"I got reported for sending obscene messages online."
At that moment, the chat exploded.
---
Whoa ㅋㅋ
For real?
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
No, are you serious?
ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Legendary, fuck ㅋㅋ The world’s first streamer hit with an obscene-messages complaint ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
No, it’s legendary that these idiots never even suspected it for a second ㅋㅋ
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
---
As soon as I said it, a huge trumpet blared and a pop-up appeared.
---
Spaghetti123 donated 30,000 won.
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Legendary ㅋㅋㅋ
---
"!!!"
It was an amount that made my eyes sparkle.
"Spaghetti123, thank you for the 30,000 won!"
I bowed again and again.
30,000 won!
Three hours’ wages!
I bowed repeatedly, truly delighted.
If I kept getting 30,000 won like this, how long would it take me to save enough?
I counted on my fingers as I worked it out.
So if I do this 1, 2, 3, ... about 15 or 16 times...
I can save around 500,000 won.
...The lowest fine I’d seen in any cases was 500,000 won.
The moment I saw that, my mood sank.
I leaned back and slumped into my chair.
"Sigh... My life is ruined, seriously. I don’t have any money..."
---
She really does have bipolar disorder
Now, now ㅋㅋ
---
[32340 donated 1,000 won.]
You have to do something cute if you want money
---
"Will you really give it to me if I do? Thank you for the 1,000 won."
I said, bowing my head.
But what counted as something cute?
Acting cute?
There was no way I could act cute, even if I died trying.
"What counts as something cute? Anything but acting cute."
---
Face reveal
Face
Show your face
---
"......"
Actually, I didn’t mind. It wasn’t like anything would be lost by showing my face.
But the most important thing was.
"How much?"
I had to put a price on everything I had.
I needed to make money.
---
?
??
Donation-grubbing beauty, damn
---
"How much will you give me if I turn on the camera?"
---
GigiGik donated 1,000 won.
Do you even have a webcam?
---
"Thank you for the 1,000 won. I have my phone. I can probably put it on screen below, right? I’ll get one later if I can."
---
[Spaghetti123 donated 10,000 won.]
[50,000 won if you turn on the camera]
----
R-really!? Thank you for the 10,000 won!
At that astronomical amount, my voice cracked.
One-tenth of the lowest fine...!
"W-wait a second."
I hurried off to get my phone, then came back.
Oh, and a mask and hoodie, too.
...Oh. And a bra.
I quickly searched Google for how to do it.
Basically, I connected the phone to the computer with a cable, then turned on the camera recognized by Studio.
...Is it working?
"Can you see me?"
On the slightly grainy screen, a girl wearing a black hoodie and black mask appeared.
---
Oh
Wow
Ooh
Yeah, we can see you
---
Feeling kind of good, I held up two V signs.
"Yay~"
---
ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Cute, lol
Cute ㅋㅋ
---
Those comments made me feel a little better, and I smiled.
"Hehe."
---
Spaghetti123 donated 50,000 won.
You did something cute, so I added 20,000
---
F-fifty thousand!
"Th-thank you!"
I thanked them again and again.
Was it okay to make this much money?
How much had I made already?
A handful of big spenders were showering me with money.
But then I saw a comment.
---
Even just the top half of her face, she’s fucking pretty
But this time she’s wearing a bra
Gasp
ㅋㅋㅋ Now, now ㅋㅋ
No, can you actually tell? How?
Now, now~
---
...My face started growing hotter and hotter.
If they’d noticed already, they must have been checking from the start.
......Thank goodness I remembered.
"...I’m kicking you out."
First, I put them in temporary timeout.
---
SugarSugar donated 5,000 won.
But seriously, with that mask, she looks like some menhera streaming from the Japanese underground
---
Gasp
Gasp
Isn’t that one getting banned?
Did he donate 5,000 won to avoid a ban? ㅋㅋ
---
Hmm...
Well, I suppose that’s fine.
It’s definitely not because of the money.
Probably.
"Menhera are cute, so I’ll let you off."
I said, smiling with my eyes and waving my V signs.
---
True
For real
Kind of cute...
Cute...
I guess I like menhera
---
For some reason, getting complimented made me feel proud.
Just then, another donation came in.
StealTheThief donated 1,000 won.
You look like you have a ton of tattoos
---
"...What?"
---
Gasp
But I kind of get what they mean... ㅋㅋ;
You look like you own a cat and have a cracked iPhone
You look like the type with an e-cig and tattoos stretching from your collarbone to your navel ㅋㅋ
You look like you like Monster
For real ㅋㅋ
Kind of sexy...
---
I put that last bastard in temporary timeout.
"What nonsense."
I said that for now.
...
How did they know?
They got everything right except the cat.
The old me had tattoos there.
I like Monster almost as much as coffee, and I used an e-cig and had a cracked iPhone.
......
Seriously, how did they know?
The other things were just preferences, so they were only surprising, but getting the tattoo right was a little—no, a lot—unnerving.
I tried to hide how flustered I was and said,
"W-what’s your basis for that? Saying I have tattoos..."
---
You just look like it
Wait, do you actually have tattoos?
Judging by that reaction, it hit a nerve, huh? ㅋㅋ
Hmm...
---
"No, I don’t. I don’t have any tattoos. I’m a blank canvas. Don’t make things up. I can’t even show you to prove it."
---
I was scared of what kind of fuss these unicorns would make if I didn’t deny it.
---
RailwayPath donated 1,000 won.
Then roll up your sleeve and show your wrist. I’ll believe you
---
A wrist isn’t lewd
You just want to see her snow-white wrist by making her roll up the hoodie, don’t you?
For real ㅋㅋ
---
"Sigh..."
How pathetic.
But if that was all...
I rolled up the right sleeve of my hoodie and showed them my wrist.
---
Ooh
Wow, her skin really is white
For real, you can probably see her veins
Now show us your left wrist, too
What’s the point of showing just one side?
For real ㅋㅋ
---
"...... I can’t show my left."
I couldn’t show the left side.
On the left...
---
You have a tattoo, so you’re a non-virgin, right?
I trusted you, I trusted you, I trusted you
Quit prying so much, you simps
You don’t realize you’re the biggest simp here
---
I decided to tell the truth.
But I’d beat around the bush a little.
"I don’t have tattoos, but there’s something else. It’s a mood-killer, so don’t worry about it."
---
Ah
No way, do you have that?
That’s actually more likely
You really are a menhera;
Aah...
Okay
---
I don’t like being pitied by strangers.
Even when it came from Song Chaeyeon, it ultimately made me feel dirty.
"...That’s enough chatting. I’m going to start the stream now."
* *
...This is nice.
My total earnings from streaming were around 100,000 won.
I felt proud.
Of course, I’d earned a lot this time because I’d taken camera-on missions, but I’d still be able to make a decent amount next time, too.
* *
After the stream ended, I answered a call from Yoo Jieun.
[Moon Ihyeon]
[Are you streaming?]
---
"???"
......
Is that old guy home right now?