My Favorite Has Started A Live Broadcast!

“Uh… um… hi… this is… not… nyueol… What’s ‘병실’ in English again?”

Struggling to say “This isn’t your hospital room” in broken English, Sooyoung tapped Minho, as if asking for help when the words escaped him.

“Wouldn’t just saying ‘room’ be enough?”

“Oh, you’re a genius. Ahem… this is not nyueol… room.”

Watching my friends act like idiots for the first time in a while, I couldn’t hold back my laughter.

“Pfft… puhuhup… heh… hehehe…”

My friends gave me strange looks as I burst into giggles, my white hair framing my red eyes that seemed ready to pull them in.

“…Did I say that right?”

“Uh… you weren’t wrong, but… hey… excuse me?”

“Hahaha…! Hahaha!!”

Their relentless attempts to communicate with me were so funny that I slapped my frail arm against the bed, laughing uncontrollably.

“Hehe… huh…”

As my laughter subsided, I wiped away the few tears that had escaped, only to see my friends still standing there with confused, startled expressions. It was fun, so I guess it was time to explain.

“Ahem… hello, it’s been a while.”

I waved at them lightly from where I sat on the bed, and they flinched, taking a step back.

“You’re speaking Korean…? Um… who are you? Why are you in our friend’s room…?”

“It’s me, Lee Su-yeon.”

How would I describe my friends’ expressions right now? Maybe it’s similar to the look on someone’s face when they’re bored, scrolling through NewTube, and suddenly get a notification that Geum Sahyang has released a new cover song—kind of like the ‘rotten’ look?

Hmm? Rotten? Ugh, my head…

“What are you talking about…?”

“It’s me, the Lee Su-yeon who went to middle and high school with you guys, that country bumpkin.”

“……….”

Seeing their still confused expressions, I explained what the doctor had told me.

“Wait… so the silver-haired, red-eyed beauty in front of us is the same Lee Su-yeon we’ve hung out with for more than five years?”

“Yes.”

“What the hell am I even hearing?”

“Exactly what you heard.”

“…When we first made a group chat back in middle school, what was the first thing we said?”

“Sex…”

“Seems legit.”

“…I’m feeling faint…”

“You guys didn’t come to visit me after I was hospitalized?”

“Well, we tried, but they said only family was allowed. Check the group chat.”

Just as Sooyoung said, there were hundreds of messages in the group chat with only the three of us—well, only two while I was unconscious.

Messages like “Are you alive?”, “Why did you collapse?”, and “Why aren’t they letting us visit?” flooded the chat.

“Well… that’s how it is now.”

The long, flowing silver hair was still annoying, and the red eyes and stiff shoulders I’d glimpse in the mirror still caught me off guard, but I was still me.

“…Are you okay…?”

“Probably? There are some perks, though. For one, I don’t have to go to the army anymore. Isn’t that enough? Anyway, how’s life treating you guys?”

“Uh… uh… I’m just going to university, doing my best.”

“I’m still unemployed. Had an interview recently, but damn, those pressure interviews are brutal…”

“Heh…”

I was grateful that, despite my changed appearance, my friends were still treating me somewhat like they used to. After catching up on what we’d missed in each other’s lives, we spent some time together before they had to leave, promising to treat me to drinks later.

A few days passed. My younger sister was on a break as of Monday, and she clung to me for two whole days. I’d wake up, still stunned by my reflection in the mirror with silver hair, watch replays of my favorite streamer, eat, exercise, and watch more streams until I fell asleep again.

“Yes… you’re all set to be discharged today… Here’s your new ID and the contact info for a psychiatrist.”

“….”

Looking at my newly issued ID, the realization that I could never go back to how things were hit me all over again.

“So… this is me now…”

I rummaged through the large bag my sister had brought and finally found my old wallet. I replaced my old ID with the new one.

“…I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”

“It’s okay… I’ll get ready and leave soon.”

The doctor bowed slightly before leaving.

“Here… unnie… or oppa…? Your clothes… and underwear.”

“Hm?”

The unexpected word from my sister caught me off guard. I looked at her with wide eyes as she pulled out plain white underwear from the large bag. Judging by her smirk, she was teasing me.

“…That’s a bit…”

“But you can’t go without, right? Unnie, you’re huge.”

“……….”

“Kidding. But seriously, wear these. I mean it this time.”

Grinning openly now, she tossed me a black sports bra and some comfy-looking undershorts.

“There’s a hoodie and pants here too, so get changed.”

With that, she left the room.

“Ugh…”

Taking off the thin hospital gown, I was met with a body that wasn’t mine. I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling as though I was committing a crime, and somehow managed to get dressed without touching anything unnecessary.

“Wow…”

“Took you almost thirty minutes…”

“…Don’t be so hard on me…”

“Are you ready to go now?”

“I have to… need to clean the house… pay rent… ugh, and I’ll have to find another part-time job…”

“…Have you thought about streaming?”

As I struggled to lift the surprisingly heavy bag, my sister brought up streaming again.

“Hmm… I’m not sure… I’m not exactly good at talking… I’ll think about it later.”

“…Okay, let’s go. Oh, and don’t worry, all the underwear is brand new.”

I heard the strange comment but chose to ignore it as I lugged the bag. Thankfully, I could manage it. Thank you, pink dumbbells!

“Why are people staring so much…?”

“Want my hat?”

As we walked home through the darkening streets, I began to notice the attention I was getting.

“No, it’s fine.”

Shoving the most likely culprit, my white hair, under my hoodie, I continued walking. The winter air was biting, a reminder of the season.

After walking for about thirty minutes, we reached the midpoint between our homes.

“I’m heading out. See you later.”

“Got it, unnie. If a creep shows up, just call the police.”

“…Sure… and don’t eat too much ramen. I’ll drop by the house this week.”

“Okay…”

I waved goodbye to my sister as she walked away, the cold air making my breath visible. I hurried the last fifteen minutes to my place, thankfully without any incidents.

“Woah…”

The moment I opened the door to my tiny apartment, I threw the bag to the floor and collapsed onto the bed.

It was well past 6 PM by the time I’d made it home. Exhausted, I pulled off my hoodie, sat down in the chair, and twisted my back, but there was no satisfying crack.

“Huh…”

Amused by the silence, I turned on my computer.

The old thing whirred loudly as it came to life.

Before long, the bright monitor light hit my eyes.

“Ugh…!”

I realized I hadn’t turned on the lights. Squinting, I shielded my eyes and hurriedly flicked the light switch.

Click—

Finally, the dim basement apartment was filled with light. I sat in the chair for a few seconds, covering my eyes, and then slowly lowered my hands.

For some reason, the mouse felt a bit larger in my hand as I logged into Twitch. I already had a notification from earlier when I was walking home with my sister.

‘Chocoa has started a live broadcast!’

I dismissed the alert and clicked on the stream of my one and only follow, grateful she was online.

“So, yeah, I’m guessing everyone’s graduated or finished school by now. With a month left before classes start again… ugh, I don’t want to go back.”

Chocoa was chatting casually with about 160 viewers, interacting with her chat across two monitors. If someone unfamiliar with streams watched, they’d probably think she was just talking to herself, but she was actually responding to her viewers with a carefully chosen mic.

My username popped up in the slow-moving chat.

Baraa-Hi Chocoa. It’s been a while.

An all-too-familiar username—mine, of course—appeared on screen. I’d been Chocoa’s first viewer and had been there ever since.

“Huh? Baraa? Wow, it’s been a while. What have you been up to for over a month?”

Wouldn’t you be curious too if someone who always showed up suddenly disappeared for over a month?

Baraa-I’ve just been lying in a hospital. Woke up and found everything had changed.

“Hospital… really? Are you okay now?”

Baraa-I’m doing better. Time to look for a job and start working again.

“…Don’t overdo it, okay? Your family must have been really worried again…”

Chocoa knew a bit about my situation. I’d shared things here and there while watching her streams, and she knew I was the eldest child, working in Seoul.

My return spurred the chat to scroll a bit faster.

-Baraa’s back… finally

returned…
-For real, since the face reveal stream, they’ve been gone. Turns out it was a hospital stay.

For a while, I just watched. Though she wore a mask, Chocoa’s sharp eyes and the brown hair cascading down her neck still stood out clearly.

I found myself staring at her for several minutes as she glanced at the webcam. It almost felt like our eyes met, and I instinctively flinched.

Still, I was watching a live broadcast from the comfort of my home for the first time in a while, so it was only right to at least say hi in the chat.

After catching up with her and updating her on what I’d been up to, she answered all my messages, and other viewers chimed in, recognizing me.

I spent the next few hours watching her stream.

I love watching streams. Though I only watch one person, just logging into NewTube would give me access to countless others. It’s not that I particularly admired streamers, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what my sister had said earlier.

It was nearing 11 PM, and Chocoa was getting ready to wrap up her stream.

“So… should we call it a night?”

A flood of disappointed messages poured in, mine included.

“I streamed longer today because an old viewer dropped by. But now, I’m going to log off.”

There was something I was curious about.

Baraa-Is streaming fun for you?

“Hm? Yeah… I enjoy it, which is why I keep doing it.”

Baraa-…Do you think people would watch someone like me if I started?

“…Well, I’m not sure, but isn’t it worth trying? Don’t overthink it. If you want to do it, just give it a shot. If you don’t like it, you can always stop… Alright, I’m really going now. Good night, everyone.”

With a wave, Chocoa’s stream cut to a black screen and soon ended.

I had to wake up early the next day. There was so much dust in the basement apartment to clean up, and the food waste in the fridge had long since rotted. My parents didn’t know where I lived, and my sister wasn’t one for house chores. I also needed to find a part-time job again… and maybe streaming…

There was too much to do tomorrow, so I lay on the bed with my hoodie still on and turned off the light.

But for some reason, my heart was racing, and it wasn’t until after 1 AM that I finally fell asleep.