Just an Eating Broadcast, That's All (1)

I should've gone with the medium spice level. If it had been medium, I probably would've enjoyed it. It was clearly labeled Shin Ramyun flavor… I figured I could handle that much, so I ordered it. But then my face started sweating, my body heated up… my tongue burned, and I couldn't finish it. I had to throw it away. It would've been fine if it was just the right amount of heat. "What a waste of money." I even considered forcing myself to eat it all, but the moment that spicy smell hit my nose, I couldn't bring myself to pick up the chopsticks again.

Surprisingly, a lot of people misunderstand me. Even my parents have one big misconception about me. They think I'm messy. They keep telling me to clean my room… but my room is already spotless. I hate dirt more than anything. Yet people assume I never clean. Whenever I mention that I clean every day, they act shocked. Especially when I say I make my bed in the morning—they're completely floored. I wonder why?

Anyway, I threw out the leftover mala soup mixed with everything else. "Hoo… cold. Cold. Cold." It's freezing. Still, cold is better than summer. Summer means… bugs!! Actual bugs!! I hate them so much. Bugs outside are fine. But bugs that get inside? Absolutely not. I can just avoid the ones outside, but the ones indoors… I have to kill them. And I hate that. It's the worst. The biggest ordeal for me.

Back when I was going to cram school. Money bugs? Those centipede-looking things… the bugs that eat cockroach larvae. People say they're helpful bugs and tell you not to kill them. One of those got into the cram school. Since nobody else seemed to care… I ran away from class. I couldn't say anything about it, and I hated seeing it crawl around. It was a three-hour class, but I only lasted one hour before heading home. That's how much I hated it.

"What should I do now…" The moment I got home, it was so warm. Cozy enough to make me sleepy. Warm enough that I could probably fall asleep the second I closed my eyes. "I can't sleep!!" I snapped my eyes open and shouted. If I slept, I might end up late again. I sat down in front of my computer right away. If I do something, anything… I won't feel sleepy. "First… hmm…" I should check Discord. If there's nothing going on, I'll look for a game.

A very businesslike message from my editor. There used to be more warmth in our exchanges, but lately it's all business. I should prepare properly as the boss—for the company and for Pyeongjipja. Be a good boss. Hehe. But not right now. She must be busy. She's probably editing like crazy… lots to do. I shouldn't bother her.

Next… oh! A message from Maem.

Hmm… scared? Really can't do it? Suddenly I remembered the day we played that horror game together. Maru… I thought she was just acting. Wow… her acting skills were insane. I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was genuinely impressed. But it wasn't acting. That realization had been a huge shock.

Like I was possessed, I called her without thinking. I couldn't help it… honestly, talking on the phone is easier than texting back and forth, right?

"Hello~"

Thankfully, Maem picked up. But now I had a problem!! I actually called, but what do I even say? "Uh… um… so, like." I should've thought before calling. I should've written everything down in my notes first. This is clearly my mistake. Ugh…

"Uh… you don't want to play the horror game?"

"Horror games… scare me. Hehehe."

"Phew!! Your voice is nice."

She only laughed once, but my tension melted away instantly.

"Hehe!! No, why would you say that."

"Maem. Maem."

"Yes?"

"Graaah. Do it. Graaah. Like this."

"…Huh?"

"Quick, go graaah. Do it."

Maem giggled and played along. "Graaah. Ehehe. Graaah."

"Come here!!"

"Ahahaha, oh, that emoji. The cute one."

It was a cute emoji. It suddenly came to mind, so I wanted to try it. As expected of a proper lady. I knew she'd play along. You shouldn't judge people by their voices, but she keeps making me do it anyway.

"That's right. As expected. A proper lady."

My brain keeps feeding itself that prejudice.

"A proper lady? What does that even mean!!"

"A proper lady. You, Maem."

"So what does that mean!!"

"A proper lady."

"Ehehe… seriously!"

A proper lady. The most proper lady I've ever met. I wonder what her face looks like. What kind of face does a proper lady have? Maru has a face full of feminine charm. And she really does in real life. Pyeongjipja has an incredibly pretty face. The prettiest I've ever seen (excluding celebrities). Completely different from the girl group types I saw in school. Moddeok was unexpected. Based on her voice alone, I thought she'd look carefree and tomboyish. I expected a super rough face? But she was just pretty in a cute way. Still, she had overwhelming pure feminine energy. And then… ah!! What does my friend Raming look like? Probably super pretty? What if she's 180cm like a volleyball player? What if she's literally a telephone pole? She gives off that strong image, but what if she's actually a 150cm tiny gremlin with hidden charm? Aaah!! I'm so curious. I have to meet her someday.

Normally, VTubers treat face reveals like a taboo. Even with colleagues, it's best not to ask. But I'm a fake VTuber. I don't even know what being a VTuber really means. I only started because I heard you could make easy money. I… I want to feel superior too!! I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠want to know the faces the viewers don't know. Back in school… I want to be like those delinquent girls who always had guys around them. I… I want that too. It was my lifelong wish!! And honestly, it's natural to be curious. It's fine to wonder what someone looks like. You guys do it too. If you search someone on Google, their face reveal pops up right away!! It's normal to be curious.

So my conclusion is… what I want to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠say is… "Maem, I'm curious!!" Maem is a total new face. I've never seen a proper lady's face before.

"W-what are you curious about?"

"Your face!! Your face!! Let's see it later. Together!!"

"Uh… okay?"

"Show me your face reveal! We're colleagues now! For reference, I'm super pretty."

I'm someone who thinks my own face is pretty. It's not confidence—it's self-esteem. I have to love myself. Even if someone says I'm ugly, to me, I'm the coolest and prettiest person. More than anyone. A shining star.

"Hehehehe. Ah~ Really?"

"Yes!"

"Then… later…?"

"Oh!!" Oh! I was genuinely surprised. She must be confident about her face reveal. That's why she said it, right? Honestly, I would've backed off if she refused. Some people don't want to show their faces. But since she accepted so easily, I'm even more curious now. A proper lady's face. I'm dying to see it…!!

"Right now!! Right now. Let's eat hamburgers. Together!"

Hamburgers… just saying the word makes me hungry. I threw away the mala soup, so… I'm starving. "We can think about that slowly. We also have to match our break schedules~ Hehehe."

"Ah… ah. Ah… right. You're right. Yep!"

After that, while thinking about what game to play, we decided on a four-player psychological game. Something like the Russian roulette game that's popular these days. We haven't set a date yet, and we still need to find two more people. I don't remember how we ended up deciding that. I don't know either. I just kept saying "yeah… yeah" and somehow it happened. Ah! One thing I do remember… Maem said it didn't look fun. That's how we got here.

Anyway, I started the stream right away. But there was a problem. I was… way too hungry… I had no energy. I held out for about thirty minutes… but I was so drained that I ordered a hamburger. My favorite bulgogi burger. "It's finally here. Whoa! Bulgogi burger. Whoa!" I did an excited reaction.

"What? Who said something weird?" There wasn't any weird chat at all. Just wholesome messages for once. "…I'm going to do a hamburger mukbang." There are strict rules for eating hamburgers on stream. First, demolish the fries. Eat them all… crispy fries are the most important. "Munch munch munch munch munch." ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠So good. Fresh and hot, so delicious. I devoured them. The cola too… I stabbed the straw in and just sucked it all down. Ah… this is what food is supposed to be. "Munch munch… munch munch… munch munch munch." Maybe because I was hungry? It tasted amazing. As expected, Buggy Friend's fries are the best. Nobel Prize worthy. Truly delicious. I was eating fries so fast I forgot I was even streaming.

"What's a young firm VTuber? Munch. What's that supposed to mean? Munch." New terms keep popping up and confusing me. What now. Another term I can't even begin to guess.

I'm already pretty young myself. Younger than me? "To be younger than me… 23? 22?… Don't tell me a high schooler? Munch." Wow, kids these days are really smart. Doing VTubing in high school? If I were them, I'd watch. A high school VTuber is limited edition—you can only watch for three years, maybe two, maybe just one. Of course you'd watch that.

"Hooh. Munch. Young firm VTuber… high schooler… munch." I want to see one too. I want to watch a high school VTuber. I'm curious… I wonder what MZ school culture is like these days. I'd ask so many questions… Is the chick dad coming? I'm really curious. "Let's watch together… munch… I'm curious too. Hehehehe. Ha. Delicious. Recommend some young firm VTubers for me too. Oh wow, this is really good. Munch… I really want to eat another one."

I was just eating my hamburger and cola while chatting, so why is the chat saying things like 'Hold it in, Jjangpoti-ham…', 'Starting the engine again?', 'Sexual harassment again '? I've got another weird nickname now. What did I even do… These people are truly world-class at this. Their propaganda game is unmatched. You can't win. I just breathed and somehow earned a strange new nickname. What the heck is Jjangpoti-ham supposed to mean…! I was completely dumbfounded.