Fan Meeting
Meanwhile, the streamer Haryeong — whose real name was, in fact, simply Haryeong — sat in a café, nervously chewing on her nails.
At the same time, she tugged her baseball cap even lower over her face so no one could see her. For some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling that people were staring.
Lately, Haryeong had barely gone outside at all.
Call it a depression of unknown origin. A hollow, powerless feeling that she didn't want to do anything had settled over her and refused to leave, so even on days she wasn't streaming she just sat alone in her dark room, scrolling through community boards.
The reason she'd dragged herself to a crowded café for the first time in ages was simple.
I never thought she'd suddenly ask to meet…
It was because of Kayak's messages. Ever since that baffling broadcast where Kayak had barged in out of nowhere, Kayak had been openly showing interest in her.
What do you do when you're not streaming? Isn't the weather nice today? Do you have a favorite food? And so on.
Conversations with no clear purpose whatsoever. It wasn't as if she'd never been approached like this before.
But those had almost always been men hitting on her because of her looks.
There was no reason for Kayak — a woman, just like her — to approach her for something like that.
Come to think of it, there were rumors she likes girls. Could it be…
Haryeong briefly entertained a third possibility, then shook her head. Setting gender aside entirely, that had to be baseless gossip.
Most of what people said about Kayak in Haryeong's own chat was worthless fabrication anyway. Their words weren't exactly reliable on any front.
So then why does she want to meet me…?
In the old days, she would have come up with her own reasons.
Maybe she wants to bond as fellow female streamers. Maybe she has some kind of collab proposal. Or — just maybe — she's a fan who actually enjoys my streams.
But Haryeong had been through too much. Her self-esteem had hit rock bottom and kept falling.
She'd heard it so many times that a hierarchy had lodged itself in her mind like common sense. The idea that Kayak — who was clearly a straight upgrade from Haryeong in every way — could be her fan simply didn't compute.
After being gaslit through chat by so many toxic viewers, entertaining a thought like that was nearly impossible.
Instead, she went one step further and started imagining the worst.
What if she tells me to quit streaming…? What if she gets mad and tells me to stop copying her…
Logically speaking, it was absurd.
Kayak, who'd been nothing but friendly this whole time, suddenly calling her out just to yell at her? Unless Kayak was a psychopath, that wasn't happening.
Which only went to show how badly Haryeong's mental state had deteriorated — that she could sit here trembling over scenarios that didn't even make sense.
And then it happened. The café door opened and someone walked in.
She's here!
Haryeong had deliberately chosen a seat with a clear view of the entrance. The moment she confirmed the newcomer's face, she snapped her head down.
It was Kayak. Kayak had actually come to meet her.
Even in person, her face was striking in a way that left no room for disappointment — the kind of looks that instantly pulled the attention of half the café.
For Haryeong, who'd endured endless comparisons to that face, it was also a face she could never forget.
The second she saw Kayak, Haryeong was hit with such a crushing sense of her own shabbiness that she couldn't lift her head. Even though they'd made plans, she couldn't bring herself to raise a hand and call her over.
And yet Kayak walked straight toward Haryeong's table as if she already knew exactly where she was sitting.
Then came the scrape of a chair being pulled out across from her.
Someone plopped down in the seat opposite.
She knew instinctively. The person sitting in front of her right now was Kayak.
Oh god, she's here. She's really, actually here. What do I do. What am I supposed to say—
Frozen stiff like a frog before a snake, her mind gone completely blank, Haryeong was still fumbling for words when—
"Ugh, I'm so sorry I'm late. I got a little turned around just up the street."
"I-It's fi—"
And then a pale white hand was extended across the table toward her.
"I'm a fan, Haryeong-nim."
"…What?"
And with that, words Haryeong had never in a million years expected to hear from Kayak came pouring out.
"Can I see your face? Please? I've been looking forward to this all day."
"Wait, hold on. What do you mean you're my fan…"
"I never made a big deal about it, but I've been watching you steadily! I even caught that forty-eight-hour no-sleep stream-athons you did in December, and the outdoor stream in Hongdae, and also…"
Unbelievable stories spilled from Kayak's mouth — every bit as outlandish as the things viewers said during streams.
But her voice sounded so genuinely excited, so sincere to Haryeong's ears, that before she knew it she had lifted her lowered head and was looking the person across from her straight in the eye.
"Ah—! Making eye contact out of nowhere like that! I wasn't ready yet! But it's okay — you're so pretty!"
"Pfft…"
Every negative thought she'd been carrying before meeting Kayak vanished on the spot. In their place settled nothing but warm, positive feelings.
Kayak was such a good person that Haryeong wondered how she'd ever been so afraid. Even now — here she was, looking exhausted by anyone's standards, and Kayak was still calling her pretty. Kayak, who had a face so perfect Haryeong couldn't even begin to compare.
For the self-proclaimed fan sitting across from her, Haryeong decided to dig up a little more courage.
"How long have you been a fan?"
Okay, so maybe I'd overdone it a little.
Yes, I'd planned to act like Haryeong's fan. And yes, after doing my homework, I'd officially become one as of yesterday. But I wasn't actually the squealing, over-the-top type.
My original plan had been to play the fan just enough, build up some goodwill, and then casually suggest a collab.
But the moment I actually saw her, that plan went out the window.
Even with the baseball cap pulled low, you could see the dark hollows under her eyes. Her nails were chewed raw. Her lips were cracked and dry. Anyone looking closely could tell this person was barely holding it together.
So I forced my energy way up and went full hardcore-fan mode.
Technically I was a fan, so it wasn't a hundred percent acting. More like… if my natural reaction would have been a chill "you're pretty" at a one, I cranked it up to a ten with "you're so pretty!"
I raised my voice, waved my arms around, made my reactions big. Honestly, my usual personality is nowhere near this warm and fuzzy, so it wasn't easy.
I kept going even when I wanted to sigh halfway through. How do extroverts maintain that kind of energy in a conversation, anyway?
"…And that's how I started my first stream. Back then I never imagined I'd end up doing this full-time…"
But my effort was paying off right in front of me. How could I possibly stop now?
Haryeong was noticeably brighter than before. Watching a beauty like her perk back up was genuinely nice. It felt rewarding, even for me.
I was sitting there feeling quietly pleased when Haryeong hesitantly asked,
"…I've been talking about myself this whole time, haven't I? I'm sorry…"
"No, not at all! I could listen to you all day. Hearing about you is healing for me."
Even after that, she kept glancing at me anxiously, clearly still on edge. Looks like Haryeong's condition really was as bad as I'd expected.
Her mental state seemed pretty thoroughly shredded. She was going to need ongoing care.
"But it must have been boring listening to all that…"
"Huh? Just looking at your face is entertainment enough."
I laid the flattery on thick on purpose. And it wasn't entirely a lie, either.
Haryeong's looks were, how do I put this — they lined up almost perfectly with the type I'd always gone for, back when I was still myself. Even her current slightly worn-down appearance had a certain charm if you took the time to really look.
Haryeong let out a tiny cough and turned her head away. Her ears had gone red — she was embarrassed. Maybe it was because her face was so pretty, but even that looked cute.
"…That's not fair. Saying stuff like that. You're prettier than me to begin with, Kayak-nim."
"I think Haryeong-nim is prettier, though?"
"Euhiiik…"
This time she face-planted onto the table and made a weird little noise. I had no idea what it meant, but it was probably a good sign?
I spent a little while gently petting her ego like that, and then—
"Um… was there a particular reason you wanted to meet today…?"
At last, time for the main event. This was basically the whole point. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say every bit of buildup had been leading to this exact moment.
I took Haryeong's hands in both of mine with complete sincerity and said,
"Please do a collab stream with me!"
Haryeong reacted a full beat late.
"A… a collab?"
She swallowed hard and echoed the word back at me.