I Like the Real Thing Too
The next afternoon.
[Aaaah— Why aren't you collabing with me this timeee~!!]
I was on my way to coordinate a collab schedule with another streamer, and Ruda was throwing a fit over the phone, whining about why it wasn't with her.
"Jeez... Ruda, I told you, if I collab with the same person too often, people might start talking—"
[Hido, do you hate me?]
"That's not it..."
[Is it because I handle you too roughly?]
"Haa..."
[That's because you—]
This was endless. 'If I'd known she'd be this clingy, I never would've given her my number...'
The on-stream chemistry was good, she wasn't prickly personality-wise, and she was considerate too, so I'd figured it'd be nice to stay in touch. But...
'Should I just block her?' No... "Haa..." Business. She's a business partner. 'Keeping the relationship going will definitely—'
[Huh? Huhh?! Was that a sigh just now!!]
"......"
I was seriously considering blocking her... "I'm at the meeting spot now, so let's hang up for now."
[Read the contract carefully! Don't get screwed over by some ridiculous—]
Click.
I hadn't realized she was such a chatterbox.
A little later.
"Ah, you're here?"
"Hehe... Sorry. I was a bit late, right?"
I arrived at the café where I'd agreed to meet the streamer for the collab.
"Hng~ Five minutes is fine."
"Ahaha..."
I'd been delayed because of the call with Ruda, so I'd worried my first impression might be bad, but luckily, she didn't seem to mind much.
She pulled out a chair for me like a gentleman. "Shall we sit first?"
"Yup."
Her streaming name was Yuna. She was a woman with short, silky gray hair that suited her perfectly.
But—
"My name is Seong Ji-woo. You're Hido, right?"
"...Seong... Ji-woo...?"
She was giving her real name in a meeting like this? Idols and actors always used stage names in business settings like this. Streamers weren't any different, so I was a little thrown off.
"Yeah. Just call me Ji-woo."
"...Ah."
Her faint smile and those unwavering purple eyes fixed on me told me everything. 'Something's up.'
Back when I was prepping for debut, I'd gone around schmoozing people to get a leg up, and I'd seen faces like hers—people who gave up their info first to build trust, only to ask for something huge later.
'I almost got eaten alive by some rich old cougar back then too.'
Come to think of it, the Agency CEO had practically encouraged compensated dating... 'No helping it now.' I didn't have the power. But later—much later, when I did—I'd make sure to give that manager who exposed me a piece of my mind, even if I let the CEO slide.
"No plans to take off the mask?"
"Huh?"
While I was lost in thought, Ji-woo tilted her head and asked.
"It looks like it'd be super attractive if you did..."
"Ah... There's a reason for this—"
"You kissed on Ruda's stream."
"That was..."
I hadn't had a choice... 'What's with that look in her eyes?'
The air around us suddenly felt like it had frozen solid. Her gaze, which had been steady before, was completely different now—chilling.
"I caught a glimpse back then, and your skin looked flawless, no scars... Unless—"
"......"
Dangerous. Her eyes narrowed like she'd guessed something. The chill softened a bit, but that piercing stare, like she could see right through me, filled me with unease.
I tried to cut her off, hoping she'd drop it—"That stuff, let's not—"
"Is your nose the complex?"
"...Yeah?"
Good, she'd missed the mark.
"Yeah... My nose is kinda... haha..."
"Can't be helped then."
After that, she dropped the mask topic, but her eyes stayed locked on me the whole time.
"Shall we talk business?"
"Y-Yeah."
She seemed kind, but her depth was unreadable. It wasn't burdensome exactly, but... 'It's embarrassing.'
Ruda was plenty pretty, but Ji-woo had a more mature allure... Having a woman like that smile softly and look only at me was pushing past burdensome into straight-up shy-making. No guy would hate a pretty girl smiling at him like that.
"You know my stream style, right, Hido?"
"Of course."
It'd only been a day, but I'd studied up plenty. Her channel was already huge, with tons of shorts on various sites and SNS.
Her concept was ugeol—fake couple streaming, where host and guest build tension, date, and show the process. Of course, on an underground platform like this, it wasn't just sweet moments; there were motel or hotel scenes, or even hot ones at her place—
'I must be perfect for it.'
For those steamy bits... Kissing. Foreplay. Sex. Stuff any couple goes through naturally, but putting it on cam changes everything.
"I've booked a lot of other guy guests... But honestly, they were meh."
I was sure from her regretful expression. This woman... 'She wants the real thing.'
Ugeol streams thrive on vicarious dopamine hits. As someone who'd dreamed of idol debut, I'd studied it quietly too, wanting to try it someday.
'Though that's flown out the window now.'
Anyway, people love the thrill of that proxy satisfaction. But—
Viewers aren't idiots. If you can't push past the concept's limits, they get bored fast. That's why idols do fanmeets and personal SNS lives—to show the real you beyond the screen, proving we care, giving fresh stimulation.
Ji-woo wanted to create that process.
'I kinda wanna dip into ugeol too, on this chance.'
Spicier than mainstream stuff, sure, but whatever. Spicy, sweet, salty... As long as it rakes in cash, fine by me.
"So—"
Smooth.
While I was mulling it over, Ji-woo shifted into a subtly seductive pose and laid her hand over mine.
"My last ugeol collab just wrapped, and viewers gave me your coords, so I knew."
"My... coords?"
"Yeah. From that video."
Her hand was warm and affectionate, but her eyes were pure predator spotting prey. My body stiffened.
But "This is the guy—"
Ji-woo kept talking undeterred, and her next words had me smiling too.
"If we team up... and show the 'real' thing... We can make a killing."
"Heh... The real... thing."
A killing. A massive one.
Even faked, her streams pulled huge numbers every time. Ruda had made bank this round, but Ji-woo cleared over half that casually per stream. The chemistry we'd make? The revenue would be unimaginable.
So—
"I like the real thing too."
I took her outstretched hand.
"Ahahaha, I knew you'd get it, Hido."
Ji-woo beamed, rummaged in her bag, and pulled out a sheet of paper.
Smooth.
"Contract."
"Right. Take your time reading."
"Hng..."
Obvious at a glance... But
"What's this clause?"
I remembered a minor issue from Ruda's collab and was reading closely when one line jumped out.
The guest must portray a realistic romantic relationship with the host. Collabs with other opposite-sex streamers are not permitted.
Personal contact outside streams is strictly prohibited.
It seemed obvious enough... But 'This is kinda...'
Strict, right? When I asked,
"Like I explained, it's to make it feel real. You're free to contact until the collab starts..."
Ji-woo's eyes deepened mysteriously.
"Just make sure there are no issues beforehand."
"Hmm..."
Needed some thought. Ruda was my only contact anyway, but better safe.
Purely for money, this offer wasn't bad.
'All revenue during filming split 50/50...'
No agency offers newbies terms like that. Great conditions overall. Just needed to settle on that clause.
"The terms you've shown are mostly great, but... Can I think it over and get back to you?"
Time to politely set a follow-up—
"Get back... to me?"
"...Yeah..."
There it was again. That chill from earlier... No. 'Something subtler...'
Anyway, unease.
But—
"Got it."
Like it never happened, the air normalized.
"Here's my number. Contact me when you've decided."
"Ah, sure."
"Waiting for good news."
"Yeah. Haha."
I'd probably lean toward doing it... But 'Something feels off.'
Guess I'd talk to Ruda first.
*
A little later. In the café, Ji-woo sat alone, silently staring at the entrance where Hido had left. Her expression vanished.
"Huheung..."
Smooth. A low moan slipped through her red lips as her hand rose to her chin.
"Get back... to me?"
Her eyes rolled up toward the ceiling light, as if recalling him scrutinizing the clause.
'Said he'd think it over...'
"Ruda...?"
No. No guy would like getting devoured like that...
"Then—"
Another woman?
"Who knows... Haa."
Smack.
Ji-woo muttered while blocking the light with her palm.
"I want him..."
Grip.
"But he slips away like this light."
Still... "If he won't stay—"
Smooth. Twist twist.
She twisted her wrist as if grasping the light tightly,
"I'll just yank him out. No choice."
Her eyes gazed into empty space with evident regret, but the corners of her mouth curved up ever so slightly.