The Small-Time Girl
"Hey, you really not coming?"
"Nope."
Blind dates? No thanks. My classmate, Kim Jinseong, had suddenly latched onto my arm, whining that they were short on people for the group date he'd gotten roped into.
"Come on~ The nursing majors specifically said to bring you!"
"Yeah, pass."
My response was always the same. Firm rejection. Maintaining necessary relationships is smart, but group dates struck me as way too inefficient. Those things just drained my energy, and I never lasted long. Then this guy would end up glaring at me like it was my fault. So for the sake of our friendship—and my own sanity—turning it down was the right call.
Maybe he'd finally realized I wasn't going, because he shook his head with a sigh.
"Figures... You don't even date, so where the hell do you wander off to after classes?"
"Got important stuff."
"What stuff?!"
I shrugged at Jinseong, who was grinding his teeth in frustration. Beat it.
"Ugh, you asshole... Fine, hit up the PC bang later. We planned a LeoRel showdown."
"That I'll do."
"...Heartless bastard."
I gave a wry smile as he clicked his tongue and turned away. Dating was a luxury I couldn't afford. Not with everything on my plate: keeping my grades up, maintaining key relationships, building financial stability. And my hobby. Too much to handle as it was. No matter how much he begged later, I wasn't stepping into that mess.
I called after his back, preemptively shooting down the next invite too. Time to head out. Meeting that energy vampire first thing in the morning had already soured my mood for school. Not that it mattered. Graduation waited for no one...
I slipped into the lecture hall and dropped my bag on my usual seat: third from the back on the right side.
Scraaaape!
A woman settled into the second seat over. Her bob cut, falling just to her shoulders, suited her perfectly. Han Seol. I'd gotten to know her a bit after sharing some gen-ed classes. She was... unique.
"...Sunbae, please don't lean over."
See? Unique. She scowled because my arm had drifted too close to her side. I flashed my best friendly smile and nodded.
"Sorry."
"..."
She dipped her head slightly at my apology, then turned to the blackboard. Rumor had it she had severe misogyny—no, misandry. That explained the attitude, more or less. Must've had some bad experiences. Not that she'd ever crack my social circle. Rude as hell, misandry or not.
Han Seol was famous for her looks, which drew jealousy from other girls. She always sat alone. I'd never seen her chatting or hanging out with anyone on campus. A friend of a friend said her blunt style had pissed off some seniors once. Probably the root of it. With that prickly demeanor, who would approach her?
Suited me just fine, though. That was why I picked this seat. Random chit-chat from nosy neighbors was a hassle I didn't need, and she guaranteed none of that. No ass-kissing required, no effort to fake a bond. If anything, it was comfortable.
So I propped my chin on my right hand, just like her, and stared blankly at the board. End soon, please. A deep sigh escaped me.
Classes finally wrapped. I grabbed my bag in a rush, a thrill surging through me at the thought of heading home. My lips curled up involuntarily, my whole body buzzing with anticipation. My steps toward home were as light as ever.
A few obstacles popped up—invites for lunch, karaoke—but I kept up the polite smile and powered through. Some juniors and classmates smacked their lips in disappointment at my refusals, but what could they do? I had sacred duties awaiting.
Home at last. I beelined for the coffee pot and brewed a cup. Gotta have rituals for new discoveries. Nibbling cookies dusted with sugar and sipping coffee, I fired up my laptop.
Click. The screen showed a character with silver hair in twin-tails.
Ah, that aroma. The coffee's scent always hit me like sweet perfume. Fresh, clumsy, but brimming with potential—like watching fruit ripen. Yeah, this was it. The perfect hakko.
Watching internet streams was my hobby. It started with LeoRel gaming broadcasts. Interacting with streamers without real-world prying eyes? Addictive. Bingeing them led me to "hakko"—streamers with zero buzz. Watching them was a thrill.
Pure curiosity at first. How do they broadcast with barely any viewers? Then I saw it: their genuine effort to entertain, even for a handful of fans. That's when I dove deep. Occasional donations, cautious feedback emails to help them out. Some even escaped hakko status—lucky few. Most vanished eventually.
I got good at spotting gems. "This one's gonna blow up!" My current watch, the VTuberRie, was one such raw talent. VTubers were new to me, but after stanning her, I memorized every Japanese one too.
Rie was a diamond in the rough. Still awkward, unknown to the world—but I believed she'd shine. Her hesitant speech matched her fidgety avatar perfectly.
I bit into a sweet cookie. The sugar rush lifted my mood instantly. Alright, time for the 10,000-won punch.
Her forced-but-charming reaction voice was gold. Her avatar shook its head side to side, twin-tails swinging to amp up the cuteness. It was working. Repetition polished even clumsy skills. That's why I kept donating: reward good reactions with more and spam "What now?" vibes; ignore the weak ones. Carrot and stick. Results? Thriving, as I saw.
Smug grin on my face, I donated again. She lit up with a joyful response.
Tch. Ruining the vibe just as her energy peaked. Rie glanced at chat and deflated to her usual mopey tone. Pretty flowers attract bugs—case in point. But what could I do? Not her manager. A random viewer going rogue would just screw her over. All I could do was pray she'd toughen up. Mental fortitude was key for better streams.
She played a few rounds of LeoRel and prepped to end.
Voice super down. Almost teary. Blame the toxic chat today. She was too fragile for outright hate yet. I felt her pain and typed sincerely.
Rie had a shy side, but her game commentary and content cracked me up sometimes. Add her charming voice and bubbly gestures—endless appeal. Give her confidence and know-how, and hakko escape was imminent. Worry was the trolls crushing her first. Her mentality already seemed shaky; mocking would break her.
Least I could do was boost her ego with praise. Sigh, nod. Then, a message from the streaming site.
Messages from fave streamers? Peak joy. But no—this was out of bounds. Fraternizing with fans was taboo. Swallowing tears, I deleted it.