Year-End Party (4)
The banquet hall was alive with energy. Round tables lined up neatly in front of a massive stage, while the center overflowed with mouthwatering food arranged buffet-style. Soft purple lighting mixed with upbeat music created the exact club vibe I'd always imagined.
"Kyaaaaaaa!!! Tteongi unnie, you're so fucking cool!"
"W-wait, if you scream like that..."
"What was that?"
At Aram's shriek, everyone inside the banquet hall turned to stare at us.
"Isn't that Tteongi?"
"Oh, it really is."
"Whoa, whoa."
"Insanely pretty, holy shit."
In an instant, people swarmed over like a wave.
"Hello!"
"Tteongi unnie, nice to meet you~"
Strangely enough, among the crowd there were barely one or two guys. Almost everyone was a woman. They were all holding selfie sticks, and I even spotted a few female streamers I used to watch.
"H-hi, nice to meet you..."
"Tteongi, are you nervous?"
"Of course she's nervous~ This is her first year-end party, after all."
"A-ahaha..."
Weren't most streamers supposed to be introverts? Or maybe only the super sociable ones ended up sticking to me.
"Tteongi, you're even more beautiful in person than on stream."
"...Thank you."
"Where did you buy that dress? It's gorgeous."
"T-The Queen bought it for me..."
Your Majesty, please save me.
"Oh right! You mentioned you were living together, didn't you?"
"That's right. There was even an article about it. Did you see it?"
"T-There was an article?"
It wasn't from a major news outlet, just a small one that covered internet broadcasting and online incidents.
"Wow..."
"Oh my god."
"Everyone! Tteongi's dress is truly next level from the back!"
"A-Aram..."
Saying that means I basically have to show it now.
"Want to see?"
"Just a second..."
Think of this as an opportunity. I wore a bunny girl outfit before. This is nothing.
"Show us! Show us! Show us!"
I turned around, swept my hair forward, and showed off my back view.
"Kyaaaaaaa!!!"
"Whoa..."
"So fucking pretty."
Even though I said all that, I'm still insanely embarrassed...
My face burned bright red as I drank in all the stares around me.
"Well then, I'll just..."
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Might as well do the HeungHeung reaction too.
"We agreed not to do that in the banquet hall..."
"HeungHeung?"
One of the female streamers holding a selfie stick spoke up.
"It's her subscription reaction. It's super cute."
"Then we have to see it again."
"N-no..."
The eyes of countless people locked onto me. If I backed out now, it felt like I'd get permanently memorialized on the Green Wiki controversy page.
"Huu..."
When you think about it, it's just a reaction. What's there to be embarrassed about? During the gaming festival I literally screamed "Sex!" in front of way more people than this.
"HeungHeung~"
My face felt like it was on fire.
Fuck, even back then I screamed "sex" and felt like dying... I only remembered that after doing it.
The crowd either screamed loud enough to hurt my ears or burst into laughter at my reaction.
"Huu..."
"Can we get a photo please!"
"Me too~"
Famous female streamers whose names I'd recognize immediately came even closer.
"Then I'll take the photos for you."
Aram, who was standing beside me, offered.
"I thought you looked familiar. Aren't you Aram?"
"Yes, that's right~ Nice to see you again."
"You ended up going to Tteongi after all. I even offered you three times the pay..."
"Because I don't chase money. I chase art."
"Well, with Tteongi there's no helping it."
She scanned my body up and down as she spoke.
"Anyway, don't push yourself too hard, Aram. You're uploading two or three videos a day."
"Yeah, Aram. You can take it easy like me."
"I'll keep that in mind."
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"If you're jealous, come to the club. You know I've been working out lately, right?"
"Tteongi, everything you say is just so adorable."
"T-thank you..."
Before I knew it, the entire banquet hall had turned into my personal fan meeting. I took photos and shook hands with each person one by one with genuine care.
A few minutes later...
"Ha... The party's barely started and I'm already exhausted."
With the mindset of squeezing every last drop of value out of this, I piled food onto my plate.
"Tteongi, over here~"
"Yeah."
I sat down at the spot Aram had saved for me.
"You've worked hard."
"I feel like I just did a whole fan meeting..."
Right then, I felt a familiar gentle touch on my hair.
"Good work, Tteongi."
"Y-Your Majesty!"
Beside The Queen, Ga-eun unnie was holding a selfie stick and filming. For some reason I suddenly felt like acting cute, so while still seated I hugged the standing Queen.
"Eung-aeng eung-aeng~"
"There there."
"Whoa, it's the Short Hair Queen."
"Your Majesty!!"
Once again, dozens of people flocked around us.
"Your Majesty, you must be tired from coming all the way here."
"Not at all. By the way, that dress looks wonderful on you."
"Kyaa! Guys, Her Majesty complimented me!"
"Compliment me too!!"
The Queen suddenly stopped mid-conversation and turned her gaze toward me.
"Tteongi, is the food good?"
"It's delicious."
"Don't eat too much. We're going to an after-party once this is over."
"An after-party?"
"Yes. I'll treat you to some beef."
Beef? Then I'll just eat a little and hold out.
"I got way too much..."
"I'll eat it. You know I love watching you eat."
Ga-eun unnie said.
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If you don't want to die, stream the after-party too
"Ah... will people curse me if I end the stream?"
"Alright. I'll specially push myself today and stream the after-party too."
"Ah, I'm sorry. I interrupted you. Please continue your conversation comfortably."
"No, it's fine~ You two look like such close sisters. It's really nice to see."
"She's less like a little sister and more like the cat I own."
"Haha! Your Majesty, that joke is so funny."
The Queen and I took turns taking photos with each person and sending them on their way.
"Being so popular must be pretty tiring, huh?"
"Not really. Just having people like me gives me strength."
"When you say it like that, I sound like the bad guy."
"Tteongi, you look especially beautiful today."
The Queen sat in the seat next to me and gently touched my ear.
"The earrings suit you so well."
"Y-Your Majesty, you're beautiful too..."
My heart wouldn't calm down, so my voice trembled.
Meanwhile, Ga-eun unnie sat next to Aram and started eating.
"Whoa~ The food here is really good."
"Eat comfortably. I'll hold both selfie sticks for a bit."
"Thanks. Then I'll go get us some drinks."
From the left, Aram pointed both selfie sticks in my direction.
"Tteongi, as requested, I've brought you The Queen's stream!"
"Good job."
A little while later...
The club's music and lights turned off, and spotlights focused on the large stage.
"Yes! After serving as today's reporter, I'm now hosting the platform awards ceremony. Hello everyone!"
Finally, the long-awaited awards ceremony began. The crowd welcomed it with applause and cheers.
First came the Content Award, the Game Streamer Award, and many others.
"Congratulations."
"Wow, thank you so much!"
Everyone said I was going to win the Rookie Award. Maybe I should've prepared an acceptance speech? I stayed quiet because I didn't want to jinx it.
"Aram, when's the Rookie Award?"
"It's the very last one. Right after the Streamer of the Year Award."
"Really? The Streamer of the Year isn't the finale?"
"It's a way to highlight the rookies."
And finally, it was time for the Streamer of the Year Award.
"Yes, there were many strong candidates this year as well. First candidate..."
The host began introducing each nominee one by one.
"...And the final candidate is none other than the one who has won Streamer of the Year for four consecutive years — Danbal Queen!!!"
The cheers and applause were incomparably louder than for any other candidate. I'd expected it, but unfortunately I wasn't nominated.
To be honest, it's still a bit early for me. Let's aim for the Rookie Award.
Blinding lights shone on The Queen. She smiled silently and waved her hand.
"The winner of the Streamer of the Year Award at the platform year-end party is..."
The host deliberately dragged it out to build tension.
"..."
In the silence, only the sound of drums echoed.
"Streamer Danbal Queen! Congratulations!"
I immediately stood up, looked at The Queen, and clapped.
"Your Majesty, congratulations!!"
Winning Streamer of the Year five years in a row. She's truly unbelievable.
"Thank you, Tteongi."
Everyone who had been seated stood up and sent thunderous cheers and applause.
"Whoa~ Congrats."
"Congratulations, Danbal Queen!"
"Thank you everyone."
The lights began to focus on The Queen. She walked gracefully step by step and stepped onto the stage.
"Congratulations, Danbal Queen."
"Thank you."
The Queen received the gleaming golden trophy and stood in front of the microphone.
"This is my fifth Streamer of the Year Award, but I'm still just as happy as ever. As always, this might be the last time I receive it. There are so many people hot on my heels."
Our eyes met.
"And among them, there was one person who stood out remarkably this year."
"But I won't hand it over easily. The more they chase me, the further ahead I'll go. Once again, thank you sincerely for the Streamer of the Year Award."
As soon as The Queen's speech ended, another huge round of applause erupted.
A moment later, The Queen returned to the seat beside me.
"Whoa~ Is this real gold?"
"Yes, Tteongi. They said it's pure gold."
"Wow..."
"Alright! This is the final award. The Rookie Award, given to the hottest rookie streamer of the year. First, let's introduce the nominees."
Just like before, the host began introducing several candidates.
"...And the final nominee is the one called the monster rookie streamer — Tteongi!"
I stood up, flapped both hands excitedly, then sat back down.
"The winner of this year's Rookie Award is..."
Once again, only the sound of drums echoed.
Please. Please. Please.
"Streamer Tteongi! Congratulations!"
"Nice!!!"
The moment I heard it, I shot up from my seat and screamed.
"Waaaaah! Tteongi, congratulations!!"
"Thanks, Aram."
The Queen stroked my hair, and Ga-eun unnie patted my back.
"Congratulations, Tteongi."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"I knew you'd win it. Did you prepare a speech?"
"I didn't prepare anything, but I'll ad-lib something awesome."
Receiving applause, I walked up onto the stage and greeted the host.
"Congratulations, Tteongi. I knew you'd be the one to win it!"
"Thank you~"
I received the small silver trophy and stood in front of the microphone.
"Thank you everyone. But having the Rookie Award right after the Streamer of the Year Award makes me feel like an afterthought somehow."
Laughter rippled through the crowd. Good, my killer joke landed.
"Winning the Rookie Award actually made me even greedier. Watching Her Majesty receive her award, I couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like if I had won it too."
I gripped the Rookie Award even tighter.
"Let me say this here. Someday... No."
I didn't want to say something vague like "someday" anymore.
I looked at The Queen, who was sitting far away.
"Within next year, I will surpass you, Your Majesty."