Cosplay Event (5): "Pink Tteongi Beam!!"

As I shouted the special move line, pink fireworks exploded across the stage with a loud ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠boom!

The audience reaction was incredibly heated. Normally this might have killed the mood instantly, but this was a cosplay event—a gathering of true believers.

"Kyaa~ Magical Tteongi-nim, you're so cool!"

"Thanks to you, I defeated the villain. Thank you!"

Our team was the last to perform. Once every act finished, it was finally time for the long-awaited award ceremony. All five teams gathered on stage.

Please let us win! I even used my ultimate move!

"The winner of the stage performance at the 52nd Seoul Cosplay Event is..."

Fireworks burst across the stage with a dramatic flourish.

"Congratulations! It's the Tteongi Team!"

"Tteongi! Tteongi! Tteongi! Tteongi!"

Amid the roaring cheers of the crowd, I stepped forward as the representative to accept the mic and give our thanks.

"Thank you everyone~"

"As the winning prize, you'll receive free admission tickets for the next event, manga supplies, and the honor of being featured in the main cosplay event album."

"...Wait, the main album?"

"Yes."

"So the Pink Tteongi Beam is getting preserved forever?"

"Yes, it was captured very beautifully."

"..."

Fuck.

"Then let's take another look at the winning team's performance. Everyone, please cheer loudly!"

"Waaaaaaaah! Encore! Encore!"

In the end I had to shout "Pink Tteongi Beam" one more time before finally leaving the stage.

Back at our team's quiet little booth. While the other cosplay members went off to browse the other stalls, I scrolled through the online communities on my phone.

All sorts of communities were flooded with posts about the streamer with the womb tattoo, the Pink Tteongi Beam, and so on. My broadcast was everywhere.

Then I spotted a particularly popular post.

A leak? I clicked the title in a panic.

Oh for fuck's sake...

"Guys, we're screwed. It's spread to the point where it's basically at dildo level."

"I'm banning whoever completes it."

"Huu... Did they already clip it?"

The Queen smiled contentedly as she watched the flood of video donations.

"The community's gone completely wild."

"Queen, maybe doing the womb tattoo and Tteongi Beam was a mistake..."

"For someone who supposedly regrets it, you looked like you were enjoying yourself quite a bit."

I couldn't refute that.

Meanwhile Aram was filming me and spoke up.

"We're here with the leader of the 52nd Cosplay Event winning team, Tteongi-nim, for an interview. Hello~"

"Aram...?"

"NewTube, NewTube."

"Ah, right."

I switched to a higher-pitched voice.

"Hello everyone, H-cup Tteongi here~"

"How does it feel to have won?"

"It feels good to win, but there's this weird aftertaste. Like I only won because I kicked the other guy in the balls?"

"Aha~ So that's what using forbidden magic feels like."

"Pretty much."

"Alright. This should be fun if we cut it short and use it as a cookie video."

"Thanks for your hard work, Aram."

"Oh... new viewers. Aram, how many people are watching right now?"

"We've surpassed six thousand viewers."

It must be thanks to the viral spread across the communities. At this rate I might hit an average of five thousand concurrent viewers soon.

"Ah, no. I really want to stop now..."

"No, since we have new viewers I should show a better image..."

"You said it was your first time here! How are you adapting so fast, you bastard?"

"Ha... Fine. Fine."

I lifted the hem of my sleeveless top to show the womb tattoo.

Shouldn't this lipstick have faded by now?!

The tattoo lipstick was still shining as vividly as the real thing.

"Fuck..."

"...Heuuung."

"At this rate I might have to give up being a partner streamer..."

"Never doing it in my life."

"Twenty-three dollars is too little. Let's make it forty."

That way they probably wouldn't actually pay, right? Who would drop forty dollars just to see it once?

"What if they actually pay?!"

"Tteongi-nim, please do it even cuter than before."

"Why?"

"I'm making a NewTube intro."

"Fine."

Aram said the camera would shake too much if she held it herself, so she handed the selfie stick to the Queen.

"S-should I do it, Queen?"

"I ended up getting to see it in person after all."

I formed a trembling heart with my fingers and spoke in the tiniest voice possible.

"P-Pink Tteongi Beam....."

"Well done."

The Queen gently stroked my chin.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaah! Tteongi-nim I'm dying..."

"A-Aram, are you okay?"

"Ugh... my mind's gone..."

"Let's get up quickly so we can go check out the other booths too."

It was a little late, but we finally started browsing the booths. Even though the performances were over, the venue was still packed.

"Queen, do you read a lot of manga?"

"Of course. I've been watching magical girl anime since I was little."

"Really? That explains it..."

"There's one ultimate move that stuck with me."

"Oh? Which one?"

"Pink Tteongi Beam~"

"Huu... You're so mean."

"There are too many people around, I'm not doing it!"

A little while later, after browsing several booths and looking at merchandise, the Queen's upcoming birthday present naturally came to mind.

"What kind of presents do you like, Queen?"

I figured I should ask in advance instead of giving a surprise present that might not be to her taste.

"Let's see. I like any present that has sincerity behind it."

"Then how about a thousand paper cranes?"

"That's a bit too old-fashioned~"

"Huu... A sincere present. Any hints?"

"I'd love to try some of the food you make, Tteongi-nim..."

"Cooking?"

Aram, who was standing nearby, started jumping up and down excitedly.

"Perfect! Tteongi-nim can make a cake. NewTube content secured!"

"Hey, that's not bad. Let's do a cake cooking broadcast later."

"Then Tteongi-nim..."

"Yes?"

The Queen whispered something so quietly that only I could hear it. The moment I heard it, my brain completely short-circuited.

"...You know what I mean, right?"

"Did you not hear? I said please make a strawberry whipped cream cake. Right, Tteongi-nim?"

"...Yes."

I played along with the Queen's lie as my face turned as red as a strawberry.

It was around four in the afternoon when the cosplay event finally ended. I changed back into my regular clothes and climbed into the car.

"This is what clothes should feel like. Guys, let's just wear tracksuits and jerseys for the rest of our lives on stream!"

"And I'm thinking of ending the stream soon. Anyone got a problem with that?"

"Nope, no one. See you all next time~ Tteongi Boja."

"Aram, cut it quick."

Aram ended the broadcast, collapsed the selfie stick, and put it in her bag.

"Every single moment from turning the stream on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to turning it off is a crisis."

"Tteongi-nim! You worked hard on today's broadcast too. You turned the world upside down once again!"

"Ahaha~ So this is what being a top-tier streamer feels like?"

"Pfft."

The Queen let out a small laugh while looking at me as if I were adorable.

"D-don't laugh... I'll surpass you soon, Queen..."

"I know. I'll be looking forward to it."

Ga-eun unnie, who had gone to the bathroom, and the rest of the cosplay team climbed into the car as well.

"Stream's off?"

"Yes, it's about time we head home and rest~"

Ga-eun unnie looked at each of us in turn.

"Everyone worked really hard today."

"Thank you for your hard work~"

"Especially Tteongi. You must have felt an enormous amount of pressure, but you did amazingly."

"Honestly I couldn't have done this without all of you. Thank you so much..."

For some reason my chest felt full.

"I'll buy dinner tonight!!"

"Waaaaah! Tteongi! Tteongi!"

"That's nice and all, but Tteongi, you need to start coming to the gym with me starting tomorrow, okay?"

"..."

The fullness in my chest instantly deflated.

"Can't we start working out next week..."

"No."

The next morning. The happiness from the dinner party was short-lived. As payback, I arrived at the hellish gym.

It's a lie it's a lie it's a lie.