I'll Be Back After the Collab (2)
So why the hell did I answer the phone.
The chat window barely registered. My mind was elsewhere.
No. The worse it gets, the calmer I have to stay. Deep breaths. Think.
She said she'd be here soon, so at most I had about five minutes left. First things first—end the stream.
"Sorry everyone... something urgent came up, so I'm going to—"
The chat was getting flooded with "abyss" and "dildo" spam, but I didn't have time to care.
"I'll post a notice later, so for now I'm ending the—"
Beep beep beep beep.
The electronic lock at the front door. Someone was punching in the code.
Already?!
The situation had gone from bad to absolute worst-case scenario. Mom, Dad, and a random police officer had just burst into my place.
Are these people seriously convinced I'm a kidnapper?
"You bitch!" Mom screamed, charging straight at me.
The silver lining—if you could call it that—was that although I hadn't managed to end the stream, I'd at least muted the mic in time.
"M-Mom, please calm down..."
"Who the hell are you calling Mom?! Where is my son?!"
On stream, everyone was currently watching a mute feed of a police officer and my mother grabbing me by the collar. Perfect misunderstanding material.
I wanted to end the broadcast before the misunderstanding got any worse, but Mom's grip on my collar was iron. Has Mom always been this strong? Or did my body just get weaker? A woman's body really is frail...
I decided to calm Mom down first.
"P-please, just calm—"
"What?!"
"Honey, calm down for now."
Dad seemed to share the same thought.
"Calm down?! Do I look calm to you?!"
"Just listen to what she has to say first!"
"...Fine."
Thanks to Dad, I was finally released from the death grip.
Meanwhile the officer looked at my outfit and asked, "That police uniform... are you an officer?"
"Does it look like I am..."
I had no idea how to salvage this situation. Should I just give up and jump out the window?
Anonymous donated 1,000 won!
What the hell has this guy been doing all this time? lololol
I hadn't turned the speakers off, so the donation alert rang out loud and clear.
"What was that?"
"What is that sound?"
While everyone was distracted I slammed the power button on the PC, forcing a shutdown. That should have killed the stream.
"Where is my son?!"
Mom looked like she was about to burst into tears any second.
"Haa..."
There was no way they'd believe me if I said, I suddenly woke up as a girl. My parents weren't the type to read gender-bender stories; they probably didn't even know what "TS" meant.
Besides, who'd believe I got TS'd in the first place?!
Even if they did believe me, the aftermath would be a nightmare. They'd worry themselves sick and drag me to the hospital. I didn't want to complicate things.
I needed a more realistic answer that wouldn't make them panic.
"Actually, I..."
"What?!"
There was only one answer.
I whispered so only my parents could hear.
"I got gender reassignment surgery."
Both of them looked utterly shocked.
"What I'm about to say is a family matter, so Officer, if you could..."
I really wanted the police officer gone. This was already humiliating enough for one lifetime.
"Hmm..."
In an atmosphere thick with disbelief, Dad spoke calmly.
"We're sorry for calling you all the way out here. It seems there was some miscommunication within the family."
"Ah, no, it's fine. There's no weapon and I don't think a woman alone could overpower two people, so I'll take my leave. Contact us immediately if anything happens."
"Thank you."
The moment the officer left, the temperature in the room plummeted.
I wanted to do something—anything—to thaw the mood.
"Um... since you're already here, would you like some water?"
That only made the atmosphere worse.
"I'm sorry."
"Not knowing the situation... you really are like our son."
"Don't accept it for that reason!"
"Did you just raise your voice at me?!"
"I'm sorry... For now, both of you, please sit. It's awkward talking while standing..."
This was the important part. I had to lie convincingly so the world-building wouldn't collapse.
"First of all, this is my wallet. My ID is still the same."
I showed them my wallet and ID card.
"No bloodstains. Doesn't look like you stole it, honey."
Dad spoke as if he were interrogating a murder suspect.
"Then does that mean... you broke in while our son was out of the house?!"
"That's not it, Mom. I always take my phone with me wherever I go."
"That's right. Our son was always staring at weird stuff on his phone..."
"It's called internet broadcasting..."
"Yeah, our son used to say exactly that."
"I keep telling you I am your son."
Mom seemed to be slowly lowering her guard.
"Then if you can answer this question correctly, I'll acknowledge you as my son."
"Huh?"
"You're not the type to tell others about that incident. If you're really our son, explain it!"
"What incident..."
It couldn't be. No way.
"The time you went to the police station with me and begged for a settlement!"
Fuck, how am I supposed to say that out loud?!
"...I'm not your son."
"I knew it!!!"
"I'm kidding! I'll say it! I'll say it, okay?!"
I hung my head and spoke in a tiny ant-like voice.
"I got sued for leaving malicious comments..."
"Tell us what the comment said too!"
"I'd rather not."
"Honey, let's call the police again!"
"Haa... I wrote, 'That short-hair queen bitch has tiny tits but acts like she's so fucking sexy. Even if you offered it I wouldn't take a bite.'"
I felt completely stripped naked. Just kill me already.
"Looks like it's really you."
Anyway, thanks to that, my parents finally believed I was their son. Let's look on the bright side... fuck.
"Yes... it's really me."
"Why would you do something like that without even talking to us? And what is that obscene outfit?"
Dad's questions kept coming before I could even catch my breath.
"I'll answer one at a time. The reason I did it without telling you was..."
I scrambled for a plausible excuse.
"Because I thought you'd be against it..."
At that moment Mom started crying.
...
She must be so heartbroken. Did I take the whole gender change thing too lightly?
"Mom..."
"Actually... I knew. For a long time. That you wanted to become a girl..."
"What?"
Where the hell was this coming from?
"When I cleaned your room before, I found several pairs of stockings."
Those were for... jerking off with the texture. Shit... I'd rather get shot than go through this.
"You should have at least told us... Your mom and dad aren't the type to blindly oppose everything."
"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry..."
Apologizing like it was my fault when it wasn't made my chest feel incredibly complicated.
"Really... you have to admit he takes after his father, always acting first and thinking later."
"I think he takes after you, honey..."
"My throat hurts after crying out loud for the first time in a while. Can you get me some water?"
"Of course."
I finally got a moment to breathe.
The parents situation... I think I handled it well, right?
See? I told you it'd work out somehow.
Maybe my parents had deliberately pretended to believe this ridiculous excuse because they didn't want to dig any deeper. One day I'll tell them the truth.
But I feel like I'm forgetting something?
"So why are you wearing those clothes? And you bought a computer and a camera..."
Dad asked.
"....."
Looked like I was using up a lifetime's worth of lies today. What should I say this time?
"I'm actually working as a model. I wear the clothes, take videos or photos, and send them off. The pay is surprisingly decent."
I showed them my banking app balance.
"Whoa~ How is there so much?"
It was actually money I'd earned from streaming.
"It's not like I've been living like a complete freeloader."
I felt a little smug.
"Since you say you're a model, can we look in your closet?"
"Ah, wait a second!"
"We're both women, what's the big deal~"
Inside the closet were maid outfits, dress shirts, and the clothes I'd worn as a guy, all scattered around.
"Honey, let's step outside!"
"Suddenly?"
"Look at our child's closet! Other than the clothes she bought for 'modeling,' it's all sweatpants. We can't just let this go."
I did need to buy clothes eventually. But if I went with Mom, I'd definitely become the dress-up doll.
"It's fine~ I'll go shopping by myself later."
"What did you say?"
"I'll go by myself."
"What?"
"I'll go..."
Mom patted my head.
"Okay, okay. Mom will buy you something delicious. With Dad's money~"
"Wait in the car first. I need to change."
"Why~ It looks good on you."
"I can't go to the department store in a police uniform. Hurry up and go!"
After sending my parents to the car, I changed into the sweatpants from the closet.
"..."
Since I had a little time, I decided to check one of the concept posts. I was honestly curious what people were saying.
The title alone was ridiculous.
That's not what happened, you crazy bastards.
But the comments were already treating me like a criminal.
You people really throw around horrible things like it's nothing.
There were still some posts like "People still sucking up to Tteongi, upvote lololol" so maybe some still believed in me. Or they were just trolling.
I need to post an explanation notice soon...
Right then, a brilliant idea struck me.
Don't say anything, go shopping, then turn the stream back on! The viewer count will explode.
Yes! Perfect!
The classic "turn crisis into opportunity" strategy.
I smiled like a kid who just received a present, changed into the sweatpants, and headed outside.
Meanwhile, on the platform, clips of what happened to Tteongi today were spreading everywhere through video donations.
This broadcast belonged to the one called the "Platform's Number One"—The Queen.
Anonymous donated 5,000 won! I'll use it well.
The woman with bright brown short hair—Danbal Queen—spoke.
"Right. It's Tteongi..."
She watched the clip more carefully. The police officer and what looked like a couple appearing in front of the streamer she'd been keeping an eye on. Were they her parents? Or the victim's parents?
"That's enough. Stop. If you keep mentioning it I'll ban you."
DanbalQueenIsTheBestInTheWorld donated 100,000 won! I'll use it well.
Queen, what kind of lightning bolt is this in the middle of your content ㅠㅠ
"Thanks for the 100,000 won. Don't worry. These things happen when you broadcast."
DanbalQueenBestGirl donated 200,000 won! I'll use it well.
Queen ㅠㅠㅠ Please don't let it affect you
"Thanks for the 200,000 won. Then let's begin."
More than the large donations, the video donation from earlier kept bothering her. That familiar middle-aged woman—if she really was that streamer's mother...
Don't tell me that person called Tteongi...