22. What Came After

The next day.

"Today, I have something to do."

Should I call it homework?

Either way, there was something that needed doing.

"Since our original song is out now, I figured it's time to settle on a fandom name."

It really did need to happen soon.

I'd woken up to a text this morning pointing out that every other member had already picked theirs, and I was the only one left.

"I'm too lazy for anything clever, so how about I flip Roze around and call you Zero?"

"The meaning is... in a world built from 0s and 1s, you are the 0s, and I am the 1."

Well, I had just thought of it — but it seemed better than expected. The meaning even fit nicely.

"So, Zero it is?"

"Yes. Zeros, it's a pleasure to have you all going forward."

"Now, then...."

"There's nothing to do."

So what should I do?

Yesterday's song release had been such an overwhelming dopamine hit that absolutely nothing came to mind.

Ah! A song!

Thinking back to everything around yesterday's release had jogged my memory about something I still needed to do.

Why did it only occur to me now, of all times?

"Shall we go browse the fan cafe and watch some clips of the members crying?"

I entered the cafe and tapped into the trending posts, and crying clips of the members were absolutely everywhere.

"Wow, they really bawled their eyes out."

And each clip seemed to be about something different, too? Just how long had they been crying?

My own clips were sprinkled in there as well.

"Since we've all seen plenty of Wooju crying already and it's getting old, let's start with Teri."

"Anyone with eyes can see that you are."

"Sniff sniff! Watching the members cry like this makes me so terribly sad as well."

I strained my throat to squeeze out a properly choked-up sound.

"I did exactly what you asked, and you're still complaining? How sad."

They'd told me to do it, so I did it.

Why complain even after I'd obliged?

Fine, I had phoned it in pretty badly.

"Anyway, shall we move on to the next one?"

Next, I pulled up Yubin's video.

In the video, Yubin had apparently cried so hard that every syllable was slipping out of her mouth and her breathing was a wreck — she sounded like a small child talking through sobs.

Having assessed the state she was in, I stopped the playback right there.

"I can't understand a word of that. Skipping."

Fine then, I'll be the sacrifice. Hate me all you want!

The next clip, Sua's, turned out to be her brewing broth while crying.

Apparently, a normally sly, teasing type suddenly getting serious and setting a sentimental mood really is the perfect recipe for brewing broth.

Just look at the chat.

Everyone was being simmered down to stock.

"Me? Well, I'm always grateful to my Zeros too, of course."

I was grateful as well — I just didn't say it out loud.

"You should be grateful to the people giving you money — hating them isn't exactly an option, is it?"

Nobody goes around cursing out a boss who pays their salary, right?

At least, I never did.

"Yes, thank you for the thousand won, though that was profanity."

As for broth — the other members were already brewing plenty of it, so there was hardly any need for me to join in, was there?

Playing the court jester was more than enough for my role.

And finally, it was Yuna's turn.

Shirutteok?

"Your fandom name is Shirutteok?"

"I prefer injeolmi myself."

Shirutteok just wasn't to my taste. Injeolmi or baekseolgi tasted far better, if you asked me.

"The thing about sirutteok is, it's always got red bean on it, so every time I eat one, all I can think is that it's just the budget version of some other red bean dessert, you know?"

"That's why I'm not much of a fan."

Come to think of it, it had been a while since I'd eaten any kind of tteok rice cake....

Not that I particularly wanted to go buy some. I'd rather spend the money on bread, honestly.

The craving I was feeling right now would, the moment I took one bite of tteok, turn straight into regret — I should have bought bread with this money instead.

And so I whiled away the time watching more crying clips of the members, delivering commentary on each one as it went.

"Hmm... I'm genuinely out of things to do now."

The member-crying tour was over, and no interesting posts were coming up in the cafe either.

Should I just end the stream?

Right in the middle of that deliberation, a donation came through.

"A video letter?"

There was a thing like that?

It definitely wasn't in the trending posts earlier?

Guess the conditions just weren't met.

That aside — a video letter, huh....

It was bound to be cringe, wasn't it?

...Let's make absolutely sure there's no repeat of yesterday's atmosphere-freeze.

If I reacted the same way as yesterday, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I dreaded to think what my viewers would say.

"Could someone drop me the link?"

"What do you think you're doing, posting an actual link in the chat? Auto-posted links are banned on this stream."

I refreshed the page and clicked on a post that had just gone up in the cafe.

"Ah."

What met my eyes was a photo of a green-clad video game character.

...They baited me with this?

Without a word, I clicked on the poster's nickname and began the autopsy.

Hmm... they post quite a lot, don't they?

And weren't several of these posts about personal stuff — school, that sort of thing?

As I read through them, the poster's age range slowly began to reveal itself.

"Judging by your posting history, you're a high schooler, aren't you?"

So I did have schoolkids on my stream?

And here I'd assumed everyone was in their twenties.

"Oh my, a thousand won — that's enough for one chocolate milk at the school store. That's a lot for a high schooler to spare."

If it had been me, I'd have kept my head down, then smuggled a bag of sour-strawberry candies into school and shared them out. The fact that this kid at least owned up through a donation meant there was still hope for rehabilitation.

"It's fine. In the end, the autopsy was entertaining, so technically you did write a post that served its intended purpose."

Wasn't that an honorable death, then?

I'd end things at this level.

"Well, with precedent now set, nobody else will try anything, right?"

Then I clicked on the next post, and it turned out to be a perfectly normal one.

First, I scrolled through with my mouse wheel to check whose videos it contained — Yuna, Yubin, and Yerin. Three of them.

Hm? Two of those I understood, but Yerin was a surprise.

"This time I'll go in reverse order."

I started with Yuna's video.

Ah, watching this reminded me of the recording I'd made of Yuna while she was drunk.

When should I release that one?

Given my track record, playing it on my own authority felt morally dubious, so I'd get the manager's permission first and air it another time.

"Thank you."

What can I do if there's genuinely nothing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to say?

Next, I played Yubin's video.

She'd calmed down compared to earlier, so this time I could actually make out the words.

Hold on a second.

Flustered by this completely unexpected revelation, I stopped the video.

Why on earth is she telling this story on stream?

...Play it again.

I clicked the mouse and restarted the video.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Yes, it is true, but... um...."

...It's all completely true, so what am I even supposed to say?

Oh, come on.

My chat had descended into a state that hurt to look at with open eyes.

There had to be a way to break out of this situation...!

Ah. As a matter of fact, there is.

Hmm... I should apologize to Yuna in advance.

"Shiru, I am so sorry."

"Hanbyeol, my apologies to you as well."

I was sorry, but I could not survive this atmosphere a second longer.

"You see, I happen to have a recording of drunk Shiru from that night we all went drinking?"

"I'm about to shatter some illusions."

And with that, I played the recording.