Chapter 18. The Whole World is RenaPpi Crazy
"Alright then, I just turned on the stream briefly for the Sena issue, so I'll be heading off now! See you at the next official stream! Bye~!"
I pulled off my headphones, tossed out the end-of-stream message, and left RenaPpi's room after she ended the broadcast. RenaPpi the streamer's famous staple, the [Free Honorific Praise] time! I recalled that moment when the viewer count had skyrocketed over 50,000.
But honestly, despite the provocative name, the content wasn't all that lewd. The important thing wasn't in the [lewdness], though. Even calling it [Honorific Praise Time] so grandly, the intensity was barely enough to qualify as dirty talk. As many people knew, yuksu who watched Prwichi TV streams were like Lu Bu with women when alone, but when the stage was set, most of them just stammered and froze. Plus, there was a significant portion of genuine fans— the sweet ones—who were truly devoted to their streamer.
So even with honorific praise, the peak was something like [put your eyes on my boobs]. The real content of this [Honorific Praise Time] was... RenaPpi's responses to those lame yuksu praises. She smiled brightly and replied sweetly to each and every one. Sometimes she'd throw in a cheeky pun herself, but she never crossed a certain line. From start to finish, she kept it at a level even casual viewers could enjoy. It was at such a low intensity that even female viewers might find it fun.
Making this kind of banter enjoyable without offending anyone was a tremendous talent. Of course, if she'd leaned too far one way, she wouldn't have achieved this level of success.
Man... now I get how she climbed to that position.
This wasn't the old RenaP who had asked me what kind of yuksu broth to brew. The woman before me now was a master of yuksu boiling! A pro who'd look like she'd been simmering broth in one spot for 30 years just from her technique! Grandmaster Yuksu-er! Watching her embrace even the viewers' cheeky comments with laughter made me truly feel how excellently she boiled her yuksu. RenaPpi mom would accept any whining I threw at her! And if anyone crossed the real line in chat, they got banned immediately. Right before it even started, a viewer who said [Your voice is sexy, can you do it again?] got the boot.
In truth, even during [Honorific Praise Time], the viewers—including the yuksu—weren't interested in anything that truly crossed the line. They just wanted to chat about topics friends might discuss with their [girl bestie] RenaPpi and bask in that vibe. The key here was that RenaPpi masterfully approached her [fans] with a natural girl-bestie feel throughout the entire stream—a incredibly difficult feat. Considering the core of this content was the back-and-forth with viewers, it was a pitch-perfect strategy.
Streamers who made far spicier sex drips their main hook were a dime a dozen across the sea in Japan. At this level, you could call the content title clickbait... but RenaPpi somehow satisfied the yuksu's needs with her skill. Clickbait or not, if the hooked ones didn't get mad, who could complain? In any case, the essence was her attitude and kindness toward fans! Even I—a vicious viewer notoriously strict and picky with female streamers—thought, [For a girl like this, I'd smash my own head in to become yuksu.]
At that moment, I stopped thinking of this world as some [isekai]. This was clearly the result of her tireless effort with no backing whatsoever, so brushing it off as just isekai reincarnation would be rude, wouldn't it?
With that in mind, now what? I'd promised a date, but how should I handle it? Maybe leave now and contact her later...?
Just as I started to stand—
[1:1 chat request has arrived.]
Ah...
That message popped up right in front of me, just as I was about to leave—like it was saying [don't run away] with perfect timing.
For such a successful woman to still remember me is surprising.
Of course, it was her first donation, and a hefty one at that, so it stuck out—but compared to the success she'd built since, my place in her life should be like dust.
Yeah. She's just the type who doesn't forget gratitude. There are people who stay humble even after massive success, right? She's probably one of them. Offering a date was just her way of expressing thanks.
I convinced myself of that as best I could. Of course, at this point, I had no clue just how heavy the weight of her feelings truly was.
*
Haa.
I'd given up job-hunting time and boarded the subway with great resolve. Heading to the station, I spotted huge posters of RenaPpi's face plastered everywhere. Ads for her solo concert. For virtual streamer ads to claim prime spots in Korea's bustling subway stations like that...
And now... I was heading to date that woman.
Isn't this total otaku simp delusion?
The difference? This wasn't a delusion. But even thinking that felt so otaku-delusional a chill ran down my spine. Still, this majestic reality lay before me. Anyway, on what would've normally been a weekend job hunt, I was luxuriously heading to a date spot with a woman.
On the subway after a long time, instead of checking my smartphone, I looked around. Ever since smartphones, subway scenery had unified into everyone staring at tiny black screens. I'm not bringing this up to gripe about kids glued to phones all day. Grip tok, they call it. That accessory for easy phone gripping. The problem was the design. The grip toks on the high school girls sitting in front of me... looked familiar. A cute SD girl with baby pink straight hair and sparkling deformed suns in her eyes.
That's RenaPpi.
Sensing it was [RenaPpi], I easily spotted more. This time, a keychain on a guy's bag listening to music with earphones right next to me. Three girlie keyrings... one definitely RenaPpi.
Wait, isn't that straight-up otaku merch?
People flaunt otaku goods like that? Sure, the world's changed, top-tier influencers do otaku challenges... but it was too radical for an old-timer like me. Still. Music show #1. 30 million views in 3 weeks. Korea everywhere advertising RenaPpi's solo concert—maybe it wasn't weird.
[Next stop, XX Station, XX Station.]
I got off at my destination, exited the station, and heard a familiar timbre from a street vendor.
This is...
That clear, beautiful voice. The chorus of Just Tell Me, Sir with 30 million views played.
Subway station posters: RenaPpi. High school girls' grip toks: RenaPpi. Hit song flowing down the street: RenaPpi.
The whole world is RenaPpi crazy...
Hard to believe, but she'd skyrocketed to massive success. How did it feel to become a megastar in just over 400 days? I had nothing much to say when we met, but maybe I'd ask lightly. That's when I arrived at the spot.
Let's see.
Glancing at my watch, I was 30 minutes early. Punctuality mattered to me, so my habit of arriving early hadn't changed even after a year in coma. I blankly scanned the surroundings.
"Haha, nice joke."
"Not a joke! For real."
Couples whispering sweet nothings dotted the area, looking blissful. Come to think of it, this spot was popular for date meets—the clock tower nearby made a great photo spot. A memory flashed of promising to come here with my ex.
Never happened, though.
Thinking back, I'd been the only excited one. ...Anyway, I texted her. Her actual phone number! She'd given it personally.
With 30 minutes to kill, as I pondered where—
My phone buzzed rapidly.
Huh?
Already here? I'd arrived 30 minutes early, and she was already waiting?
Flustered, I looked toward the clock tower. And spotted the only woman standing there.
I froze on the spot.
"...!"
Brown semi-long hair, one side asymmetric for a sleek, lovely vibe. Big eyes, dainty nose. Lips shimmering faint pink. Her features leaned cute over sexy, but you could tell just from her face she'd radiate different charms with a expression change.
Most shocking—paired with that super cute face, oppressively massive breasts. Her chest strained against the pure white knit like it might burst through. And a casual, cute brown trench coat perfectly matching the knit. Ideal outfit for this mild weather.
Objectively, I'd thought RenaPpi's avatar bust was huge. So I'd vaguely assumed she'd designed it bigger than her real one. But judging by this, she'd actually made the avatar smaller than reality. Smart for mass appeal, though guys like me who sell big tits... no. I swallowed the stray thought.
Taking it all in—she was breathtakingly beautiful, stupidly so. My heart, which hadn't found any woman beautiful except my ex, pounded fiercely for another for the first time.
Our eyes met. She stared at my face intently, glanced at her phone, then back—her already beautiful eyes sparkling brighter, like she'd found long-lost treasure. She beamed and ran over.
With that beautiful voice I'd heard moments ago, so thrilled, smiling wide.
"You're [Subway-Old-Man-Denture-Stealer], right?!"
Ah. Should've picked a more dignified nickname.