The Real Sex Rally
Today was an important day.
My makeup is soaking in so damn well. So this is what they mean by throwing money at it.
Yoo-min had gone to an aesthetic clinic the day before. A place that handled beauty care from head to toe. Hundreds of thousands of won per session. Being near Gangnam Station, it honestly felt like a burden every time she went. But the payoff was undeniable. Her skin was silky smooth and glowing with a luster that looked beautiful even to her own eyes—comparable to the cam filter after every lighting trick and correction imaginable. It was something she always fretted over when meeting a whale.
Just in case.
It had happened once before. Something about looking different from the screen? As a newbie female streamer, Yoo-min had taken a massive hit. That whale never showed up again. It left her with a self-loathing conviction that she was nothing but cam bait—ugly in real life.
Other female streamers do at least that much, you know?
That whale was the weird one. Trash who clung to fantasies about women. Anyway, Yoo-min changed after that. She started pouring money into beauty, and for meals with whales she walked in with a clear hospitality mindset. Creating good memories.
He shot over three hundred thousand. This much is nothing.
It still felt burdensome every time. Burning hundreds of thousands on beauty treatments left her with the sensation of paying it back. But thirty million won. Even after star balloon fees, that was over twenty million—an enormous sum. She had checked the balance several times after the stream ended. Was this really her money?
Looking in the mirror, the corners of Yoo-min’s mouth curled into a private grin. Alone, there was no need to manage her expression. Still, she forced a smile. Today she had to make a good impression on the new chairman.
He shot that much on the first meeting. After the meal he’ll shoot more, right?
She had heard the rumors. A big shot who dropped hundreds of thousands in a single day. Honestly, she had snorted when she first heard it. People like that could exist. But most of the time the star balloons only came after something happened behind the scenes. Later, through the grapevine, you learned they were married. They shot a fortune because it was their own woman.
Gulp.
Maybe he had ulterior motives toward her. It could just be a prank by one of the other whales. In other words, a marriage angle might actually be in play. Yoo-min kept even the remote possibilities in mind.
I’ll know once I meet him.
No—her usual thinking. Marriage was both a tool for milking star balloons and the ultimate goal. Someday she wanted to live as a decent man’s wife. No money worries for life, living large. At least this one looked loaded. She had asked his age on KakaoTalk and, surprisingly, he was extremely young.
And I have one little request
I get really nervous about meal dates too T_T
If it’s okay, could you tell me your name and age at least??
Twenty-five. She knew Mansu was younger than that. One year younger than her own twenty-three, and he hadn’t even done military service.
I heard that guy made his money with coins or something.
Normally—no, every single time until now—they had been older than her. You needed to finish university before you could even start adult life, so it made sense. A twenty-five-year-old young and rich. Maybe he was the son of some loaded upper-class family. A chaebol second generation.
Okay, that might be stretching it.
All sorts of fantasies floated up. One thing was certain: an angle was starting to show. Some female streamers didn’t even try for marriage. They were content just milking star balloons. Then the whales eventually left, and finding new ones got harder.
I don’t want to age that ugly.
That was why female streamers had such short careers. They changed stage names and pulled every other trick. Yoo-min had no intention of going that route. The moment she met the right person, she planned to marry immediately.
“Driver, Gangnam Station Exit 2, please.”
“Miss, you dressed up real pretty. Going on a date?”
“Something… like that.”
What kind of person would BBgulMan turn out to be? Only after climbing into the taxi did the thought hit her. She had been blinded by star balloons. Come to think of it, even the nickname was anything but ordinary.
Is he seriously planning to do something to me?
The chairman—no, the former chairman—had gotten angry for a reason. He had judged the guy a bad person. The possibility wasn’t zero.
Gulp.
But they were meeting in a crowded place. If anything felt off, she would just scream.
The taxi arrived at the meeting spot. All her careful preparations from moments earlier suddenly felt ridiculous.
“Hello. You’re Yuming, right? As I mentioned in the chat, I’m Lee Chanuk.”
A man in an impeccably put-together outfit was already waiting. The second she saw him she found herself hoping it was this one.
Oh… does he run a business?
Yoo-min had met plenty of rich men. She knew how to size people up.
“Ah, yes. Hello.”
“Huh?”
“Yes…?”
“You look different from your stream image. Feeling pretty awkward?”
“Ah, well, a little…”
A suit. The fit sat perfectly on him, and his hairstyle was clean. You didn’t look that natural unless you wore clothes like this regularly. The shoes on his feet, the watch on his wrist—all luxury brands. Looking closer, there was almost nothing that wasn’t designer.
Face is decently handsome too. Height isn’t tall, but not short either.
Visuals passed with flying colors. First impression landed quite well. Personality didn’t seem bad at minimum.
“You seem the same way, Chanuk-ssi.”
“Me?”
“I remember you being pretty playful on stream.”
“Well, you know how it is with guys. When you like a girl you just want to tease her a little.”
No—he looked good. Yoo-min nodded along. Normally she would have been the one teasing first.
What do I do? This is dead center of the strike zone.
He was too gentlemanly. The moderate wit and playfulness were appealing too. If he had been completely serious it would have killed the mood. Fine as a whale, maybe, but as a man he would have been disqualified.
“Yuming-nim also…”
“Um, about that.”
“Yes?”
“Could you call me Yoo-min instead? Being called by my BJ name in real life feels a bit weird.”
“Is that your real name?”
“Yes.”
But what ultimately mattered was the content. She had no interest in a man who was only half-decent on the surface.
There are too many crazy bastards in the world.
Talking would tell her whether he was real or fake. And if he was real…
“Standing around talking is awkward, so shall we head out?”
“Yes, sure. But where to…?”
“I’ll drive you in my car.”
She followed his lead. He said he had parked in a nearby paid lot.
Oh~ an Audi!
Not an outrageously expensive car. Yoo-min had ridden in Lamborghinis and Ferraris before. But real rich people actually avoided those. Standing out never helped.
“Any idea what’s on the menu?”
“I’ll leave that as a little surprise for when we arrive.”
“Wow~ I’m looking forward to it.”
In more ways than one. Exactly what kind of place would he take her to?
The destination was somewhere she had never set foot in her life.
A sushi place… I think?
Of course she had been to plenty. Sushi was one of Yoo-min’s favorites. But the shop itself was small—almost too small.
“It’s a pretty cozy little place.”
“They can’t really take many customers.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. It’s a one-table restaurant. They only take reservations for one party at a time.”
“!!”
She wasn’t so dense that she missed the implications. Without knowing the details, she could already guess.
Ah, so that’s why there’s only one table.
The place wasn’t sparse by accident. It had been deliberately set up that way—so they could cherry-pick a tiny number of guests.
“You’re lucky, miss.”
“Pardon?”
“Our restaurant is normally extremely hard to book.”
“Oh, really?”
“It usually takes almost a year.”
Beyond anything she had imagined. Strict reservation system, only verified guests. It was enough to make her shrink a little. The staff kindly refilled her empty water glass.
“A friend I met through work. His father owns this place. He told me to come by if a cancellation ever opened up, so here we are.”
“Ah~ I see.”
“Don’t feel pressured. Just enjoy.”
Some of the tension eased. Yoo-min took a sip of water. Even so, the place still felt completely foreign.
What on earth do they serve that justifies only one table?
They had no choice but to take few customers, which meant the prices would be high. No need to ask. She was curious what food would come out, and she couldn’t even begin to imagine the taste.
Gulp.
But it would definitely be delicious. She swallowed without realizing it.
“Hungry?”
“Ah, a little…”
“Being a female streamer must be tough. Having to maintain your figure means you can’t even eat what you want.”
In truth it wasn’t hard at all. Eat less, but eat expensive and delicious things instead. Still, having her job acknowledged felt good. It would have been a lie to say she hadn’t worried about it.
No prejudice against female streamers either. He’s a good guy.
Her mood lifted. But she still had a job to do. Since the conversation had naturally turned to careers, she couldn’t let the chance slip.
“What do you do, Chanuk-ssi?”
“I’m still in school.”
“A student? Then how do you have that kind of money… Ah, sorry, that was rude.”
“No, it’s fine. I took a leave to try putting my major to use for a bit, and it went better than expected…”
At first she had been a little skeptical. Just a student?
If he’s a Hankuk University student, that tracks.
Prestigious university. Economics major, he said. He had dabbled in investing using what he learned.
“Your boyfriend is an incredibly impressive person.”
“Is he?”
“I actually got stuck holding some stocks myself.”
“Stop screwing around and just do your damn job properly!”
“Haha, my father chewed me out pretty hard.”
He had succeeded. Now that things were stable he was back at school.
He must be seriously capable. Completely the kind of life you only see on the news.
Meanwhile, herself. She had taken a break from university to stream. No plans to go back. Her only goal was to marry well and live comfortably for the rest of her life. She suddenly felt small.
“I’ve never been somewhere like this before, so don’t laugh if I mess up.”
“First time having omakase?”
“Not exactly that…”
He felt like someone living in a completely different world. If she became the partner of a man like this…
Would that make me a madam?
She would be happy inside and out. She had already half made up her mind.
“I’ve just never experienced anything this expensive.”
“It’s fine. You’re going to have all sorts of new experiences today.”
“Pardon?”
The man smiled playfully.