Chapter 98
Chapter 98
‘The stream has definitely started.’
I double-checked the screen to make sure the picture was clear and took my seat.
Soon, people began to flood in.
Since there’s a slight delay, I waited a moment on purpose. Once the comments started rolling in, I gave my greeting.
“Hello. Um, doing a personal live stream like this… I think it’s the first time since the PR live.”
I spoke slowly, keeping an eye on the delayed reactions. The comment section was already packed with hearts, greetings, and trolls.
‘It’s going to be hard to read these for a while.’
I continued with the introduction.
“I thought a lot about what to do… but I’m actually quite nervous. So, I prepared something familiar for both of us.”
I reached out and tilted the smartphone camera downward.
“Today… Ta-da.”
The camera captured the table in front of me. It showed today’s menu: ssambap.
“I’ve prepared a… ‘let’s eat together’ content.”
I picked up my spoon and chopsticks.
“Well then, I’ll enjoy the meal.”
I popped a pre-made lettuce wrap into my mouth. Mmm, tastes like spicy stir-fried pork.
‘Not bad.’
Since it was my first broadcast, my conscience pricked at the thought of just ordering delivery, so I made it myself. It was a familiar taste, which actually made it easier to eat.
‘Focus on the audio.’
I chewed and swallowed before continuing the small talk.
“I timed this for dinner on purpose, but if you have other plans, you can always… put this on in the background when you eat later.”
“Ah.”
Checking the phone again, I saw the angle had slipped—likely a mounting issue—so only the bottom half of my face was visible.
‘Isn’t this fine…?’
It seemed perfectly adequate for showing the food, but since they didn’t like it, I adjusted the stand and moved the phone back a bit.
“One moment.”
I twisted the stand to secure it more firmly and tapped the phone.
“I think that’s got it. How is it?”
I waited patiently, and the answers began to mix into the comments. I quickly scanned the ones I could read.
“Looks like it’s fixed.”
Watching the comments react to me moving the phone, it felt like the device was filled with tiny people.
‘This is actually kind of fun.’
I let out a small smirk, sat back down, and resumed eating. I picked out suitable comments to answer every now and then.
“Is it my favorite menu? Um… I generally like anything that’s objectively delicious. For now, the taste is good.”
“… ‘Did you order it?’ No. I just made it myself.”
Come to think of it, I haven’t had much reason to cook lately.
With such a busy schedule, I usually just bought something to eat. Honestly, that was much more convenient.
Oh, the reaction was surprisingly intense.
“I see some people saying they want to try it. I’ll try to post a simple recipe on our account after the broadcast. Um, but there’s no special secret to it… so it probably won’t be much different… from what you usually eat.”
I put another wrap in my mouth. This one was bulgogi flavor.
“As for a detailed description… the meat, soaked in a sweet and savory sauce, goes well with the rice. The ssamjang adds a bit of a kick, and then the lettuce finishes it off with a refreshing touch.”
My eyes kept checking the comments.
‘There are more foreign languages than I expected.’
I was impressed they managed to find a personal broadcast of a group that had just debuted.
Idol Inc. had mentioned something about a global launch, but considering I hadn't seen a single media play article about us causing a sensation overseas, I didn't think that was the reason.
‘Maybe they found out about us because our promotions overlapped with VTIC?’
Or maybe it was thanks to the depths of the WeTube algorithm. Either way, it was quite fascinating.
“Ah, the kimchi refrigerator. I haven't received it yet. I’m just waiting patiently, figuring they’ll give it to me when the time comes.”
I continued eating while answering reasonable questions, but selecting those ‘reasonable questions’ was unexpectedly difficult.
Even after staring at the screen for a minute, there were times when it was nothing but foreign languages and trolls.
Hmm, I finally caught one worth answering amidst the random trolling.
“Ah, this is a company phone. Mine is right here.”
I picked up my old smartphone that I’d tossed aside and waved it in front of the camera.
And of course, at that exact moment, a notification popped up.
Buzz—
[VTIC Cheong-ryeo Sunbae-nim]
“…….”
The timing is absolute shit.
At least I had the foresight to turn off message previews in the pop-ups.
“Ah, I occasionally exchange greetings with Sunbae-nim after Get Close First.”
If I don’t reply right away, will I get dragged by VTIC fans for being rude?
But if I do reply, it might cause a controversy about my attitude during my first W Live. I decided to ask for permission first.
“Since I saw it, would it be okay if I sent a short reply?”
‘This is driving me crazy.’
I quickly checked the message. It was just some work-related small talk. I replied with something like ‘Yes, I understand’ and quickly turned it off.
‘I need to change the subject.’
Fortunately, I had something prepared.
I immediately found a suitable comment. It was a question that had been coming up consistently since the start of the broadcast.
“Um, a lot of people are asking about the other members. Some are at schedules, and some are at home. One moment.”
I immediately stood up and moved out of the camera’s view.
Then, I stepped out of the room and brought in the guy who was already waiting in the living room.
“I brought a friend who was at home.”
“A-Ah, hello…!”
It was Seon A-hyun, whose entire body was screaming, ‘I’ve made a big decision.’
After receiving counseling for the past two or three weeks, he seemed to have gained some courage and decided to appear. However, since he wasn't yet brave enough to stay for long, I had structured it so he would just drop in for a bit.
Fortunately, the comment reaction was good.
Compared to the few negative reactions, the overwhelming support was a godsend, and Seon A-hyun’s complexion looked fairly stable.
With a slightly flushed face, Seon A-hyun waved at the smartphone.
“H-How have you all… been?”
But because of the delay, the comments Seon A-hyun could see were mostly things like ‘His face is insane;’.
“It seems everyone has been doing well. Seon A-hyun-ssi, what have you been up to lately?”
“Ah! I-I learned how to knit…! S-Should I show you?”
“That sounds great.”
Clatter, bang. Seon A-hyun immediately dashed to his room. I made a request to the camera.
“…When he shows you something, could you please give him a lot of applause? He just learned it, so he’s really excited about it right now.”
If I put it like that, people would spam the chat even if just for the humor of it.
“I-It’s this…!”
Seon A-hyun returned at lightning speed and thrust several colorful objects toward the smartphone.
They were dish scrubbies. He had knitted everything from bread slices to strawberries.
And just as requested, as soon as Seon A-hyun came back into view, the comments were flooded with applause emojis.
“Ah… T-Thank you!”
Unaware that people were clapping before they had even seen the scrubbies due to the delay, Seon A-hyun beamed and bowed his head.
‘I guess this is enough.’
If I let him stay longer, a stray hate comment—the kind that creates trauma at the most unexpected times—might shatter his mental state, so I thought it was okay to let him go now.
However, Seon A-hyun seemed to have gained some confidence, as he sat down at the table and began explaining the scrubbies.
“I… I knitted the bread first, so the shape is a bit weird, b-but I think the strawberry turned out well.”
Just as I was wondering if it would be awkward to stop him, someone knocked on the door.
Then the door swung open, and someone walked in.
“Moon-dae-ssi~ I received a report that your 10-minute PR mukbang is over, but you’re still going~”
It was Keun Se-jin.
“If you give me a lettuce wrap, I’ll act like this never happened~”
“Me too, lettuce wrap!”
Cha Yu-jin followed him in with his hand raised. It was obvious they had been watching the broadcast and decided to crash it.
‘……I’m sure there’s plenty of meat left in the frying pan.’
The only reason they came here for something they could have eaten just by going to the kitchen was to crash the W Live.
The room instantly became noisy.
“Hul! This is really delicious.”
“There’s plenty of meat in the kitchen, so go eat that.”
“No, I think it tastes better because it was carefully wrapped in advance for the broadcast.”
“The best!”
Cha Yu-jin gave a thumbs-up like a typical guest on an eating variety show. Then he started encouraging Seon A-hyun to eat a wrap too.
Seon A-hyun looked like he wanted to eat but was checking my reaction, feeling apologetic. A headache began to throb.
“…Just eat comfortably.”
“Y-Yeah!”
“Hyung, can I eat a lot too?”
“Do whatever you want.”
“Yes, sir!”
Watching the lettuce wraps disappear in an instant, I spoke to the camera.
“…Next time, I’ll come back… with a more generous amount.”
The comments were a mess of laughter. Well, at least I gave them a laugh.
“Since we’re out of wraps… I’ll wrap up today’s mukbang here.”
I was trying to think of some other content, like a Q&A, but Keun Se-jin, who had finished his wrap and wiped his hands, waved his hand.
“Eh? Hey, don't do that. We'll just make the wraps for you now!”
“……!”
…So, for the next 20 minutes, we moved the smartphone to the kitchen and broadcasted ourselves making wraps.
“Cha Yu-jin, just how many pieces of lettuce did you use??”
“The… the wrap is as big as a face….”
A little later, the remaining three members, who had been at the hospital for their health checkups, joined in.
“What are you guys doing?”
“Hyung! Try this!”
I finally turned off the W Live after feeding the newcomers and hearing their reviews.
I wondered what on earth had just happened, but seeing as the viewer count was high, I couldn't deny that it was interesting content…
‘…But I didn't get to say what I originally intended.’
It was a side effect of the broadcast being hijacked by the intruders and going off the rails.
Instead, I opened social media. After a quick look around the internet, I saw the reaction was quite good.
‘I guess this counts as a success.’
I shrugged and wrote out the short recipe for the meat I’d promised.
Then I uploaded it with an additional note.
[+ We’ve started preparing for the new album.]
For the record, the kimchi refrigerator mentioned that day arrived at the dorm exactly two days later.