Mala Tang and Boyfriend Rumors
As soon as we stepped out of the mala tang shop, Noona slipped the hand she was holding into her pocket.
"A bit cold, huh."
"It's winter."
"As expected from a comp sci kid—no romance in those words."
Noona pinched my hand lightly with hers. Honestly, even as I said it, it didn't feel like something that'd come out of a barely-out-of-high-school college freshman's mouth, but seeing her reaction, it seemed like female Ha-yoon Seo's personality wasn't all that different from mine.
"Was I too oblivious during your stream today? I thought you'd be asleep."
"Ah... I turned it on right after waking up. Sorry I couldn't call."
Truth be told, I hadn't turned it on immediately—I'd checked a few things first and was a bit late—but if I told her that, she'd probably get upset.
"It's fine. Sorry I interrupted you. But wow, tons of viewers, right?"
"Yeah! I had no idea my debut would pull that many."
My voice rose a notch, probably because thinking about it made me happier. A hundred viewers for a first stream? That was insane, right?
Noona must've noticed how pleased I was, because she started fiddling with my hand in her pocket, looking happy herself. Back when I was a guy, holding hands with your little sister would've been unthinkable, but maybe it was the age gap? Or were all sisters this close and casual?
More importantly, mala tang—could I even handle it? As a guy, I'd stuck to cheap Korean BBQ at the local joint nearby. I'd tried mala tang once around 20 and never touched it since.
"Cold—let's head in quick."
"Ah, yeah."
But why was just thinking about mala tang making my mouth water and my stomach growl now? It was all this body's original owner, female Ha-yoon Seo's fault.
*ding-a-ling*
The bell chimed as we opened the door, and a pungent aroma hit me. Gonna be insanely good... No, edible. Totally edible.
"Same as usual?"
"Uh, yeah."
"Go grab a seat first then."
At Noona's words, I shuffled awkwardly to a cozy two-top table in the corner. Last time I'd had it years ago, even level 1 was too spicy. Curious how this Ha-yoon handled it, I dug into the memories in my head.
'Level 3, tons of tofu and corn!'
Crazy girl. No wonder she modeled her Live2D rig's hair after mala tang broth—she'd dumped her entire fortune into that thing. Watching Noona basket the ingredients, I pulled out my phone and habitually loaded up the gallery.
Broadcast Gallery
The new gallery I'd migrated to—not the dead one I'd modded. What posts would be up?
[⍟Low-Tier Trash Streamer] [⍟Danbi Panties] [⍟Recent Update on Yesterday's Debut Trash Streamer] [⍟Trash Streamer Boyfriend Sighting Today]
The bottom one looked like my stream post, but the one above it bugged me more. Not that I wanted to click it—no way. As a former mod, I couldn't just let creepy panty shots slide.
Come here, kitty—sit pretty. Job hunting yet? Mom was popping out kids and working her ass off at your age, but what're you doing?
"Ah...."
A sigh slipped out before I knew it. Well, if it was gallery-worthy bait, it wouldn't be actual panty shots, but still, disappointing no payoff.
"What, a cat?"
Noona's sudden voice made me whip around—she was right behind me, peering at my screen. I frantically flipped my phone face-down on the table. When did she sneak up?!
"Uh, yeah! Just looking at cats!"
"Really? Nothing weird?"
"N-no! Just... a super cute cat!"
Noona eyed me suspiciously as she walked around and sat across, then grinned like it was adorable.
"Sure, our Ha-yoon's 20 now—she can look at that stuff. Noona gets it."
"No! It's not like that!"
If it'd actually been Danbi's panties, I wouldn't feel so wronged. But she was teasing me over a cat pic? If it were real panties, she'd totally misunderstand.
"Noona's not worried about Ha-yoon. But if a boyfriend shows up..."
"Noona! Big trouble!"
I kept saying it, but boyfriends were taboo in streams. Noona's face soured like she didn't think I was dating anyway, and honestly, after 24 years as a guy—with those memories—I figured I'd never date a dude. Might as well go for a girlfriend.
"Okay, okay. Was the stream fun today?"
"Hmm... kinda?"
Trolls swarmed mid-stream, but it was still fun. Having people pay attention to me was a novel thrill.
"Oh, right."
One gallery title popped back up. I'd skipped the Danbi panties bait, but the boyfriend one was probably coords on my stream.
"What? Something up?"
"Nah. Mind if I check something quick?"
I waited for her nod, then flipped the phone back over and dove into the gallery.
http://pazizk.com/Riee
My stream link confirmed it—coords dropped in the gallery. Vicious bunch, as I'd thought since mod days.
Did they really need to swarm a debut trash streamer like this? But I'd let bait like this slide back then too—karma, I guess. Sorry for not controlling it... but clamping down just makes it worse...
"Yoonie, mala tang's ready. Phone down, let's eat."
"Ah, yeah."
Felt like she was babying me, but at my age, fair enough. I'd treated my own sister like a kid too—little sibs are forever babies, no matter how grown.
I nodded and picked up my spoon, eyeing the bright red broth. The sharp mala scent made my mouth water; guess those community memes about high school girls having mala tang for blood were spot on.
"I-itadakimasu!"
"Dig in."
My voice came out a bit too excited, but I brushed it off and scooped bean sprouts, tofu, and broth like a pro.
That first numbing hit... now I got why female Ha-yoon dragged Noona here every visit.
"Mmm...."
"What? That good?"
"So good...."
Noona giggled cutely at my words and started on hers. Tongue-numbingly spicy, but I couldn't stop chopsticking.
"Huuu...."
"All done?"
"Yeah... so full."
Felt like I inhaled it without breathing. Who knew mala tang was this good? Tastes I'd never known as a guy—mind-blowing.
"That good? You're eating like a champ today."
"R-really?"
And scarfing like this in front of someone? First time—my cheeks felt warm.
"Gonna finish your stream tonight?"
"Mm... probably? Cut it short kinda abruptly."
"Mind if Noona watches?"
"Huh?"
"Just... saw some nasty chat earlier."
"Ah...."
Yeah, even that quick peek had some swears. Gallery trolls coord-swarming made it seem extra toxic.
I was used to streams and modding, but Noona, clueless on internet stuff, might find it rough. Plus she thought 20-year-old me was internet-naive—natural worry.
"If you wanna watch, sure, but it might be boring."
"Nah, anything Ha-yoon does is fun. Hey, can viewers get banned?"
"Uh, if I set you as mod, yeah...?"
"Cool. Make me a mod then."
Her voice and face smiled, but something creepy lingered. Remembering my viewer/mod days? Nah, Noona was too sweet to mass-ban... probably.