A Talent Called Libido

It wasn't as though I'd been glued to status windows every waking minute since I got this ability. Still, I'd seen my fair share.

Working a convenience store shift by yourself meant meeting all kinds of people, and I'd gotten in the habit of checking the windows of whoever walked through the door. When things got slow, I'd even peek at the ones just passing by outside.

But this... After everything I'd seen, I had never encountered a status window like this.

I mean—since when does libido count as a talent?

"What's wrong, Dohyun?"

My face must have done something unfortunate for a second, because Eunchae tipped her head at me with an expression of perfect, wide-eyed innocence. This from the same woman who, not thirty seconds ago, had been staring a hole straight through my crotch.

"It's nothing. I just... it still doesn't feel real, being here in Dayeon's studio like this."

The actual thought running through my head was a very different animal. But I hadn't completely failed Social Skills 101, so I offered up the least suspicious excuse I could find.

"Well, I guess it would feel pretty surreal. You're a fan of unnie's too, after all."

"And you?"

"Oh, I'm a huge fan of Dayeon unnie!"

Okay, that was brand-new information. Wasn't this the kind of thing you led with?

"No way—nice to meet you! I never thought I'd run into another Dayeon fan like this."

In my wildest dreams, I hadn't.

"Same! I don't know if it was because of me or not, but unnie used to say she'd never hire a fan as her editor."

What exactly had she done that made "because of me" a reasonable thing to say out loud? I'd thought she was a little unusual before I opened her status window. After seeing it, I was sure of it. This woman was not operating on a normal frequency.

"Hehe. Well, running into each other like this has to be fate, right? Wanna trade numbers? We could gush about unnie together—that'd be so fun!"

The fact that I was exchanging numbers with a woman this naturally left me a little dazed. And yet, somehow, with her, it felt like it was allowed. Just look at those eyes—there wasn't a shred of ulterior motive ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in them.

Granted, she'd been staring at my crotch a minute ago, which was its ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠own kind of unhinged. But if I just... stayed careful, what was the worst that could happen?

"What's your favorite thing about unnie, Dohyun?"

"Ah—I first found her during a pretty rough stretch, and her brightness, that gentleness she has... it really pulled me through."

Dayeon worked hard to keep up that cool-girl image. She bantered with her viewers constantly, and her mouth could get pretty rough. But even through a screen, you could tell she was genuinely kind underneath all of it.

"Right? Right? She gets all embarrassed and pretends she isn't, but unnie is actually the sweetest person."

"Exactly. The second a viewer mentions they're going through something, she worries about it like it's happening to her. That stuff is so healing, I can't even tell you. Just the other day I sent a cheap Super Chat whining about work, and she talked me down from the whole thing. Man. I was genuinely touched."

Just watching her was enough to make a bad day better. The idea that I'd actually get to meet her in person had never once crossed my mind.

"Same here! Whenever I'm dying over a thumbnail and something goes wrong, unnie always talks me through it. She even jumps in to help—and it's my job! She's just so kind. She's too good..."

"That's our Dayeon, all right!"

"Um. You two...?"

We'd been deep in it—stream stories from my side, real-life anecdotes from Eunchae's—when a thoroughly flustered voice cut ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in from the side.

"Are you seriously doing this right in front of me...?"

Her face had gone completely red. She looked mortified.

She's adorable. Getting to see this ultra-rare footage of her squirming because her own fans were gushing about her—what a blessing.

"Noona, I love you...!"

"Unnie, I love you...!"

Apparently Eunchae was just as far gone as I was. The "I love you" had leaped out of both of us at the exact same time.

"Okay, I get it, now stop. One more word and I'm kicking you both out."

The threat landed with enough steel behind it that Eunchae and I shut our mouths in unison.

"And Dohyun. You've only seen your own room so far. Don't you want a look at the rest of the place?"

"Wait—you're actually going to show me around?!"

Was this it? Was I about to see her studio?

"Of course. You think I'd invite you over to look around and then only show you one room?"

I was losing my mind.

The studio. The one every single one of her regulars had fantasized about visiting at least once. Was I finally about to set foot in that dream room?

I clamped a hand over my hammering heart and followed her to the next stop.

"This is the shared bathroom."

It was the bathroom.

"Oh... it's really clean!"

The disappointment was staggering, but fine. Yes. The bathroom. Important to see the bathroom.

I had, for the record, already figured out it was a bathroom without anyone needing to announce it.

"You're disappointed, aren't you, Dohyun?"

Eunchae nudged my ribs with her elbow—not hard enough to hurt, just enough to be insufferable—and grinned up at me.

"You thought you were getting the studio tour and then it was the bathroom. Super disappointed, right? Right? Come on, admit it."

"No... I'm not..."

Yes. I was extremely disappointed.

"Please. Your face is doing all the talking."

"Pfft—ah, Dohyun. There's something really fun about teasing you, you know that?"

Dayeon piled on, and the two of them grinning at my expense left me feeling like a fish that had swum straight into the net. So that was the plan from the start. They'd walked me to the bathroom on purpose.

"I'm fine. I've seen enough. I'll just head back."

I said it firmly, turned on my heel—

"Wait, wait! I'm sorry I teased you! Don't go!"

Dayeon startled forward and caught my shoulder before I could make it to the front door.

Thump.

Holy shit. Hold on. Did noona just grab my shoulder?

"Your reaction was so cute I couldn't help messing with you a little. If I hurt your feelings, I'm sorry."

Cute. She called me cute.

"I-I'm not cute."

"Hmm, you think so? I think you're adorable. Right, Eunchae?"

"Yes! His reactions are the best!"

Oh, sure. Just keep calling me cute in stereo like that and see if I sit here grinning like an idiot while my mood does a complete one-eighty. Who would even do that?

"So where's next?"

Right. Obviously.

Dayeon—and the first girl friend I'd ever made—were standing there calling me cute. What man on earth was going to stay mad about that?

"Where else? My studio, of course."

"Isn't there one more room?"

"That's just storage. Nothing to see."

The hand on my shoulder slipped away, and I was just starting to feel the loss of it when—

"Come on. This way."

—it slid down, naturally, and closed around my hand instead. Dayeon started walking, fingers laced through mine, and I very nearly blacked out on the spot.

Was this allowed? We weren't anything to each other. Two fully grown adults, just... holding hands while they walked? Was that a thing?

"I wanna hold one too, I wanna!"

She snatched it.

I'd already been one heartbeat away from checking out of my own skull just from noona holding my hand. And then Eunchae, who'd been watching the whole thing, grabbed the other one.

Wait. Was this... was I being taken into custody?

Then again, if this was an arrest, I could live with the charges.

"And this is my studio~"

The secret door swung open, and the room on the other side was identical to the one I'd watched a hundred times through a screen. Seeing with my own eyes that the broadcast and the real thing were the same place sent a tremor straight through my chest.

Holding noona's hand. Being led by noona. Standing in the room where noona streamed.

Okay, at this point, was I not officially the luckiest fan alive? I could die right here and have nothing left to want.

"Well, you've probably seen it a million times on stream. I doubt there's anything all that new or exciting."

"No. This is the kind of thing that makes you glad you lived long enough to see it."

"Ehk, that much? It's really not a big deal."

To her, maybe it wasn't. To a fan, it was everything. Just standing in this room was enough to make me think I could drop dead happy.

God. I was actually standing here. In the place she broadcast from. Holding her hand.

No, but seriously—why was she holding my hand? Was this just what popular people did? Grabbed the hand of someone they'd just met and strolled around like it was nothing?

"Alright, that's the tour. It's getting to be dinnertime anyway—want to grab a meal, the three of us?"

She let go of my hand, stretched her arms over her head, and dropped the invitation like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"We have to throw Dohyun a welcome party."

"I haven't even filled out the hiring paperwork yet."

"Then should we do the paperwork first?"

Technically, you were supposed to do that on your first official day. Technically.

"I'm good whenever."

"We just put Monday as the start date and call it done. I already printed everything out."

"Yes! Sign the papers and then we go eat something amazing!"

Eunchae bounced on her heels, already fully on board.

"What about the other editor, though? Shouldn't we invite them?"

I'd heard the guy had a rotten personality, but he was still someone I was going to have to work face-to-face with. Leaving him out entirely felt a little ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠too much like icing him out, so I figured I should at least ask.

"Ah, him... Once you're settled in, I'm planning to hire someone new and let him go. Don't worry about it."

The way Dayeon's face tightened when she said it told me he'd done more than just rub her the wrong way. For someone that kind to make that expression... what a piece of garbage.

"She's right. That guy is just—ugh. Don't even think about him. You'll see when you meet him. He's a real piece of trash."

Eunchae, for her part, did not bother dressing it up.

"That bad? Can I get a sense of what I'm walking into?"

Outgoing or not, I was going to be working alongside this person until I found my feet. I figured I should know at least a little.

"Hmm. Sign the contract first. I'll tell you over dinner."

"Ah, so you're locking me in before I hear the horror stories and try to back out?"

I said it lightly, and Dayeon's face finally eased. The smile came back.

"Hmm, busted~?"

"Unnie! You were supposed to be sneakier than that!"

"He caught me before he even signed. What now?"

She really did look better when she smiled. Not that the frown hadn't been... well. Honestly, it had been pretty sexy too.