Paradise Regained (5)

It was all for the stream prep.

Deciding to climb the ranks had been an impulsive call, but starting a stream had been a long-held dream of mine.

The access ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠unit I'd been using at home wasn't compatible with any streaming modules. I'd hunted for workarounds, but every path led to the same dead end: the hardware itself made installation impossible.

Sigma's gear, on the other hand, played nice even with the latest broadcast modules.

I'd learned it was possible. And now I had people I could ask for help.

So I had no choice but to try.

Elderin was an active, popular streamer. Games, cam streams—whatever she touched. With her striking looks and sharp banter, her fanbase was concrete-thick. Whatever she did on stream, a baseline of hype was guaranteed to follow.

And San-sae was a ghost who woke up around afternoon, gamed until dawn, and kept internet broadcasts running every waking hour. Most streamers had heard her nickname at least once. She seemed to watch even more streams than I did.

That's genuinely hard to pull off… no. Not the point.

San-sae—Kim Sin-ah—carried serious name recognition among freelance designers. She'd started in advertising, then gone freelance the moment her skills leveled up. She had enough clout to pick and choose her jobs, apparently.

That reputation was no bluff. San-sae shoved her tablet screen toward me.

"I figured we should lean into the assassin vibe for the theme… so I mocked a few up. Wanna take a look?"

"You already finished all of these?"

"Yeah. I wanted to put real care into it for you."

First up was the waiting-room screen. I had no idea when that shot had even been captured. A snow-dusted conifer forest. Gawol crouched behind a tree trunk, holding her breath. The wounds scattered across her body said she was mid-fight—semifinals, maybe?

I'd watched Gawol countless times. And yet, with the atmosphere deliberately dialed in like this, she looked almost unfamiliar.

Those red eyes flicking just enough to secure her sightline. The dagger hidden against her chest. A light breeze lifting her hair.

There was no way not to be delighted.

It had to have been a blink-and-you-miss-it moment. If you hadn't been locked onto my match, you wouldn't even remember it existed.

Come to think of it, San-sae had been the first person to ever call herself ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my fan. I could feel how sincere that had been, and a soft smile slipped out before I could stop it.

Her finger poked my cheek.

"You weren't listening, were you?"

"Ah—sorry. I just liked it so much. What did you say?"

"I asked if there was anything to fix or anything weird. If you like it, we'll go with this. I'll polish it a bit more and send it by tomorrow."

"Yeah. That should be perfect. Thank you."

All I could do was grin like an idiot and nod. Feedback only works when you actually know something, after all. Design, art, video—I was a complete blank. I could feel that something looked pretty or incredible at a glance, but that was it. Why it was pretty, why it hit harder than the alternatives—I had no idea. Better to leave it to the expert than slap on clumsy opinions. No matter how I turned it over, that was the best I could do.

Then a thought hit me.

"Uh, this… how much do I owe you? You put way more work into this than I expected…"

"You think I'd charge you full rate? I'll take the bare minimum—just don't pretend you don't know me once you make it big."

"Never. Absolutely never."

"Yeah? Oh, then one more favor."

San-sae grinned at me, and the piercing by her ear seemed to catch the light. Something about that smile made me uneasy. Even now her looks still registered as predator to me.

Give me back my cute little halfling bard.

Obviously, being able to stream didn't mean flipping the switch right away was smart. People wouldn't even know I was starting. Charging in blind would only teach me how cold and merciless the internet broadcast world could be.

My original plan had been a simple community post and then go live. My nickname still carried weight; some promotion was guaranteed. Not a bad approach.

But in this market, more inflow is always better. Every tool I had needed to be used. From that angle, San-sae and Elderin's suggestion was sure to work.

—Or so I told myself. My heart refused to settle.

"Daeun, come here. You're too cute. Hurry!"

"We're… really going out like this? Looking like—this? It feels… off."

"Here, face this way. Wanna try a V with your hand?"

"You're not listening to me at all, are you."

The cameras were all set. In the studio, stream still dark, San-sae wrapped her arms around me. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Soft breasts pressed against my shoulder and heat flooded my face.

The left monitor showed the live camera feed—me, nestled right into San-sae's arms. Fidgeting lips, an expression that screamed embarrassment even at a glance, cheeks painted bright red. Same as always: every feeling written plain across my face.

The source of the mortification—dog ears perched on my hair. And the maid outfit half-forced onto me.

Elderin and I wore different sizes, so why was there a maid outfit that fit me perfectly already waiting? Truly a mystery.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

I'd tried to take comfort in the fact that Elderin was wearing one too. But of course she was a seasoned pro streamer. She took a sip of water like it was nothing and just gave me a smiling glance.

Whatever. Hiding the embarrassment was a lost cause. Physically impossible.

I at least managed the V-sign San-sae ordered. The corners of my fake smile trembled.

"Who makes a V like that? Here—press it to your cheek."

"L-like this?"

"Yep! Okay, shooting."

"…Okay."

People need a sense of shame. San-sae had done all this work for me. When your benefactor wants a few photos together, you don't refuse. I pressed the V to my cheek and tried to smile a little less awkwardly.

Time passed. Click. First a few with San-sae, then a few more with Elderin included. My dark history walked an eternal path that would never be erased.

San-sae looked genuinely satisfied, beaming. Then she stepped aside and the stream went live.

I squeezed out every scrap of courage and waved. Today's first greeting was mine to deliver.

"Ah—hello, woof. It's been a whi—ah!"

Bit my tongue.

Ow.