Chapter 35: Strange Person Here - Strawberry Pudding
She desperately hoped it wouldn't happen.
"No. If 1415 shows up now…… there's no one to unblock me. I was just finally trying to eat after getting Don'tEat unblocked…… No, it's hard enough to get even one, so what am I supposed to do with ten?"
And yet, just like the previous female streamers (Kim Narin, MoochiMoochi), she still tossed in a single subscription.
Even if he was a troll, he'd proven he could send Star Balloons.
The notification popped up naturally.
StrawberryPudding opened her mouth.
"Everyone……"
Her pronunciation was a bit slurred, that so-called cutesy voice.
"StrawberryPudding's gonna eat now~"
"Anyone got some saved up?"
"Eek! Wave oppa!"
There it was.
But more than that, FuriousWave.
'Familiar nickname……?'
Shin Jaewoo tilted his head, wondering where he'd seen it before.
Star Balloons started trickling in bit by bit.
"Saved up?"
Still some left.
"Buried?"
The results of his own handiwork were crumbling little by little.
In the midst of it, one room had finally cleared up. MoochiMoochi.
She'd finally unblocked Don'tEat.
And naturally, a cuckoo flew into StrawberryPudding's room too.
"What? MoochiMoochi's eating? Jaewoos oppa. You gonna let MoochiMoochi eat?"
He could sense the intent. 'Hurry up and get out of here to that room.'
'I'll play along for now.'
He had all three streams open anyway.
"……No. Why again?!"
MoochiMoochi's voice grew louder.
"……No. Don't just give up like that—you could at least try."
MoochiMoochi's voice was full of grievance.
Mute.
Back to StrawberryPudding.
Not sure if it was the right way to put it, but honestly, StrawberryPudding had the most pleasing visuals.
'Her body's killer, for one.'
And so, words from StrawberryPudding's stream.
"If you give me 1,414, I'll give you reverse fan and room selfies, all of it."
Shin Jaewoo perked up at StrawberryPudding's sales pitch.
First, room selfies.
'Never bought one before.'
Short for streamer room selfies. Once you made an AsiaTV account, everyone got their own broadcaster page like a blog. Posting selfies there was a room selfie.
And reverse fan.
'Basically, she'll join my fan list?'
His reverse fan list was currently empty. She'd be the first.
"No, I'm a girl streamer too!"
StrawberryPudding shouted indignantly, thrusting out her chest for emphasis.
The reactions were still lukewarm.
"Kyaaak!"
She blocked it herself, then unblocked it herself—such whimsy.
Still, StrawberryPudding's mood lifted at the decision.
A slightly delayed chat. StrawberryPudding, checking the electronic marriage certificate, grinned brightly.
"Yes! Of course!"
"Ah, no……."
She'd clearly unblocked it. It looked like the troll had accepted her offer.
"You can't give and then take back……."
StrawberryPudding's voice dripped with sorrow.
People were starting to recognize him.
Shin Jaewoo smirked.
"No, really everyone, can't you let me eat? No, Jaewoos oppa……."
With someone like Jaewoos holding out, the chances of unblocking were low.
So she had to persuade Jaewoos somehow here. If not, get him to leave.
'Tell him to go to another room.'
As long as there were no more intercepts (THAADs), she could unblock.
"Ung? Ah……."
She tried acting cute on purpose, but reality hit before anyone could say anything, her expression crumbling.
Of course, Shin Jaewoo's response was simple.
Firm words.
"……Then if you give 1414, room selfie as GIF. Deal?"
Room selfies had levels too. Animated GIFs, or even Post-its with the donor's nick, or writing it on her body.
So StrawberryPudding was upping the ante on her promised room selfie out of spite.
"Waaah! Then I can finally eat……."
She was fighting herself.
StrawberryPudding loosened up a bit, then deflated again.
Maybe she thought it was hopeless.
"Ah, forget it. Not eating."
She started clearing the food away.
Convinced it wouldn't unblock anyway.
And when a female streamer cleared her own table, Shin Jaewoo felt compelled to help.
"No, this……."
StrawberryPudding's eyes widened.
Her earlier act wasn't sincere at all.
She didn't want to clear; she was sulking to get unblocked.
But to actually tell her to clear and send balloons on top?
"No, this isn't right……."
At her bewildered words, the chat hit one thing.
Pure innocence: '?'
Stammering at that, StrawberryPudding finally started the timer.
"……Oppas, can't you unblock me?"
Her face turned pitiful.
Then, pink text appeared in the chat.
"Daughter oppa!"
StrawberryPudding's deadpan face lit up.
"Daughter oppa, can you let me eat?"
"I just got 1415 and 1475……"
The nickname felt blatantly suggestive.
And right away, 1476.
Not the end.
"Kyaaaak! Yes! Then oppas, I can eat now, right?"
This time, a big fish had entered.
And for Shin Jaewoo, with the front spread across three rooms already.
Plus, in the process of unblocking and re-locking himself, he'd burned through a ton of Star Balloons.
Simply put, current status.
Star Balloons in possession: 412
That was what he saw.
'Time to recharge.'
The word 'recharge' brought Song, the manager he'd met last time, to mind.
Shin Jaewoo pulled up her contact.
He'd gotten her business card then, but didn't know where he'd put it.
'Definitely in my wallet…….'
He went to grab his wallet.
But paused.
In the meantime, Daughter2Pudding preemptively sent more to keep it from blocking again.
Gloomy nick, but a solid healer.
'……Just unblock?'
The thought flashed through Shin Jaewoo's mind.
Keeping up the balloon barrage here was getting burdensome.
But a chat caught his eye.
"Uung. Daughter oppa, thank you so much. Wow. Finally eating."
He hadn't planned to crush her pride.
If not for Daughter2Pudding's words.
Weirdo.
Did he really need to care for someone who dismissed him like that?
'Contact…….'
Song's contact didn't matter anymore.
Shin Jaewoo logged straight into PantaPay.
And bought Star Balloons.
Didn't know how much he'd need, but with her words, small change wouldn't cut it.
'10k's too little…… 100k first.'
100,000 Star Balloons.
Added to cart, ordered, transferred the money right away.
Over ten million won gone in a flash.
It wasn't like that extra would make a dent anyway.
The chat exploded in shock.
StrawberryPudding stopped mid-bite.