I Must Win!
I have to win…!
After our first meeting in front of the station, we couldn’t stay there any longer, so we moved to a nearby café. We sat in the slightly noisy place, each sipping our drinks. Mine was cocoa again. I wish I could drink coffee sometimes.
“So… Raccoon is PD Lee Seongbeom’s niece…?”
“Well, yes.”
“Oh my god, this is insane, insane!”
Oh Serin covered her mouth, making a huge fuss. Because it was a café near the station, plenty of people were coming and going, creating a somewhat chaotic atmosphere. Fortunately, her commotion didn’t draw everyone’s attention. The uncle had put on sunglasses and a hat. Even as a PD, he was more famous than most celebrities, so there was always a chance someone might recognize him—just like Oh Serin had instantly figured it out earlier.
“Thank you for looking after Sua, Miss Oh Serin.”
“Oh, you can speak casually with me. I’m the one who’s received so much help from Raccoon.”
The adults exchanged greetings. Even though the age gap made it feel almost like a father and daughter, the uncle remained polite toward her.
“Then, can I call you Serin? I’m not used to the nickname.”
“Ah, my name is Oh Serin. Call me whatever’s comfortable.”
“I’m Seo Sua.”
Using nicknames outside could create awkward situations. Serin sounded like a normal name, but Raccoon was obviously a nickname—anyone would stare if they heard it. After a quick round of introductions, we resumed our conversation.
“Oh, so all this time, your uncle has been helping with the editing?”
“I didn’t help at all. The kid—Sua—did everything herself.”
“Whoa…”
Her eyes still sparkled with disbelief, though a hint of doubt remained.
“You still don’t believe I’m Raccoon?”
“Honestly… yeah. How am I supposed to believe that someone who edits like that is actually a little kid…?”
“Fine. I’ll prove it.”
“How?”
“You said something to me once.”
She tilted her head, trying to remember. “What did I say…?”
“I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while. No matter how much we’re talking over the internet and can’t see each other’s faces, and even if we’re both girls, it’s not okay to proudly talk about holes in your panties or buying adult toys—”
“Euaaah! What are you saying?!”
“Mmph, mmph. Mmmph mmph.”
Oh Serin lunged across the table and clamped her hand over my mouth. Even so, the commotion drew some glances, though thankfully no one seemed to have caught what I’d actually said.
“…You don’t say things like that in public! And I told you I bought the handcuffs because I was curious about their performance! PD, sir? I really didn’t say anything lewd, okay?”
“Well… since I didn’t hear it, I suppose it’s possible.”
“It’s true…”
“Mmm, mmph.”
The uncle deliberately looked away, pretending not to care. It was his own form of consideration. Looking sulky, Oh Serin slowly removed her hand from my mouth, her expression on the verge of tears.
“Now you believe I’m Raccoon, right?”
“Honestly, I’m still not entirely convinced…”
“Hmm… Then I’ll show you this.”
I pulled out my phone and demonstrated logging out and back into YouTube for her. Then I showed her that I could edit videos on my own channel, followed by our Discord chat history. There was no better way to prove my identity. After seeing it all, Oh Serin muttered with a tired look on her face.
“You could’ve just shown me that first…”
*
“Ah, over here, unnie.”
Oh Serin waved at someone who had just entered the café. A woman in a cap, long ponytail, ear piercings, and a distinctly hip outfit noticed the gesture and walked over. I’d never seen her before, but I recognized her instantly. She tilted her head at our unusual table.
“A family gathering?”
“What are you talking about… Just sit down already. I’ll introduce you.”
To an outsider, we probably looked like a father with his two daughters. As Oh Serin introduced us, the woman nodded along. Though Oh Serin spoke with the tension of sharing a secret, Jina simply repeated “I see” without much reaction.
“…Aren’t you surprised? A kid this young did all that YouTube editing, and her uncle is the famous PD Lee Seongbeom?”
“I’m surprised right now.”
“How can you tell…?”
“I’m conserving energy since I’m not on air.”
In truth, Jina wasn’t the type to show big reactions even during streams. But there were moments when she got excited and her words burst out, and viewers tuned in just to catch those rare instances. You could call it gap moe. Thanks to that, plenty of people had watched her YouTube videos during the audition collab with Oh Serin, hoping to see her hyped-up side. Even if she didn’t show it, she might actually be incredibly surprised right now, just as she claimed.
“Well, I’ve heard Raccoon’s voice before, so I guess it felt familiar?”
“Huh? When did you two talk on the phone?”
“After our first collab stream ended?”
Jina gave her a look that said, Why are you even asking? Technically, it started with a chat asking for permission to use the footage, then she suggested switching to a call.
“It was strange that the editor contacted me instead of the streamer for the usage permission, so we talked on the phone.”
“Uh… That was something I should’ve asked about, wasn’t it?”
“…Yeah, it was your channel. You should’ve been the one to ask.”
Jina wore an incredulous expression. Since Oh Serin was basically a newbie at both streaming and YouTube, I had handled the permission request myself. I’d planned to tell her about it later, but it had slipped my mind. Well, Jina would probably explain everything properly now, so it should be fine.
We chatted about this and that. By the time our drinks were nearly gone, the uncle stood up, gathering his coat.
“Looks like everyone’s here, so I’ll take my leave.”
“You’re going already?”
“An adult shouldn’t butt in while kids are hanging out. Call me when you’re done.”
Oh Serin, feeling a bit self-conscious, spoke up awkwardly.
“We don’t mind…”
“I mind. I don’t want to be the clueless uncle among young people.”
The uncle looked at Oh Serin and Jina as he spoke.
“Well then, take good care of Sua. Kid, make sure you call when you’re done.”
“Okay.”
Since I’d need him to get home anyway, calling was essential. I nodded obediently. He ruffled my hair with his large hand before leaving. As I waved at him through the window, Oh Serin and Jina stood up as well.
“Shall we get going too? This café’s in the station, so there are a lot of people. We’ve been sitting here too long.”
“Are we going to eat now?”
“It’s still too early for dinner. Besides, you drank cocoa, so you’re not hungry, right?”
She had a point—it was still an awkward time for dinner, and the cocoa had left me feeling a bit full.
“Then what are we doing? Do you have somewhere in mind?”
“Our little editor doesn’t know, does she? There’s a place streamers always go when two or more of us meet up.”
“Where?”
Jina’s lips curved ever so slightly. Then she and Oh Serin spoke at the same time.
“Obviously a karaoke room and a game arcade.”
“We’re definitely hitting karaoke and the arcade.”
Well, Jina was one thing, but Oh Serin—this was her first time meeting another streamer. Why was she acting like it was obvious?
“…Isn’t this just where you two want to go?”
It felt like they’d chosen it because they were both outgoing types who loved being outside and were hardcore gamers. They clearly enjoyed both gaming and singing. I decided to go along with their plan. I wasn’t great at singing, but I did like games.
“Well, okay.”
“Ah, just so you know, we’re going to the arcade first. Whoever comes in last after our bet has to sing whatever song the winner picks—completely.”
“What?!”
In an instant, a wicked glint appeared in both women’s eyes. That look said they absolutely wouldn’t go easy on me just because I was young. My hands started to tremble.
I have to win…!
Definitely!
***
By the time the sky had darkened slightly, we were in a karaoke room. Many people had come for the evening, and from each room came songs of every genre. One room played idol songs. Another, pop. Another, ballads. Another, J-pop. As we walked down the hallway, familiar pop songs drifted out—until from one room came a bright, bouncy voice. It wasn’t an idol song, pop, ballad, or J-pop, but a tune everyone knew. When the bouncy piano accompaniment ended, the singing began.
“Twiiinkle, twiiinkle, little star…”
The voice of the little star, shining beautifully, echoed out. It sounded as though it might break into tears at any moment.