The Return Broadcast

"Wow, it's beautiful."

Reaching out her hand to catch the snow falling past the window, Dohee smiled happily.

Actually, she really was happy.

Last year, I didn't even have the luxury to feel something like this. In just one year, my world has completely changed.

To be precise, it hadn't even been a full year.

Her world had turned upside down since April of this year.

I'm so glad I went to see the cherry blossoms back then.

In truth, she hadn't planned on going. She didn't like crowded places, and her wallet wasn't exactly full enough to afford leisurely outings.

It was Seungwan who had dragged her out.

"Hey, Na Dohee! Are you really going to be like this? We're only twenty-seven! We're still in the flower of our youth! Are you really going to live such a dreary life? Do you want to make your friend look bad?"

It was somewhat—no, one hundred percent—unreasonable, but Dohee had meekly let her friend drag her out to see the cherry blossoms.

Even if she had refused, Seungwan would have found some excuse to drag her out anyway. But in truth, Dohee had also wanted to make a memory like that at least once.

After all, the only memories she had accumulated in her life were of her exploitative family, a moldy house, and the constant, aching loneliness of being alone.

Thanks to that little escape led by her friend, she met ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the connection of a lifetime.

"Dohee, I fell in love with you at first sight. Please go out with me!"

A man who had confessed his love to her in public, claiming it was love at first sight.

Ever since meeting him, not a single day had gone by without happiness.

Rustle.

"Aren't you cold?"

The feeling of a blanket draping over her shoulders, accompanied by a familiar voice.

Hearing the voice she had first heard amidst the cherry blossoms, Dohee turned her head with a smile.

And just as expected, the boyfriend who had changed her life was standing there, smiling down at her.

"Thank you. It's perfect."

"Be careful. Catching a cold on Christmas Eve is the worst."

"Pfft, you're right."

Tucking the blanket securely around her, Dojin turned his gaze out the window. The schoolyard, which should have been pitch black, was painted in a kaleidoscope of colors.

This was thanks to the security team preparing for the final meat party of December, as well as the lights of the Christmas trees scattered here and there.

"...I still can't get used to that, no matter how many times I see it."

Except for the tree at the main gate, which had essentially become a giant warning light, it was a truly beautiful sight.

"Shall we head down? We need to get ready for the broadcast."

"Yeah! Let's go."

Leaning against his chest while watching the view, Dohee nodded at Dojin's words.

Although she was incredibly happy in this very moment, there were many people who would worry if they didn't show up.

Furthermore, Dojin had a joint broadcast to host. Considering the guests joining them today, it was time to head down and prepare.

"But will the kids be okay? It's their first broadcast since the incident."

Dohee asked worriedly as they left the office. Among the guests for the joint broadcast were Chang-su and Hui-su.

Since the siblings had been forced into a hiatus after their agency representative and adoptive father was arrested, she couldn't help but worry.

"Jung-wang said they're doing fine, so we'll have to trust him. Even Sun-jam said their spirits seem surprisingly good."

Nodding at Dojin's words, Dohee suddenly remembered something and smiled.

"By the way, Oppa, you call the Bandit King by his real name quite naturally now."

"Why? Is it weird?"

"No, not weird. Just... a bit unfamiliar, I guess?"

Dojin shrugged at Dohee's remark. It was the Bandit King himself who had asked to be called by his real name.

He had mentioned that since they would be doing joint broadcasts with Chang-su and Hui-su in the future, the name 'Bandit King' felt a bit inappropriate. Dojin was simply respecting Jung-wang's wishes.

"He said he's going to take suggestions for a new YouTuber name during today's broadcast, so I should call him by his name until then."

"Hmm... suggestions. Judging by the current atmosphere, wouldn't it be that? 'Meat Bandit'?"

"No. 'Meat Cultivator' actually has more recommendations."

"Ah, because of the meat he hung on the tree? True, that video did have a huge impact."

Dojin smiled and nodded at Dohee's words. The shocking and terrifying tree-decorating video had been uploaded a few days ago.

The original plan was to only edit and show the trees made by Dojin's group and Sun-jam's family, but at Jung-wang's request, the tree made by Jung-wang's group was included as well.

"Actually, we've been getting a lot of inquiries on my channel and the Chang-Hui channel asking for updates. So, if you don't mind, Dojin, I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thought it would be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nice to share our news on your channel as well."

Since he had already discussed it with the siblings, Dojin's group readily agreed.

And naturally, the uploaded video's comment section exploded.

"Hehe, everyone was glad to see them, but they really trashed the tree."

"Honestly, who would like that? Maybe if it was on a variety show or a movie. Look at that, now that we took it all off, see how pretty it is?"

Having walked down to the lobby, Dojin spoke as he looked at Jung-wang's tree visible through the back door.

Needless to say, all the ribs that had been hanging on Jung-wang's tree had been retrieved, and the empty spaces were now filled with other wish papers.

Jung-wang was so disappointed, though.

"Ah!"

Was he sad to see the meat he had painstakingly hung up being taken down? Every time a piece of meat was removed from the tree, a lamenting sigh escaped the Bandit King's mouth.

However, that sight only ended up irritating Seungwan.

"What do you mean, 'Ah!'? How is this a Christmas tree? It's an altar! What exactly are you trying to summon with your wishes? A Balrog? Lucifer? Honestly, tell me, what is your religion?"

Hearing Seungwan's words, Dojin looked at the tree and nodded. Now that he thought about it, it really did look like an altar prepared for a sacrificial ritual.

Wishes and meat hanging from a giant tree. If we burned the tree at the end, anyone would think it was a sacrificial rite.

He didn't know what kind of deity they would be sacrificing to, but he was certain it wasn't the one people usually associated with Christmas.

"Y-You misunderstand. I have no religion..."

The Bandit King waved his hands in panic. Hearing Seungwan's words, he seemed to realize that it could indeed be easily misunderstood.

But Seungwan had no intention of listening to his excuses.

"What kind of non-religious person hangs meat all over a tree like that?"

"I-I hung it up to dry-age it, in a way..."

"Dry-aging, my foot! Do you want wild animals coming down from the mountains after smelling the meat?"

"I-It's winter, though?"

"Are there no animals in winter? Can't you see the mice right over there? Don't tell me you want to host a wild rodent party?"

"I... I'm sorry."

In the end, a declaration of surrender came from the Bandit King's mouth. As Seungwan's pressure only intensified with each excuse, he could no longer hold out.

"Whew!"

Having finally extracted a white flag from her opponent, Seungwan snorted in satisfaction. Consequently, she failed to notice the expressions on the faces of the two people watching the scene.

Wearing subtle, suspicious expressions, the two conversed solely with their eyes so Seungwan wouldn't hear.

Something's fishy, right?

Yeah. I smell something.

Normally, Seungwan wasn't the type to get angry like this. Her habit when angry was to become colder and more composed.

That was why her current behavior was so bizarre.

Seungwan, who doesn't care about anyone unless they're close, is getting worked up?

Seungwan, who usually blows cold wind at anyone who isn't close, is this excited?

It was only natural for the two who knew Seungwan well to look on with suspicious eyes.

However...

You know the drill, right? Don't say a word.

Of course. We know absolutely nothing.

Having reached a silent agreement, the two subtly averted their eyes from Seungwan and the Bandit King.

Seungwan's behavior was suspicious, but it was still unclear. Was she treating the Bandit King specially, or was she simply dumbfounded by the absurdity of the situation?

And if she did view him specially, how serious was she?

Let's just watch for now.

They say it's never good for outsiders to poke around in a relationship.

And so, without her knowledge, Seungwan became the subject of their observation.

Even though it was the last meat party of 2020, nothing had changed. While Dojin and his team prepared for the broadcast, the security team was busy grilling and eating meat on their own.

"Oppa, we go live in one minute."

"Viewers are already flooding in. Focus!"

Dojin nodded at Dohee and Seungwan's words.

"Experience really is the best teacher. I'm getting better at this the more I do it."

Compared to the joint live broadcast he had done with Kkulnyang-i and Dunyang-i, Dojin had made remarkable progress.

Just then, voices cheering Dojin on could be heard from the side.

"I'm in your hands, Dojin!"

"Uncle, fighting!"

"Go, go!"

"Cheer up, Uncle!"

Out of the camera's range, Jung-wang, Sun-jam, and the siblings Chang-su and Hui-su were cheering for Dojin.

Dojin was smiling at the sight of the children—only eight, seven, and five years old—striking fighting poses, when...

"Going live. Five, four, three, two, one! Shoot!"

"Hello everyone, I'm The Baek."

With Dojin's greeting, the comment section began to explode.

"Uh... the comments are scrolling too fast for me to read. By the way, it's Christmas Eve, so why is everyone here?"

As if shocked by Dojin's words, the chat paused for a brief second before scrolling up with even greater intensity than before.

Entering a state of complete frenzy, the chat flooded with all kinds of playful outrage directed at Dojin.

Seeing the occasional ominous comment, Dojin hurriedly began to placate the viewers.

"Ahem! No, I wasn't trying to attack you guys. I was just saying I'm glad to see you."

Fortunately, the frenzy didn't last long. Since everyone was half-joking, the atmosphere calmed down after about ten minutes.

And Dojin had been waiting for this moment.

"As announced beforehand, we have a few special guests today. I'll introduce them in order of age. First, this person doesn't currently have a name. We're actually taking suggestions for a new name. Instead, I'll introduce him by his former name. Everyone, please welcome the former Bandit King!"

"Hello, everyone!"

At Dojin's signal, Jung-wang, who had been waiting, stepped into the frame. Immediately, the comment section exploded once again.

"Ah, yes! Nice to meet you. I'm Jung-wang, currently nameless but formerly known as the Bandit King. Yes, it's been a while. Ah, I didn't stop uploading because I did ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠something wrong... The nation's babysitter... yes, yes, that's right. The harvest this year isn't quite..."

Proving that he hadn't built his YouTube channel for nothing, Jung-wang naturally carried the conversation as soon as he appeared.

Looking at him, one might easily get confused about whether this was Dojin's channel or Jung-wang's.

"Ah, thank you for your interest. I'm here as a guest today because Mr. The Baek invited me. Thank you, Mr. The Baek."

After interacting with the chat for a few minutes, Jung-wang quickly steered the focus back to Dojin.

If he kept monopolizing the conversation, it would be awkward for Dojin, and it would also delay the appearance of the children waiting behind him.

Noticing Jung-wang's consideration, Dojin didn't drag things out either and immediately called the rest of the children.

"It seems everyone has a lot of questions for the Bandit King. In that case, let's bring out all the faces you've been wanting to see. You three, come on in."

At Dojin's words, Chang-su and Hui-su appeared on screen. As soon as they entered, they bowed toward the camera just as Jung-wang had done.

"Hello! I'm Chang-su."

"...I'm... Hui-su."

While the chat was exploding once again at the sight of Chang-su trying his best to greet them brightly and Hui-su looking slightly nervous...

"Hello... I am... Sun-jam."

The youngest of the guests, and the one the channel's viewers had been waiting for the most, Sun-jam made her entrance.