Chapter 4

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 4

Chapter Title: Streamer Lee Ga-eun

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20 years old, college freshman-to-be, and a promising C-rank Awakener.

Lee Ga-eun could be described in many ways, but if she had to pick the one that defined her identity, there was only one.

The all-around content streamer 'Ga-eun' with 300,000 subscribers.

Lee Ga-eun was truly blessed, with money, looks, and fame all coming her way.

She awakened at a young age and bore the weight of everyone's expectations.

Her parents were overjoyed when they first heard the news.

Unlike low-rank Awakeners who were treated like they did the 3D jobs, C-rankers got real respect.

Every time school let out, guild scouts stood guard outside the gates.

Of course, none were from truly big-name guilds.

They were probably just stamping her for later, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠figuring she was too young to know better.

But her friends didn't care about that.

She was their pride—the girl who had all those guilds scrambling and famous Hunters on edge!

That hype from her friends didn't last long, though.

Soon enough, her surroundings filled with people eyeing the crumbs of glory.

Friends, teachers, neighbors... even her parents started looking at her with greedy eyes.

The explosion came when she learned that kids she barely knew were throwing her name around to bully others.

And they weren't even in her class.

Ga-eun turned the school upside down that day and distanced herself from her friends.

From then on, the 'C-rank Awakener' title felt like shackles.

Every little mistake got blown up because she was a 'C-rank Awakener,' while her efforts and achievements got downplayed for the same reason.

Streaming—something she'd started by chance—was all she had left after closing off her heart.

They were a bit cheeky, but they saw her not as C-rank Awakener Lee Ga-eun, but as streamer Ga-eun.

It was only natural for her to get serious about streaming.

"Yeah, the buildings are so pretty here that they filmed a few dramas."

"I'm not that into hunting. Hard to do with streaming too, y'know~ You guys are all I got, right?"

"You guys..."

Ga-eun's stream vibe was totally different from the cutesy girl cams out there.

The back-and-forth banter, like rowdy girlfriends spilling tea, was her charm point.

"I told you not to do EunGaNu!"

The viewers spammed one of her hated nicknames the moment her mask slipped.

It started after she chewed out a rude Awakener on stream one day—her new moniker from some old famous fighter champ.

But tell viewers not to, and they wanna do it more.

The chat went wild when she reacted.

Ga-eun decided to ignore the cheeky brats and push on with the content.

"Whoa, check out these cherry blossoms. Korea U's walkways are famous for this, right? Let's stroll the whole path today~."

"Argh, seriously, just skim past it. That's not the point. Like, 'Whoa, for real~ Wish I could walk here every day~' That's the vibe! No wonder I can't get a girlfriend... Ugh, forget it."

She clapped back once after constant poking, and a frog croaked dead.

"No, guys, calm down. I'm right here—what's the problem? You're all I got, and now you're saying I'd talk to another girl? Huh?"

Scolding and soothing the viewers like that, Ga-eun kept filming until...

She spotted a kid surrounded by geese.

"Whoa..."

Hair like blooming life itself, and her beauty? Hands down the cutest kid she'd ever seen.

"Guys, there's seriously the prettiest little kid here...!"

Like she'd been hypnotized, she approached. The kid was innocently petting the geese with a bright smile.

"Oops!"

She couldn't interrupt such a scene, but her accidental noise tipped off the kid.

'Might as well ask if I can film and chat a bit.'

"Hi, sis is doing a vlog right now—mind if I film? Oh, kids might not know vlog...?"

The kid glanced at the selfie stick.

"Sure, and I know what it is."

The geese spread their wings and honked, maybe guarding her, but not really threatening.

And she couldn't resist asking.

"Um, if it's okay, can sis pet them too?"

Oh no, she blurted it out.

The kid tilted her head like she'd heard something weird.

"Go ahead."

She happily allowed it.

"Gasp, permission granted, guys!"

With permission, Ga-eun couldn't hold back and placed her hand on those soft, squishy cheeks.

!!

The touch was so heavenly, she forgot she was streaming for a second.

"Whoa, so soft..."

Chewy yet delicate, like it might tear if she wasn't careful.

After savoring the feel, Ga-eun gently pulled her hand away from the cheek.

But she wasn't done.

Next target: the hand. She squished the tiny one gripping the bench.

So much smaller and cuter than hers.

She pressed their hands together for the camera, showing off.

"Guys, her hand is tiny!"

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

"Grrr, can't hold back...!"

She set the camera aside, scooped up the kid, and hugged her tight.

"Eek!"

Startled by suddenly floating, Su-hyeon flailed.

One slipper flew off over the geese.

Honk! Honk!

The pissed geese charged and nipped at Ga-eun, but she ignored them.

Today, she was grateful for her C-rank Awakener body.

Before I knew it, I was sitting on the lap of the streamer who'd introduced herself as Ga-eun, tearing lettuce for the geese.

She'd brought it just for them from the start.

I held out the leafy end, and...

The geese lunged.

"Eek!"

Scared, I pulled back a bit, and they ripped it roughly.

They tugged and shredded the torn bits wildly.

We'd made up earlier, but they were still scary.

Especially their grotesque mouths.

Soon only scraps remained, and they honked for more.

Rinse and repeat: pull out lettuce from the bag, feed.

Ga-eun just sat me on her lap, fiddling with my hair quietly.

The stream showed only me silently handing lettuce to the geese.

Then she spotted something on my head.

'Oh, a leaf in her hair.'

A tiny leaf buried in my hair.

'Blends right in with the color.'

She tugged it to remove it and—

"Aaaah!!"

I yelped in shock, clutching my head and turning to her.

My eyes, wide as marbles, screamed 'Why?!'

Ga-eun froze too, speechless.

She snapped out of it when the chat exploded.

"No, guys, misunderstanding! There was... a leaf on Su-hyeon's head! I didn't pinch or hit her. Why would I hit a kid?! I'm really sorry? Just saw a leaf in her hair, y'know? Sis is sorry, here's a hoo~."

Flailing between excuses and apologies, Ga-eun felt her back go damp with sweat.

When was the last time she'd felt this much dread?

It was the moment a new line got added to the Tree Wiki's 'Streamer Ga-eun Incidents and Accidents' entry.