Chapter 6

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 6

Chapter Title: Dryad in the Sunlight

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Su-hyeon, who had been lounging around the house, fell deep into thought.

Traces of her enthusiastic feasting—bread crumbs and cream—still clung to the corners of her mouth.

With her adorable eyebrows furrowed in what she considered a serious expression, she checked her bank account on her phone and let out a massive sigh.

She still had some buffer, but rent was coming due soon.

She needed to make money, but going out sounded like such a hassle.

And with this current body, finding a job was out of the question.

Normally, when her funds ran dry, she'd head to the Coupang warehouse.

Working night shifts sorting packages or in the freezer wasn't too grueling, plus she got night differentials.

Best of all, it paid daily, so she could work one day and chill for a whole week.

The absolute best would be earning money without working, but sadly, that was impossible.

Of course, if push came to shove, Grandmother would send money without a peep...

But that just felt wrong.

She hated the hassle, not that she lacked shame.

Then, she suddenly remembered the streamer she'd met at school a few days ago. Ga-eun, was it?

Streaming...?

She opened NewTube and searched for Ga-eun.

280,000 subscribers.

Ga-eun had said streaming was her main gig, but her NewTube channel was thriving too.

Maybe I could give it a shot...?

Su-hyeon switched her phone to selfie mode.

The moment the camera activated, the screen filled with the face of a cute girl with light green hair.

This was the first time she'd properly looked at her face since that initial day.

"Hmm..."

Cute.

Even frowning was cute, and puffing out her cheeks like a blowfish with one hand? Adorably so.

She looked too young to pass as a woman, but surely this form had way more appeal than her old burly guy body?

But what do I even do on a stream?

Browsing Ga-eun's channel revealed a ton of content: games, food tours, singing, fashion, and more popping up everywhere.

She's incredible...

Su-hyeon's enthusiasm deflated a bit.

Impossible for a slacker like her.

But I could probably do this.

Content where she did absolutely nothing—just read viewer chats and donations, reacting to them.

It even looked like chatting with close friends.

Not that she remembered the last time she'd talked to a friend.

She wiped the snack remnants from her mouth and used the momentum from her legs to sit upright.

Since the idea had popped up, time to try it.

She was streaming now.

Half-sprawled over the living box she used as a desk, doing precisely nothing—but hey.

Worried about just sitting there idle on stream?

No one's watching, so what choice did she have?

Talking or performing solo? Perfect recipe for going nuts.

She didn't even know what to talk about anyway...

A short title: Let's Communicate!

And a thumbnail of a disappointed-looking little girl.

One cheek squished, her expression a mix of boredom and poutiness.

No one would guess she was the same person who'd been grinning wickedly just moments ago, fantasizing about easy passive income.

Yet she'd meticulously set up every single donation-related feature without fail.

Truly an audacious mindset.

"This isn't working out like I thought..."

With a heavy sigh, she considered calling it quits, but decided to give it just a bit longer.

Because watching Ga-eun banter joyfully with her viewers had looked genuinely fun.

Laughing, getting mad, trading playful jabs—they seemed like real friends.

For someone like her with no long-time buddies, it was enviable.

Every new school year, no familiar faces, quietly drifting on the fringes until she became an adult.

The title was even ripped straight from Ga-eun's comms stream.

A little longer, maybe.

She dragged over the cheap chair she used for the computer and plopped it on the balcony.

Then mounted her phone on a stand a short distance away.

Far enough for the entire chair to fit in frame.

Her child-sized body came with sharper eyes too—text was crystal clear.

(She knew from the title in the top left, anyway.)

Leaving the phone be, she headed to the sink—er, kitchen—to fetch some tap water.

Figuring a cold drink might ease her frustration.

The house's lone multipurpose plastic cup.

She took a sip and returned to the balcony, checking her phone on a whim.

Still zero viewers.

No entry/exit pings either—the log was spotless.

She decided to sit in the chair, soak up some sun, and wait.

Slurp.

Another sip, and she glanced out the window—the sun was already slowly setting.

It was habit.

Since childhood, Grandmother had dragged her outside if she holed up in her room, forcing sunlight on her.

Along with lectures about how it was key to healthy growth.

Maybe because of that—when she felt down or lonely, she craved the sun.

Today, more than ever.

Gazing at the reddening sky,

A sip, then two from the cup.

She stared vacantly at the heavens for ages until... nod, nod.

Clutching the plastic cup tightly, she drifted off to sleep.

3 hours and 40 minutes into the stream.

A deep-sea explorer stumbled upon Su-hyeon's stream late, but the host who might've answered was long asleep.

No-commu commu room.

But he didn't leave, just quietly watched the stream.

A cute girl half-reclined in the chair, asleep like a doll.

Her vibrant green hair, full of life's mystery, paired with the oversized white tee that resembled a pristine dress.

A combined with the afternoon sunlight created a poetic atmosphere impossible to look away from.

He felt that rare sense of healing.

And that's when it started.

Viewers trickling in one by one.

Over 20 viewers before she knew it.

The light green-haired girl sleeping soundly, the sunset, occasional evening birdsong—it formed a peaceful, mystical scene.

Seeing the motionless child, the chat started buzzing among themselves.

Mostly reactions like "cute" or "healing."

A few creepy or shady chats popped up, but they got zero attention.

The battle-hardened deep-sea divers were used to it, and veteran viewers were pros at ignoring low-effort bait.

*Ching!*

Coin sound, followed by an on-screen message.

The viewers started teasing the transparently greedy cutie, cracking up.

*Ching!*

Before long, the stream turned into a contest to wake the girl with donation chimes.

Fanfare! Ba-ba-bam!

As they grew numb to the chimes, a surprise trumpet blast.

The fanfare for 10,000-won-plus mega-donations jolted Su-hyeon awake with a start.

The viewers, thrilled at their host finally stirring, grew excited for the comms to come.

Who was she? What was she doing? How old? Questions loaded.

But Su-hyeon's next actions left them all dumbfounded.

In a half-daze, she crawled down from the chair, rubbed her eyes blearily as she approached, and dismissed the donation.

Then, with a satisfied look, she clambered back up and promptly fell asleep again.

In an even comfier position this time.

Thankfully, the girl roused again about half an hour later as the sunset faded.

'I ended up sleeping over four hours without realizing...'

Viewers had swelled past 30 in the meantime.

"Ah."

Su-hyeon was a little startled—and embarrassed—that over 30 people had watched her sprawl out asleep.

'Passed out in front of all these people?'

"U-um, hello, everyone."

They'd come anyway, so she greeted them.

"...Well, it's night now, so I'll turn it off."

Bye-bye.

Su-hyeon wiggled her tiny palm side to side.

The viewers, faces lighting up at long last—finally!—comms! But her words left them all baffled.

And then the screen actually went dark.

Promising little money grubber sprout Su-hyeon checked her earnings the instant she ended the stream.

'Not as much as I hoped.'

Disappointed by the meager haul,

And doubly so realizing she couldn't withdraw right away.

'Gotta apply separately for payout? Makes sense with account setup... But why'd donations turn off?'

She puzzled over the disabled donations.

'Must be a time limit.'

A total NewTube newbie who'd only ever gamed, Su-hyeon shrugged it off.

"What about dinner... Hmm?"

Gazing at the darkening sky while pondering sustenance, she sensed something off.

Hours past mealtime, yet bizarrely, no hunger at all.

From the nap?

But this fullness felt... excessive.

Rubbing her belly questioningly, Su-hyeon shrugged and decided good was good.

Afterward, posts venting about the injustice of getting "scammed" by the sleep-streaming girl—complete with screenshots—popped up on community sites, but Su-hyeon had no way of knowing.