Aftermath at Gwiam Reservoir (2)
"Phew... You sure you're okay?"
My mother, Mrs. Park Mi-young, finally looked at me with worry in her eyes after smacking my back three or four times.
I wanted to say she should've started with the worrying instead of the hitting, but I decided to skip the unnecessary words. She was worried, after all, and she hadn't hit me that hard.
I scratched the back of my head awkwardly and replied.
"Yeah, sorry for making you worry."
"That's why I said not to go to places like that and make your mom and dad worry! It was already way past 10 p.m., and I was going crazy wondering where you were and what you were doing. It was so late! Then suddenly the police called... I nearly passed out!"
Her anger flaring up again, Mom raised her hand to smack my back once more, but my father, Mr. Baek Young-hoon, hurried over and stopped her.
"Seorin's mom, calm down."
"But honey! You were worried about her too!"
"Of course I was. But Seorin's mom, you're really worked up right now. Remember? We promised not to pressure Seorin like we used to."
Mom flinched, realizing what she'd just done. She bowed her head, mumbling awkwardly before apologizing in a small voice.
"...Sorry, Seorin."
"Ah, no. I didn't mind."
"Thanks for saying that."
The mood turned awkward. Mom clamped her mouth shut like she had nothing more to say, Dad wasn't the talkative type to begin with, and I wasn't great with words either. I had no idea how to break the silence.
That's when it happened.
"...Huh? What happened?"
My little brother, Baek Seojun, arrived and shattered the suffocating quiet.
"N-nothing. Did you get the coffee okay?"
"Yeah. Mom, café latte. Dad, iced Americano. Sis, caramel macchiato like always, right?"
Seojun lifted the coffee boxes in both hands. The family each grabbed their favorites from the boxes, got in the car—parents up front, me and Seojun in the back—and started sipping.
I buckled my seatbelt, stuck the straw in my caramel macchiato, and took a sip. The complex, heavy sweetness of the caramel filled my mouth, different from plain sugar water. It clung thickly to my tongue, but that lingering richness was exactly what I liked.
I was savoring the sugary bliss when Seojun suddenly leaned toward me slyly.
"Sis."
"What?"
"Heard you and your friend went viral yesterday?"
"...What're you talking about?"
"Check this out."
Seojun fiddled with his phone screen a few times and showed me something.
I'm the gallery user who watched Mirinae's punishment stream exploring that abandoned kindergarten before. After that blew up, tons of bosses donated, so we got a ghost-hunting stream... anyway, exploration stream. I posted a notice about the date and time, waited eagerly, and boom, it started.
But get this, they went to Gwiam Reservoir. Everyone in the gallery knows it, right? For anyone not into horror streams, super quick rundown:
There's this MBC variety show called Ghost Story Talk Show. Guests read viewer-submitted stories, and the one with the best panel rating wins 440,000 won prize money, plus bonuses for higher scores. Super famous among horror fans.
Gwiam Reservoir used to be a hidden occult spot known only to insiders. Then they featured a story about it on the show, and it shot to fame as Korea's top haunted site over Gonjimo Mental Hospital (which got demolished anyway).
After that, tons of horror streamers flocked there. What happened to them? Nothing. Some said it was creepy, but they're all still streaming fine. One even spent the night and came back unscathed. Another broadcasted from inside the reservoir, zero issues.
So Mirinae filming at Gwiam Reservoir? I thought it was fine. Other viewers yelled to run 'cause it's dangerous, but c'mon, that's not sincere lol. For a horror stream, you gotta go hard before the hype dies lol.
Wish I could smash my own head for thinking that. Something insane happened. I still can't believe if what I saw was real. It felt like watching a horror movie starring a streamer. No spoilers, but if Mirinae uploads the exorcism footage, WATCH IT. Seriously. You'll regret missing it. Legendary stream.
As expected from the Streamer Gallery, most posts were about the streamer Mirinae. Seorin popped up here and there too.
And anyone scrolling through the flood of posts would naturally think the same thing:
Mirinae's stream is totally screwed.
That was my exact reaction to reading the gallery.
"What is this."
"? That's it?"
"What? Should I say more?"
Seojun pulled back his phone with a 'that's not it?' look.
"Just thought you might be into streaming or something..."
"...Why would you think that?"
"C'mon, it's weird. Based on what I've seen so far. Sis, you got any hobbies? It was always study, study, study."
"So?"
"Someone who only studied suddenly doing internet broadcasts with a friend... Means you're at least a bit interested in streaming, right?"
This kid was totally off-base. His logic sounded plausible.
But he'd overlooked one key possibility.
Namely—
"I just went to help a friend."
—that I cherish my friends like crazy!
"Liar!"
"What now."
"A cold-blooded type like you, gloomy and utterly inhuman, having feelings like friendship...? No way!"
"Wanna die?"
I wanted to punish this brat insulting his own sister right then, but our parents were nearby, so I held back.
"More importantly, sis, got a favor to ask."
"No."
"Argh, c'mon! Sis! Please, your one and only little bro's begging!"
"...Sigh, fine. What is it?"
I had zero intention of granting this cocky kid's request, but he was pleading so desperately that I agreed to at least hear him out.
"Introduce me to your streamer friend, Mirinae."
"I'll kill you."
How dare he eye my friend! Even if he's my brother, anyone touching Ha-eun dies!!
"W-wait! N-no, not like that! Not as a girlfriend candidate!"
"...Then why?"
"Well..."
Seojun fidgeted with his fingers, blushing embarrassingly—annoyingly, and muttered softly.
"I'm thinking... maybe I wanna try being a streamer too."
"......................Huh?"