The Reluctant Guest

Why on earth would someone like her do this? How did things end up this way?

I’m a shut-in by nature, so my daily life barely changes. That’s why the part of streaming I struggle with the most is small talk. Whenever I need to say something, I end up dumping everything that happened that day. I’m not good at talking to begin with—if I didn’t do that, the stream would just be dead silence.

But the result? I ended up having to go outside.

According to Tyuni, simply accepting the invitation to “You Can Become This Too” wasn’t the problem. The real issue was announcing it to everyone without giving any official response. Depending on how things went, it could spark a fanbase war. When I first brought it up, one of the most common questions in chat was, “Did you officially decline?”

Anyway, I ended up having to leave the house. Of course, I go out regularly to throw away the trash, so stepping outside isn’t exactly a huge event. But going out to meet someone… that was the first time since returning to Earth.

I did go to Bora’s house for her birthday, but that was still inside the apartment building, so it felt completely different. Going to the convenience store or walking to the chicken place to save on delivery fees felt different too.

And if I had to summarize how I feel right now… I really, really didn’t want to go.

Having to meet someone I’ve never seen before and never spoken to privately? No matter how much I messed up, this felt way too harsh.

But that’s what taking responsibility means.

…Yeah. That’s right. Even if I didn’t know, it was still something I started. Hadn’t I learned from Iia what taking responsibility really meant?

“Haa…”

Still, I couldn’t help letting out a sigh. Of course, from what I’d heard, it wasn’t all bad. But if you asked whether those good points were actually things I needed… no matter how I thought about it, they weren’t.

First. The filming location was a gym run by the “Health Project” channel, so guests who appeared could use the facilities for free afterward. But once today’s stream was over, I’d never go back, so it was pointless.

Second. The concept of “You Can Become This Too” involved giving the invited female streamer a quick physical assessment and teaching exercises suited to her condition. But thanks to Iia’s blessing that still lingered in my body, I was always in peak condition. I didn’t need to exercise at all.

Third. Just appearing on the show supposedly boosted the streamer’s and the OnTube channel’s viewership. This was the only one I could admit was pretty good. But thanks to Lebung and the believers, I wasn’t exactly short on money. If anything, I had more than enough. That’s why I could afford to spend on all sorts of things.

In other words, more viewers would definitely be nice, but it wasn’t important enough to force me to go outside.

There was almost nothing I couldn’t get… so why did I have to leave the house…?

But no amount of complaining would change anything, so in the end I put on my clothes and stepped out.

The filming location wasn’t too far or too close. A quick internet search said about thirty minutes by subway, or twenty by taxi. And when Harum heard that, she offered to send an employee. I was grateful—if she hadn’t, I would’ve had to take a taxi.

When I checked the guest code for this episode, the employee who’d come to pick me up had already arrived and was waiting at a café. I felt a little bad, but showing up twenty minutes early wasn’t my fault no matter how you looked at it.

After confirming the café’s location, I started walking slowly. About five minutes later, I arrived at the café where the employee was waiting.

“So you actually pulled it off.”

“I-I practiced a lot…”

“Did you really need to go that far?”

“It was kind of a dream of mine. …It’s delicious. Hehe…”

“That’s good. They said they’re waiting at the station ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠over there, right?”

“Yeah. We’re a little late—should we run…?”

“We wouldn’t be late if someone hadn’t stuttered while ordering~.”

“Th-that’s not fair…!”

The café door opened and two Japanese women holding drinks stepped out. Were they here on a trip to Korea? I didn’t get a good look at their faces, but even a glance told me they were beautiful girls. They’d definitely draw eyes in a completely different way than I did.

…I shouldn’t have thought about that. It’s annoying.

I swallowed the urge to run straight home and throw myself onto my bed, then peeked inside the café through the open door. It was packed. Almost no empty seats. And since I didn’t have the courage to walk in there, I quietly took out my phone.

“She should be arriving soon, right?”

“Yes. She left the Miss Code studio twenty minutes ago… so she’ll probably be here within five minutes.”

Hearing Seong-hyun’s words, Harum began lightly stretching. Of course she’d stretch again with today’s guest Lene once filming started, but warming up in advance like this was part of her routine.

[5th floor.]

Then the elevator’s announcement sounded from beyond the door. Normally it would mean a member had arrived to work out, but when filming content like this, even member access was banned just in case. In other words, the person arriving now was today’s guest, Lene.

“Boss, I’m back.”

The person who stepped out when the elevator doors opened was Seo-hye, who had gone to pick up Lene. And following behind her was a woman.

She was taller than Seo-hye. About the same height as Harum. She wore a hat pulled low and sunglasses that hid her eyes, so her face wasn’t clearly visible. But no matter how deeply she wore the hat, it couldn’t completely hide the silver-white hair that flowed all the way down to her hips. On top of that, she wore a simple but stylish combination of a white shirt and jeans.

…But Lene herself was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠anything but ordinary.

‘Holy crap.’

In truth, Harum had been quite worried when she invited Lene this time. There had been zero evidence to guess what the real-life Lene was like. The only connection seemed to be the streamer Tyuni, so she had reached out, but—

“Ah…. I’m sorry. Of course I’ve met Lene a few times. But even though you’re about to meet her in person, Harum, it feels wrong to talk about things she doesn’t want to reveal…”

Because of that, she hadn’t been able to learn anything. In internet broadcasting, appearance was a weapon. And for female streamers, it was an even bigger one. So if a female streamer was hiding her looks this thoroughly, it was natural to wonder if something was wrong.

But at least when it came to her figure, Lene had zero problems. If anything, she was perfect. Even in a tight-fitting white shirt and jeans, there wasn’t a single trace of excess fat. Yet she still overflowed with feminine charm. It was almost enviable.

‘…Why would someone like her—?’

That made it even harder for Harum to understand. A body like that wasn’t ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠just genetic—it required constant training to maintain. Which meant she must have worked hard for a long time to keep it. So why was she hiding it? What was she so afraid of that she was trembling just a little?

Any normal woman would have no choice but to be confident.

‘She said she used to live abroad… Maybe something happened to her there?’

“Please wait here for a moment, Miss Lene.”

“…Yes.”

Seo-hye approached Harum, who was still swallowing her questions, and whispered in a voice quiet enough that no one else could hear.

“Boss. She’s seriously amazing.”

“When I was driving earlier, I made a mistake and Miss Lene’s hat and sunglasses fell on the floor, you know?”

“…A mistake? What kind of mistake?”

“Ugh, I just had to brake suddenly. Some crazy idiot cut in front of me right when the light changed…”

“What? Are you okay? You’re not hurt, right?”

“I’m fine. You know me—professional driver Kang Seo-hye. Of course I’m perfectly fine. Miss Lene was wearing her seatbelt so she was completely okay too.”

“That’s a relief. …So? What’s so amazing?”

“Miss Lene… is seriously beautiful.”

Seo-hye gave a thumbs-up.

“So beautiful that it’s a shame we agreed not to show her face ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on camera. For real.”

Seriously, why is she hiding?

After muttering that last part, Seo-hye went back to Lene.

“Miss Lene. You brought a change of clothes, right?”

“…Yes. Is the white shirt okay?”

“Ah, yes. If you don’t feel uncomfortable in it, that’s fine. Then please go change in the women’s locker room over there. Also, since today’s focus is exercise, you’ll need to take off the hat and sunglasses…”

“…Yes.”

After that, Lene headed to the locker room as instructed. When she came back out after changing—

“Wow…”

Harum immediately understood exactly what Seo-hye had meant.