The Life of a Hako Streamer (2)
"You can't just keep standing there forever, so come sit down."
"Ah, yeah."
Doyun acted as if the question Arine had asked moments ago was no big deal. He walked over to the desk with a casual air and called her over. Then he grabbed a dining chair from one side of the room, set it beside him, and started preparing everything on his own with quick efficiency.
She positioned the camera on Doyun's broadcasting desk so it would frame both of them nicely. In response, Doyun slid the computer chair toward her.
"I told you to sit. Why are you still standing?"
"You want me to sit here? Isn't this your chair?"
"I don't have any spare chairs, and it feels weird to make a guest sit on the dining one."
Doyun scratched his head with an awkward smile. Without hesitation he offered her his own chair—the old one that still had decent cushioning and looked comfortably worn-in. If she took it, he'd probably end up perched on that hard dining chair for hours of streaming. She appreciated his warm thoughtfulness, but she wanted to refuse. She had come straight from work too, but it couldn't have been as exhausting as what he'd just finished. Not compared to Doyun, who'd been doing physical labor until right before she arrived.
"No thanks. I don't really like cushioned chairs anyway. You take it, Doyun."
"What are you talking about? The chair you usually use has way more padding than this one."
"Aish, I'm telling you it's fine~ Just sit down already. Stop nitpicking!"
When Arine tried to physically push him into the computer chair, Doyun stood his ground. Her slender arms—worn thin from a schedule that left no room for exercise—couldn't move him an inch. In the end he planted himself on the dining chair and refused to budge.
"Haa, you're so stubborn. Fine, whatever."
"If you sit in that chair and stream, I won't be able to focus at all today. So just sit while I'm still asking nicely."
"...All right. I'll sit. Happy now?"
She was always on the receiving end of consideration. At times like this, she wanted to be the one taking care of him for once. Yet even in this moment she was still being looked after by Doyun. If she kept arguing it would only turn into an exhausting standoff, so Arine relented first.
The old wooden window rattled noisily, shaken by the wind outside. She hadn't noticed when she first stepped in, but the room was far colder than she'd expected. She knew semi-basement units got hot in summer and cold in winter, but this felt extreme. The temperature difference from outdoors was almost nonexistent. Even bundled in thick late-winter layers, Arine could feel the chill in her bones.
And the floor. The boiler was supposedly running, sending faint heat upward, yet when she set her feet down the sensation was cool rather than warm. Startled, she instinctively lifted them and curled inward. Doyun, who had been watching, rose from his seat.
"Is the room a bit cold? Hang on. I picked up some blankets on my way home."
He pulled two blankets with cute patterns from the paper bag on the table. One was large enough to drape over the body; the other was slightly smaller. He wrapped the fluffy oversized one around Arine and spread the smaller one beneath her feet.
Kneeling to arrange the blanket under her soles, Doyun explained, "It's like this even with the boiler on. On days this cold the whole thing just gives up. The floor wiring's messed up, so it stays chilly down there."
"Ah... so that's why..."
"I've called a repairman a few times, but they say it can't be fixed without replacing the entire boiler. The landlady keeps saying she'll do it but always puts it off. Sorry about that."
"It's not your fault. Why are you apologizing?"
"Still, streaming in a place like this would be tougher on you than me. You usually have proper setup and everything."
Doyun smiled as if it were nothing. Had he simply grown used to it? After spending so many days here, if he hadn't adapted he probably couldn't have lived in this house at all. For some reason Arine's own life suddenly felt almost embarrassingly luxurious by comparison.
The studio she used had humidifiers, dehumidifiers, air purifiers, and temperature controls all fine-tuned to her exact preferences. She had taken those things for granted, assuming a good broadcasting environment naturally led to good content. The comforts she considered ordinary were anything but ordinary for Doyun.
The computer and monitor were already on for the stream. Cables and equipment that had never been properly organized by a professional cluttered the space. Capture card, audio interface, a cheap webcam, the microphone, keyboard, and mouse he used—none of it looked like quality gear.
Has Oppa really been streaming in an environment like this all along?
There had been a time when she herself streamed under similar conditions, but that was quite a while ago. Honestly, the memories of the discomfort had faded. Without soundproofing, the noise of passing cars leaked through the window; the microphone would definitely pick it up. The camera angle couldn't even be adjusted freely. No proper lighting, so the screen stayed dark. It lacked even the basic requirements for a cam streamer.
What stood out most of all was Doyun's microphone. It didn't have a pop filter, let alone the shock mount he had gifted her. Which meant that while broadcasting in this terrible setup, scraping together every won he could, he had bought her that expensive equipment.
He had given her high-end gear that even she hesitated to use because of the price. The realization left Arine feeling not just touched, but faintly guilty.
What exactly have I been accepting from someone like him?
What must he have been thinking when he sent that package? What words had he written on the sticky note, and with what feelings? The thought pricked at her heart like a needle, and her eyes began to sting.
Even now, he was giving both of the blankets he'd bought to her. If Arine hadn't come over, he probably wouldn't have bought them at all. He would have simply streamed as usual in this chilly little room, the way he always did.
She had known his environment was bad. But knowing it in her head and actually experiencing it were two entirely different things.
If I'd known it was this bad, I would have brought more things for him.
A wave of belated regret washed over her.
"There. It should feel warmer now. If you're still cold, just say so. I'll go buy hot drinks or hand warmers or whatever you need."
"...Aren't you going to use any of this, Oppa?"
"Me? I'm fine. I'm used to it, so it doesn't feel that cold."
Only now looking somewhat relieved, he smiled brightly and squeezed himself into the uncomfortable dining chair. She watched him.
He really was kind. No matter how you looked at it, his heart was too good.
Seeing him like that stirred a complicated mix of emotions inside Arine—pity and sympathy for him, shame at herself, and a quiet anger.
Why does he worry so much about everyone else while neglecting himself like this?
As if he deserved to be treated that way. As if this was simply what he was used to. Arine didn't like it. Why did it bother her so much? If he were a complete stranger, how he lived wouldn't matter. Did that mean Doyun had already stopped being someone unrelated to her? Had he become someone precious?
So instead of letting the faint anger simmering inside her come out as irritation, she expressed it in a different way.
"Doyun."
"Yeah?"
"Let's share this. You're cold too, aren't you?"
"What? No, I'm actually hot right now."
"What kind of hot person bundles up in long sleeves like that? Stop talking nonsense and pull your chair closer."
If she could, she would have gone out and bought him the warmest microfiber blanket available. But they were about to start streaming. This was the most practical solution for now. That's all it was. It wasn't because she had any selfish desire to share a blanket with him or sit shoulder to shoulder. Definitely not.
When she spoke with firm determination, Doyun was the one who looked surprised. He glanced at her cautiously.
"...Are you mad?"
"No. I'm not mad."
"Then why are you being so... Never mind."
"But if you keep being stubborn and don't bring the chair over, I might get mad."
"Okay. I'm coming."
In the end, unable to withstand Arine's insistence, Doyun reluctantly dragged the dining chair closer. She spread the floor blanket out longer so his feet could rest on it too, then wrapped the large blanket around both of them from behind.
The test transmission screen appeared before the actual broadcast began. On the low-quality camera with no lighting, it showed the two of them sitting shoulder to shoulder beneath a single blanket. Her own face looked less flattering than usual, but she didn't mention it. What bothered her more was Doyun's expression as he sat right beside her. His face was stiff with tension.
"What's wrong? Why are you so frozen? Are you nervous?"
"W-what are you talking about? Do I look like you? You think I'm some shy guy who gets nervous just from sharing a blanket?"
"Pfft. Oh, really? If you say so. Still, the viewers are going to love this when we start the stream, don't you think?"
Pretending to consider the streaming angle, she studied their image on the low-quality cam. And inside she thought that Doyun looking nervous just from sharing one blanket was kind of cute.