A Worthy Partner (1)

Arine had several reasons for never touching We Got Married.

The format had taken Naty by storm, creating a massive trend. As one of the platform’s top streamers, there was no logical reason for her to avoid a content style this popular. She had always paid close attention to what viewers wanted. If she’d ignored that, no amount of beauty, perfect figure, or broadcasting talent could have carried her this far. So of course she had spent a long time seriously considering whether she should try We Got Married.

But it turned out to be far more difficult than she expected.

First of all, there simply weren’t many male streamers in her circle. Casual collaborations were one thing, but suggesting a virtual marriage required a level of closeness she didn’t really have with anyone. We Got Married was, at its core, a format that depended on mutual chemistry. It needed at least some genuine rapport or trust to work.

No matter how she looked at it, she couldn’t find a single male streamer around her who gave off that kind of vibe.

Well… even when she did see potential, there were other problems.

…Okay, this might sound a little self-centered, but.

The single biggest obstacle stopping Arine from doing We Got Married was this:

She knew it. She knew this worry might be completely pointless. To outsiders it probably sounded like, Who does this woman think she is? Does she actually believe she’s a princess? She was aware it came across as arrogant.

But Arine had lived through far too many experiences like this to simply laugh it off.

Back in school, boys would fall for her after nothing more than a few kind words. During ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her idol trainee days, guys from the same agency confessed without her ever speaking to them first. Even during the part-time jobs she worked after giving up on becoming an idol, it was the same story.

Her entire life had been surrounded by men’s affection.

It made sense. Her face and the figure she had sculpted during her idol training were enough to captivate any man. They were attractive enough to earn admiration from other women, too.

Arine was painfully aware that her stunning appearance played a massive role in her broadcasting success. In ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the modern world, beauty was both a powerful authority and a weapon.

All she had done was speak a few polite words like any decent person would. She had simply listened when someone said they had something on their mind and responded appropriately. Yet that alone was enough for them to develop feelings for her.

Because that was how most of the men in her life had behaved, she couldn’t bring herself to casually agree to We Got Married.

After all, the format required pretending to be in a romantic relationship. If her partner ended up liking her for real over something so trivial… wasn’t the probability of that happening way too high?

Even in passing collaborations, plenty of male streamers had shown subtle interest in her. And she had blocked quite a few who slid into ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her DMs afterward. So the concern wasn’t exactly baseless.

…Besides, once real feelings entered the picture, We Got Married was doomed.

From a professional streamer’s perspective, that was simply the natural outcome. The format worked because both sides knew it was acting. That shared understanding let them have fun while keeping clear boundaries, creating entertaining content. Viewers could relax and enjoy it too, knowing it was all scripted.

But the moment one side developed real feelings, the content lost all value. The person without feelings would only feel burdened by the other’s one-sided affection.

There had already been several high-profile cases on Naty where We Got Married collapsed because only one person caught real feelings. In those situations, it didn’t just ruin the virtual marriage content—it damaged both streamers’ entire channels.

To Arine, We Got Married was a double-edged sword. Fun, but an enormous bomb that could explode the moment real emotions got involved.

That was why, as someone who valued stability, she had been unable to make the decision lightly. While she hesitated, all the other major streamers around her had already started their own virtual marriages.

…And that was how she had ended up here.

“Of course We Got Married is the most buzzworthy option, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other formats with demand. For example—”

When she fell silent, lost in thought, the Naty team seemed to interpret it as rejection. They quickly changed direction and began suggesting alternative content ideas.

The looks in their eyes said they hadn’t really expected her to agree anyway. It was a little annoying, but she couldn’t exactly blame them. From a business perspective, it must have been incredibly frustrating to watch her circle around an item that was guaranteed to sell like crazy the moment she put it on the shelf.

Yeah. She couldn’t keep putting this off forever.

It was content she would have to do eventually. No matter the profession, streamers couldn’t survive by only doing what they wanted. For the sake of her live viewers and the Naty team, she needed to do We Got Married.

The format’s golden period was slowly coming to an end. It was still performing strongly enough to be considered a view-count machine, but there was no guarantee it would stay that way in a few months. There was no assurance it would maintain the same explosive power it had now.

If she was going to do it, sooner was better.

And above all else, she would be the one who benefited most from doing We Got Married. She knew exactly how massive the reaction was when a top-tier streamer took on popular content.

She didn’t have any concrete plans yet, but somehow it would work out. With that thought, she threw out an empty promise.

“All right. I’ll accept the Naty team’s suggestion and try to start We Got Married as soon as possible.”

The Naty team reacted with surprised delight. Every single team member looked at her with eyes that seemed to say, As expected of Arine.

Feeling their gazes, she nodded to herself. Yes, this was the right choice.

“Ughhh… So I went and declared I’d do it, but…”

Back home after the meeting, Arine buried her face in her bed.

To be honest, she couldn’t deny feeling a twinge of regret. She had gotten swept up in the atmosphere and, as the face of the company, had confidently announced she would do We Got Married. But the truth was she had zero plan.

She could come up with We Got Married content ideas easily enough. A few reference videos and a brainstorming session would be all it took. It was just a matter of doing whatever got the best viewer reaction.

The real problem was finding a partner.

There still wasn’t a single suitable candidate among the people around her. No matter how boldly she had promised, a perfect partner wasn’t going to fall out of the sky just because she needed one.

…But going back now and saying she couldn’t do it was out of the question.

She had already made such a confident declaration. As the company’s top star, she had her pride. At the very least, Arine refused to do anything that would bruise her self-respect.

It would be better to somehow find a partner and create an opening.

“Who are the male streamers around me who could do We Got Married… Let’s exclude everyone who’s already doing it… No, that guy’s a bit… And that other one is even worse…”

No matter how hard she racked her brain, she couldn’t picture it. Someone who would be fun to watch on stream, but would never develop real feelings for her. Ideally, someone her male viewers could watch while thinking, There’s no way those two would actually date. That would be perfect.

…Did someone like that even exist?

She rolled around on her queen-sized bed, clutching her hair in frustration, before finally sitting up and moving to her computer. Not the one she used for streaming—the personal PC in her room. She deliberately kept her work studio and private space separate, which was why she streamed from a dedicated studio.

“At times like this, it’s better to talk to someone instead of agonizing alone, right…?”

Even if the other person wasn’t particularly insightful, just talking things through often let her unconsciously absorb a different perspective. Many times that had helped her find a breakthrough when she felt completely stuck.

She opened Discord and scrolled through her contacts—people in the industry she was personally close with.

The name of her unnie, glowing with a green online status, caught her eye.

“Right. Today was Lemia’s day off, wasn’t it?”

Lemia was a major streamer under the same MCN as Arine. Until recently she had been a mid-tier streamer maintaining around a thousand average viewers, but after luckily pairing up with a top male streamer for We Got Married, her numbers had skyrocketed and she had entered the major league.

They had always been friendly, and since Lemia had already done We Got Married, she would probably have better insight than Arine. With that in mind, she sent a message.

A moment later, a notification pinged and a reply appeared.

The very streamer-like tone and description of her day-off activities made Arine let out an amused chuckle.

Her unnie really never changed.

With that, Arine dialed Lemia’s number. After a few rings, Lemia’s voice came through.

“Unnie~ It’s been a while. Is this the first time we’ve talked since that last collab?”

“No, no. You know that’s not true, unnie. I just don’t want to bother you when you’re busy. If you say it like that, I’ll get my feelings hurt.”

“Sorry to disappoint, but you’re the one who got a boyfriend. And a very famous one at that.”

After exchanging a few of the playful jabs typical among streamers, Arine explained her situation—how she had boldly declared to the team that she would do We Got Married, how she currently had no plan, and how she didn’t have any suitable partners.

“Yeah… exactly. I have no idea what to do.”

“Pretty much. There aren’t any top-tier guys who aren’t already doing We Got Married.”

“It wouldn’t be completely meaningless, but the impact wouldn’t be huge. That’s why I’m thinking of it purely as content. The collab boost would be pretty minor.”

There were almost no streamers above Arine’s level, and doing We Got Married with them would have been difficult anyway. So like Lemia said, she probably wouldn’t get much benefit from a collaboration boost. She would just have to draw attention through the entertainment value of the We Got Married content itself.

Lemia let out a thoughtful hum before speaking carefully.

“Yeah? What is it? I called you because I just wanted to hear opinions anyway, so just say whatever’s on your mind.”

…A hako streamer?

Completely caught off guard by Lemia’s suggestion, Arine tilted her head in confusion.