The File's Secret

The first meeting between Kim Juwon and Kim Yeonhee had never been particularly romantic. "Uh, hey... You're Yeonhee, right?" "Yes." It was a simple blind date arranged through a mutual acquaintance. Yeonhee, who owed that acquaintance a favor, had simply accepted the request. Their first encounter was nothing special, yet something about Kim Juwon struck her as unusual. "Ah, I'll pay." "You don't have to, we can just split it..." "I want to. It's nothing big, so let me show off a little."

At first, she hadn't thought much of it. There was no such thing as kindness without reason, and even if there were, it always came with a price tag eventually. This man would surely be the same. If the cost was reasonable, she would continue the relationship. If not, she would simply cut it off. That had always been the nature of Yeonhee's human connections—nothing special, nothing strange. At least, that was what she had believed. The timing, however, could not have been worse.

"Hey, Yeonhee... would you..." Back then, Yeonhee had been lonely, adrift in a time when she had nowhere to rest her heart. Kim Juwon's presence—someone who acted as though he would give her everything yet claimed to want nothing in return—had been like a single ray of light. Normally she would have seen through the artificial glow, but her loneliness had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠been too vast, so she deliberately looked away from the dissonance. Foolishly, she had convinced herself that lovers could exchange pure kindness and affection. Even though she herself had never truly loved Kim Juwon.

"Want to catch a movie next weekend? I'll book the tickets." "This time I'll pay. You covered everything last time." "Come on, why keep score between lovers?" In hindsight, it had been a relationship doomed from the start, yet for that brief period it had felt genuinely happy. Perhaps she had known the price of turning away from the truth and simply pretended not to see it. On the surface everything seemed fine, so Yeonhee forced herself to ignore the growing cracks. "Hey, Yeonhee... could you appear on my stream just once?" Those cracks had continued widening until they finally filled her entire view.

At first she hadn't thought anything of it. Just as he had treated her with pure kindness, she would help with his stream out of pure kindness. "Eh? Who even does that? My boyfriend isn't like that. Probably...?" "Ugh." -Your girlfriend's hilarious lol-Senbing, you're seriously blessed-Treat your girlfriend right, man "Haha, of course." Yeonhee discovered, to her surprise, that she had a natural talent for broadcasting. Because she viewed all relationships as transactions of equal value, she could easily read what viewers wanted. Appearing only with her voice and hands, never showing her face, had been simple enough. She hadn't realized it at the time, but after her first appearance, Kim Juwon's stream had begun to grow noticeably.

Perhaps that was why his gaze toward her had started to change. "Hey, Yeonhee... maybe today..." Before long, their dates had shifted locations. What had once been cafés, theaters, and amusement parks gradually became his soundproof booth at home. To an outsider it might have looked like the relationship had simply progressed, but...

"Ah~ Thanks so much, Yeonhee. The viewers keep asking for you. I promised them you'd appear this time." Who knew how the person actually involved truly felt? "You should at least discuss that kind of thing with me first. What if you just decide without saying anything?" "Come on, why are you like this all of a sudden? Sorry, sorry. I'll definitely tell you next time." "...Fine." "By the way, just out of curiosity—have you ever thought about starting your own stream?" "What?"

It hadn't taken long for Yeonhee to realize that Kim Juwon was nothing special. Six weeks into dating—barely a month—she understood he was no different from anyone else. Once she accepted that the pure kindness she had longed for did not exist even between lovers, her thoughts had cleared with surprising ease. So I've been chasing something that doesn't exist in this world. Once Kim Juwon learned how well Yeonhee performed on stream, he used her without hesitation. She, in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠turn, began broadcasting under the new name Yeoru rather than as his girlfriend, using him for her own purposes. The guilt of deceiving him had vanished. After all, human relationships were ultimately just people using each other.

Time passed. As Yeoru's stream exploded in popularity, Kim Juwon became little more than a parasite clinging to her success. -Does Senbing really have to be there?-He's getting more boring by the day...-Braindead move right there-Yeoru, do you really have to collab with Senbing? ㅠㅠ Unable to keep up with Yeoru's growing scale, he was treated like a parasite by her viewers. "Ah, please don't say that." Yet Yeonhee had not abandoned him. He had become more trouble than he was worth, but she still remembered the kindness he had once shown her. In Yeoru's world, equal exchange was the absolute rule, so she intended to maintain the relationship until she had repaid that kindness in full.

"Um, hey... Yeonhee." "Yeah, what's up?" "Are you free this weekend?" "Oh... I have collabs scheduled all weekend." "Ah..." "No, I can cancel. I can make time for a day." "Then... want to go see a movie? It's been a while since we went to the theater." It was the first proper date-like plan they had made since their conversations had become more about streaming than anything personal. Their relationship had long since felt more like a business arrangement than romance, but she had accepted anyway, thinking it wouldn't be so bad after so long—until they arrived at the Movietel.

"...You said we were going to see a movie, didn't you?" She had never imagined a theater could be this kind of place. "I mean, actual theaters are crowded, and someone might recognize you, right? This place isn't bad. I've been here before—well, I heard about it." "Still, this doesn't feel right. Let's go somewhere else." "No, Yeonhee. We've been dating for over six months. I'm a guy too, you know?" "I told you I wanted to wait until marriage. Whatever, I'm leaving first." "Y-Yeonhee!" Honestly, she had felt a little sorry. Just as Kim Juwon said, it was unusual for two adults who had been together half a year to have never gone beyond holding hands. He probably had complaints. Continuing the relationship any further would only hurt him, she thought, so she turned back toward his car. It would be cleaner for both of them to end things neatly. That thought shattered the moment she heard his voice from inside the vehicle.

"Huh? Yeah, it failed. That bitch was ridiculously expensive." He was on the phone. "She used to be normal, but ever since she started streaming she's been acting like this. Feels like she's looking down on me. She used to be so obedient and easy to handle... Fuck." Hiss— A cigarette. He had said he quit. "Huh? Semi? That girl's face is ugly as hell. Yeonhee's face and body are on another level, seriously. Her personality... it used to be good. The only problem is she's a prude." Who the hell was Semi? He used to say he had no interest in any woman besides her. "Still, her stream is doing well, so I have to stick with her. If I sweet-talk her enough, she'll probably give it up eventually... Huh? A video? Dude, I can't even watch the live stream right now and you're talking about videos? Whatever... maybe someday if the chance comes? But it'll cost at least ten big ones. You know that, right?"

Nausea rose in her throat. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The man she had once believed was special—even for a fleeting moment—had turned out to be this grotesquely ordinary and ugly. Yeonhee was not the type to act on emotion, but few women could have stayed calm in that situation. "What was it... gaslighting? I should try that. She's been talking back a lot lately, so I need to put her in her place... Huh? Oh, Y-Yeonhee?" She was no exception. Without a word, Yeonhee snatched his phone, checked the name on the screen, and hung up. Taehun. One of Kim Juwon's acquaintances from the engineering department. She had heard he was a close friend who had been with him since the early days of his streaming career. "This person will be removed from the engineering department starting tomorrow. The viewers never liked him much anyway, and he was only holding us back." "Y-Yeonhee? I think there's been a misunderstanding..." "And you, Oppa—we're done. I think this is better for both of us." "No, just listen to me for a second—" "What else is there to hear? That you thought you could sweet-talk me into agreeing? Or that you were planning to film something and sell it to Taehun?" "How much did you hear..." "Let's just leave it at this. If we talk any more, I'll only feel pathetic for having expected anything from you at all."

As she had expected from the beginning, the relationship ended in disaster. At first she had been furious that Kim Juwon thought of her that way, but upon reflection, she realized she shared some of the blame. She had accepted his confession without truly loving him, and even after realizing he was not the person she had hoped for, she had neither pushed him away nor embraced him. As a form of atonement, Kim Yeonhee had at least tried to maintain a professional relationship with him. "Fuck, let's talk! You fucking bastard!!" Even that fragile connection had finally snapped when Kim Juwon's obsession spiraled into madness. It was then that Kim Yeonhee first understood: romantic relationships were the most brutally transactional of all human connections. "I loved you as much as you loved me." That single romantic-sounding sentence could become terrifying when twisted by obsession. At twenty-two, Kim Yeonhee's first love had ended in the worst possible way.

—

To someone watching from a certain perspective, it might have looked like a redemption arc written solely for that person. But from a third-party viewpoint—specifically, the viewers'—Seongna's latest stunt was nothing short of insanity.

"Exactly." Truthfully, even Minji herself didn't fully understand why she had made that choice. She had risked her streaming career for someone she had never even met. As Suha said, there was no reason for her—a mere victim—to take such a risk. Yeoru had her own problems, but that wasn't Minji's fault. She could have just brushed it off.

Yeah... why was she doing this? Minji was someone who moved purely on emotion, despite claiming to chase only fun. Fun itself was still an emotion, after all. Right now, her mood leaned toward siding with Yeoru—who had given her a gift despite the dark intentions—rather than Senbing, who was trying to use her after kicking her out. "Ah, that file?" Well... it was definitely scary that the file existed. "Curious? If you're that curious, come to my house and recover it from the recycle bin yourself. I don't know how to do it, hehe." Hmm... maybe that could work somehow?

-?-?-? "But why are you so sure the file is real? What if there was never a file to begin with, and Senbing just dragged me into it by claiming 'Seongna is hiding the file!'? It could be fake, you know. Though it might not be." -Hmm...-That guy would totally do that-Looking at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠what he's done... She was a woman with zero contingency plans. It hadn't even been ten minutes since she had come up with the brilliant idea of neither hiding nor releasing the file, and now she was saying it might be fake. If the original file ever spread, Minji would be dragged straight into the storm of public opinion. Suha, who knew this all too well, immediately smacked her own forehead the moment Minji finished speaking.

Well, whatever. Whether she meant to or not, Minji had ended up defending Yeoru simply because Senbing was annoying. Surprisingly, she did have her own reasoning. 'The original owner of the file didn't seem to have any particular feelings toward Yeoru.' She had received the "idiot" file from Hwalyeopsu, a former engineering department member, right in the middle of the Nice Squad's interview process. The interview had been private, so he probably hadn't known, but there must have been a reason he gave it specifically to her. As the name suggested, the file was aimed more at Senbing... though it would hit Yeoru harder. That was why she had taken the gamble. The file's original owner held no interest in Yeoru and poured all his hatred toward Senbing. If the file he created were released and Senbing got exactly what he wanted—both of them falling together—that would be the most unpleasant outcome for him. It was a gamble with zero evidence, but Minji could clearly sense the betrayal and hatred Hwalyeopsu felt toward Senbing. In other words, he would never do anything nice for Senbing... so in a way, it was rational? Maybe. Either way, this debate wasn't going to end cleanly in either direction. Wasn't there evidence? But only Seongna had seen it, so couldn't it be fake? Senbing said Seongna had it, so it must be real, right? Would you really trust something that braindead idiot said? It was going to be absolute chaos. Since a major corporate streamer was involved, the controversy would flare up again whenever people started to forget. For streamer Seongna, it was an incredibly annoying and unpleasant situation, but for chaos-loving Lee Minji... well. Just thinking about stirring up trouble on the Streamer Gallery already made her mouth water. She had personally created an enormous piece of bait that any veteran would go crazy for. A strange sense of pride welled up. In the end, her fundamental nature never changed. She would have to focus on the Bolekia raid for now... so no trolling for a while. Vrrrr— Of course, that was only Minji's own thought.

Suha, watching from afar, felt like she was dying inside.