Thank You!
Five million won was the maximum limit for a single donation on Pajijik.
Out of nowhere, Ihyeon-noona had shown up and dumped the absolute ceiling amount into the stream. She should still be on duty at the hospital right now, shouldn't she?
"JOY, thank you so much."
"Good heavens... Thank you, JOY!"
The money itself was staggering, but feeling Ihyeon-noona's heartfelt concern touched me far more. When I offered to perform a donor reaction for her, she politely turned it down, saying there was no need. She evidently couldn't stand by and watch another viewer throw their weight around with mission bounties.
And just like that, the battle of wills with that problematic viewer came to an end. The viewer who had kept jacking up the bounty while demanding unreasonable requests was swiftly slapped with a ban.
"Shall we keep going, then? I'm going to pipe a drawing with this."
For a brief spell, the chat room was inundated with curses directed at that pushy viewer, followed by a wave of praise worshipping Ihyeon-noona's massive donation. Yet that excitement was short-lived. The moment I deliberately bent at the waist and began shaping the chocolate, the atmosphere in the chat flipped upside down.
"All right, all done. How does it look?"
While I had been hunched over piping with the pastry bag, the chat's scrolling speed had plummeted to a crawl. The moment I straightened my back, the messages picked right back up, firing off in rapid succession.
"Huh? This? I literally explained while drawing that it was a duck."
It seemed nobody had paid the slightest bit of attention to the chocolate art. Yeo-eun-noona had slyly enlarged the camera angle capturing my back, so the viewers had almost certainly been ogling my collarbones, hips, and bare legs instead.
"Were you guys even watching me draw? At this rate, all my hard work goes down the drain. Maybe I should just give it all to Mom and Noona instead."
Playfully teasing the viewers, I moved swiftly to finish the batch. It was practically done now.
The broadcast ran far longer than anticipated, and far more viewers tuned in than we had ever expected. While cleaning up the kitchen counter, I announced that the stream was drawing to a close. Dinner was running late, leaving me pressed for time.
"Now we just have to let it set until it's firm. Since that takes a while, that wraps up the chocolate-making portion of today's stream."
Yet thinking the stream had gone on long enough was entirely my own perception.
The chat whined in reluctance.
"Noona will explain the details of the raffle."
Just as I prepared to say my farewells, another train of donations rolled in. It felt as though they were throwing out every random question they could think of just to hold onto me a little longer.
"This was actually my first time making chocolate. Did I do all right?"
One of the donations had asked why I was so skilled at it, so I gave an easy, modest answer. Yet starting from that single inquiry, as if latching onto a scent, the viewers began pelting me with similar questions. All of a sudden, they started cornering me about whether I had a girlfriend.
"A girlfriend, all of a sudden?"
It was impossible to ignore. The entire chat window was suddenly plastered with inquiries about my love life.
It felt as though a portion of the audience had been abruptly replaced by entirely different people. Within a brief span, the viewer count spiked slightly, and the mood of the chat took a sharp turn.
"What's this? Where did this influx come from...? I'm freezing the chat for a second."
With an unbothered expression, Yeo-eun-noona switched the chat to subscriber-only mode. Instantly, the torrential spam lost its fuel.
The standard chat had calmed down, but the paid donations remained. Even viewers who had been watching casually were now intensely curious about the existence of a girlfriend.
"That's getting a bit too personal," Yeo-eun-noona interjected, asking them to refrain from prying into private matters.
However, I figured dodging the question here would look tantamount to an admission. Calculating the options in my head, I gave Noona a subtle cue. Yeo-eun-noona shook her head sideways at first, but after a moment's contemplation, she let out a quiet sigh and gave a slight nod.
"I was in the hospital over the weekend. I had to get a few tests done."
The moment I mentioned being in the hospital, a flurry of worried messages flooded the screen. These were regulars who had followed Noona's stream long before, and their tone was completely different.
"Yes. There was a minor mishap. I'm completely fine now, and the test results all came back clear." Leaving it at that, I thanked them for their concern, gently adding that I hadn't particularly wanted to dwell on my hospital stay. "And as for a girlfriend..."
The instant the word left my mouth, the chat room went dead silent. Yeo-eun-noona watched me with tense, nervous eyes.
"Pfft. Are you really that curious?"
After letting the suspense linger for a beat, I let out a light laugh. Even though I was merely gazing into a camera lens, it felt as though an immense crowd was staring straight through it at me. Continually reminding myself that living, breathing people were watching from beyond the screen seemed to help steady my nerves.
The chat had gentled into a warm, protective mood. In contrast to that tenderness, a few sour donations rolled in to scold me, prompting Yeo-eun-noona to raise the minimum donation threshold on the spot.
"I've never had a girlfriend. And for the foreseeable future, I have no plans to date anyone either."
I gave them an honest answer. In this life, I had truly spent my entire existence secluded in the mountains before descending into society. While there were women I shared skinship and intimacy with, none of them were formal girlfriends. Nor would that change going forward. Rather than one-on-one relationships, it would take the form of me keeping them under my wing.
The moment I finished speaking, the chat scrolled past at lightning speed. Some comments were completely unhinged, but by and large, the viewers seemed overjoyed. Even the subscribers had evidently been stressing over whether I had a girlfriend.
"Thank you for the five thousand won donation, Jiyoung-noona. Yes, it's the absolute truth."
I didn't elaborate any further. Having confirmed it wasn't a lie, I said my final goodbyes. I didn't mention having lived in the mountains, nor that I intended to be with multiple women down the road. Nor did I make excuses about having no time while juggling studies and part-time work. Anything that could be seized upon as a vulnerability, or read as a weak justification, was left entirely unsaid.
Even so, the viewers let me go, thoroughly satisfied with my answer. Praise for today's stream poured in alongside another cascade of donations. They tipped when I greeted them, and tipped again when I bid farewell. Even the total donation sum blew past my wildest expectations. The time had come to give live streaming some serious, earnest thought.
Inside the research center of the university hospital where Jo Ihyeon worked, a male doctor in his late twenties was showing a younger female doctor around the premises.
"Since we don't have that many outpatients, we have comparatively more breathing room."
"Is it really all right to hold a dual appointment with the lab?"
"Yeah, concurrent roles are permitted. When you sign your official contract later, they'll walk you through the details."
The male doctor bragged about various perks—rough salary estimates, the laboratory's achievements, and the like.
"There's a female professor in our department. Let's go say hello before we head out."
"Professor Jo Ihyeon?"
"Huh? How did you know?"
"I ran into her once before. She's remarkably impressive, isn't she?"
"Ah... yeah, absolutely."
As they drew closer to Ihyeon's office, the male doctor instinctively lowered his voice. In his mind, Ihyeon's image was that of an utterly flawless professional. Her hair was pulled back taut into a sharp, neat bun, and she maintained immaculate attire at all times. He had never seen her run or raise her voice. She treated men and women with equal professional courtesy, and her research output was outstanding.
Yet outside of work, he knew virtually nothing about her. She was an admirable senior colleague, but they shared no personal closeness. With her cool gaze and chilling aura, as far as he knew, no one was truly close to her. It wasn't that she was rude; rather, her ruthless self-discipline made her difficult to approach.
"Oh? She's out. Looks like she's having coffee."
"Is there anything in particular I should keep in mind around her?"
"Hmm... not especially? Once you work together, just be meticulous with whatever tasks you're assigned. She's thorough down to the finest detail."
"Ah."
"As long as you nail the fundamentals, she won't micro-manage you at all. Though hitting that standard isn't easy."
Walking down the corridor, the two doctors spotted Ihyeon through the breakroom window. She sat alone, staring intently at a tablet.
"Since you're a woman too, I mentioned you to her in advance. Even if not a full mentor, I figured some advice... or guidance might help."
"Yes. Thank you for looking out for me."
"Don't mention it. But she has so many ongoing projects... she probably won't be able to spare much time."
Knock, knock.
Even though the breakroom was open to everyone, the male doctor politely knocked before opening the door. No answer came. Finding it slightly odd, he stepped inside and called her name.
"Professor... Professor?"
"..."
Whether out of sheer absorption or something else, Ihyeon didn't react even when addressed from close range. As it turned out, she had wireless earbuds plugged into her ears. Her brow furrowed as her gaze remained locked onto the tablet screen.
"Um... Sunbae? Should we just come back later?"
"Yeah... let's do that."
Just then, the display Ihyeon was watching caught both doctors' eyes. The male doctor doubted his own vision.
"She likes watching live streams?"
"No... well, I don't really know. I've only ever seen her researching. Or writing papers. Usually, even during breaks, she's reviewing medical journals."
"Ah, really? Maybe you just never caught her doing it before, Sunbae?"
"No, seriously, never."
What Ihyeon was glued to was Yeo-eun's stream. Yeo-eun had grabbed Jeongseo—who had just brought over dinner—pulled him into a seat, and was currently drawing the winners for the handmade chocolates.
"Ah! No way! It's over already?!"
As the two doctors stepped out of the breakroom, Ihyeon's faint, agonized wail slipped through the door. Turning around, they peered through the glass to see Professor Jo Ihyeon clutching her head in utter despair.
"Hehe. She actually has a cute side."
"N-No, you can't... What are you saying about the Professor? No, seriously, that's not her at all."
"What isn't?"
"That's just not her style. How should I put it—emotional mood swings? In any case, I've never once seen her act like that."
The female doctor chuckled softly while the male doctor stood there wearing a look of total bewilderment. Inside, Ihyeon was in the middle of a complete mental breakdown after failing to win Jeongseo's handmade chocolates in the raffle.