A Glimpse Into the Soul
7:00 PM. An outdoor terrace of a pub in Hongdae.
Minjun sighed as he set down his beer glass. He couldn't help it. The sigh just slipped out, all because of his college friend sitting across from him—a ridiculously handsome guy named Jeongwoo.
"Oh my god, look at him. He is so hot."
"What? Where? Which direction?"
"Right next to us. The guy in black."
The girls at the neighboring table whispered among themselves while stealing glances at Jeongwoo. They were making such a fuss that their voices carried over clearly. It wasn't anything unusual, though. Drinking with Jeongwoo always went like this.
"Seriously, I almost got screwed. I almost got caught by Eunjeong."
"Who? The cafe part-timer?"
"No, she was boring, so I cut her loose. This time it's a girl group trainee... Ah, let me show you her picture. Hold on."
Jeongwoo pulled up a profile picture on his phone. Naturally, she was gorgeous—the kind of girl most guys wouldn't even dare try to talk to.
"Pretty, right? You can just tell with these girls. They have that distinct vibe of someone who gets professionally managed."
"Good for you, asshole. Why don't you spend some of that energy managing your mother's health instead?"
"Ayy, Minjun's pouting again. Being narrow-minded is only cute on girls~."
"Pay the bragging tax first, you prick."
"Fine, fine. This round is on me. Just don't be mad."
"Deal. I'll let it slide."
They clinked their glasses and gulped down the beer. Minjun needed it. His throat was burning.
They had both majored in Applied Music. Jeongwoo was just decent for an ordinary guy, while Minjun was the undisputed ace of their department. Yet, their lives were completely different. All because of a single thing: appearance.
Honestly, it was impossible not to feel inferior. Fortunately, Minjun wasn't the type to hold onto these feelings for long, which was how he managed to stay friends with Jeongwoo.
"Ah, Eunjeong is here."
Just then, a silver Mercedes-Benz screeched to a halt in front of the pub. The window rolled down. A long-haired woman lowered her sunglasses and looked at Jeongwoo. She was stunning.
Jeongwoo locked eyes with her and stood up as if he had done this a thousand times.
"Minjun, sorry. I gotta run."
"Is that Eunjeong? The flight attendant?"
"Yeah. Gorgeous, right? Her family is loaded, too."
"Get lost, bastard. Pay the bill before you go if you don't want to die."
"Aw, man. So close. I was trying to dine and dash."
Jeongwoo laughed, paid the bill, and got into the Mercedes. With a loud rev of the engine, the car disappeared down the road.
Minjun watched the car leave with empty eyes, then picked at the remaining chicken. Maybe because his mouth felt bitter, but it didn't taste good.
Home.
Minjun took a quick shower and turned on his computer. The monitor light illuminated the dark room. He set up his VTuber program.
On the broadcast screen, a male avatar appeared. A black hoodie. Silver earrings. Slightly messy hair falling over his forehead. The face was sharp, but the eyes had a strangely lazy, sleepy look. A very subtle hint of sanpaku eyes—seemingly indifferent, yet drawing the viewer in. A high, straight nose. Thin lips that, when closed, added a certain moodiness to his face.
Overall, he had a cold and sophisticated impression. But when he smiled, it was incredibly bright.
Even I have to admit, he looks good. I'm always proud of this avatar. My real face should have turned out like this.
Anyway.
He started the stream: [Haru's Late-Night Karaoke LIVE].
His average viewer count was around 50. He was a small-time streamer, but his loyal fanbase was solid.
"Hello. Sorry to keep you waiting. I was meeting a friend today."
His voice was low, smooth, and sweet to anyone who heard it. Every time the avatar opened its mouth, the chat rippled.
"I did. A little."
The stream went on as usual. He took requests, sang, read the chat, and bantered with the viewers to fill the time.
"If there are no more requests, I'll wrap it up here for today."
"Sorry. I drank today, so my throat isn't in the best condition."
He had already finished the final donation collection phase and was about to wrap up the stream when...
The chat froze for a second, then exploded.
Minjun quickly moved his cursor away from the "End Stream" button.
A 500-balloon donation and fan club sign-up. That wasn't even common in female streamers' broadcasts. He could sing as many requests as she wanted.
But getting too excited and acting out of character wouldn't fit Haru's cool image. He cleared his throat and replied in his usual calm voice.
"...Understood. Then, the song requested by MelancholyRabbit..."
At that moment, something popped up on one side of the screen.
It was a UI he had never seen before. It wasn't the platform's default layout.
A small window with a purple border was quietly sitting next to the chat window.
Secret comments have been detected.
Minjun narrowed his eyes. Consequently, Haru's avatar narrowed its eyes as well.
What is this...
New lines of text slowly drifted up inside the purple window.
Minjun was temporarily lost for words. He couldn't make sense of the situation. Was he hacked? Was he seeing things because of the alcohol?
But even as he hesitated, the stream was still running.
Minjun barely managed to pull himself together. Whatever this was, he couldn't let a broadcast accident happen.
"Sorry. I was just thinking about what song to sing."
"You said a lullaby, right...?"
"Then I'll go with something quiet."
Adjusting his earphones, he started the instrumental track. Minjun slowly began to sing.
A low, gentle voice. With the alcohol in his system, his tone was even more relaxed and soothing. It was the exact kind of voice that girls who loved late-night vibes went crazy for.
The chat immediately reacted.
But the first thing that caught Minjun's eyes was the purple window.
It was incredibly vivid. It felt as if he could literally hear the inner thoughts of the user 'MelancholyRabbit'.
Inner thoughts...? Is that why they're called secret comments...?
Minjun found it hard to believe, but for now, he focused on the song. It wouldn't be hard to verify anyway—whether these secret comments were just a hallucination or the real deal.
"Thank you. How was it?"
As soon as he finished the song and spoke, balloons started pouring in instead of replies. But they were only batches of 10 or 20. They weren't the ones he needed to focus on right now.
"And MelancholyRabbit-nim."
"Thank you so much for the 500 balloons today."
His voice was low and lazy. He deliberately mentioned her username.
"It was a wonderful gift."
The chat reacted instantly.
MelancholyRabbit didn't type in the public chat for a while. Instead, the purple window slowly updated.
Minjun read it but took a sip of water, pretending to be unfazed. And then, he dropped it.
"Well, I'll be heading off now."
Instantly, the chat froze.
Minjun slowly moved his mouse. The cursor hovered over the "End Stream" button. He did it deliberately slowly.
"Goodbye."
The chat was being flooded with question marks and crying emoticons, but he didn't care. He had no intention of actually ending the stream yet anyway. Not yet.
You said you didn't care how much it cost.
If those thoughts are real...
And at that exact moment, comments flooded the purple window.
Minjun's gaze sank very slowly. Like a predator quietly targeting its prey.
And then, ding.
The chat exploded.
And then:
Right below it in the purple window:
Minjun slowly let his lips curl upward.
It was real.
He could see his viewers' secret comments right before his eyes.