Protecting Snake Emperor
The community was in an uproar. And Minwoo stared blankly at the chaos unfolding before his eyes, his blood boiling as he screenshot every post and article before firing them off to his older sister.
Minwoo's legs trembled as his eyes blazed with fury. He had never been this genuinely angry in his life.
"I'll protect you, noona."
Minwoo gritted his teeth, eyes burning, as he waited for Jiwoo's reply. But he wasn't the only one burning with rage.
"Those bastards."
Jiwoo spat curses while scouring for anything that could be used in a lawsuit. Her heart pounded wildly.
"I was born for this day. For our sister."
The thought of finally repaying Suhyun, who always smiled for them even while taking beatings herself, set Jiwoo's chest ablaze.
"Time to show them what a law student can do."
Even if she wasn't a licensed attorney yet, she was determined to handle this case to the best of her ability. At the same time, she couldn't let the kind people helping them get their hands dirty.
Jiwoo sighed after posting the short notice, then continued gathering evidence online.
* * *
The situation had escalated far beyond expectations. Demands to string up the people who took secret photos or posted verification shots flooded in. She was truly grateful, but…
"I-isn't this illegal…? What if they get arrested…?"
"If we cross the line, it probably will be."
"Ah…"
For a moment, her head spun. The thought that people who cared about her might end up in court or at the police station because of her was overwhelming. Sitting on Mom's lap, she grew anxious until Mom pulled her into a tight hug and whispered softly.
"It's okay, Suhyun."
"…Mom."
"Want to check your messages?"
"…?"
When she tilted her head in confusion, Mom chuckled and told her to look at the family group chat. Suhyun quickly opened it to find her two furious younger siblings chatting.
"Ehh…"
It seemed the shock had been too great. They couldn't touch Dad, so they were trying to do something about everyone who had helped him. For a moment, her mind went blank.
'If they do this, will the kind people trying to help me be okay? Is this legal?'
Even as the thought crossed her mind, she looked up at Kay, gauging his reaction.
'Even so… most of them are Kay's fans.'
She wondered if it was really okay to casually sue someone else's fans. After all, suing fans of a major YouTuber could cause serious trouble.
Noticing her concern, Kay smiled faintly—almost intimidatingly—and answered.
"You're going to sue them?"
"…Ah, yes……"
When she answered timidly, Kay chuckled and nodded.
"It's fine. Go ahead and sue."
"R-really?"
"Yes. Unless it's an official broadcast clip, posting my photos freely is prohibited. And some of these aren't even verification shots—they're secret photos……"
Kay explained that even as a public figure, this incident involved a crime, so suing was perfectly acceptable. Grateful, Suhyun bowed her head.
"Th-thank you…!"
"It's nothing. By the way, your fans are incredibly kind. They're all trying to find the culprits."
"Ah… yes……"
"Keep streaming hard. We're friends, right?"
"Huh…?"
When she looked at Yeon-a in confusion, Yeon-a smiled brightly and nodded.
"…!!"
Suhyun turned back to Kay.
"Y-yes, we're friends……"
"Oh, really?"
"Yes……"
"You're not charging friendship fees or anything, are you?"
Kay snickered, then suddenly clutched his stomach. Suhyun, Yeon-a, and even Mom all stared at him in alarm. Kay just laughed brightly and said getting stabbed was worth it.
"W-what do you mean……"
"I don't know. It just feels nice to be worried about."
Seeing his bright smile eased something in her chest.
"I… think I can stream tonight."
With a small smile, Suhyun stood up. Mom gently rubbed her slightly sore thigh. Suhyun smiled warmly, thanked her, and gave her a tight hug. It felt like she had gained the strength to recover from her wounds.
'…It's scary, but I can do it.'
So many people were protecting her. She had to make sure they didn't go astray.
* * *
Jiwoo's legal notice had been posted to the community. At first, people didn't believe it, but as time passed and the confirmation came, they began to quiet down.
Someone quietly shed tears while reading the notice.
"Why… didn't you tell me……"
It was YunaYuna, Vam's employee, her face filled with genuine hurt. Clutching her phone, she sniffled and made a call.
[…Hello? Yuna?]
"Boss…!! Hic! Are you okay?!"
[W-wait, are you crying!?]
"Huu… hic, I'm crying… Why didn't you tell me…! I'm your employee!]
Yuna poured out her grievances, sniffling pitifully even though she knew she shouldn't. Suhyun's gentle voice came through the phone.
[I'm fine… I didn't want to disturb your studies or work… I'm sorry.]
"I don't study at all……"
[…You should study a little.]
"No……"
Even while sniffling, Yuna firmly declared she would never study. Watching her, Suhyun smiled softly.
[You really are like a little sister.]
"We're only four years apart… but yeah, I guess I am your little sister."
[Why do you stutter more than me?]
"Hehe… I don't know."
While soothing the sniffling Yuna, Suhyun felt her heart being healed.