Cold Reading
Frozen Arrow
Mother had laid out the equipment on the bed.
A secondhand laptop bought three years ago, lighting, and a camera.
When I first started streaming, I had the baseless confidence to show my face,
but that disappeared the moment I saw other broadcasts.
But now was different.
I set up the lighting in front of the bed and placed the camera opposite it.
"Alright, let's test this."
But this piece of junk betrayed my expectations spectacularly.
The stand flickered as soon as I turned it on, and something was smeared on the camera lens, making the image blotchy.
Haa— I blew on the lens to clean it.
The screen didn't become perfectly clear, but I had to make do.
As for the lighting... I just turned it off.
My face on the screen was smiling as if something good had happened.
Crappy equipment was the same whether in dungeons or here, but the people were worlds apart.
I roughly combed my silver hair with my fingers and adjusted my hospital gown.
My bare face glowed with vitality.
Makeup?
Did this face even need it?
Before pressing the broadcast button, I checked the screen.
The blonde anime girl illustration I used before was filling the screen instead of my face.
I'd start like this for now.
The face reveal needed perfect dramatic timing.
***
"Hello~ It's Wolha."
The viewer count started rising.
Existing viewers plus people lured by the bait I scattered in forums.
Total: 40.
My heart raced at over triple my usual audience.
But.
First, I took a deep breath to stay calm.
"Oh my, lots of new faces today.
Welcome!"
[hi]
[hello]
[bitch we came after seeing your bullshit post so show us the goods already]
"Huh? What do you mean? What goods?"
[wtf u talking about?]
[lololol]
[streamer it was obvious...]
"I really don't know? Oh, more importantly, everyone listen.
Guess where I am right now?"
[damn that voice is sexy]
[kinda nice actually...]
[she using a voice changer?]
Oops, my voice had changed a bit too.
But the difference wasn't huge, so I'd just push through.
"Actually, I'm at the hospital.
I got seriously hurt in a dungeon recently."
[wtf how?]
[wait you're a hunter?]
"A deer on the 2nd floor gored through my stomach."
[2nd floor? So you're D-rank]
[how strong is D-rank?]
[same level as you and me lol]
[that's not the point;;; someone got impaled]
[you ok?]
"Thanks for worrying. Luckily it's not life-threatening.
Turns out this world has great potions."
[rich people basically immortal unless it's old age or accidents]
[ugh I wanna be reborn as an Abu Dhabi prince next life!]
"Me too.
Ah, that's not the point.
What I wanted to say is that potion cost 300 million won."
The chat froze momentarily.
[lololol]
[cap 🧢]
[fr?]
"It's true. I have the receipt but can't show it..."
[oh you got proof? lololol]
[D-rank hunters can afford that?]
[hell no]
[wait did you bait us just to complain?]
[im out]
...I expected this but they were harsher than anticipated.
A few regular viewers believed me,
but they quickly disappeared under the flood of toxic new chatters.
Then the newcomers started leaving too.
The viewer count visibly dropped.
35. 30. 27.
...20.
Was it over?
My hands turned cold.
But it's fine.
I expected this much, right?
I looked away from chat and stared straight at the camera.
"Yes, you don't believe me, do you?
I didn't believe it at first either.
But the bill arrived and now I need to earn money somehow."
[lol and?]
[ugh so whiny]
"So I've decided to reveal my secret weapon."
[?]
[what?]
"3..."
[stop counting just show it]
"2, 1."
I removed the illustration and turned on the camera.
My face appeared on screen.
No makeup, just my bare face in a hospital gown.
Silver hair cascaded past my shoulders.
"Can... you see me okay?"
My voice cracked.
[???]
[wait]
[wtf that face real?]
[holy shit]
The viewer count started rising again.
25, 30, 40, 55.
"Hello, I'm Wolha. The real one."
When I waved, the IV line swayed with it.
[she really is hospitalized]
[why hide that face?]
[why'd you use a VTuber model?]
"Before... honestly I wasn't desperate for money?"
Lie.
I'm always desperate.
But my old female face wasn't worth showing before my Trait changed.
"But circumstances changed, you see?
How am I supposed to earn 300 million..."
[rich people basically buy immortality now]
[ugh I wanna be reborn as royalty]
"Me too.
Ah, that's not important.
What I wanted to say is that potion cost 300 million won."
The viewer count stabilized.
70.
My highest concurrent viewership ever.
But.
Just 70?
This is nowhere near enough.
Desperately controlling my expression, I continued broadcasting.
"It's true what I said earlier. Want to see?"
I lifted the gown slightly to show bandages around my stomach.
The chat atmosphere shifted.
[yikes]
[wait you were actually hurt?]
[you ok?]
But all I got was a single 1,000 won donation.
[Thanks for 1,000 won.
Sorry Wolha oppa is broke 😢]
"Thank you..."
I almost cried.
Not from emotion—from the harsh reality check.
***
The mood started dying.
Chat slowed and viewers dropped to the 60s.
Huh? Why?
What do I do?
First.
"Everyone, how about this?
Donate over 10,000 won and I'll show the surgical site.
Deal?"
[lol 10k to take clothes off]
[damn she desperate lolol]
Three minutes passed.
No donations.
...Seriously?
[Thanks for 5,000 won.
Show us]
5,000...
But if I reject this and get no donations at all, that'd be worse.
"I was joking but you actually donated, thank you!
...A promise is a promise."
I bit the gown's hem and carefully unwrapped the bandages.
Burn marks and suture scars became visible.
[whoa]
[this real?]
[that's severe for 2nd floor]
[wait why burns?]
Ah.
[you said a deer antler impaled you but why burns?]
[no fire monsters on 2nd floor?]
[lol]
My heart sank.
Why is an active hunter watching streams instead of dungeon crawling at this hour!
Yunha, stay calm and think...
My brain started racing.
I'd never been, but hunter forums said real monsters only appear past the 3rd floor.
So burns make no sense, like that guy said.
Then?
...I'll go with this.
I furrowed my brows.
"Ah... well, I was bleeding too much with no potions.
I thought I'd die before reaching the hospital,
so I had to cauterize the wound."
[insane]
[she's hardcore damn]
[you made it out of 2nd floor like that?]
"Well, the doctor said the burning prevented infections.
Blessing in disguise?"
The chat that had been tearing into me completely shifted.
But the earlier troll persisted.
[lol she's lying about cauterizing an impaled stomach wound]
If you're in the same industry, just shut up.
"Anyway, that's how I survived to reach the hospital.
Then I got this insane bill and started streaming?
I did good, right?"
[kinda feel bad]
[wifey gotta take care of yourself if you're gonna bear my children]
[yeah don't catch a cold]
"Thanks hubby. But did your paycheck not come yet?
The hospital bill isn't paid?"
[Thanks for 10,000 won.
Now wrap it back up. Painful to look at]
"Wow, thank you for the 10,000 won donation!
Please wait a moment~"
Smiling, I rewrapped the bandages.
...That was close.
I need to prepare lies more carefully next time.
***
The revived mood from the wound reveal soon deflated again.
Viewers kept dropping.
This... isn't working?
Shouldn't money be pouring in by now?
...I need to do something different!
"Everyone, any questions for me?"
Quick, anything!
[???]
[suddenly lol]
[what clothes do you usually wear?]
"Clothes? I mostly just go between dungeons and home...
For nearby places, just sweatpants."
[anyone else look like you?]
[wouldn't being an idol earn more than dungeon crawling?]
[true]
"Seriously.
For three years I worked so hard..."
Huh?
Why is my vision blurring?
[oh she's crying]
[top tier acting]
[Wolha was serious about dungeons no cap]
[Thanks for 1,000 won.
Don't cry]
"Thank you for the donation.
Something just came over me...
Sorry for killing the mood..."
I wiped my eyes with my hand.
The screen showed my eyes red and puffy.
I wasn't like this before—why now?
I took a deep breath.
...Whatever. Enough.
No time for sentimentality.
I checked chat again.
The already low viewership was dropping in real time.
You heartless bastards!
"Ah, someone earlier asked what I usually wear, right?
Is the gown weird? Then..."
I pulled one side of the gown to expose a white shoulder, then tied the bottom above my chest to reveal my waist.
Still not enough...
I rolled up one sleeve too.
"How is it? Does it suit me?"
[oh this is better]
[hehe my eyes...]
[my pp hurts]
Even through my crappy camera's poor quality, chat reacted instantly.
"Hehe, since we're here, shall we visit the convenience store like this?"
[in that outfit?]
[nurses will scold you lol]
"Oh please, it's nothing.
Don't worry."
Ignoring the burning stomach pain, I got up and entered the hallway.
Creak.
"Ah, damn IV pole..."
[LOLOLOL]
[new viewers our girl is a bit ditzy]
"I am not ditzy!"
After setting the IV pole with my camera and laptop aside, I ventured out again.
***
The elevator doors opened to reveal a man frozen mid-step inside.
I caught the closing door with my hand.
"Um, aren't you getting off?"
"...Ah, yes. Sorry."
The man scrambled out.
But even after exiting, he kept staring at me by the door.
[that much?]
[dude's obsessed;;]
This kept happening after leaving the elevator.
Patients in wheelchairs, visitors, even nurses—
Everyone kept glancing at me.
I heard someone mutter behind me.
"Damn she's hot"
At the convenience store, the cashier's eyes widened.
"Are you a celebrity?"
If I were, would I be doing this?
"No, just a patient. Hehe."
"Then that is?"
"Ah, this is a livestream..."
"A YouTuber?"
"Yes yes, exactly."
As I picked up coffee and queued, the woman behind me took out her phone.
Click.
After paying, the cashier extended his hand.
"Here, on the house."
"Thank you."
He gave me a chocolate.
But despite the positive reactions, the stream was disastrous.
[came cuz of hype but why's the quality so bad]
[who is she that people simp so hard?]
[no idea but she needs a new camera first]
Then give me money for one....
***
"It's too noisy here. Let's go somewhere quiet."
With a 500-won canned coffee from the store, I went to the rooftop.
"How's this, everyone?
Better than the hospital room, right?"
Opening the rooftop door, wind blew my hair back.
The tied gown fluttered.
[whoa this might pop off]
[thought she was an actress]
Even my crappy camera made this look pretty as viewers rose again.
70. 75.
But my limits were clear.
No more influx—maybe a corporation started daytime streaming.
[she had reason to bait]
[fr]
The only new viewers were from the Hakko Gallery where I'd baited.
Sighing while drinking coffee made my stomach throb.
75.
Definitely more than previous streams, but still so lacking...
"Everyone, I have tests later so let's end the daytime stream here.
But I'll stream again tonight.
So please subscribe and turn on notifications!"
[already?]
[ok]
[streaming is more important than health doc]
"I'd really be in trouble if I did that..."
I ended the stream and closed the laptop.
Total donations: 18,000 won.
After fees: 12,000 won.
Monthly payment: 10.16 million won.
At this rate: 846 months.
70 years.
Returning to my room, I lay on the bed.
The pristine ceiling looked higher than usual today.
I opened the Hakko Gallery on my phone.
"Wolha's face is legit"
"but she can't stream well"
"she's sick so..."
"but no way she's making 300 mil like this lol"
Right...
Even you guys see it's impossible?
...I'll try again tonight.
If daytime was this bad, night might be worse but...
Just in case.
***
11 PM.
In the dark hospital room where only my breathing echoed, I started the second stream.
Viewers: 18.
Fewer than daytime.
"Hello~ It's nighttime Wolha.
Did you wait long?"
[welcome back]
[dammit announce when you're streaming!]
[make a cafe or something...]
Ah.
"Sorry!
I'll announce properly next time!"
[with that bare face?]
"Just this once..."
No.
Don't get swept up by chat.
"Tonight I'll try ASMR.
Sound good?"
[suddenly?]
[I'm down]
"One moment..."
I brought my face closer to the camera.
Oddly, the vibe seemed better than daytime.
[oh]
[hair so shiny]
[not dyed? what Trait makes hair like that]
[no clue?]
Is this working?!
"Everyone, you've worked hard toda—"
BEEEEEEP!
A loud emergency alarm blared somewhere.
My body reacted before my mind.
"Shit!"
Excruciating pain shot through my stomach.
Did something rupture?!
Cold sweat dripped down my forehead.
[ah my ears!]
[LOLOLOL]
[doc said ASMR not ear destruction]
[but she looks in pain]
[omg Wolha blood on bandages!]
"Huh? Ah."
It's true.
What do I do...
[is this the ear-piercing ASMR stream?]
But maybe due to weird algorithms, viewers started rising.
25.
30.
Chat was moving faster than all day.
I laughed.
But.
Laughing made my stomach hurt more.
"Everyone, I'll end here today...
I think I'm dying."
[LOLOLOL]
[??? why end right after starting? hey!]
I need to survive before streaming, you bastards...
***
Pressing the nurse call button, one soon entered.
"Patient, what's wro... wait, what happened to the bandages?"
"Ah, this..."
She unwrapped them to check the wound.
The sutures had slightly opened, oozing blood.
"This is torn! What did you do?"
"..."
"We saw you left earlier too.
It's only been two days since surgery—you can't move around."
I had no excuse.
She began cleaning the wound with antiseptic.
I gritted my teeth against the stinging pain.
"This might need restitching if it happens again."
"...Okay."
As she tightly rewrapped it, the nurse added:
"Next time I'm calling your guardian. Understood?"
Call Mother?
Can't have that.
I could only nod.
After she left, I reopened the laptop.
Today's results:
Drumroll please.
Peak viewers: 82.
Total donations: 33,000 won.
After fees: 25,000 won.
Monthly payment: 10.16 million won.
At this rate: 407 months.
34 years.
I'd need to stream daily until age 60 and still fall short.
Closing the laptop, darkness filled the room except for window light.
I was too naive.
Just because my face changed a lot doesn't mean I'd suddenly succeed...
Pulling the blanket up, I closed my eyes.
If this fails, what do I do?
My eyes stung strangely.
***
Same time.
At Haneul Company's studio, scantily clad women danced raucously.
But the stream's owner, Park Haneul, watched them with a complicated expression.
"These girls are dried up now.
Any new faces?"
Contrary to his words, the real-time ranking showed massive earnings.
"Binu and Gom have no decent talent left, need to scout other platforms."
Haneul browsed Pazijik's trending streams.
"Seriously, no hot girls."
Then his scrolling finger stopped.
A crazy beautiful face visible even through the thumbnail's awful quality.
"...Huh?"
He zoomed in.
Anime-character silver hair with a bare, makeup-free face.
"Who's this? She's insane."
She wore a hospital gown, seemingly broadcasting from one.
"Damn, she's pretty even through this quality?"
"Nah. She's hiding her face by lowering quality."
"But still..."
After much deliberation, Haneul searched for Wolha.
He found a Hakko Gallery post summarizing her stream.
Dungeon injury → 300mil treatment → streaming to pay.
"300 million..."
Haneul's lips curled up.
He opened DMs.
'Hi, I'm Park Haneul from Haneul Company on GomTV doing Excel streams.
I saw your stream and got interested.
Seems you urgently need money—how about appearing on our show?
We can negotiate good terms.'
His finger hovered over Send.
"Ah, should verify first."
'PS: Could you send a high-quality selfie first? Thanks :)'
Sent.
---
[Hakko Streamer Gallery]
Title: Wolha Face Reveal Review
Anon: Why VTuber with that face?
Anon: Obvious plastic surgery
Anon: Hakkos stay hakko lol audio cuts midstream
Anon: She seemed nervous first reveal, usually not that bad...
Anon: She a former yellow-haired streamer?
Anon: Hakko explorers assemble
Anon: Why VTuber with that face tho?
Anon: Said she'd succeed as hunter and this was just fun
Anon: LOLOL getting impaled by 2nd floor deer?
Anon: Knew she was bad but not this bad
Anon: Should quit hunting for streaming
Anon: But go to Binu/Gom not Pazijik?
Anon: Agreed. Checked her stats—too good for Pazijik
Anon: Don't fall for silicone