Bare Face
Bare Face
"Now! The moment we've all been waiting for—the final results!"
As Park Haneul's finger moved, fireworks erupted from both sides of the stage.
1st Place: Suyeon Team - 389,400 balloons
2nd Place: Arin Team - 224,800 balloons
3rd Place: Wolha - 12,000 balloons
"Today's winner is Suyeon Team with an overwhelming victory!"
Suyeon blew a kiss to the camera with the grace of a champion.
"Next is Arin Team! Ah, but isn't this a bit disappointing? You had one more person, yet this is all you could manage?"
Arin's expression froze. She forced a smile, but her face was visibly flushed with frustration.
"And finally, our rookie Wolha-nim, who will receive today's penalty!"
It's fine. It's just the first day anyway. I'll do better next time. It's not like I could've avoided the penalty in the first place.
"Now, it's penalty time! Everyone's been waiting, right?"
"Ah, I feel so bad~ Our rookie has to endure such a harsh penalty on her first day."
Yeah, wipe that smirk off your face.
"Hahaha, but we can't skip the penalty. Wolha-nim, please come to the center of the stage!"
***
"Ah, but..."
Park Haneul turned around with a sly grin.
"Wouldn't it look too lonely for our rookie to wash her face all by herself?"
At his exaggerated sad tone, the low-tier female streamers hiding in the team stiffened.
"What's the foundation of our Excel broadcast? Solidarity, right? So this time, Wolha-nim plus the lower-ranked streamers will do a one-shot penalty!"
"Eyy, no way, CEO-nim!"
Lee Suyeon cut him off.
"No matter how pitiful, this was our promise to the viewers, wasn't it? Besides, a tough initiation will help her adjust better to company life~"
"But..."
"Ah, instead, I'll help our rookie with her penalty. Me and Arin together! How about it, isn't that fine?"
[Kyaa Suyeon loves the rookie]
[Lo~ve?]
[Isn't she just trying to bury her? lololol]
"Ah, um..."
"I'll be right back, so please wait!"
***
[Arin]
"Arin, I'll get the water. You wash the rookie's face, okay?"
An obvious setup, but I'll play along, Lee Suyeon. ...I'll tear off that shiny mask of yours no matter what.
"Su-sure. I'll bring my foam cleanser. It's good for the skin."
Yeah, I'll scrub your makeup off so hard it'll sting. Just wait.
Lee Suyeon filled a basin with cold water and placed it in front of the rookie while maintaining a smiling face for the camera.
Laughing inside while pretending to be an angelic senior? Disgusting bitch. You think you're so clever, huh?
But I'm different. The bitch who stole my whale is right there. Once I expose the plain, hideous face beneath that thick foundation and tint, my whale will come back, right?
Rolling up my sleeves, I squeezed out a generous amount of foam cleanser and approached the rookie sitting on the chair. Her kindergarten uniform was drenched in sweat, but her face remained calm. That unshaken face—I'll destroy it right now.
"Don't worry. I'll be gentle~?"
I'll erase it.
I tightened my grip.
Slathering foam from her forehead down, I scrubbed hard. I rubbed her eyes roughly until her eyeliner and shadow smudged, then scraped her nose, cheeks, and jawline until her skin turned red.
Her foam-covered eyes flinched.
[Gentle?]
[LOLOL]
[The resentment of NTR is real ㄷㄷㄷ]
[She's gonna assassinate her if the makeup doesn't come off ㄷㄷ]
Kihihi.
Under my hands, her makeup was peeling off one layer at a time. Tears were already streaming from the corners of her eyes that had flinched earlier.
[LOL Wolha's crying, cry more]
[Penalty's spicy, so spicy LOL]
Yeah, cry. Squeeze out those tears. Your true face is about to be exposed to the world.
By now, her eyeliner and foundation must be completely gone. Panting, I pulled my hands away.
I could see Lee Suyeon's lips twitching as she held a towel, ready. I must've been making the same face.
Her foam-covered face disappeared into the basin, then buried itself in the towel Lee Suyeon handed her.
Show those whales your monstrous face already.
***
Damn, why'd she scrub so painfully? It really hurt.
When her nails scraped behind my ears, I thought my skin was peeling off. When the foam got in my eyes, tears leaked out—did the camera catch that?
...Hold on.
I lowered my face into the basin. The cold water soothed my stinging skin. As I rinsed off the foam, I started calculating in my head.
Today's total balloons: 12,000. 1.2 million won. Subtract 20% platform cut: 960,000 won. Park Haneul takes 80%: 192,000 won.
Add the 10 million won advance and today's penalty payout: roughly 1.75 million won. Subtract the new clothes: 1.55 million won. Total income: 11.55 million won.
And this barely covers one month's repayment? Damn... The remaining debt is 290 million. ...Still a long way to go.
As soon as I lifted my head, a towel was shoved into my face.
They're really desperate for a dramatic reveal, huh?
I wiped my face and set the towel down.
"Huh?"
The noisy studio fell silent. I shook off the water droplets from my bangs and looked up. Lee Suyeon's hand, which had handed me the towel, froze midair.
Arin, standing beside her, stared at her own hands—the same hands that had been pressing down on my face moments ago—like she'd seen a ghost.
On the monitor, the cameraman unconsciously zoomed in on my face.
A brief silence. Then the chat exploded.
[??????]
[Wait, what?]
[Yo, what the fuck, she washed her face, right?]
[Did it not come off?]
[Waterproof makeup's gotten really good these days]
[Arin scrubbed the hell out of her though?]
[Holy shit, she's gorgeous ㄷㄷㄷ]
[It's not the makeup...?]
"...What? Why is everyone like this?"
I tilted my head, then lowered my eyes and spoke.
"Ah... Did I forget to mention? The makeup artist messed up earlier, so I removed it... But there wasn't time to redo it. Sorry. I'll make sure to come fully prepared next time."
I glanced at my reflection on the monitor. Translucent white skin, lips reddened by the water—almost provocatively so.
The corners of my lips curled up.
...This should be enough.
[WTF... She's been bare-faced the whole time?]
[Damn, she's a goddess;; Makeup companies are gonna go bankrupt]
[Yes!! This is the untouched purity I wanted!!!]
[Someone link her personal broadcast room, I'm dizzy]
[Keunson Gom: Open your personal room now!! Oppa's coming!!!]
Now, Suyeon and Arin's presence in the studio had completely vanished.
Surprised?
***
"Wait, hold on! Just a second!"
Park Haneul snapped out of his daze and fussed into the mic.
"Wolha-nim, are you saying you've been bare-faced this entire time?!"
"Yes. Just like I said."
Park Haneul excitedly shoved the mic at Suyeon.
"Our 1st place! Suyeon-nim! Did you know about this?"
Suyeon's facial muscles twitched visibly even from my seat. She desperately clung to her capitalist smile.
"...Of course. I noticed right away how beautiful Wolha is without makeup."
But I wasn't the only one who heard her voice drop.
[Look at Suyeon forcing that smile LOL]
[Her voice is shaking]
[LOLOL]
The mic was immediately passed to Arin.
"Arin-nim, did you know too? No wonder you rolled up your sleeves and scrubbed so enthusiastically!"
Arin's pupils trembled like an earthquake. She alternated between staring at her own reddened hands and my face before muttering in a daze.
"...Y-yeah. If I didn't know... would I have scrubbed so hard...?"
[Her expression LOLOLOLOL]
[She's talking while shaking LOLOLOL]
[Poor Arin TT_TT]
An excited Park Haneul raised his voice.
"Hey, this is insane right now! Can't you see the chat exploding? Let's extend the broadcast for 10 more minutes! Everyone good with that?"
Suyeon and Arin's faces soured. They looked ready to pack up and run, but they couldn't refuse in front of the CEO and big spenders.
But.
All cameras turned to me as I remained silent. Brushing off water droplets from my damp hair, I answered.
"It's my first day, so I'm pretty exhausted."
Why would I work for free?
"Sorry, but I'll take my leave first."
Park Haneul's jaw dropped at my sharp rejection.
[Let her go, you exploitative CEO TT_TT]
[Our girl worked hard, let her rest]
[Wolha deserves to rest ㄹㅇ]
With the chat rallying behind me, Park Haneul missed his chance to argue. Seizing the moment, I casually dropped one last line to the camera.
"Ah, but I might do a short after-stream later at home. CEO-nim, is it okay to simulcast on Pazijik and GomTV?"
Park Haneul's eyebrow twitched. He knew I was poaching his viewers.
But given my current hype?
I could practically hear the calculator in his head spinning wildly. After a brief silence, he swallowed dryly and smiled.
"...Yes. Sounds good!"
"Thank you. Everyone worked hard today. See you on the seniors' next broadcast. For those who want to watch my stream, see you later~ For those who don't, see you next time! Bye~"
Leaving the other female streamers gaping, I walked offstage with the towel around my neck.
---
[Streamer Gallery]
Title: [Today's Haneul Company Excel Broadcast Summary.txt]
1st Suyeon: Defended her ace position with her usual boobs-centric performance
2nd Arin: The day of her downfall, wore outfits she never does and even did an ass show, yet LOLOLOL
Wildcard Last Place Wolha: Rookie didn't hold back
ㅇㅇ: The way Suyeon and Arin went out laughing during the penalty only for their expressions to sour was hilarious LOLOL
ㅇㅇ: Arin's "If I didn't know, would I have scrubbed so hard?" is this year's best punchline LOLOL
ㅇㅇ: But damn, the rookie's got style. First day and she already cut off the CEO's after-stream proposal ㄷㄷ
ㅇㅇ: LOL If she's tired, she should rest. Better than forcing it
ㅇㅇ: When's her stream?
ㅇㅇ: Notice says she needs 2 hours to prep at home.
ㅇㅇ: How am I supposed to wait 2 hours ㅂㄷㅂㄷ
ㅇㅇ: Isn't she a low-tier hunter? If she has combat traits, would dancing really tire her?
ㅇㅇ: Are hunters not human, dumbass? LOL Try rolling around in a dungeon
ㅇㅇ: Checked her old Pazijik VODs—apparently she's doing Excel to pay off medical bills TT_TT
ㅇㅇ: Oh really? That's kinda sad...
Keunson Gom: Our baby's hurt? Oppa will treat you with money LOL
ㅇㅇ: Oh! Gom-hyungnim is here!!! Loyalty!!!
---
***
2 AM. My apartment.
Fresh out of the shower, I sat in front of the webcam with my genuine bare face. Then immediately started simulcasting on Pazijik and GomTV.
"Hello."
[Wolha's up!]
[Wolha's here!!!]
[WTF who are these people]
[Thought she went dungeon diving since she hadn't streamed in days, where'd this influx come from?]
[2 hours felt like a whole day]
[Why's the cam quality so bad LOL it's trash compared to Haneul Company's]
"Sorry. Once I get paid, I'll upgrade my equipment first."
[Keunson Gom gifted 10,000 balloons!]
[Keunson Gom: Heard you were hurt. Still in pain?]
"Ah, I'm much better now. Potion quality's improved these days, right?"
[Keunson Gom: Glad to hear]
[Balloons? Wait, is this a GomTV simulcast?]
[10k is how much? A million won???]
[Yep]
[Who donates a million to a low-tier streamer???]
"Ah, for those who missed the notice—I'll be a fixed cast member on Haneul Company's GomTV show for a season. Pazijik viewers, drop by if you have time."
[Wait, she's doing Excel now?]
[Checked the notice—that place is another world]
[Her cam quality was a limiter this whole time LOL Haneul Company must've been shocked]
[ㄹㅇ different dimensions]
"Hehe, thank you. I'll upgrade my setup soon to show you a prettier side. Please wait a bit."
[Keunson Gom: Hurry up. With proper gear, you're definitely top-tier material]
"Don't hype me too much~ But... I do feel a bit more confident now!"
[What happened on Excel to make people flock like this?]
"Ah, well... Something did happen."
[Streamer gallery's spamming about it in real-time]
[What'd you do?]
[Keunson Gom: Revealed her bare face ㅎ]
"They ranked us, and since I was last, the penalty was revealing my bare face."
[LOLOLOL]
[Savage]
[Keunson Gom: But were you really bare-faced on the show?]
"Ah, yes. My makeup was messed up, so I removed it but didn't have time to fix it. I'll prepare better next time."
[Keunson Gom: Looking forward to it ㅎㅎㅎ]
[What was it like to make GomTV uncles lose their minds?]
I leaned slightly toward the camera. The angle cast a tantalizing shadow along my collarbone.
"If you're curious about my real face..." I whispered with a playful smile. "You're not minors, right? Then see you next week on Haneul Company~"
[???: LOL paywall much? LOL]
[Look at this fox playing games LOLOL]
[Damn, now I'm curious enough to go]
"Ahaha, just kidding. I've been saying this, but I'll prep my cam and gear ASAP."
[How often's the Excel show?]
"Once a week? Not sure yet. The CEO will let me know."
[You'll keep simulcasting during that time, right?]
"Yes, there's no limit on personal streams. I'll try to stream often."
[Keunson Gom: Stream tomorrow]
[Stream tomorrow]
[Stream tomorrow]
"Ah, tomorrow... I think I need to rest. Today was really tough."
[Keunson Gom: TT]
[She should rest, it's her first day]
[Your body's your asset, don't overdo it]
"Thank you. That's all for today. Thanks for coming so late. Pazijik viewers, GomTV viewers—thank you all."
[Bye]
[Sleep well, Wolha]
[Keunson Gom: See you next time]
[Change your cam already, seriously]
[Bye]
"Yes, goodnight~"
Before turning off the cam, I checked the viewer count.
250.
...Not bad.
***
I stretched as I got up from the chair and headed to the bathroom.
Standing before the mirror, my silver hair still shimmered, and my cheeks were still flushed. The unfamiliar beauty staring back at me still felt strange.
Today was really exhausting. Now that the moon's complete, can I turn back into a man?
Closing my eyes, I focused.
— The moon emits a cool light.
...What? Still not working?
Frantically, I summoned my status window.
[Trait: Yin-Yang Person]
Beneath the trait, the text was gone—replaced by a crescent moon. You said it was complete. Wasn't the transformation supposed to be over?
The 'girl' in the mirror stared back at me with confused eyes.