I Became a Malicious Streamer

On a weekend afternoon, I found myself at a Chinese restaurant for the first time in ages.

Not alone, of course, but in the company of someone vigorously slurping up black bean noodles in front of me.

“Eat slowly… you’ll get a stomachache.”

Slurp went the loud and intense sound of noodle slurping. Did they starve for days or something? They were really putting it away.

Even though the food was disappearing so quickly that I started to wonder if they were even chewing or swallowing, there was no hint of it being gluttonous or messy. It was just the youthful vigor of their age.

“@$#% -Eat!”

“Uh, I’ll eat slowly. You go ahead and eat a lot.”

It seemed like they were encouraging me to eat too, but I could almost feel full just by watching. I hadn’t even had a few bites, just sitting there quietly observing.

This kid has a good appetite; it felt like they had already devoured half of their order, and it hadn’t even been that long since we ordered.

By the time my black bean noodles started to cool down, I asked, “Should I order some sweet and sour pork too?”

“#%@$-Yes!”

With a mouth full of black bean noodles, they mumbled and vigorously nodded their head.

Their eyes sparkled while looking at me, as if I were their lifelong benefactor for suggesting sweet and sour pork with black bean noodles.

It felt like their grateful look was too much for the mere price of about 30,000 won. But at the same time, I understood completely.

Even I had grievances when I couldn’t eat what I wanted back in my school days.

Was that why, during my early working years, I spent my first paycheck entirely on what I wanted to eat? It wasn’t until I indulged in food that I could think about saving money later.

Seeing the image of my past self overlapping with Hee-eun made me unconsciously open my wallet.

Hee-eun’s mouth was smeared with a black bean sauce mess.

She wasn’t a kid, but still… wait, thinking it over, she is a kid. Even a high schooler is still a kid. No matter how fast kids grow these days, they still only seem to grow their hair; it’s hard to call them real adults.

“Hee-eun.”

“Nyeng?”

As I called the kid with her face buried in the plate, I wiped her mouth with a tissue and she blushed slightly.

My fault. Wasn’t paying enough attention to a girl in her prime. Maybe she felt embarrassed. I should have suggested she wipe it herself in a roundabout way.

As if to prove that point, Hee-eun avoided eye contact and diligently stuffed her face with sweet and sour pork.

Watching the pork disappear at an impressive speed, I recalled the earlier events.

So here I was, on a weekend afternoon, at a Chinese restaurant I usually never visit.

And with a high school girl I had just met.

I was rather uncoordinated about being diligent.

Even now, I was spontaneous, and I procrastinated to do what I wanted when I felt like it.

And when I actually found time, I did things leisurely, but when I had to do something I didn’t want to, I found myself rushed against time.

Even working, this bad habit hadn’t changed much. In a way, societal pressure forced some semblance of order into my life.

On weekdays, I’d grudgingly get up, grimacing, as if I had no choice.

You had to get up if you wanted to earn a living, or you’d face starvation.

And as years passed, I became someone who woke up whether it was the weekend or weekday mornings.

Yes, that’s what makes habits dangerous. The reason routines matter. The power of living a regulated life.

Of course, after becoming like this and becoming a broadcaster, I threw such regulations out the window and enjoyed a free life.

These days, though, I was trying to establish some semblance of routine again.

As part of that effort, here I was, at a park near my house. What was I doing on a weekend morning? Jogging.

Jogging. Light running. Although I was walking for now, since I was alternating between running and walking, it could still be counted as jogging.

Why the sudden jog? Well, I recently read a self-help book. You know how after reading one of those, you feel an inexplicable urge to live earnestly?

So, I was out doing something I normally wouldn’t do, jogging right at the crack of dawn on a weekend.

Well, for me, there wasn’t much difference between weekdays and weekends. In that sense, I was blessed compared to others. Working hard all week and then taking off to jog on the weekends… just imagining it seems tough.

Books are nourishment for the soul, and I’m trying to read at least one during the week as part of my hobbies.

This was also part of my effort to create my own routine.

I developed the habit of reading, and reading self-help books leads to jogging again—one positive cycle after another.

To think I could learn how to live healthily in just a day. I might be a genius…?

“Ha… Haah…”

Yet no matter how much of a genius, anyone would struggle for breath while running.

I hadn’t run that far, but I felt quite dissatisfied. Still, thinking about how I could barely run at all in the past, this was a vast improvement.

I couldn’t help but be grateful to my personal training teacher, Molbu. They said they’d make me human, and indeed, they did. Thank you, teacher…

While gasping for air, my mouth felt dry. When you’re running, drinking anything can make your stomach hurt, but right now it just didn’t matter. I had already completed my set route.

It was still about a 20-minute walk home. Maybe I should stop by the convenience store and grab a drink.

I decided to grab something to drink while walking. Sweat slowly cooled down, bringing a subtle sticky sensation that was quite unpleasant.

But other than that, I felt refreshingly good. A stark contrast to the frown I had on my face earlier when questioning myself about why I set the alarm for this hour… Wasn’t this a crazy thing to do?… Putting on clothes and coming to the park.

The convenience store wasn’t that far. About a 5-minute walk? But there was a way to shorten that.

By taking the back alley! The only downside was that the back road was narrow and a little secluded; it didn’t have many people around, but it wasn’t like it was night.

What could possibly happen in the broad daylight…?

Well, something did. More accurately, there was someone there.

“Ha…”

There was a girl. A girl letting out a small sigh, holding a cigarette called ‘cloud candy’ and crouching down. Puffing out smoke like a sigh.

It was strange that she was wearing a school uniform on a weekend, and it looked like it hadn’t been washed for a while; it was dusty and stained in places.

Um, should I turn back now? I could take a longer route if I wanted to. It doesn’t matter as long as I get to Seoul sideways.

I was all too aware of how scary kids could be these days.

News coverage often showed violent scenes among students, and just a little while ago, I also encountered a scary delinquent named Hayeon. Though, she was just a character from a game.

The girl before me looked like she might be a delinquent too. There would be no good reason to wear that outfit and smoke in such a deserted place at this hour.

Yeah, it was best to head back. Turning away would be better than risking trouble for no reason.

Our eyes met. The girl, staring blankly with her cigarette, watched as her eyes widened and she accidentally dropped it.

“Wow… you’re so beautiful…”

I mumbled that out loud, my voice loud enough for anyone to hear. I was no stranger to compliments about my looks by now, but in this situation, I struggled to find the right reaction.

Growl. Everyone could hear how hungry my stomach was.

Slightly blushing, the girl cut in, “What, what are you staring at? Are you here to gawk?”

I watched and felt something.

Even on a weekend, wearing a worn school uniform. Smoking in a corner. Hunger. The instinctual thorns she raised against others.

This girl might be…

Without even realizing it, my mouth opened. It could be called an unconscious impulse.

“Aren’t you hungry? Get up, let’s go eat.”

*

What a ridiculous turn of events. Thinking back, it was quite absurd.

The fact that I suddenly asked someone to go eat, and that Hee-eun followed along when I said I would buy her food.

What was I thinking, randomly asking to go eat? Their response was even more ridiculous.

“Well, you’re beautiful, so…”

Just because I was pretty, that meant it was okay to follow me? When I asked for a reason, it was “because you’re pretty.” Seriously, what kind of weird logic was that?

It seemed like Hee-eun thought no bad person would look so nice and offer to buy food.

I wondered if people like her, who looked like Hee-eun, could be easily caught by some shady types who were known to charm others with good looks.

It was in the restaurant where I learned Hee-eun’s name and that she was an orphan, once I bought her a bowl of black bean noodles and she opened up without suspicion.

“From now on, don’t do that, got it?”

“I don’t just do that with anybody…”

I firmly warned Hee-eun, who was munching on sweet and sour pork. It wasn’t like I was in a place to say anything since I was the one who brought her along with the promise of food, but you never know. After all, Hee-eun was cute, which made it more dangerous.

Trying to have a conversation with Hee-eun while half-heartedly eating my already-soggy black bean noodles, I was waiting for someone.

Someone who agreed to come here. It wasn’t that they were coming first, but I was the one who called them.

Why wouldn’t I? My sister Ji-yeon.

Seeing Hee-eun in her school uniform made me think of Ji-yeon.

Ji-yeon didn’t mind black bean noodles either, so I called her over to see if she wanted something to eat. If she didn’t, I could just buy her something else.

“Hey, did you have a younger sibling?”

“Yeah. One year older than you.”

“Lucky… I wish I had a sister like you…”

Longing for family. I understood that feeling even as an orphan myself.

It felt so relatable that I gently patted her head.

At that moment, the door to the Chinese restaurant opened, and Ji-yeon walked in.

Ji-yeon’s eyes immediately found me, fixed on me like a nail as she scanned the place.

When I waved my hand to call her over, Ji-yeon walked toward me steadily, her head moving in confusion.

“Hey, you made it? Is the Chinese restaurant okay? What do you want to eat?”

“Wait a minute… But who is she?”

Ji-yeon’s expression took on a somewhat complex look as she spoke those words, carrying an unusual chill.

Hee-eun, who had been chewing sweet and sour pork, froze up, her jaw stopping mid-bite.

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