I Became a Malicious Streamer

The adequately spacious living room was soaking up the afternoon sunlight just as it was. There wasn’t anything blocking the window, so the sunlight poured in freely. Despite being fairly high up, I found it striking that tree branches managed to reach this far.

Just a moment ago, I had arrived at Papi Joah and Tex’s newlywed home.

Even though it was my first time here, I had arrived without getting lost or anything. I had finally admitted to myself that I really am a human who has a hard time finding their way around.

Having acknowledged that, I moved around with Ryuah, who was well acquainted with the Busan area.

Papi Joah felt reassured by my mention of moving with Ryuah. She had initially planned to send Tex to meet me at the station. In her eyes, I probably looked like a lost cause who wandered around like a headless chicken. Maybe the impact of my first team dinner was still too strong.

“It’s so pretty! It’s small and easy to place anywhere. Now that it’s tall enough, I’ll have to keep it by my bedside when I sleep.”

I love it-.

Papi Joah said this while petting something. It was the stem of a small plant.

The elegantly packaged plant was inside a plastic case instead of a pot, and below it were white, pretty stones, with a mood light shining brightly from the top of the case.

Yes, that was the LED air-purifying wooden planter I had brought as a housewarming gift instead of tissues.

What a grand name for such a small thing. I had to struggle to remember the name that the store clerk told me as I came over here.

If you’re wondering why I randomly brought a plant as a housewarming gift, let’s rewind to when I had originally planned to bring tissues but got scared off by their weight.

The bulky and heavy tissues seemed like too much for just one person to carry. If I had brought a car, it would’ve been a different story, but considering my already terrible stamina, I thought it would be tough. Plus, taking a taxi would be annoying, and I certainly couldn’t ask Ryuah to carry this for me.

For that reason, I started looking for other housewarming gifts. I wandered around the decoration section at the mart, hoping to find something suitable.

“Can I help you, sir? Is there something you’re looking for?”

After deciding to abandon the most needed gift for newlywed couples—tissues—I found nothing that fit the bill through my brilliant reasoning.

That’s when the store clerk approached me.

Honestly, I didn’t like it when clerks approached me first while I was browsing. It felt a bit pressuring, you know?

But then again, once the clerk had already spoken to me, I couldn’t exactly say, “I’ll just browse alone, so can you leave me alone?”

So I explained my situation. A friend got married. They have a child. I was going to bring tissues but gave up because they were too heavy. I asked if there was something else equally impressive.

“Tissues or towels are probably gifts they’ve received a lot from others. Maybe a different gift would be better.”

I nodded at the clerk’s words, realizing that tissues are one of the most common gifts. Everyone thinks alike.

“How about this?”

The clerk recommended this little thing. A wooden planter or something. It had such a long name that I had to ask for it again, “Huh?” twice, just to make sure I heard right.

With a name that long, it was packed with various functions.

Well, since it’s a plant, just putting it there for decoration would bring peace of mind, and it doesn’t take up much space. It’s an air plant that grows by feeding on dust, so it purifies the air and is easy to take care of.

“And when you turn on the light, ta-da! It can also be used as a mood light! You can even adjust the brightness.”

Whether it was the clerk’s good explanation or not, it sounded like a bundle of advantages. So there must’ve been a reason for the long name.

You know how the saying goes, right? The longer the name, the stronger it is.

Like that card game quest weapon pirate whatever thing… it’s painful just to hear it.

Or the creepy dual-chamber wisdom tooth that sounds like torture. Or the Pokémon’s colossal whatever thingy.

The LED air-purifying wooden planter seemed to fit that pattern too.

It included air purification and LED lights, with various functions, so to let consumers know about these things, the name had to be long.

Being long-named naturally implied that its performance was guaranteed.

With this utterly reasonable theory, I purchased this plant to gift it to Papi Joah.

Ultimately, it was the right choice. Seeing her this happy…

“Should I place one in the kitchen?”

It was small, and I thought one might seem a bit lonely, so I ended up getting her two.

Watching Papi Joah hum a tune, I felt a sense of satisfaction.

“Yay! Our princess! Aunty’s here? Should we say hi to the aunties?”

Tex walked out of the bedroom, holding a tiny bundle of life in his arms.

“So cute!”

Ryuah, who was sitting next to me, squeaked out. It was understandable. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the baby either.

“Our baby is cute, right? She’s incredibly gentle too. She hardly cries.”

“Hey, can I hold her just once?”

With Ryuah’s insistence, Tex chuckled and carefully passed the baby over to her. Ryuah cradled the child and looked her in the eyes.

“Hello? What’s your name?”

“I’m Seo Hye. Kim Seo Hye.”

“I was having a telepathic chat with Seo Hye! She just told me her name!”

“That’s nonsense…”

Tex chuckled and shook his head. Ryuah was busy talking to the baby, asking who she took after, how she was doing lately, and if there was anything she wanted…

It was puzzling how they had so much to talk about to a baby who couldn’t even speak yet. I wondered if the baby would even understand any of it.

In reality, the baby seemed to find Ryuah overwhelming, as she turned her head away even while being cradled in her arms. It was a stark contrast to when they first met, maintaining eye contact.

The baby turned her head towards me, where I was seated. For a short while, she kept blinking and staring at me.

After what felt like a strange standoff, the baby made her move.

“Aw…”

The baby started babbling softly in Ryuah’s arms. Her slight squirming seemed to express a desire to escape this place.

“What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable?”

“She seems to want to go to Mollru. She’s been looking at you since earlier.”

Me? As I tilted my head in confusion, the baby beamed at me. Tex chuckled quietly as he walked closer.

“Wait, is she jumping ship from me to Ji-eun?”

“Babies can be pretty superficial, you know. They don’t have any filtering going on.”

Seo Hye seems to think this auntie looks prettier-. Tex was playfully poked in the back by Ryuah.

That was definitely true. Babies can’t lie. Before they grasp the concepts of truth and falsehood, they can’t even think of lying.

Sometimes, being innocently pure hurts more. Ryuah seemed to acknowledge this while playfully hitting Tex.

I couldn’t deny that my face was kind of pretty. Occasionally, even I find myself admiring it when I look in the mirror.

“Alright. You don’t have to be so stiff. Just think of it as holding a doll.”

I received the baby from Tex. Her soft breathing tickled my ear, and the warmth spread through where her body was touching mine.

As I locked eyes with the baby, she smiled at me, and my chest felt a bit tight. It was as if something previously hollow had been filled.

If I felt this way despite not being her parent, how must Papi Joah and Tex feel?

Glimpsing at their faces, both bore soft smiles. Their eyes had dark circles, and their skin looked a bit rough. Like all new parents, they probably hadn’t been sleeping well.

Yet all their features were filled with happiness. Naturally, the source of that happiness must be their child.

Watching them brought back memories from long ago. In the past, there was a saying the orphanage director shared with me.

“Build a family. Your own true family.”

At the time, I hadn’t really listened to her.

Every time the elderly director looked at me, she offered me the advice to build a family, but I was too busy pondering what to do after leaving the orphanage.

Now, I’ve vaguely come to understand why she said those words.

She must have noticed my lack. She had probably figured out what I was missing and what I needed. Perhaps she foresaw that I would grow up to live a colorless and joyless life.

Thus, she left me with that advice.

It’s only now that I realize the meaning behind it. So late, yet far too late.

“Family…”

I gaze at the Tex family in front of me. Is this how I should build a family too? Is that the answer?

As I gently pat the back of the sleeping baby in my arms, my worries only deepened.

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