My Favorite Has Started A Live Broadcast!

“Whoaahhh…”

Early in the morning, as I checked my bank account after buying some ingredients, I saw an incredibly high balance displayed. I walked out of the bank, holding an eco-bag with a cute black cat design in one hand and my bank book in the other. The sight of numbers I’d never seen in my account finally began to feel a bit real. I kept glancing at the balance on my way home.

“Have a good day!”

As usual, I sent off my younger sibling and Eunah-unnie, and the house felt empty, but Strawberry seemed determined not to leave me alone, running over to circle around me. Since she used up so much energy running around, she didn’t show signs of gaining weight, even with frequent snacks.

“Alright… Strawberry… today, we’re doing something called a bath.”

I picked up Strawberry, who tilted her head in confusion, clearly not understanding. There was a good reason to bathe her. Cats hating water is common knowledge, but aside from when I first found her, I hadn’t seen her soaked. It had been a little over a month, and hygienically, this could lead to health problems for her. My sister loved Strawberry excessively, so I didn’t want to part with her anytime soon. Also, her fur was getting tangled from all the running around, making it hard to brush.

For these reasons, I took Strawberry into the bathroom. Since the threshold wasn’t high, she sometimes got trapped if the door shut, but today she was coming in with me.

“Meow?”

Once inside the lit bathroom, Strawberry wandered around curiously before stepping into the small shower booth on her own. Blocking the entrance with my body, I reached over to grab the showerhead.

“You have to stay still, Strawberry.”

Swoosh—

“…..”

I covered the multiple “honorable scars” on my arm with bandages.

Strawberry truly hated water. She usually drank a lot after running around all day, but she didn’t like it when water was poured over her. Now, Strawberry was darting around, soaking the entire house, and the shampoo I didn’t fully rinse out made the floor slippery.

To shake off the remaining water, she rolled around on the blanket she usually slept on.

I decided that the next time I bathed her, I’d lock the bathroom door. Then I got to work on the now-increased chores.

I stuffed the soaked clothes and blankets into the washing machine and wiped the water-covered floor until it shone. Luring the evasive Strawberry with treats, I dried her damp fur and petted her soft, fluffy coat as she rubbed her head against my hand. After a while, we finished up and headed to the cafe.

***
Sooyoung POV

“Ugh… this is so bitter…”

“See, told you not to try it all of a sudden…”

Taking a sip of coffee, which I rarely drank, made me wince, unintentionally letting out a groan. Minho, who was usually just gaming, glanced at me and sighed, returning to his steaming tea and focusing on his game.

“I mean… we’re at a cafe, so ordering nothing felt weird… Anyway, when is Su-yeon coming?”

“Nine to three. This place ranked number one online as a must-visit cafe in that time slot.”

“Wow… how’d you know that?”

“Knowing what people are interested in is important. So, why exactly are we all here?”

Even though Minho’s sentence ended in a statement, I knew he was asking a question. Chewing on the bitter coffee straw, I answered.

“It was her birthday a few days ago. I know we’ve been busy, but we should still do something for him. So, do you have any ideas?”

“……”

Minho seemed to think for a moment, then shook his head.

“Hey.”

As I was tasting the bitterness of the coffee again, Minho suddenly spoke up. It wasn’t common for him to initiate conversation, so I immediately put down the black coffee straw and looked up.

“But… what are we even supposed to give her as a gift?”

“……”

I couldn’t respond right away to the question that seemed to carry a lot of meaning.

“…But… hasn’t she stayed pretty much the same?”

I didn’t think Su-yeon had changed much. Even if her situation was different, she was still kind-hearted, always looking out for others. She gave a significant amount of money to help Minho, worked three jobs herself, endured all kinds of unfair treatment at part-time jobs, and often got fired due to bad luck.

“Hey, is that game you’re making going well? Maybe instead of worrying about gifts, you should pay back what you owe her.”

“I know, but it’s going pretty smoothly. Should be ready in about… two or three years. How’s your love life?”

The sudden question startled me, but I kept my composure.

“…Nah, I crashed and burned this time too! Dammit!”

“…..Well… I guess he hasn’t changed much either.”

“Right? Even after all that, she hasn’t changed a bit. She’s still got that same good-looking face, hasn’t changed much at all. Maybe her hair and eyes look a bit different… But let’s make today a blast! Just like old times!”

***
Lee Suyeon POV

“Hm-hmm… hmm-hmm…”

With several bandages on my arm, I was humming as I walked to work in long sleeves. Around mid-April, it was feeling a bit warm, like the end of spring, typical of Korea’s unique blending of summer and winter. Silently thanking Minyoung for recently buying me summer clothes, I quickened my pace toward the air-conditioned cafe.

“…!”

I suddenly stopped as I rounded a corner near the cafe. A man had appeared out of nowhere. If it were most people, they would’ve stumbled or even bumped into him, but I instinctively took a step back, avoiding the collision. Looking at the surprised man, who was likely just as shocked at my reflexes, I realized he was quite tall, forcing me to look up. He looked kind, with a clean-cut black hairstyle and flawless skin. Lowering his outstretched arm with an awkward smile, he spoke.

“Um… are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m glad we didn’t bump into each other. Are you okay?”

“Yes… Wow… I couldn’t do anything out of surprise, but you managed to dodge. Are you… someone who does something for a living?”

“Well… I, uh…”

How should I explain? Should I just say I’m a streamer? But that felt a little embarrassing…

It wasn’t that streaming itself was embarrassing, just that it was the first time I’d told someone I was a streamer instead of saying I worked part-time. After thinking it over briefly, I opened my mouth to answer.

“…I… stream.”

I had no reason to be embarrassed. My younger sister had suggested it, and I was enjoying it. Thanks to that, I had Aro, my manager, and Eunah-unnie. I could even stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Chocoa under the title of streamer.

“Hm… I see… Oh, are you heading to that cafe up ahead?”

The man looked a bit surprised but then smiled kindly, asking. I nodded, and he turned to face the same direction as me, speaking as he did.

“I heard there was a must-visit cafe around here at this time, so I came to check it out, but I thought it was somewhere else… turns out this is it.”

He said something ambiguous, then smiled as he looked at me. As he changed expressions, a large tattoo under his shirt briefly showed, but I reminded myself not to judge based on appearances and continued on my way.

“Do you work at the cafe by any chance?”

“Yes.”

“Wow… you don’t see looks like yours every day… Are you sure you’re not doing anything else?”

“No.”

“Really? That’s surprising… You seriously aren’t a model or actor?”

“No…”

The continuous questions were starting to get annoying, but he kept talking. This went on until we reached the cafe entrance, where he handed me a small business card as I was about to go in.

“…..”

“Sorry for talking your ear off. If you’re interested, feel free to reach out. Even for short-term work, it’s well-paid, and if you’re up for something more… well, the choice is yours.”

The card had an address, a name, and simply said “model.”

“…What the… did I just get scouted?”

“Mmm-hmm…”

I wanted to ask him, but he’d already disappeared. Feeling a strange mixture of emotions, I stepped inside the cafe.

“Huh?”

Inside, I saw two familiar backs and approached them with a bit of suspicion.

“Hey, no way. I’ll beat you at rhythm games!”

“…Silver rank in Lesik.”

“You game-obsessed jerk!”

Judging by their voices, I knew it was who I thought. Minho noticed me, looked up, and Sooyoung, sensing something, turned his head too.

“What are you guys doing here? And wearing hats, no less.”

As I pulled off both their hats at the same time, I was greeted with the sight of shaved heads.