My Favorite Has Started A Live Broadcast!

“……..”

A strange ceiling. It seemed familiar and like I’d seen it often, but it felt somehow different and unfamiliar. What was different about it? The patterns and textures slowly becoming visible in the darkness looked similar, but there was something off. As a throbbing pain started in my head, those thoughts quickly faded away.

“Ugh…”

As I grabbed my throbbing head, I felt cold metal on my fingers. Maybe my eyes had adjusted to the darkness, as I now noticed the small silver ring on my finger. Fidgeting with the ring, which was a birthday gift from my younger sister and was worn on my left index finger, I sat up.

“….Strawberry….?”

I reached around, feeling for Strawberry, who always slept beside me, but my hands found nothing. Wondering if she’d rolled away while sleeping, I stretched my arm farther and touched something.

The familiar feel of metal at my fingertips made me realize where I was.

Once I forced my eyes fully open, the room’s interior came into view. A small bed, a large desk, and countless books piled on top of it. Looking down, I saw the owner of those books.

“Grrr…”

“Mmm… Unnie….”

My younger sister was holding Strawberry close, talking in her sleep. I picked up the blanket that had fallen to the floor and tucked her back in before leaving her room.

The ring was on my left ring finger… I must have been mistaken. I’ll have to tell her about that later.

“My head hurts….”

I didn’t know exactly how much I drank last night, but judging by this headache, it must have been quite a bit. Even gulping down cold water helped only for a moment. Still in the clothes I wore last night, I stumbled to a convenience store, bought a hangover cure, and returned to my home.

The room and living room, uncleaned for just a day, were already collecting dust with the curtains left open. After downing the hangover cure in one shot, I returned to my sister’s room.

***
Lee Minyoung POV

“Mmm…”

My sister hadn’t returned home late at night, so I ended up making some ramen and sat at my desk, but I couldn’t concentrate at all. Usually, I’d watch or listen to her broadcast while studying, but today, the stream wasn’t on. Occasionally, she wouldn’t broadcast if she was too tired and went to bed early or had a personal matter. But I usually knew about those things. When she played with Strawberry, she would always be outside the door; I could hear her through the walls. And when she was tired, she at least made sure to cook for me before sleeping.

“Ughhh… It’s bothering me!”

My phone had been busy for a while, and when I went inside, the lights were off, with only a lonely-looking Strawberry waiting. I took Strawberry back home, but nothing had changed except Strawberry looking uncomfortable.

“Ahh… is she the only one?”

It wasn’t exactly who I wanted to talk to, but maybe that self-proclaimed manager of my sister’s would know something. Clenching my teeth, I stepped out of the house once more.

Knock, knock, knock-

“…..”

I knocked on the door, but there was no response. I knocked again, deep in thought.

“She’s not someone I’d want my sister to hang out with… if she’s in college, wouldn’t she still be out drinking by now…?”

“Not really.”

“Eek!”

The door suddenly opened, and a small pain sparked at the top of my head. Holding my sore head, I looked up to see the brown crown of her head. Her flawless skin, her brown hair hanging down to her waist, a slightly oversized white T-shirt, and dolphin shorts. I quickly set my sights on an outfit I’d one day get my sister to wear as Eunah looked at me.

“What are you staring at? Why’d you come?”

“…Unnie… do you know where she is?”

Eunah smirked, then walked back inside. She had left the door open, so I figured she was inviting me in and followed her into the house, filled with a mixed assortment of smells.

“Ugh… what’s that smell?”

“Smell? I don’t really notice.”

Following that strange smell meant following Eunah, which led me to a dark room. There, I noticed a bed and desk strewn with clutter. Candles lay scattered about, and I realized they were the source of the smell, so I subtly covered my nose.

“Oh… sorry, sorry, I was going to clean up. Anyway, look at this.”

My gaze followed Eunah’s finger to a monitor.

Tap-

The monitor displayed a screen. Chat messages were scrolling up quickly as a woman sipped water, looking at a phone screen. It was Chocoa. I looked at Eunah, who pointed at her headset.

“Is that…?”

“Yes! Their hair is suuper rough… heh… but they were messing up my hair… waah…”

“Mhm, but Baraa’s hair was incredibly soft, though.”

“Eh…?”

-Aww, she’s so cute…!

-LOL

-I’m so jealous. Let me talk too!

Aroalo—With Baraa, working overtime

“……..”

Realizing who Chocoa was talking to, I quickly left the room and ran back home, holding Strawberry as I rushed to my desk. As I settled in, I calmed Strawberry, who looked like she wanted to escape, by offering her favorite snack and petting her as I opened Twitch on my phone. There, Chocoa’s stream was featured at the top of the main page.

Tonight’s study session looked promising.

***
Lee Suyeon POV

“Mmm… huh? You’re awake?”

Maybe the hangover cure was working, as the headache had faded fast. I pushed myself up on the bed, reached for my phone at the end of the mattress, and leaned over my sister.

“….Huh… chest..?”

Half-asleep, my sister mumbled something strange. I greeted her and checked the time on my phone, only to be blinded by the screen’s brightness.

“Gah…! My eyes…!”

“Nyaaaaah…”

Hearing my agonized sound, Strawberry, now awake, yawned.

It was around 9 a.m. at the start of this chaotic day. A chill ran down my spine, but it didn’t take long for me to remember it was Saturday. With the tension gone, I stretched and told my sister to go back to sleep before returning to my own place. There were so many things I wanted to ask—why I had slept here, what happened last night—but I had no intention of disrupting the weekend sleep of a high schooler with final exams approaching. If I’d done something wrong, Aro or Eunah would have contacted me by now.

As I opened the door and put Strawberry down, she seemed fully awake, darting around the house. Watching Strawberry’s usual energy, I returned to my room, where I had a faint idea of why I might’ve ended up at my sister’s.

“I forgot to put the blankets and laundry out…”

On my bed was just a mattress cover, no blankets or pillows. My sleeping habit, if you could call it that, involved rolling up the blanket to hug it. I’d heard about pillows meant for hugging, but I’d never bought one, so I got by with a single all-season blanket.

Did I go over to my sister’s because I didn’t have a blanket or pillow…? But why bring Strawberry…??

There were still many questions, but I decided to ask my sister later and picked up my cat pajamas as I headed to the bathroom.

“Hmm?”

Drying my hair with a towel, I stepped out of the bathroom to find Strawberry waiting by the door as usual. I bent down to pick up my pajamas from the floor and noticed someone nearby.

“Heyyy.”

“Eek!”

Since I was only in my underwear, I hastily grabbed my pajamas and ran back into the bathroom.

“Oh, come on, we’re both girls anyway.”

“Still… still….!”

“Miss, just look at this.”

Despite my embarrassment, my body instinctively made coffee as Eunah smiled and held out her phone.

“…What is this…”

“It’s a video Aro finished editing just now. Enjoy.”

It wasn’t on YouTube yet; the file was still saved. The title read, “Baraa Calls Chocoa While Drunk.”

“………”

I felt an overwhelming urge not to watch it, but hearing Eunah mention ‘drunk’ and last night, I hit play, bracing myself.

-…Hello?

-Yes~ It’s Chocoaaa…

Click-

“………Why… is it… an hour long…?”

Eunah simply grinned and looked at me silently, raising her eyebrows. My hands trembled as I fast-forwarded through the hour-long video, gradually realizing what I had said. Skipping through minutes, I saw scene after scene of me acting cute, asking Chocoa on a date, showing off the ring my sister gave me… that part wasn’t so bad. But there were plenty of embarrassing moments.

“No… no… It can’t…”

“…Hey…”

“What…!”

If this video went up, I felt like the last bit of my dignity would crumble. My voice rose slightly, but it didn’t seem to faze her in the slightest.

“It’s already posted.”

“Oh.”

Today’s not a streaming day.