Chapter 6: The Remaining Fire

“Heh heh, a streamer who doesn’t turn off their microphone?

That won’t do.”

I realized my mistake.

I reached for the mouse to turn off the microphone, but it was far too late.

How am I going to explain this to people?

“…Huh?”

Without thinking, a foolish sound leaked from my mouth.

For some reason, the microphone that shouldn’t have been off was off.

“Be careful.

This is the last time I’ll help you.”

It seemed that the old man had turned off the microphone in advance.

Before I yelled, the microphone must have already been off, because there weren’t any unusual comments in the chat window.

I couldn’t understand how he could do this without lifting a finger, but in the first place, that old man was a being who walked outside my understanding.

[ㅗㅜㅑ(ㅗㅜㅑ-expressing attraction) ㅗㅜㅑ(ㅗㅜㅑ-expressing attraction)]

[Noona(older sister/term of endearment from a male) I’m gonna dieeeeee]

[Wow, but this is really unexpected.

I thought you wouldn’t have any breasts at all]

[LOL/ㄹㅇㅋㅋ]

[I thought it would be a washboard, but I couldn’t have imagined this ㄴㅇㄱ(never seen)]

[Heueung….Noona(older sister/term of endearment from a male) my there is weird…]

[Deleted message.]

[He’s dying from this ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[엌ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Brain stop~]

The chat window is a spectacle, a spectacle.

For now, I decided to ignore it and turned the camera towards the desk and turned the microphone back on.

“Everyone, just a moment?

I’ll change my clothes and come back, so just a moment!”

[Okay, change and come back]

[ㄴㄴㄴㄴㄴㄴㄴㄴㄴ Show me more!]

[She’s actually changing]

[The code of the 강호(Gangho-Martial arts world) has fallen to the ground!!]

[No, in the first place, why were you only wearing a shirt ㅋㅋ?]

[LOL/ㄹㅇㅋㅋ]

[It seems like she knows what’s up ㅋㅋ]

[Hiro knows a thing or two~]

[Can’t resist a dress shirt ㅋㅋㅋ]

The code of the 강호(Gangho-Martial arts world) has fallen to the ground?

My lower body has fallen off, you little b*tch.

Perhaps because I turned on the camera in an almost naked state, the viewers were more excited than usual.

I had a feeling that I would have a hard time for a while because of what happened today.

Swallowing the sighs that kept trying to leak out, I turned off the microphone and looked at the old man.

The old man was chuckling, wondering what was so funny.

Argh, I’m really going to…

I was furious at the old man’s smirking face, but there were still many things I had to ask.

Pressing down on the rising annoyance, I called out to the old man.

“That, what is it… Old Man?”

“…”

“Hey?”

“…”

I called him several times, but there was no answer.

He was just smirking and looking at me.

“?”

Wait a minute.

Looking closely, he’s not looking at me.

No, he is looking at me, but he wasn’t making eye contact with me.

A little lower than that.

Following the old man’s gaze, I lowered my head, and there was…

“You perverted old man!”

As I screamed, the old man finally laughed and made eye contact with me.

“Hehehe, a very satisfactory result!”

“What is?

Me being f*cked?”

The old man smiled and shook his head.

“You rascal.

Anyway, didn’t you escape the crisis?

That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what’s so satisfying?

Was it so funny to see me flustered?

Yeah?”

“That was quite amusing too.”

But that’s also not what I want to talk about.

The old man stroked his chin and continued.

“It’s a story about even greater fun.”

“Greater fun?”

“I’d love to tell you more details, but I can’t keep your viewers waiting, so shouldn’t you change your clothes first?

Let’s go out for now.”

“Ah, yes…”

What he said was right, but because it was said by that perverted old man who commits sexual harassment, I felt a sense of rebellion.

Reluctantly following the old man out of the soundproof booth, I saw the mess in the house.

The floor was littered with all sorts of cardboard boxes and styrofoam boxes.

“You should clean up, shouldn’t you?”

“I’ll do it on the weekend, on the weekend!

I was busy!”

I made excuses and went to the closet.

“Listen while you change.”

“Speak, I’ll listen.”

I was about to take off my dress shirt, but I suddenly wondered if it was okay to change in front of this old man.

He had a history of staring at my cleavage, after all.

Isn’t he going to do something weird again?

As I couldn’t change because I was watching him, the old man laughed.

“Do you think I can’t see you if you cover up?

I won’t do anything wrong this time, so change with peace of mind.”

“…Damn it.”

Well, no matter how much I try to cover it up, that old man can see it as much as he wants if he sets his mind to it.

Oh?

Maybe he can control my thoughts as he pleases?

I suddenly felt afraid of the old man’s identity and abilities.

As I was changing, the old man began to speak.

“What has your life been like so far?”

“My life?

Suddenly?”

Life, suddenly a grand story came out.

Is he suddenly trying to have a philosophical debate with me?

I was somewhat taken aback when someone who had been sexually harassing and teasing me all along suddenly said something like that.

Not knowing what he meant, I asked the old man again.

“Suddenly saying life, I have no idea what you mean?”
“What, are you asking how I’ve been broadcasting so far?”

“Or, are you really asking about the life I’ve lived my whole life?”

Then the old man waved his hand and shook his head.

As if he already knew everything.

“That answer is enough.”

I couldn’t understand at all.

He asked a question that I had no idea what he meant, and then he concluded on his own that I had answered, even though I had never answered.

He said he knew, so I had nothing more to say, but I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

“Aiya.”

The old man called out to me, who was bewildered.

It was a very serious voice.

“Yes, yes.”

“You made a choice today that will change your life.”

My fate has changed drastically, from a man to a woman.

And I haven’t even had a single relationship.

“And with this choice, you will have to choose again.”

“Yes?”

I’ve already made the choice to abandon my gender, so what else?

What more do you want me to do here?

“Until that day comes, there’s still time, so try to live your current life to the fullest.”

Wind blew behind the old man.

A blue light flickered, and a crack that looked like the blue crack the old man had come out of appeared behind the old man.

“When that day comes, you will see me again.”

“And.”

“The wildfire has not yet gone out, so try your best.”

With those last words, the old man disappeared beyond the crack.

The crack that had swallowed the old man disappeared without a trace before long.

As if nothing had happened.

“Ah, right.

There was something I wanted to ask.”

Caught up in the old man’s pace, I didn’t ask the things I really wanted to ask.

I felt like I had been taken advantage of.

Hoo…

Was I having a daydream?

That’s what I thought.

The whole situation felt like a dream.

Maybe I fainted the moment I was caught being a netkama?

Maybe I’m dreaming while I’m unconscious.

Or maybe, all of this is a dying dream.

No, no.

There was no time to be immersed in these feelings.

The viewers are waiting.

I have to show my face to the viewers who were suspicious of me and dispel all doubts.

I hurriedly put on my pants and hoodie and returned to the soundproof booth.

But why do I feel so relieved?

Is it because I no longer have to deceive the viewers?

Sitting in the chair, I turned on the microphone and lifted the camera.

“Everyone~ Did I take too long?

I was late because I was trying to calm myself down and com”

[Hae(Do)]

[Myeong(Explain)]

[Hae(Do)]

[Hae(Do)]

[Hae(Do)]

[Myeong(Explain)]

[Myeong(Explain)]

[Hae(Do)]

[Myeong(Explain)]

[Hae(Do)]

[Myeong(Explain)]

[Hae(Do)]

[Hae(Do)]

[Myeong(Explain)]

What the f*ck.
Why again?

“Hey, just a moment everyone, just a moment!

Why??

What’s wrong again?”

I asked the viewers urgently.

“No, I’ve already revealed my face like this, and even showed you an embarrassing side of myself, why are you all doing this again…”

Are you saying I’m a man even after coming this far?

No, I was actually a man until just now, but now I’ve become a perfect woman, haven’t I?

At least, judging by my appearance on the camera screen, there’s no way you can conclude that I used to be a man.

[Myeong(Explain)]

[Hae(Do)]

[Myeong(Explain)]

[Hae(Do)]

[Hae(Do)]

[Myeong(Explain)]

“No, really, why are you doing this??

What’s wrong again?

Yes??”

I’m about to cry now.

This was too malicious to be a joke.

No matter how much I think about it, I haven’t done anything wrong, so why?

[Hiro-nim]

“Yes, yes!!

Yes!!!

What is it?

What’s going on right now?

What happened while I was away?

Yes?”

I was desperate.

I wanted normal communication so much that I poured out answers to a mere three-letter chat in rapid-fire.

I wanted to know what was going on.

[I think you need to give an explanation.]

“Yes?

What explanation?”

While the chat window was covered with explanations, one person answered with a proper sentence, but in the end, it was the same content asking for an explanation.

What am I supposed to explain?

While I was still wondering, the only person who was communicating with me broke through the chat’s spam and asked me a question.

[Hiro-nim, didn’t you say you didn’t have a boyfriend?]

…What?

[It’s true that Hiro-nim ate the waffles, right?]

[But Muren-nim said he’s never seen Hiro-nim]

[Then someone must have bought it for you]

[The only person who bought that menu was the man Muren-nim mentioned, right?]

[So, isn’t that man maybe Hiro-nim’s boyfriend?]

“You btch, what the fck are you talking about!!!”

There was no old man to turn off the microphone anymore.