I Became a Malicious Streamer

Since that day, nothing particularly special changed between them.

There was no sudden invasion of Ji-eun’s house the next day by Ryuah, hinting at their cohabitation.

They just kept in touch like usual, occasionally meeting up to spend time together.

Today’s outing was just one of those mundane outings. The only difference was the place they visited.

On a chilly winter day with snowflakes fluttering down, Ji-eun and Ryuah made their way to a shrine-like location.

What could possibly lead them, who had only ever lived in the concrete jungle, to such a rural area? The outing’s purpose was peculiar, which was likely why they headed to such a unique place.

“People actually live in a place like this?”

Ji-eun asked with a tone of disbelief. Ryuah was the one who led her there.

It was typical for Ryuah to take charge of their outings; Ji-eun rarely stepped outside unless there was something special going on. Ryuah had dragged Ji-eun, who was like a hibernating bear in a cave, outside, and it seemed that Ji-eun didn’t mind it too much.

“Aren’t we going to freeze to death?”

“Well, since we’re with someone amazing, I’m sure they’ll handle the cold somehow.”

“No matter how amazing they are…”

Ji-eun shut up, thinking it was pushing it against nature. She had never encountered any supernatural being before. However, she didn’t entirely dismiss the idea of shamanistic elements.

If it were in the past, she might have denied it, but now, her own existence was intertwined with the supernatural, making it hard not to believe.

That’s why she accepted Ryuah’s suggestion to go visit a shaman for new year fortune-telling.

In the past, she would have thought, “That’s all a scam, what a waste of money.” Even if she did go, it would have been purely for fun.

But having gone through such a significant change, she was genuinely curious.

“Will they recognize ‘me’?”

The biggest question was how the so-called shaman would perceive Ji-eun. Would they see her as the usurper who stole someone’s body or merely as a soul that entered a new body? In extreme cases, they might think an evil spirit had come to haunt them and attempt to exorcise her.

Or they might not recognize her at all. It wouldn’t be strange to judge Ji-eun as just a young woman.

But if they were truly knowledgeable and mystical, Ji-eun thought, they might understand her situation.

*

“A lot of people are going to get tangled up.”

That was the shaman’s first comment after looking at Ji-eun’s face. At that point, Ji-eun let go of her expectations.

The shaman hadn’t said anything special when Ji-eun first entered or when they met face to face.

They just didn’t recognize her. Despite being a disappointing outcome, it was a more probable scenario.

“That’s ridiculous.”

She woke up one day in a stranger’s body. It was hard to believe, let alone expect someone to imagine such a thing.

However, Ji-eun thought someone so revered might notice something, but if they couldn’t even figure this out, maybe they lacked real abilities.

Contrary to Ryuah’s words that the shaman could withstand even the harsh winter in this remote valley, the shaman’s room was filled with heating tools like electric blankets, heaters, and stoves.

With that combination, Ji-eun half-heartedly deemed the shaman a fraud. Maybe that’s why their answers felt a bit lacking in enthusiasm.

“Is that so?”

“People are really getting tangled… Is it some kind of love charm?”

Ryuah, who had been buzzing with excitement all along, seemed even more engaged now. She had already read her fortune, and now she was eagerly listening to Ji-eun’s.

The shaman chuckled and continued speaking, eyeing Ji-eun.

“It cannot be definitively stated as a specific facial structure; it could be a love charm or a phoenix charm… What’s important is that there are a lot of people involved.”

‘You’re just stating the obvious in a grand manner.’

With looks like these, wouldn’t it be stranger if people didn’t flock to her? Ji-eun thought that this was how the shaman made their living.

Ryuah, awed, exclaimed “Whoa!”

“Is that a good thing?”

“It’s a clear distinction. A lot of people get attached, so there will be good ones and bad ones around.”

“Hmm…”

“Considering we’re out here looking fine, it seems you’ve met good people.”

When the shaman said “good people,” their gaze turned to Ryuah, who shyly twisted her body. Ji-eun began to ponder if shamans were just service workers nowadays.

“And… this year, a benefactor will come to you. Make sure to hold on to that person.”

“A benefactor? Where…?”

When Ji-eun asked if they could provide any details or a timeframe, she received a riddle-like response.

“They could already be around you, or they could be someone completely new. What’s certain is that they will be someone who can help you.”

“Hmm…”

“A benefactor, for Ji-eun…”

Was that simply another impressive-sounding line? Ji-eun partially tuned out the shaman’s words.

They continued with fortune-telling sessions. Despite how unbelievable it sounded, they had already paid the fee, so backing down was not an option.

Thinking of it just for fun made it somewhat amusing.

“I won’t starve until I grow old and die. If I set my mind to it, I could live without lifting a finger.”

“Wow!”

“Same with love. People will line up, and if I choose well, I should be fine.”

“Wow!”

Everything, from wealth to love, came out positively. Seeing all the favorable outcomes was undeniably fun.

However, Ji-eun frowned slightly, as she could not determine if this was her fate or ‘Ji-eun’s’ fate.

“Is that all the divination you can give?”

“Hmm… How about our compatibility?”

With a sweet smile, Ryuah tried to pull out more money for the shaman. The shaman stopped her.

“Compatibility? I can do that for free. It’s not hard at all.”

“Wow!”

It was indeed true. Compared to the personal fortunes they had seen earlier, this task was astonishingly simple.

Instead of calculating the energies of water and fire based on detailed birth times, the results for their compatibility appeared immediately.

“It’s not bad. If you both keep your promises, you can last a long time.”

“Not bad, how much is that?”

“If we’re scoring, it’s 73 out of 100.”

Seventy-three points. Quite high. Ji-eun had initially thought the worst-case scenario would be around 10 or 20, so this was incredibly satisfactory. She suspected the shaman was just glossing it over, but judging by their demeanor, it didn’t seem to be a lie.

Yet, Ryuah seemed somewhat dissatisfied with the score.

“I thought it would go over 80…”

“Seventy-three is an incredibly high score. It’s hard for most couples to get that.”

“Is it?”

Ryuah asked, curious.

“Relationships aren’t strictly determined by compatibility. People live matching up here and there.”

“Oh, I see… Still, it would have been better if it was 90.”

“True. If just one of you were a guy, the score might have been higher.”

“Excuse me?”

The shaman explained to an astonished Ryuah.

“I meant if it wasn’t friendship but a romantic relationship, it would have likely scored about 92.”

Eek, Ryuah gasped.

“W-wait, this is all theoretical. Flipping genders changes everything. Compatibility scores also aren’t flawless. The couple I saw with the highest score of 96 ended up breaking up.”

“…I see.”

As if to break Ryuah’s immersion, the shaman spoke.

“So, have we finished? I need to get moving too.”

“Oh, really?”

“It’s time to say a prayer to the shaman.”

As the atmosphere naturally suggested it was time to leave, Ji-eun suddenly asked the shaman.

“Could you read the fortune for one more person?”

“A fortune? Sure. Whose would you like me to look into?”

Ji-eun hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“…Kwon Seong-hyuk. Born August 17th, 1993. Gender is male. I don’t know the exact time of birth.”

The shaman reopened the book they had previously closed and began looking at the fortune. Ryuah quietly observed, thinking that whoever this unfamiliar name was, it must be related to Ji-eun.

“That’s strange.”

However, the shaman’s response was markedly different from before.

“Strange, how?”

“The birth details aren’t matching up. In this case, it’s likely… the birthday is incorrect.”

A realization brushed through Ji-eun’s mind. Kwon Seong-hyuk was an orphan, so it was only logical that he would not have an official birthday. The date set for him had been the day he was left at the orphanage.

“I see. I’ll have to find out again.”

“Sure. If you come back later, I’ll do it for a discount.”

The shaman nodded, understanding that getting someone’s birthday wrong wasn’t unusual.

“Goodbye!”

Finally done with everything, Ryuah energetically waved as the two women left.

While the shaman pondered how the empty area felt unusually stark now, he murmured,

“What an unusual woman…”

The second woman who had her fortune told was someone the shaman had never encountered before.

‘From the moment she stepped into the room, something felt off.’

She didn’t seem ordinary; there was a strange aura around her as if two people had fused into one.

As the shaman provided advice and they interacted, he thought she might just be someone with strong energy, but he soon realized there was something more that she herself hadn’t noticed.

‘In this line of work, I meet all sorts of people.’

Tsking lightly, the shaman got up from their seat and slowly walked away.

---