I Became a Malicious Streamer

Since visiting the Mudang House with me, Ryuah seems to have been replaying what she heard that day over and over.

“Love… if not this year, then maybe in a few years, and marriage… I don’t know why, but it sounds like it’ll be tough,” she said.

Could it be that people say I’m not cut out for starting a family?

Ryuah mumbles, glancing at me.

“Ji-eun has no bad fortune, so as long as she takes care of her health, she’ll be fine, right? Let’s work out hard together!”

“Aren’t you relying too much on the fortune-telling?”

“Haha, does it look that way? But that person seemed to know my secret that most people wouldn’t even guess, like a ghost.”

Ryuah gives an awkward laugh while brushing her hair back.

“Don’t you believe it, Ji-eun? What we saw today.”

“Well…”

I didn’t believe it at all until the visit to the shaman’s house. I thought I was just throwing my money at a gimmick and tried not to listen, letting it go in one ear and out the other.

But my thoughts changed because of the last question I asked before leaving the shaman’s house.

“They said they couldn’t tell because my birthday was messed up.”

I can’t know. The kind of words spoken by the fortune-teller lack credibility, yet I strangely felt a sense of trust in those words.

If they were just a simple merchant, they would have told me some good fortune anyway.

Like most people who come to check their New Year’s fortune, they want to hear good things rather than bad ones.

Even if people hear bad news, very few engrave it in their hearts.

Most prefer to hear things like “From this point on, things will go well,” or “Your love fortune will improve,” rather than unpleasant predictions.

Naturally, this leads to word-of-mouth promotion, bringing customers all the way to this mountain valley. That’s how these fortune-tellers survive in this era and make a living.

But what about that shaman earlier? They demonstrated through their actions that they’re different by saying they don’t know the birthday.

With no pretense of seeming impressive, they simply stated they didn’t know, and somehow I began to pay attention to the words of this house.

“I don’t recall any particular warnings given.”

Unlike Ryuah, I was given only good news. The worst advice was merely to be cautious around people, as things might get complicated.

Didn’t they say there wouldn’t be any issues unless fate changed?

Lost in thoughts about what the shaman had said, Ryuah spoke up energetically.

“Ji-eun was told that a benefactor would come this year! I wonder who it could be. I’m curious too.”

“Come to think of it, they did say that…”

Benefactor. A precious person, literally.

The shaman said a benefactor would come to me this year. It could be someone close, or a complete stranger, but they told me not to miss that person.

Back then, I saw the shaman as a scam artist, so I didn’t think deeply about their words, but now my thoughts had changed.

“I’m curious.”

I found myself curious too.

Who is this benefactor that’s supposed to come to me? What could my relationship with them be that I shouldn’t miss them? Could it be someone I’m destined to be with?

Such thoughts kept looping in my head.

*

Ryuah’s feelings were complicated in a different way than Ji-eun’s.

Her face was smiling, but her brain was spinning nonstop. Although she didn’t show it, she had been in this state ever since hearing the fortune from the shaman.

More precisely, ever since hearing Ji-eun’s fortune:

“Benefactor is coming to Ji-eun?”

It wasn’t jealousy. Benefactor or not, Ryuah was perfectly satisfied with her current life. But one part of her was not satisfied.

There had been no progress in her relationship with Ji-eun.

Since first meeting Ji-eun, sharing meals, talking, and traveling together, Ryuah had fallen in love.

Actually, it’s more accurate to say that she had become aware of feelings she hadn’t even known she had.

On the day they soaked in the hot springs and gazed at the moon, Ryuah could no longer deny the turbulent emotions swelling inside her.

It was the first time she felt love—desire.

A pure love, but that’s why Ryuah could only hesitate further. They were both of the same sex and close friends, so she was even more cautious.

Afraid that if she acted on her feelings, things might become worse than before, turning their relationship into something less than friends. She had kept her feelings hidden, maintaining just the right distance, slowly closing the gap in a way Ji-eun might not even notice.

However, a variable had popped up. That was the benefactor who was supposedly coming to Ji-eun.

What is a benefactor? A person so precious that they can significantly impact someone’s life. That’s why they’re called a benefactor.

Ryuah’s mind was flooded with terrifying thoughts.

What if the benefactor is a man or a woman who suddenly comes and forms a deep bond with Ji-eun before Ryuah can do anything? Before she even realizes it, she finds herself at their wedding as a guest for the bride’s side, hiding her bitter emotions and merely offering congratulations and applause…

“Absolutely not!”

Such a thing must not happen. She had to find a way to prevent it. But how? Should she pucker up and lean in for a kiss right now to Ji-eun, who was walking ahead? Should she confess after hiding her feelings all this time?

While grinding her teeth, Ryuah had a sudden thought.

-Can we not go against fate?

That was Ji-eun’s question. She asked it when the shaman was in the midst of reading fortunes, with curiosity.

What was the shaman’s answer?

-You could go against it. Fate, fortune, face reading… in the end, everything is determined by humans.

If everything is predetermined, what meaning does human life have? No one knows the will of the heavens.

The shaman believed that people could go against destiny. Although she performed readings, she repeatedly mentioned that what she said was not 100% accurate.

Ryuah agreed with that. She had to agree. Otherwise, she would lose Ji-eun to the benefactor who would appear this year.

“Going against fate… going against it?”

As Ryuah’s thoughts turned over and over again, a lightning bolt struck her mind.

– The benefactor could already be someone around you or a new person.

The benefactor wasn’t specifically defined. It could be someone familiar to Ji-eun or someone unfamiliar.

What mattered was not that.

“If I become the benefactor, that’s all I need!”

All she had to do was make Ji-eun see her as the benefactor.

There wouldn’t be any guilt involved. Ryuah was sure that she could genuinely be the benefactor in Ji-eun’s life.

What mattered was the feelings involved.

“If we were in a romantic relationship, our compatibility score would be higher…”

It wouldn’t hurt Ji-eun.

Another scene formed in Ryuah’s mind.

Ji-eun and Ryuah enjoying a happy daily life as a couple. Their path would be smooth without any obstacles…

While daydreaming about this happiness, Ryuah suddenly felt the ground drop beneath her feet and screamed.

“Ah!”

She had failed to look down while going down the mountain. Just when she thought she would lose her balance and fall, her body was caught by a hand with a thud.

“Are you okay? Did you get hurt?”

“Uh, um…”

“Be careful.”

Looking at Ji-eun, who held her in her arms with a worried look, Ryuah vowed once more.

“I will become the benefactor.”

She would be the irreplaceable person in Ji-eun’s life.

*

It’s March.

Winter was finally passing, and spring was on the verge of blooming.

Just like people forgot their New Year’s resolutions, Ji-eun had naturally forgotten most of what she heard from the shaman.

It was an ordinary day off, just like any other. Usually, she would be searching for ego on the community, managing Youtube comments, or rolling around in bed.

But today was different. Ji-eun held her phone to her ear, engaged in a conversation with someone.

“So, I don’t have anything to do?”

-Yeah, not much heavy stuff, and I’ve already called a truck for a few things. The rest is just junk.

“Should I help carry that?”

-Then I’d feel bad, so don’t. Just open the door for me and rest inside.

It was Ryuah. She seemed to remember the promise made last month and had fervently expressed her desire to live together.

Ji-eun accepted her, thinking Ryuah was just feeling lonely.

“The house is a little too spacious for just one person,” she thought.

When she initially found the house, she had been pressured by Ji-yeon and ended up renting a place that was too nice. While it wasn’t financially burdensome, it turned out to be too big for living alone.

“I can just give up one room and we can share the living room.”

In addition, they would split the rent. They could even tackle the cleaning together, something Ji-eun couldn’t muster the courage to do alone.

In this sense, living with Ryuah was a pretty appealing proposal for Ji-eun.

“Ugh, this is tough. You’ve had a rough time too, Ji-eun.”

“No, looking at the stuff, it’s not too much.”

“Hehe. But thanks to your help, it’s going faster. Since it’s moving day, should we order some jjajangmyeon?”

After moving the stuff, Ryuah was sitting on the living room floor, beaming with a bright smile.

Looking at her like that, Ji-eun genuinely thought so.

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