29-106

EP.106 Bae Yeri (3) – Q&A 

A suffocating silence pressed down on the living room as if it had physical weight. 

The only thing that seemed alive was the low whirring of the computer fan from the other room. 

Crunch! 

What tore through the curtain of silence was the sharp, shattering sound of a snack bag being opened. Yeri, lounging comfortably on the sofa as if she owned the silence, took out a snack and crunched down on it. But her eyes weren’t smiling at all. 

Her gaze at Hyun-woo, sitting innocently on one end of the sofa, wasn’t just a casual glance. It was persistent and blatant, like an appraiser searching for hidden flaws or putting a price on something. 

Feeling an instinctive sense of danger from that scrutinizing gaze, Seung-ah unconsciously moved to shield Hyun-woo, like a mother bird covering her chick with her wings. 

“So.” 

As the break timer ticked down indifferently in the corner of the monitor, Yeri finally spoke first. 

“What exactly is your relationship with that kid? He’s not really your cousin, right?” 

“Uh, th-that’s…” 

“You don’t have to hide things from me, at least. Whatever the circumstances, I need to know if I’m going to help you.” 

Seung-ah’s lips barely moved, but then she seemed to collapse, unable to hold out any longer. In a voice almost drowned out by the computer fan, she confessed. 

“Yeah… He’s not my cousin… Just, someone I met recently, a close little brother.” 

“A close little brother, huh…” 

Yeri crunched another snack, eyeing Seung-ah meaningfully. The sound seemed to break Seung-ah’s excuse into pieces. 

“So, he’s really not your boyfriend or anything?” 

“Of course not! There’s a huge age gap…” 

“Well, knowing your tastes, I wondered if you’d lured some kid in from somewhere.” 

Seung-ah’s face flared bright red at the direct hit. 

“N-no matter how I am, I wouldn’t do that! I mean, I couldn’t!” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah, really!” 

After staring at her for a moment, Yeri finally clapped her palm. “Okay. If you insist that much, I’ll believe you. Up we go.” 

She rolled up the snack bag and stood. Before Seung-ah could even sigh with relief  

“Y-Yeri? Why are you heading to my room…?” 

Seeing Yeri suddenly head toward the room where the monitor glowed, Seung-ah hurried after her. 

“Break time’s almost over. Our Mokarungs must be dying waiting. We should restart the stream before the viewers start worrying.” 

“Y-yeah, but… Yeri, are you planning to stay here longer?” 

“Of course. Since I’m here, let’s just do it now.” 

Yeri had already claimed the gaming chair and spun it around to face Seung-ah. Her smile was bright and lovely, but somehow chilling. 

“A surprise collab for 300,000 subscribers.” 

As the promised ten-minute break drew to a close, the chat window on the monitor was already a torrent of viewers clamoring for my return. 

[ID: MokaAddict] Noona, when are you coming back ㅠㅠ I’m getting dizzy 

[ID: FactChecker] It’s been 10 minutes. What are you doing with your brother?  .- 

[ID: BrotherFan] If you’re having a good time with your brother, I get it 

Pushed by Yeri’s pressure, I grabbed the mouse with trembling hands. With a click, the “Please wait a moment!” break screen disappeared, and my streaming screen my other self appeared. 

[ID: ShotaBest] Back? 

[ID: ShotgunFairy] Whoa, why is the avatar moving so wildly? lol 

They were right. My avatar’s movements were completely different from my usual careful style. With two people detected on screen, “Moka’s” avatar flailed its arms like a marionette with cut strings. 

“Hello, my Mokarungs~!” 

Then, in a tone so lively it almost hurt the ears, Yeri’s voice flowed through the mic. 

“Surprised? The secret MVP of Moka’s channel, editor Yerippi, has stormed into noona’s house for a surprise collab to celebrate 300,000 subscribers~!” 

[ID: NoonaImDead] ??????? 

[ID: AnonymousCritic] Is that really Yerippi? 

[ID: MokaLover] Huh? Didn’t you say the collab would be scheduled for later? 

Thousands of question marks and exclamations flooded the chat, turning it into a waterfall of unreadable symbols. 

Yeri watched the chaos with a satisfied smile and spoke. 

“Haha, if you schedule it, it’s too predictable. Surprises are the best for this kind of thing!” 

[ID: PoppingPopcorn] Cousin crashes the stream, now the editor shows up today’s stream is legendary 

[ID: Don’tGoBrother] But where’s our Moka noona? Let’s hear her voice! 

As new viewers’ questions started to fill the chat, Yeri smoothly pulled the mic closer. 

“Our Mokarungs who’ve been desperately waiting for Moka noona, she’s right here next to Yerippi. Main star Moka? Don’t just sit there say hi!” 

Like a show host, Yeri gestured to the seat beside her, and “Moka’s” avatar turned its head a beat late, as if creaking. 

“Uh, yeah… You guys waited a long time, right…? Like Yerippi said… surprise collab, starting right now…” 

[ID: FactChecker] lol noona’s voice sounds really flustered 

[ID: ShotaBest] Looks like she really did drop in unannounced lol 

[ID: Anonymous Supporter – 10,000 won donation] Looking forward to your chemistry lol 

Ding! 

Just then, a sharp question popped up in the center of the screen with the cheerful donation alert sound. 

[ID: KinglySuspicion – 1,000 won donation] Be honest, didn’t you rush over after hearing the brother’s voice, thinking Moka got a boyfriend? lol 

It was the question everyone wondered but no one dared ask. The whole chat seemed to focus on that message. 

Right on cue, Yeri answered cheerfully. 

“No, seriously! That’s exactly it! I thought she had a boyfriend too! I almost spat my coffee all over my keyboard while monitoring the stream!” 

She leaned back and dramatically patted her chest, and my avatar on screen mimicked the gesture in perfect sync. 

“Luckily, my reflexes made me turn my head and I only spat on the floor, but my heart nearly stopped.” 

Her playful performance burst the balloon of “boyfriend rumors” with laughter, and the suspicious mood in the chat quickly turned into affection for her. 

[ID: YerippiMarryMe] Yerippi’s energy is insane lol Is this really her first time streaming? 

[ID: ShotgunFairy] lol the editor thinks just like us 

[ID: Anonymous Supporter – 3,000 won donation] I’ll buy the coffee Yerippi spat out. Name your price, I’ll pay for that coffee. 

Riding the wave of excitement, Yeri clapped and smoothly moved to the next segment. 

“Alright, let’s stop with the weird boyfriend talk! Since I’m here, don’t you have questions for Yerippi noona? For the next ten minutes, ask me anything!” 

[ID: MokaAddict] Ooh, Q&A! 

[ID: Curious] Yerippi, what’s your MBTI?? 

[ID: BrotherFan] Are you close with Moka noona in real life? 

As soon as she made the announcement, questions poured in. 

Yeri scanned the chat like reading a familiar score, picked the first question, and answered in a higher, energetic voice. 

“My MBTI? Me? Definitely ENFP! I love meeting people, love having fun!” 

Even such a simple answer made the chat explode. 

She kept up, picking and answering questions at lightning speed. 

“Are you close with Moka in real life? Of course! Moka can’t survive school without me~. Right?” 

“N-not true…” 

Yeri playfully poked my side, and I could only reply in a tiny voice. My resistance disappeared under her overwhelming energy. 

[ID: FactChecker] lol her voice got so small 

[ID: ShotaBest] Moka noona’s energy is totally outclassed lol 

I sighed inwardly. 

Watching Yeri’s avatar bounce around the screen, I thought she was like a living beacon filling the whole stream with her energy and presence. It was a side of her I could never imitate. 

Then, a viewer’s donation caught both our eyes. 

[ID: AnonymousCritic – 1,000 won donation] So how did Yerippi become Moka’s editor? 

Unlike the light questions before, this one carried real weight. 

Yeri, who’d been chatting nonstop, suddenly fell silent. 

It was as if the busy gears of the stream ground to a halt. 

She paused, looking at the chat, then scratched her cheek and spoke. 

“Wow, where do I even start? This might get a bit heavy, is that okay?” 

[ID: ShotaBest] It’s fine! We’re ready for anything! 

[ID: BrotherFan] Serious Yerippi? Even better. 

Encouraged by the chat, Yeri took a small breath. 

Then, in a voice much softer and calmer than before, she said, 

“Um… When I was little, I was bullied at school.” 

The chat, which had been scrolling fast, noticeably slowed. 

I too, facing my friend’s pain for the first time, couldn’t help but hold my breath. 

“After that… I became traumatized about being hated by others.” 

She pointed at Moka’s avatar on screen, her eyes shadowed. 

“So I started acting cheerful, just like you see now.” 

Acting? 

Was all the laughter I’d seen from Yeri just an act? 

I felt like I’d been hit over the head. 

“But there’s a limit to pretending for others. I got so tired…” 

Her voice trailed off, and for the first time, she sounded exhausted. 

“I escaped reality for a while and got lost on the internet. That’s when I stumbled onto a VTuber’s stream.” 

A chill ran down my spine for some reason. 

“Hardly any viewers, awkward speech, tons of hate comments… It was a total flop of a stream.” 

No viewers, awkward, hate comments… Those words were all too familiar. 

That was, unmistakably, my own past. 

“But I kept watching. Do you know why?” 

She turned to look at me. 

“Even with no popularity, even with all the criticism… when that person talked about what she loved, she looked truly happy.” 

That one sentence broke the floodgates of memories I’d forgotten. 

The days I’d wanted to run away, stained with failure and self-blame, came crashing back. 

“She looked so cool to me. Thanks to her, I learned to love even this version of myself I’d forced into existence.” 

A gentle smile appeared on Yeri’s lips. 

“Not a ‘fake me,’ but a ‘real part of me.’ She’s… my savior.” 

I couldn’t say anything. 

The moment I’d thought was my greatest failure had been salvation for my friend right in front of me. 

“And when I ran into her by chance at college, I made up my mind.” 

Yeri’s eyes now shone with a resolve I’d never seen before. 

“I decided I’d do anything for the person who helped me. I’d make sure she never gave up, never stopped moving forward.” 

Her pure goodwill was so heavy that I couldn’t even say thank you or sorry I just opened and closed my mouth. 

“So, that was a long, boring story, huh? In short, Yerippi became the editor because she’s Moka’s biggest fan. How’s that for an answer?” 

When she finished, the chat filled with messages of support and emotion. 

But no one listened to her story as intently as I did. 

She’d always seemed energetic, sometimes even thoughtless but that was just one side of her. 

Today, for the first time, I felt like I’d met the real Bae Yeri. 

“It’s my first time telling anyone this, so it’s embarrassing. Ahem. Enough heavy talk let’s move on!” 

As if nothing had happened, Yeri put her clown mask back on and told a few embarrassing stories, lightening the mood. Thanks to her, the Q&A session ended smoothly, and the heavy air from earlier was completely gone by the time we finished chatting. 

‘Thank goodness…’ 

I let out a sigh of relief without realizing it. 

With Yeri back to her usual self, the guilt that had weighed on me felt a little lighter. 

“Alright, my babies, did you enjoy tonight’s stream? It’s about time to wrap up…” 

As the stream’s end approached, I threw out my closing lines and glanced at Yeri. 

“Oh, right, Yerippi.” 

“Yeah?” 

“How are you getting home? The last train must be gone. Are you taking a taxi? Should I call one?” 

With the “Hyun-woo” issue resolved, all that was left was to send Yeri home. 

Then I could be with Hyun-woo… 

“Taxi?” 

Yeri looked at me with wide eyes, then smiled brightly. 

“I’m sleeping over tonight.” 

“…Huh?” 

A dumb sound escaped my lips. On screen, “Moka’s” avatar froze like it had bugged out. 

“S-sleeping over?” 

My voice, like a cracked bell, went out over the mic. 

That pitiful sound set off another frenzy in the chat. 

[ID: FactChecker] ?????????? 

[ID: BrotherFan] So the brother is sleeping with Moka and Yerippi? I’m jealous. 

[ID: ShotaBest] Brother no, hyung, switch places with me!! 

[ID: YerippiMarryMe] Moka is so lucky. 

[ID: Anonymous Supporter – 5,000 won donation] Wait, you’re ending the stream and sleeping over?? 

As the screen filled with a storm of confusion, excitement, and jealousy, I was left speechless. 

All I could do was watch Yeri’s triumphant face and the living room where “just the two of us” time would never be the same again. 

Whether she understood my turmoil or not, Yeri waved at the camera with a perfect streamer’s smile. 

“And with that, tonight’s stream is over! Hope I can come again next time. Mokarungs, good night~!” 

With a sound like a door slamming shut, the click of Yeri ending the stream echoed through the room.