Ch.8282. A Single Birthday

It was the first day the viewer count had surpassed 200.

[Suhyuk! Did you see my stream? Did you???]

Juyeon was showing unusual excitement.

Suhyuk, looking at the screen, smiled gently.

[Yeah. I saw it.]

[I received over 100,000 won in donations today!!!]

Those unfamiliar with the streaming ecosystem might think this was an overreaction, but for Juyeon, this was truly a remarkable achievement.

Everyone starts small.

If you sort streaming rooms by viewer count in reverse order, countless rooms fail to reach even 10 viewers.

Crossing the 100-viewer mark doesn’t necessarily mean significant income either.

You’re lucky if you make minimum wage.

No matter what, getting people to open their wallets out of goodwill isn’t easy.

[Congratulations!]

[…I couldn’t have done it without you.]

This wasn’t just empty words, but sincere gratitude.

Since Suhyuk had learned about streaming, Juyeon had been on a gradually upward trajectory.

The worries she once faced alone became shared between the two, and Juyeon had made it a habit to say “our channel.”

[No. It’s all because you did well.]

[I got lots of donations, want to come over for a late-night snack?]

Suhyuk, who was feeling hungry anyway, had no reason to decline.

[Sure. I’ll be there.]

[Okay! Come quickly!]

A faint smile formed on Juyeon’s lips as she put down her phone.

Though she wouldn’t admit it elsewhere, Juyeon loved being praised.

Excessive attention in real life was burdensome.

But online, there was no reason to refuse it.

There were no piercing gazes to be felt, only kind words of praise.

This must be what an idol’s life is like—starved for encouragement and support.

As she was smirking to herself at the pleasant thought, a knock came from outside the door.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

Juyeon and Suhyuk had a fixed greeting.

Since who knows when, the two had always exchanged greetings with just the word “hi.”

“Congrats on reaching 200 viewers.”

Witnessing Juyeon’s growth was a joy for Suhyuk as well.

“Thanks.”

Juyeon’s eyes met Suhyuk’s.

“So what’s on the menu tonight?”

“Chicken.”

“Nice.”

“I ordered cheese balls too.”

“A luxury we couldn’t afford without those donations.”

Juyeon brought over a cushion and sat next to Suhyuk with a proud expression.

“Our channel. What if it gets even more successful?”

“Maybe you could actually avoid the horror of job hunting like you said?”

“…A full-time streamer?”

“And I’d have my first famous friend.”

Juyeon grinned broadly at the fantasy.

It certainly seemed like it would be enjoyable if such a future came true.

People would go wild for her singing.

Money would come in just from playing simple games.

Perhaps she could even hire Suhyuk as her actual manager or editor and keep him around forever.

“Hmm… sounds nice…”

“It’ll work out. For sure.”

After all, the viewers of Streamer Yeon’s room all really liked her.

Though she wasn’t particularly eloquent, Yeon’s broadcasts were infused with a unique loner sensibility.

Deep-sea exploration viewers were uncannily good at picking up on this vibe.

For them, it was like setting their sights on an unrefined gem.

If it matched their taste, there was no streamer better suited for fandom than Yeon.

“I hope so.”

“If you reach 500 viewers, I’ll give you a gift.”

Suhyuk, who had already received many things from her, had been thinking he should return the favor at least once.

“Really? What kind?”

“Hmm… I don’t know? What do you want?”

Juyeon fell into contemplation.

Nothing she wanted immediately came to mind.

“…A wish coupon.”

“Huh?”

“If I reach 500 viewers, grant me one wish.”

Juyeon straightened her short index finger to make the number one.

“What do you think?”

“Is that enough for you?”

Suhyuk thought the value of his wish coupon wasn’t particularly high.

The spectrum of things he could do for her wasn’t that broad.

“Yeah. That’s good enough.”

-Knock knock knock

Suhyuk got up and went to receive the delivered food.

When he opened the box, the distinctive greasy aroma filled the room.

“Let’s eat, Yeon.”

“Yeah. Eat up, Manager.”

The two chatted while munching on chicken legs.

The next topic that came up was Hana’s birthday party.

“It’s tomorrow. Hana’s birthday.”

At Juyeon’s words, Suhyuk flinched.

“…Right.”

“Look what I bought for Hana?”

Juyeon got up from the floor and took something from the bookshelf.

“What is it?”

“Protein powder.”

What Juyeon held was a round cylindrical plastic container.

“Ah. Because you work out together?”

“Yeah. Hana’s abs are totally amazing.”

Suhyuk felt awkward about responding.

If he agreed here, the atmosphere might get a bit strange.

“You chose well. She’ll like it.”

“Yeah. But it’s chocolate flavor, so I’m not sure if she’ll like it.”

There were various flavors, but Juyeon wasn’t sure about Hana’s preference, so she had chosen her own favorite flavor.

“She’ll like it. Hana enjoys sweet things.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. She does.”

With Suhyuk’s verification, Juyeon felt much more at ease.

“Suhyuk, did you prepare a separate gift for Hana?”

He had hoped she wouldn’t ask that, but there was no way Juyeon could have known.

“Yeah. I prepared something simple.”

“What is it?”

“It’s nothing special, so it’s a bit embarrassing to say.”

“I don’t know what it is, but Hana will like it anyway.”

Having spent more time with Hana, Juyeon could be certain.

That Hana was truly a good person.

So she thought there was no reason for Suhyuk to be nervous about his gift.

“Don’t worry, Suhyuk.”

Suhyuk felt guilty about his lie.

* * *

June 4th.

After class ended, Hana was heading to the cafeteria with a slight feeling of resentment.

She already knew the 23rd batch members would celebrate her.

Since they always threw parties, it was a foregone conclusion that there would be a party this time too.

But one thing that annoyed her…

[Unnie! Happy birthday!]

[Hana~ Have a fun birthday and enjoy your day♥♥♥ I sent you a gift!]

[Happy birthday, happy birthday~ Let’s meet on the weekend…]

Classmates, high school friends, even Spirit juniors.

She received plenty of congratulatory DMs, but nothing from Suhyuk.

No. Even Seo-eun unnie had sent a congratulatory message, so why hadn’t he…

If he just let this slide, Hana was confident she would be properly upset.

Really.

Just wait and see if there’s nothing.

“Hana! Over here! Over here!”

As she entered the cafeteria, Seo-eun raised her arm and waved.

All the other members had already arrived.

Seo-eun and Suhyuk sat side by side.

Across from them were Choigang and Juyeon.

“Ah~ What~ What’s this surprise~”

Hana pretended not to know, though she did.

“Happy birthday~ Princess Hana~”

“Congratulations!”

“Happy birthday.”

After everyone took turns giving their greetings, it was finally Suhyuk’s turn.

“…Happy birthday, Hana.”

She wanted to ask why he hadn’t contacted her, but she didn’t want to spit in the face of someone smiling.

“Alright, alright~ Today we’re going to order special cocktails too, so let’s drink up!”

The restaurant had a strong Instagram vibe.

The table was lined with rich Italian dishes like pasta and pizza.

“Lee Suhyuk.”

Hana, sitting right next to Suhyuk, whispered his name.

“…Yeah?”

He turned his head while twirling pasta with his fork.

“You didn’t know it was my birthday today, did you?”

It was an indirect way of asking why he hadn’t contacted her.

“No? I knew.”

“Then you have a gift too, right?”

Suhyuk glanced around nervously.

He had wanted to give what he prepared separately.

“…I’ll give it to you later.”

Suhyuk whispered in a voice low enough for only Hana to hear.

His words made Hana look quite satisfied.

Ah. Of course.

That’s right.

He wasn’t planning to just let it slide.

“We need to blow out the candles on the cake too!”

As the meal was ending with laughter and chatter, Seo-eun asked the staff to bring out the cake she had prepared.

There were only three candles.

“Okay. Ready with your wish, Hana?”

At Seo-eun’s words, Hana looked at Suhyuk instead of answering.

“…Yeah. I’m ready.”

“Then let’s sing quickly! Happy birthday to you~”

“Happy birthday to you~”

The mix of male and female voices created something like a third-rate choir.

“Dear Yoon Hana.”

It was the moment Suhyuk’s eyes met Hana’s.

“Happy birthday to you~”

“Whoo~”

The air from her mouth became a breeze that extinguished the candles.

“What did you wish for?”

Juyeon, standing next to her, asked Hana.

“That’s a secret.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Thanks for celebrating with me, Juyeon.”

Hana expressed her gratitude by ruffling Juyeon’s hair.

“Hana. Here.”

Thinking this was the right timing, Juyeon handed her a wrapped box.

It had quite a hefty weight.

Hana asked if she could open the wrapping.

“Juyeon, are we going to eat this and then wear bikinis?”

Since the members had already planned to go to the beach, Hana joked with a giggle.

“T-That would be excessively shameless, I think…”

“I’m kidding. Thank you, Juyeon.”

“Both of you, look here!”

Seo-eun held up her camera in front of the two like a mother with her children.

Hana naturally placed her hand on Juyeon’s waist.

The two stood close together in a pose like a couple.

In Hana’s other hand was the protein container, held up like a product endorsement.

“Good! Good! I’m sharing all of this on my story, okay?”

“Yeah, sounds good! Unnie, come here too. Let’s take a picture together!”

“Okay~”

As the female members’ gift-giving ceremony and commemorative photos came to an end, what remained was…

“Now it’s just the two of us left, huh?”

Inside Hana’s eyes.

The image of a nervous-looking Suhyuk filled her gaze.