Chapter 55: Congratulations on 3000 followers

Thud thud thud-

Dark clouds filled the sky, making it dim.

Rain was beginning to pour down little by little.

“Kyaak?!”

“Ah, what the…”.

Caught in the sudden shower, people who hadn’t brought umbrellas quickly started taking shelter under buildings.

“……”

Leaving such passersby behind, the man once again walked down the street.

And then, a sign blocked his path.

[Under Construction]

“Ha?”

Since when did this place start construction?

Thanks to that, the man, unable to head towards his original intended route, made an annoyed expression.

Of course, making such an expression changed nothing, so eventually, he had no choice but to turn his steps towards the city center.

Right, left.

And once more right, and then straight.

How long had he walked that maze-like path?

‘Huh?’

Suddenly, the man’s gaze turned towards the other side of the crosswalk.

A woman walking, holding a square cake box in her hand.

Even though she was bundled up in a hoodie like him, her undeniable looks caught his eye.

Her unique golden ratio.

A wonderful curve, prominent where it should be, and tucked in where it should be.

And even the indigo hair peeking out slightly from under her hood.

The man recognized her identity at a glance.

The woman who was once his ‘oshi’.

The very person who put him in prison.

Japan’s worst idol, who deceived her fans.

Simultaneously, his chronic delusion disorder kicked in.

For a moment, her expression seemed to be smiling.

Is it that enjoyable?

After betraying us, and throwing me in jail?

Just for taking a few pictures?

As his thoughts reached that point, something surged up from within the man.

The pipe wrench in his hand trembled.

“…..”

Ding-

Simultaneously, the crosswalk signal turned green.

---

Meanwhile, in a shabby apartment.

Ren was busy preparing the setup for her broadcast.

“This should be enough…..”

A camera angled sharply to avoid showing her face, gloves to cover her hands, and even a mask.

All were preparations for this half-cam broadcast.

[Follower 3000 Commemoration Half-Cam Announcement]

=See you tomorrow. Today is a prep hiatus.

‘Actually, it feels a bit late…..’

The originally planned half-cam broadcast date was a week ago.

‘The streaming camera I used during my underground idol days wasn’t working.’

The neck’s support part was completely shot, making it droop like a well-ripened rice stalk, so eventually, I had no choice but to order a new one.

The camera ordered like that arrived today.

For now, I’ll do a rehearsal today, and the real broadcast is tomorrow.

“So, I just need to do this, right?”

[Yes, Unnie! Pull it that way!]

Thanks to Baekro, who already had half-cam experience, helping out in real-time via Discord, the setup itself proceeded easily.

‘Come to think of it, we’ve gotten quite close lately, haven’t we?’

She was only a bit timid when we first met; once you get past that wall, she might actually be surprisingly friendly.

Of course, seeing her ask me to stay at her place for a few days instead of a hotel when I visit Korea later.

It does make me wonder if it’s a bit much.

Anyway, Ren diligently listened to Baekro’s advice and continued working.

“Alright, all done.”

Before long, she succeeded in fixing the camera angle.

Hmm, the angle is perfect too.

It definitely won’t show above my chest.

“How does it look?”

[….Unnie, you’re really big, aren’t you?]

Baekro, watching the camera feed shared on screen, muttered quietly.

As a fellow woman, it was a volume that made her feel an intense sense of defeat.

Didn’t she say she was 22?

She genuinely wondered what on earth one had to do to obtain such a violent asset at that age.

[Unnie, can I ask what you usually eat?]

“….Nature.”

Of course, it’s natural.

You can never achieve this shape with things like plastic surgery.

Anyway, that aside.

“So, what do you think?”

[Ah! For now, I think you can just lower it a little from there and proceed. I’ll definitely come watch your stream tomorrow!]

“No, actually, I’d prefer if you didn’t come while the stream is on.”

If you come, you draw too much attention.

I was planning a broadcast with a vibe like quietly hanging out with viewers at home, and then suddenly someone throws a party into the mix.

Even if Baekro looks like that, she’s still a major streamer who gathers at least 3000 viewers when she turns on her stream.

“And I’m not going to stream for long that day either.”

In a way, that day is also an anniversary, so I plan to stream moderately.

Two to three hours at most?

Of course, by my standards, that was a decent amount of time, but it was insufficient for Baekro to just leech off by watching.

[Then I’ll hang up now! Work hard on your stream!]

“Yeah, you too.”

After ending the call with Baekro. I lay down on the mattress.

‘Now what should I do….’

Since I took a break today for preparation, I really had nothing to do.

Why do I feel so restless when I’m not in front of people?

Is it an occupational hazard?

But then again, if I started streaming, it would be a waste of my only day off in a week, which I had already used.

Do I need to find something to do somehow?

“Should I just buy the cake today in advance?”

Come to think of it, I need to write on it with syrup too; shouldn’t I buy it today, write on it, and then let it set in the fridge?

I didn’t want to see the painstakingly written words all melt away due to laziness.

Alright, let’s go out now that I thought of it.

Once that thought reached me, I quickly got up.

“The weather is quite dark…..”

Despite it being a time when the sun would normally be somewhat up, the darkened sky caught my eye.

It looks like a few drops of rain might start falling soon; I should go out and come back quickly.

Screech-

I grabbed a hoodie lying around in the closet and a small umbrella and stepped out the door.

There aren’t many people who would recognize me in this neighborhood anyway, and I’m not going very far either.

Without bothering with a hat or anything, this should be enough.

---

Fortunately.

Our neighborhood bakery was located not far from home.

Ren carefully placed her order.

“One whipped cream cake and one chocolate syrup, please.”

“Yes, please wait a moment.”

I wasn’t sure about the owner, but the part-timer looked a bit young, so I was worried.

It’s a relief she didn’t seem to recognize me.

It’s not some unwarranted celebrity complex, but really, how great would it be if it stayed like this in the future.

“Ma’am, here’s the cake and syrup you ordered.”

A moment later.

The employee who had gone inside handed me the whipped cream cake and two palm-sized chocolate syrups.

Now I need to write on the cake with this.

For the message, something like ‘Follower 3000 Celebration! Thank you.’ should be fine, right?

Swoooosh-!

As I opened the bakery door with the ordered cake, rain was suddenly pouring down.

‘I need to get home quickly.’

I took out the umbrella I had put in my pocket and started moving.

Just as I was walking down the slope and about to cross the crosswalk.

“Hmm….?”

Feeling a murderous aura from somewhere, Ren unconsciously looked around.

There was no one nearby.

At most, just one man standing in front of the alley across the crosswalk.

Hmm, something feels ominous…

It might just be a baseless hunch, but it’s better to avoid any danger.

I should just hurry home.

Thump thud-

I carefully entered the alley, a shortcut to my home.

There were many obstacles, and the width was moderately wide.

Since the length was also short, it was good for escaping if necessary.

…Let’s see, should I check if anyone is following me?

As I cautiously turned my head back,

‘Huh…?’

A man.

The man who was standing next to the crosswalk just moments ago was following me.

Simultaneously, the object in his hand came into view.

A metal rod of moderate length with a blunt end.

‘F*ck this.’

Stalking or whatever.

First of all, someone carrying something like that around can’t be in their right mind.

I quickly started running home.

I was confident in my stamina, having trained like crazy during my idol days.

Singing and dancing at the same time isn’t that easy, is it?

“Stop right there—! Ree—n!!”

Was he my stalker, as expected?

The man screamed as if having a seizure.

A piercing scream echoed through the alley.

I didn’t know it in games, but being chased by a thug with a weapon in reality made my heart pound like crazy.

‘Where, where should I go…?!’

Even in a situation where my head wasn’t working properly due to panic, the single-minded determination to survive was strong.

The first thing that came to mind was home.

If I go inside and lock the door, won’t it be okay somehow?

Although it meant revealing my home address to that guy, there wasn’t much else I could do.

The police station to report to was on the opposite side of the bakery, and there was no suitable place nearby to ask for help.

I was so out of it that I don’t remember the detailed events after that.

Thwack-!

When I came to my senses.

I had somehow just arrived home and locked the door.

「Open the door right now!!」

“Heueup! Haa, haa……”

Even though the screams were still coming from outside.

Confirming the door was completely locked.

As the tension eased, I leaned against the door and gasped for breath.

The cake I bought had already been dropped somewhere.

「You!! Did you enjoy taking money like that?!」

Had he still not given up?

The stalker’s voice came from outside the door.

Along with various other voices.

「To you, we were just money sources, right?」

「Just like her mom, she probably worked in a bar since she was young.」

「Disgusting.」

「I wish she’d just die instead of shaming the country.」

I tried to ignore it, and I thought I had.

But the countless words posted online seemed to still be unerased from my mind.

No.

That’s not true.

Once I started to crumble, I fell apart uncontrollably.

I wanted to refute those words right now.

My tongue still moved fine.

But my voice still wouldn’t come out of my mouth.

---

【Error】

[Target: Proto_Ren_Character_BP_Set]

[No bad ending has been assigned to this character yet]