Chapter 95: First created, Jina’s eldest daughter

Why Han Ari of all people?

Why, of all the many obscure streamers.

Minari? (Water dropwort, a play on Han Ari’s name)

To that question, Jina let out a light breath and answered in a soft tone.

“If this avatar were to live and breathe, if a soul were to permeate one body, I thought Han Ari-nim would be the best fit.”

There wasn’t a hint of hesitation in Jina’s voice.

Han Ari was so surprised by the answer that she was speechless, just blinking her eyes.

“B-but… Jina-nim, Hana is on a different level from ordinary high-quality avatars, isn’t it?”

Of course, she wondered if it was right to use the expression ‘ordinary’ when the modifier ‘high-quality’ was clearly attached, but anyway.

“Honestly, I don’t know much… but Hana, it’s such an amazing avatar that it was even presented in a very famous thesis, right?”

‘Why entrust such an avatar to me of all people?’

Han Ari asked Jina once again.

She needed reassurance.

Reassurance that she, Han Ari, was the person best suited for Hana, the world’s best model.

Reassurance that for the next 1 year, 10 years, and beyond.

She could live up to Jina’s expectations.

At Han Ari’s serious expression, Jina let out a short laugh.

Behind the laughter, a voice slightly more serious than usual followed.

“That’s right. Hana is a model that cannot be valued by price. And rightly so… because everything I dreamed of is melted into it.”

However.

Because of that.

“That’s why I wanted to give it to Han Ari-nim even more. Because you were the person who always offered gentle encouragement by my side during my most difficult moments.”

‘If I talk about this in more detail, the atmosphere might get unnecessarily heavy.’

‘It feels like I might say things from the old days that shouldn’t be said.’

But anyway, she just wanted Han Ari to know that she was an irreplaceable, special existence to her.

Jina mumbled awkwardly.

Sound is missing from a talk show where words should constantly flow.

Nevertheless, no one thought of this situation as a broadcasting accident.

Ari’s cheeks flush red.

Faint smoke rises above Hana’s head.

Tears well up in Ari’s eyes.

Hana’s blue pupils sparkle with a watery light.

Even without any words exchanged.

Only through gazes, only through expressions.

Countless words were being exchanged.

After a silence that felt both short and long, Han Ari smiled bashfully and opened her mouth.

“Hearing you say it like this… makes me feel like I’ve become a special person… I don’t know how to react…”

To that, Jina replied in her characteristic languid voice.

“It’s true, isn’t it? A very special person. The first daughter I ever made.”

At the casually affectionate remark, both Ari and Hana burst out pang-.

“…You’re right, Mama.”

[-Kraaaak!! What is this light!!]

[-She said… daughter]

[-JinaAri AriJina absolutely protect]

[-Ah LOL Eldest daughter’s love is indeed Mama LOL]

[-Arctic Down!! Polar Bear Emergeeeeency!!]

[-Seasons_Winter: …You look happy, unnie? :)]

[-Uh oh, didn’t Winter’s chat just pass by?]

[-If you’re going to do this, just turn on your stream Kim Winter!! Don’t enjoy it alone!!]

---

“When I think of Jina, the first thing that comes to mind is realistic 3D content, right? There are so many things I want to ask about this too.”

To refresh the atmosphere that had heated up like midsummer, Han Ari changed the topic.

“What the viewers like the most, and are most curious about is…”

[DesignerWannabe has donated 100,000 won]

[This is it, this! How on earth did you implement this???]

A voice message ringing out as if it had been waiting.

Simultaneously with the donation, Han Ari’s clothes changed from a black two-piece suit to a refreshing summer dress that exposed both shoulders.

“…Yes, DesignerWannabe-nim, thank you for the 100,000 won donation. As the person who just donated said, many people are interested in this feature.”

The feature where clothes change according to donations is what made Han Ari a streamer worth donating to.

While others reveal a new outfit as a season’s worth of content, Han Ari had changed clothes countless times since her debut.

Moreover, there isn’t a single outfit of poor quality.

“I’m curious about the principle, could you explain it briefly?”

“It’s nothing special, it’s just that I have a lot of outfits prepared. I prepare dozens of clothing layers, and whenever a donation comes in, I put in a random value and switch it in real-time, that’s all.”

[Anonymous donor has donated 10,000 won]

[No, if you rigged all those clothes to fit Han Ari’s avatar, how much time did you even pour into it…]

“Ah, if you just have the clothes, rigging is surprisingly not difficult. Han Ari’s avatar is also ultimately a parameter-based model, so you just need to run an auto-rigging algorithm according to the designated values, that’s all.”

[-?????]

[-Ah, so it’s basically a super awesome technology, right?]

[-Hmm… I see, it’s a very profound technology (doesn’t understand)]

At the technical terms that naturally popped out of Jina’s mouth, a light stun was cast on the chat window.

But this was only the beginning.

“And… you once did content where you placed a water cup on a 3D model, right? Remember?”

“Ah, the one where I put a water cup on my ‘chest’, spilled the water, and all my clothes became see-through? Of course, I remember.”

“J-Jina-nim?! How can you say that so openly!!”

Han Ari’s eyes, flustered for a moment, spun around paenggeureureu.

The newly updated avatar is working hard.

“What’s wrong with it? Thanks to that, you became the number 1 female streamer on Pasta, didn’t you? Right?”

“That’s just a nickname people gave me to tease me!!”

[-Mama’s sense of humor is alive LOL]

[-No, Mama was a malicious fox too?]

[ChairmanOfTheNationalHanAriAssociation has donated 50,000 won]

[Han Ari is a sexy female streamer certified by Pasta Cleanbot. Is she not?]

“Haha. Anyway, explaining the technology is a bit complicated… To summarize it as simply as possible, realistically setting the collision area and friction coefficient for each object, and then the part that calculates the surface tension of the fluid…”

A simple(?) technical explanation followed naturally, and Han Ari’s eyes, which had been flustered, gradually began to glaze over.

The atmosphere of the chat window, which had been blazing, quickly turned cold as it was flooded with hooks.

[-Ddyuddyait… Mamang… I only know Korean…]

[-I don’t know anything else, but I know Jina Mama is awesome…]

[-Don’t know? Don’t try to understand, just feel it]

[-Ah… I thought we were colleagues, but were we different species…]

[-Nerd Mama? Rather, ‘super hot’]

---

After a round of technical talk passed, Han Ari cleared her throat lightly and organized the atmosphere.

Complex terms she couldn’t understand, which Jina had just laid out, still swirled chaotically in her head.

But she recovered from the stunned state faster than anyone else and brought the microphone close to her lips.

“Actually, I also prepared a gift for Jina.”

“A gift… you say?”

Jina asked back in a slightly surprised voice, as if she hadn’t expected it at all.

“I’ve received so much from Jina… I received such a big gift today too… And yet, all I can give is something like this…”

Han Ari fidgeted with her hands and continued shyly.

“It might not be enough, but will you listen?”

Dugeun dugeun.

From the nervousness, the sound of her heartbeat pounded in her ears.

Between the small tremors.

A gentle voice seeped in.

“Of course~ Han Ari-nim’s live performance, this isn’t something you get to hear easily.”

At that answer, Han Ari smiled softly and played the MR.

A gentle acoustic guitar performance slowly began to fill the broadcast.

The song she had listened to and practiced to death over the past week.

Now that this moment had arrived, a song that made her wonder why she hadn’t sung it even once more.

Soon, Han Ari’s clear tone quietly settled onto the melody.

[Since when was it, when I think of you]

[My heart keeps aching like this]

[Do you know, this heart of mine]

[My entire small world is being dyed by you]

Heart-fluttering lyrics filled with shy inner feelings.

Through the microphone, through the headset, quietly echoed in Jina’s ears.

A faint blush had already spread across her cheeks.

The chat window too, at some point, everyone held their breath, just slowly waving colorless light sticks.

While singing, the memories of the past year slowly flowed through Han Ari’s heart.

Back then, when she felt endlessly lost and anxious, the one person who pulled her out of the darkness.

To Jina, to Mama.

Words of gratitude.

And… words of love.

Carefully contained the lyrics, she shyly conveyed them.

The last note of the song slowly faded, and a short silence followed.

Han Ari swallowed dryly and carefully parted her lips.

“How was it…?”

A few seconds of silence subtly revealed Jina’s heart.

As if not yet calmed, she hesitated for a moment.

“It was so… so good. I never thought I’d receive such a gift…”

Soon, unlike her usual self, she replied lowly in a slightly trembling voice.

“…Thank you so much, Han Ari-nim.”

The moment she heard those words, Han Ari’s heart began to beat faster.

She felt a lump in her throat at the fact that the song she prepared had reached Jina’s heart.

“It seems you liked it… I’m glad, Mama.”

Han Ari muttered, bowing her head deeply as if to hide the blush rising on her cheeks.