Chapter 46

As Hayoon turned on the broadcast, the familiar black screen greeted the viewers, as it always did.

There was no avatar, nor was the cam turned on.

This signature black waiting screen was now a trademark for Hayoon, who was nearing her fifth month of broadcasting.

Normally, she would lazily scroll through some daily content, accept art requests from viewers to draw, listen to some songs, and then end the broadcast.

It was a monotonous routine, and her broadcast didn’t offer much beyond this—but today was different.

– Cam ㅇㄷ?

– Cam ㅇㄷ?

– Cam ㅇㄷ?

The comments started flooding in, demanding why the cam wasn’t on.

– Just draw some waifus already.

– It’s been three days, and you’re not even drawing anything! That’s wrong.

Some were simply asking for her to draw character pictures.

– Hayoon, we want to hear your voice…

– You’ve been gone for three days, at least say something.

– We don’t need the cam, just give us some sign of life.

And then there were others who seemed more dangerous.

Hayoon had 257 viewers at the moment.

In streaming terms, it’s generally accepted that for channels with fewer than 1,000 average viewers, the audience count should increase in increments of 50.

And since Hayoon’s viewership had previously hovered around 200, breaking through 250 meant she had leveled up one more time.

Partially thanks to the half-cam controversy, Hayoon had managed to retain most of the viewers who were initially attracted by the drama.

She was confident this wouldn’t be different this time.

This was an opportunity.

With each broadcast like this, her channel would grow, attracting more viewers who would follow her faithfully.

And she was determined to make it happen.

“A, a, can you hear me?”

And with those words, Hayoon finally spoke at the start of today’s broadcast.

– ???

– ??

– ????

– What’s this?

Immediately, interest spiked.

– Who’s that?

“What’s going on? Is this me?”

– Our Hayoon’s voice isn’t usually this sexy…

– She’s always sounded a bit immature, but why…

– What new kid? I’m an adult now.”

Hayoon’s voice.

Due to the passive trait called “Mesmerizing Whisper,” her voice had a hypnotic allure that sounded like an ASMR session to her listeners.

It was a sultry tone that seemed to gently caress the ears of male viewers.

And this was certainly not something a high schooler could naturally produce.

In fact, Hayoon hadn’t intended for this effect—she was merely speaking in her normal voice. This reaction was purely due to the passive trait “Mesmerizing Whisper.”

– High schoolers have limits, right? This sounds like a 2nd-year girl…

– What’s even scarier is that I’m reacting to the voice of someone who hasn’t even started school yet. I’m so disappointed in myself.

– Admit it, you’re using voice modulation, right?

“I’m not modulating anything; I was born in ‘04, I’m a full adult in ‘04.”

Even Hayoon’s casual jokes were perceived as seductive by the viewers.

You can always hear what you want, whether new visitors or regulars, and since they were here for the raunchy stuff, they couldn’t help but react strongly to her voice.

‘Predictable. So predictable.’

Hayoon was smiling while subtly studying the reactions of her viewers, enjoying how they responded to her. The three-day break from her usual schedule was long forgotten by both her and her audience.

As everyone marveled at her voice again after so long, Hayoon suddenly broke the silence.

“Ta-da! Our Cocktail Hollic crowdfunding has passed 35 million won!”

The black screen switched suddenly to the crowdfunding page, where viewers saw that the campaign had indeed broken the 35-million won mark.

With less than three days to go until the campaign ended, there was still a good chance to hit 36 million if just a bit more momentum could be gathered.

– That’s our money.

– Aren’t you grateful?

– If you’re grateful…

There were chuckles in the chat as viewers began to focus on Hayoon again.

Initially greeted by her mysteriously alluring voice, which made it seem like she had practiced some vocal techniques, now she revealed the crowdfunding page.

Hayoon had a fresh start, and the audience couldn’t help but anticipate what she would show them next.

“Should I turn on the cam now?”

– KYAaaaaa!

– Do it.

– Let’s go!

Seeing the stage was set, even the regular viewers started asking for the cam without hesitation.

Just before the half-cam broadcast was to officially begin:

“Okay, okay, here are the rules.”

Tap, tap—Hayoon pulled up a notepad in the upper right corner of the screen and began writing the rules:

1. “Show your face,” request <— Death penalty
2. "Do this for me," request <— Cross any lines: Death penalty

The rules were simple.

The most sensitive face-related comments resulted in death penalty.

Requests crossing the line would also be met with death penalty.

In other words, anyone committing these offenses would be permanently banned.

- Can you call these simple ones 'rules?'
- Are there amateurs who can’t follow this one simple rule?
- Hayoon, don’t you know us?

Naturally, the viewers' words flowed easily.

But having only rules wasn’t enough to prevent conflicts, so…

“Okay, okay, time to open up?”

Excitedly Hayoon switched the screen.

Immediately, revealed was a black mask.

A black mask.

The camera was cleverly positioned to show only her jawline, which immediately triggered a flurry of comments.

And gradually...

- Huh?
- Oh?

The camera slowly revealed more of her.

From her jawline past her neck...

Past her neck to her perky chest...

Past her chest to her waist...

At this point, the viewers were confident.

- Cosplay!
- Yeah, definitely cosplay!
- KYAHA, she's dressed as Hunkook!

It was clear this was a HK-M4 cosplay.

Even those who hadn’t played Girls' War knew HK-M4 from the doujin circles. Everyone quickly understood what cosplay Hayoon was aiming for.

[10,000won donation]
- Ah, it’s been such a long time. If the March Comic Market hadn’t been canceled, we could’ve taken more pictures with her. So annoying.

[1,000won donation]
- You guys have never seen Hayoon’s cosplay, but I’ve taken pictures with her before, you little bastards haha.

Among Hayoon’s core requesters from the Girls' War community, they gleefully reminisced about their cherished memories of taking photos with her, something the others couldn’t.

- Haah, damn it...
- Once again, it's their personal memories.
- Ban the tick marks already...

As the majority of the audience who couldn’t share in the AGC and West Peace memories started feeling glum...

“Then, now it’s your turn to make some memories.”

Hayoon's cam lowered slightly more, revealing the roughly ten-centimeter stretch of flesh between the hem of her skirt and her high socks.

The Absolute Territory revealed.

Naturally, the viewers' reactions were explosive.

As expected from Hayoon, who for nearly five months hadn’t even had a proper avatar, now showing off from her jaw to her thighs with a half-cam.

Her plump thighs alone were enough to make the viewers' eyes feel as if honey was dripping from them.

[5,000won donation]
- Haah, damn it. Thank you. Thank you.

[20,000won donation]
- We told you to create an avatar, but you didn’t even bother to reply. Now you’re at least turning on the cam after months. It's fine by me...

[100,000won donation]
- Hhehehe… Hheuuung…

[2,000won donation]
- Memory-making successful, huhehehe.

Donations poured in from various reasons and amounts.

Among them, one dangerous-looking person's 100,000-won donation stood out, and Hayoon responded with her best reactions to each donation.

"Kyaa, kiddo!"

Of course, the lisping sound was only the beginning.

[50,000won donation]
- Could you turn on the cam more often in the future? It's really good, the cosplay is absolutely amazing.

"Is it the cosplay or the thighs that are the best, huh?"

- Hhehehe.
- Uhehehe.
- Is this wording appropriate for a first-year high schooler? Haha.

"Keep dreaming. It fits."

The suggestive language was just a bonus to properly train the audience.

Even if the feeling of self-contempt from these actions was significant...

[10,000won donation]
- For real, damn it, I feel like I’m saying bad things. Sob.

If she acted like this, money kept flowing in.

With money pouring in faster than any sense of shame, the dopamine hit made her feel good. It chased away any existential crisis too.

"Haah, I must be really in it for the money..."

Even though Hayoon realized something about her might be broken, she didn't feel the need to fix it.

After all, liking money wasn’t a sin, was it?

"Haaa too~ Let's make some memories!"

With heart-shaped hands held up to her slightly curved chest, she giggled further, and the donations kept piling up.

Through this process of seducing the audience and making them open their wallets, something happened...

[400,000 won donation]
- Please dance.

"Huh…?"

[400,000 won donation]
- I saw it on Reddit while looking for some waifu pictures. There's something called the Zero Two Dance. You can probably find it if you search?

"Wha, whaaat…?"

It felt like she had swallowed a whole pufferfish in one gulp.

Having received two donations totaling 800,000 won within ten seconds...

She was a bit startled.

And besides...

"Zero Two...?"

What exactly were these kids asking for?