NOVEL NEXT Chapter 53
“What did you say?”
After a long silence, Moon Si-hyun’s voice finally emerged, her tone and expression half-dazed.
“What should I do to look as feminine as my sister?”
“……”
I definitely didn’t mishear. Moon Si-hyun, still caught off guard, couldn’t respond.
Lee Da-ram let out a brief sigh, twirled her hair, and began to untangle her own knots of concern.
“It’s just that when I watch other VTuber friends’ broadcasts, the viewers always say they’re cute and pretty, but my viewers always go, ‘You just look like a guy.’ ‘Stop the act.’ ‘I can’t see you as a woman.’ ‘Just play the game.’ It’s not like I was aiming for that type of broadcasting, but… Honestly, since you’re a woman, you understand the feeling, right? Like, pride as a woman? It’s kind of disheartening to see those kinds of chats. But, to be fair, when I look at my own behavior, I don’t feel feminine at all… So, that’s why I asked.”
“……”
Moon Si-hyun repeatedly opened and closed her mouth after hearing everything, still stuck in the shock brought on by Da-ram’s question.
She never dreamed she would hear the word ‘feminine’ in her lifetime. Nevertheless, she pulled herself together and spoke up.
“I don’t think I’m the right person to help with that. There are probably many people around you who are more feminine than me, Da-ram. Why not ask them?”
For now, she tried to divert and oppose her statement.
“Eh? No, no, no. You’re the most feminine person I know.”
Da-ram laughed and waved her hands, shattering Si-hyun’s intentions.
“Well, I find it hard to say I’m masculine, but if I had to choose between femininity and masculinity, I lean more towards the latter.”
Si-hyun stated a fixed thought that had been with her for a long time.
“What?!”
Da-ram exclaimed in disbelief upon hearing that.
“Look at how you’re sitting right now!”
She gestured at Si-hyun’s body with her hand.
“…… Ugh.”
At that, Si-hyun instinctively shrank back.
With a straight back that perfectly emphasized the ideal curves of a woman, her knees firmly pressed together, and her hands neatly resting on her thighs without even picking up her phone in the café.
She always sat like this. This posture had never been greatly disrupted.
Da-ram elaborated on that.
“And still, you say you’re not feminine?”
“Ah, no.”
But Si-hyun couldn’t help but feel flustered. After all, she’d been sitting this way both back then and now.
“This is how I’ve always sat.”
Because that’s how she was trained.
However, the word ‘always’ contained memories of phenomena only she could understand in this world.
“Huh? Well, that makes sense. I mean, I can see that… right?”
Da-ram’s eyes sparkled.
“Um, like your looks… and your voice… those can be considered aesthetic.”
Si-hyun felt awkward saying this to a woman, but Da-ram seemed too eager to hear it, so she went ahead.
“Hmm… Really? I see…”
Then, a straightforwardly obvious reaction came.
Not wanting her feelings to be discovered, Da-ram took another spoonful of the parfait.
Si-hyun wanted to be seen as feminine, while, if she had to choose, she wanted to be seen as masculine.
Their desires were different, yet they shared the same essence.
Da-ram left her parfait, feeling full, and Si-hyun finished it all.
Her movements were neat, but her speed was quite fast.
*
During Moon Si-hyun’s broadcast, she was having a polite exchange with her viewers once again.
“No, I’m closer to the masculine side.”
―――
Yeah, you’re masculine, so stop already.
I’ll admit it, so please just stop.
Stop it already.
Stop.
Please stop.
―――
Caller cannot be reached.
Si-hyun, let me tell you what I originally wanted to say, please.
―――
“Hmph, yes. I’m acknowledging it.”
―――
Phew.
Phew.
Another viewer influx…
Ha.
Haha.
I survived.
Can I mute it now?
―――
Crazy lady.
Bitch.
The one who usually likes it more is the one giving in…
Why isn’t she acknowledging it?
How is she so cute without being competitive?
Seriously, usually she’s super docile, but once you catch her, she insists until the end.
Isn’t being feminine a compliment? Is she a feminist?
Moon Si-hyun’s anxiety triggers: education, intelligence, brainpower, feminine (new!).
Aside from being a fighter in Garbage Fighter One-Champ, there’s nothing she does that doesn’t seem feminine. So why does she keep insisting? Haha.
Sigh, with that personality and that body, if she’s not a female, what is she? (Really don’t know).
Hey, someone please tell her with donations that she seems super feminine!
I’m off to watch the madness of Moon Si-hyun’s moaning bust morphing mad movie!
―――
But she blissfully smiled, unaware of the conversations lurking beneath the surface, and continued speaking.
“By the way, about that Neighborhood Cafe you asked me to create last time, I’m finally going to make it.”
―――
Oh.
Whoa.
Whoa.
Finally, she’s making it!
―――
Guess the Bear Doll is finally getting an official cafe.
―――
– Breaking news: Moon Si-hyun is making a Neighborhood Cafe.
Yeah.
―――
– Oh.
– Now, all I can think about when Neighborhood Cafe is mentioned is her insisting…
Yeah, I’d really wanted to beat her back then.
– She said she’d make it before, but why did she forget?
Yeah, she probably got behind with those VTuber rumors.
Honestly, she probably forgot she even said she’d make it.
– Why make a Neighborhood Cafe? We should be harassing on DC (really don’t know).
– Sometimes, when you’re bored while gaming, the host could come in and read your posts for you.
– Oh.
– Oh…
―――
A viewer donated 1000 won.
Finally acknowledging that the Neighborhood Cafe is actually an online cafe, not a drink shop?
―――
Whoa (upvote).
Whoa.
Whoa.
Haha.
―――
“I knew it already. I said before that I was testing you all.”
Of course, the viewers wouldn’t believe that.
―――
Shut up, no.
Oh right, that time (haha).
Try insisting again, if you dare (laughs).
When was that? It was so funny (hahaha).
Whether it was back then or now, she still wants to beat people up, Si-hyun.
Now you can distinguish between the Neighborhood Cafe and the cafe, right?
The viewers who recalled the ‘target’ seemed to satisfy their previous grievances and continuously attacked her.
Since insisting too much would make things awkward, Si-hyun remained silent and opened up a window.
That was the entrance to the Neighborhood Cafe she had designed herself.
“I prepared the design before today’s broadcast. I’ve had this in mind for a while.”
―――
Oh.
Well done.
Oh.
Oh.
―――
Super neat.
This reminds me of something I’ve seen (haha).
Seriously looks like a university PPT (hahaha).
For real, it’s well made for such a bland design.
But why isn’t the Fiore Lounge decorated? Doesn’t she know?
―――
“Anyway, I’ve completed it, but I still haven’t decided on a name for the cafe. ‘Moon Si-hyun’ feels a bit bland. Do you have any suggestions?”
―――
High-Ability Person.
Fighter Master.
Garbage Fighter One-Champ.
Moon Si-hyun.
IQ84KG.
Fighter Master.
Brainpower Advocate.
―――
Since the design of Si-hyun’s cafe was unexpectedly good, quite a few people were seriously offering their opinions.
“Umm, I don’t really like any of the names. I’ll just pick one at random.”
Si-hyun said while drawing her finger in the air. Then, a single word appeared in the middle of the entrance.
‘Bear Doll’
―――
Oh.
Oh.
Oh.
Haha.
Why did you even ask if you’re just going to pick that?
―――
Did she actually read the chat? (hahaha).
It seems like she never intended to consider anyone’s opinions.
―――
“There are various categories, but this is the free posting board. I’ll drop a link, so if anyone’s interested, please apply for membership.”
―――
Okay.
Okay, okay.
Let’s go in.
―――
Let’s go, haha.
Finally, she made it for us.
Si-hyun quickly accepted all the applications that had come in just then.
She felt a bit fluttery. Considering she’d seen her viewers only through fleeting chats, meeting them in this kind of communication community was her first time.
Si-hyun had a certain fondness for her viewers. She wanted to experience this kind of interaction.
―――
I wrote something, Si-hyun.
I joined.
Try refreshing once.
―――
“Really? Alright, I’ll have a look?”
With her fluttery heart, Si-hyun refreshed the free posting board.