A Lie Has Turned Into Reality

“I have to go to work, and you’re talking about a hotel staycation? Are you out of your mind?”

“Can’t I just take one day off?”

“Then should I call the boss and tell him I can’t come in because I’m going for a hotel staycation, right before work?”

Sigh—

Hyeongjun slapped his forehead and let out a deep sigh, as if he had no energy to get mad.

Honestly, seeing his frustrated expression was a little funny.

“Anyway, I’m not going today, no matter what.”

“Yeah, I came without thinking it through.”

“Glad you realized that, jerk.”

When I clicked my tongue, Hyeongjun chuckled.

“I’m going in first. Thanks for thinking about it.”

“Alright, take care.”

He waved his hand and went into the house. At this point, I guess I’ll have to go with Plan B.

There’s still plenty of time until sunset. I got into the car and grabbed my phone.

‘It should be around here somewhere.’

I scrolled mindlessly down.

‘Ah, found it.’

A joint broadcast.

It’s short for a joint stream, where two or more streamers meet either in person or online to broadcast together.

A few days ago, I got a joint stream offer from a popular streamer.

How did a regular person like me get an offer from a popular streamer?

It’s because I’m the president of the fan club for that popular streamer. I’d pop in whenever I was bored and, whenever I could, threw money at her. Less than a month later, I was number one in the accumulated donation rankings.

Some people might curse. They might say I’m crazy to spend such money on someone else.

‘Do I have a part-time job? I’m enjoying it, and I’m not broke.’

I pressed the button.

I entered the streaming platform “Twitty” and searched for “Suming.”

Maybe because of the aftermath of the no-stream roulette bomb I had started. She was still streaming, laughing and chatting with her viewers.

[“How long will you take a break after the no-streaming mission? Hmm, not sure?”]

[“When are you going to date, Suming?… What did you say? Do you want to die?”]

Hahahahahaha

Ah, no facts allowed, lol

Starting the laugh-holding exercise~

Who would want to take her? Tears are blurring my vision…

She had the natural broadcaster’s personality, talking non-stop and keeping up the communication without any dead air.

I had enough cash left. I was logged in.

I was all set.

Black Diamond [Hot Potato] donated 100,000 cash!

“Suha.”

Take a seat.

The president has arrived.

How much do you have to spend to get the Black Diamond title?

Every time he greets, it’s a hundred thousand, lol, damn

Black is above 100 million, lol

The benefactor of this broadcast has arrived, haha

When the donation hit, a loud sound effect went off, signaling my donation.

She was caught off guard by the donation and shouted with wide eyes.

[“Oh my god, President!!! Thank you for the 100,000 donation!!”]

[“What kind of reaction should I show?”]

She bounced up like a child receiving New Year’s money, putting her face close to the screen.

Now that greetings were out of the way, should I get to the point?

Black Diamond [Hot Potato] donated 100,000 cash!

“Did you send the email? Is today possible?”

She stared at the donation, blinked a few times, and seemed to hesitate.

She shook her head, as if she’d seen it wrong, then checked the message again.

[“Huh! Really? Of course, of course, it’s possible!”]

[“It’s still 11 days until the no-streaming mission ends because of someone, but are you really coming?”]

She nodded repeatedly, clearly excited, and emphasized how great it was.

The conversation veered off suddenly, and the chat was flooded with question marks.

[“No, guys, listen. Honestly, didn’t you guys want to know about the President?”]

[“So, I just threw out the idea for a joint stream… might as well try it.”]

Oh, is it a joint stream with the President?

Wasn’t it just for personal gain?

Hahaha, look at the tension, tsk tsk, money addict Suming, as expected

Wait, is this really happening? Are they coming?

Wow, now the coordinates are set, it’s about to get spicy here

Really, the top chat is already dominated by rumors; if a joint stream happens, the viewers will go crazy

Wait, is that what they were aiming for?

Big Suming;;

The chat exploded suddenly.

True to her professional broadcaster nature, she quickly spun the conversation and built anticipation.

Maybe it’s my turn to join in.

Black Diamond [Hot Potato] donated 100,000 cash!

“Send me the address.”

Her eyes widened.

She leaned forward in her chair, pressing it against the desk, with one hand on the mouse and the other on the keyboard, writing the email.

[“I sent the address… are you really coming today? Hehe…”]

Now, even Domhangcha!!

Why do her eyes look so vicious? Is she planning to kidnap him?

After seeing that, you still want to meet her, Hot Potato?

Look at that smile, hahaha, so cute.

Ah, I guess I’ll have to cancel my dinner plans.

But what kind of content are you planning to do with the president?

[“Maybe we’ll do a quick interview, some mukbang, and a chat?”]

[“I’m taking suggestions for questions now!”]

Honestly, it was all very spontaneous.

At first, I had just gone out to change my mood, feeling down and wanting to spend money.

But as I shopped extravagantly, my mood lifted, and I wanted to end the day on a high note.

The plan for a hotel staycation fell through, and I kept wondering if there was an alternative. That’s when I suddenly remembered the joint stream proposal from a streamer I’d been a fan of for a while.

At first, I had ignored the offer because I felt pressured.

But as I shopped and gained some confidence, I impulsively agreed to the joint stream in front of everyone during the live broadcast.

Black Diamond [Hot Potato] donated 1,000,000 cash!

“See you soon.”

[“Kyaaaa! President, thank you for the one million donation!!!!”]

[“I swear loyalty to you, President!!!”]

[“Woohoooo!!!”]

She was headbanging and roaring in the frame as if turning a windmill.

The deafening noise made me quickly lower the phone’s volume.

‘Now there’s no backing out.’

Heh—

A smile escaped me.

I used to be scared of meeting people. I always hid behind lies, trying to be acknowledged somehow.

But this new, proactive attitude of mine felt unfamiliar yet welcoming.

Ding dong—

I carefully pressed the doorbell.

Just as I was about to take a deep breath to calm my nerves, the door suddenly opened.

“Hot Potato…? Wait, is that really you?”

Hot Potato. I should’ve come up with a more thoughtful nickname.

It felt strange seeing her in person after only ever seeing her on screen.

She had long, black hair tied up, a small face, and sharp features that were compact and defined.

She looked even more beautiful in real life than on screen.

“Yes, it’s me.”

“Wow… Come right in, Hot Potato!”

“…”

I really should change my nickname. “Hot Potato”? What was I thinking…

Anyway, her place was surprisingly spacious and neat. Does she live alone?

I followed her inside, distracted by random thoughts.

“Do you, by any chance, work in the entertainment industry? A model? An actress?”

“Huh?”

She had been glancing at me nervously for a while, and I finally asked her an odd question.

She chuckled awkwardly at the unexpected question.

“Haha, I’m just a regular person.”

“No way… That’s impossible…”

She muttered to herself, leading me into her broadcasting room/workspace.

Oh, this is where she streams.

A large main monitor was in the center, with a wide vertical monitor next to it. The vertical monitor was probably for reading the chat.

The walls and ceiling were surrounded by lights that made it look like a photo studio.

“I just switched it to the standby screen and muted the sound. I’ll briefly explain, so please listen carefully.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“While I’m broadcasting… I might swear a lot. Please don’t misunderstand; it’s just part of the concept.”

“Don’t worry, I’m used to it.”

I’d watched her stream for years, so I knew what to expect.

The usual, confident her was nowhere to be found. Instead, she seemed shy and hesitant.

“I… if there are any awkward questions, feel free to ask. And… thank you for coming…?”

Heh.

It was so new to see her nervous and cautious. It was cute in a different way from her usual self. It helped ease some of my own tension.

She gave me a signal, and the broadcast resumed.

“Hey, everyone~ Have you been waiting long?”

Forget it, just turn the cam on already.

Did the president arrive?

Where’s the cam?

President? Is he here or not?

We’ve been waiting (for the president)

Only chat messages teasing her.

Heh—

Oops. I couldn’t help but let out a short laugh.

Is that a male voice?

Oh, is he really here?

What’s with the male voice?

Explain yourself

She waved her hand as if to say it was fine and carefully turned on the cam.

Oh, this is how I look on screen.

I was now sitting next to her, and my image appeared on the broadcast.

Huh?

What?

No way… Is it really him? Haha

The girl turned into a squid…

Who’s that?

He’s so handsome;

The chat went wild as soon as the cam was turned on.

They seemed more surprised than I expected.

“I was really surprised the first time I saw him! Wow! The screen can’t even capture how great he looks in real life.”

She exaggerated with a laugh, starting to compliment me.

The chat kept flooding with messages, and the viewer count skyrocketed.

Ah… this is more exhilarating than I thought.

“Okay, everyone’s curious, so can you please introduce yourself?”

The shy, nervous girl was gone, replaced by a seasoned broadcaster with a quick tongue, now asking me for an introduction.

She flashed a sly grin and looked at the screen before opening her mouth.

“Hello, I’m ‘Hot Potato.’”