Chuseok
"Oh…"
"See? I told you, Soo-hyun was bound to become a celebrity."
"Why didn't you say so yesterday?"
"So when's she going to be on TV?"
I shut my eyes against the dizziness threatening to overwhelm me as the adults nodded and convinced themselves of their own conclusions.
No, please—don't all just accept it like that. It's not true (well… not entirely).
I forced myself to focus, scrambling to smooth things over.
An ordinary person might have struggled more, but me? I was Miro, a professional VTuber with lightning-fast reflexes.
"I met him at a fan meeting. Dad's just talking nonsense."
I quickly approached, keeping my expression calm as I clamped a hand firmly onto Manager Kim's shoulder.
I wasn't that strong, but I knew my father wasn't oblivious. He'd realize his daughter was squeezing with all her might.
"Ah, r-right, a fan meeting. I misspoke."
"Oh, it was a fan meeting? For Moon Chang-sik? Isn't it really hard to even get into those? That's amazing~"
Thankfully, Manager Kim caught on fast, backtracking enough that the relatives accepted it without much fuss.
Phew. Couldn't let my guard down for even a second.
I understood—he wanted to show off his daughter to his siblings. But still, I wished he'd hold back a little.
Rumors spread like wildfire. If he couldn't contain himself, how could the rest of the relatives?
No matter if I released more songs later, or stopped after this one—it was always better to keep things low-key.
"Our family almost had a celebrity, huh."
"With Soo-hyun's looks, she could be on TV anytime. What a waste."
"Alright, enough. Don't put pressure on the girl. Let's get ready to leave."
"Right, if we don't want to hit traffic, we'd better head out."
The adults, who'd been chatting away without me, began gathering their things.
So that was why they'd already put on their coats.
Finally—was peace returning to the house?
It had been less than twenty-four hours, but it felt exhausting.
I'd rather stream for twenty-four hours straight than go through this again. Next Chuseok, I'd make sure to be out of town.
For now, I put my all into seeing everyone off with polite bows.
"Goodbye!"
"Take care, Soo-hyun. It was nice seeing you again."
"Alright, let's go."
"Thanks for everything, sister-in-law."
"Great house, we'll visit again."
One by one, the adults departed. Naturally, the cousins who'd tagged along were leaving too.
First up were the Kim siblings.
"Stay in touch, you two."
I decided I'd keep an eye on them.
After all, they'd gotten a little sidetracked because of me. I should make sure they grew up into proper, respectable people—like me.
I didn't have the time or ability to do much, so I'd just hand them allowance money and nag them sweetly.
Yuna (15) already had a dream. So I'd start with Namseok (17), who didn't.
If you didn't have a dream, you had to study.
They said academics weren't everything anymore, but in Korea? A good education never hurt.
You could always find a dream later.
"Okay."
"I'll keep in touch, unni!"
With that, I sent off the siblings who'd left quite the impression.
Next were the Jang sisters—
"Waaaah!"
"I don't wanna go!"
Oh boy.
Jang Woori (8) clung stubbornly to Boksil, while Jang Yul (3) latched onto my leg.
Sisters indeed—their tantrums matched perfectly.
"Come on, you're troubling your unni."
Their mother tried coaxing them, but they wouldn't budge.
This was just like Boksil clinging to me when I left the house.
…Was that too mean of a comparison?
Still, Boksil was smart.
"Wow, they really like Soo-hyun."
"What do we do now?"
What do you mean? Just pry them off me, please.
My pants were getting damp. How was Yul producing this much moisture without any water source? A true prodigy in the art of slobber.
"Don't bother your unni. Time to get up."
Her mother tried again, but Yul (3) refused.
"No! I'm gonna live here with Princess!"
"Goodness, she's completely smitten."
"I'm going to the sky palace too!"
"The sky palace? What's that supposed to mean?"
Please, stop.
Why was my face burning? It had just been a throwaway line, but hearing her cry it out like that made me squirm.
Sigh. Guess it was up to me.
Who else but Miro, the kids' eternal playmate and certified GOAT, could handle this?
I bent down, gently lifting Yul (3) by her armpits until she dangled in the air.
She struggled a bit, but couldn't break free of my grasp.
"Yul, it's time to go home now."
"Nooo."
Oh, really? And what exactly would you do if you refused?
I could just hand you to your dad, who'd toss you in the car and that'd be the end of it.
But I wasn't the cold-hearted Soo-hyun.
I was Miro, friend to children everywhere.
"You'll see unni again soon."
I couldn't exactly call myself "Princess" in front of all the adults, but luckily she understood.
"Soon?"
"Of course. You can visit often."
"Really? We can?"
Nothing stopping you.
Of course, in practice, it would mean your parents bringing you here, which wouldn't be so easy.
But Yul (3) didn't know that. All she knew was my promise, and it made her beam, tears gone in an instant.
"Really?"
"Yes."
I handed the now-smiling Yul (3) over to her father.
And just like that, the last of the relatives left.
Even Manager Kim and Madam Jang went to see them off, leaving only me and Boksil in the once-crowded living room.
Was it finally over?
Even Boksil was sprawled out, drained.
So even a dog that loved people couldn't handle the chaos of the holidays.
After two days of enduring, he deserved a rest.
As for me, I retreated to my room.
I still needed to put my merch back where it belonged… but that was a chore for later.
Or maybe I could just leave the merch in storage.
It wasn't like I loved it enough to display it in my room. I'd just been reluctant to throw it away.
But with the shelves cleared and the cousins gone, the room suddenly felt… empty.
When would Celestials Project goods come out? If they did, I'd definitely buy them and put them on display.
Well, the project wasn't quite big enough yet to be putting out merch.
But someday it would be.
And merch was profitable. I might even get rich off it.
If I ever built up enough wealth, I'd buy a building and become a landlord.
Then I could stream in peace, in my own building.
Mm… yeah, that was a good plan.
Maybe I'd put a comic café on the lower floors?
Although I heard if you sold food on the first floor, bugs would crawl up to the upper floors….
Well, that was a problem for later. For now, I sat up from the bed.
But now what?
When the relatives were here, it was like a storm. Now that they were gone, it felt like I was adrift in an endless sea.
With nothing else to do, my gaze naturally drifted to the soundproof booth.
"Mmm, hmm…."
Funny. With time suddenly wide open, I found myself thinking about work.
I'd even posted a hiatus notice… but oh well. Maybe I'd give my fans a surprise stream.
Sometimes, that was the right move.
The house was empty. Perfect. I slipped into the booth.
Even if Manager Kim or Madam Jang came back, my parents already knew I streamed. They wouldn't just barge in and throw the door open.
So I powered up the computer, quickly set things up, and went live.
[Surprise Stream]
??
What's this?
Did she click the wrong button?
Even though I'd announced a break, and it was around lunchtime instead of my usual slot, the viewer count trickled in steadily.
What kind of lives were they living, to be able to hop in instantly like this?
I was curious, but if I asked out loud, the chat would riot. Better not.
I was already drained from Chuseok. For this surprise stream, I just wanted something calm. Healing.
"Everyone, are you having a good Chuseok?"
? No.
If we were, we wouldn't be here.
Are you mocking us?
"Now, now. Don't be so prickly. I was worn out from Chuseok and wanted a healing stream."
Ah, I see.
Healing?
What, is this a joke to you?
[User donated 1,000 won!]
What's there for you to be tired about? At least you're not like me—high school grad, finished military service, still unemployed and mooching at home.
"Oh…"
Dude, that's your problem.
Ugh, stop dragging down the average.
Wow, lol.
So why are you tired?
"I was… babysitting my cousins, actually."
You? Babysitting?
How old are they? Mine always play on their own.
Yeah, same.
"The older ones did fine. The little ones, though? Exhausting."
Sure, I outsourced most of it. But I still pitched in.
And really—kids' energy and innocence were overwhelming for an adult like me.
Do your relatives know you stream?
Is your computer okay? No viruses?
"Stream? No, they have no idea. And the computer's fine."
[User donated 1,000 won!]
Wait, why are you streaming now? You announced a break.
"Oh, I got bored. And I wanted a little healing, too."
LOL, classic Miro.
I knew you'd come through.
Our celestial GOAT.
Bored? Healing? Is this a game to you?
Damn it, Miro, don't make me love you more!
Funny. I'd say one line, and the reactions split in every direction.
As my fanbase grew, the chat had softened a little—but there were still always contrarian voices mixed in.
That was part of the fun, I supposed.
So what now?
If it's just chatting, let's at least do a tier list.
It's Chuseok, how about a folk game?
A folk game? I barely touched LoL or Roguelikes on stream. As if I'd suddenly play that.
"Ha, folk games? Do I look like I'd play those?"
Bruh.
Just do it already.
Then what's the plan?
Normally I'd be at a loss. But just then, an idea came to me.
"It's Chuseok, right? How about a Chuseok food tournament? I had so many delicious dishes yesterday."
Oh, I'm in.
Ugh, another tournament?
Please, just one folk game for the holiday….
"How about a 64-bracket? It's only lunchtime, I've got time."
LOL!
Please stream like this more often.
We love you, Miro!
Tournaments make the streams last longer anyway.
Sure, I could've just rested more. But streaming still didn't feel like "work" to me—not fully.
Being professional had its place, but sometimes, casual streams were the best.
And so, I wrapped up Chuseok chatting and laughing with my viewers.
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