Drinking Party
Han Donghoon, 21 years old.
A student at a prestigious university in Seoul, he had begged his father to lend him the Benz and drove to the reunion venue.
"Mm, hmm…"
As he held the steering wheel to pull into the barbecue restaurant's back parking lot, he cleared his throat and repeatedly checked his hair in the mirror.
"Phew…"
Satisfied with his freshly styled appearance from the salon, Donghoon thought of one person who was supposed to come to today's reunion.
Kim Soohyun.
He had never told anyone, but she was the girl he had secretly liked for three years straight.
She had been the most popular student in the class, regardless of gender. Unlike other girls, she never shortened her skirt or wore heavy makeup, yet her looks were incomparable.
He remembered how she shone while chatting about comics with the girls sketching in the corner.
Unlike the tacky girls, she had a pure, graceful charm but also the confidence to say whatever she wanted.
She never seemed interested in guys, so surely she still didn't have a boyfriend, right? At least, her frequently updated profile pictures never once featured another guy, which reassured him.
He recalled the anxious days worrying that she might meet the wrong guys in college and change, all while comparing himself to her brilliance and lacking the courage to reach out personally.
"Let's do this, Donghoon. You've got nothing to lose."
He hypnotized himself.
Prestigious university, driving a Benz, and honestly—not a bad-looking face.
With his confidence boosted, Donghoon parked, tucked the car key securely in his pocket, and got out.
"Ssshh… phew…"
And then he saw her.
His first love, in an oversized sweatshirt and a cap pulled low.
"Oh? Han Donghoon? Long time no see."
And from her lips came smoke, a small white stick in her hand.
"What are you standing there for? Let's go inside."
Right after, she tossed the cigarette butt to the ground and crushed it under her sneaker with practiced ease. Donghoon froze in shock.
"What? You sick or something? I'm going in first, then."
Watching her retreat inside, Donghoon's first emotion wasn't disappointment but, ironically—excitement.
'…Not bad, actually?'
From what he had learned about women online, they were supposed to be pure and obedient.
But even that delinquent look of her smoking seemed, in its own way, attractive.
After following Kim Soohyun into the restaurant, Donghoon let out a hollow laugh.
'These bastards…'
He smirked at all the male classmates who had obviously dressed up, though he didn't consider himself one of them.
'…That was close.'
I let out a sigh of relief after leaving Han Donghoon behind.
He was a friend I used to go to PC cafés with regularly even after college started, so I almost greeted him warmly out of habit.
But I was now a woman.
Not just that—a stunning beauty. To avoid giving my old friends false illusions, I forced myself to hold back and just went inside.
I found Hyejung among the classmates already gathered in small groups and sat beside her. She frowned and smacked my shoulder.
"Hey! Why?"
"You smell like cigarettes! Since when did you start smoking?"
"This is… called wood smoking. It enhances the flavor of the meat."
"Move away from me!"
Pouting, I scooted a little farther from her.
"Oh? Kim Soohyun smokes? Wanna go for one later?"
A male classmate with bleached yellow hair waved at me from across the table.
I gave him the middle finger and leaned back in my chair.
Then I realized my mistake.
'Ah, I'm a woman now.'
That yellow-haired guy was someone male Kim Soohyun had hung out with back in school, so I'd treated him casually. But from his perspective, it must've been surprising for female Kim Soohyun, who hadn't been that close back then, to act like that.
Whatever.
Still, getting cursed at by a pretty girl like me—wasn't that what people called a "blessing"?
I ignored it and focused on the meat grilling in front of me.
'Hmm… this is uncomfortable.'
It wasn't that I disliked drinking, but the constant sideways glances from everywhere made eating feel awkward.
If they wanted to talk, they should just come up and do it.
Otherwise, don't sit there pretending.
I was starting to understand why Kim Soohyun avoided going out.
So I deliberately ignored the stares, ate some meat, and drank a few glasses, enjoying myself just enough.
By the time I was tipsy, the yellow-haired guy had quietly switched seats to sit next to me.
"Hey, don't come closer."
"Huh? Uh…"
Oops, did I sound too harsh? I couldn't control myself well when drunk.
"Hahaha, just kidding, just kidding!"
I quickly laughed it off, and the yellow-haired guy awkwardly chuckled too, trying to inch closer. But I froze my expression and stared him down.
Seeing him hesitate mid-motion, neither able to move forward nor back, made me laugh out loud.
"Pfft… hahaha! Just stay right there."
"Uh, okay…"
So I kept him there and started drinking a few more glasses with Hyejung beside me, and soon the atmosphere really picked up.
Then, one of the male classmates who had been chatting in the middle suddenly jumped up.
"Since we're all here, let's take a picture!"
He held his phone high, and immediately everyone posed for the camera.
"Hey, Soohyun, come here!"
Drunk Hyejung waved me over, so I leaned in, got pulled into a shoulder hug, and made a peace sign with a wry smile.
Click!
"Alright~ I'll post this in the group chat!"
The timing felt right, so after the photo, I slowly stood up.
"Soohyun, leaving already?"
Hyejung asked as I got up, and I nodded, waving my hand.
"Sleepy. Gonna head home and crash."
Strangely, the gathering hadn't been that fun. Just enough to get drunk, maybe.
And then, the urge to just go home and sleep hit me hard.
Had the homebody habits of the female Kim Soohyun rubbed off on me?
No—maybe it was simply because I was her now, so it only made sense.
"Hm… you're not disappointed? It's been so long since we all met."
At Hyejung's question, I gave a faint smile and waved my hand.
"Still, I've got plans tomorrow, so I need to sleep early."
Tomorrow was the third audition.
In other words, the time to do my personal livestream.
Not that it really mattered if I stayed up late tonight since I'd be streaming in the evening anyway… but whatever. It was just an excuse to leave.
I walked out of the bar, listening to the voices of classmates lamenting my departure.
It was time to return to being the homebody Kim Soohyun.
**
The next afternoon.
I sat at my computer desk, finished setting up my stream, and crossed my arms in thought.
'How should I handle this personal broadcast?'
Originally, I had planned to just act according to the female Kim Soohyun's memories. But hadn't the audience's reaction been poor last time, when I answered like the male Kim Soohyun?
On second thought, maybe that wasn't a bad thing. Some people found relatability in a singing, sweet-voiced VTuber who occasionally showed hints of a guy-like self. That could be a unique appeal.
Right now, I had two sides.
The female Kim Soohyun, an otaku who consumed every bit of subculture and loved lazing around at home.
And the male Kim Soohyun, who had studied hard to enter a prestigious university, got buried in assignments, hung out regularly with neighborhood friends, and pulled all-nighters with classmates.
The female Kim Soohyun, who hated the smell of cigarettes like Hyejung did.
And the male Kim Soohyun, who picked up smoking from a senior in college and never quite quit.
Even with the same parents, same schools, the difference between male and female Kim Soohyun was enormous—just because of gender and appearance.
"Hm… but isn't that actually a good thing?"
It was like being a hybrid car.
Able to use both electricity and fuel, I could understand the needs of both otakus and "normal" people.
I realized that my situation was an incredible advantage.
And the moment I realized it, I turned on the stream.
You're asking if I'd thought of a good way to show off that advantage?
That's something you do when you've got a half-baked edge.
I was a needle in a pouch.
Even if you don't take it out, it'll pierce through the cloth on its own.
As the stream went live, I smiled and set the broadcast title:
(A Needle in a Pouch – Miro)
True fun comes from showing your natural self.
Thinking that made me laugh.
It was the same conclusion I'd come to before the second audition.
The only difference was that back then, I'd decided to show only the female Kim Soohyun's side—whereas now, I'd reveal the male Kim Soohyun's side without restraint.
Just comparing, it meant I had twice as much to show.
I really did have talent for streaming.
On my second monitor, the broadcast screen was still plain black since I hadn't set up a waiting screen yet—but my reflection showed my face.
A face so beautiful that my former male self wouldn't have been able to look away.
And that face was smiling.
Smiling with absolute confidence.
And with that, my very first stream began.