"Kids, do we really have to do this? Can't I just... do some other punishment? What kind of hunting is this hunting anyway.... Ha, you guys know my personality. I just can't do it. I'd rather do a marathon of vase games and become the unbroken king."
Even monkeys fall from trees sometimes.
Has that saying ever hit home as hard as it did right now?
Kind streamer Black Star, clutching a street streaming camera in one hand, walked down the street with a heavy sigh.
Real name: Jin-su Kim.
Former pro gamer.
Current partner streamer on the internet broadcasting platform Twinkle.
As his pro gamer title suggests, he was renowned for his skill broadcasts, excelling across nearly every game genre.
He was famous for quickly adapting to new games and showcasing top-tier skills thanks to his natural talent. But even he fell from the tree sometimes.
He'd gotten baited by viewers into a punishment roulette mission.
If he succeeded in the speedrun, he'd get 100,000 won. If he failed, he'd spin the roulette and carry out whatever punishment the viewers picked.
And as you can see, he failed the speedrun and drew the random punishment.
There were all sorts of weird ones, from eating a whole lemon to bizarre stuff matching the playful mischief of Twinkle viewers—aka the Starless.
One of those punishments was "hunting."
At first, he thought it meant some leisure sport like actual hunting, but nope, it wasn't that kind of hunting.
It was going out and asking random girls for their numbers.
"Punishments like this are a nuisance to others too. Let's just skip it. There are portrait rights issues, and she's not a broadcaster—she's a regular person...."
💬 Chat— ViewerMosaic edit it~
"It's live!"
— ViewerUse a filter~
"Look at you guys talking like it's easy? If I mess this up, it'll end up on the front page!"
He said that, but it didn't work, so he had no choice but to put it on the roulette.
'Yeah, what are the odds it'll actually land on it?'
There were so many punishments suggested by viewers that adding them all to the roulette made the "hunting" odds just 0.2%.
He figured there was no way it'd hit and went ahead with it anyway—
"It landed on this? This?!"
It hit.
The 0.2% reverse jackpot exploded.
— ViewerLmaoooo— ViewerIt actually hit? Lololol— ViewerYou totally let your guard down thinking it wouldn't hit, right? Like the speedrun, treating 100k as safe money and chilling, then boom?⭐ Donation: Crクルping Pong 1,000 won— Crクルping PongLol the ultimate normie Jin-su trying to get a number lololol
Amid the exploding chat and donations, Jin-su smacked his forehead and wailed.
"Argh, why me...."
Honestly, as the donation pointed out, Jin-su wasn't the outgoing type.
He was shy and introverted, so asking him to hit on girls? No way.
Any other streamer would've just gritted their teeth, gone for it, apologized if it failed, thanked them anyway, tossed in some compensation, and called it a day.
But for Jin-su, the whole situation was pure torture—the punishment itself.
Just imagining himself standing in front of a girl asking for her number made his limbs curl up, his heart pound like it would burst, and his face burn red.
So he'd desperately negotiated with viewers to redraw the roulette with a different punishment.
And after begging, promising a 48-hour stream next time, he got a re-roll chance.
"Heavens above!"
Jin-su spun the roulette again, praying to a god he rarely invoked.
He hoped it'd land on something like coal briquette distribution volunteer work.
Sure, it'd cost money, but it'd boost his image, right?
Bonus: meet fans, volunteer together, grab a meal, part on warm terms—a wholesome fan meetup.
With that earnest wish, he spun it, but—
"Aaaargh! No way!"
Again, the 0.2% "hunting" hit.
— ViewerWhoa... insane. What's the probability here?— ViewerAsked ChatGPT, it's 0.0004%.— ViewerCrazy, no way it hit again???— ViewerMaybe a Starless esper hacked it? Or the roulette glitched?
A passing chat snapped him awake.
Denying reality like this couldn't happen, Jin-su re-rolled once more.
A desperate re-roll hoping it was some glitch.
This time, it properly hit a high-probability one like coal briquette volunteering.
Seeing that, he couldn't hold back and slammed the shotgun mic.
"Why! Why can't I just be happy!"
— ViewerRare angry Jin-su sighting lol— ViewerThis is real tension? First time since that vase game snake touch sent him to the start?— ViewerThat was legendary. Variety god bows, straight to the beginning lol
The Starless cackled at Jin-su's outburst.
Jin-su was famous for staying cool and composed no matter what during streams.
He barely flinched even at jump scares in horror games.
That icy calm helped him shine in international pro tournaments back in the day.
So when he finally snapped, it was gold for content—which is why Starless poked him even in normal times.
Like with this punishment.
"Ha...."
Anyway, back to the point: no choice but to do the punishment now.
'48-hour stream as promised, plus the punishment.'
Massive loss.
Should've just coolly accepted it from the start to save face.
Instead, he pathetically begged, "Starless bros! This little bro Jin-su kneels before you!" and negotiated for a re-challenge.
Only to end up doing hunting anyway—what cruel fate was this?
'...At least it'll make for great content.'
Four years since retiring from pro gaming to start streaming.
Full-time streamer Jin-su could already sense this stream blowing up.
And sure enough, his misfortune was already buzzing online.
A major streamer hit by fate's prank like this? Instant topic.
Especially since Jin-su wasn't the type to casually hit on girls.
Seeing genuine shy agony? Starless heaven.
Starless thrived on streamers squirming in pain.
If he'd shrugged it off like, "Fine, let's get a number or whatever," it wouldn't have blown up this big.
As a result, the punishment street stream had 1.4x the usual viewers.
'Starless only care about streamer suffering,' he thought with a hollow laugh.
'Sigh, such is my lot.'
With an inward sigh, Jin-su headed out to fulfill the punishment.
"I've seriously never done anything like this before...."
Half the people on the street were women.
Plenty of candidates, but hitting on just anyone could spark huge backlash.
So he had to pick carefully... but who'd he even know was safe?
He tossed it out half-hoping for advice, but—
— ViewerYou asking us that now?— ViewerBreaking: Streamer asks Starless for girl-picking tips?— ViewerYou didn't seriously expect dating advice from us, right?
Geek squad, huh?
Not all, but would the game nerds watching his streams know how to hit on girls?
"...Sorry. Bad question. Pretend I didn't ask."
— ViewerWhy's my vision blurring and fists clenching all of a sudden?— ViewerYou little...— ViewerIgnoring the hive mind? Why assume no Casanovas among Starless? Come out, Casanova!— ViewerAs a visual novel master: Pick the affinity-boosting options.
Not a shred of real help from the Starless chat. After agonizing, Jin-su decided on his own answer.
Head to a familiar PC bang and give it a shot there.
Better to try something new in a familiar place than a strange one, right?
Plus, a female PC bang part-timer might have dealt with this before and brush it off.
With that hopeful thought, Jin-su hit up a PC bang.
How long since his streaming days began? First time since a fan meet there two years ago.
Who'd have thought he'd return for something like this?
'Such is my lot.'
Thinking just brace for the slap, do the punishment, and go home, Jin-su approached the counter—and swallowed hard.
There sat someone close to his ideal type.
Jin-su wasn't tall himself.
He didn't show it, but it was a quiet complex, so he naturally liked shorter women.
Petite ones that'd fit perfectly in his arms.
And there she was.
Cute and beautiful in harmony.
An angelic, lovely face on a small, adorable frame.
Yet with a hint of cynical sharpness in her expression.
Neat short-cut hair, a sulky cat-like vibe.
The moment he saw the PC bang part-timer at the counter, Jin-su's heart raced like it was broken.
'Is this... love?'
Love at first sight must feel exactly like this.
He never imagined falling in love during a punishment stream.
Love sneaks up unannounced, they say—and it was true.
He froze stiff, forgetting the punishment entirely.
No filming permission yet, no check if approaching was okay.
Brain stalled, he stood there oblivious as the camera caught her.
The chat buzzed over the part-timer on cam.
— ViewerWhoa she's a goddess— ViewerSis take me plz— ViewerSis? She's tiny... not a minor, right?— ViewerDoesn't look it? What psycho boss puts a minor on night shift?— ViewerBoss is family or something?— ViewerFamily or not, it's illegal~ And no sane parent makes kids do nights.— ViewerFr lol who creeps at night anyway?— ViewerLol Jin-su's that creep rn obvi not⭐ Donation: Crクルping Pong 1,000 won— Crクルping PongJin-su what ya doin? Do the punishment. Btw it doesn't end til you get a number. Hurry up.⭐ Donation: Mon-Tue-Wed-Thu-Fri-Gold-Gold-Gold 10,000 won— Mon-Tue-Wed-Thu-Fri-Gold-Gold-GoldDon't just stand there, get the part-timer in frame properly. Eye candy heaven.⭐ Donation: Sekiro2WhyNoRelease 1,000 won— Sekiro2WhyNoReleaseWhat part-timer's prettier than an idol? Trainee or aspiring actress maybe?
The donation begging for a better shot of the part-timer jolted him awake.
He belatedly adjusted the camera and steeled himself!
Now it wasn't just for the punishment—he was set on winning true love as a man.
So he boldly approached the part-timer and asked for her number—
"You little prick, who the hell do you think you are? Get lost—!"
The part-timer yelled with a sour face.
"Oops, said the opposite of what I meant."
My mistake! Sorry, customer~.
She apologized for the outburst, but not a gram of sincerity showed.
But Jin-su didn't mind.
'Androgynous voice... even prettier.'
He just grinned, lost in that thought.
And that's exactly why Ha-rang Lee couldn't help but understand "his" plight.
One day in this body.
Not even a full day yet.
Heading to his part-time job, every street was swarming with guys ogling and creeping—stress city.
Tiring to even go out, chills from leering eyes everywhere.
All because they didn't know he was a guy.
...Though plenty who did figure it out still acted the same, maybe.
'Fuck, can't just whip it out and parade around.'
Anyway, Ha-rang got the real struggles of living as an otokonoko.
And not just pretty—stunningly so, making it way worse.
Past life: avoided by people because of his ugly face.
This life: guys swarming because of his face.
No middle ground, he clicked his tongue thinking.
'If more people knew I'm a guy, it'd get better... Maybe go on a stream or something—stream?'
Right then, Ha-rang spotted the camera in Jin-su's hand.
His eyes lit up.
A great idea dawned.