Gender Swap: The Introvert’s Broadcast

Mangming made a very strange face when he asked that question.
It looked like he was getting a little carried away with himself.
I didn’t quite get it.
‘...Isn’t this a bit too easy to answer?’
It was a really easy answer, so I replied simply.

“No!”
Having watched Mangming so far, there wasn’t really anything about him that made me think of him as a woman.
He seemed more like a good friend, I guess.
So, it was easy to answer without hesitation.
[🗡️All-powerful Cthulhu: Eh?]
[🗡️All-powerful Cthulhu: What’s this?]
[Is this for real?]
[Hmm...]
[This is Kang Hu-min: Da-ma, cancel it now.]
[It’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie.]
[What, you seriously didn’t have any interest?]
[The way you answered so quickly, this is obviously a lie, haha. Caught you, you bastard, haha.]
[Guys, stop denying it... Da-ma really has no interest in Mangming.]
[Ah...]
[My world is falling apart, my world is falling apart, my world is falling apart, my world is falling apart.]

Seeing the reaction, I realized that people were pretty invested in the idea of me having romantic feelings for Mangming.
I hadn’t thought anything like that, but apparently, others did.
“Oh, okay. You really don’t, huh?”
I saw Mangming clearly flustered by my answer.
His reaction made me nervous, too.
I had expected to casually say I wasn’t interested for the broadcast, and Mangming would have made it funny.
But his reaction seemed so real.
‘...He can’t really be that surprised, can he?’

There was no way Mangming actually had romantic feelings for me, right?
I was thinking this when suddenly.
“That’s harsh. I set up all that ‘I like you’ build-up, and then you say ‘No’ like this. What does that make me?”
“Oh, right.”
Listening to Mangming, I realized I had probably answered wrong.
For the broadcast to be more fun, it probably would have been better if I had said that I did have romantic feelings for Mangming.

[🗡️All-powerful Cthulhu: Mangming, really hang in there...]
[🗡️All-powerful Cthulhu: Let’s ditch someone like Da-ma and start fresh, ㅇㅇ]
[Da-ma, die, Da-ma, die, Da-ma, die, Da-ma, die, Da-ma, die, Da-ma, die.]
[Is this for real?]
[Surprisingly, yes, it’s really real...]
[Mangming, don’t be sad... I’ll take Da-ma.]
[This is Kang Hu-min: Da-ma is just everyone’s guy, ㅇㅇ, no one else can claim him.]
[Everyone’s guy... never mind.]
[Don’t bring that up...]
[If you do, I’ll sue you.]
Looking at the chat, it seemed like the viewers were really enjoying the development.
Still, I couldn’t help but wonder.
‘When did they feel like Mangming and I had romantic feelings for each other?’

I personally didn’t think there was anything like that.
I thought as I ate the remaining sashimi.
Then, after a while.
“Ahem, then let’s call it a wrap for the drinking game.”
Mangming decided to stop the drinking game.
It seemed like the earlier exchange had affected him.
‘Next time, I should think twice before answering.’

I had missed an opportunity to make the stream more fun.
I imagined Mangming had asked that question thinking about how to make the stream more entertaining.
I realized my mistake and continued the conversation.
We kept talking, continuing the stream, but honestly, I felt like crying.
I had assumed, given his actions, that Mangming had some interest in me.
But to answer so firmly with “No!” was shocking.
‘...Was it only me who had feelings?’
Thankfully, things had smoothed over, but it almost felt like the situation could have gotten really awkward.
Anyway.

Sigh...
I couldn’t help but sigh at how things had turned out.
What should I do now to make this situation more positive?
As I was thinking about that, I heard Mangming’s voice.
“Hmm, then should we head home?”

It seemed like Da-ma had had enough, so she suggested going home.
She looked like she’d fall asleep as soon as we got there.
So, I came up with another idea.
“…How about karaoke?”
It would be perfect for the stream, and also a great place for the two of us to have fun.

[🗡️All-powerful Cthulhu: Let’s go to karaoke ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Karaoke sounds awesome.]
[What are you two going to do at karaoke?]
[The two of you in karaoke, huh... heh...]
[Am I the only one feeling this vibe???]
You have been temporarily kicked out!
[This is Kang Hu-min: Please, just keep those nasty thoughts to yourself.]
[Stop venting in the chat.]
[We’re all trying to use the chat here.]
[That bastard ㅋㅋ]
[Seriously want to beat him up.]
[Please, just give me one slap, just one slap, please, one slap.]
The chat seemed excited about the idea.
They really seemed to be looking forward to it.
‘Perfect place choice.’

I felt confident about it.
Just then, Da-ma reacted, but it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting.
“…Karaoke?”
Her reaction was not as enthusiastic as I thought it would be.
It felt like she was holding back something.
So, I asked her directly.
“Is karaoke not okay? Let’s go, it’ll be fun.”

It wasn’t some risky place, karaoke should be fun for everyone, but she was rejecting the idea.
What could be bothering her to say that?
She paused for a moment, then said.
“Oh, it’s just… I’m really terrible at singing.”
Da-ma said this shyly.
I was stunned.
I had thought maybe she had some important personal reason, but it was just that.
Still, I was okay with it.

‘...That’s a charm point too.’
Honestly, I thought it was kind of cute.
I thought this as I suggested again.
“Let’s go to karaoke. It’s okay if you can’t sing.”

A little while later.
“Mm... Okay.”
Da-ma hesitated but eventually agreed.
“I really can’t sing, so don’t expect anything.”
“Eh, I won’t expect much.”

There was a reason I didn’t like singing.
It wasn’t because of childhood trauma or anything like that.
It was simply because I was really bad at it.
To add to that, back in middle school, I once had to perform a song during a talent show and got booed.
‘Thinking about it still makes me embarrassed.’
At that time, everyone else who went up to sing couldn’t sing either, but the atmosphere allowed them to laugh it off.
But when I got up, the reaction was cold.
I never wanted to go back to that moment, I thought, as I walked.
Anyway.

“Why is the chat so hyped?”
The chat was buzzing with excitement.
Was it that they really wanted to hear me sing?
[🗡️All-powerful Cthulhu: Hell yes ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[This is it ㅋㅋ]
[Big Mangming]
[I offer 100 won to Mangming for getting Da-ma to sing.]
[Shit, haha, if you're going to give something, at least be generous, 100 won is nothing.]
[100 won is actually a lot for Mangming ㅇㅅㅇ]
[This is Kang Hu-min: But seriously, how bad is she at singing? I’m so curious.]
[She’s never sung on a broadcast, has she?]
[Hope Da-ma sings well, haha, want to see the haters get wrecked.]

This was exactly why I didn’t want to sing.
But Mangming looked at me with such urgency, I had no choice.
I thought it would be fun for the stream, so I decided to go along with it.
As we were walking, the mood shifted, and it was almost time for karaoke.
“...You two really suit each other!!”

A woman passing by suddenly shouted and quickly ran away.
It seemed like she recognized us.
“Mangming, manage your fans better.”
“That’s not my fan, that’s your fan.”
[🗡️All-powerful Cthulhu: Why are you guys fighting over fans ㅋㅋ]
[They’re fighting over fans (they don’t want to have their own fans)]
[But you two really do suit each other ㅇㅇ]
[They suit each other (Da-ma’s opinion ‘No romantic feelings ^zero^) ]
[This is Kang Hu-min: Enough with the facts.]
[The “no romantic feelings ^zero^” seems a bit too strong..]
[But what if there’s no interest?]
[Hwanhee: These idiots will milk this all day ㅋㅋㅋ]
[They’ll probably milk this for at least two months.]

With the viewers’ reactions, we entered a nearby coin karaoke room.
The atmosphere was nice.
It just felt like a regular neighborhood karaoke place.
‘...If I can’t sing well, I’m going to be so embarrassed.’
I wasn’t the type to get embarrassed easily, but this kind of embarrassment felt tough to handle.
It felt like being naked in front of everyone.
As I thought about that, Mangming made the payment, and we entered an empty room.

“Phew...”
I couldn’t remember exactly how I ended up here from the bar, but I thought, now that I was here, I had to sing well. I grabbed the mic.