I Became the Eldest Daughter of 10 Siblings - Chapter 106

I shot up with a gasp. It felt like I had heard something I shouldn't have.

Son Yena, startled by my scream, made a bewildered expression.

"Why are you suddenly screaming?"

"Wh-wha-what is this sound?!"

I hope it's just an auditory hallucination.

Instead of answering, Son Yena pointed her finger at the desk. My eyes met the camera lens of the phone set up on a stand.

"What's that?"

"It's my broadcast...?"

Oh no! So I heard correctly.

"Yena, you're streaming?"

"Yes. The video team told me to."

"Ah, really?"

No, that's not the important thing right now!

Grinding my teeth, I said,

"But who told you to film me without permission!"

"Without permission...?"

Son Yena replied with an indifferent face.

"You said it was okay to film you, unnie."

"Come on, you're really funny! When did I ever say that?"

"Are you framing an innocent person now?"

"...You're the one framing an innocent person?"

"I knew this would happen, so I recorded it. Listen and judge for yourself."

Son Yena confidently played a recording on her phone.

After some noise, the conversation started to be heard.

I licked my cracked lips and listened.

-Unnie, I'm starting my first personal broadcast today.

-Ughh, really? Congratulationss.

It's my voice, mushy like fish cakes, seemingly pulled out with difficulty while half-asleep.

-So I was wondering... Could you do a collab stream with me? I'm thinking of starting from today.

Oh no.

She proposed a collab stream? To me in a half-asleep state where I couldn't tell if it was a dream or reality?

This vixen-like mesugaki, really!

It seems I'm sleeping with a tiger cub.

-...Collab stream?

-Yes. I thought I'd have courage if you were there. You'll do it, right?

Listening to the recording, I cried out desperately like the protagonist of Interstellar.

No! Say no!

But...

-Mmm, okaay. If Yena's asking, I have to do itt.

Of course, you idiot.

-Really?! No taking it back later.

-Mmm...

-You're not going to wake up, wipe your mouth clean and pretend you don't remember, right?

-Noo...

-If you understood what I said, make a cat sound.

-...Nyaaa.

-I recorded that, unnie.

-Mmm. Don't worryy.

The recording ended with my mumbling reply, as if I had a pacifier in my mouth.

This is perfect, irrefutable evidence. It wouldn't work even if I tried to deny it with not just a duck's foot but an entire pterodactyl.

"Ah, shit..."

I gave up and rubbed my face.

It feels like a blue screen has appeared in my head.

I feel dizzy thinking that people have watched me sleeping defenseless with my belly exposed.

The community must already be making all sorts of jokes with screenshots of me sleeping.

Swallowing a sigh, I asked Son Yena.

"So how many people are watching?"

It's her first broadcast, so there shouldn't be many, right? Son Yena isn't a very famous player, and she's still in the second team like me, not having debuted yet.

"Ah, about that..."

Son Yena revealed a troubled expression.

"I wrote your name in the broadcast title, so quite a few came in."

"Quite a few?"

"Um... Let me correct that. Quite a... lot?"

It's probably just a few hundred people at most.

"Uh, um, I, I was surprised too because I didn't expect so many people to come in. You don't know because you were sleeping, but you're the hottest thing in Korea right now, unnie."

...Why?

Why am I hot?

I'm suddenly feeling very anxious.

No, let's set that aside for now!

"So how many are watching?!"

"100,000 people."

"Peekyaaaaa!"

Another single scream burst out.

It's not because of the number 100,000 that I screamed. I could have easily hit that number before if I had wanted to.

The problem is...

What those 100,000 people are watching.

It sends chills down my spine thinking that a crowd that could fill a dome stadium and more saw me sleeping soundly.

I examined my bare face reflected in the mirror.

It's a sight I can't bear to look at. My cheeks are puffy like steamed buns and my hair is sticking out in all directions as if a magpie has built a nest.

At this level, the malicious chat...

Chat...?

"The chat!"

I floundered to get up to check the chat window. I was in such a hurry that I stubbed my toe on the chair.

"Ughh... It hurts..."

"A-are you okay?!"

Tears well up in my eyes.

Not because it hurts, but because I'm embarrassed.

I crawled on my knees and snatched Son Yena's phone.

I immediately checked the chat reactions.

-lolololololol

-Nyaa! Nyaa! Nyaa! Nyaa! Nyaa! Nyaa! Nyaa! Nyaa!

-God has woken up!

-Haha~

-HaYoo did you sleep well

-You stubbed your toe lol idiot

-Hello?

-The pillow marks on her cheeks are so cute really ah

-Death by shame 1 minute ago

-Gasp that must hurt ㄷㄷ

-I heard a bone-breaking sound

-Entering the gallery with a morning circus show zzz

-Look at her messy hair

-Magpie's nest so cute lol

-She looks like a kitten whose hair is sticking up after being groomed by the mother cat...

-You should wet your hand and pat down your hair, HaYoo-nim

-HaYoo with puffy face is cute

-Puffy HaYoo lol

-Her messy look is hilarious lol

-I'm spreading HaYoo's back view while lying down in the community, is this enough to get hired by ELF's PR team?

-This bitch is making stock even while sleeping

-I want to be HaYoo's teddy bear for just one day..

-Are you wide awake now?

-Her skin is so good does she get treatments?

-What would it feel like to live as HaYoo's bed..?

-She's so pretty even without makeup, really;

-Can I see this sight every day if I marry her?

-I enjoyed HaYoo's sleep talking;

-lol

-This is my first time on this broadcast, is it always like this?

"Peekyaaaaa!"

The third scream burst out. And the fourth and fifth screams followed in succession. But still, there's no sign of my flipped stomach settling down.

If I die today, the cause of death will be death by shame, death by shame!

I lightly slapped my reddened cheeks and thought.

Have I ever shown my bare face to these people? I don't think I have.

This is driving me crazy. My mouth is drying up in real-time. At this rate, I've already gotten marr... no, I mean, I've already gotten a husband.

But let's set that aside for now.

Why are there so many viewers today?

The Yeon Sangho incident broke today, so everyone's attention should be focused on that, but strangely, a lot of people are sticking to me.

Did something happen to me too?

At least the atmosphere in the chat doesn't seem harsh.

...What's going on?

I slowly chewed over my life. There might be accidents I've caused without knowing.

I didn't drive drunk. I didn't do drugs. I'm not dating.

As for actions that could cause gossip... let's skip that.

Even after counting on all ten fingers, no proper answer comes to mind.

"...Hey. You guys."

After staring blankly at the chat window, I opened my mouth.

"Did something... happen?"

-God! God! God!

-The holy God sayeth it begins

-She asks if something happened lol

-God... please tell me the lottery numbers

-You normalized the entertainment industry

"No, wait, wait a minute. Why has my nickname become God now?"

As I was tilting my head and biting my pinky nail,

A call came in on my phone.

It was my agent, Jang Bonggyu.

"Noona, noona, noona, noona!"

"Who is it?"

"Don't you know Han Yujin noona?"

"Ah, I think I've seen her on YouTube."

"You're Han Yujin-ssi, right?"

"Yes! I've met HaYoo unnie in person!"

"Is that person Han Yujin?"

"Han Yujin, you say. How dare you call her name so rudely? Call her God."

"Yujinaaaa!"

"HaYoo-nim, please give me an autograph!"

The gazes are piercing. I feel like I've become the Beatles. Everyone I lay eyes on recognizes me.

The stopped taxi driver. The self-driving car owner. The bus passengers. The auntie coming out of the store. The passing elementary school student.

Strangers greeted me kindly.

Is this what they call the countless handshake requests I've only heard about?

Thanks to that, my palm lines are wearing out, and I'm about to get a neck disc from bowing my head so much.

I managed to avoid getting swallowed by the crowd and got into Jang Bonggyu's car.

"Han Yujin-ssi! Good work!"

As soon as I got in, Jang Bonggyu grinned.

"As expected, my eyes weren't wrong. No, maybe they were wrong. I didn't expect it to be such a huge hit."

His voice, still not calmed from excitement, continued.

"Work is pouring in endlessly. I'm really worried about what to eat first. They're all sweet things, I might get diabetes, haha."

"......"

"Oh my, what should we do? Give me your opinion too, Han Yujin-ssi. No matter how much I work selling my soul for money, I respect the client's opinion as the top priority."

"...Hungry."

"But why do you look like that? Did something happen? You can't catch a cold."

"I'm hungry."

"Oh my, look at me. You couldn't eat anything because I grabbed you as soon as you woke up, right?"

We were hurriedly on our way to the shop because round interviews with various media were scheduled.

Thanks to that, I couldn't eat anything, and rumbling sounds were vibrating from my belly button.

"For now, eat this and bear with it. I'll buy you something delicious later."

I heard rustling sounds from beside me. When I turned my head, Jang Bonggyu was holding out kimbap from a bag.

"Aaaah, kimbap!"

"I still took care to choose an expensive one."

I picked up one premium kimbap neatly wrapped in foil and swallowed it. A deep charcoal flavor seeps into my tongue.

...It's so delicious.

While chewing the kimbap, I checked the internet.

My name is prominently placed in the main articles on portal sites.

['Yeon Sangho Gate' in the spotlight, "Han Yujin assisted in the investigation"]

[Gukson Ilbo "Han Yujin, the hidden contributor who found the clue to the case"]

[Han Yujin sweeps individual reputation by generation in December too, proving her status as a trend-setter]

[Who is Han Yujin, who took 1st place in brand reputation for 2 consecutive months, beating 'Choi Haru and Cha Jaehee'?]

When I looked at my phone, there was a record number of missed calls, so I had a feeling, and sure enough.

It's all about my name.

The reason for this was simple.

Yeon Sangho's misdeeds were exposed to the world and incurred public outrage. And the fact that I greatly contributed to uncovering those misdeeds was revealed through Reporter Nam Euibeom's interview.

Still, I never imagined it would have this much impact. Thanks to that, I've been promoted from HaYoo-nim to God.

Anyway, it's a positive signal for me.

Although his head isn't hanging in the public square, Yeon Sangho's gang has fallen to the level of waste that wouldn't be enough even if beaten to death with clubs.

It feels like a decade-old indigestion has flown away.

This should be the end of those bastards' entertainment industry life. With this scale of crime, it'll be hard for them to avoid going to prison.

"Do you know?"

Jang Bonggyu said, stealing one of my precious kimbap.

"Han Yujin-ssi even moved the political circles."

...Huh?

"Right now, the national petition demanding severe punishment for Yeon Sangho is boiling over. The government, conscious of that, has demanded swift administrative action from the prosecution and police. Thanks to that, a travel ban was quickly issued for those bastards. They'll probably appear before the prosecution within this week too."

This is welcome news among what I've been hearing. The sooner those bastards eat prison rice, the better for me.

The aftermath of the incident didn't stop there.

Evidence of collusion with the police was also found in Yeon Sangho's chat records, leading to a comprehensive audit of the police department.

On the National Assembly side, there's even talk of summoning me to the parliamentary audit as a witness.

Ugh, I don't like this.

When a celebrity gets involved with politics, it's no different from scoring an own goal.

"How about entering politics instead of being a pro gamer at this opportunity? This wise Jang will properly play the role of kingmaker for you."

"I don't want to. If I get involved with those stubborn old people, I feel like my lifespan will be shaved off in real-time."

"That's a shame. With Han Yujin-ssi's current status, I think you could easily get a party nomination. By the way, this kimbap is delicious."

Jang Bonggyu, licking his lips, reached his hand as big as a pot lid towards the foil.

"I'll take just one more."

This greedy old man, really...

You might as well try to get blood from a stone!

I clicked my tongue and held out the kimbap.

When Jang Bonggyu was about to take the biggest tail end of the kimbap, I poked the back of his hand with my chopsticks.

"The tail end is crossing the line!"

"...Oh my, you startled me."

Jang Bonggyu, frightened by my glaring eyes, timidly took a small kimbap.

"Oh right, about Sung Dojun-ssi..."

And Sung Dojun's situation had also reversed.

Sung Dojun, who had been criticized by public opinion to the point of being ground to dust, had become a prince on a white horse who beat up the demon king Yeon Sangho.

Riding the momentum, he also signed a contract with CSA, becoming a family member eating from the same pot as me.

I heard he's receiving a lot of love calls for advertising models and variety show appearances from the broadcasting world.

...I'm glad. That things worked out well.

It felt like I should clasp my hands and chant "Medetashi, medetashi" (Japanese for "How wonderful").

Honestly, I was worried because it felt like Sung Dojun had taken the brunt of the filth in my place.

Let's summarize again at this point.

Yeon Sangho's gang has fallen, Nam Euibeom has become a star reporter, and Sung Dojun has become a rising star in the advertising and entertainment industries.

Looking at it like this, my mouth falls open.

Everything has happened exactly as I predicted.

They say good things come after hardship, and indeed, there are no wrong words among our ancestors' sayings.

And as for me...

I, uh...

My popularity has skyrocketed as if to punch a hole in the sky.

Before I knew it, my Instagram followers surpassed 1 million. My YouTube subscribers reached 1.5 million, and my fan cafe membership also increased rapidly.

"Variety shows, advertisements, radio, even dramas. The broadcasting world is lining up to cast Han Yujin-ssi. I'll list them up and send them to you separately later. I'm considering doubling your appearance fees at this opportunity."

Jang Bonggyu, who had brushed off kimbap crumbs, had a faint smile on his lips.

"Also, Han Yujin-ssi's season's greetings merchandise sold out completely, causing a shortage. I heard the 40,000 won item is being sold for 300,000 won on secondhand markets. The fan cafe is really giving CSA a hard time, saying we're not doing our job properly."

"Won't I get cursed at for that?"

"Don't worry. We're quickly coordinating with the production company to ramp up production."

Crazy...

Even I, the person involved, am shocked.

I know about striking while the iron is hot, but at this rate, the ship seems like it will fly past the sky to heaven.

Now even I'm not sure.

When this steep upward curve will stop.

The feeling of climbing the stairs one by one was thrilling and sweet... but now that I've come up so high, I'm also anxious at the same time.

The higher you go, the steeper the acceleration when you fall. Just like Yeon Sangho now.

I slowly crumpled the foil in my hand and pushed away the tangled thoughts.

Don't be anxious, let's just enjoy it for now.

"Ah, right."

Jang Bonggyu, who had parked the car at the shop entrance, looked at me intently.

"About ELF, how is it these days?"

At those words, I waved my hand and clicked my tongue.

"Haven't you seen the rankings? We're in last place, last place."

Right. My only blemish.

I'm really worried about how to make this ragtag team win.

"No, not that."

"Then what?"

"...Well."

Jang Bonggyu let out a long breath and opened his mouth.

"There are rumors about the team disbanding..."