The Big Stream

We were in my apartment. The setup didn’t look like it usually did, with the ring light dragged infront of the couch.

Yuna sat at the edge of the couch, centered in the camera’s view. Alone.

But I sat beside her…positioned just far enough to be out of view.

Sakura sat behind the camera. In case Yuna says something she shouldn't, Sakura would signal her immediately.

The stream wasn’t even live yet, but my heart was already pounding like crazy.

“You ready?” I asked quietly.

She let out a breath that sounded like she’d been holding it for hours.

“No.” she whispered back. “But I want to do this anyway.”

I nodded. “Okay. You got this. I’m right here.”

She glanced at me for a brief moment… and in that look was everything. Fear and resolve intertwined.

Then she reached forward and clicked “Start stream.”

The stream went live immediately. No intro animation, no music… nothing.

Just Yuna… sitting way too still, hands folded in her lap, eyes fixed on the camera.

She didn't hide behind a mask... Not anymore. She was facing thousands of people, head on.

Her voice followed moments later, softer and more natural than the familiar tone she used on stream.

“Good evening everyone… I am LunaZero.”

The viewer count jumped so fast it made my stomach drop. But she didn’t let it show. Her voice stayed calm and steady… and that alone told me how hard she was holding herself together.

“Thank you for coming.” she continued. “Yes… this is me... In person… Honestly, I never planned to show my face on the internet… But after everything that has happened… not just with the photo leak yesterday… I feel like I have no other choice.”

Her voice wavered for a second.

“I want to talk about that tonight. About all of it. Honestly, without having to lie to you anymore.”

“Also, you might be wondering why I’m streaming on Renno’s channel tonight. There’s a reason for it… and I’ll get to that in a moment.”

Chat went wild, but she didn’t react to it.

“I know some of you like to play detective on the internet. You were very fast, very confident… and yes, you were right.”

“I am the person in those photos.”

“As you can see, I’m pregnant. I had planned to tell you myself… on my terms, when I felt ready… But that choice was taken from me.”

Her fingers curled into the fabric of her shirt.

“...And no, Renno is not the father.”

Wait… She went off-script. She’d said she didn’t want to talk about that. I glanced sideways, heart hammering, and met Sakura’s eyes across the room. For a second, I expected panic, but instead, she just looked back at me, sharp, focused, giving me a thumbs-up. Then, she slowly lifted one hand and made a small, downward motion.

Calm down. Let her speak.

I swallowed.

Alright. It seems to be fine for now.

If this was her truth… then we weren’t stopping it.

“I know some of you believed that.” Yuna said quietly. “And I know… I made you believe it.”

“When rumors started, I didn’t correct them.. I told you we really were together… but that wasn’t true. I lied to you… and I’m deeply sorry for that.”

“The father is someone who should've never had that title… He is someone who held power over me. Someone who used that power to control my career, manipulate me, and eventually to threaten me.”

She… really is telling the whole truth. Just…what motivated her to do so?

“And when I stopped streaming because of medical issues… he showed up at my door. He threatened me… he used my contract. And when that wasn’t enough… he used those photos.”

Her left hand slipped out of frame, searching for mine… and when she found it, I wrapped my fingers around hers.

“That man…” she said, voice firm despite the tremor underneath. “...is the CEO of my agency.”

The chat was moving so fast that messages were barely loading anymore.

I could feel her pulse racing through her fingers.

“I signed a contract when I was 18… one that no normal person would sign. But I didn’t know better. I didn’t have anyone to explain it to me. And… he made sure that without him… I was nothing.”

“For a long time… I believed in that. I believed him. I was even grateful for the chance he gave me.”

“But… I wasn’t allowed to tell any truth he didn’t approve of. He controls everything that has to do with LunaZero. And when rumors started… he told me to lie. He would shut off my stream if I tried to tell the actual truth. That’s why I’m streaming on Renno’s channel today. He also threatened me with my contract, multiple times, which has a lot of weird clauses that probably aren’t even legal.”

She paused.

“He forced me to stream, every single night… even though I’m pregnant. No matter my condition, I had to stream…” Her voice trembled.

“I’m not here to ask for pity. I just… don’t want to live in fear anymore. I want to cut ties with this agency, even though it won’t be easy… And because the truth deserves to exist…”

That was my cue. ‘Cut ties with the agency’. Before we went to sleep yesterday… I’d decided I wanted to say something too.

She turned her head a fraction toward me.

“Ren.” she whispered, barely audible. “You can talk.”

—-------------------

“Hey… Renno here.”

Chat exploded all over again.

“I’m not here as a streamer tonight. I’m just here, as unrealistic as it may sound, as her neighbor. And… someone who saw things that made me furious.”

Yuna sat still beside me.

“Everything she said is true.” I continued. “Her boss came to her door. He threatened her…he tried to intimidate her into silence…And...”

I swallowed.

“...he was the one who leaked the photos. We caught him in the act… hiding behind a pillar in our hallway with his camera. A few days later, he came back with those same photos, using them to instill fear. So the truth wouldn’t get out...”

I kept my voice steady, even though my jaw ached from how hard I was clenching it.

“Despite being pregnant, she was pushed beyond her limits every night. It ended with her in the hospital. And even after that… she was still expected to continue streaming.”

“We already handed everything over to lawyers.” I continued. “The abusive, predatory contract… The messages... Everything that shows what a piece of garbage that man, her boss, really is. So we’re not here to argue this on stream…”

I glanced at her.

“We’re here so it can’t be buried… To make it public.”

She nodded, small and determined.

“I know people are going to speculate…" I continued.  "...About us, the timing, the motives… but no. This isn’t some drama, or romance tease, or publicity stunt. This isn’t content. It’s about someone's life. No one deserves to go through something like that…”

“We won’t answer any more questions today.. so–”

She didn’t finish the sentence.

I felt it before she spoke… The sudden tension in her body… Her sharp intake of breath…

“...Ren.” she whispered, panic flooding her voice. “I– I think…”

She looked down.

A puddle spread across the cushion beneath her.

“No…” I muttered. “No, no–”

“My water broke…” she said, voice shaking. “It’s…too early… way too early.”

“Okay.” I said, already moving. “Okay, we’re going.”

I steadied her, supporting her weight as her fingers dug into my shoulder.

I leaned closer. Her mic was still live.

“I’ve got you.” I whispered. “You’re not alone… I love you.”

Seconds later, Sakura cut the stream, and without saying another word, we shifted into motion.