Chapter 8 Part 1

“…Ju. Hey, Ju, are you listening?”

“Oh? Hmm? What? Did you say something?”

“I asked, what do you think would be better to wear for the art vs. artist, geez!”

“Oh, sorry,” I say, swerving my desk around.

Mana was standing there in her usual casual tank top outfit, holding some of the clothes we bought for her the other day

“So, what do you want to draw me wearing? This dress or the shorts and T-shirt?” She said, holding both outfits in her hands.

“Hmm, whatever you want. It’s fine,” I said, dismissively.

“No, I want you to choose! You’re the artist, and I’m the model, right? Just pick something you like!”

She’s being particularly insistent on this…

Honestly, it didn’t really matter what she wore. Just the mere fact she showed any skin at all was enough to pull numbers on Fwitter.

And what numbers they were! In just a week, my account had quadrupled in size, and even my art posts got way bigger numbers than all my previous “viral” hits. Using Mana as an account showpiece was working wonders.

Humans really are simple creatures…

So, to be honest, it didn’t really matter what Mana wore. Just posting a picture and doing a quick sketch of her would probably be enough to keep the gravy train going.

“I guess the dress, then,” I said. “We’ve been posting a lot of shorts and hoodies lately.”

“Nice! It was my favorite, too.” If it was your favorite, why didn’t you pick it yourself…? “I’ll go get changed, so get your camera ready!”

She trotted over to the bathroom while I reflected on all this.

Frankly, it felt a bit disingenuous to pretend Mana was Nitrochilla. But the numbers didn’t lie. It wasn’t just the account monetization—I had so many commission requests now I could barely keep up with all of them. At least Mana was a bit more considerate of me now and got changed in the bathroom instead of right here in the living room. And she didn’t stumble on every single stray object anymore, either.

At least she forgot about the whole Lara debacle—

Ding-dong.

Huh? The doorbell?

The sound made me stand at attention. I wasn’t expecting any deliveries, and it’s not like I knew my neighbors very well.

Don’t tell me the immigration police finally caught up to me!

Maybe Mana wasn’t a freak isolated case, and other people had pulled the SSR ramen as well, and now they were rounding all the characters up. I kept up with rumors online all this time, but there wasn’t even a hint of anything remotely like this happening to anyone.

“Mana, stay in the bathroom,” I said as I got up.

“Hmm? Something wrong?”

“I don’t know. But if they find you, you might be taken away.”

“So it’s finally come to this, huh? My fans really are ravenous…”

What the hell is she talking about?

I ignored her and peeked through the peephole—and saw nothing, not even the empty hallway, just pure black.

Great, they covered the peephole. I guess they want to keep themselves hidden.

Without any other recourse, I braced myself and opened the door. The moment I stepped foot outside, I felt something metallic pressed against my side.

“Hello, Juwon.”

I immediately recognized the voice. After all, we had lived together for twenty-five years.

“Sunhi?!”

I looked at the woman next to me, a scowl on her face, pressing a taser right onto my side.

Yup, that’s right—my crazy older sister had paid me a visit.

⬡⬢⬡⬢⬡

“L-Look, let’s talk through this, okay, dear sister of mine? There’s no need for violence.”

I didn’t know what I had done to provoke my sister into literally bringing a very much lethal non-lethal weapon to our first meeting in, like, a year, but I surely didn’t feel like getting electrocuted by saying the wrong thing.

“You’ll do as I say and answer my questions with only the truth and tell nothing but the truth.” What’s this, an American cop show?! “One wrong move, and I’ll zap you with 10,000 volts. Don’t forget that I’m in control here.”

“I’ll do what you want. Just don’t press that b-button, okay?”

“Very well. First of all, let’s go inside. I don’t want to make a scene out here.”

You’re already making a scene!

If anyone saw us, they’d think I was getting attacked by some crazy lady—which, in fact, I was, but since she was my sister, I couldn’t just report her to the police, no matter what crazy stunt she pulled. So I relented, and we both entered my humble abode, Sunhi never letting me forget about those two metal prongs pressed against my flesh.

“Ugh. What a pigsty,” she said immediately upon entering, pinching her nose with her free hand.

“Look, if you came here to question my living stan—”

She pressed the taser in further.

“Did I say you could talk back to me?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Great. But no, I didn’t come here to check if my little brother lives like a pauper. I honestly couldn’t care less about that.” Great, there’s that sisterly love I so much missed! “Just tell me where the girl is.”

“Girl? What girl?” I asked innocently.

“Don’t play dumb, Juwon. I know you’re coercing some poor girl into taking saucy photos for you. Now where is she?”

…Ah, shit.

Well, there it is. My biggest fear. With Mana’s existence no longer restricted to these twenty square meters, sooner or later people would start asking questions about her.

I just didn’t expect my sister of all people to be the first one…

“Woah, hold on. I’m not coercing anyone. And how the hell do you even know about her?”

“So you don’t deny she exists, do you?”

“Well, I mean…”

And just as things were getting heated—

“Hold it!”

Both Sunhi and I turned around. There, emerging from the bathroom like a butterfly from a cocoon, was Mana with that summery dress I had picked for her not so long ago.

“Ju is not coercing anyone, so let him go!” Mana affirmed with all her strength.

I truly had never seen her that angry before.

“Ah—” My sister was speechless for a few moments. “There you are. So tell me, toilet-bound girl.” She isn’t Hanako, you know! “Are you living here with my loser brother?”

“Yes, I am,” Mana said resolutely. “And also, he’s not a loser! He’s a great—”

“And what are you to him? His life depends on the answer.”

“M-my life?!” Surely this taser isn’t that strong… right?

For the first time, Mana stammered. “I’m… huh…”

“See? No response. Definitely not suspicious at all. Just admit that you’re being—”

“Stop it, Sunhi. I’ll tell you,” I said.

Her antics were getting out of hand and fast. It was one thing to threaten me, but Mana had nothing to do with her utter dislike for my existence.

So what possible explanation could I give her that doesn’t make me sound absolutely insane and/or a criminal?

Like, I couldn’t tell her that Mana was my OC literally born out of my gacha addiction and lack of money.

“So? What is it?” Sunhi insisted.

“Argh. Fine!” I took a deep breath in and answered.

“Her name’s Mana. She’s m-my… girlfriend.”

That single word sealed my fate.

I felt 10,000 volts of electricity coursing through my body, and I collapsed onto the floor like a broken puppet.