After the not-so-smooth examination concluded—
On my way home, I sought out a gym I had previously noticed and registered for a membership.
It was a smaller establishment, offering more affordable rates, and the manager herself was seated directly at the counter.
“You’re registering alone, a man? Ah, but what shall we do? We’re not male-exclusive, but we don’t have a men’s shower room at all.”
“My home is nearby. I can just go home to shower. I came fully aware of that.”
“……Indeed, there aren’t any male-exclusive gyms around here.”
Seemingly delighted in a peculiar way, as if receiving a male client was a novel experience for her gym, she proceeded to inform me of various rules and guidelines before readily registering my membership.
I had been apprehensive, having heard that some non-male-exclusive establishments outright refused male members, but it seemed my worries were unfounded.
“Your physique is quite impressive for a man. Have you ever worked as a trainer before, or perhaps been involved in sports in some other capacity?”
“I just do a little whenever I have the time.”
This was unequivocally true.
Strictly speaking, my fitness level had only just managed to surpass that of a complete beginner.
However, it appeared this misunderstanding stemmed from the general lack of exercise among men in this world.
“That’s remarkable. If you encounter any inconveniences while using the center in the future, please tell me directly. If anyone bothers you or acts inappropriately, I’ll promptly kick them out.”
With a hearty laugh, she burst into a cheerful “Hahaha—!”
I simply returned her smile.
Feeling nothing but genuine goodwill from her, I surmised she was an even better person than I had initially thought.
****
Click-clack—!
With the beeping of the front door’s lock, a wave of exhaustion washed over me.
Somehow, today had once again underscored the feeling that I was an outsider in this world.
While it wasn’t a source of significant dissatisfaction, there was a certain pressure that arose from this disparity.
The lingering, sticky gazes from the doctor at the center, in particular, were still difficult to shake.
Reflecting on it, even the other female staff at the center, though perhaps not to the same extent, seemed to have cast quite a few suggestive glances my way.
I had merely dismissed it as an overactive imagination.
“……Well, it’s not like there’s a problem.”
However, if asked whether I had suffered any harm as a result, the answer would indeed be no.
On the contrary, wouldn’t most people in such a situation be reveling in their good fortune?
For me, it simply felt neither good nor bad.
“No, wait.”
Actually, there was a clear upside.
It was precisely because of this kind of world that my broadcast had exploded from day one, attracting an overflowing audience of eager viewers.
Feeling a slight curiosity about the current situation, I checked the Twiphy (TL Note: A streaming platform similar to Twitch, but for this world’s context) bulletin board via my watch.
[ Is Hyunio not streaming today? ]
I barely caught any of yesterday’s live stream, which was a shame. Are you not streaming today? ㅠㅠ
Comments (6)
–They said they couldn’t stream today because of a check-up at the center.
–Ah… a check-up at the center can’t be helped;;
–Anyway, they said they’d stream on the Spiral 2 (TL Note: The name of a game) release date, so just be ready next Wednesday at 6 PM? I’m waiting too.
–Seriously, I’m so jealous of the center staff. They get to see them in person, right?
–LOL, for real. Everyone knows that no matter how much you customize, it never looks better than the original in Spiral. They must be incredibly handsome, seriously.
–I wish they’d show their face on cam just once… Based on their Spiral character, they’d easily outshine most male celebrities.
“……That’s really not true.”
‘What is this, ‘celebrity’ talk?’
Of course, I wasn’t familiar with male celebrities in this world, but even with a reduced proportion, out of a population of fifty million, at least two million were men.
‘Perhaps I should just show my face now.’
The problem was that these kinds of posts weren’t just one or two.
If this misconception continued to spread, it felt as though rumors of me being the most handsome man on Earth would soon emerge, making it truly impossible to ever start a cam stream.
“I do have equipment, though.”
While it didn’t seem particularly impressive compared to other equipment, I did have a face cam at home that had cost around 100,000 won (TL Note: Approximately 80-90 USD, depending on the exchange rate, for a low-mid range webcam).
I wasn’t sure why I had bought it, but since I had it, I might as well use it.
It wasn’t as if I’d frequently need to turn on the cam for anything other than game streams anyway.
“……Should I turn it on today?”
Since I had planned to stream on the release date of Spiral 2, I figured that if I started broadcasting now, not many people would tune in.
Of course, even so, I wouldn’t be able to prevent the news from spreading across the community, but more than that, the sheer burden of facing so many people ‘face-to-face’ was daunting.
This sudden thought immediately propelled me into action.
I quickly finished setting up the broadcast and then pressed the ‘Start Broadcast’ button.
–? Why is the stream on?
–What? Didn’t you say you weren’t streaming today?
–LOL, everyone was waiting.
–Seriously, 80 viewers the moment it went live? Is this for real?
The chat window instantly surged with messages.
Witnessing this, I felt a peculiar mix of surprise and gratitude.
I didn’t believe I was someone worthy of such anticipation.
“……Ah, ah, can you hear me?”
–We hear you clearly~
–Loud and clear~
–You said you wouldn’t come today, but here you are ㄷㄷ
“Ah, originally I wasn’t going to, but the center check-up finished early. I’m just going to turn it on for a bit and then leave. I won’t be playing any games either.”
–Thank you for turning it on ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
–Good things come to those who wait……
–’Onani’ is a bit suggestive;
–What’s that crazy b*tch even saying? LOL
“Ah, just a moment. Let me adjust some settings…”
Seeing the viewer count already swelling, I completed the cam setup faster than anticipated.
I checked the broadcast software interface to ensure the camera was working properly.
Without any lighting or special equipment, it felt a little different from the cam streams I had imagined, but then again, I was only planning to turn it on briefly.
“Alright. I’ll turn it on. Can you see me?”
–???????
–No way, what? Is this a cam stream today? ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ
–Whoa, holy shit, what is this? Is this real? Really, really real?
–Some incredibly handsome guy just popped out of nowhere, LOL.
–No, they look even better than in Spiral?
I subtly adjusted the cam angle and scanned the chat window.
While the deluge of effusive compliments felt rather embarrassing, a part of me couldn’t help but feel pleased.
‘I shouldn’t be like this, I need to stay objective,’ I admonished myself, yet my body’s reaction was undeniably honest.
“You all were making such a fuss over my face, so I turned it on to confirm that I’m not that amazing. I don’t really plan on doing cam streams consistently or anything…”
–Wait, you’re doing a cam stream today and then that’s it? You’re killing me, LOL.
–Seriously, they might be the most handsome male streamer on any platform, not just Twiphy;;
–Everyone here today is a winner, LOL. All the normies (TL Note: A slang term referring to ordinary people, often those who are socially active or follow trends) who went out this weekend can just die, LOL.
–LOL, for real. Even if those bitches go out to play, will they even catch a glimpse of a guy’s backside? Nah. Just staying home and looking at this person’s face is winning.
–Wow, I really want to say some incredibly naughty things… but I’m holding back so I don’t get arrested for sexual harassment.
–Please call it ‘sexual praise’ instead of ‘sexual harassment’ lol;;
“……Well, anyway, I’m glad you all like it. The chat is scrolling too fast for me to read. Does one get used to this if they stream a lot?”
Truly, with dozens of chat messages flooding in every second, I found it utterly impossible to keep up.
While it certainly implied their overwhelming approval, I, still unaccustomed to this world, remained quite bewildered.
–No way, this person streams like this and keeps donations closed, it’s hilarious LOL. They’re totally likable.
–They just live life however they damn please, LOL.
–If a guy looks like this and is good at games, they totally can live like that, yeah.
–Still, please open donations ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
“Donations, later. Last time I opened them, you all gave so much that I couldn’t handle it… I’m thinking of using the money I received last time for a viewer event or something, with the permission of those who donated.”
While I acutely understood the profound importance of money, at present, I faced no shortage of it.
Once I started accepting them, my nature would compel me to feel apologetic and grant the requests of those who had given large sums.
Thus, I had closed donations preemptively, as a form of prevention.
“And my subscribers surpassed two thousand… that alone seems sufficient.”
In addition, there were the Twiphy subscriptions, costing 5,000 won (TL Note: Approximately 4-5 USD) per month.
Even after deducting fees, I would still receive around seven million won (TL Note: Approximately 5,500-6,000 USD) monthly, which far exceeded the expected income I had anticipated from streaming.
Therefore, there was no need for me to receive any more money.
“……Well, if you have any questions or anything, I can answer them later. For now, I’ll just talk a bit about what happened today.”
Since the atmosphere suggested that trying to communicate directly at this moment wouldn’t lead anywhere productive, I asserted my intention and began to briefly recount the events that had transpired at the center.
When I first recounted the story of the troublemaker I had encountered outside the center, the viewers collectively expressed their indignation.
Then, as I described the examination process, everyone reacted with curiosity.
Several comments likening it to a military physical examination were quite amusing.
I had thought the same thing myself.
However, knowing that Kim Hyunwoo (TL Note: The protagonist’s name in this world) was, like other men here, exempt from military service, I refrained from mentioning it.
“And finally, I underwent *that* examination. You generally know what I mean, right? I don’t particularly have an aversion to the word, but since you’re all women, it feels a bit awkward to say it directly.”
–J.Y.?
–J.Y. exam…
–Damn it, writing it out as initials makes it sound incredibly weird, LOL.
–But no matter what initials you use, it’s correct! You have to *do* it for it to come out, right? LOL.
–The stream’s rating just shot up like crazy, LOL.
“Anyway, I finished that examination, got the results, and came home. They said I was healthy… Oh, come to think of it, there was some red button there. Do you guys know about it?”
–??? What red button?
–Wait, there’s a red button in the room?
–H-holy shit, the red button!
–Never, ever talk about the red button!!!!!!
Judging by the reactions, some already knew, while others didn’t.
After all, it was unlikely that such a story wouldn’t spread at all.
“They said if you press it, the center staff come to help you, but no matter how you look at it, that’s a bit—”
It was then, as I continued speaking with a thoughtless laugh—
–*Censored by AI Chat Manager*
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“–Guys?”
What on earth were they talking about?
