Si-Yoon, now fully immersed in the persona of MomoBin, focused intently on the game. Remembering the strategies Si-Hyun had taught him earlier, he gave his all to take on the in-game monsters.
Suddenly, the smartphone sitting on the edge of his desk began to vibrate.
Bzzz— Bzzz—
Si-Yoon, eyes locked on the monitor, glanced at his phone out of the corner of his eye.
In that instant, his heart dropped.
What—what—why?! Why is she calling me now?!
A sudden call from his sister! The timing was impeccable—too impeccable. Si-Yoon’s gaze returned to the monitor, but his thoughts were in complete disarray.
I thought it was fine! I was sure I hadn’t been caught!
He had deliberately left plenty of time between his call with Ji-Ah and the broadcast. Why was she calling now?
Isn’t my sister supposed to be watching the stream in the living room?
This felt like the most devious sniper move ever—if, of course, he weren’t MomoBin himself.
Si-Yoon’s thoughts spiraled, one chaotic thread leading into another, tangling into an intricate mess.
Bzzz— Bzzz—
The phone continued to vibrate. On the monitor, his in-game character was taking hits, the health bar steadily depleting.
But Si-Yoon couldn’t pay attention to the game anymore.
W-what do I do? What should I do?!
His frazzled mind couldn’t come up with a solution. Only seconds had passed, but the viewers were already noticing something was off.
Unaware of what was happening, the viewers flooded the chat with question marks. Si-Yoon stared at the vibrating phone, his eyes trembling.
Bzzz— Bzzz—
Oh no... What do I do?!
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The phone’s vibration was constant, but to Si-Yoon, it felt like the desk itself was shaking as if struck by an earthquake.
Should he answer it? No, should he ignore it?
...It was too late to act like nothing was happening. The broadcast had already been disrupted.
What if, by some slim chance, his sister wasn’t at home and was calling him from outside?
...Is this just wishful thinking?
Si-Yoon stared at the phone with a stiff expression.
He needed to make a decision. The phone continued to vibrate, and the viewers were getting increasingly anxious about MomoBin’s absence.
Finally, in a shaky voice, Si-Yoon spoke.
“E-everyone... I-I’m getting a call, so, um, hold on a second...”
He turned off his microphone.
Gulp.
He swallowed hard and picked up his phone.
His hand trembled so much he could barely distinguish between the phone’s vibration and his shaking arm.
Stay calm. Stay calm.
Maybe he could bluff his way through this. Maybe he was just overthinking and letting fear get the better of him.
Si-Yoon took a deep breath to steady himself.
Whooo—
His heart was still pounding. Sweat dripped down his back, soaking his shirt.
Cursing his overactive nerves, he lifted the phone with his free hand, touched the screen, and brought it to his ear.
“Hello...?”
He forced his voice to sound as natural as possible.
“...Sister?”
Instead—
Knock, knock.
Someone tapped on his door.
“Hik?!”
Si-Yoon flinched, turning toward the door.
The only other person at home right now was his sister. She was also the one who had called him.
This was it—the moment of truth.
Panicked, Si-Yoon blurted out:
“Uh, sis? You’re in the living room, right? Why would you call—”
[User ㅇㅇ has donated 100,000 KRW!]
Si-Yoon’s gaze snapped to the monitor. For a moment, he almost turned the mic back on to thank the donor.
But then, he remembered: he was still on the phone with his sister.
Checkmate.
“I-I’ll come out to the living room. Just wait a bit, okay...?”
Blink, blink.
He blinked several times, but the name didn’t change. Resigned, Si-Yoon turned his microphone back on.
“Everyone, um... So, I think my family just found out.”
He was immediately met with Si-Hyun’s gaze as she sat upright on the sofa.
“... ...”
Without a word, Si-Yoon shuffled over and sat beside her, fidgeting awkwardly.
Si-Hyun stared at him intently, her gaze boring into him. Eventually, she broke the silence.
“Si-Yoon... you’re MomoBin, aren’t you?”
He nodded.
“You’re really MomoBin?”
“...Yeah.”
Si-Yoon glanced sideways at his sister, whose wide eyes glimmered with subtle tremors of shock.
He had never seen her make this kind of face before—not even when she had caught him wearing a skirt for a practice class years ago.
Si-Yoon suddenly felt indignant.
Why am I the one who got caught, but she’s the one looking like that?!
Annoyance flared up in him. Pouting, he finally spoke up.
“When... When did you figure it out?”
“Just now...”
“Was it when Ji-Ah called me?”
“Yeah, that’s right. ...I can’t believe my favorite VTuber is my younger brother.”
“Why?!”
As Si-Hyun muttered to herself, Si-Yoon puffed his cheeks out indignantly.
Ignoring him, Si-Hyun continued talking to herself.
“I thought the voice sounded similar when you were a kid... but no way, I thought. No way...”
“Uh, yeah.”
“...Agh! It’s all because of your cutesy voice!”
“What about it?!”
“You don’t normally talk like that!”
“It’s for the stream!”
The two women glared at each other, their shouting filling the room.
One was flustered from her “streaming closet” being exposed.
The other was embarrassed to discover her favorite streamer was her brother.
Both were equally red-faced, their cheeks burning from secondhand embarrassment. Eventually, they both buried their faces in their hands, groaning softly.
“Why... Why, why...?”
“Sis? Do you really hate it that much?”
“No... The problem is I still love MomoBin!”
“...What?”
Si-Hyun groaned, curling up and hugging her knees. Her white hair fell over her flushed face, but her glowing red ears betrayed her embarrassment.
Si-Yoon stared at her in a daze.
I imagined a hundred scenarios where I might get caught, but I never thought it’d happen like this...
He had spent countless hours wondering what would happen if his sister found out. Should he tell her before moving out? Should he just live independently instead?
None of his imaginings had prepared him for this.
“The problem is I still love MomoBin”...?
He felt conflicted. It was unbearably embarrassing, but in a way, it felt like a relief.
Looking at Si-Hyun with a complicated smile, Si-Yoon waited.
Finally, Si-Hyun straightened her posture, sitting up with a resolute expression. She seemed to have made up her mind.
After hesitating briefly, she reached out her hands, her flushed cheeks making her look shy.
“Give me the merch.”
“...What?”
“All the merch I don’t have. I want it.”
“Haha!”
Si-Hyun’s cute request made Si-Yoon burst out laughing. Her expression was adorably awkward, and her tone had a hint of childishness.
Grinning, Si-Yoon nodded.
“I’ll give it to you after the stream!”
“...Okay.”
After a brief conversation, Si-Yoon returned to his broadcast.
He paused the game and casually explained the situation to his viewers.
[User ㅇㅇ has donated 1,000 KRW!]
The family dynamic was far more entertaining than the game itself.
Many viewers clamored for Si-Hyun to join the stream and chat, but—
***
Meanwhile, the news of Ji-Ah’s promotion to S-Rank wasn’t just causing an uproar for Si-Hyun and Si-Yoon.
“Hunter Kim Ji-Ah has achieved S-Rank!”
“Wow, already? She’s climbing the ranks so fast!”
“I knew it back when people were calling her a rising star!”
It hadn’t been long since Korea’s only S-Rank spear user had passed away. Many had mourned the loss, feeling the void left behind.
Now, that gap had been filled seamlessly.
Although Ji-Ah’s promotion to S-Rank wasn’t yet officially recognized, that detail didn’t seem to matter much.
As news outlets and articles began covering Ji-Ah’s story, the atmosphere in Korea grew jubilant, almost like a nationwide celebration.
Such was the overwhelming significance of the title S-Rank.