LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 39
Chapter 39: Art Stream (2)
“Vlog?”
Originally, I’d planned to wrap up the stream after a few drawings.
But the viewers clearly had other ideas—judging by their donations, they weren’t ready to let me go.
[Ending so soon? That’s absurd…]
[Please stream a bit longerㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[Pls, stay on live.]
[How do foreign viewers even understand what the streamer’s saying?]
[You’re not really going to draw just three more and leave, are you???]
“Alright, fine. I’ll go live again later on my phone.”
I’d never done a lifestyle vlog before. Was it as simple as recording my daily routine?
For now, I need to finish this drawing session. The second most-voted topic was…
‘Pokémon Guardian…? These people never pick normal topics.’
“It seems the character is called Guardian. I’m not too familiar with Pokémon, so I’ll need to look it up.”
I searched for “Guardian” online and was greeted with an array of strange and sometimes disturbing images.
{Enable 19+ content warnings for your stream regulations!}
Even the system flagged it, forcing me to quickly scroll past the risqué Guardian images.
“Well, uh… I’ll just draw it in my own way.”
Now that I had a rough idea of the character, there was no need to look further.
Resuming where I’d left off, I picked up my pen and began sketching on paper.
“As I mentioned earlier, using shapes for the human body makes things easier.”
The head as a circle, the torso as a rectangle, the waist and pelvis as a triangle, and the limbs as elongated rectangles.
“Typically, you’d draw crosslines on the face to guide proportions, but that also depends on factors like the angle of the face.”
Things like light sources and shading can heavily influence the final look.
“As for ears, they’re usually drawn between the eyes and the mouth. Although, of course, Guardian doesn’t have ears.”
The placement of the neck follows a similar logic. You can use three vertical lines centered on the face to determine its position.
“Honestly, anatomy studies aren’t really necessary for most hobbyists. Those are more for professionals.”
It’s not something I’d recommend for beginners, but if you plan to pursue art seriously, it can be helpful.
“Learning about bones, muscles, and such can be a headache, though.”
Artists are meant to enjoy their craft. If you start treating it as a job, you risk losing interest and burning out.
Guardian’s dress, for instance, wasn’t a typical skirt but rather something… airy and flowy, splitting into several long, fluttering sections.
Not knowing the exact design was making this difficult.
‘Well, I didn’t study fashion design.’
Maybe I’d ask someone from a fashion department for advice later.
“Guardian’s eyes are quite unique—almost as if they’re fused with its hair.”
The boundary between the two was fascinating to observe.
“Alright, let’s finish up the Guardian here. Hopefully, the next topic will be more normal.”
The votes had already decided, though, so there wasn’t much choice.
The third most-voted topic was Peach Blossom Spring.
Not the full setting, but just a depiction of the maiden from that concept.
“There was quite a stir about Peach Blossom Spring, wasn’t there? People claimed it wasn’t something a minor should’ve drawn, or whatever.”
[Man, I wanted to punch all the haters back then.]
[Right? It even had your initials engraved in the frame, and they still denied it.]
[And then even the media hesitated before acknowledging it. Idiots.]
[In the end, you had to clarify everything in Discord.]
[Yet some people are still hung up on it. Annoying as hell.]
The viewers clearly remembered the incident. I, on the other hand, had completely forgotten about it.
It had been over six months already, nearing a year.
If anyone still remembered every detail, they weren’t human.
“There were actually a few pieces of trivia about the Peach Blossom Spring painting that I never shared.”
The chat immediately filled with question marks.
“Well, you all already know about the half-eaten apple, for instance.”
That wasn’t the only Easter egg in the painting.
“For example, the maiden was actually modeled after my sister. And the school in the background? That was my middle school.”
[??? Wait, you have a sister?]
[How do you not know? It was mentioned in the critique recording for Peach Blossom Spring.]
[Whaaat???]
[Whoever missed that, go die.]
[Are you two close?!!!]
“Did I mention it before? Can’t remember. Anyway, here’s another piece of trivia…”
As I worked on the Peach Blossom Spring maiden, I shared more Easter eggs about the painting.
– Anonymous Donor sent 10,000 Milk.
[Is your sister pretty?]
“My sister? Of course, she’s pretty. Probably the most beautiful girl in the entire province.”
[What the hell!!!]
[Please stop breathing for 10 minutes.]
[How many years apart are you?]
[Why did it never occur to me that you had a sister?]
[We’ve never seen anyone in your streams except you—and your mom, occasionally.]
“My sister and I are four years apart. Technically, she’s an early-year baby, so she just entered middle school this year.”
The criteria for early-year admission in this world were odd, so I just accepted it and moved on.
“Hm. I’m not happy with the lines here. Let’s call it done, though—I still have another drawing to get to.”
I haven’t added any coloring to the drawings so far. Doing so would take too much time.
– Anonymous Donor sent 10,000 Milk.
[Do you have any other siblings besides your sister?]
“…No. My sister’s the only one. Thank you for the donation.”
Well, there was someone else. But now…
‘No, they’re still with us. Just unseen.’
Our older sister is always with our family. Now that I think about it, her memorial day is coming up soon.
What kind of gift should I bring this year? I hope she’ll like it.
“Can I draw the next piece however I like?”
[Yes, yes!]
[Of course! That’s fine!]
[If it’s something original from the streamer, we’re all in for it.]
[Pls… cat girl.]
[That foreigner’s still begging for a cat girl, lol.]
“Hmm.”
What should I draw? What would make the viewers happy?
A flashy and impactful drawing would be better than something dull, right?
“How about I try something inspired by a recent cyberpunk game?”
I decided to go with a cyberpunk-inspired illustration, complete with coloring.
For the finale, you’ve got to go big and leave an impression.
“Do you think in the future, people will really modify their bodies like in cyberpunk worlds? I’m not so sure.”
[I think they will. People already implant chips in their heads.]
[Maybe, but it probably won’t happen in the near future.]
[It might happen under the excuse of ‘preserving humanity.’]
[Living in a cyberpunk world would be ridiculously hard, though.]
[Basically, it’d be like living in a live-action crime city, lol.]
“Haha, well, that’s a problem for future generations, not us.”
A statement that reeked of irresponsibility—but hey, it was true.
We’re not about to start intergalactic wars anytime soon.
By the time I’m old, we might have flying cars. That alone would be amazing progress.
“Alright, the final drawing is done. I’ll take a short break and then go live again.”
The next stream would likely be on my phone.
[Okay, Ha-eun, bye!]
[See you later.]
[Bye-bye!]
[Vlog time!]
After wrapping up the stream with a farewell, I stretched my stiff body and stepped out of my room.
—
“Ha-eun! Are you really going to do a vlog?”
Choi Yeseo suddenly approached me with sparkling eyes.
Ugh, she was being too enthusiastic. Just don’t shove your face into the camera, please.
“I guess so. I promised, didn’t I?”
A man’s word is his bond. If I said I’d do it, I have to follow through.
“Can I be in your stream too?”
Ha Soyeol, sitting nearby and swinging her head side to side, asked hesitantly.
I tilted my head to the side, mirroring her gesture.
“Sure, you can. But are you okay with being on the stream?”
“Yeah, no problem.”
Her eyes lit up as if she was actually excited. Meanwhile, Choi Yeseo also declared she’d appear in the vlog.
“And you? Aren’t you worried about rumors spreading?”
“What, are you worried about me?”
She grinned mischievously, her expression making me want to punch her.
“Yeah, I am.”
My honest reply froze her in place.
A moment later, her face flushed bright red as she started fanning herself with her hand.
“…It’s fine. The company already made an official statement about me.”
“Official statement?”
“Yeah, you can check the official site.”
Suddenly calm, she seemed like a completely different person. Strange.
While Choi Yeseo went on babbling, I searched SN Entertainment on my phone.
Sure enough, there was a public announcement.
She’s an idol, though. Is this really okay?
“Eh? What’s wrong?”
Apparently, in this world, celebrity dating isn’t a big deal. Otherwise, the reactions wouldn’t be so casual.
‘Now that I think about it, didn’t Lee Doyoon end up dating just fine in the original story?’
Is this a world without unicorns? I couldn’t tell.
“Well, if you’re okay with it, then it doesn’t matter. Your face is already out there anyway.”
“Exactly! Oh, and Yehwa wants to join the stream too.”
Why?
I turned to Hong Yehwa, who scratched her slightly reddened cheek and muttered, “I was curious, that’s all.”
Like Choi Yeseo, she was already a public figure.
Honestly, I didn’t mind either of them appearing on the stream. The real concern was Ha Soyeol.
“Are you sure you’re okay with it? People might start talking.”
“I don’t mind. Actually, I prefer it.”
…? Well, if she’s fine with it, then it’s none of my business.
“Fine, do whatever you want.”
If they’re okay with it, who am I to stop them? Besides, for everyone except Ha Soyeol, it might actually be beneficial.
More exposure meant more popularity.
Though my viewers… they weren’t exactly your average bunch.
[Fox! Fox! Fox! Fox! It’s urgent!]
…Or maybe they weren’t average at all.
Perhaps I needed some introspection later.
As I was lost in thought, a familiar voice snapped me back to reality.
“Oppa, can I join too?”
No. Also, when did you wake up?
My younger sister Yoon had somehow snuck into the living room and was now hanging off my shoulders.
“I’m curious toooo.”
Her sleepy voice tickled my ears.
I sighed and waved her off.
“No—”
“Why not? Everyone who knows Yoon probably already knows about the stream,” my mom suddenly interjected, dashing my hopes of refusal.
“My viewers mostly don’t know her, though.”
“Oh, really? But Yoon has her own channel.”
“…? What?”
“Here, take a look.”
Mom handed me her phone, which was displaying a channel that wasn’t mine.
It was my younger sister, Lee Ha-yoon’s channel.
“??? Since when?”
“It’s been a while, I think?”
Most of the videos were gameplay or cover songs.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I thought it’d be funnier this way.”
…I felt dizzy.
“I started because watching you stream looked fun. Turns out, I’m pretty good at it too.”
Yoon hopped down from my back and flashed a wide grin.
“And guess what? It’s going really well!”
Mom smirked mischievously and waved her phone at me.
“She has 230,000 subscribers now. She even hired an editor and a thumbnail artist three months ago.”
“She streams with a webcam too…?”
“Of course.”
“Why didn’t you stop her…?”
“Why would I stop her? She wanted to do it.”
I didn’t voice the concern bubbling in my chest: What if something goes wrong?
My mom’s parenting style was all about trusting her kids. It was clear she hadn’t thought much about the consequences.
Then again, hadn’t I benefited the most from that approach?
When I’d insisted on pursuing art, which wasn’t exactly a lucrative path, she’d supported me without a word of complaint.
“…Fine. If Yoon wants to do it, then it’s okay.”
Maybe I needed to adopt a bit of that mindset myself.
If Yoon ever ran into problems with her streaming…
I’d cross that bridge when it came. For now, she should just enjoy herself.
‘Go ahead, little sis. Do whatever you want!’
If I could, why shouldn’t she? As long as she’s happy, that’s enough.
After chatting for a while, we finished preparing for the vlog.
“But, uh, I didn’t mean for this to be an outdoor vlog…”
Why are we heading out? Can’t we just film at home?
I shot Yoon a pleading look, but her determined gaze left no room for negotiation.
“…The weather’s nice. Yeah.”
Even if I let her do what she wanted, that doesn’t mean she can kill her brother, right?