"Noel is a college student?" - TteuTtaTteuTteuTta
It came up when she was talking with an old friend on stream.
But she's dating someone she met in college?
That's something only the really smart kids talk about, seriously.
Even kids who barely make it into Seoul universities don't have that luxury.
The reality is everyone's busy lowering the average age of first experiences in our country...
And yet her father abused her until she became a shut-in?
She was so stressed that her hair turned white?
Even though I enjoy watching the world burn, this is just wrong...
This can't possibly be reality...
- TtiHwakJjit: To be precise, she seems to have taken a leave of absence after enrolling
ㄴ TtiHwakJjit: I'm guessing her short height might be from being beaten while being forced to study...
ㄴ TtiHwakJjit: If I had to speculate, Noel probably got into a decent university, but it wasn't good enough for her father, so she was abused even more
ㄴ QueenLexia: Now I understand why she was only Silver until last month... She must have been getting beaten whenever she played a game in secret...
ㄴ TtiHwakJjit: How would you know that? Speaking from experience?
ㄴ QueenLexia: It's "you" not "thou"
ㄴ TtiHwakJjit: It's "you" you idiot
ㄴ QueenLexia: You fucking racist
"It's heartbreaking when Noel asks her next-door sister..." - sweetpepper
She said she needs to explain her changed appearance to her friend...
Looking at where Noel lives, it seems like a well-off family
Of course her parents would have appeared perfectly normal to others
Not just normal, but probably in the top 10%
You know those kids who flex their wealth at school? That kind of family
To everyone else, they would have seemed like a happy family
And to her friends, she would have seemed like a girl who grew up loved...
But Noel said she lost her eye from being beaten by her father
And when she injured her foot, she couldn't go to the hospital because of the bruises and ended up having it amputated...
How heartbreaking must it be to tell this to a friend?
I'd rather cut ties than try to explain something like that
- DontWatchTournamentsOrStreams: Seriously, whenever these dark stories come up, I don't even want to watch Noel's streams or see posts about her...
ㄴ ChallengerAscentInProgress: For real, enough with the misery porn lol
ㄴ ChallengerAscentInProgress: She has her own place, what's there to pity?
- DontWatchTournamentsOrStreams: I just want her to live happily on her own... I only want to see happy stories... like Joker Hall of Fame...
ㄴ ChallengerAscentInProgress: What the hell am I supposed to be then if you're like that?
ㄴ TteuTtaTteuTteuTta: You won't last long, good luck
ㄴ WillBecomeLeagueChampionPro: Kanchona is already collecting reports and suing people who cross the line, what kind of nerve do you have lol
ㄴ TrollCommentOnly: For real, it's amazing how the League of Champions community has somehow become the most civil community lol
- RainyDayPajeon: But seriously, how do you explain to a friend that you lost your eye and foot? I couldn't even bring it up
ㄴ CoffeeOnFireMochaBun: That's what I'm saying
I checked the League of Champions community to see if I'd said anything strange during my stream.
Thankfully, there was no mention of me saying I was a man.
What should I tell Gabi? When I asked the woman next door, I hadn't thought about it carefully.
Everyone sees me as pitiful...
It's not exactly pleasant, but it's also true that people view me favorably because of it.
I know there were many people who used to criticize me harshly.
I also know most people feel guilty toward me now.
But having that image solidified, with everyone only seeing me as pitiful, isn't a positive thing.
I'd prefer if my image changed from "disabled Yoon Noel" to "skilled gamer Noel."
Well, at least the concern I had didn't materialize, so that's good.
Even though viewers tease Celesti about being a man, they're doing it knowing the truth and with consent.
If they found out I was actually a man, people would naturally be disgusted.
While I was checking this, the woman next door gave me advice.
"Noel. Shouldn't you turn off your game and stream when your friend arrives?"
"Yes, I will. Um, everyone. My friend is coming over, so I'll be back a little later."
Streaming is something I do when I'm alone.
The woman next door knows I play games and stream, so she's fine being around.
But Gabi, whom I haven't seen in a while, wouldn't appreciate that.
And personal topics will come up too.
As I thought earlier, these aren't things that should be revealed on stream.
So I quietly turned off the game.
Whether it's because streamers can be teased but regular people deserve respect, the viewers readily agreed.
- TtiHwakJjit: Yeah, have fun
- QueenLexia: If it were a man like Celesti, there's no way he'd turn off the stream, but since it's girls, it can't be helped lol
- SoSleepy: Polar bear polar bear
- Starfall: Hey don't say that about a real person lol
[Donation message from KimLeaf]
Eat something delicious with your friend
[Donation message from Erich]
I was going to say eat something delicious with your friend but I'm too late ㅠ
[Donation message from (private) N... ]
lol everyone's thinking the same thing, please enjoy some nice snacks
"Um... I just ate chicken. Thank you. I'll bribe my friend with something. See you later."
It felt wrong to accept donations and then end the stream.
But whatever I did, it would have to wait until after my talk with Gabi.
I calmly turned off the computer and waited for Gabi.
"I should leave too. Have a good talk with your friend. Sometimes it's good to keep things hidden, but it's also good to have at least one person you can tell everything to."
The woman next door got up from the bed.
The viewers don't know my situation, which is why I turned off the stream, but she knows I was originally a man.
So I grabbed her, feeling I needed her there to stay calm.
"...Can't you stay with me?"
"Hmm, I don't know Gabi, and Gabi doesn't know me. You two need to talk, and I'd just be in the way."
"But still..."
But the woman gently avoided my outstretched hand and brought her index finger close to my lips.
Close, but not quite touching.
"Childish behavior is fine, but Noel is going to become a wonderful adult. I believe in you. I'll be cheering for you."
Cruelly, she left my room after saying that.
Right, we became close while respecting each other's boundaries.
Insisting now would just be selfishly dragging her across that line.
This is my problem, so I need to solve it myself.
So I carefully thought about ways to prove myself to Gabi.
First, my ID card.
I have both my old one and my current one.
Only the first digit of the last part of my resident registration number is different, while all other serial numbers are the same.
I don't have a paternity confirmation or genetic test results.
But I could probably get those from the hospital later.
I could ask them to reissue the test results from when I was tested.
But that's not something I can use right now.
It would be difficult to convince Gabi today, so I'll put that aside.
Besides those two options, I couldn't think of any other physical proof.
All that remained was to talk about memories I shared with Gabi.
...That seemed like a method that would only work in novels.
It might appeal to Gabi's sensitivity.
But that could backfire too.
While I was deep in thought with just my ID cards out, someone rang the doorbell.
With determination, I hopped over to the intercom to check who was outside, and of course, Gabi was standing there.
Her long black hair was the same as before.
Unlike before when she was just plain, she was now dressed in fresh, stylish clothes.
Well, after middle school, we only ever saw each other in school uniforms.
It seems she started dressing up after going to college.
[Hello, I'm Gabi, Noel's friend. Is there... another girl in the house besides Noel?]
"Yes. There is. I'll be right out."
Gabi seemed to think my father or mother was home.
Right, since we lost contact after I became a woman.
Of course she wouldn't know what happened in our house.
I'll have to explain that too.
Well, that won't be difficult at all if I can convince her that I'm Noel.
It might be hard to believe that a man became a girl overnight.
But a wife stabbing her husband to death and going to prison, while uncommon, is something that could certainly happen.
So I hopped to the front door and opened it.
When our eyes met, Gabi's expression changed twice in an instant.
First she seemed startled.
Then her mouth tightened as if angry, probably thinking I was impersonating her childhood friend Noel.
But that quickly faded and her lips trembled.
"...Your leg."
"Ah, I'll explain that later. First, look. As you can see, all the numbers in the resident registration number are the same. This is how they processed it in the system after I got sick. I also have a paternity confirmation with my parents, but I can show you that later at the hospital..."
I didn't want to receive sympathy before proving I was myself.
So I first showed her the two ID cards I had brought.
Gabi looked at them and then handed them back with a sigh.
"Okay, let's say that's true. Since your leg is like that, let's sit down and talk."
"Ah, yes. Sit wherever you're comfortable."
Gabi walked straight to the living room sofa and plopped down as if it were her own home.
Her hair briefly hung in the air before flowing down smoothly.
I hopped after her.
I could smell a familiar scent lingering behind Gabi.
...Maybe it's unfamiliar because it's been too long.
The woman next door doesn't leave a scent like this.
Sitting on the sofa, Gabi covered her face, sighed deeply, and then hesitantly asked me.
"Do you know my father's name?"
"Was it Ju Ji-seong? I remember you said it was the same as the abbreviation of some classic novel."
"We buried a time capsule in elementary school. What did we put in it?"
"...Did we bury something like that? I don't remember."
"That's right, we never did that. ...Do you remember the last time we went to the swimming pool, when you were floating on a tube and waving your arms going 'help, help'?"
"No, that was...! Your father called me over to take a picture! And I've gotten good at swimming now!"
"What are you talking about? You never showed me."
"That's because you stopped going to the pool saying you were embarrassed to wear a swimsuit..."
At first I thought it was just an interrogation.
But as we continued this back-and-forth, it felt like we were back in middle school.
Back when we would bicker over trivial things, then make up over a plate of tteokbokki.
Or when we would study at each other's homes, eating fruit cut by Gabi or my mother.
That's probably why I got unusually defensive.
Something I shouldn't have done when I was trying to explain myself.
But Gabi, who had been watching me closely, lowered her head and asked.
"Okay, I can tell you talk exactly like Noel. But why can't you look me in the eye?"
She seemed to be trying to make eye contact with me.
To explain that, I'd have to bring up something I was hesitant to talk about.
As Gabi kept trying to push into my field of vision, I reluctantly opened my mouth.
"Well, after my body became like this and I was beaten by my father... I was told so many times that looking at eyes makes me feel bad."
"Your father...? Your father hit you? What about your mother?"
"She killed my father and went to prison."
Only then did Gabi back away.
That gave me a little breathing room.
But Gabi reached out toward my slightly fallen bangs and brushed my hair back.
I flinched at that, and Gabi's arm froze.
I'm not sure what she was trying to confirm.
But with a trembling voice, Gabi said the words I had so longed to hear.
"You... you really are Noel?"
"Yes. I'm Yoon Noel."
Perhaps cross-checking our memories was much more convincing than ID cards or paternity confirmations.
Well, regardless of the method, I'm glad things worked out.
Sister, I did it on my own, just like you said.
As I took a light breath and silently thanked the woman next door, Gabi suddenly hugged me tightly.
"If you were having such a hard time, you should have contacted me at least. Why have you been living so bleakly all by yourself!"
For some reason, her voice was full of tears.