It goes without saying.
As a streamer, you should know how to turn even the smallest events into content for your broadcast.
Even if you're someone who does the same content every day, occasionally adding different variations keeps viewers from getting bored.
Of course, as a gaming streamer, viewers come to watch me play games.
So it makes sense that I primarily focus on gaming.
But sometimes showing something different—like visiting somewhere new or trying unusual foods—helps refresh the viewers' mood and attracts new audiences.
Ah, of course, these insights aren't just from my own contemplation.
They're wisdom that Jaemin shared from her experiences and things she's picked up from others.
In a world where people pay good money for such trade secrets,
there's no reason not to follow tips freely given simply because we're friends.
So we decided to turn our visit to a shaman into content.
That was the conclusion we reached after returning from Kanchona's vacation spot.
"But if we're trying to find out whether Yeseul is a ghost or not... is it really okay to broadcast that? You might attract unwanted attention, like people saying you're someone who can see ghosts, Noel."
Gabi expressed genuine concern about this.
But Jaemin responded brightly, completely undeterred.
"You're right. That's why we won't mention Yeseul at all. We'll just say we're going to get our fortunes told."
"Hmm... I'm not sure if that'll work. Will a fortune teller even agree to cooperate with a broadcast? Even I wouldn't trust someone who claims to see ghosts. Many people will think it's a scam."
"Of course they will. That's why we need to find someone who doesn't care about that. Fortune telling and ghost stuff—people who believe will believe, and those who don't absolutely won't. So we're essentially doing a collaboration that will only appeal to believers anyway. I'm not going to force anyone who refuses to be on camera."
Jaemin's explanation sounded reasonable no matter how you looked at it.
It was less about asking for cooperation and more like a mutually beneficial collaboration.
And realistically, how many people actually believe in fortune telling anyway?
"I think consulting a shaman is no different from getting a tarot reading or having your palm read. Of course, many people genuinely believe in these things, so I wouldn't say this during the broadcast. But couldn't it be content that everyone can enjoy casually?"
When I spoke up in support of Jaemin, Gabi, who had been worried the whole time, nodded as if relieved.
"Yes, when you put it that way, I feel better. I was concerned you might start believing in that stuff too much. Though it would be great if we could get answers about Yeseul..."
Right, our main purpose was ultimately about Yeseul.
If Yeseul is a ghost, a skilled shaman would recognize it immediately.
If she's not, the shaman would just say everything's fine and give us a regular fortune telling.
Of course, there's always the possibility the shaman could be a fraud.
In that case, we'd just get enough footage for the broadcast and go home to play games.
Apart from having to go outside in the hot weather, it was a no-lose content idea.
And for Yeseul's sake, I was willing to endure that much.
So both Jaemin and I immediately posted on our fan cafés.
We wrote that after telling scary stories at night, we thought it might be fun to visit a fortune teller.
The reasoning was appropriate.
Sure, summer brings to mind ice cream, swimming pools, beaches, and valleys.
But for people in broadcasting, you can't help but think of special summer horror features, right?
Naturally, viewer reactions were enthusiastic.
- TearingApart: You're not going to bring back a ghost, are you?
- Dedica: Are there still people afraid of ghosts? LOL I'm sleeping with my mom tonight
└ QueenLexia: Oh... someone who sleeps with their mom...
└ Dedica: ? What are you thinking?
- BoomboomBoom: Is it a love fortune? Is it a love fortune? Is it a love fortune?
- SoupWithBread: Are you getting your fortune told about your pro debut? Oh...
- SilverPanthea: Some fortunes do come true, but I hope you don't believe in them too much... there are many scammers out there
Some people found it interesting, others were curious about what kind of fortune we'd get.
And predictably, as we had worried, some viewers were concerned about frauds.
But all of this was within the expected range.
So I didn't hesitate to reply:
└ Noel: It's just for fun, so I hope viewers will take it that way too haha
└ SilverPanthea: That's good to hear!
└ vvVvv: These things are fun as long as you don't take them too seriously lol like blood types, palm reading, MBTI, etc.
└ MagicYesoDong: Even superstitions can be helpful sometimes if you take them lightly haha
Thanks to that, viewers seemed less worried.
Now the only question was which shaman to visit.
Surprisingly, booking them was easier than expected.
I thought shamans would be secluded from the secular world, living in rural areas.
But they actually use online systems quite well, with websites and well-managed reviews.
In simple terms, they were easy to find with a quick internet search.
It makes sense—if you make money from fortune telling,
you naturally want to attract customers, so having a high profile helps.
They must use the internet to survive in today's world.
And because they were that type of people, they quickly responded positively when we reached out.
[Of course it's possible. Come anytime you're comfortable. The Young Master is waiting for you.] - Master Kang
[I can even do remote fortune telling haha Whatever works for you] - Mountain Spirit Lady
[Fortune telling is just for fun. What matters is your own heart. If you understand that, you're welcome anytime.] - Hongryeon Philosophy Institute
"Huh, they all seem quite willing to have us. I thought they'd refuse when we mentioned broadcasting."
It seemed Jaemin was in the same situation.
The messages she received weren't much different from mine.
Seeing this, Gabi nodded.
"Maybe they think it's good publicity. This means we get to choose, right?"
As Gabi said, the choice was now ours.
Who seemed most trustworthy?
If our goal was to determine Yeseul's identity, we should look for someone who claims to see ghosts.
But of course, there would be plenty of scammers among them.
Among the replies I received, Hongryeon Institute seemed most credible.
Even accounting for potential fraud, we should visit someone who confidently claims to see ghosts.
In the end, we decided to visit three places.
We excluded those with obviously exaggerated claims and chose three that seemed confident in their abilities.
Their introductions were simple.
They plainly stated which deity they served, what kind of fortunes they told.
At the same time, they didn't use celebrities or politicians' names as slogans.
That made them seem more trustworthy.
"Will you be okay, Noel? Going to three different places?"
Once our schedule was set, Gabi showed concern.
But with the two of them already doing so much, I couldn't show any weakness.
"I'll be sitting in a wheelchair while moving around, so I think I'll have it easier than you two. Should I fan you both?"
"In this weather, even a fan would just blow hot air. Hehe, but I'm excited since it's my first time getting my fortune told."
"But there won't actually be ghosts appearing, right? In movies, they yell and tell you to write talismans."
"Oh please, if that happens, we'll just say 'we'll come back after visiting somewhere else.'"
While I was willing to endure the heat and fatigue of going out for Yeseul's sake,
the two of them seemed quite excited about getting their fortunes told, enough to brave the heat.
I suppose it makes sense. These aren't everyday experiences in ordinary life.
Fortune tellers don't exactly come to your school or workplace.
Maybe that's why fortune telling businesses continue to thrive.
People already believe in superstitions to some extent when they visit,
so the fortune tellers use vague statements that apply to everyone, give plausible readings,
and create a placebo effect to secure long-term customers...
Honestly, I'm skeptical about fate and fortune telling.
If such things existed, I'd like to question why I was turned into a woman overnight when I was living perfectly fine.
But for Yeseul's sake, I can put up with it.
So we arrived at our first fortune telling place.
According to the sign, it was actually called a "Philosophy Institute."
From the outside, it looked like a regular house with just a sign, which made me curious.
"Why would a place that does philosophy offer fortune telling and reading birth charts?"
"Philosophy majors have trouble finding jobs, right? Maybe they studied birth charts and started this business on the side? Philosophers are usually smart."
"I guess birth charts are a kind of statistics. You'd need to be pretty smart to memorize and apply all that."
As we three amateurs discussed philosophy institutes and birth charts, someone in Jaemin's broadcast chat was posting frantically.
Birth charts aren't statistics, philosophy institutes aren't for studying philosophy...
But the text was small and hard to read.
And honestly, I was just joking around with obviously incorrect statements.
"Looks like we misunderstood. But the text is too small to communicate properly. Jaemin, can you summarize in three lines?"
"Um... we'll just study it on our own later. Hehe."
After finishing our small talk, we rang the doorbell.
A woman inside asked if we were the streamers who made the reservation, then came out to open the door.
"Welcome! It's hot outside—would you like something to drink? Zero Cola? Or maybe ice cream?"
...I thought she might offer us tea.
A fortune teller keeping up with current trends—it felt a bit jarring.