The song blasted through my headphones, and I couldn’t help but grin as the beat hit. The chat was already going wild. I leaned into the camera, tapping my fingers against the desk. “You guys can’t hear this, so let me play it for you.
This is what I listen to on repeat, non-stop. Like, I work out to this all the time. ”
I fumbled with my phone, scrolling through my playlists. The screen lagged, and I groaned.
“Oh, no. No, no, no. I got it. Sorry.
There we go. ”
The music finally kicked in through the stream. It was a hardstyle EDM track, all pounding bass and aggressive synth. I bobbed my head, feeling the energy surge through me.
“This is one of my favorites. It’s called ‘Sugar Crash. ‘ I have two versions of this. Let me find the right one.
I think it’s on my anime EDM mix. Yeah, there it is. Hardstyle. ”
I leaned back in my chair, letting the music wash over me.
My arm was propped up on the desk, wrapped in a thick black brace. I caught a message in the chat asking about it. “Oh, this? I sprained my arm.
Well, actually, I dislocated my whole elbow. All three ligaments snapped off the bone. But they healed, thankfully. I’m getting better.
The other day I even did some shadow boxing, which felt amazing. ”
I flexed my fingers, testing the movement. The brace was uncomfortable, but I was used to it by now. I had burned my face once because I forgot to put it back on while cooking, so I learned my lesson.
It stayed on now. “Thank you for the lucky carrots, by the way. I see them coming in. My chat is so good to me.
”
The music shifted into something softer, and I recognized the melody instantly. Hikaru Utada’s voice filled the room. I closed my eyes for a second. “This is the ‘Simple and Clean’ remix.
Oh, this is so good. ‘Simple and Clean is the way that you make me feel tonight. Nothing’s like before. ‘ I love when Jisoo sings this part.
”
I picked up a piece of paper from the desk, already creased from where I had been folding it earlier. My fingers worked slowly, deliberately, as I tried to remember the steps. It had been a while since I made one of these. “You know what?
I’m making a crane. It’s been ages. But I think you guys already know how this one goes. ”
The chat was moving fast, people spamming emotes and messages.
A username caught my eye. Mr. Adam. He’d just sent a big tip, a bunch of lucky carrots.
“Oh my gosh. Thank you, Mr. Adam. Can we get a shout out for Mr.
Adam, please? Thank you for the lucky carrots, luckers. Cheers. ”
I held up the half-folded paper crane to the camera, then went back to work on it.
The paper was stubborn, but I was patient. “Last night was supposed to be a stream night, but one of my friends decided to treat me to dinner instead. I asked, ‘Is it okay if I’m streaming? ‘ And it was fine, we were going to bring you guys along in the car.
We were going to drive around Manila and show you the city. But then he got caught speeding. ”
I shook my head, laughing. “Guys, I know you’re all fast and furious out there, but please abide by the laws.
Don’t get speeding tickets. It’s not worth it. ”
The music swelled again, another K-pop heavy track mixing with the EDM beat. I felt myself getting lost in it, my head bobbing, my fingers tapping.
“This one’s good, but it makes it hard for me to focus and talk at the same time. This is what I listen to when I’m trying to fall asleep. Can you imagine? The noise is too loud, but my brain just shuts down.
”
I paused the folding and reached for my water bottle, taking a long sip. The carrot emoji spam continued in the chat, and I laughed. “The carrot is giving me all the fiber I need. I’m trying to finish this one before I claim my daily one.
”
The paper crane was taking shape now. I remembered the folds, the way the paper needed to bend just right. The wings were the hardest part. “I learned this from my friend Dina.
She also taught me to put a little black here, on the folds. It makes it look cooler. She’s good at stuff like this. ”
I held the crane up, half-finished, and smiled.
“I love it when my chat makes the streamer feel good. They say chat makes the streamer, so that means I have a really pretty chat. Thank you, guys. ”
The song ended and transitioned into another one.
More hardstyle, more bass. The energy in the room stayed high. I felt alive, even with the brace on my arm, even with the lingering ache in my elbow. “I think I’m going to overheat at this point.
The music is too good. ”
The paper crane finally folded into shape. I placed it on the desk next to my keyboard, letting it stand on its tiny folded legs. “There we go.
Done. ”
I looked at the camera again, the brace catching the light, the folded crane sitting beside me, the music still blasting through my headphones. The chat was still moving, still celebrating, still sending carrots and hearts. “Thank you for being here, guys.
I’m going to keep folding some more. Stay with me. “
