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5

It was 5:45 p.m. when he sat down at his computer to prepare for the live stream, following his usual routine of opening OBS, testing the microphone, and adjusting the lighting.

But that night, the room seemed different.

Maybe it was the way the lighting hit his face, or maybe it was the muffled sound of the street, or... the sofa. It was obvious to Ren what was different, even though everything had been in exactly the same place for over a year. He smiled, distracted for a moment.

He still had a few minutes, so he went to his room and put on a sweatshirt, pulling the hood over his head. Ren looked at himself in the mirror, adjusting his hair a little and not letting the hood cover too much. Just enough. Attentive eyes would still see what he was trying to disguise. It was the best he could do to keep certain things from being so obvious on screen.

That was the night of a collab with another streamer, and although they had a somewhat agreed-upon script, he liked to exchange ideas before starting. When the he stream began, he took a sip of water, and slowly put on his headset.

"Good evening, everyone! Ready for another one? Can you hear me?"

The familiar rhythm of when the camera was on, of introducing that night's guest, and them starting to play and interact with the chat, was there, but the memory was also clear in his mind.

The live stream went on light, fun, and noisy, but every now and then, between laughter and conversation, his gaze would drift to the corner of the screen and he would smile discreetly.