“Hey everyone! XX has something to say~!”
Anyone who had navigated their school days as a solitary wolf, either by choice or circumstance, would have undoubtedly heard these words echo at some point.
As soon as this declaration spread, every eye in the room converged upon a single, particular individual.
Could it then be interpreted as a warm gesture, a thoughtful attempt to embrace a friend who found it difficult to socialize with others?
Unlikely.
More often than not, its true purpose was to hoist the class’s designated ‘plaything’ onto a metaphorical stage, subjecting them to unbridled ridicule.
Even if one were to exclaim, “Everyone, this is morally reprehensible; you must cease at once!”
They would merely parrot my words back with a hateful inflection, distorting them with exaggerated double consonants and diphthongs.
Regardless, the present circumstances invariably triggered a vivid flashback to those days.
Tens of thousands of viewers, the boss, and even Chan-ho himself.
A sudden hush fell over the room, and everyone’s attention, their very awareness, seemed to fixate on my lips.
It was a situation potent enough to trigger a surge of PTSD, yet….
This present moment differed vastly from those past experiences.
For at least these people were not waiting to mock me, but rather with hearts brimming with genuine anticipation.
“But….”
As everyone’s expectations converged upon me in this manner.
How would an ordinary, third-rate individual typically respond?
They would either decline, citing the pressure, or awkwardly force out a joke that would inevitably dampen the mood.
And a second-rate one?
They would effortlessly ignite the atmosphere with their above-average wit.
To reach even this level would be considered, at minimum, an average performance.
What, then, of a first-rate individual?
“Now that the stage is set, I feel a bit pressured.”
– Oh, is that so? Hmm… I’m sorry for making such an unreasonable request.
“Yes.”
I discreetly glanced at Chan-ho’s broadcast chat.
Unsurprisingly, messages reflecting a sharp dip in anticipation filled the screen.
[Too bad]
[Boring]
[But stuff like that usually comes out naturally LOL]
[True, lol. Forcing it only leads to utterly witless remarks.]
[Boring 22]
[Hmm….]
– Ah, everyone! She’s not a streamer! Would a normal person suddenly spout witty remarks?
His defense, portraying me as an ordinary person, was precisely what I had been anticipating.
For a truly first-rate individual knows how to anticipate the opponent’s likely statements and prepare their next move accordingly.
If, in that process, one could successfully lower the audience’s expectations, the ensuing effect would be all the more dramatic.
“Then, why don’t you, Chan-ho, as a streamer, show us?”
– ….Huh? Me?
“Because I’m a normal person. A professional streamer would be different, right?”
– Uh… My main content is skill-based gaming, so I’m not confident in this area…?
“What? To me, Chan-ho, you seem like a born streamer.”
– Oh? I’m that good??
“Yes. It’s just that it felt so natural for you to invite a complete stranger today, then instruct them to ‘perform a little trick’ in front of ten thousand viewers.”
– Hey, wait——!!
“I just felt it in my bones that Chan-ho is an enormous, influential figure. A faint-hearted ordinary person likely wouldn’t even have been able to properly refuse under such pressure, would they?….”
– Hey hey hey!!! If you interpret it like that, this is UFC!!!!
[Hey hey hey hey!!!!!!!]
[Uh oh, f***, he’s going down the drain LOL]
[We’re so screwed! Emergencyyyy!!!!!!!!!!]
[Insane LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL]
[Wait, that serious punch hurts too much LOLOLOLOLOL]
[Uh oh uh oh this isn’t it uh oh LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL]
– I get it!! I get it, so stop!! Please, just explain that it was a joke!!
“If the renowned streamer Im Chan-ho insists… then… it was… a joke… Yes……”
– Can you not trail off at the end of your sentences?! I’m begging you!! Please?!
Hearing the desperation in his voice, I found myself nodding.
It seemed I had successfully presented a robust main course, perfectly tailored to the customer’s request.
Yet, while a guest might choose where to sit, the chef ultimately decides how much to serve.
Open wide. It’s time for dessert.
“Shall we stop joking around now? It would be problematic if people really misunderstood.”
– Phew! Yes, it was a joke, right…? How scared I was that there might be a little bit of truth mixed in…!
“It seems I’m quite a good talker?”
– I admit it, I’ll admit it. You’re good with words….
“Thank you. I’m a woman, and Chan-ho is a man, so I can’t help but be better at talking.”
– Uh… That sounds like a dangerous statement…? Isn’t there no such difference between women and men??
[Gasp…..]
[That remark just now, HOXY (TL Note: Korean slang, ‘hok-si,’ meaning ‘perhaps’ or ‘by any chance,’ often used to imply something potentially controversial or scandalous.)…?]
[That’s really dangerous, shuddering.]
[Ideology verification….]
[Uh oh Nari, is that really your friend???]
“What? Women have two mouths, so of course they’re better at talking.”
– Huh? Why do women have two mouths….. This crazy b****?!
– Hey!! Yoo Seo-haaa!! The broadcast is going to crash!!!
[?????????]
[‘I thought it was ‘that type,’ but holy f***, that was completely unexpected LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL.]
[Oh, I was genuinely dizzy just now.]
[That’s …… ]
[She’s genuinely trying to bury him alive LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL.]
[Instead of ideology verification, we need a sanity check LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL.]
It is always the one with nothing left to lose who proves to be the most terrifying.
And these people, with so much to lose, dare to ask me, who has nothing, to put on a show??
Normally, one would put a leash on their tongue, carefully filtering out any potentially damaging remarks.
However, it was Chan-ho himself who had asked me to unleash such suggestions.
I merely did as I was instructed.
“Yes! This is all I prepared. Everyone, good job on the WWE.”
– “Good job,” you say?! What good job!!
– That’s why I told you not to make such demands!!
– Did you think I knew your friend was such a psycho?!
– Aaah!! Everyone!! Don’t report!! The broadcast will really crash!!
[Crazy b**** LOLOLOLOLOL]
[Do people usually call stabbing someone with a knife WWE??]
[Seriously, it’s beyond imagination, wow LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL.]
[I feel like I’m going crazy for real LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL.]
[Do you think it’s over if you just give a closing remark alone LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL.]
“Anyway, everyone enjoyed it, so isn’t that enough?”
[The pure entertainment was absolutely epic LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL.]
[She’s not a female streamer, so she coolly drops those explicit S-jokes, holy sh*t LOL.]
[Ah, LOL, she’s saying we’re not ‘yuksu’ (TL Note: ‘Yuksu’ literally means broth, but in streaming culture, it’s slang for overly devoted fans, implying they are ‘simps’ or easily swayed. Here, the streamer is implying her audience isn’t easily manipulated by typical female streamer tactics.) LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL.]
[A person can go this far… Wow LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL.]
Thankfully, the broadcast had not, in fact, crashed.
Perhaps the effectiveness lay in the use of metaphor rather than explicit description.
It was a relief, as even I had no intention of actually doing anything so reckless as to truly crash the broadcast.
The content, which had briefly diverged into tangents, now reverted to the original purpose of the collaborative stream.
This meant the focus shifted back to instructing the boss.
But perhaps the viewers’ dopamine threshold had been raised too high?
A significant portion of the audience voiced complaints of boredom with the lesson, which now proceeded in a perfectly ordinary fashion.
And each time, I would….
– Why are we talking about the second set of the finals now!!!
“Because if you watch that game, you can clearly see how the early ghoul consumption leads to a game loss. Isn’t it a great example?”
– The problem is that the person who lost is me!!
“Hmm… I didn’t tell you to lose. I even cheered for you while watching it live.”
– Kraaaak!!
“Sigh. I never thought you’d lose on an undead map….”
– Both set 1 and 2 were human maps?!
“I keep telling you, there’s no such thing as a ‘human map’ in this world!”
I dispelled the dull atmosphere by landing a few ‘normal attacks’ (TL Note: ‘Pyeongta,’ a gaming term for a basic, unspecialized attack; here used metaphorically to mean light, teasing jabs.) on Chan-ho.
Everyone seemed to enjoy it.
As time flowed onward, it eventually reached ten o’clock in the evening.
It was the usual time for the boss to conclude their broadcast.
This signified that the collaborative stream was drawing to a close.
– Master! You’ve really worked hard today!
– Oh. Nari, you also worked hard. Be selective about your friends…
“What did you say?”
At my audacious retort, the boss’s broadcast chat erupted, flooding with laughter.
Although everyone expressed regret, it was truly time to depart.
After all, the boss had to open the store again tomorrow.
– Seo-ha, you also worked hard! Well then, I’ll head out first!
– Alright, go on. I’ll only leave after you do.
– Yep! Everyone, see you tomorrow!
Ding!
The moment the boss exited the messenger, the broadcast concluded.
The boss’s stream, which I had been watching on my phone, now displayed nothing but a black screen.
‘So, work is finally over…’
A subtle weariness washed over me, and my tension began to dissipate.
The moment the reality of completed tasks settled in, the familiar ritual of self-reflection invariably began.
‘Today was especially so…’
Even with Chan-ho’s explicit permission,
‘He couldn’t have anticipated it going this far.’
A single misstep could have genuinely crashed the broadcast, potentially leading to a warning and a suspension of several days.
Knowing the devastating impact of a streamer taking several consecutive days off, a heavy weight of guilt settled upon my chest.
I almost couldn’t face the boss again.
– What? Seo-ha, aren’t you leaving?
“Ah… Chan-ho. You worked hard on the collaborative stream today. Aren’t you leaving?”
– Me? I have to go too. The collaborative stream is over.
“Ah, I see. Yes.”
– What’s this? You suddenly got quiet now that Nari’s gone?
More accurately, it wasn’t because the boss was absent, but because my ‘work mode’ had ended.
Introverted individuals, who exert themselves to the fullest in feigning sociability during work hours, experience an equally intense backlash afterward.
In any case, I knew I had to apologize for my excessive behavior today.
After all, everyone is sensitive about their livelihood…
“By any chance, were you very displeased today…?”
– What is it, really…? Are you going to hit me again when I let my guard down…?
“No. We’re not even on air anymore, so there’s no reason for that. I’m serious.”
– What? Wait, you’re mistaken about something…
“I’m truly sorry…. Even though I asked for your understanding this morning, I feel like I threw too many inappropriate jokes.”
– …Pfft. Just keep going.
“Uh… Yes. Anyway, all the jokes today weren’t sincere, and if I offended you, I’d like to apologize now.”
– Pffft!! Hahahahat!!
“Chan-ho?”
‘What the heck? I’m genuinely reflecting and speaking from the heart…’
‘But he’s laughing as if he can’t stand this situation?’
I couldn’t fathom the reason.
“Um. Seeing you laugh, you weren’t upset, were you?”
– Seo-ha.
“Yes?”
– Only Nari ends her broadcast at 10 PM. I haven’t ended mine yet. My broadcast usually goes until dawn.
“…??”
– You, *cough*, I mean, what you just said. My viewers all heard it.
A sudden sinking feeling in my chest.
My hands moved swiftly to open Im Chan-ho’s broadcast.
My fingers moved with the speed and precision of a natural extension of my hand.
However, contrary to my expectations, Chan-ho, struggling to suppress his laughter, was indeed still live-streaming, as if to confirm that my words were true.
“N-no!! You said you were leaving!”
– I meant I was going to do the next content, didn’t I?
“Wait a minute…! Why are you only telling me that now?!”
– Hahaha!!! Finally, I’ve got something to hit back with!!!
I had naturally assumed that the collaborative stream would end, and with it, his broadcast.
No, to be precise, having only streamed with the boss these past few days, the equation ‘Boss’s broadcast ending = Work finished’ had become ingrained in my mind.
And so, this catastrophe had unfolded.
Sweat trickled down my back as I tapped on that bastard Chan-ho’s broadcast.
And the chat window was….
[An apology behind his back too LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL]
[So her being a menace was genuinely a concept?? LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL]
[LOLOLOL She seems like the type to get hit by a strong Sage Time (TL Note: A Korean slang term, ‘hyeonja taim,’ referring to a moment of post-clarity or disillusionment after an intense experience.) LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL]
[She’s so freaking cute, seriously LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL]
[She got timid when the broadcast ended LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL]
[Holy sh*t, the girl’s scent is seriously insane LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL]
[LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL]
My face flushed a deep crimson.
