Chapter 21: Unintentional Taming

After ending the stream sharply, I leaned back in my chair to catch my breath.

My head felt like it was overheating.

“Phew.”

Encountering a streamer like Lusha wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Even though I didn’t know much about streaming, I understood that viewers enjoyed it when streamers crossed paths during games.

But.

“It’s just… unnecessarily stressful.”

The reason I stream and play games is simple:

To take breaks in between drawing sessions.

Yet earlier, instead of feeling relaxed, all I did was accumulate more stress.

Sure, I won the game, but winning didn’t magically erase the frustration I’d built up during the match. It still lingered.

‘…I should avoid games like that during streams.’

If it’s a single-player game, that’s fine.

But games that require cooperation with others seem better left out of my stream lineup.

My mental fortitude isn’t strong enough for that kind of pressure.

‘I also don’t want to get angry on stream.’

For viewers who go out of their way to watch my stream despite the countless other options available, I wanted to show a more positive side of myself.

Of course, I couldn’t help getting slightly annoyed when they tried to provoke me, but that was different.

“Yawn…”

With the stream done, I decided to lie down and rest for a bit.

Closing my eyes, I let the thoughts fade and drifted off.

The Next Day

As usual, I was sitting in front of my computer, drawing, when suddenly.

Brrring.

My phone vibrated with a call from Ryu Arim.

“Hm?”

Ryu Arim calling me out of the blue? That was unusual.

What could it be?

Ryu Arim rarely called unless it was something important.

With that thought, I answered the phone, and she immediately spoke in an excited tone.

“Senpai! Are you streaming on Twis!?”

“Ah…”

I was caught off guard.

Of course, I had expected that someone might eventually find out I was streaming on Twis. But to be found out this easily?

‘For Ryu Arim to directly ask like this, she’s probably already certain.’

There was no point in denying it now. It wouldn’t make things any better.

I gave a short reply.

“Yeah, I’m streaming on Twis.”

“I knew it! But if you’re streaming, why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve helped promote it! I don’t have a huge audience, but I could spread the word.”

“Promote? No, it’s fine. Having more viewers is nice, but I’m not trying to grow the channel through promotion.”

“Oh, I see.”

To be honest, when I first started streaming, I was a bit greedy for viewers.

But now, I didn’t care much.

Even managing just over a hundred viewers had already been a bit overwhelming at times.

‘The current viewer count is perfect.’

I didn’t feel the need to increase it any further.

With that in mind, I spoke firmly.

“So please don’t mention me on your streams. I just want to quietly draw and stream on my own.”

“Got it!”

“See you later.”

“Okay, bye!”

Ending the call with Ryu Arim, I went back to finishing my illustration.

Then.

Brrring.

This time, it was a call from Rage.

Why would they be calling?

Could it be that they didn’t like the work I sent?

‘I’ll probably have to discuss revisions during the call.’

With that thought, I answered.

Rage’s voice came through, sounding unusually excited.

“Uh, the files you sent me… There was an audio file included. Did you modify this yourself, Jaehun?”

“Oh. Did that get sent too?”

I was taken aback.

I thought I had only sent the illustrations, but apparently, the audio file I’d been casually tinkering with had also made its way to Rage.

“Yes, it did.”

“Was there a reason you asked…?”

I began to feel a bit anxious. Was it against some unwritten rule to edit the audio?

Just as I started worrying.

“Oh, no, it’s nothing bad! I just loved the audio file you sent and wanted to confirm if you were the one who edited it. That’s why I called.”

“Whew. I was worried for a second that I’d done something wrong. Glad to hear that’s not the case.”

Relieved, I returned my focus to finishing my illustration.

Then Rage spoke up again, this time with an unexpected question.

“So… do you have some free time right now?”

“Hm? Hold on.”

Not sure what they were leading up to, I pulled out my schedule to check my plans for the day.

“Hmm… Nope, I’m free.”

There were no remaining tasks for today—not that I often had a packed schedule anyway.

When I told them that, Rage’s voice grew even more excited, though they spoke carefully.

“In that case… would you like to visit my studio?”

I was caught off guard.

A sudden invitation to their studio?

“…All of a sudden?”

“Well, the audio you sent yesterday was much better than I expected, so I thought we could complete it together with your feedback.”

“I don’t think I have any real talent in that area.”

I wasn’t some musical prodigy, and just fiddling with a song I didn’t fully understand wouldn’t magically make it better.

“No, no. You definitely have talent.”

“Hmm…”

The idea of visiting their studio was intriguing, especially since it was the first time I’d received such an invitation.

Still, after a moment of thought, I came to a decision.

“It feels like a bit much for me, so I don’t think I can visit your studio.”

The studio felt intimidating.

Rage and I weren’t particularly close—we were merely connected through business.

Going to their studio to work on music together felt like something you’d do with a friend, not just a professional acquaintance.

With that, I returned to finishing up the remaining commissions.

Today’s commission wasn’t too difficult, so I was able to complete it quickly.

Swish, swish.

With a few final strokes and layers, I completed the artwork and sent it to the client.

For simple commissions like this, speed was key.

“All done…”

I stood up, stretching to relieve the stiffness in my body.

Crack!

Rolling my back like I used to as a kid, I loosened up.

As I moved, Rage’s words replayed in my mind.

“You have talent.”

Hearing how sincere they sounded made it hard to dismiss the idea outright.

“Hmm…”

I couldn’t help but wonder if they were being truthful.

Still mulling it over, I opened the music program on my desktop.

Something about their comment stirred a desire to tinker with music again.

Thump.

Tap.

Boom.

I tapped at the virtual instruments experimentally, letting the sounds resonate as I explored.

I slowly began experimenting with various sounds in the music program, testing different options.

At first, it was a little boring, but as I got into it, I started enjoying it more and more.

There was something satisfying about creating sounds just by moving my hands—almost like drawing, but for the ears.

“…This might actually be fun to do on stream.”

Of course, I didn’t plan to do it for long—maybe around 20 minutes or so.

That seemed like just the right amount of time for viewers to find it light and entertaining.

With that thought, I continued exploring the music program, finding myself increasingly immersed in the process.

[Author: HurryAndLeave]

[Title: Yottt Instantly Ends the Stream LOL]

[Content: (CLIP)]

L: “I mean, this person doesn’t usually end their streams so suddenly, lol.”

L: “20 minutes? That was so short.”

L: “Guess they’re over it. LMAO.”

N: “If you’re a small streamer, even if you’re mentally drained, you shouldn’t end a stream like that. This is just sloppy.”

[Author: Pepe]

[Title: The Biggest Concern Right Now.txt]

[Content: Yottt <<< This person treats streaming as a hobby, so there’s a chance they might just quit entirely…]

L: “To be fair, the chat was a mess…”

N: “It was kinda gross, honestly.”

L: “HurryAndLeave tried, but there were too many subtle digs that slipped through. It’s not their fault.”

N: “Probably because there aren’t enough moderators.”

L: “You think they’ll stream tomorrow?”

N (Pepe): “They probably will. Hopefully…”

N: “We’ll see…”

[Title: Fucking Breaking News!!!!!!!]**

[Content: It’s time for Yottt to stream, but they’re not live yet. What’s going on? Ugh…]

L (HurryAndLeave): “This is making me so anxious. Ugh.”

N: “Why aren’t they streaming? What’s the deal?”

L: “Honestly, though, what’s the big deal if a small streamer with 100 viewers stops streaming? It’s not like it affects their life, right?”

N: “Well, if I killed your mom, it wouldn’t affect my life either. Same logic, no?”

N: “What kind of awful response is that, you jerk, lol.”

N: “It’s a bit much, but fair.”

L: “If you’re a trembling Yottt fan, big thumbs up, lol.”

[Title: My Hands and Feet Are Shaking]

[Content: (GIF of a bear running around in panic) Uh… when are they coming back?]

L: “A guy with a nice voice and amazing gaming skills? That’s so rare.”

N: “There are plenty of those.”

N: “Shut up, lol. There’s no guy who’s good at every game and streams.”

L: “Please don’t come back. Please don’t come back. Please don’t come back…”

[Author: HurryAndLeave]

[Title: Yottt Hasn’t Streamed in Two Days… I’m Struggling…]

[Content: It all feels like a dream now. Was the guy who talked to me and called my username even real?]

L: “You’re delusional.”

N (HurryAndLeave): “No way… that’s impossible…”

L: “Just give up and find another streamer, lol.”

N: “Small streamers quit all the time. Why are you so hung up, lol?”

[Author: HurryAndLeave]

[Title: Is Yottt Back?????????????]

[Content: Of course they’re back, or else why would I write this? LOLLLLLLLL.]