Chapter 53: Back-to-Back World Cups

There was no avoiding it.

I would’ve preferred to do a different World Cup, but chat just wouldn’t stop demanding a male idol World Cup.

‘…I really don’t need to see dudes in crop tops.’

Even if they were wearing normal outfits, I’d still hesitate to do this.

But actively looking up crop-top-wearing men for a ranking contest?

Unless you were actually gay, that was insanity.

“Alright, let’s get started.”

[+HurryAndLeave: Wait, you’re actually doing this?]

[Oh God, please no.]

[I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.]

[Pepe: But like… what if it’s actually kinda good?]

[WHAT DO YOU MEAN, KIND OF GOOD, YOU SICK FREAK??? LOL.]

[Are we all secretly… you know…?]

I didn’t care if the viewers hated it.

Because this time, I was doing this for myself.

…Of course, if the backlash was too intense, I’d end it early.

“Alright, should we do a 128-player bracket? Or should we go all out with 256?”

[????]

[+HurryAndLeave: Bro, what?]

[+HurryAndLeave: Just do 16 rounds, for the love of God.]

[256?! Are you insane?!]

[Yotte, we’re sorry. Yotte, we’re sorry. Yotte, we’re sorry. Yotte, we’re sorry. Yotte, we’re sorry.]

[We rarely do World Cups, and you’re ruining it with this, ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ.]

Even though chat was begging for mercy, I wasn’t backing down yet.

I hadn’t even started.

For all they knew, they might actually enjoy it.

‘They might even unlock some… hidden preferences.’

It was too early to call it quits.

With that in mind, I locked in 128 contestants.

“I’ll go with 128 rounds. 256 is a bit much, even for me.”

[+HurryAndLeave: Whew…]

[Are we seriously relieved about this?]

[Is this really better?]

[Uh…]

[Pepe: Pour one out for the 128 idols who just got Thanos snapped.]

[Lmao.]

With 128 contestants locked in, the World Cup officially began.

[Viewers: 941]

For some reason, my viewer count had increased again.

And the first girl group on the list.

“…Uh, I’ve never seen these people before.”

Not much I could do about that.

I listened to a lot of music, sure, but that didn’t mean I knew every idol by name.

If a song was good, it was good.

That was all I cared about.

[+HurryAndLeave: Hmm…]

[They’re still pretty, though.]

[I pick the girl on the right, hehe.]

[What do you mean, “the girl on the right,” you absolute caveman?]

[Unbelievable, lol.]

[Sigh…]

[Pepe: Yotte, what did we do to deserve this?]

Ignoring chat’s existential crisis, I started picking my preferences.

“I usually prefer short hair.”

I liked long hair too, but short hair just had the edge for me.

No real reason.

I just liked it more.

[+HurryAndLeave: I’m getting a haircut tomorrow.]

[Short hair preference noted.]

[Understood.]

[Short hair only suits certain people, though, lol.]

[Pepe: So… is your ideal type a soldier?]

“Aren’t military cuts closer to a buzz cut?”

Calling that short hair felt wrong.

Shrugging, I continued the bracket.

“Hmm… I like both, but this one has a beauty mark in just the right spot.”

[+HurryAndLeave: Wait, you’re analyzing them that closely???]

[Why is Yotte more detailed than expected, lol?]

[But honestly, if you’re gonna do a ranking, might as well go all in.]

[Pepe: This is surprisingly fun to watch.]

[User has donated 10,000 KRW!]

Fact: This World Cup is fun because it’s only faces and not full-body shots.

[LOL.]

[If their full bodies were shown, the stream would’ve ended immediately.]

Normally, I wouldn’t bother talking about other people in this much detail.

But today’s stream was literally a “Female Idol World Cup.”

If I didn’t evaluate them properly, there’d be no point in doing this at all.

That’s why I was going all in on my commentary.

“Going with the one on the right”

And just like that, I kept the tournament going.

How long had it been?

“Oh, it’s over.”

The 128-round bracket was finally done.

Took about an hour in total.

[+HurryAndLeave: Wait, why was that actually fun…?]

[Wtf, lol, this was lowkey entertaining.]

[There weren’t even any songs playing, but just looking at faces was fun???]

[Pepe: Honestly, reacting to this together made it hilarious.]

[It wasn’t as cursed as I expected, lol.]

[Why is everyone… actually satisfied with this? Lmao.]

[Viewers: 1,142]

Over 1,000 viewers.

Even though this wasn’t some major category, but just a “Female Idol World Cup.”

“…This isn’t what I expected.”

I had assumed people would get bored and leave, at which point I’d switch to a different World Cup.

But now, I just felt a little bad stopping here.

So, I kept it going.

And before I knew it.

“We’re at the finals.”

The championship round had begun.

[+HurryAndLeave: I vote right.]

[But the left one is nice too.]

[What even is this stream? Women rating women’s faces?? LOL.]

[Pepe: Everyone in chat has officially lost their minds.]

[Lol, this is ridiculous.]

[Personally, I think right is my type.]

[Right one has major flirt energy.]

“Hmm…”

Both were solid picks.

But my preference had already been clear from the start.

“I’m choosing Freeni from Recursion.”

Like I had said before—a short-haired idol with a beauty mark?

That was my type.

[+HurryAndLeave: Damn.]

[We finally have a winner, lol.]

[Why are these idiots excited over this?]

[This streamer has good taste, I gotta admit.]

[This guy has taste.]

[Pepe: The World Cup ended faster than I expected.]

[Freeni was the obvious choice.]

[Viewers: 1,300]

I had no idea where all these people came from.

But for now, I needed a break.

“I’m gonna grab some coffee real quick.”

I needed to refocus.

Spending two hours staring at nothing but female faces was… exhausting.

Drip…

I poured myself a cup of cold coffee from the fridge and sat back down in front of my PC.

Now then.

‘…I kinda want to keep streaming.’

Since I had already extended my stream time today, I figured I might as well go for even longer.

But jumping into a game right now felt… off.

The timing just didn’t feel right.

“Hmm…”

As I was debating what to do.

[Pepe has donated 10,000 KRW!]

Another World Cup?

…A tempting offer.

To be honest, I had been considering doing another one anyway.

‘If I’m going to go over time, I might as well go way over.’

With that in mind, I cautiously spoke up.

“If you guys want to do another World Cup, I wouldn’t be against it.”

Immediately.

[+HurryAndLeave: ???]

[Oh shit, Round 2, let’s gooooooo.]

[This is it.]

[GOATED STREAMER.]

[Two World Cups in a single day?! If this isn’t peak content, what is?]

[Pepe: Oh wow, he actually agreed to it.]

[Pepe: Good thing I suggested it, lol.]

Chat went wild.

It seemed like, while they had enjoyed the Female Idol World Cup, there had still been a lingering sense of discomfort.

‘Makes sense.’

Even I had felt a bit weird about it.

So, I started browsing for a more normal World Cup.

After searching for a bit.

“Hmm… How about this one?

This actually looks pretty good.”

I had found something solid.

This wasn’t exactly a new World Cup.

I had been eyeing it for a while.

But whatever. It still worked.

[+HurryAndLeave: Damn.]

[This is gonna be good.]

[1960s Music World Cup, let’s gooo.]

[Music from that era was fire.]

[Yeah, real music.]

[Why are there so many people who relate to this???]

[Pepe: The 1960s were the golden age of relatability.]

[Music tournaments are always a safe bet.]

[Let’s go, let’s go.]

[Wait, does this mean no stream tomorrow?]

[Doesn’t matter, tonight’s fun enough.]

Since the album I was working on with Seolhwa was also 1960s-inspired, this would actually be a good opportunity to study the era’s music more.

‘And music tournaments are just fun in general.’

With that thought, I finished setting up.

Then I checked my viewer count.

[Viewers: 1,836]

The numbers had exploded again.

At this point, I wasn’t even surprised.

People loved watching these tournaments.

“Alright, if you’re new here, read the rules.

My bans are instant, so don’t bother emailing me later if you get removed.”

I still didn’t get why banned viewers sent me emails.

What did they expect?

A second chance?

Ignoring that, I gave my usual warning to new viewers, then officially launched the tournament.

Having no idea just how much the audience would grow from here.