I didn’t know many streamers, so for me to find someone’s voice familiar, there was only one possibility.
Ryu Arim.
Or as she’s known on stream, RyuA.
‘I didn’t expect to run into her here.’
Of course, I knew we were both streamers, but this was the first time we’d met while both of us were live.
It was a bit awkward, and I wasn’t sure what to say on stream.
I started with something simple.
“Hello.”
“Oh!? H-hello!”
The atmosphere was incredibly awkward.
[+HurryAndLeave: “Why do you two seem so awkward?”]
[“Do you know each other?”]
[“If they knew each other, they wouldn’t be this awkward, lol.”]
[“Look at how stiff they’re being, omg.”]
[Pepe: “I’m rooting for them to get along—let’s roll the cameras.”]
To handle the situation, I quickly grabbed my phone and sent her a text.
[Me: Hey, Arim.]
[Me: Let’s just pretend we don’t know each other.]
[Me: That way, it won’t feel awkward.]
I figured she might’ve forgotten, considering we’d talked about this before but hadn’t set anything firmly.
[Ryu Arim: Oh, got it!]
[Ryu Arim: I’ll act like we’re meeting for the first time then.]
With that settled, we officially began the stream.
“By the way, how old are you?”
“Oh, I’m turning 21 this year!”
“Then I’m older than you.”
“In that case, can I call you oppa?!”
Hmm…
Oppa?
I’d never been called “oppa” in my entire life, so I was a bit taken aback.
Ryu Arim usually called me “senpai,” so this sudden change felt unfamiliar.
“If that’s what you’re comfortable with, then you can call me that.”
[+HurryAndLeave: “Feels like he’s saying please don’t call me that, lol.”]
[“He really seems like he doesn’t want to be called oppa, lmao.”]
[Pepe: “But why won’t Yottt say his age?”]
[“Men usually keep their age a secret, lol.”]
[“She’s so bold, though. Asking if she can call him oppa when they just met, lol.”]
After a moment.
“Ah, okay! I’ll call you that from now on then.”
“Sure, why not.”
I figured it’d be fine if she called me that on stream and kept calling me “senpai” when we met in real life.
As we finished our brief introduction.
“Are you two done chatting?”
Glim chimed back into the conversation.
It seemed she’d been quietly listening to us this whole time.
“Yep, we’re done.”
“Hmm, good. Then let’s focus on the ranked game. But just so you know, I’m not feeling great today, so I probably won’t be able to carry.”
[+HurryAndLeave: “Look at her setting up her excuses, lol.”]
[“Classic Glim insurance policy, lmao.”]
[“She’s immortal—her insurance policy spans generations, lol.”]
[Pepe: “So what she’s really saying is, ‘You carry me so I can rank up,’ right?”]
[“Yep, that’s exactly it, lololol.”]
It was clear she wanted us to carry her.
There was no other reason for her to phrase it that way.
“Then it might be best if you play a healer.”
“…A healer? I played that last time, though.”
“Well, you could pick a different hero, but honestly, it’d be tough to carry perfectly in that scenario.”
It was just the plain truth.
If Glim didn’t play a healer and chose a damage dealer instead, it’d feel like we were down a player.
Sure, there was always a chance Glim could carry, but it was much safer to have her stabilize the team as a healer.
That way, our chances of climbing the ranks were almost guaranteed.
[+HurryAndLeave: “Lol.”]
[“This is hilarious, lol.”]
[“Glim can usually carry when teamed up with others, but here, she’s being treated like a liability, haha.”]
[Pepe: “Hang in there, Glim…”]
[“Honestly, though, playing it safe is the better call if you want to carry.”]
“Hmm, I kind of agree. If Yottt-oppa and I are going to carry, someone has to play healer.”
Ryu Arim chimed in, adding her support to the idea. It was a great assist.
[+HurryAndLeave: “Wow, RyuA with the clutch assist, lol.”]
[“The MVP assist from the male gaming GOAT’s sidekick, haha.”]
[“Poor Glim getting tag-teamed, lol.”]
[Pepe: “But wow, Ryu’s gotten pretty sly lately. Damn, lol.”]
[“She was already a smooth talker, but now she’s like a full-blown snake, lol.”]
With Ryu Arim and me slowly applying pressure, Glim finally gave in.
“Ah… fine, I’ll play healer. But just so you know, if we lose even one game, I’m switching to damage dealer immediately. Got it?”
“Understood.”
“Got it.”
There was no reason for us to object.
After all, losing wasn’t even on the table.
If I were carrying the team solo, it might be a little tricky.
But with Ryu Arim playing alongside me? The odds of losing were practically nonexistent.
‘Especially since it’s Ryu Arim, and she’s good at games.’
I hadn’t played games with her before, but I could tell instinctively.
Ryu Arim was a very objective person.
If she didn’t have the skill to carry, she wouldn’t confidently say she could.
[+HurryAndLeave: “You two are really in sync, lol.”]
[“Weren’t you both super awkward just a second ago?”]
[“This is crazy, lol. Awkward one minute, besties the next—classic extroverts.”]
[Pepe: “I can’t stop laughing, lol.”]
After settling on our roles, we officially started the game.
[Author: HurryAndLeave]
[Title: Yottt Meets RyuA in Real Time, LMAO]
[Content: (CLIP) Look at how awkward they are, lol.]
L: “Why are these two so awkward, haha.”
N: “Well, it’s their first time meeting.”
N: “…Oh, right.”
L: “By the way, has anyone noticed that RyuA’s character icon and Glim’s character icon have similar art styles?”
N: “Huh, now that you mention it…”
L: “Yeah, kind of.”
N: “No idea, lol.”
[Title: Yottt and RyuA Already Sorted Out Nicknames, LMAO]
[Content: (CLIP) Were they even strangers five minutes ago? This is nuts.]
L: “Why do you get to call him oppa? Why do you get to call him oppa? Why do you get to call him oppa?!”
N: “If you’re jealous, just call him oppa too, lol.”
N: “Lmao.”
L: “Why the hell are these two getting close so fast?”
N: “They’re collabing, so of course they have to get along quickly.”
N: “Yeah, what, you expect them to just sit silently and not talk, lol?”
L: “The way they’re talking, it’s like they’ve known each other for ages.”
N: “They probably both watch Glim’s stream regularly. Maybe they crossed paths once or twice.”
N: “Oh, that makes sense.”
[Title: (Glim) Please, Let Me Crawl Underneath, LOLLLLLL]
[Content: (CLIP) lmao]
L: “She didn’t even say that, you psycho, lol.”
N: “Wow, this is peak fake news, lololol.”
L: “So desperate to get your post trending, huh?”
N: “I mean, trending posts are a big deal.”
L: “I don’t know about other stuff, but I wouldn’t mind crawling under Yottt’s legs once, hehe…”
L: “Glim didn’t use to be this desperate, though. Why’s she so cringe lately?”
N: “It’s not cringe—it makes sense. Look at Yottt and RyuA’s growth. Anyone would want to stream with them.”
N: “RyuA’s averaging 800 viewers these days.”
N: “Wait, what? How’s she blowing up that fast, lol.”
[Author: Pepe]
[Title: If You’re Gonna Play, Just Be the Healer, Yottt]
[Content: (CLIP) No joke, lol.]
L: “People coddle him just because he’s a guy. He’s totally overstepping now, lol.”
N: “Fact: Glim was the one who suggested playing together first.”
N: “So what, dumbass?”
N: “Lol, okay~.”
L: “But honestly, objectively speaking, having Glim on healer is the best call. No hate, just facts.”
N: “What’s with this Glim slander, lol. You really think she’s useless?”
N: “I mean… kinda.”
L: “Why are all the other streamers chill, but this group is so angry all the time?”
N: “It’s a low-IQ community; you just have to accept it.”
L: “Oh, fair enough.”
[Title: Yottt and RyuA Duo—Insane Aim in Real Time]
[Content: (CLIP) Wow. Is this even human?]
L: “Both of them are insanely good.”
L: “Feels like I’m watching pro players, damn.”
N: “They’re not human, both of them are cracked, lol.”
N: “They’re absolutely insane.”
L: “Glim’s getting the sweetest bus ride ever, lolol.”
N: “She’s probably dying inside right now, haha.”
[Title: Real-Time Prophecy Fulfilled—Hit Like if You Agree!]
[Content: (Yogurt picture) DaYottt GOAT.]
L: “Truly the GOAT of eco-friendly laxatives, lol.”
N: “Your breakfast milk, lol.”
N: “Dolce Latte, lol.”
N: “Hot Fried Chicken, lol.”
L: “But honestly, Yottt had amazing foresight. After that 1v1, forcing Glim to play healer was a genius move.”
N: “Yeah, no way they’d make the same mistake twice.”
[Title: (Glim) Declares ‘I Want to Shoot Guns Too ’]
[Content: (CLIP) Lololol.]
L: “Please just stay still and enjoy the ride.”
N: “Just stick to freight transportation, lol.”
L: “Glim, healers have pistols too, you know. Use that.”
N: “Pistol supremacy, am I right?”
N: “Tbh, the pistol is kinda strong.”
L: “Lmao, with your skills, what makes you think you can handle a gun? Sit down.”
[Title: Glim Finally Loses It and Picks a Damage Dealer!!!!!!!]
[Content: (CLIP) Oh no…]
L: “If the bus suddenly crashes into a wall, you know who’s responsible.”
N: “Lmao, the rest of the team clearly realized it was a carry bus, so they went tank and healer to support it.”
L: “Please, PLEASE get stomped and go back to healer. PLEASE get stomped and go back to healer!”