Chapter 43: Camera broadcast

It’s something I’ve already attached in the notice, but… just because I said I’m holding an editor contest, doesn’t mean it starts immediately.

During the application period, I need to gather participants, and once all are collected, there’s still the internal selection.

Once this entire process is finished, we’ll pick one winner live with the viewers during the broadcast.

So, there’s no need to stress out and get buried in editing work right this second.

Well, there’s been a lot of talk about it, but it’s the second round now, so…

***

After the broadcast ended, I roughly gathered the footage.

Though I haven’t spent a long time with her, Dayoung is honest by nature, so she would never do things half-heartedly.

I didn’t need to put in too much effort, so I just added a note to make sure it was suitable enough and sent it off.

A video that’s properly edited takes over 5 hours, so if I do it casually, ‘it should be done within 2 hours, right?’

I’m not an expert in video editing, but this was just a simple guess from the perspective of an average person.

“What should I do now?”

I mumbled, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Playing Soul Warfare all the time was starting to feel a bit tiresome.

I could almost hear the viewers’ voices in my head, urging me to quickly reach the Challenger tier in Soul Warfare, but… ‘what could I do?’

The viewers are in their second round, but I’ve already returned to the present day and kept playing only this.

Even though I’ve won and reached the highest tier in the shortest time, the time has come for me to fall into a bit of a rut.

At times like this, I need to recharge with something else.

It’s not just a simple “refresh” in the real world… Yeah, it’s a sort of ventilation process.

A little shock therapy can be just the thing to break through the boredom that’s been festering.

It’d be good to switch up the content of the game broadcast.

Soon… ‘I should try playing other games, right?’ I can’t play Soul Warfare for a hundred or thousand years.

And there’s the small curiosity about how the viewers would see me if I showed a different side of myself outside of Soul Warfare.

Since I just came out of virtual reality, I turned on the computer.

I connected to the internet and began searching for the most popular games at the moment.

But…

“Huh.”

I sighed as I stopped my hand, which had been moving the mouse.

The shallow flow of thought that had been creeping up inside me stopped at this point.

My hand holding the mouse froze as well.

‘There aren’t any games I know. What should I play first?’

‘Should I ask Dayoung, who returned before me?’

No, I should stay calm.

Picking a game isn’t like Russian roulette.

I just need to pick something that’s somewhat fun.

With that in mind, I started exploring a popular gaming site.

The titles and genres of games released by year were neatly arranged, making it easy to check.

After about 20 minutes of browsing, my brief impression was that there are just too many games.

Of course, it makes sense since there’s been a 10-year gap, but…

At this point, I have to narrow it down.

There’s no way I can play all the thousands and thousands of games.

‘But if I set a standard…’

I should avoid games that are too complex or have little entertainment value for the viewers.

There are plenty of games that are fun to play alone, but not so great for watching.

Ah, what started as a simple search had somehow turned into market research.

Being a streamer is truly a tough job.

But as I set some filters, it became easier to choose a game.

As I set each condition, the games that didn’t meet the criteria disappeared in chunks, and I felt a strange satisfaction, like I was cutting away the unnecessary parts.

‘I guess I can pick from these.’

As my eyes scanned the filtered list, they stopped at one particular game.

Ah, right. This one.

It’s a legendary game that’s easy for viewers to follow and not too complicated.

But there was one problem with it.

That is…

‘It’s a PC game.’

It’s not a virtual reality game.

Which means, I can’t use the avatar from MS Room.

I hesitated for a moment.

‘I could just stream the computer screen, right?’

‘It would be fine if I just use voice, right?’

Like fresh underground water, countless excuses flooded my mind.

It would mean a classic cam broadcast, filled with nostalgic vibes.

Before starting the broadcast, I hadn’t thought much about it.

I didn’t care.

I just thought, “I’ll do it.” But now, I’m not sure if it’s okay to show my real self on a broadcast.

‘Meeting with an editor?’ Well, that’s just a work-related meeting, so it’s not like I’m an extreme introvert.

I turned my head and looked around my room.

Although it’s been less than a year, I wondered if it would be okay to casually show this space I live in on a broadcast.

If I had a separate studio, I wouldn’t be thinking like this.

But setting up a new studio would take time.

Maybe I’m just too used to virtual reality, but it feels strange broadcasting in the real world.

I realized that I wouldn’t come to a clear conclusion if I kept thinking like this.

So, I came to one answer…

***

“I’ll ask for advice.”

“Mm, so you called me, huh?”

Dayoung’s answer had a strange nasal tone, suggesting she found the situation amusing.

A 90s PC game… I didn’t give her the exact title, so I’m not sure, but it felt like something an older sister would say.

“Since it’s a PC game, I could just stream the game screen without the cam… but personally, I disagree. Even with a PC game, I think the cam is necessary.”

[Why? Didn’t you say showing my face wasn’t a good idea?]

“That’s only when it’s a face reveal, but you have your warrior gear, right? You could wear that in real life. Or is there no option to hide your face with it in real life?”

[It’s not that. I just wanted to draw a line between reality and virtual reality…]

“Now?”

This older sister is making things a little ridiculous, huh?

“Anyway, you’ll meet with the editor in person, right? Isn’t it the same thing?”

[Well, that’s for work, and this is a bit of a different issue.]

Well, I roughly understand her point.

If virtual reality is the primary space for streaming, then reality is the main space for daily life.

A cam broadcast might need to capture Sehee’s real-life image.

Whether it’s through a hand cam or hidden behind armor.

‘She seems to be reluctant about it.’

I’m not sure if this is something that needs to be deeply analyzed, but everyone has their own psychological boundaries.

This older sister, in virtual reality, she acts like a show-off internet bully, but in reality, she has this cute side.

Dayoung chuckled at my lack of will and responded.

“I don’t think it’s necessary to divide them like that. We’re not summoned to another world or anything. Whether it’s reality or virtual reality, isn’t it just a difference in how we enjoy the game?”

“Even if we were heroes in the previous world, here we’re streamers. As long as we don’t invade anyone’s privacy, it doesn’t matter if it’s a cam or a virtual reality camera.”

‘Was it because of her uncharacteristic worry that I reacted this way?’

Dayoung could sense a bit of warmth in my voice.

I had never thought that I would meet a new hero.

Or rather, I had assumed that I was the only hero.

In my lonely life, where all human relationships had been severed except for my mom and Pepe, it was she who first reached out to me.

The strange empathy between heroes led us to grow closer after a series of events.

What I came to understand was that she was even more lonely than I was.

A hero without the glory of returning home, with no family or acquaintances, abandoned alone in this world.

So, I could kind of guess why she wanted to become a streamer.

She probably wanted to create connections with people like this.

Perhaps, like me, Sehee too might end up isolated and buried in loneliness.

‘Was that why?’

Beyond just a close relationship… I now wanted to help her, just like she helped me.

It was with that mindset that I had apologized sincerely, explained streaming, and even helped her set up her first broadcast.

But… this wasn’t something that would fade away with just that.

The hero who saved Dayoung in her difficult times.

Now, that hero needed my help.

‘This time, I want to be her strength.’

Dayoung spoke with a confident voice.

“Don’t overthink it, just enjoy it casually, Unni.”

[Yeah, thank you.]

“Well, it’s me, after all. And…”

After taking a brief pause, Sehee’s voice followed, and Dayoung couldn’t help but smile.

“I’m already looking forward to seeing how the viewers will react when they see you on cam!”

[You really…]

Her teasing words were a bit complaining, but her voice was especially cute today.

Time passed quickly.

***

It was now the evening.

On the Switch channel list, Friede’s broadcast appeared as LIVE, currently live streaming.

Followers of her channel, as soon as they received the broadcast start notification, quickly joined in.

The title of Friede’s broadcast caught their eyes and made their jaws drop.

[Friede Real-Life Cam Broadcast]

“What the hell?!”

Some viewers definitely let out exclamations like this.

“A real-life cam broadcast? Could it be a face reveal?”

They started scrambling, trying to figure out what the bait was, racing through the digital world.

The target, of course, was Friede’s broadcast.

The movement was as quick as lightning.

And what they saw on their screens was…

[Ha!]

[Is this real?]

[No way, hahaha!]

[Wow, is this really her room?]

[Was she born with a silver spoon?]

[But where is she?]

The view of an empty room appeared on the screen.

Since it was a real-life cam broadcast, it must be Friede’s room.

However, the most important thing, the host, was nowhere to be seen.

There was a slight rustling sound from the side.

“Maybe she’s just preparing and is out of view for now?”

Of course, this was just one possibility, and most viewers flooded the chat demanding the host’s return.

[Unni! Open the door quickly!]

[The inn door’s open, but why isn’t Jomsoi coming out?]

[Owner! Why aren’t you taking orders here?]

[It’s not an inn, it’s a funeral parlor.]

“Ah, sorry for the delay. I was preparing….”

[What preparation?]

[If you were busy with makeup, I understand.]

[Finally, is she doing a face reveal?!]

[Unni, I’ve been waiting for this moment!]

[Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.]

They no longer thought of this as just a hopeful expectation; it had already become a settled fact in their minds.

They had already been taken by surprise when a face reveal happened in virtual reality, so they expected to see the same in reality.

If they were just casual viewers, they might have laughed at this absurd way of thinking.

But their mindset, which had reached a level where they could appreciate the nuances between their armpits and boiling broth, was far removed from that of an average person.

And then……

“Ah, is the broadcast coming through okay?”

As the golden visor-equipped helmet came into view, the chat exploded, and Friede tilted her head, confused.

“Why…?”