Chapter 8: This person seems suspicious….

There was a reason I was so surprised right now.

Three viewers.

Objectively speaking, it’s a small number.

But the fact that three viewers joined the moment I started my stream was significant.

‘That means they’re following my stream.’

On Twis, the follow function notifies followers as soon as a streamer goes live.

That’s why I was a bit surprised.

Though, of course, it might just be a coincidence.

“Hello, everyone.”

I greeted them briefly, and the chat started to pick up slowly.

[HurryAndLeave: hehe~]

[Hi there!]

[Pepe: I became a fan after watching yesterday’s stream.]

“…Yesterday’s stream? I was mostly banning people then.”

There was so much trolling yesterday that I ended up banning everyone except the regular viewers.

And yet, someone became a fan after that?

[Pepe: Oh, about that—]

[Pepe: That was kind of cool.]

[Pepe: It felt like you didn’t care about viewership.]

[HurryAndLeave: lolol.]

I hadn’t thought of it that way. It was fascinating to hear that perspective.

“For the record, I’m planning to do a gaming stream today.”

While I often play games, I’d initially decided not to stream them.

However, watching Ryu Arim—Ryu’s—stream had changed my mind.

Streaming while gaming looked like a lot of fun.

And if I eventually grew my audience, I could play long story-driven games without worrying about boring my viewers.

That’s why I decided to give a gaming stream a shot.

‘There’s nothing to lose by trying.’

After all, this was just a hobby.

Which meant it was fine to do whatever I wanted.

[Pepe: Oh!]

[Pepe: I thought you only did art streams.]

[HurryAndLeave: Then how about trying a simple AOS game with strategic elements? hehe.]

I began discussing with the viewers what kind of game I should play.

Meanwhile, Yoon Harin, using the nickname HurryAndLeave on Twis, was actively posting on a gallery forum.

[Author: HurryAndLeave]

[Title: Live Announcement: YogurtOppa Gaming Stream LOLLOLLOL]

[Content: (Picture of a grinning frog) Streaming live right now! LOL.]

L: Why is this guy going so viral?

L: Yeah, I’d do some free viral marketing too if I got free art. lol.

L: If the stream ends up being boring, I’m bombing it immediately. lol.

N: HurryAndLeave: The stream is chill and fun. 🙂

At first, when I received the drawing, I didn’t think much of it.

I’d only joined the stream on a whim anyway.

But recently, I’d started finding small joys in the stream.

Interacting with a guy with a good voice gave me a strange sense of superiority.

‘He needs to gain enough viewers so he doesn’t quit streaming.’

With that thought, I was casually posting viral content about the stream in the gallery forum I frequented.

This could potentially attract antis, but based on what I’d seen yesterday, he didn’t seem like someone who’d get shaken by such things.

Thinking this, Yoon Harin began regularly posting promotional content in the gallery.

As for the game HurryAndLeave had recommended—an AOS game with strategic elements.
It wasn’t a type of game I particularly enjoyed.

The reason I didn’t like it was simple.

People argued far too much.

If they just fought in-game, I’d understand, but seeing people add each other as friends after matches just to hurl insults really soured my view of the game.

“Well, I’ll do one solo-ranked match.”

Just as I said that and queued for a solo rank.

[HurryAndLeave: Wow.]

[HurryAndLeave: You’re in Diamond?! LOL.]

[Pepe: Diamond? What’s going on?]

[Pepe: Why is this guy so good?!]

I could see the viewers’ surprise.

It made sense since, in this world, it was incredibly rare for a guy to have such a high rank.

“I’m not a huge fan of this game, but I still got my rank up to Diamond. It’s fun to play occasionally.”

It wasn’t that I’d stopped playing entirely; I still played enough to maintain my rank.

[HurryAndLeave: Wow.]

[HurryAndLeave: You’re really good at this game.]

[What’s going on? I just joined, and why is this guy Diamond?]

[This looks like account boosting, lol.]

Then I noticed some new people chatting.

[Viewers: 12]

My viewer count had increased significantly.

It seemed like they’d come from somewhere else, but their comments were lighthearted enough that banning them felt unnecessary.

“Ah, I see we have a lot of new viewers. Welcome, everyone.”

[Hi there!]

[I came because it said this was an art stream—when do you draw?]

[HurryAndLeave: If you want art, watch the VOD. LOL.]

[This is the first time I’ve seen this person stream a game.]

Having 12 viewers made interacting with them more enjoyable.

It was… fun, I guess.

“I’ll probably keep doing art streams regularly, so if you come by another time, you’ll likely see me drawing.”

[Got it.]

[But game streams look fun too, lol.]

[Your voice is seriously amazing.]

[HurryAndLeave: By the way, do you do duos?]

A duo, huh.

It seemed like a decent suggestion, but I decided to decline to avoid any potential issues.

I tend to get pretty intense when I play games.

“I tend to get overly immersed when I play, so I think duos might be a bit tough.”

[HurryAndLeave: Ah.]

[HurryAndLeave: I see…]

[Do a duo, do a duo, do a duo, do a duo.]

[Pepe: How much for a duo?]

[Pepe: Name your price right now.]

The offer of money was a little tempting, but I managed to brush it off and kept the stream going.

After some time, my queue popped, and the game started.

“This should be fun. It’s been a while.”

The champion I selected was a female axe-wielding character.

As far as I remembered, this champion was originally male, but it seemed the gender had been flipped in this reversed-world.

I didn’t mind it, though.

[HurryAndLeave: First time seeing a guy play the carry role, lol.]

[That’s the champion for strong women, haha.]

[Let’s go! LOL.]

The chat felt noticeably cleaner.

It seemed banning the troublemakers from yesterday had purified the atmosphere.

Feeling good, I jumped into the game with high spirits.

And shortly after.

“What’s up with our jungler…? I can’t understand their plays at all.”

[HurryAndLeave: Gasp!]

[Gasp!]

[Pepe: Gasp!]

A torrent of bad words came out of my mouth.

When I play other games, I usually don’t curse this much, but whenever I play Reore, the swearing just happens naturally.

It’s like this game is cursed.

“I’ve secured control here, so shouldn’t they at least capitalize on it? Hm.”

[HurryAndLeave: Don’t get mad, lol.]

[Calm down, calm down.]

[You’re doing great! Take it slow.]

Reading the chat helped me cool down a bit.

Right, I’m not playing alone. I shouldn’t get so worked up.

“…Okay, I’ll only say nice things from now on.”

I made that promise to myself, but how long did it last?

“Ughhhh…”

The frustration inside me was boiling over.

It was like all the things I wanted to say were piling up inside me, but because I was streaming, I couldn’t let them out.

So, I decided to take drastic action.

“Oh no, looks like my mic is about to cut off…”

As I said that, I muted the mic and unleashed everything I’d been holding in.

[HurryAndLeave: Oh wow, how conveniently the mic cuts out, haha.]

[This guy is hilarious, lolol.]

[I swear, during the art streams, he seemed like a normal person.]

[Reore <<< The real problem is just this cursed game, lol.]

After venting everything I needed to, I calmly turned the mic back on.

“Ah, ah, can you hear me? The mic suddenly cut out.”

[HurryAndLeave: Loud and clear, haha.]

[Wow, I was so startled when the mic cut out.]

[Pepe: This is only your third stream, so why do you feel so professional? lol.]

Suppressing my anger, I continued the stream.

There were still occasional “accidents” where the mic mysteriously cut off.

[Author: HurryAndLeave]

[Title: Today’s YogurtOppa Stream Was Legendary lol]

[Content: (video clip) (video clip) (video clip) lolololol.]

L: Didn’t this guy claim he doesn’t swear? lolol.

N: Hey, technically, he didn’t swear.

L: Hilarious, lol.

L: Stop with the viral promotion before it backfires and someone crashes the stream.

N: HurryAndLeave: Try it if you can, lol.

N: Alright, I’ll go as soon as my stream starts.

N: HurryAndLeave: Please do, go ahead.

[Author: Pepe]

[Title: I Came for the Viral Buzz, but the Stream Is Actually Good]

[Content: (gif of a frog eating cake) I only tuned in because of the viral buzz, but the streamer is really entertaining. lol. The voice is amazing too, but when they play Reore, it’s like they become a different person, haha.]

L: Reore is a game that ruins people. lol.

N: I’ve seen so many people turn nasty after starting Reore.

L: Noting all the usernames spreading viral buzz right now—just wait. lol.

N: Pepe: Wait, why am I included?

Meanwhile, in places Jaehun wasn’t aware of, his reputation was slowly growing.

The next day.

I received a message.

“You want to meet in person?”

It was from Rage, the artist for whom I’d designed the album cover.c