“Seriously, while watching the broadcast earlier, I was shocked to see you cussing so freely.”
As soon as Han Dongsu-hyung arrived, he started the conversation by smoothly downing a 500cc beer.
I think I had heard rumors before that this person could really hold his liquor.
Was it called a drinking horse?
“Those bastards deserve every curse they get. Jinhyuk, huh? You should learn a bit from your hyung.”
“How can you curse at your viewers like that?”
“It’s strange. Such a nice streamer, but only the nasties seem to gather around. Isn’t it curious, Mr. Chansik?”
Dongsu-hyung glanced at me with a slight smile.
A smile that seemed genuinely kind.
That hadn’t changed—not then, not now.
I shrugged in response to his question and took a sip of my beer.
“When have you ever seen bastards care about anything? And feel free to speak casually. You’re Jinhyuk’s close hyung after all.”
“Alright, just call me Dongsu-hyung.”
The speed at which he switched to informal speech could give a high-speed train a run for its money.
His knack for humor hadn’t changed either.
“Chansik, you seem quite familiar with broadcasting. Have you ever tried it yourself?”
“I’ve watched a lot of broadcasts. I was one of those nasty trolls, you know.”
Trolls.
That’s what Dongsu-hyung’s viewers were called.
They were one of the most fervent fan bases on TwiPot, known for their strong firepower and high loyalty.
At my answer, Dongsu-hyung looked at me with wide eyes.
“Did you enjoy my broadcasts?”
“There wasn’t much to do in the military, so yeah… I watched quite often. Hyung, you’re pretty popular in the army.”
Oh, his expression hardened.
“Ugh, I hate it. You must have watched other streamers too, right? Is that why you seemed so comfortable earlier?”
Was it my praise that bothered him?
Jinhyuk muttered to Dongsu-hyung,
“Aren’t you praising him too much? If you compliment my hyung like that, he really starts to think too highly of himself.”
“No, didn’t you see earlier? When he was playing Excalibur, he deliberately created provocative scenes. And the way he was steamrolling with a just a crowbar. You need some broadcasting sense for those scenes.”
I had been a keen observer for years; I know what worked.
Dongsu-hyung, after being served another beer, took a big gulp and lightly wiped his mouth before continuing.
“If the timing had been right, you’d have gained more viewers. Jinhyuk, wouldn’t your viewership increase if you broadcast with Chansik for a while?”
“Right? But he seemed to dislike the idea.”
It seemed clear why Jinhyuk brought me here.
He wanted to use Dongsu-hyung’s influence to somehow convince me to start broadcasting.
There was a successful streamer sitting right in front of me.
He must have thought I would be tempted to try broadcasting myself.
It was quite obvious.
While we were talking, suddenly two women approached our table.
They cautiously asked Dongsu-hyung.
“Are you Khan?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Could we possibly take a photo with you?”
“Of course. Guys, give me a moment.”
Dongsu-hyung skillfully stood up and took photos with the ladies.
Jinhyuk seemed somewhat envious of his popularity.
These days, there were hardly any distinctions between celebrities and famous streamers, so enjoying such popularity was considered quite natural.
With celebrities turning to broadcasting themselves, there was really no need to distinguish between the two.
“Thank you!”
After receiving autographs from Dongsu-hyung, the women returned to their own table.
After the sudden fan meeting, Dongsu-hyung scratched his head slightly and sat down.
“Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay.”
“Anyway, Chansik, don’t you want to broadcast with Jinhyuk? Given your skills, it seems like it could work out. Your characters don’t even overlap.”
It seemed Jinhyuk must have asked him beforehand.
I shook my head at Dongsu-hyung’s question.
“Being good at games doesn’t mean I should broadcast myself. Honestly, I’m not confident.”
If success in internet broadcasting was just about gaming skills, all pro gamers would be streaming.
Broadcasting wasn’t just about gaming skills.
It required a knack for gauging the audience’s mood, a sense of humor, wit, and consistency in streaming schedule.
There was a lot to it.
What was the point if the gameplay was good, but it wasn’t entertaining?
At my words, Dongsu-hyung let out an exclamation of admiration and nodded
“You sound like an old soul.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“Of course. Maybe it’s because you’ve served in the military? Back in my day, even after serving, people didn’t mature like this… Oh, your words remind me of someone I used to know.”
At that, I paused with my beer halfway to my mouth.
Dongsu-hyung clenched his left hand and grinded his teeth.
“There was this guy who was the best gamer among those I’ve seen, and I had suggested broadcasting to him too. But he said something similar to you.”
I thought I knew who he was talking about.
Did someone scatter a bunch of thumbtacks on my chair?
Why did it suddenly become so uncomfortable?
“That guy showed some unbelievable plays even with a first-generation capsule. That fucking guy.”
“Ah, you mean Sia, right?”
At Jinhyuk’s words, Dongsu-hyung slammed his beer glass down onto the table.
“Yeah, that bastard!”
“Wow, he must have been really good if you’re saying this. It’s the first time I’m hearing you talk like this.”
“He was fucking good, that bastard alone…”
Dongsu-hyung recounted numerous achievements I had accomplished.
Yeah, that was me back then.
I had cleared places deemed impregnable, successfully assassinated the emperor of an empire, and conquered every so-called impossibility.
Thinking back, I really enjoyed gaming then.
I was officially ranked first and was at the pinnacle of dark gamers.
I smirked and nodded.
Then, Dongsu-hyung, who was joyfully talking, looked at me.
“Jinhyuk said you played Gaia Online too? With the physical skills you showed on the broadcast, you could have been quite famous.”
…That dongsaeng.
Never helpful, was he?
Let’s just brush it off for now.
“I played a bit.”
“Ah, thinking about it pisses me off again. If it weren’t for Sia—that guy—we would have cleared Moksi Ryong. If only I knew where he lived, I’d go find him and—bam!”
…Um, you’re looking right at him.
I was itching to speak but had to restrain myself.
Revealing my identity now would surely turn Dongsu-hyung’s beer glass crimson.
So, I looked at Dongsu-hyung and said,
“That guy is truly the worst among the worst.”
“Right? But Chansik, why are you sweating so much? Is it hot?”
“Maybe it’s because I started drinking after being discharged. It feels like I’m sweating out the military water.”
“…Damn, you really not gonna try broadcasting? If you’re just like now, you’d be successful in no time.”
Phew, that was a close call.
It looked like I really needed to watch what I said from now on.
If I got caught, I was in for a world of trouble.
With that firm resolution in mind, I downed the rest of my beer.
The sudden drinking session with Dongsu-hyung ended without a hitch.
I downed bomb shots one after another, but I tried hard not to get drunk.
Because I had no idea what might slip out of my mouth if I did.
Had I drunkenly confessed that I was “Sia,” I probably would have been boarding the train to the afterlife by now in celebration of my discharge.
I managed to send a drunk Dongsu-hyung home safely and returned to sleep at my place with Jinhyuk.
Even my dream was horribly dreadful.
Streamers I had backstabbed in the past came to me in a dream, beating me up as a group.
Phew.
I didn’t even want to think about it.
Anyway, that’s how my first morning as a reservist dawned.
Jinhyuk, weak to alcohol, was still sprawled out on the bed asleep.
The time was exactly 6 AM.
My eyes opened automatically, still not free from the military’s biological rhythm.
I drank a hangover remedy I had bought the night before and stretched lightly.
Then, I picked up the latest smartphone Jinhyuk got me to celebrate my discharge and sat on the sofa.
– If you have time, come to my show. Try it out like Jinhyuk said. Or, if not, I’ll pay you an appearance fee, so think of it as a part-time job. I’ll settle the sponsorship money separately too.
– Han Dongsu.
A message from Dongsu-hyung was waiting on the smartphone.
I had always felt this, but he was such a good person.
He often got treated like a pushover by his viewers because he took care of the people around him too well.
This aspect hadn’t changed, not in the past nor now.
Hmm.
Seeing this, it seemed like our first meeting yesterday was quite to his liking.
Hyung is always consistent.
But being human, I had a conscience.
How could I face him proudly when I had betrayed him for personal reasons?
– Ah, let’s set the appearance fee to about 100. If you’re interested, give me a call. Hyung is playing a new game tomorrow, and I need a guest with good physical strength. Sleep well. It was nice meeting you, and thanks for taking care of me last night, Chansik. Let’s keep in touch and see each other often.
– Han Dongsu
People said you were a fool if you were too nice.
But that 100 he mentioned, it wouldn’t be 100 won, right?
…This seemed worth putting my conscience aside for a moment and giving it a try.
Considering how hard it was to find part-time jobs these days, it would definitely take some time to find one.
Hmm.
Should I close my eyes and appear on his broadcast just one more time?
Considering the amount of sponsorship money that would burst in Dongsu-hyung’s broadcast, even if I was only getting a portion, it was an extremely exceptional offer.
From what I’ve heard, Dongsu-hyung occasionally made such offers to budding streamers.
He was, under the guise of discovering new streamers, the big brother of TwiPot.
Since he also formed a connection with Jinhyuk this way, that message couldn’t be a lie.
I mulled over it while sinking deeper into the sofa.
Thinking it over, there wasn’t a better opportunity than this.
My antics in Excalibur were already attracting quite a bit of attention on TwiPot.
Though more people were unaware of me than those who knew, appearing in Dongsu-hyung’s broadcast could significantly boost my recognition.
It was a no-loss deal.
Especially if I could keep my identity as “Sia” of Gaia Online well hidden.
“Phew.”
After much deliberation, I finally made up my mind.
Yeah, let’s do it just one more time.
For an appearance fee of a million won, there was no reason to refuse, right?
After deciding, I immediately called Dongsu-hyung through the smartphone.
Tu-tu-tu.
– “…Hello?”
“Dongsu-hyung, it’s Chansik.”
– “Ah…Chansik, sorry, but…”
“Yes?”
– “I just finished streaming and laid down.”
Ah, right.
He was someone who streamed late into the night.
Despite having drunk with us last night, Dongsu-hyung went home and started his broadcast.
It seemed like the broadcast had not finished until now.
Indeed, he was a streamer to the bone.
– “Come to my place by 6 PM later. Ask Jinhyuk if you need to. I already told the viewers, so just come comfortably.”
He had already told the viewers without even confirming with me?
Definitely, it was an offer hard to turn down, and Dongsu-hyung must have thought I would accept it.
Dongsu-hyung conveyed some basic preparations to me and then said in a tired voice.
– “Calling at 6 AM is crossing the line a bit, Chansik.”
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
– “Just kidding, I’ll let it slide since you were a soldier until yesterday. See you later.”
Right, it was 6 AM?
With that, Dongsu-hyung ended the call.
Hmm…
He said he would let it slide because I was a soldier just until yesterday, but I wonder would he also let past issues slide?
Ah, probably not.
