NOVEL NEXT Chapter 58
Recently, there was a whoosh Switch EOW streamer competition.
It gained praise for being one of the best official broadcasts on Switch and has become the most viewed broadcast among Switch viewers lately.
Naturally, the attention turned to the streamers who participated in the competition, especially focusing even more on the winning team.
If there’s a prominent streamer in that winning team who draws in viewers with every broadcast, the attention only intensifies.
The bigger the stature, the more excessive the attention, whether it’s wanted or not.
Some people become interested not just in the broadcasts the streamer hosts, but in the streamer themselves.
What kind of person they are, what their personality is, who they have good chemistry with during broadcasts—essentially, all the personal details about them.
Up to this point, everything is fine. This can be chalked up to fan affection.
But crossing that line is all too easy, and some malicious viewers may not even realize there’s a line to be crossed.
Maybe they are aware but choose to ignore it.
They thoroughly investigate what their favorite streamer ate today, who they met, and what their daily life is like during breaks, FBI-style.
They don’t think about how their actions hurt that person or what it has to do with them.
To them, that just doesn’t matter anymore.
In the cyber world, people wearing the mask of anonymity become more brutal and cold than in reality.
It’s as if they express the suppressed instincts they held back in real life, indiscriminately pouring out emotions aimed at specific targets.
This is why certain streamers are often referred to as emotional trash bins.
Ding ding ding [Naerisulmun] donated 1000 won!
-How was yesterday? How was yesterday? How was yesterday? How was yesterday? How was yesterday? How was yesterday? How was yesterday? How was yesterday? How was yesterday? How was yesterday? How was yesterday? How was yesterday?
The donation, often called a “high mound of rice,” was played back in a robotic voice that mimics a child’s reading.
Listening to the buggy mechanical sound, Ryuah clutched her aching head.
Ryuah has entered the broadcast!
[Just arrived back (•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑̑]
Since she had moved to a far region and taken two days off, Ryuah’s stream attracted more viewers than usual—actually, it was way more than usual.
[Share the company dinner stories~]
[Didn’t turn on the cam?]
[Ryuah, hello!]
[Is Mollru pretty? Is Mollru pretty? Is Mollru pretty? Is Mollru pretty? Is Mollru pretty? Is Mollru pretty? Is Mollru pretty?]
[Mic seems off]
[The Bangjang is dizzy because there are too many people—upvote, lol]
[It’s okay]
The day after the company dinner had arrived.
Despite that, the first team member to turn on the stream was Ryuah, and viewers who were waiting for anyone from Team Jacky to go live flocked in.
Ryuah calmly chose her words.
“Company dinner stories, of course. Where to start…”
[Is Mollru pretty? Is Mollru pretty? Is Mollru pretty? Is Mollru pretty? Is Mollru pretty?]
[Oh, for the love of— that Mollru again]
[Whatever, just talk about anything]
[That’s your concern, right?]
[Just say whatever comes to mind]
“One thing that comes to mind… I think I drank too much and messed up, you know? I’m usually not that kind of person.”
[Lol, this is already funny]
[What mess up?]
[Did you confess to Tex?]
[That’s a clear sign]
Confetti emoji [Congratulations!]
“Oh, it’s not a confession. It’s not that, okay? If you keep making stuff up, I won’t tell you the stories.”
The chat room became flooded with comments like “Sorry, just joking, lol.”
Even the incoming fluid viewers couldn’t type any more harsh comments when Ryuah said she wouldn’t share her story.
After some time, as the atmosphere settled and everyone’s anticipation heightened, Ryuah opened her mouth.
“First, I met Tex oppa at Busan Station and took the KTX. Winter was freezing, and I felt like I’d freeze to death. I’m glad I wore warm clothes. Since we were coming from far away, we bought tickets early just in case we couldn’t match the arrival time, and guess what? We arrived first. Oh, normally, the person living far arrives first, right? But considering streamer time… Hmmm… I was an amateur. But since I’m the youngest, it’s okay to wait a bit, right?”
Ryuah clicked the mouse, showing the train ticket she had bought.
With the visual aid, the viewers’ focus sharpened as they started engaging with Ryuah’s story, throwing in comments here and there.
From tales about winter to transportation in Busan, and why streamers are late to meetings, the conversation flowed naturally with the viewers as Ryuah continued her narrative.
“So when we entered the restaurant, there was only the director there. While we waited for the others, we started chatting, and then Cheolwoo showed up. Who was the latest to arrive, you ask? Should I say this…?”
Ryuah’s meaningful smile was immediately met with donations.
Ding ding ding [Satan’s Temptation] donated 10,000 won!
-Stop dragging and spill it!
[For real, lol]
[Ryuah was flustered just yesterday, and now she’s collecting donations like a pro]
[She’s a pro streamer now, eh?]
[Team members are all cheeky]
[So, who was late?]
[Judging by the image, must be Mollru]
“Well… Mollru was the last to arrive. She got lost and wandered around for ages. At first, we thought she wouldn’t come, so we ordered food among ourselves. Then she walked in later. Who went to pick her up? Um… none of us knew Mollru’s number. Yep! That’s how it went down.”
[Legendary, lol]
[Didn’t swap numbers before meeting?]
[Must be super lazy]
[Mollrugie and crew apologize…]
[It’s surprising she even showed up]
Ding ding ding [Real Name Warrior Park Hanbeom] donated 10,000 won!
-So, is Mollru pretty?
While Ryuah talked about Mollru, a donation arrived at just the right time during a pause in the audio.
Although Ryuah had been avoiding the topic about Mollru’s appearance, it seemed too difficult to skip this time.
With a face that said “here it comes,” Ryuah opened her mouth.
“Mollru’s face… wait, but Mollru doesn’t use a cam. I can’t just talk freely about that. I didn’t get her permission or anything.”
[Just say it]
[Half of the folks here seem to be here just to hear about it]
[If you didn’t want to talk about it, you shouldn’t have had the company dinner, lol]
[Can’t help what comes up in conversation, can we?]
[Look at these people, as if it’s not their concern at all]
“I’m telling you she’s beautiful! Mollru is lovely! When she walked in, nobody recognized her, and everyone was dumbfounded. Mollru and I are the same age so We became friends… Oops.”
With those words from Ryuah, the chat began to scroll down like a whirlwind, making it hard to even see the words as they whizzed by.
Amidst the flood of comments, only the word Mollru flickered through.
*
“Yes, welcome. Didn’t you all just hear everything in Ryuah’s stream? I caught glimpses while eating.”
Having completed her company dinner stories, Ryuah wrapped up her stream, citing overindulgence as her reason.
Satisfied viewers waved her off gently, and soon they flocked to Tex’s live stream.
As people with a keen interest in Mollru’s appearance filled the chat, they began leaving the same question for Tex as well.
“I thought I wouldn’t really see a question about appearance, but wow, is this really happening? Now, look here.”
Tex opened a drawing program and started sketching while explaining everything step by step.
“If I dodge the answer, everyone will think ‘Oh, he must be hiding because she’s ugly,’ right? If I say she’s beautiful, they’ll either not believe it and ask how I could call her ugly to her face, or they’ll freak out saying ‘Wow, she’s really pretty; is Mollru on celebrity level?’ right?”
[Exactly, lol]
[Look at Tex’s insight]
[So is she pretty?]
[Only the jealous ones think that; the rest of us take it as it is]
[I saw the future…]
“I did get a casual go-ahead from Mollru. She figured something like this would come up. When people ask about her looks, she suggested saying whatever is easy for me.”
[Wow]
[Mollru’s confidence is off the charts, dang]
[So, is she pretty?]
“Honestly, I’ll say what I genuinely feel. Yes, she is pretty. Ryuah’s right. She’s just that pretty.”
The viewers, thrilled to hear the answer they wanted from Tex, wrapped up the storytelling and began seeking other destinations following his gaming stream.
Next, Papi Joah’s stream started, and the revolving door began once again.
Like a swarm of locusts, every time any member of Team Jacky went live, the viewers jammed in until the after-show stories finished, and then they dispersed.
This chain of events ended with Cheolwoo, and realizing there was nowhere else to go, the viewers gathered at Mollru’s chat room, where the broadcast had not yet started.
In the chat room of the ownerless stream, viewers chatted among themselves.
With no notice about whether the streamer would go live today, they waited idly.
Just as expectations began to rise,
Finally, Mollru’s stream was activated.