NOVEL NEXT Chapter 40
It’s been a week since the viewbot incident erupted and solutions were proposed.
In the meantime, the streamers who were using viewbots and were previously on the top ranks got promptly banned, and even some small-time streamers who were using them were facing sanctions, leading to a noteworthy recovery of public sentiment regarding cheese.
Thanks to that, I planned to meet my older sister Seo-ha again today with a much lighter heart.
– Man! I’ve even gone to a sauna with your owner and done everything!
– Does a viewbot detection program… make money?
I was immediately hit with an unexpected mental attack.
The voice coming from Seo-ha’s phone belonged to none other than me. Recently, when the management team posted their apology, I had recorded a skit that they animated into a video.
The creator sent it to me with permission to use commercially, and the moment it was uploaded to YouTube, it quickly surpassed 100,000 views, gaining a cult following.
Given that it coincided with the cheese viewbot incident, it seemed to attract even more public interest.
In fact, the last time I checked a few days ago, it had just over 100,000 views, and when I casually looked this morning, it was already over 300,000. What on earth was going on?
“…Sister, can you at least use earphones while watching?”
Well, that was fine up to that point. The problem was that a fan was playing that video obnoxiously loud in front of me, and I felt a strange sense of shame. Is this a new form of bullying?
I understood they were trying to kill time before the food arrived, but there was no need for that specific video to be played. As I said before, at least use earphones.
“Hehe, why? It’s just too fun.”
“I feel like I’m going to get humiliated. You’re doing this on purpose, right?”
“Ah, you caught me? But it was just too funny to see Uju looking flustered!”
“….”
This sister seems to be getting more playful by the day.
Seeing me shoot her an obvious glare, Seo-ha eventually said, “Okay, okay. I’ll finish watching it at home,” and closed her phone.
Well, she claimed to have played it over 50 times when we met this morning. By now, she should be done watching it. How serious could she be about the views?
“By the way, it’s pretty popular, huh?”
“It’s because the animation is good.”
“Of course, the animation quality is great, but it’s your acting that makes it enjoyable. Just look at the comments!”
Well, when I checked the comments this morning, there were plenty saying my acting was unnecessarily high-quality, and others wondering if it was cringe-worthy.
So, I couldn’t really argue against her, but it was still a little embarrassing.
“At this rate, it won’t be long until we hit 100,000 subscribers, right? It’s already over 70,000!”
Seo-ha turned on her phone again and showed me the rising subscriber count.
Just a few days ago, it was barely over 20,000, and now it was climbing toward 80,000 just like she said. It was truly a response I never could have imagined until recently.
I actually had a happy dilemma regarding this point.
“My editor feels the same. At this rate, hitting 100,000 won’t be a problem, so let’s prepare for a 100,000 celebration event in advance.”
“That’s a good idea. Do you have any ideas in mind?”
“Well, nothing particularly. The only thing that comes to mind is a Q&A session, but I wonder if anyone would be interested….”
A Q&A is commonly used content when achieving a certain subscriber or follower milestone, not just on YouTube but also in live broadcasts.
The real question was whether there would be enough people interested in my private life to be curious about it.
I mean, if I were a cute female streamer, it would be a different story, but who would be curious about the private life of a 20-something hikikomori guy whose face they don’t even know? If there were, I’d just be curious about what was going on in their heads.
“At least, I’m interested! Just casually ask for around 100 questions.”
“…If I did that, the video would probably be over an hour long.”
“Even better!”
But here was someone right in front of me asking for that. Moreover, this sister genuinely seemed like she wanted 100 questions, which was even scarier.
“Anyway, it may be a bit late, but in celebration of my moving in and the YouTube channel launch, you should eat a lot, Uju.”
“Are you buying again, sister? When will I ever repay this debt…?”
I scratched my cheek awkwardly as Seo-ha clinked her glass of champagne lightly with mine.
At least if we split the bill, I wouldn’t feel bad at all, but since she always ends up paying, I increasingly felt like I was accumulating debt.
The last time she helped me find an editor, the ‘reward’ I gave was frankly embarrassing to call a reward, so I definitely wanted to show my gratitude properly someday.
“If you really feel bad, then next time, you treat, okay? There is a condition, though.”
“A condition?”
I was puzzled as to why there would even be a condition for paying for food, so I asked back with a confused face.
I would’ve been happy if she’d just asked me to buy an expensive meal, but she didn’t seem like the type to demand such things at all.
“Well, I want to eat the food you made, Uju. Can you manage that?”
“Food… I made?”
I was curious about what kind of condition she was trying to impose, and was stunned by her unexpected request.
“Yeah, you’ve always said on your stream that ever since you started living alone, the only thing you gained was cooking skills.”
“Uh, well… I did say that.”
Seo-ha blocked my retreat with evidence, nodding with a slightly unhappy expression.
That was indeed true; since I began living alone, my cooking skills had improved considerably.
In the early days, I struggled with living expenses while eating only delivery food, which quickly exhausted my taste buds, pushing me towards seeking home-cooked meals.
But even so, my skills were rather lacking when it came to serving someone else.
“Honestly, all I can make is some soybean paste stew and omelets. Are you sure it’s okay?”
“Of course! I love soybean paste stew!”
I tried to feign some exaggeration to change her mind, but instead, she seemed to sparkle at the prospect.
This might be rude to say, but I imagined her starting her day with eggs benedict and salad rather than soybean paste stew. Would she really be fine with it?
“If you want it that much, it’s not difficult for me to make. I’ll treat you next time when I have time.”
“Really? Wow…!”
With her looking at me with such a pleading gaze, I couldn’t refuse and had to nod in agreement.
Just like a child receiving a gift, Seo-ha beamed with pure joy, making it hard to believe she was two years older than me.
While I watched her skip around happily, at one point, she rested her chin on her hand and started looking at me with half-moon eyes.
There was a vibe that seemed to say, “You fell for it!”
I blinked in confusion before suddenly realizing.
…Wait, this means if I’m treating her to my home-cooked meal, it means Seo-ha will have to come over to my house?
“Wait a second, no! How about I repay you some other way….”
As I awkwardly tried to change the subject, she looked at me smiling, as if she had just won a victory, and held out her pinky.
“You promised, okay?”
“…….”
So this was her plan, damn it.
*
That evening, I returned home and turned on my stream as usual.
By the way, today, Seo-ha had driven over personally and dropped me off right in front of my house. Before leaving, she waved her hand and said, “Next time, I’ll get to see your house,” and walked away, which felt eerily intimidating.
What’s so interesting about the inside of a guy’s house?
【Kokkiyaho】 – Wow, your YouTube growth is insane!
【Whirlwind Flower 2】 – At this rate, you’ll hit 100,000 easily, right?
【Passing App Dungi】 – Is this the king of cheese?
During the usual stream, we ended up taking some time to explore the YouTube channel, and the viewers’ reactions were explosive.
【White Forest】 – Any plans for an event when you hit 100,000?
“I’ve been thinking about it a bit, but I’m still not sure. Maybe we’ll just do a light Q&A?”
【Fallen Flower】 – Nope!
【Catfish With Salmon】 – Nope!
【Allfreed】 – Close it!
As expected, it seemed the viewers were looking forward to a special event to commemorate the 100,000 milestone, as they reacted to my standard answer with disappointment and begged for something different.
So what should I do then? I don’t really have anything special to show for hitting 100,000 in the first place.
【‘Small-time streamer sniper’ donated 10,000 cheese!】
– (Video donation)
“Ah, thank you, Small-time streamer sniper, for the 10,000 cheese donation!”
As I tried to ignore the unrealistic suggestions from the viewers and was about to close the browser, an unusual nickname appeared along with a video donation.
It sent a chill down my spine, but I clicked the video to see what it contained, and the voice I could hear was none other than mine.
– No way, I don’t even watch YouTube! Who would watch a video of a mere 10 viewers?
– “100,000? Are you kidding? Who’s going to pet a dog named 100,000? Come on…. If I ever hit 100,000, I’ll do a special dance and bow down. Get real!”
Considering the background wall that didn’t even have my fan art character displayed, it looked like a video from the ancient past, during the days I hardly remember.
The problem was the things I was saying in that recording were seriously alarming.
Wait, when was that? Did I really say such things?
“Hey, dude! Where did you even find this? What video is this from? I have no memory of this…!?”
Even I had no recollection of this video, which felt like a relic from the distant past. No matter how hard I searched my mind, there were fragments of memories I couldn’t dig up, and I was shocked as if I had touched fire.
But there was no reply. Aligning with that nickname’s concept, it seemed like they were just a content thief, sniffing around for old videos and then disappearing.
【Alpaca Hunter】 – LMAO!!!!
【Mongoo Sam】 – You actually have that, LOL!!!
【BlueRageGame】 – Are you really talking out of both sides of your mouth?
【Next-Door Neighbors’ Hani】 – 100,000 event? Count me in!
“…Ah.”
And falling victim to that concept, I couldn’t help but let out a sigh amidst the rapidly changing views in the chat.
Ah man, this is it.