NOVEL NEXT Chapter 43
After revealing my face, I doubted whether what I was seeing was real due to the rapid-fire chat responses.
“Isn’t the reaction more positive than I expected? I thought I’d be lucky if it wasn’t too harsh.”
“Uh… Hello? I’m Cosmo. Seems like this is my first time greeting you directly.”
【Kokkiyaho】- Ooooooh, big broooooo!
【Hounyangie】- Meow, meow, meow!
【Bera666】- I thought he was just a pretty face, but his looks are off the charts! Hahaha!
【Catfish With Salmon】- Cheese’s Cha Eun-woo! Cheese’s Cha Eun-woo! Cheese’s Cha Eun-woo!
Just one greeting, and I feel a huge disconnect with the frenzied chat.
“Come on, you guys aren’t supposed to be like this! Normally here, you’d go like ‘meh’ or ‘just average,’ right? Why are you being so awkward about it?”
【‘JustAteAndWokeUp’ donated 10,000 Cheese!】
– I meant it for you, I really did!
“Thank you, JustAteAndWokeUp… Eek, it’s a bit awkward to react after showing my face.”
Usually, I’d speak a little louder during donation reactions, but reacting while trying to look at my face and keeping my expression straight is hard, so I just replied calmly.
“I hope no one curses me for my lame reaction to the donations…”
“Anyway, I exposed my face as promised and as you wanted, but I guess a lot of you are disappointed since I look different from what you expected, right?”
【Moscos】- Disappointing!
【Lucid Dream 7】- It’s different from what I thought, but I’m not disappointed…
【Alpaca Hunter】- Not disappointed, but I feel incredibly betrayed…
【Whirlwind Flower 2】- How can someone with this face still be a loner…?
What’s with the betrayal over just showing my face?
“Anyway, I’m relieved it’s not super negative.”
“Honestly, I thought about it a lot. I never mentioned it to you, but I should say I lack confidence… I was worried that it might actually disappoint people seeing me in real life.”
【Allfreed】- ?
【K-HipHopTopCosmo】- With that face?
【Cro-Magnon】- If you lack confidence with that face, then what are we?
I’m not just talking about looks, but it seems the viewers are getting angry.
Well, this isn’t exactly the best topic for a broadcast anyway; it could ruin the atmosphere, so it’s probably best to keep my mouth shut.
“Well, I’m happy that you’re welcoming me more than I thought. Let’s see each other often, okay?”
I promised myself I’d try to turn on the camera more often since the viewers seem to welcome me, and I forced my stiff facial muscles to smile as best as I could.
【White Forest】- Stop it! I like girls!!!
【Chuu Chuu】- Wait, why’s my heart racing…?
【Adios Dao】- Is this the plot…?
【Pink Rabbit】- Saying all that with that face and voice? It’s like a cheat code, what the hell…
The responses were a bit intense, but it wasn’t a completely disliked vibe, so I let out a sigh of relief internally.
Geez, it hasn’t even been 30 minutes since showing my face, and I already feel exhausted.
【‘CosmoMustProtect’ donated 1,000,000 Cheese!】
– Please turn on your camera often. You’re so good-looking!
As I reached for the water beside me, yet again the chairman sent a hefty donation with a blushing comment.
“Uh, thank you for the 1 million Cheese, Chairman… But how do I react to this…?”
Normally if a donation like that comes in, I’d go all out and give the biggest reaction possible, but today, with the camera on, it’s hard to muster the energy.
I can’t just because the camera’s on act all hoity-toity and ignore the reaction, so I need to think of something to do, when the chairman spoke again.
【CosmoMustProtect】- Then please sing a song!
“Oh, a song? Sure! That shouldn’t be a problem right now.”
Honestly, asking for a song with that kind of donation is like a loss for the viewers, considering I usually sing pretty well anyway.
But the chairman seems to know my inner thoughts, picking singing as an easier reaction out of consideration.
That’s something to be grateful for.
“Let me grab my guitar. Just a moment.”
I asked for understanding and brought the guitar that had been left alone in the corner of the room.
“I’ll sing a song and then we can move on to Q&A. Is everyone alright with that?”
【Blue Rage Game】- Sure!
【29ana】- A singer can’t resist! Hahaha!
【Lemon Candy】- Now that he’s got the guitar, it’s a masterpiece!
The compliments kept coming in, and I couldn’t help but smile wryly.
I know it’s my first camera broadcast, and they’re trying to butter me up, but come on, you don’t need to go that far.
“Alright, I’ll just pick a song since I guess you don’t have any requests?”
【CosmoMustProtect】- Yes!
After briefly mulling over what to sing in my head, I cleared my throat and lightly strummed the guitar strings.
Singing for the first time after revealing my face wasn’t too bad, but I still felt a bit awkward.
*
【‘Kokkiyaho’ donated 1,000 Cheese!】
– Hehehe… Big bro, meow!
【‘NextDoorHani’ donated 5,000 Cheese!】
– How can you be a loner with that look?
【‘LostFrog’ donated 1,000 Cheese!】
– Look at all the desperate ones in the chat! Hahaha!
After finishing the song, the reaction was even more enthusiastic than usual, and the number of viewers had surged to around 2,000.
Whoa, what’s going on? Why are so many people here? Did they come from other streams?
“Thank you for listening. Now, let’s get started with Q&A!”
This was probably what the viewers had really been waiting for, so I decided to clear the air and dive into the Q&A.
I had put a lot of effort into reading every single comment for this Q&A, not sure what everyone was so curious about.
“I selected the questions from the YouTube comments based on likes, and I didn’t filter out the overly personal ones. Some guy even asked for my measurements.”
【Kokkiyaho】- Hahahahahaha!
【tws2425】- I’m curious about that too! Hahaha!
【Audience Noticed】- Oh no, oh no!
“After this, I’ll also take some live questions, so don’t feel too sad if your question doesn’t get picked. Now, let’s go!”
I displayed the first question selected from the comments, and surprisingly, it was pretty normal.
“First question: ‘What did you do before starting streaming?’ I’ve mentioned this a few times on broadcast; I was just an average college student. But then something happened, and I ended up dropping out, now focusing solely on streaming.”
【Catfish With Salmon】- Which college did you go to?
“College? Uhm… Is it okay for me to say this?”
Since it would expose personal info, I hesitated but thought it wouldn’t really matter since my face and name are already out there.
“I went to Seo-han University, which isn’t too far from home…”
【JustThatFace】- ? Seo-han?
【RedBlueBlack】- Wow!
【Passing App Dungi】- You must have studied really hard!
Given that Seo-han ranks just after Korea University in terms of prestige, the viewers showed quite an unexpected reaction. But considering I had dropped out, it doesn’t really matter.
“When I was in high school, I had no idea what I wanted or what I could do. So, I just studied endlessly. My parents were happy about it, but my sister seemed really worried about me. She thought I was going crazy.”
I wasn’t particularly enjoying it; back then, studying was merely an escape from reality. I didn’t feel any confidence in myself, and thought I had to at least accomplish this to survive.
To my sister, I must have looked like a reckless runaway train charging forward without a care. It’s a miracle the end of that track wasn’t a cliff.
【Moscos】- How much effort did you really put in…?
【Hounyangie】- How did such a nice kid turn into a notorious streamer…?
Calling me a notorious streamer seems a bit excessive. Sure, I enjoy messing with the viewers sometimes, but I wouldn’t say I’m that naughty. I’m more on the mild side, really.
“Anyway, let’s move on to the next question: ‘You call yourself a loner all the time; is it true?’ Sadly, yes, that seems to be the case.”
If the person who asked this is watching, I’m tempted to temporarily ban them, but for now, I’ll stay honest in my Q&A.
It’s not exactly surprising.
“I only had one friend up until high school. Even if I count that friend’s girlfriend, she wasn’t really close until I became an adult.”
【Soju Flavored Hand Cream】- Is that friend the one you recommended streaming to?
“Oh, right! After I dropped out and was basically a recluse, he came to me and said, ‘If you’re scared of meeting people, why not try streaming?… Oh.”
Thanks to that viewer guessing correctly, my energy spiked, but I suddenly realized I said something I shouldn’t have and sighed.
The viewers must have sensed something was off, as the chat started filling with hooks.
Crap, I shouldn’t have opened my mouth like that.
【CosmoMustProtect】- Are you someone who finds it hard to interact with people?
“Uhm… a little. This isn’t really a bright topic, but I had some experiences in my childhood that made me uneasy about socializing. I thought it’d get better with age, but it didn’t happen.”
Life doesn’t always go as planned.
Actions that I never thought would result in being hated could end up isolating me, while someone unexpectedly reaches out a hand to lift me out of the abyss.
In good or bad ways, I believe life is just like that.
In that sense, having a chance to communicate with various people while broadcasting is almost a miraculous occurrence.
And I’m always thankful for that.
If the only friend who pulled me out of the abyss is the one who recommended streaming to me, it’s these viewers who are stopping me from falling back into that pit again.
“Well, it’s not exactly a happy story, so let’s move on. Next question: ‘What are your measurements?’ Ah, here we go. Damn it.”
【Astral Chronicle】- Hahahahaha!
【ParkChobo】- Are you crazy? Hahahahaha!
【DinnerIsChickenTonight】- Look at that face, it’s hilarious! Hahahahaha!
To lift what was about to become a cold atmosphere, I read the next question, and the previously gloomy chat burst into laughter and filled with “Hahaha.”
While cursing the idiot who asked that, I secretly felt grateful. Without that, the atmosphere might have stayed awkward.
“I’m 179 cm, so I’m barely under 180 cm. I haven’t checked my weight lately; last I weighed myself, it was around 70 kg. The rest…”
I let my gaze drift downwards and leaned back slightly, flashing a smirk with a thumb up.
“Well, it’s quite something.”
【Bera666】- Cosmo, the Cheese King, has a unique confidence…
【Fallen Flower】- Cosmo is truly the Cheese Prince! Hahaha!
【CosmoMustProtect】- Oh my…
Thus, the highly anticipated first camera broadcast was going surprisingly well, with a pleasant atmosphere.