Chapter 62: Know this one
by AfuhfuihgsThe way to play the game Baekro chose was simple.
Two people control a triangle and a square using their respective WASD and arrow keys, moving them to the designated passing point.
Due to various obstacles in between, it was a game that could become a major culprit in destroying friendships if their coordination wasn’t right.
“Alright, I’ll take the arrow keys.”
“Ah, then I’ll use the alphabet keys.”
Being on the right, I automatically took the arrow keys.
Baekro, on the left, claimed WASD.
Since Baekro plays a lot of games, that side would probably be more comfortable for her than the arrow keys.
As the game started, a red square and triangle appeared on the left and right respectively.
A maze-like path.
The gate to the next stage was at the top.
Let’s see, should I try moving first?
“Aha, so it goes like this?”
As I pressed the arrow keys a few times as a test.
The square started moving around accordingly.
Moving slightly to the side.
A light was blinking inside a pit.
Seeing the red dotted line forming a square, it was clear what action was required.
“Ah, Unnie, please enter that square first!”
“Oh, it looks like I have to, just by looking at it.”
As soon as Cheongha saw the sight, she mashed the arrow keys.
Making someone move like this without a single word of explanation, they really made this game well.
That thought occurred to me.
Tiring-
-Giiiing
As I entered the square in the pit.
With a distinctive notification sound, the elevator carrying Baekro moved.
“Hup!”
Baekro successfully got off the elevator and reached the second floor.
Simultaneously, a blinking square appeared in front of her too.
There was something like a claw machine grabber attached below it, so it probably uses that to pull me up.
So now, Baekro just needs to enter that square…
“Alright, say ‘pull me up~’.”
“……..”
-? lol
-She’s teasing her.
-Is it okay when she’s right next to her…?
-Uh oh,
“…Baekro-nim?”
“Yes, eh…?”
Baekro, who was in the middle of teasing, suddenly turned her head.
Thanks to that, her eyes met Cheongha’s, who was looking at her.
The expression created by her characteristic sharp eyes and downturned corners of her mouth was less like a person and more like…
‘Uh, a f*cking pissed-off cobra?’
Yes.
It reminded her of a cobra she had fleetingly seen in a documentary her dad liked.
Standing rigidly upright.
A king cobra that looked like it would spit venom and tear apart the lion in front of it at any moment.
In short, her aura was that intense.
“Eeing….”
Unable to withstand that gaze, Baekro meekly entered the square.
‘What the…’
I wasn’t even that angry.
I was just going to ask her to pull me up properly, why is she so scared?
Cheongha, secretly hurt by Baekro’s reaction, turned her head again.
She herself was smiling, but what could she do?
Her basic impression itself was sharp.
This was truly a matter to be taken up with God—the illustrator.
After that, the game continued.
“Eueee…?”
“…What are you doing?”
Midway, Baekro recklessly started off on her own and died by falling into a thorn pit.
“Unnie?!?!”
“Sorry, mistake.”
Or sometimes I entered the random puzzle squares incorrectly and killed Baekro.
Well, for the most part, it was peaceful.
“Aaahk!! I died again!”
-lol
-Baekro suffers again today.
-Baek-o-tong~ (Baekro suffering)
“Sigh… Let’s just stop here for now.”
Baekro, who somehow cleared the stage through conceptual saves and cheese tactics, sighed.
“Yeah, that’s better.”
If we keep playing this game, both of us might collapse from anger.
Indeed, there was a reason why co-op games were called friendship-destroying games.
Turning her head to look at the clock, an hour and a half had already passed.
Wow, we were stuck on this for over an hour?
[Bald Stork donated 5,000 Won]
-Come to think of it, is Cheongha pretty?
A donation message arrived.
“Ah, Cheongha Unnie? Don’t be surprised. She’s really pretty. The prettiest person I’ve ever seen.”
“Haaa….”
Compliments about looks are nice when you hear them from afar on the street.
But hearing it directly from an acquaintance right next to me feels a bit strange.
“Ah, but your eyes are a little sharp.”
“….I admit that.”
Sometimes I do envy other people.
They don’t have to worry about being misunderstood because of their gaze, right?
“Still, I think it suits your atmosphere better. Since you have the looks, you’d be incredibly pretty if you smiled?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
Still, this is part of my charm.
Cold ice princess on the outside, but kind only to her people – that’s the complete Ren.
-Is she celebrity-level pretty?
-If Baekro says that much, isn’t she really pretty?
-Honestly, she can’t say she’s ugly when she’s right next to her.
-Baekro’s life was spared again today….
-Phew, survived again today!
-But why a Vtuber then…
-Honestly, it’s not that much..
“Hmph, it’s true! ….But Unnie, are you really not a celebrity?”
Baekro, getting worked up by the viewers’ comments, threw a question at Ren.
Right, I was wondering why this question hadn’t come up.
“….Well?”
I vaguely avoided eye contact and dodged the answer.
Well, I can’t just say “I’m a celebrity” openly on stream, can I?
Japanese + celebrity + good at Korean + leisurely enough to stream, and no recent schedule.
If the candidates were narrowed down that much, my real identity would fall within that category.
‘It’s a good thing I haven’t done a singing stream yet….’
If singing ability were added to this, the pool of candidates would narrow even further.
The day my name gets leaked would just be a confirmation kill.
For that reason too, it’s better to avoid mentioning the entertainment industry as much as possible.
“Anyway, should we eat first and then continue? Mom said she made something delicious.”
“Huh? Me too?”
“Of course, we have a guest, so we have to treat you!”
And so, led by Baekro’s hand, I was unexpectedly guided to the dining table.
“Oh my, hello~”
“Ah, yes… hello.”
Baekro’s mother greeted me warmly.
From being welcomed by a friend’s parents at their home, to a well-prepared meal.
It was all an unfamiliar sight.
The menu was Korean food.
It was the typical spread one would imagine when thinking of Korean food overseas.
“So, you’re Seohyun’s friend?”
“Ah, yes. My name is Cheongha.”
“Oh my, even your name is pretty~!”
For a moment, I considered giving my real name.
But since I didn’t know what might happen, I decided to tell her my activity name for now.
“When I first saw you, I thought you were some celebrity~”
“Ah, yes…. I hear that often.”
“Seriously, Unnie, I don’t know why you’re a Vtuber?”
The harmonious atmosphere continued.
“That was delicious~!”
“Thank you.”
After finishing the meal, we headed back to the soundproof booth.
“Yes, everyone~ We’re back!”
-Oh, you’re back?
-We ate too.
-Not going out anywhere?
“Well, it’s too late to go out now.”
Now that I’m indoors, I can’t be bothered to go out again.
I wasn’t like this when I was active; is my body slowly adapting to the hikikomori life?
At this rate, I feel like I’ll completely become a homebody, so I considered maybe starting some exercise later.
“Well then, since it’s awkward to play a game, we’ll just chat a bit and end the stream~”
-???
-Huh?
-Hey, don’t go.
-Don’t run away.
-Catch Kim Cheongha.
“Cheongha~ Would it be okay to start the interview in earnest~?”
Ignoring the protests rising in the chat window, Baekro spoke to Cheongha.
“….Yes, by all means. I’ll answer everything I can.”
But didn’t she ask pretty much everything worth asking earlier?
“Then, why did you suddenly move to Korea like this?”
Baekro tilted her head, her face showing genuine curiosity.
Right, from their perspective, it was as if I moved to Korea immediately after recovering from an accident.
“Well, I just felt like it was time to start taking streaming seriously.”
Well, I couldn’t exactly say it was because I thought Corona would spread, so I gave a roughly similar reason.
Well, it’s not particularly wrong either.
That was definitely one of the reasons I decided to move to Korea.
“If I want to join an MCN and stuff, I thought it would be better to live in Korea.”
“So I came as soon as I thought of it.”
“Ah, that’s true.”
Baekro nodded in agreement.
Whichever MCN it is, you have to meet face-to-face at least once to sign a contract.
Considering various other factors, it might be better to just move to Korea altogether.
‘But this Unnie’s execution power is no joke.’
To decide to leave the country immediately after recovering.
In a way, isn’t her execution power even better than mine?
“Then, I also have one question I’d like to ask Baekro-nim, is that okay?”
“Ah, yes! It’s fine to ask!”
Just as she thought that, Cheongha’s question came.
Alright, since permission has been granted….
After a brief pause, I opened my mouth.
“Um, actually, I want to try conducting my stream like Baekro, what would be the best way to do that?”
“Ah, so. ….Huh? M-Me?!”
Baekro’s reaction, as if she hadn’t expected it at all, came back.
Why that reaction?
“Oh, it’s the first time someone’s asked me for something like that….”
“It’s just that your ability to converse naturally with viewers and joke around while progressing is truly outstanding.”
“As a beginner, I wanted to get some related advice.”
In contrast to her characteristic personality, Baekro’s hosting ability was tremendous.
Didn’t she drag me into participating in a killer game just a little while ago?
‘It’s an essential element to become a major streamer.’
They say you usually create that kind of style yourself, but there’s a seasoned veteran right next to me.
There’s no need not to ask for advice, is there?
“Hmm….”
Baekro, who had been pondering my question for a moment, opened her mouth.
“It’s just that, somehow, I found courage?”
Since it’s not like directly confronting viewers, the anxiety that comes from relationships with people decreased.
“I gained confidence.”
“That even if the content I prepared bombs, those people wouldn’t leave me.”
“Something like that.”
And so, she automatically started conversing comfortably with viewers and conducting her stream, and her wit came alive.
Naturally, new viewers came in and repeatedly fell for her charm.
-ㅠㅠ..
-What, this is touching…
-We won’t leave, Baekro Baekro-ya..
-I’m burying my bones here from now on.
“I’m sorry, I’ve only been streaming for a few years….”
“Ah, it’s okay.”
Thanks to you, I was able to realize what I had forgotten.
Those people I watched in my past life.
The reason why my broadcast couldn’t reach them.
‘I was just unknowingly steeped in my celebrity days.’
Now, I am undeniably a virtual streamer.
I had forgotten that celebrity fandoms and streamer fandoms have different tendencies.
The image that celebrities beyond the TV screen are unapproachable.
If it’s literally like an idol.
An internet broadcaster was like a friend.
What happened yesterday, what did you eat this morning.
Unlike celebrities who live in a world detached from our reality.
Those people who talk about everyday things made you realize that they were once ordinary people just like you.
No matter how many everyday life reality shows come out these days, celebrities could never beat internet broadcasters in that aspect.
The basic premise was different from the start.
No matter how good and expensive a sports car’s blueprint is, you can’t build a truck with it, can you?
For the majority of fans, an internet broadcaster was like a friend who would come directly to comfort them when they were having a hard time.
A friend who visits every day to share updates on each other’s lives.
That’s why I liked internet broadcasting in my past life.
“You’ve already helped me enough.”
Cheongha thanked Baekro.
Thinking about the newfound realization, a smile unconsciously leaked out.
And the answer that came back from her was.
“….Damn, your smile is f*cking pretty.”
It was a remark that completely shattered the touching atmosphere from just moments before.
Ah, so this is why internet broadcasting is considered niche?
About two weeks passed like that.
[Kim Cheongha is starting a live stream]
[Title: Virtual Streamer Kim Cheongha, returning as of today]
Cheongha’s broadcast once again appeared on Live Stream.
0 Comments