episode_0007

Even if I blinked and looked again, the numbers didn’t change.

Arisa has about 12,000 viewers, and Neon has about 11,000 viewers.

Checking the thumbnail, there doesn’t seem to be any collaboration or other major content happening.

Arisa had her avatar displayed prominently and was engaged in casual chatting, while Neon was ranking in Hiole.

Well, it’s not a bad thing that the students I taught have become successful in big companies, but it was a bit surprising to see such rapid growth.

Moreover, if this many people are watching an ordinary broadcast, it means it hasn’t been just a day or two.

With trembling hands, I clicked on Arisa’s broadcast.

“…So, you know. I shouted at my hair designer sister, ‘No bangs!’… Yes, yes. My sister was so surprised. You know when she sings in the musical. She shouts with that vocalization, and all the customers around look…”

– Ahahaha, you shouldn’t touch your bangs.

– She must have been really surprised. Arisa has amazing vocals.

– Hahaha.

‘Dare you touch my bangs?’

Arisa’s story was nothing special, just an ordinary conversation. It was about how she shouted in surprise when the hair designer tried to cut her hair without permission.

But what mattered more than the content itself was how it was presented. The descriptions, tone of voice, vocalization, pronunciation, and everything leading up to the main point made it captivating, even though they were trivial details.

Above all, it was nice to be able to listen comfortably without any provocative or annoying sounds.

Other internet broadcasts also have their charms, but some rooms were too loud or burdensome to watch for a long time.

Arisa maintained a consistent tone and atmosphere while keeping the conversation engaging.

It was evident that her broadcasting skills were exceptional, not just because of certain events or circumstances.

Certainly, when I first taught Arisa, she was awkward in conversations and couldn’t speak for long. But to grow this much in just a few months?

I swiped and clicked on Neon’s broadcast this time.

“I used my skill on the Eru-dan priest! Go towards the priest!”

The typing sound of the mechanical keyboard is noisy. The screen quickly moves back and forth across various places. But above all, what stands out is the cute voice of Neon.

“Ah, I told you not to do that! Geez!!!”

-Hahaha

-I can’t solve it today for real.

-Neon failed the promotion test for Grade 3!

-Ah, it’s because of bad luck with the team (seriously).

Already watching the promotion test for Grade 3? If it’s Grade 1, it corresponds to the highest rank that ordinary people can achieve. Above that, there are challenger and transcendent ranks, which are mostly filled with pro-gamer-level users. There are also many pro-gamers below Grade 1.

“Ugh, this is so unfair. We can’t win if there’s a Chinese player on the team!”

-Oh no.

-What?

-What are you talking about?

-It’s true that we can’t win.

-Why did you come all the way here to play when you have your own server?

After observing for a few minutes, it seemed that the strength of this broadcast was a cute foreign girl interacting with viewers in a lively tone. She didn’t cross any major lines, and even if she did, she had the shield of being Japanese, so even if she said something harsh, it would be taken as teasing.

Regardless of how it turned out, I chatted with joy about the streamers I had taught.

[SupportiveFan: Hello, Sensei.]

Then the chat message disappeared quickly.

[Chat has been temporarily disabled for 600 seconds due to inappropriate chat usage.]

Huh?

Why is this happening?

Surely “Hello” isn’t a banned word. Did I mess up the settings?

I left Neon’s room and went to Arisa’s room to chat this time.

[SupportiveFan: Hello. Long time no see. It’s SupportFan.]

[Chat has been permanently suspended due to inappropriate chat usage.]

This time, I received a permanent ban.

Something felt off. No, what did I say to deserve a suspension?

I scrolled down the broadcast screen and checked the cautionary notes in the announcements.

It was common sense that chatting about politics, gender conflicts, sensitive issues, etc., is prohibited.

They also mentioned that any off-topic conversations would result in sanctions.

If viewers fight with each other, they will be immediately banned without exception.

Among these common content found in any broadcast, there were absurd restrictions mixed in.

[Restricted Chat]

[If you use the “Yangchin B,” “Yanglowon Chingmok Breaker,” you will be immediately expelled without warning. Please be cautious.]

[Sensei, if you use “Teacher,” there will be a 600-second timeout. If used twice, it will result in forced expulsion.]

What’s going on?

Just to be sure, I also checked the cautionary notes for the Neon Room, and they have the same content written.

Why am I getting kicked out when I enter my nickname? It’s not even an offensive nickname.

It was quite frustrating.

Is someone impersonating my name and causing trouble? Or did something happen with my room viewers after retirement?

There was no one to ask, so it felt suffocating.

Oh, there is one person. Gogi Bangpae.

I checked the Discord room. They are still there.

[Hi]

As I typed a message and waited for a moment, Gobang’s chat appeared immediately.

[I thought you were dead, but you’re alive?]

[I almost died. I got hit by a truck recently.]

[…Was that news about you? The truck driver who had a heart attack and hit people in the downtown area? How are you doing?]

[I broke two ribs and got some bruises. Nothing serious, they say. Whether it’s good or bad luck.]

[Take it as good luck. But why did you suddenly appear in the chat window? No news for half a year.]

[I quit my job at the company.]

[?]

A question mark appeared right away.

[For real.]

[They said it didn’t cause much trouble. Why did you quit all of a sudden?]

[I want to return to broadcasting.]

[….]

[Why?]

[….]

[I know that reversing retirement is dirty and despicable, but I have to do something.]

[….]

Gobang wasn’t silent or consistent with ‘….’ in his replies.

[Why is this Yangban like this?]

[Do you know the current atmosphere?]

[Oh, right. I was going to ask about that. Why are Aris and Neon so big?]

[That’s because they’re popular in broadcasting. Have you tried chatting in their rooms?]

[Yes, but my nickname is blocked. I got kicked out when I chatted in Aris’ room.]

[Don’t know, asking me?]

[I’m asking because I don’t know.]

[Sigh… Check your email and Hiore chat window.]

[What’s going on…]

[Hurry up.]

After that, there were no more chats from Gobang. I had no choice but to check the broadcast email account.

[New mail 999+]

The mailbox was overflowing, but it wasn’t significantly unusual. Spam emails pile up like crazy in just a month of neglect, and I had left it unattended for about six months. However, something seemed different about the contents. There were an enormous number of emails from Aris and Neon.

“Sensei, come back.”

“Teacher, if we did something wrong, we’ll fix it. Please come back.”

That’s what the initial emails said. As I scrolled up to the more recent dates, the content became more intense.

“We were ultimately nothing, right?”

“I won’t call you teacher anymore. Goodbye…”

And the most recent email was from two months ago. “What is this…”

I recalled what Gobang had said before retiring. Aris and Neon saw me as their father because they were like newly hatched chicks. At that time, I naturally thought it was just some nonsense, and I still think the same now. I was about to turn on Hiole… but hastily canceled it.

If those two were angry with me, the moment I logged into Hiole would be a way of letting them know that I had connected.

“Hey.”

“Saw it?”

“Did I mess up?”

“Yeah.”

It wasn’t a simple problem to consider. I was targeted by two major companies with 10,000 viewers. Even if Twitch is considered a platform with many remote island streamers, it was an environment where survival wasn’t easy.

The fact that it was an indifferent remote island and being attacked as a remote island were completely different issues.

To be honest, when they became major companies, the thought that crossed my mind was that I might gain some indirect benefits. Of course, I intended to keep a certain distance, but still, they wouldn’t pretend not to know me.

But they had firmly distanced themselves from me, and they even designated me as a forbidden topic. It was clear that their hearts had completely left.

Apologizing now wouldn’t make them forgive me. No, wait. Apologize for what? Didn’t I say it before retiring?

Isn’t that a bit too much overthinking?

I don’t know what kind of significance I had to them.

But that doesn’t mean I have to accept everything.

“Well then, can you help me with this nickname laundry?”

“Why did I…?”

“Arisa, you’ve taught me so much all this time. Their broadcasts have grown, and they must have received plenty of incentives, right? It’s irrelevant to ask them to teach those two in the first place.”

“Tsk. That’s why people who are quick-witted…”

“Even if I let my emotions out later, I still have to do the broadcast for now.”

“Got it. Shall we meet up tonight?”

“Meet up? Where?”

“Somewhere offsite, of course.”

“…Ugh.”

“You don’t have to help if you don’t want to.”

“Hyungnim.”

I typed these messages, but I felt a bit uneasy. Gobang’s image and character clearly showed that he was an old man with messy hair.

Older men can be a bit annoying. They talk too much.

Anyway, after arranging a meeting with Gobang and Off, I looked away from the monitor.

“Sigh…”

Returning to broadcasting won’t be easy.