Chapter 17
1.
「1,444 viewers……」
-Is this the commander's stream?
-I've come to see you, Commander,,,! Aaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!
-You're on???
-You really didn't use hacks???
“Uh, uh….”
I really hadn't done anything. And yet, the viewer count kept steadily rising.
Watching the number climb without stopping, I felt the corners of my mouth lift before I knew it. Something deep in my chest tickled for no reason.
‘I'm growing this fast?’
To think an opportunity like this would come along in just one day. I really must be one hell of a woman!
“Ehehehe….”
-Look how wide her eyes got lol
-Cute lol
-So, you're on???
-Are you pretty?
But that feeling didn't last even a full minute.
“Uh, uh….”
The chat kept scrolling by. For some reason, though, it was hard to read. Like my eyes wouldn't focus properly.
I managed to read a few lines, but they weren't exactly the sort of things I was happy to see. Of course, there were more compliments about me. But people always notice the bad stuff first, don't they?
This was the opportunity I'd been hoping for.
It was the kind of situation every tiny streamer dreamed of, and given my circumstances, I absolutely had to seize it. Nobody knew when another opportunity like this would come.
-Why isn't she saying anything, then?
-Say something;;
-Hey, what are you doing…?
-The tiny streamer panicked when people showed up lololol Cute lololol
-Mm-hmm, all right. Go on, make us laugh.
-Hey, make us laugh.
“Uh….”
But this opportunity looked too big. I mean, I wasn't sure I could handle something this big.
They say opportunity favors the prepared. But I don't think I'm ready yet. This was my first day streaming, after all.
“Okay. Viewer analysis complete.”
-???
-What the hell are you saying?
-Huh???
-What did you analyze?
“I can't win.”
This viewer count was still beyond what I deserved. So what should I do?
“E-everyone… I have one thing to ask of you…!”
-What?
-Huh?
-What are you asking us for;;
I leaped out of my chair and bowed toward the screen. When I glanced at the monitor, my virtual avatar was bowing its head the same way.
“I-it's too much for me, so p-please all leave…!”
-???
-¿¿¿¿¿¿
-Huh???
-Why all of a sudden;;
[Hey, what the hell kind of crazy thing is that to say all of a sudden? You're telling viewers who came all this way to see you to leave?]
[That's right. Bullet-nim. It's so rare for viewers to come in like this. It's a great opportunity, isn't it?]
[Y-yeah, that's right!]
[You can't do that, Bullet-nim!]
My teammates tried to stop me in a panic. But I hadn't changed my mind.
“B-but… th-this is… it feels like too much with so many people here… and also….”
[And also?]
“W-when I look at what these people are typing… i-it's so disgusting… Ugh….”
My body shuddered.
[What!?]
[Y-you can't say something like that—!!!]
-ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-That's so mean ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-A-another Korean man, you again!?
-That's how Korean men are, I guess…
-It is kinda gross;; You should chat like a gentleman, like me;;
-You're the grossest one here, you bastard lol
“N-no, just look at the k-kind of stuff these people are typing… saying my voice is so fucking hot… asking where I live and how old I am… asking me to swear at them… Ughhh….”
Seriously, they were a bunch of lunatics.
When I was a man, I hadn't thought much of comments like these. But now that I was the target, it felt a little repulsive. Maybe it was instinctive disgust.
-But you know it's even hotter when you hate it;;
-For real lol
-It's even better because you sound so sincere…
-Her reaction is delicious lololol
-Kinda hot…
-This is vulgar, but I'm hard…
「1,523 viewers……」
Normally, if someone said they were disgusted by you, you'd feel offended. But why on earth were these people enjoying it?
“P-please. Stop saying that kind of thing…! Saying you're turned on, saying you're hard… Aaah, aaah…!”
I bit down hard on my lip and pounded the desk over and over. I seriously couldn't take this.
[Hey, calm down! The more you react like that, the more they enjoy it, you know?]
[That's right. They're saying even more of that stuff on purpose because your reactions are so good, Bullet-nim. L-like how even elementary school kids tease the people they like. It's like that.]
“You mean grown adults are doing the kind of thing only elementary school kids would do…?”
[……Probably?]
-Ah lol I'm seriously not like that, okay?
-I'm watching Ritham purely for the entertainment, I swear~?
-Awww~~~~~~~ Ritham, please go outside and meet a man or something~~~~ How long has it been since you met a man~~~
-For real lol~~~
“Wow, fuuuck….”
I squeezed my eyes shut and held my face in my hands. Looking at that really made me feel like I was going insane.
[Maybe they really are turned on. And can I say something like this?]
For some reason, I felt a little uneasy, but I was curious what they were going to say.
“……Go ahead.”
[Honestly, I do think it's kind of hot, too….]
“Wow, y-you have no heart, do you?”
[Aren't you the last person who should say that?]
I let out a deep sigh. With my eyes closed, I wondered what I should do about this situation. But I couldn't come up with an answer.
The viewers were like a log. It'd be a shame to throw them away, but actually holding on and bearing the weight was too hard.
‘Still, I should endure it, right? Who knows when another opportunity like this will come along? How could I turn it down?’
Resolving myself, I opened my eyes again.
-Cute
-So cuuute ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-Even with her eyes closed, she's cute lol
-Gimme your number, hey;;
But my resolve didn't even last five seconds.
Crack—
I heard something break somewhere inside my head. My guess was that it was probably my reason.
“F-fuuuuuck…! I-I can't take it anymore…!!!”
[B-Bullet-nim!?]
「1,623 viewers……」
「The stream has ended.」
In the end, I couldn't hold back and abandoned the stream altogether. Now that I couldn't see the chat, I finally felt a little more at ease.
-??????
-What the fuck;;
-Where'd she go?
-Ah, fuck, what the hell;;
-You assholes, I said quit acting like this
-I'll hold my breath until she comes back…!
[Hey, did you just end the stream?]
Heukrangi asked in an urgent voice.
“Yeah. I ended it. Why?”
[The people from your stream came over to mine and are acting like assholes, you bitch….]
[Me too. The chat's kind of rowdy right now…]
[Me too! But it's kind of nice having more viewers, isn't it?]
[Oh, same here. But it does feel nice, hehe….]
My teammates took turns scolding me.
“Ah….”
Right, I wasn't streaming alone right now. We were doing a collab, and we'd gathered for a tournament, so of course they'd go to the other streams and cause a mess.
“Got it… I'll turn it back on….”
「The stream has started!」
-Phew~~~~~
-Haaah, haaah… I thought I was gonna die
-You're finally back
-I missed you ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-Why did that one minute without you feel so long…!
「1,694 viewers……」
“Ughhh, fuck…!”
Seeing the chat acting up again, I couldn't take it.
「The stream has ended.」
[Hey! How can you turn it off again thirty seconds after turning it on? They're coming to my stream and acting up—!]
“S-sorry… this time, too, it felt like something inside me was about to come out….”
[What the hell are you talking about….]
[What is that supposed to mean, Bullet-nim? Kyahaha!]
I let out a deep sigh. I took several deep breaths to calm my mind and nerves, then put my hand back on the mouse.
“I-I'm really turning it on this time!”
「The stream has started.」
「1,727 viewers……」
-Ugh, you fucking bitch, quit turning off the stream
-You fucking bitch
-Fuuuuucking bitch!!!
-Is this bitch mentally ill???
When I started the stream again, the mood was a little different from before. They must've been annoyed, because everyone was being aggressive.
“Ehehehe….”
For some reason, seeing that made me feel good. The corners of my mouth rose on their own.
-The fuck, are you laughing? You think this is funny?
-Awww, fuuuck
-What a shitty bitch, seriously lololol
I made these people angry! I can control their emotions!
“W-why…? You all made me angry, so why can't I do the same to you?”
💸 [Nickname: Anonymous] donated
🪙 1,000G!
💬 No you fucking can't, bitch
A viewer immediately insulted me through a donation.
“What kind of rule is that? Th-this is my stream… s-so I'll do what I want… N-no one's holding a knife to your throat and f-forcing you to watch, right? You don't have a bomb collar around your neck, do you? N-no….”
-Fuck;;
-Fact) true
-That's logical…
-Yeah;; I'll leave right now, mm-hmm…
-If you do that, all your viewers will leave???
The viewers threatened me, but I didn't even bat an eye. No, I grabbed both their hands and begged them instead.
“P-please do. Please leave. Get out of my room. This is my land! The land I made myself!!!”
-Fuck off, you bitch lol
-Now I don't want to leave even more;;
-This bitch is clever…
-Look at that strategy…
-Contrarian mode on lolololol
「1,795 viewers……」
“Ah….”
Even though I'd asked them to leave, the number of viewers had gone up instead.
“Th-then… p-please watch my stream. I'm begging you…!”
They said they were watching because they were contrarians, so maybe this would make them leave?
-Uh, sure, sure. We'll watch…
-You just threatened us to make us watch???
-Okay, okay
-We'll grant your wish…
-You wanted us to watch that badly~~~?
“Ah….”
Whether I did this or that, they kept messing with me. There really was no answer. What should I do now?
‘This was the only thing that worked, though…’
「The stream has ended.」
「The stream has started.」
-Ah, fuck you, bitch
-She's messing around again
-Audience purge, damn;;
「The stream has ended.」
「The stream has started.」
-Cut it out!!!!!!!!
-You're not human ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
💸 [Nickname: Anonymous] donated
🪙 1,000G!
💬 Just turn the stream off and get the fuck out, bitch. I'm not watching your shitty stream.
“What? Turn off the stream and get the hell out? Got it. Yeah, I'm really leaving.”
[What!?]
[W-what are you suddenly talking about?]
My teammates asked in shock.
“A-Aura-nim, we don't have any more scrims left today, right?”
[No, we don't, but… why are you suddenly…?]
“Heukrangi….”
[Huh? Why?]
“I'll leave the rest to you.”
「The stream has ended.」
“Assalavija~ Colombia~”
I hummed as I turned off my computer and got up from my chair. Then I threw myself onto the bed.
What happened today was just a little incident caused by getting dragged into a flame war on the gallery. By tomorrow, by tomorrow, I'd be able to go back to my normal life.
“When tomorrow comes….”
As soon as I closed my eyes, all the tension left me. Dreaming of blue skies and the sea, I drifted off to sleep.
2.
『Jibjik Gallery』
[General] This bitch actually left???
[General] Her teammates are calling her but she won't answer lol She's offline on Discord too, fuck lol
[General] Did she go on another tofu errand, fuck;;
[General] Never seen a bitch do an audience purge like this;;
[General] Okay, okay. Let's see who wins this one, yeah;;
(A picture of a frog glaring straight ahead in anger)
I've got all the time in the world, you bitch; let's see who's gonna win, you fucker lol
-For real lol
-I accept your challenge…
-Right before the end you begged us to watch your stream, yeah;; I'll watch you, mm-hmm
-You started this…?
-You picked the wrong person, I was bored anyway.