A Swordsman’s Stream

Chapter 28

Lee Gunyung woke up groggily. It was noon. When he drew the curtains, bright sunlight streamed into the dark room. Habitually, he grabbed his phone, which had no messages, and opened iTube.

He scrolled through for a while but found nothing interesting, so he closed the app. Then, he opened iTube again. He scrolled down. Without any thumbnails catching his interest, he closed it once more.

“Ugh.”

He fiddled with his phone for about ten minutes on the bed before moving to his desk. Then, he turned on his computer from its sleep mode and launched Travel. His ID was “Public Toilet Brick Theft King”.

Around this time of day, he would always put on a streamer’s stream and go for a drink.

Gulp. Gulp.

“Hmm. As for lunch… I guess I won’t eat.”

Lee Gunyung decided to skip lunch. Although technically, it was breakfast. He wasn’t hungry. Cooking felt like a chore. After washing up and cleaning his house half-heartedly, he returned to his room and shut the door. Then, he sat back in front of his computer.

‘Can’t keep living like this.’

It had already been two years since he had adopted a reclusive lifestyle. He used to be moderately outgoing, quite sociable, with plenty of friends.

However, since experiencing bullying at the art academy during his second year of high school, he lost his confidence and abandoned both the college entrance exams and any other tests, retreating from everything.

After that, he grew to dread meeting his friends. His self-esteem was so low that he feared being exposed in this state. Being alone in his room brought him peace of mind. Surprisingly, it seemed to suit him quite well.

As he watched broadcasts and surfed the internet, the day slipped away, and the sky grew dark. Given that he woke up late, this was to be expected, but the darkening sky made him feel even gloomier.

Lee Gunyung prepared dinner. A few frozen dumplings in the air fryer, done.

‘It’s fortunate that I have no appetite. Haha.’

He thought that tomorrow would be another repetition of today. He felt sorry towards his parents, who sent him living expenses. His parents supported him calmly even though he failed his entrance exams and attempts at retrying.

Yet he hadn’t failed; he hadn’t even tried.

Scared of failure.

“Haaa.”

Lee Gunyung let out a deep sigh.

“I’m trash.”

He didn’t waste money. In fact, staying in his room for months meant he had no use for money except for the bare minimum living expenses. However, he knew he was wasting something far more important: time.

“I want to change…”

He truly did. He felt like he could die from self-pity. But he lacked the strength to change.

Just then, he heard the streamer’s voice from the computer.

『I’m currently looking for an editor. If any of you viewers are interested in editing my gameplay videos…』

The streamer mentioned needing an editor. His name was Jin Sojun. A streamer who had only started streaming less than a week ago. Knowing that someone could rise quickly and establish an iTube channel shortly after starting made Gunyung feel a mix of envy and something unnameable.

The streamer was someone completely opposite of him. Brimming with talent and a bit annoyingly confident.

‘I used to be like that.’

However, the talent he once believed he possessed vanished like an illusion as he grew up. Now, only a reclusive, failed person remained.

『Alright then, let’s really dubai!』

The stream ended. Like a novice streamer who hadn’t even set up an ending screen, the monitor went dark. His face reflected in the monitor. He stared blankly at his reflection and mumbled.

“Editor. Should I… give it a try?”

Perhaps he needed something to challenge. He felt compelled, and without realizing it, he began searching the internet for information on video editing. Usually, at this time, he would have been browsing Travel for other broadcasts.

* * *

The next day, he was still editing videos.

“This goes here, and the shortcut key is…”

The sense of improvement and learning something new was a feeling he hadn’t felt in a long time. A smile crept onto his lips. It was fun. He felt useful.

“Here, this goes like this… Is there another way to add effects? I should look it up.”

The entire day passed as he edited videos.

It felt like time was passing more quickly than before, but today’s passage of time did not feel meaningless.

And it seemed he had a bit of talent as well.

Lee Gonyoung wanted to escape from his wretched self and try to do something properly.

Editing work even seemed to suit his aptitude.

‘Now that I’ve uploaded the video, if I write the email……’

Just then, his hand detached from the mouse.

Lee Gonyoung’s eyes wavered for a moment.

Then, he closed the email window, grabbed his phone, dived onto the bed, and opened iTube.

‘I did a lot today, so I’ll do it tomorrow.’

He hummed a tune to himself as he returned to his usual routine.

The next day, he postponed sending the email.

And the day after that as well.

The same happened the day after that.

By then, it had been five days since he had pushed thoughts about video editing out of his mind.

As he deleted the editing program, he thought,

‘It wouldn’t have worked anyway…….’

Negative thoughts justified his escape.

Could a video he made in just one day after learning it pass?

No.

So there was no point in sending it if it wouldn’t work anyway.

It was meaningless.

Giving up was easier.

『Today, we’re going to defeat the Queen.』

Streaming began.

“Hello, everyone.”

-ㅎ2
-Soha
-Soha

Over the past week, the number of viewers hadn’t increased, it had actually dropped.

Both Taewoo and MubiSoft, and even Sojun, had anticipated this result.

There had been viewers who tuned in to see Sojun, but a lot of people also came to see his skills.

Despite this, Sojun had a reason for accepting MubiSoft’s offer.

‘Concrete Layer.’

This refers to a viewer base that continues to watch the streamer regardless of the content because they like the streamer.

Sojun had slightly built up such a concrete layer over the past week.

He couldn’t always conquer the Ruler in every game.

And surprisingly, the drop wasn’t much.

‘When capturing the Tower Lord, there were 3,000 viewers.’

The previous day’s stream had 2,300 viewers.

Much higher than anticipated.

-Queen is so easy kekkkkk
-Musou’s original is different
-How is the streamer an original? The Assassin’s Dawn wasn’t just in this series
-If you’re good, you’re original. The original soup place is also delicious
-rlly kek

『’ScamDice’ donated 10,000 won!』
『Soha! I’m starting Assassin’s Dawn because of Sojun-nim. What do you think?』

“Oh, thank you for the 10,000 won donation. This game is fun. And very easy. Just follow me, and you’ll be fine.”

Although the payment hadn’t been made yet, MubiSoft was a sponsor.

So, he gave some flattering remarks.

-Kek don’t listen to him
-If you buy it to play Musou, you’ll definitely regret it, but I recommend buying it.
-The streamer is an evil man
-Please, buy Assassin’s Dawn
-I remember when he said he’d do a strategy stream just a few days ago and played tricks

Was this not the right answer?

Whatever, it was fine.

“Well, anyway.”

Sojun was in the lobby.

“Before we start the game, I have something to say.”

Through viewer search, he discovered that ‘BrickRobberKing’ was among the viewers.

-What is it?
-A big announcement?
-He doesn’t actually have a girlfriend, does he?
-Donating all the money he’s earned so far. Must have been a tough decision, but we respect and support it.

Ignoring the chat that flowed with the stream of consciousness, Sojun opened a window.

It was ‘BrickRobberKing’s’ application video on iTube!

“BrickRobberKing, who is watching this stream right now? Is this you?”

-How can his ID be ‘air kek bathroom kek brick kek robber king kek’
-kek
-Is there really another person in the world with a nickname like that?
-Why are all the nicknames in this house like this?

“I left a comment on your video and contacted you through Travel ID, but you didn’t respond. I’ve got something to discuss, so please check your messages.”

The quality of the video Sojun watched the day before had captivated him.

It wasn’t because special effects or unique editing skills were used.

The reasons were its sense and cleanliness.

Indeed, as a viewer who had seen all the live broadcasts, “BrickRobberKing” pinpointed the fun moments of the video without missing any and refined them neatly.

“I don’t know why you didn’t send an email, but I’d like to have a serious conversation with you.”

-Oh! Looking for an editor?
-Show us the video.
-Why didn’t he make it private instead of public? Lol.
-I want to see it.

“Video? You guys can watch it yourselves.”

Sojun said, seizing the opportunity to increase the video’s view count.

-The introduction is hilarious.
-Lolololol
-I’m going to find it now.

『This is the application video for streamer Sojun’s editor.
Hello! Hyung! I’ve never formally learned editing, but I’m confident I can do it well!
I have nothing but time. Haha, I’m unemployed.
And this is my first video, so I can keep improving!
A growing editor. Isn’t that awesome?
If you need verification, please contact me! I can edit more things.』

-That’s so much TMI lololol
-Were you unemployed, BrickRobberKing!
-Why else would an unemployed person steal bricks from a public toilet lol
-Even as an unemployed person, I wouldn’t do that. I know from experience lololol

* * *

“Ah, crap. That’s so embarrassing!”

Lee Gunyung tousled his hair with both hands and punched his thigh.

“Why is that still public!”

Crude sentences hastily written in the video’s description.

And a shameful ID that couldn’t be spoken proudly anywhere.

On top of that, it was his first edited video.

The threefold embarrassment.

“How did they find it? The view count is so low.”

He quickly went to iTube and set the video to private.

-Lol the video got taken down in seconds lol
-Crazy
-BrickRobberKing, were you watching? Lololol
-Lolololol forced embarrassment
-It definitely looks like it was uploaded by mistake.

『Oh. Was it uploaded by mistake? Geez…… I didn’t know. Anyway, please check the comment and contact me.』

-Sojun, you killed BrickRobberKing! Sojun, you killed BrickRobberKing! Sojun, you killed BrickRobberKing!
-Reported to have died of shame.
-That’s on the person who uploaded it publicly lol
-Seriously lol unemployed bastard.

Lee Gunyung closed the Travel comment window.

But he couldn’t erase it from the streaming screen.

He just closed the stream screen.

“Oh, how embarrassing.”

After calming his startled heart, Lee Gunyung carefully played the privately set video again.

Even though the thought of many people seeing it was scary and flustering, he believed there must have been a reason Sojun mentioned it in the stream.

“Alright, since it’s already been exposed, let’s see if he left any message…….”

Lee Gunyung’s muttering came to a halt.

『Jin Sojun』『20 hours ago』
『Wow, did you make this video in just one day? That’s amazing talent. I don’t know why you didn’t send an email, but I’d love to work with you, BrickRobberKing. If you are interested, please definitely get in touch.』

He stared intently at the screen, or rather at the comment, with a complex expression.

His eyes turned red.

A long silence followed.

Finally, he muttered in a slightly trembling voice.

“That’s roughly what I expected…….”

Sigh.

He let out a deep sigh and looked up at the ceiling.

The ceiling, which felt like a cozy prison while lying in bed using his phone, looked different now.

It wasn’t that his eyes were tear-filled.

“…….”

He replayed the video he had edited several times.

“It’s a mess, even to me, since it’s my first day learning, but what talent…….”

He was being self-deprecating.

But at the same time, he laughed more freely than ever.

A sense of liberation.

It was as if he found an escape from a maze.

“Okay, let’s give it a shot.”

Talent.

An exceptional streamer said he had talent and wanted to work with him.

“If it’s just to exploit me with low pay, hyung or not, I won’t let this slide. He’s the one who’ll suffer if there’s any controversy.”

With trembling hands, he began to compose an email.