Gender Swap: The Introvert’s Broadcast

The interview ended.
It felt like it concluded at just the right time.
Feeling good about it, I started looking for the right moment to end the stream.
After all, we had won the tournament, and I had been streaming for long hours for practice purposes.
"Alright then, I’m wrapping up the stream now. Nobody has any complaints, right?"
Given the rapport I had built with the viewers, I didn’t expect any complaints.
They would understand.
It’s not like I was slacking off with my streams.

[🗡️OmnipotentKthulhu: You won, so it’s all good lol]
[🗡️OmnipotentKthulhu: But come back tomorrow]
[🗡️OmnipotentKthulhu: Otherwise, I’ll get bombarded with whispers, I swear]
[Why are these lunatics harassing the manager lol]
[They can’t even reach out to Dama anyway lol]
[Kang Hoomin Here: It’s like when customer service gets all the flak for company problems]
[Kang Hoomin Here: Same vibe, you know]
[Oh, that’s a solid analogy]
[Great analogy, Hoomin lol]
Judging by the jokes in the chat, nobody seemed particularly upset.
"Alright then, let’s catch up next time I’m free. I’ll leave it here for now."

[🗡️OmnipotentKthulhu: Bye bye]
[🗡️OmnipotentKthulhu: See you next time]
[Kang Hoomin Here: If you’re late, you’re dead]
[Bye]
[Hwanhee: Today’s stream was fun lol, even the suspense was top-tier]
[Take care]
[If you’re not coming tomorrow, never come back at all lol]
[Why are you guys letting them go so easily?]
[Holding them back would only make them rebel and come back even later...]
[Scary, manipulative tactics lol...]
With such a warm sendoff from the viewers, I ended the stream.
[Stream has ended!]

The day after our tournament victory.
I arrived at an electronics store with Lee Yeram and Harin.
The reason for being with Harin was simple.
Harin was more knowledgeable in this area than most people.
After all, she had been streaming for years and was an absolute expert in computer components.
"So, you’re here to look at computer parts today?"
"We originally came for a laptop, but if there’s time, we might check out components too."
"Alright, let’s start with the laptop then."
"Sure."
It felt like Harin’s image had changed lately.
When I first heard about her, the rumors painted her as a delinquent, but after getting to know her, I realized she was one of the easiest people to get along with.

"Oppa, are you seriously buying it for me?"
Last night, Yeram had mentioned wanting to buy a secondhand laptop for university.
‘In the past, maybe, but now, some things are worth spending money on.’

Back when I didn’t have much money, I had to skimp even on essentials, but now that I was earning through streaming, there was no need to save excessively.
If she needed a good laptop for university, I could at least afford that much.
"When have you ever seen me skimp on something like this?"
Even to an outsider, that sounded pretty cool.
But as soon as I said it—

"I’ve seen it a lot… But thanks anyway."
Yeram’s matter-of-fact response brought me back to reality.
Thinking that reality was often harsher than expected, I quickly moved to check out the laptops.
"Alright, so here’s what’s popular these days—"
While listening to Harin’s explanations about laptops, someone suddenly spoke from behind.

"Excuse me…"
Turning my head, I saw a face I didn’t recognize—a shy-looking woman.
"Uh, do I know you…?"

Just in case it was someone I should know, I asked, only to get an unexpected reply.
"Are you… Dama? I thought I recognized you from afar."
"Ah, yes, I’m Dama, the monster rising star of Twiss."
"Not quite a monster star, though…"
"Excuse me?"
"Just kidding."
It was my first time meeting a fan like this in public.
I had never been recognized while walking around before.
Feeling both amazed and amused, I greeted her warmly and even took a picture with her.

"Would it be okay if I posted this online…?"
The fan asked cautiously.
I didn’t mind.
I already knew the likely platform she was referring to.
"Sure, just as long as you don’t badmouth me."

Of course, if she did, I’d file a lawsuit immediately.
"Why would I do that! By the way, is this your sister…?"
"Yeah."
"You really look alike. Anyway, I’ll be going now. Thanks!"
With that, the fan quickly left.

"Why does she think we look alike?"
"Honestly, Yeram, you do look like me."
"No way, unnie, we don’t look alike."
"If Dama grew her hair out, she’d look just like you."
"That’s just not true."
While they kept discussing, I finally voiced my thoughts.
"But isn’t it weird they recognized me but not you?"

Normally, if they knew me, they would know Harin too.
Yet, no one greeted her.
Harin brushed it off casually.
"Lots of people don’t say hi because they’re scared of me. Probably about 20% of them."
"...I can kind of understand that."
Harin didn’t exactly have a friendly appearance.
She looked more like someone who had an edge to her.

As I mulled over this, another stranger approached for an autograph, completely ignoring Harin again.
"Your outfit today is kind of intense."
"What, it’s not like I have piercings or anything."
"Not quite, but close enough."
"...Is it, though?"
"Totally."
Harin’s flashy outfit probably had something to do with it.

Still, I was curious.
"Why are there so many fans today? I’ve never met this many before."
Harin responded matter-of-factly.

"Why do you think people buy computer parts? To play games. And gamers usually watch streams. Naturally, they’d know us."
"Ah."
Her reasoning made perfect sense.
Anyone watching streams on Twiss would know who we were.
"Meeting fans is still kind of fascinating."
"It’s fun at first, but it gets annoying if they keep pestering you. That’s why I lean into the aloof persona."
"Wait, so being aloof is just an act?"
"It’s partly my real personality, but I exaggerate it a bit. Clingy fans are so annoying. I’ve even had a lesbian fan."
"Whoa."

Thinking about it the other way around, it sounded like a real headache.
If a male fan ever got overly familiar with me…
‘Ugh, disgusting.’
Just imagining it irritated me.
I understood why Harin acted the way she did.

After consolidating Yeram’s preferences, we bought a laptop.
It cost two million won.
"...Three months, please."
"Alright, we’ll set up the license key for you, so please wait a moment."
"Okay."
While waiting for the Windows installation, Harin made a surprising suggestion.

"Do you know the Reld Cup finals are coming up?"
"Huh, really?"
"Yeah."
I had no idea.
The Reld Cup finals—the dream stage for pro gamers.
As I processed this, Harin dropped another surprise.

"I usually do commentary for pro leagues. Want to join me? It’d be fun."
The idea sounded incredibly fun.
Co-commentating the finals?
"Oh, that sounds awesome. Count me in."
"If you’re coming, pack some stuff and drop by. We can grind some solo queue together before that."
"That would be fun, for sure."

Harin really knew how to make streaming exciting.
If we were meeting up anyway, playing some solo queue beforehand would definitely add to the fun.
The fact that I’d be commentating the Reld Cup finals felt surreal.
In the past, I never would have imagined such a thing.
Feeling amazed, I agreed.
"Alright, then. Let’s plan for this Saturday. I’ll message you the details."
"Okay."

With that, the rough plans were set, and the Windows installation was done.
They had finished everything while we were talking.
It was impressively quick.
Yeram suddenly patted me hard on the back and spoke.
"Thanks, oppa."
"It’s nothing."

I tried to sound unaffected, but honestly, the price did sting a bit.
Two million won wasn’t exactly a small amount.
But I had promised, so what choice did I have?
"Alright, let’s head out."
With that, we headed to a nearby restaurant.

‘A good meal sounds nice.’
Thinking small, pleasant thoughts, we arrived at the restaurant.
And then, shortly after—

"Oh… This is going to be tricky."
We encountered an unusual situation.