Gender Swap: The Introvert’s Broadcast

I wasn’t sure why Ye-ram was contacting me at this time. She wasn’t the type to reach out at night.
Thinking about it, I excused myself for a moment, told Mangming, and stepped outside to take the call.

“Hello?”
“Hey, oppa.”
“Why are you calling all of a sudden?”
“Do I have to always have something serious going on to contact you?”
“Well, that’s not really it, but... what’s up? I’m in the middle of a stream, I need to get back quickly.”
“Uh…”
 
Ye-ram didn’t answer right away, taking a long time before speaking.

“I just wanted to know what you were doing.”
“You could’ve texted me if that’s all.”
“I was bored.”
“Well, being bored can’t be helped.”
 
It wasn’t anything serious, just boredom.
I answered briefly while thinking about it.
“So, should I hang up now? I came out because I’m in the middle of a stream.”

“Ah, okay. Call me tomorrow.”
“Got it.”
 
I ended the call and went back into the room, where Mangming was chatting with the viewers.
What could they be talking about, making him laugh like that?
“What’s so funny?”
“Check the chat.”

I looked at the chat, as Mangming suggested.
[This is Kang Hu-min: No, you idiots.]
[This is Kang Hu-min: Don’t share the video.]
[This is Kang Hu-min: This is so fucking annoying.]
[🗡️All-powerful Cthulhu: Buhhh, don’t share the video~~]
[Shit, haha]
[Why is it bad to share the video?]
[Own up to your own mess, hmm.]
[Hoo-min~~ I saw you dancing~~~]
Suddenly, ‘This is Kang Hu-min’ was getting attacked.
It was a surprising situation.
Things had been peaceful until just now, so why was this happening?

“What’s going on all of a sudden?”
Just as I was feeling puzzled, the chat started explaining.
[🗡️All-powerful Cthulhu: It’s not that big of a deal.]
[🗡️All-powerful Cthulhu: Hoo-min crossed a line in the chat.]
[🗡️All-powerful Cthulhu: And now he’s doing this ㅋㅋ]
[This is Kang Hu-min: What do you mean I crossed a line, you fucking idiot.]
[This is Kang Hu-min: This is so unfair.]
[Conscience, ㅇㄷ?]
[Let’s just reveal the chat logs, ㅇㅇ]
[Revealing chat logs, revealing chat logs, revealing chat logs, revealing chat logs, revealing chat logs, revealing chat logs, revealing chat logs.]

After reading the chat, I understood what happened.
‘This is Kang Hu-min’ had started joking around in the chat and then overdid it, and it seemed like he had shared a video from an old broadcast where I made him do a punishment dance.
“Hoo-min, get a grip. Why are you typing like that? You should type more respectfully.”
This was a simple truth.
If it wasn’t my broadcast, if it were someone else’s, he would have been kicked out by now.
I said this, and-

[This is Kang Hu-min: Oh, of course.]
[This is Kang Hu-min: I type properly on other broadcasts, ㅇㅇ]
[What the fuck, saying that so confidently.]
[Do it properly on this broadcast too, you asshole.]
[🗡️All-powerful Cthulhu: If Hoo-min wants to die, let’s give him some thumbs down ㅋㅋ]
[Thumbs down, thumbs down]
[Seriously, I just want to beat him up.]
[How can someone be so annoying?]
[Unbelievable ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Don’t speak so confidently…]
I laughed for a moment while reading the chat.
Then Mangming delivered the punchline.
“Alright, let’s just eat the sashimi. No point in talking to those guys, they won’t change.”
“That’s true.”
It was the right call.
If they haven’t changed by now, they probably won’t.
We took another sip of wine.

“Cheers.”
“Cheers.”
Since I had gotten better at drinking wine, I could now drink much more leisurely than before.
I felt like I could appreciate the taste more now.
“Mmm, this is really good.”

How much wine did we drink, I wondered.
I started to feel a little tipsy.
It wasn’t to the point of getting drunk, just feeling pleasantly buzzed.
“Wine really gets you tipsy in a nice way.”
“Hm… Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of wine, but this one is really good.”
“Cheers.”

As we drank in moderation, the energy in the room started to rise.
I was already a bit hyped, but now, drinking just the right amount, I was really feeling good.
Maybe that’s why we started an impromptu drinking game.
We chose one of the more popular games.
“Have you ever thought a viewer was annoying? Yes or No.”
“Yes.”
[🗡️All-powerful Cthulhu: ?]
[This is Kang Hu-min: ???]
[???]
[Why are you messing with us, assholes.]
[Do we look weak? Do we look weak? Do we look weak? Do we look weak? Do we look weak? Do we look weak?]
[Honestly, I think even I would find viewers annoying sometimes ㅇㅅㅇ]
[Hwanhee: The chat has been legendary from the start of the stream.]
[LOL ㅋㅋ]

There was a brief uproar in the chat.
It was ridiculous.
“Anyone who put a question mark in the chat, if you didn’t curse, throw a stone at me.”
They probably wouldn’t throw anything now.

[🗡️All-powerful Cthulhu: Whoosh]
[This is Kang Hu-min: ...Whoosh]
[Whoosh whoosh-!]
[You guys have no conscience.]
[You all threw stones even though I told the conscience-having ones to do it, damn ㅅㅂㅋㅋ]
[This broadcast is legendary.]
[How are these people the ones watching?]
[Seriously, it’s unbelievable ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Looking at the chat, I was a bit dizzy.
Was this even appropriate for my stream?
Thinking that, I turned to Mangming.
“Honestly, was there one really annoying person during our trip? Yes or No.”
“...Yes.”

Mangming answered honestly.
[🗡️All-powerful Cthulhu: Huh]
[This is Kang Hu-min: Huh]
[Huh]
[Huh]
[What?]
[This will definitely cause some drama.]
“Didn’t everyone get along back then?”
“Not everyone.”
“Weren’t there some issues between those two?”
“Yeah, it was really bad.”
In truth, not everyone from the trip was close.
There were some I was close with, and others I wasn’t.
There was one person who was a bit prickly.
It made sense that people would react like that.

“Alright, my turn.”
“Yeah.”
“Hmm…”
Mangming seemed to think deeply for a moment, then downed his wine in one gulp and spoke.
“Have I ever had romantic feelings for Harin? Yes or No.”
“Cough.”

I couldn’t help but cough.
What kind of question was this?
It was unbelievable.
“How am I supposed to answer that question?”
[🗡️All-powerful Cthulhu: Why can’t you answer?]
[🗡️All-powerful Cthulhu: Answer.]
[This is Kang Hu-min: Uh oh, really?]
[This is Kang Hu-min: You don’t actually have feelings, do you?]
[That’s a bit much...]
[It’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie.]
[Shut up, you idiots.]

Not knowing how to respond, I drank my wine quickly.
I could finish what was left in my glass and buy myself some time.
“Ah, you’re getting away with it. What a coward.”
“I’m not a coward, I’m just being smart.”
Why should I answer wrong and create a weird controversy?
Even if I said yes, it would cause a fuss, and if I said no, people would ask ‘What about everything that’s happened until now?’
Thinking that, I started to come up with a question for Mangming.
What would be a fun question to ask for the broadcast?

‘If Mangming attacked strongly, doing the same would make it boring.’
It seemed best to ask something with a similar intensity to Mangming’s question.
Maybe a little stronger.
And soon, it was my turn to ask.
So I asked the question I’d been thinking about.
“Do I have romantic feelings for you? Yes or No.”

Of course, I expected him to say no, but with Mangming’s broadcasting sense, he would probably drag it out a little before giving that answer.
[🗡️All-powerful Cthulhu: Oh, sharp question.]
[This is Kang Hu-min: If Mangming’s brain shuts down in real-time, thumbs down ㅋㅋ]
[Brain shutdown, totally ㅅㅂ]
[Why is the intensity getting stronger? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[But I don’t think there are romantic feelings.]
[Wasn’t this just a broadcast concept?]
[Please stop, please stop, please stop, please stop, please stop, please stop, please stop, please stop.]
[What is happening... ]
[WWE-style broadcast ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
I was waiting leisurely for his answer when suddenly-

“…Yes!”
“…What?”
Mangming gave an unexpected answer.
His voice was shaking.
I was shocked.
Wouldn’t the viewers believe it was real?
I was panicking, not sure what to do.
“Then, my turn.”

Mangming pretended to think for a moment, then smiled slyly and asked the next question.
“Have you ever had romantic feelings for me? Yes or No.”