It’s not that kind of malicious broadcast

Revan/Lee Shihun hadn’t initially started broadcasting with the goal of becoming a broadcaster.

He loved games, and he enjoyed when others admired his gameplay. Thanks to his innate talent and competitive spirit, the number of people interested in his plays kept increasing, which eventually led to an income that couldn’t be earned through a typical job.

In this way, his hobby became a side job, and the side job became his main profession.

For someone as methodical and planned as Revan, it was always somewhat puzzling to look back and realize that one of the biggest decisions in his life, his career, was determined by mere coincidence.

Perhaps, it wasn’t entirely by chance.

His younger sister, six years his junior, who had gained experience through idol fan activities when she was younger, was now running a fan channel as part of her broadcaster fandom. Seeing the subscriber count accidentally displayed on the screen, which exceeded 20,000, it seemed she had considerable talent too.

At this point, one might wonder if internet broadcasting ran in the family.

He hadn’t yet checked what kind of channel she had, but when he next visited home, he planned to access her computer, which she probably hadn’t logged out of, to check the channel.

Playing those embarrassingly fan-filled videos on the living room TV to tease her was an obligation as an older brother.

Of course, the fleeting thought of placing a banner stating, 『Special Screening』 The Reasons Behind Lee Yuna’s Grade Plummet!” and organizing a screening session with their parents had only crossed his mind due to his recent interactions with Lee Yena.

His sister, unaware of such a terrifying scheme, occasionally sought advice from her industry-involved brother, oblivious that her fan activities had been discovered. It had become common for the siblings to sporadically discuss FanTube and Tw*tter.

That day, she probably sought advice about FanTube, disguising it as an ordinary conversation.

“Uh… So, blackmail? Yeah, that’s serious. Unfortunately, broadcasters dealing with stalkers isn’t uncommon. But why bring it up suddenly? It’s not for my sake, is it? Is there a broadcaster you like who’s having a hard time?”

It’s not rare for people overly engrossed in broadcasters to cause a ruckus on FanTube. Given that even official editors face death threats, it’s not surprising for unauthorized FanTube channels.

Usually, criticism aimed at FanTube channels includes questions like, ‘Did you get permission to use the footage?’, ‘It’s disgusting earning money by violating copyrights’, or ‘Don’t upload replays of deleted videos without permission.’

However, it was indeed a bit worrying.

‘I should probably warn her not to expose any personal information.’

《Uh… no, that’s, that’s not it. It’s a hypothetical? You know, hypothetical. If someone hypothetically said they wanted to deliver a roundhouse kick to the head, would that be considered blackmail? Just hypothetically, as a meme.》

“…What kind of meme is that?”

《Oh? Uh, well, I’m not too sure either. It’s like, you jump up and spin around while kicking… like in old Hong Kong action movies… Should I send you the meme on KaTalk, oppa?》

‘Did something like that exist?’

It was a meme that didn’t come to mind easily, despite spending some time exploring the community. Of course, that wasn’t the important part.

“… No. It’s alright. Setting that meme aside… you said you wanted to kick the broadcaster? Repeatedly?”

《Yeah… no, I mean, let’s say hypothetically.》

“Hmm… you know, the atmosphere of live internet broadcasts often allows for all sorts of talk, so there are misunderstandings. But if you suddenly bring up the law, there are many who could get into trouble. Cracking someone’s head open blatantly isn’t exactly less than a threat.”

《Yeah…》

“Usually, broadcasters don’t like the image of suing viewers, and they definitely don’t want ‘lawsuits’ popping up in related search terms, so they generally refrain from it. But if they feel threatened, they can certainly sue.”

《Threat?! No, it wasn’t like that… there’s a sort of joking atmosphere, you know? Not seriously, though… Oh! More like when joking with a friend and you say ‘You’re dead!’? It doesn’t mean you’ll actually kill them…》

Hearing his sister’s increasingly urgent voice made Revan worry, but he doubted it could be anything serious. The FanTube consisted of both operators and viewers who adored the same broadcaster. It wasn’t strange that his sister, filled with fan spirit, saw other fans as friends.

Yet, it seemed necessary to lay things out clearly. After all, she was still young.

“That’s all fine when you’re face to face with a friend who understands the context, so there’s no misunderstanding. But on the internet, where you have no idea who’s on the other side, it’s naturally frightening. And it should be considered scary. The internet could be a place where a person claiming to be a middle school girl might actually be a 220 cm tall giant man.”

《But still…》

“Anyway, if anyone online starts following you around and saying stuff like that repeatedly, let us know right away. Don’t take it lightly.”

“… Okay.”

“And be careful not to share any personal information online, just in case.”

《… Okay, I’m careful about that… but if someone has your email, all your information gets exposed, right?》

“Not necessarily. A stalker isn’t the police, after all. Having your email is fine. However, if you plan to start Tweeting or a G-Tube, it’s better to make a new email, so keep that in mind.”

《Oh… the police would know, right… okay, thanks, oppa.》

Detecting a hint of defeat in her voice, Revan, feeling he might have lectured too much, softened his tone as much as possible.

“Alright. If anything happens, don’t worry alone; tell me or our parents right away.”

《Okay… thanks. I’ll hang up now.》

“Alright.”

– Clack.

After wrapping up the call, there was still an hour before the start of the tournament practice. It was time to prepare for the broadcast.

“The Roundhouse Kick… now that I think about it, it seems like I’ve heard it somewhere before. Must be a meme.”

As he thought about the team he would be practicing with soon, the phrase “Roundhouse Kick” gave him a feeling of déjà vu for some reason.

It was because he had seen it in the chat of Lee Yena’s broadcast, which he occasionally tuned into—but unfortunately, it was hard to recall even that detail.

Of course, even if he had remembered where it came from, the result would have been the same. He couldn’t possibly imagine his sister being someone who regularly stayed in Lee Yena’s broadcast chat and left comments like “I want to unleash a Roundhouse Kick” on WeTogether during her off days.

Just as he couldn’t imagine that his sister was the person behind the “GetDevoured FanTube” channel.

* * * *

《Today was great again!》

《We’re really going to win, aren’t we? Should I start thinking about where to spend the prize money?》

《Wow, this is incredible! But shouldn’t we do this 2Underground thing more secretly? Like a secret weapon? What if other teams figure out a way to counter it?》

“… It’s going to become a standard tactic, so there’s no need to hide it.》

《Kya-! Wow, that’s seriously so cool. My path will be the standard, so if you can counter it, go ahead and try… It’s an honor to be with you, teacher.》

《An honor, teacher! We love you, teacher!》

Debating whose voice to lower, I gently turned down the overall volume. It was just…a bit overwhelming.

It wasn’t that I disliked the high energy. If we were going to form a team anyway, it was better for everyone to be excited together rather than sighing and dragging each other down.

Especially to blow away the tension on the eve of the tournament, it was a welcome situation.

Still, there should be a limit.

With a light sigh, I glanced at the list of participants in the Discus voice chat.

Each one’s green outline kept flickering, indicating they were all talking as though in competition with each other.

But…so this is what it means to be professional broadcasters.

Despite everyone raising their voices and getting excited, except for Revan, who seemed particularly off his game today, there were almost no instances of voices overlapping. Impressive.

Ah. Come to think of it… Is there something wrong?

Revan was originally the only person who gave off a similar vibe among these highly extroverted people. Still… the feeling was a bit different.

If his poor condition extended to the tournament, it would be a disaster. Most of the strategies prepared heavily relied on Revan’s skills. Despite everything, everyone acknowledged his finesse.

We even considered setting Revan on a free role and letting him go wild if needed. Back then, we thought of making him the Holy Knight.

It was a bit unsettling, but it wasn’t right to just ask if something was wrong.

“Hey, you’re playing badly today; is something up?”

That would practically declare a life-or-death duel. While thinking for a moment, I slightly- ever so slightly- turned up the volume. Just enough to hear the whispering voices next to me.

《Wow, so it’s finally tomorrow. I’m really nervous, seriously.》

《You all did so well! No matter the results, I’ve truly enjoyed this.》

《Oh, our Ark is great at everything but too humble. The results will surely be a win! This youthful bravery is the privilege of youth… No way, who called me an old fogey? The chat these days is too harsh.》

《As long as we don’t get nervous, we really have a chance. Get some good sleep and let’s make something happen tomorrow!》

《But I’m so nervous… Can I even sleep tonight?》

Maybe it was just nerves. I didn’t think he was that type… but it’s not incomprehensible.

The burden on Revan wasn’t small. Whether it was solo queue, team games, or tournaments – the thought that he had to carry the team easily turned into pressure.

“… Everyone, you will do well.”

I spoke up, taking advantage of a brief pause in the conversation. Fortunately, the silence lingered a bit longer.

“And it’s fine even if you don’t do well. I’m here.”

Even if we got eliminated early and placed fourth, the mockery and criticism would probably focus on me. Those… highlight reels were astounding, after all.

“So tomorrow, just do what you want. Like you usually do.”

That was the most natural way to show one’s usual skills during a real match.

“Got it, Revan?”