The Villain is Too Good at Broadcasting

Streaming wasn't just about playing games. 

“I was really shocked to see you swearing while I was watching the broadcast earlier.”

As soon as Dongsoo hyung arrived, he coolly drained a pint and began to talk.

I think I remembered hearing stories about him liking to drink.

Something about a keg?

“The best way to deal with those spammers is to curse them out. Okay, Jinhyuk-ah? Learn from your hyung’s example.”

“How can you swear at your viewers?”

“It’s strange. Streamers are so pleasant, yet viewers are like a swarm of malice. Isn’t it uncanny, Chansik-ssi?”

Dongsoo hyung looked at me with a slight smile on his lips.

It was a good looking smile.

Even now, it wasn’t that different from the way it used to be.

I shrugged off his question and took another sip of beer.

“When have bad guys ever acted appropriately? And you don’t have to be so formal; you’re a close hyung of our Jinhyukie.”

“Okay, call me Dongsoo hyung.”

The switch to speaking informally was as fast as a high-speed train.

It had been the same four years ago.

“Chansik, you seem familiar with broadcasting – have you ever streamed before?”

“I used to watch a lot of shows. I was a vicious Kanbakkie as well.”

Kanbakkie.

That was the name for the viewers that liked Dongsoo hyung, this guy in front of me.

They were the fiercest fandom on Twipod and the members were all extremely devoted fans.

At my answer, Donsoo hyung looked at me wide-eyed.

“You liked to watch my broadcasts?”

“I didn’t have much to do during my service. So…. I ended up watching more often than not. Hyung, you’re pretty popular in the army.”

Uh, his facial expression turned stiff.

"Ooh, I see. Then you must have watched a lot of streamers besides me, right? Is that why you were so familiar with broadcasting?"

Had he been offended by my compliment?

Jinhyukie grumbled and asked Dongsoo hyung,

"Aren't you flattering him too much? Our hyung, if you compliment him too much, it’ll all go to his head."

"Really, weren't you watching? When you played Excalibur, he deliberately created a thrilling situation. Going for the crowbar, too. You need to have a feel for broadcasting to set up those kinds of scenes."

I'd been out of the game for years, but I knew that much.

Dongsoo hyung took another gulp from the glass of beer that had just been refilled and wiped his mouth before continuing.

"Probably, if the timing had been better, you'd have gotten more viewers. Jinhyukie, if you broadcast with Chansik for a while, it's likely you'll gain a surge in popularity."

"Right? But Hyung didn't like it."

I thought I knew why Jinhyukie had brought me here.

It seemed he was trying to persuade me to broadcast too by using Dongsoo hyung's influence.

Dongsoo hyung was clearly an incredibly successful streamer.

He must have figured that if I met him, then I would want to have that same kind of popularity.

It was pretty easy to see through.

After we'd been talking for a while, two women came up to our table.

They cautiously asked Doksoo hyung,

"Are you Kan-nim?"

"Ah, yeah."

"Could we just take one picture with you?"

"Sure. Just give me a minute, guys."

Dongsoo hyung got up from his seat and took a picture with the two women.

Jinhyukie looked envious.

Nowadays, there was no distinction between streamers and famous celebrities, so this kind of popularity was almost expected.

They were no different from celebrities when they were on air.

"Thank you very much!"

They didn't go back to their own table until they had received an autograph from Dongsoo hyung.

After this sudden fan meeting, Dongsoo hyung scratched his head as he sat back down again.

"Hey, sorry about that."

"No worries."

"Anyways, Chansik-ah, you don't want to broadcast with Jinhyukie? With your physique, you'd do really well. You two even have very distinct personalities."

Seeing him fishing around like that, I was pretty sure Jinhyukie had asked him to do this beforehand.

I shook my head in response to Dongsoo hyung's question.

"Just because someone's good at gaming, does that mean they'll be good at streaming too? Honestly speaking, I'm not confident I could do it."

If broadcasting online was guaranteed to be successful based only on how strong of a player someone was, then all professional gamers would be streamers.

Streaming wasn't just about playing games.

You also needed a good sense of humour and the wit to match with the viewers' moods.

That’s not all.

You also needed to be diligent in setting up a broadcast at the scheduled time, plus you had to do a bunch of shows.

There was no point in gaming like that.

It was more fun to watch.

When he heard me speak, Dongsoo hyung nodded his head with a slight exclamation of admiration.

"You seem pretty mature?"

"Is that a compliment?"

"Of course. Maybe it's because you've been to the army? I didn't grow up like that when I did my service though….. Hey, you remind me of this guy I used to know."

When he said that, I froze in the middle of drinking my beer.

Dongsoo hyung clenched his left hand into a fist and gritted his teeth as he said, "He was the best gamer of all the kids I knew, and I even recommended that he start broadcasting. But he said something similar to what you did."

I was pretty sure I knew who he was talking about.

Had someone put a bunch of tacks on my chair while I wasn't paying attention?

Why did my seat feel so uncomfortable?

"Even with the 1st gen capsules, that guy managed to pull off some crazy stuff. That fucking bastard."

"Ah, I think I know who you're talking about. Was that Sia?"

At Jinhyukie's question, Dongsoo hyung slammed the glass of beer down on the table and said, "Yes, that son of a bitch!"

"Wow, he must have been really good. I've never heard Hyung say something like that before.”

"He was great. That punk, on his own.….."

Dongsoo hyung's mouth opened and numerous stories about my previous achievements spilled out.

Yeah, back then.

I'd cleared places that had been called impregnable.

Even the request to assassinate the emperor had been carried out successfully. Things that had been considered impossible, I had accomplished.

Come to think of it, I'd had a lot of fun playing that game.

That was around when I had been ranked as number 1 in the official rankings, and had been the top dark gamer.

I nodded, smiling.

Then Doksoo hyung, who was talking excitedly, looked at me.

"Jinhyukie had told me that you used to play Gaia Online as well? With the playstyle you showed on air, you should have been pretty famous."

……. Dongsaeng-nom.

Why has nothing you've said helped me?

Let’s avoid this question for now.

"I wasn’t that big."

"Ah, just thinking about him makes me angry. Sia, if it weren't for that bastard, I could have cleared the Apocalypse Dragon. If you know where that fucker lives, I'll go and find him, then boom!"

…….Um, he's in front of you.

I felt the urge to cough but I had to endure it.

It was clear that if I got found out here, that glass of beer in Hyung's right hand would turn bright red.

So, while looking at Dongsoo hyung, I said, "That son of a bitch really was the worst."

"Wasn't he? But Chansik-ah, are you hot? Why are you sweating so much?"

"Maybe it's because it's my first time drinking after leaving the army. The army water is coming out of my pores."

"……..You crazy punk, you really don't want to broadcast? I think you'd be a hit if you just keep doing what you're doing."

Phew, it went alright.

Regardless, I needed to watch what I said going forward. It seemed like if I got caught, my peaceful life would be beaten to a pulp.

I drained the rest of my beer with this firm resolution in my heart.

This is. A lot funnier in KR. Basically it’s an uwu-ified play on Kan’s name. The important part is that it's Kan's fan bases's name.

-nom is a korean suffix, like -ssi. As a suffix, it can often be derogatory or insulting, however it can also be used affectionately to tease friends. Rhymes with home.