Chapter 101: Reaction

I decided to act shamelessly.

That was the stance I would take for the time being.

It was the result of seriously reflecting on the previous day’s broadcast.

Though the stream itself had only lasted for about 53 minutes, I rewatched it several times.

I analyzed how I appeared on camera, what kind of chats were most common, and which of my movements triggered the most intense reactions.

There are always things you can only catch when viewing yourself from a third-person perspective.

It’s the same with Abyss. There’s a reason why skilled players trying to climb the ranks are told not to just play the game but to review replays and analyze their gameplay.

This wasn’t Abyss, but the principle was similar.

By shifting my perspective, I was able to pick up on more details.

For instance, I realized that the more I showed discomfort toward overwhelming chats or donations, the worse they became.

It was likely due to the viewers’ natural contrarian tendencies.

In that sense, my initial response during yesterday’s broadcast had been completely wrong.

No matter the situation, the initial response is always the most critical.

But what’s done is done. The important thing was the present.

It still wasn’t too late. Since it was only my second cam stream, this still counted as the early phase.

That’s why I decided that, starting today, I would act as shamelessly as possible.

Raising my voice in response to being called pretty was part of my “shameless” strategy.

[? Did she go crazy?]

[Uh… um, yeah…]

[Are you drunk?]

[Pretty is pretty, can’t argue with that.]

[Unnie, you’re so funny, lololol.]

[???: I’m pretty.]

[‘Not guilty.’]

I could feel my face heating up in real time.

My skin tingled slightly, as if someone were poking me with their fingers.

Of course, no one actually was, but it felt that way.

I swallowed hard, staring into the black lens of the camera.

I had to get used to this feeling.

As I physically endured the experience, I opened my mouth again.

“Humph, h-hmph. No matter how much you guys call me pretty, it doesn’t affect me at all, okay? I’ve been pretty since birth, so I’ve been hearing people call me pretty my whole life……”

Wait, did I go too far?

Did I push the accelerator a little too hard?

This wasn’t just acting shameless—it was downright arrogant.

Sure, it was still shameless and annoying, but it wasn’t exactly the vibe I was aiming for.

Maybe I was being too hasty.

I only realized how off it sounded after I had already blurted it out.

And my bad feeling was confirmed by the viewers’ reactions.

[Ah, lol. She looks just like Camilla, so whatever.]

[Unnie ㅠㅠ you’re too cute.]

[Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.]

[What kind of concept is this?]

[I like it…]

[Kayak, conquering even the tsundere style… this can’t be stopped.]

[She’s really going all out.]

[Goddamn… she’s insane… she’s absolutely insane…]

[Um… could you stand up, put your hands on your waist, and do it properly again?]

[Your face and your words are totally out of sync, lolol.]

[Where did you pick up this nonsense?]

[The guide to taming Twitch viewers.]

[She’s sniping the weebs’ tastes perfectly, lolol.]

[Twitch streamers better step it up if they don’t want Kayak stealing all their viewers.]

[Wow… I think I need to make this my new main channel.]

[Ah, my mom called me, so I missed it. Can you do it one more time? What did you say?]

[I just got here. What’s going on?]

“Ah, no, that’s not it. I mean, I am pretty, but… I’m not trying to show off or anything…”

I quickly tried to explain myself, but it was completely useless.

<Parco has donated 30,000 won!>

– Please do the same reaction again for 30,000 won.

[That’s a given, no reaction necessary]

[If anything, that makes it less likely she’ll do it.]

[She knows she’s pretty, huh?]

Watching the viewer chat become even livelier, as if someone had poured fuel on a fire, I realized:

‘Did I miscalculate my strategy…?’

Rather than acting shamelessly, I should’ve gone with the unbothered, indifferent approach instead.

It was a regret that came too late.

There was another person watching Kayak’s stream early that morning.

“…Is this even possible?”

His name was Yoo Seongmin.

His profession? Game developer, currently working as a character designer at Ionix.

Right now, Seongmin was staring at Kayak’s stream with a blank expression, alternating between blinking repeatedly, dropping his jaw, and even slapping his own cheek in disbelief.

Because right before his eyes, Camilla was alive and breathing.

No, it wasn’t just that she was simply moving around.

She was broadcasting live, speaking with an array of colorful and nuanced expressions that no programmed AI could ever replicate.

Yes, Camilla was streaming.

There was no need for further explanation—Seongmin had been working at Ionix for years, designing and releasing various heroes.

And one of the heroes he had created was none other than Camilla.

Although the character’s in-game performance had always been somewhat lacking, her design and skill set were praised for being distinctive and well-crafted.

Even for Seongmin, who had brought countless heroes to life, Camilla held special significance.

That was because he had poured several times more effort into her design than any other character.

Recently, Seongmin had been feeling proud as he watched Camilla receive buffs and finally make it into tournaments.

Seeing his beloved character—who had never once made it to the competitive scene—finally making her debut on the big stage brought him immense satisfaction.

Lately, it seemed as if Camilla was constantly surprising him.

Ionix had announced plans to create her most stunning skin to date.

The balance team had given her long-awaited buffs.

She was suddenly tournament-viable.

Seongmin had thought he couldn’t be surprised anymore.

But then…

When one of his colleagues told him to check out Kayak’s stream, claiming the streamer looked exactly like Camilla, he had dismissed it as nonsense.

But when he actually tuned in…

“She really does look exactly like her…”

Seongmin stared in disbelief at the streamer enthusiastically interacting with her viewers, gesturing with her hands and playfully responding to chat.

Truthfully, he had already been aware of Kayak’s existence for quite some time.

Even back when no one knew whether Kayak was male or female, she had been one of the top-ranked players who consistently communicated with Ionix.

In fact, most of the employees at Ionix were familiar with her.

She was one of the few players who had stuck with the game even when Abyss was at its lowest point.

She had continually provided feedback and suggestions:

“It would be better if you adjusted this part of the game.”

“If you implement this, more people might become interested in Abyss.”

Her passion for the game was palpable, and she often spoke on behalf of the player base.

It was no wonder that people jokingly referred to Kayak as an unofficial Ionix employee.

There were plenty of people in the company who openly called themselves her fans, and Seongmin was also among those who, while not watching her streams daily, tuned in from time to time.

Whenever he saw her playing Camilla in ways that even the character’s creator hadn’t imagined, he couldn’t help but be impressed.

Inwardly, he even felt a certain sense of familiarity with her.

But that was precisely why he was so shocked.

It was like discovering that a neighbor you casually exchanged greetings with was actually a CIA secret agent.

‘…No, this feels even more extreme.’

Not that he’d ever experienced such a situation, but somehow, this seemed far more intense.

Right now, Seongmin felt as though a character he had sculpted with his own hands had leapt into reality.

It was such a surreal experience that even he found it hard to put his feelings into words.

“So that’s why people were messaging me like crazy…”

The sudden flood of messages and missed calls from the previous day.

The calls he hadn’t answered due to being laid up with a cold were all about Kayak.

Some people even asked him if he had modeled Camilla after Kayak.

In the past, he could have confidently denied it.

After all, Camilla was purely his own creation, an original character crafted entirely from his imagination.

But after watching Kayak’s stream, even Seongmin himself was starting to have doubts.

‘Did I really create Camilla?’

Maybe, at some point, he had subconsciously seen Kayak somewhere, and her appearance had been imprinted in his mind.

Without realizing it, he might have projected her image onto Camilla, bringing the character to life.

Smack.

In fact, that seemed like the more plausible explanation.

Otherwise, how could Kayak look so identical to Camilla?

“Maybe Kayak liked Camilla so much because they look alike?”

Otherwise, there would have been no reason for her to play so devotedly during the game’s dark days.

Seongmin muttered to himself, trying to convince himself of the connection.

In hindsight, it was actually fortunate that Kayak hadn’t filed a portrait rights claim.

If she had, it could’ve turned into a copyright infringement case—people might have accused Ionix of modeling Camilla after a real person without permission.

“…I should reach out to her.”

He needed to apologize.

To tell her that, although it wasn’t intentional, he might have subconsciously based Camilla on her.

That he was truly sorry.

And so, despite having never once donated to a streamer in his life, Seongmin promptly sent 500,000 won to Kayak’s broadcast.

<Yusungmin has donated 500,000 won!>

“Whoa… A 500,000-won donation? And a cool dono at that?”

Meanwhile, Kayak blinked in confusion at the unexpected donation, her eyes rolling in disbelief.

The viewers, on the other hand, immediately started egging her on, demanding she repeat her earlier reaction for the hefty sum.