Chapter 20: “It wasn’t intentional.”

After the shoot, I collapsed as soon as I got home.

Literally collapsed, and woke up late the next day.

My body was already low on energy, so I must have overexerted myself yesterday.

Still, despite that, I must have changed into the new clothes I received and slept in them because something resembling a discarded garment was hanging by my bed.

The clothes I’m wearing now are a stretched-out cotton T-shirt and shorts.

It’s a familiar outfit.

On my desk, the clothes I had tried on yesterday were lying there.

The clothes I wore as a model were all gifts from Eunha, who gave them to me without asking for a penny.

It felt like receiving a sponsorship.

No matter how many times I refused, Eunha would insist, handing me the clothes, making it impossible to say no.

The clothes, which were almost left to rot in a warehouse, had found a good home, so I supposed they were happy about it.

The clothes were happy, huh? Eunha must be quite sensitive.

I got the clothes for free, and in return for modeling, I even received payment.

I wondered if I had become too indebted to Eunha.

Just as the saying goes, “Talk about the tiger, and it will appear,” Eunha’s message came just then.

Eunha: Here are the edited versions of the photos we took yesterday!

I didn’t have much to touch up since the subject was perfect, so it didn’t take long.

They should be up on my YouTube channel tomorrow, and on the shopping mall site by next week!

The cheerful tone of her message reflected her personality.

She had already organized the photos from last night. Had she even slept?

I opened the file Eunha sent.

There was Jieun’s beautiful image.

Wearing various outfits, striking different poses, and making fitting facial expressions.

Damn, she was ridiculously pretty.

It felt different seeing the photos of what I had done yesterday.

So this is how my movements and expressions were captured in the photos.

But somehow, I felt like…

I wasn’t really me?

As I flipped through the photos, recalling yesterday’s events, that feeling stayed with me.

Is this what they call self-doubt?

It seems like it’s quite common for modern people to have a mental issue or two.

What should I do now?

2 PM.

It’s an ambiguous time, not too early, nor too late.

Maybe because I had overeaten yesterday, my stomach wasn’t hungry.

What does someone like me, living the life of an unemployed person, have to do?

I guess I’ll play some games.

I didn’t feel like turning on the stream.

When did I start caring about that? I had just woken up, and my throat was dry.

I also had the desire to level up and surprise my viewers during the next stream.

Isn’t this kind of performance and deep thought what makes a great streamer?

So, what I was about to do now was rank games.

Focusing on raising my score.

Bahomet: Hello, teacher ^^

Daewang Castella: Mollru is here, time for an easy win

Mollru: Hello

I’ve gotten used to teammates recognizing me when the match starts.

The life of a celebrity…

Streaming unexpectedly has a big influence on those around you.

I picked the sniper again after a long time.

Honestly, I wouldn’t lose no matter which character I picked, but the thrill of playing a sniper never got old, no matter how many games I played.

Flying around the battlefield and taking out enemies made winning easy.

The momentum quickly shifted, and the game was nearing its end.

Daewang Castella: Oh, Dae-sik is on the opposing team, haha, I didn’t know.

Gukbap Goon: Dae-sik is streaming.

Dae-sik?

I saw the name and pressed the tab key to check the opposing team’s nicknames.

Weapon Master (Wizard) 1/6/2

Daewang Castella: Mollru is here, haha, easy win.

Mollru: Hello.

I’ve gotten used to teammates recognizing me when the match starts.

The life of a celebrity…

Streaming unexpectedly has a big influence on those around you.

I picked the sniper again after a long time.

Honestly, I wouldn’t lose no matter which character I picked, but the thrill of playing a sniper never got old, no matter how many games I played.

Flying around the battlefield and taking out enemies made winning easy.

The momentum quickly shifted, and the game was nearing its end.

Daewang Castella: Oh, Dae-sik is on the opposing team, haha, I didn’t know.

Gukbap Goon: Dae-sik is streaming.

Dae-sik?

I saw the name and pressed the tab key to check the opposing team’s nicknames.

Weapon Master (Wizard) 1/6/2

Dae-sik was staring blankly at the screen with a dazed expression.

Ah, Dae-sik has been broken.

“No, you guys got hit by a truck, it’s not my fault. Mollru, how can this person be so good?”

Dae-sik quickly pulled himself together, like a pro streamer.

He then started engaging with the viewers in a casual, confident manner as he continued the stream.

I quietly watched his broadcast.

“Ugh, I hope I don’t meet them again this time. If I do, that’s it for today.

What? Am I scared? Yeah, I’m scared. Do you guys think you wouldn’t be scared if you met them?”

Dae-sik skillfully calmed the viewers’ negative reactions.

He skillfully avoided any attempts to provoke him.

The game began, and Dae-sik’s eyes quickly scanned the enemy team’s nicknames.

It seemed like he was looking for someone specific, as his pupils darted back and forth several times.

After blinking repeatedly, he let out a sigh of relief.

“Ah, they’re not here this time. Thank goodness. They’re not someone who should be in this rank. What? You’re sad that the Dae-sik education teacher isn’t here? You’re banned.”

Not finding “Mollru” in the loading screen, Dae-sik appeared to brighten up again.

Of course, it was unlikely.

I wasn’t even playing; I was just watching his broadcast.

This time, I decided to be a thorough viewer and watch his live stream.

Since I had already met him, I wanted to see his stream properly, especially since I was curious about his playstyle as an All-Weapon user.

“See? I told you, if it’s just the locals, I carry! I’m a Grandmaster, I’m not someone who should be in Master rank.”

At the beginning of the game, Dae-sik, choosing the assassin, showcased the essence of daggers, taking out enemy dealers one after another and gaining control of the match.

His flashy playstyle restored the viewers’ trust.

[Dae-sik showing off?]

[Here comes the shining Dae-sik]

[89! 89! 89! 89! 89! 89! 89!]

[The nightmare of Season 1, Dae-sik, the nightmare of Season 1, Dae-sik]

[Why China was shocked, Japan fainted, and the U.S. cried after seeing Dae-sik]

[These guys are making such a fuss, you’d think Dae-sik fired a nuke or something]

[He’s good, haha]

However, my thoughts were the opposite.

“That’s not good…”

It was great that he took out the enemy dealers.

But Dae-sik got too excited and pushed too deep into the enemy lines.

With his ultimate and skills all on cooldown, and his HP low, it was obvious that Dae-sik was going to die.

This was a poor play.

If he really wanted to aim for Grandmaster, this was something he needed to work on.

I tried to inform Dae-sik of the proper countermeasure by typing in the chat,

[Dae-sik, when that happens, you should take out just one and pull back. Your team is getting overwhelmed, so take one out and push the lane with them.]

However, the chat was moving too fast, and my message got buried.

“Ugh!”

As I expected, Dae-sik died, and his team lost control of the point.

“They got two, what are you guys doing? This isn’t good. I’ll have to take the front line.”

Dae-sik said this and switched to a different character.

You can only change characters once per game.

It resets the ultimate gauge, and if you’re not careful, it can break your team’s composition, so it has to be used wisely.

But it wasn’t surprising that he used it like this.

What was surprising was the character he chose.

“Dual swords?”

The character named “Muhee” appeared on screen.

She was holding a sharp two-handed sword, longer than a dagger but shorter than a greatsword.

With fast DPS and agile movements, Muhee was a popular choice, but it wasn’t the right pick for this situation…

It seemed the viewers shared my concerns, as voices of doubt began to emerge in the chat.

[Is this the right pick?]

[Dae-sik, calm down.]

[The Sword King Dae-sik finally picks dual swords…]

[Dual swords really don’t seem like the right choice.]

[Why the hell is he using dual swords?]

Dual swords were already a difficult weapon to use.

Due to Muhee’s fragility, any small mistake in control could lead to instant death.

That’s why it wasn’t a pick that would be used unless in very specific situations.

“No, no, it’s fine. Just watch.”

Dae-sik confidently charged into the front lines, as if there was no issue.

I was uneasy.

Sure enough, after a few slashes to deal damage, he got hit by an enemy CC skill and dramatically died.

The game, of course, ended in defeat.

“J*** Dae-sik, S*** Dae-sik, A** Dae-sik…”

The chat was heading toward disaster.

It was no surprise, given the many issues with Dae-sik’s gameplay.

Wanting him to do well, I left another message.

This time, with a stronger tone than before.

Mild messages would get lost in the flood.

[Does Dae-sik not have a brain? Why did he pick Muhee? He should’ve gone with a tanky soldier or mage instead.]

I didn’t bring up the control issues.

Those physical aspects wouldn’t improve just by pointing them out.

It seemed that Dae-sik didn’t see my message this time either.

He quickly scanned the chat and scratched his head before starting the next game.

“Ah, but guys, we were doing well in the beginning. It’s just that we made mistakes in the middle. If there weren’t pros like Mollu on the other team, we could’ve done it.”

That’s right—came the general agreement from the chat.

Though I felt embarrassed by the flattery, most of the viewers agreed with the sentiment.

“This time, I’ll go with a swordsman.”

Why pick another difficult character, though?

Those kinds of comments popped up in the chat, but surprisingly, Dae-sik played decently and won the game.

With the victory, Dae-sik’s energy spiked, and the chat followed suit with excitement.

However, from my perspective, his gameplay still had many gaps.

I had to point it out.

If poor play becomes a habit, it’s the most poisonous thing.

Whether he saw my feedback or not, Dae-sik quickly queued up for the next game.

This round, he picked a gunslinger.

Maybe it was luck, but Dae-sik won again.

His confidence rose even higher.

Yet, once again, his play didn’t satisfy me.

I carefully crafted another message.

Next round, and the one after.

Dae-sik kept winning consecutively.

Today, Dae-sik rushed forward at high speed, as if to recover all the points he had lost from the 7-game losing streak.

But even in the midst of this, there were still shortcomings, so I kept sending messages in the chat.

At that time, Dae-sik was playing the game, and I was chatting as a viewer.

• Suddenly, Dae-sik stopped matchmaking and moved his mouse.

“This evil bastard, you’re asking for it. Constantly giving advice. So annoying.”

It seemed there was a viewer sending malicious messages in the chat.

The other viewers were having a field day, calling it a long-awaited lesson in discipline.

I became curious too.

How do big streamers deal with malicious viewers?

“‘Dae-sik, do you have tremors? My dog, Poppy, could hold the mouse better than this.’

You’ve been typing this kind of stuff since earlier. You think I didn’t see it?”

Dae-sik read out the malicious viewer’s chat loudly, as if performing an autopsy on it.

This is the method commonly known as “autopsy.”

But the chat sounded familiar.

Where had I seen it before…?

Soon, when Dae-sik dragged his mouse, the full chat history poured out.

[He’s dodging and shooting like a ghost.]

[Using a longsword like a dagger, magic skills ᄃᄃ]

[Is that a magic user (physical)? Why are you constantly attacking the front line?]

[The pistol grip is weird, like the outlaw has four fingers.]

[Did someone threaten to blow up a bomb necklace whenever someone uses a skill? Why isn’t anyone using skills?]

The chat continued endlessly every time Dae-sik scrolled down the screen.

I knew who had typed those messages.

It was me.

“You’re not allowed to do this. How good do you think you are to be giving advice like this? Let’s see your skills.

If you beat me in a 1v1, I won’t ban you. But if you lose, I’ll contact the headquarters for an IP ban.”

[Weapon Master Dae-sik’s sword dance ᄃᄃ You can’t stop this.]

[Dae-sik has really got his game together.]

[Today’s stream is straight fire! Pyah pyah!]

Mentioning an IP ban meant Dae-sik was really angry.

This wasn’t my original intention.

Instead of enlightening Dae-sik, I had only made him more upset.

• Dae-sik grumbled and scrolled to the end of the screen.

Finally, the end of the malicious chat appeared.

At the end of it, the viewer’s nickname was revealed.

‘Mollru’

As it proudly appeared, Dae-sik muttered in a dazed voice.

“…?!”