Chapter 4: Rising Popularity: From Criticism to Challenges

[Munranhan Company Employee has donated 300,000 won.]

[I was amazed at how well you play games. Are you really a guy?]

“Wow, oh my… T-thank you, Munranhan Company Employee!”

The goal of today’s stream was simple: to show off my gaming skills and attract viewers.

With that mindset, I started the stream. Along the way, some donations came through, and I even got some missions.

Things were going better than expected, so I was feeling quite satisfied.

But then, just one hour into the stream, a donation of 300,000 won popped up.

Back in my pro gamer days, I received even larger donations regularly.

But that was when I had the status of being a top-tier player in the industry.

Now, I was just a rookie streamer.

This situation was unbelievable.

Is this what the power of a male streamer looks like?

[Munranhan Company Employee has entered ]

[One of the Big Three Donors is here ]

[What an honor for someone so esteemed to visit this humble stream!]

[Is this real? [Wheel] It doesn’t have the signature parentheses from Wheel9.]

[It’s really Munranhan Company Employee, trust me.]

[For their class, the firepower is a bit underwhelming, though.  This is Wheel9’s chairman.]

So, it was indeed a big spender.

In the streaming world, a “big spender” refers to someone who donates large sums to streamers.

Most often, these are the No. 1 donors for top-tier streamers, referred to as “chairmen,” with donation amounts reaching hundreds of millions, sometimes even more.

But why would someone like that donate such a large sum to me, a complete newbie? I couldn’t figure it out.

‘Are you really a guy?’ Suddenly, I remembered the content of the voice donation.

Was it a question of suspicion?

If I were pretending to be male while streaming as a female, it could harm the reputation of the streamers this person supports.

Was this just a check or a subtle warning?

“Yes, I’m a guy, Munranhan Company Employee.

Wow, I guess I’m so good at games that it’s leading to this kind of misunderstanding.”

[Munranhan Company Employee: Oh, it’s just a figure of speech.  No misunderstanding here. I’ll keep enjoying your stream from now on. Please feel free to just call me Moonhwa]

“Got it! Thank you. Let’s move on to the next game.”

So, I was wrong. The chat didn’t seem to carry any malice.

Phew, what a relief.

For a moment, I was scared that I’d gotten on the bad side of someone influential.

[No reaction?]

[??]

[Seriously? You take 300,000 won and just say thank you? ]

[Hopeless;;]

[Breaking news: Moonhwa gets ghosted after donating.]

[What the heck  What a joke!]

“Oh! Right, a reaction! Of course, I should do one.”

I’d almost overlooked the need for a reaction.

The habits from my pro gamer days had carried over, where a simple “thank you” in chat was enough.

But now, I needed to come up with a reaction.

What should I do?

I hadn’t prepared anything since I wasn’t expecting donations, let alone one this large.

“Moonhwa, is there any specific reaction you’d like to see?”

When in doubt, ask the donor directly.

[Munranhan Company Employee: Hmm, I’m not doubting you or anything… but I’d love to see you on camera.]

“Oh, I see. But what should I do? I don’t have a webcam right now… I think I’ll have to do a different kind of reaction.”

[You were fine saying you’d go shirtless in the stream title, but now you’re making excuses about not having a cam? Smh.]

[Just use your phone to prove it, duh.]

[This is getting old…]

[Rioting intensifies!]

[Excuses are piling up, If you don’t have one, get one ]

[The chat is about to explode, lol.]

I turned down the request due to circumstances, but the backlash from viewers was harsher than I anticipated.

Well, it’s not surprising—they’ve found the perfect opportunity to confirm my identity.

These sly viewers wouldn’t let this slide.

Fine, I’ll play along.

The stream is going well, so I might as well ride this momentum.

“Alright, fine! I’ll do it! Calm down, stop rioting!”

[Oh!]

[Hell yeah! I knew you’d do it!]

[Stop rioting!]

[Why is this chat so in sync? ]

[This is hilarious ]

“I’ll end the stream and restart it using my phone. Moonhwa, is that okay with you? The lighting isn’t great on my phone, so the quality might not be the best.”

[Munranhan Company Employee: That’s fine. It’s actually better this way.]

Better? What does that even mean?

Well, it’s none of my business.

Now, I just need to negotiate the terms.

The ace card must be played in a dramatic situation.

With fewer than 200 viewers, it’d be wasteful to use it now.

It wouldn’t be worth it.

“Instead of showing my face outright, can I wear a hat and mask? I’m not really prepared, and as a guy, I’d like to present myself better. Would that be okay?”

[Munranhan Company Employee: Sure, that’s fine. Asking a new male streamer to show his bare face for just 300,000 won would feel too greedy.]

“Thank you! I’ll end the stream for now and come back in about 10 minutes. Everyone, stay tuned!”

[Something big is coming ]

[Make sure to clean up before you’re back.]

[ No face reveal? Smh…]

[Holding my breath until you’re back!]

[Hurry back ]

Negotiations successful. I immediately ended the stream and began preparing for the restart.

Looking around the room, I noticed my clothes hanging on the wall.

Is that all I have?

Well, it can’t be helped.

Back then, I was preparing for civil service exams.

I couldn’t rely on my parents for money, not even for clothes.

At least my white t-shirt and jeans were clean and simple—my usual style.

Good fit can make even the plainest outfits look attractive.

Next, I tidied up the parts of the room that would be visible on camera.

I changed into my outfit, put on the hat and mask, and… was there anything else?

Oh, the curtains—I needed to block the window.

After finishing all preparations, I restarted the stream using my phone.

[(New Male Streamer) Model-like Body Reveal]

50 viewers… 100 viewers… The numbers kept rising quickly.

I expected the count to stabilize at around 150, like earlier, but it kept climbing.

Before I knew it, the viewer count had hit 500.

What’s going on? Did the clickbait stream title work better than I thought?

[Did Moonhwa ditch Wheel9?]

That male streamer who said he’d go shirtless is live, and Moonhwa just donated 300,000 won.

Moonhwa even dropped Wheel9’s signature parentheses.

Did they really leave?

[No way. Stop with the wild assumptions, lol.]

[Why so angry?]

[“Wheel Grandma” lol.]

[Moonhwa is Wheel9’s chairman; they’d never leave. Too much money invested.]

[Yeah, they’ve probably spent over 1 billion won already.]

[But would someone of Moonhwa’s class even care about that kind of money? Rumor has it they own a building in Gangnam.]

[No, Moonhwa is just a company employee. They said so themselves.]

[Yeah, a company employee, lol.]

[Delete your comment if you don’t want downvotes, lol.]

[Too late, already over 100 downvotes , Wheel Grandma’s crew is on fire.]

Hey, that male streamer is live again. He’s doing a face reveal using his phone. ᄃᄃ

[Nope, he said he’ll only verify he’s a guy with a mask on.]

[Oh! Gotta check it out]

[What the heck? Why no face reveal!]

[??]

[Is the ceiling your face or what?]

[If this is a joke, I swear…]

Why is everyone so sensitive?

I planned to take my time and build up suspense before the reveal, but the chat was much harsher than expected.

Why were they so angry?

“Hello, everyone! I’m back. I’ll lower the phone soon. I just wanted to make sure the angle was good. Here we go!”

I shifted the camera to show myself.

The lighting wasn’t great, but it should be enough to prove I’m male.

[Wow, his shoulders…]

[Is this guy actually fit?]

[Is this streamer a model?]

[Is he Korean? His physique looks Western, though.]

[Can’t tell because of the mask, but wow…]

[This streamer might blow up soon.]

The audience’s initial hostility seemed to stem from bad experiences with other male streamers using similar tricks.

It wasn’t surprising—this world didn’t see many decent-looking men around.

I couldn’t delay any longer; viewer numbers were starting to drop.

Time to play the card I had prepared.

I angled the camera to show my face from its most flattering side.

“Sorry to keep you waiting! This is my first time doing a phone stream, so…”

[Oh, he’s here!]

[What’s up with that milky skin? Do guys even have skin like that?]

[Is this edited?]

[Nope, apps can’t hide stuff against that background.]

[Are you mixed with white?]

[Even white guys don’t have skin this flawless.]

[His eyes are seriously beautiful.]

The reactions completely flipped.

People who had been swearing at me suddenly began admiring my appearance.

Even with most of my face covered, the comments were full of praise—especially about my pale complexion.

Someone even joked about me being mixed race.

I didn’t think I was that extraordinary, but apparently, that’s how I looked to women in this world.

“Moonnhwa, are you watching?”

No response.

The person whose reaction I was really after wasn’t saying anything.

Had she not joined the stream yet? Maybe I should’ve started later.

Just as I began regretting my timing, her response appeared.

[Munranhan Company Employee: Yes, I’m watching. Your skin looks amazing]

“Ah! Thank you! I get that a lot. People say my skin looks like a baby’s—like a three-year-old, even.”

[Munranhan Company Employee: Oh… okay…]

[Gross!]

[What?]

[Know your limits!]

[It’s worse because it’s true, lol.]

[‘Three-year-old baby skin’ with chest hair, lol.]

[OMG, lol.]

Clearly embarrassed, Moonhwa gave a brief reply.

The chat latched onto it, spiraling into endless jokes.

Ugh, I’ll have to be more careful with my quips in the future.

It’s the streamer’s job to control the audience, after all.

“Ahem! So, are we good now? I think I did the reaction you wanted.”

[Munranhan Company Employee: Yes, I’m satisfied.]

“Great. I’ll chat with everyone a bit more since the phone stream’s on, and then head back to my League stream.”

I spent some time chatting with viewers, answering their questions in a Q&A format.

Of course, I avoided awkward or invasive ones like “What’s your address?” or “What do you do for a living?” I only shared simple details, like my age, height, and weight.

When the chatting wrapped up, I restarted my stream on the computer.

Viewer numbers dropped to 300, but that was still double what I had before the phone stream.

For my first day, this was a huge success, especially within two hours of starting.

Back to the League stream.

After the first game, I secured an easy second win.

Playing as Yari, I ended with a score of 25 kills and 3 assists—a stellar performance again.

If I kept up this pace, I’d reach ten straight wins in no time.

Was the next rank Gold? Silver? Either way, the competition would be tougher than it was now.

[These players are just getting annihilated.]

No humanity, lol.]

[His skills are insane; watching this is pure joy.]

[The first male League streamer on Twika worth watching.]

One particular viewer stood out.

Someone with the username DameDame kept posting updates about me in the chat:

[New male gaming streamer, Shin Yoosung.
Location: Seoul.
Age: 25.
Height: 181 cm.
Weight: 70 kg.
Rank: Unranked.
Placement matches: 2 wins, 0 losses.]

[Why is Dajang here? Isn’t she usually Byeongsungi’s manager?]

[Byeongsungi got banned for revealing body hair during a sleep stream, lol.]

“Wow, DameDame! You’ve been sharing all my info non-stop. Want to be my manager?”

[Do it! Dajang is a legendary manager!]

[Just make them your permanent mod, lol.]

[DameDame: I’d work hard if you did. ]

“Alright, DameDame, I’ll make you a permanent mod. Please take care of me!”

[DameDame (Manager): Thank you! ]

Unintentionally, I’d landed myself a famous manager.

In the streaming world, managers didn’t have the best reputation—they were often seen as jobless leeches who hung around streamers all day.

While there were a few professional hires, most managers fit this stereotype.

Still, from a streamer’s perspective, managers were invaluable.

They provided information, managed the chat, and created an environment where the streamer could focus on content.

As my viewership grew, I was sure DameDame’s skills would shine even more.

“I’m giving you authority to ban or mute people, but don’t act unless I say so, alright?”

[Teaching Dajang? Lol.]

[Granddaughter: Grandma, you can cross when the light turns green, okay?]

[Lololol.]

[Do you know how many small streamers Dajang has mentored? Lol.]

“It’s my stream! Am I not allowed to say anything? Sigh.”

It was embarrassing, but I felt reassured.

If my manager inspired that much trust from viewers, I could definitely rely on them.

“Alright! Next game, let’s go! Any mission requests?”

I raised the energy to shift the mood.

While waiting for the game to match, a donation notification popped up.

[WheelNine has donated 10,000 won.]

[How about a 1v1 mid-lane bet? If you win, I’ll donate 1 million won. If I win, you reveal your face and do the Zero Two dance. Deal?]

Wait, WheelNine? Could it really be that WheelNine? I checked the chat to confirm.

[LOO]

[LOO]

[Ugh, these Wheel fangirls again.]

[LOO]

[So annoying, lol.]

The chat was flooded with messages hinting at WheelNine’s fan group.

My viewer count shot past 1,000 in seconds, thanks to their overwhelming influence.

I had a pretty good idea why WheelNine had crashed my stream.

They must’ve seen their “president” Moonhwa donating here and got jealous.

This ridiculous bet was probably meant to stir up trouble.

[WheelNine: So, what do you say?]

What should I do?

Winning wouldn’t be an issue, but I worried about the fallout.

Annoying WheelNine’s fans could bring a ton of backlash.

While I hesitated, another donation came in—the instigator of all this, Moonhwa.

[Munranhan Company Employee has donated 100,000 won.]

[Sounds fun. I’ll fund 2 million won if you accept. I’ll even set the penalty. The risk seems uneven, so I’ll make it fair.]