Chapter 44: “Don’t overthink it.”

Season 3.

There was almost no punishment for swearing or trolling, but the players, full of passion for the game, kept the balance somehow, making it a romantic era.

A time very different from now, where a single swear word would immediately lead to a sanction.

The situations where players were criticized were only for their lack of skill or for blaming others, not mindless accusations.

The criticism was just a bit harsh in its expression.

Thus, those who were criticized either worked harder to improve or fell into trolling, making it a truly meritocratic era where everything was decided by skill.

Back then, even Watchdog had some presence, but they didn’t control users as strictly.

This began to change due to a specific event.

The account theft incident, also known as the “proxy chaos.”

It started quietly, centered around skilled Challenger-level players, but it began to escalate.

A professional company even emerged, and it was discovered that from casual players to professional players, many had used proxy services to raise their tiers, causing a huge shock.

And now, here I am, being implicated in this large-scale event by the gallery members.

ᄋᄋ: What’s the latest rumor in the gallery? Did Mollu use a proxy?

ᄂᄋᄋ: Just like the national average level; read the post.

roo: I won’t read more than three lines.

<Is there any solid proof that Mollu used a proxy? What’s the basis?>

These guys are just spreading rumors. They must get angry when someone succeeds, right? Seems like they just hate without reason.

ᄋᄋ: Because they’re doing well.

ᄋᄋ: How can anyone have anti-fans for Mollu? How can someone hate after seeing that body?

ᄂᄋᄋ: ᄅᄋ maybe they’re a misogynist.

ᄋᄋ: I’m an 18-year-old high school girl, and all my classmates love Mollu.

<Fact. No proof of using a proxy. There are only suspicious circumstances.>

When Suah first appeared on broadcast, she said she had a Challenger main account, but couldn’t reveal it due to personal reasons.

Later, when she started her own broadcast, she claimed it was just a joke, a lie.

But the reason for the chaos in this tournament? It was simply a balance collapse. Mollu was carrying solo and doing a one-man show. Just boring.

oo: Seems like their owner didn’t win, so they’re writing stuff like this.

ᄋᄋ: What a load of nonsense!

ᄋᄋ: Fact. Yesterday, the total viewers reached about 100,000, making it one of the most successful official broadcasts on Twitch.

ᄋᄋ: Haha, success and fun are separate things.

ᄋᄋ: Something seems fishy. Haha, if it’s suspicious, turn on the cam. Let’s see Mollu’s face.

ᄂᄋᄋ: It might ruin the fantasy if she turns it on. It might be better this way.

ᄂᄋᄋ: Honestly, with that body, even if she’s average, she’d still look pretty. We’ve seen her jawline a few times, so she probably looks cute.

<Some random picture of Na Hoon-ah>

A true superstar drives both fans and haters crazy.

If everyone likes you, you’re not a superstar, you’re just a star.

There have to be people who dislike you for the fans to like you even more.

ᄋᄋ: Tes-hyung gets another win…

ᄋᄋ: Truly a great quote.

ᄋᄋ: Superstar Mollu!

ᄋᄋ: It would be solved if you just turned on the broadcast, but you’re not doing it.

ᄋᄋ: If you don’t want to die, turn on the broadcast, Mollu! I know you’re watching!

I felt a sharp pang, quickly leaving the post and starting to read other threads.

What was somewhat fortunate was that not many people were supporting the claims.

Even though the people accusing me of being a proxy had no solid proof, the circumstances were definitely suspicious.

I was quite surprised that public opinion was still favorable.

Normally, when something like this happens, people get publicly burned at the stake, like a witch hunt, but this time it was different.

It seemed that the need to turn on the camera due to the tournament rules had something to do with it.

Most of the gallery members were focused on discussing my chest, which was an odd situation.

That feeling of relief quickly faded, and I found myself feeling frustrated again.

“I mean, they hardly talk about my gaming skills, and just keep talking about my chest…”

Lying down, I pulled my chin up and directed my gaze towards my stomach.

Even though I was lying down and slightly spread out, the two peaks still made their presence known.

They moved in every direction when I shifted my body.

Despite my troubled mind, it didn’t seem like there was any major issue.

There’s no proof that I ever worked as a proxy, and after this tournament, Watchdog even performed an account autopsy on me.

Also, most people who were supporting me.

I could just legally rest while my computer was being repaired and wait until the atmosphere calmed down.

I could stay idle until the tournament’s excitement died down, truly relaxing.

Let others enjoy the ripple effect or whatever it is.

Excessive attention is just tiring.

Still, I picked up my phone again, deep in thought.

Shouldn’t I at least leave a message for those who have been consistently watching my stream?

For example, an announcement.

When I was looking through emails to find an editor last time, I saw many messages like that.

It wasn’t frequent, but there were suggestions to leave updates or broadcast schedules occasionally.

Of course, I had made it clear from the start that my broadcast schedule would be irregular, and I also intentionally didn’t set a specific time to create a surprise or spontaneous vibe.

…It wasn’t just because I disliked setting a regular schedule, though.

Creating a routine was a tough task.

Anyway, after receiving those emails and noticing a surge in my viewership lately,

I began to search for something to write an announcement beyond the small screen of my phone.

“Is this it? No, it’s not… Then how about this one?”

The switch between desktop and mobile versions was tricky.

I finally managed to log into my account, but even with my eyes wide open, I couldn’t find the channel feed that streamers use to update their followers.

After struggling for 10 minutes, unable to move on, I finally thought of a simple solution.

Instead of struggling, I could just ask for help from an expert.

I called my reliable editor – who was suspiciously skilled in IT and very competent – Siyeong.

Would they pick up?

I’d heard before that their biological rhythms were irregular. I wondered if they were sleeping or maybe out, unable to take my call.

The brief moment of the dial tone was enough for my countless thoughts to fade away as Siyeong immediately picked up the call.

“Yes, boss.”

The tone was very businesslike and mechanical, but strangely, I felt an underlying warmth in it.

Was it… happiness from receiving the call?

I guess Siyeong might have a somewhat lonely personality.

“You can just call me Ji-eun, no need for formalities.”

“Okay, then… ahem, Ji-eun. What’s the matter?”

“Oh, it’s nothing major. I was trying to write an announcement, but—.”

Preferring not to maintain a hierarchical relationship, I once again solidified my position as a business partner and explained the situation.

I had tried to access my Switch via my phone, but I couldn’t find the channel feed to leave a message.

Siyeong quickly cleared up my confusion.

“The channel feed was removed a week ago. It seems they removed it during a UI update on Switch.”

“Oh.”

I let out a sigh, and Siyeong offered another suggestion.

“Well… the Switch community can be a bit inconvenient. How about Instagram? I don’t think anyone’s avoiding it these days.”

“That’s… not quite right.”

“It’s a shame. If you posted one or two pictures and wrote something, people would have loved it.”

My initial thought was that it felt too much like being a celebrity, and second, I didn’t like the idea of communicating in a one-sided way, where I just posted pictures or text.

I wanted a space where everyone could come together and share conversations, like, for example, a gallery.

“But you can’t use a gallery. It’s full of controversies, and there’s a stigma about it being underground. It might turn off new people who join now or in the future.”

I see. Siyeong seemed to understand my stream much better than I thought, thinking ahead and considering the bigger picture.

As soon as I expressed my thoughts, Siyeong immediately found a solution.

“Then it’s better to create a cafe.”

“A cafe?”

“Yes, I’ll set one up for you. In the meantime, you can post the announcement in the Switch community. Mention that you’ll be opening a cafe as well.”

Siyeong smoothly shared the link.

The Switch community link.

When did they even set this up?

After the call ended, I logged into the community and began writing the announcement.

…What should I write? I was stuck right from the first line.

I should have written something like this before.

I could just summarize the key points.

Three lines at most.

It wasn’t like I was writing a cover letter, I didn’t need to put too much effort into it.

-Announcement

This is Mollu.

There will be no broadcasts for the next 2-3 days.

A cafe is being set up, please visit.