Chapter 47: Chaotic Talent Show: Trolls and Unexpected Moments

A man and a woman sit side by side on a sofa.

The situation feels like a scene straight out of a movie, making my face flush with embarrassment.

“Hmm, suddenly I feel thirsty. I’ll go get some water,” I said, getting up and heading toward the fridge.

But I didn’t get far before I stopped. Dajang was holding my hand.

“Dajang?”

“Yuseong…”

Dajang looked up at me, her face flushed, her plump lips slightly parted.

Then, in a voice filled with longing, she said:

“Could you get me some water too?”

“…Sure.”

She was just thirsty, nothing more. I was tense for no reason.

When the mood aligns with the moment, it’s truly intimidating.

There’s a line one of the lead actors in a movie likes to say, “Don’t cross the line.” Exactly.

If either of us had crossed the line, it could have led to a situation we wouldn’t be able to control.

“I also brought some soda. Would you like one?”

“Yes, please.”

“But this movie is really tragic. At first, it felt like a black comedy.”

“True.”

Drinking a glass of water calmed my nerves. Returning to the sofa, I handed Dajang a can of cola.

Fortunately—or unfortunately—the heated atmosphere had cooled significantly.

The awkward, cringeworthy romantic scene ended, and the movie reached its climax.

The plot grew more intense, with brutal scenes appearing one after another.

“How can you keep your eyes closed the whole time? You’re the one who wanted to watch this movie,” I teased.

“I can’t watch this,” Dajang replied, covering her eyes with both hands.

Wow. Even I, with my weak stomach, managed to endure it.

Dajang, surprisingly, has a sensitive side.

She trembled, unsure of what to do.

This made me feel like I was tormenting her.

But seriously, wasn’t she the one who suggested watching this movie?

“Here, I’ll hold your hand. Open your eyes—you should see the ending for yourself.”

I gently held Dajang’s hand.

Whether it was my gesture or the comfort it brought, she slowly opened her tightly shut eyes.

See? It’s doable.

It’s not like this is a horror movie—why would you avoid watching it? Besides, we’re together.

We continued watching the movie, our focus entirely on the screen.

We held hands until the ending credits rolled.

“There’s about 20 minutes left. I’ll go prepare for the stream,” I said, turning off the TV.

I began setting up for the stream by bringing the lights and microphone back to the studio room and ensuring the Talk-On program was working properly.

“What about you, Dajang?”

“I’ll watch the stream on my phone and help as a manager. Once you’re done, don’t wake me up—I’ll go straight to sleep.”

“You’re not going to eat before sleeping? You might get hungry.”

“I don’t usually eat every meal, so don’t worry.”

“Well, if you get hungry, let me know right away, okay?”

“Got it.”

Dajang pulled out a blanket from the closet, laid it on the sofa, and sprawled out on her stomach.

Looks like she plans to fall asleep right after the stream.

She’s probably exhausted from being busy all day.

Managing the stream must be tiring too—I’m really grateful for her help.

[Rookie Male Streamer: Viewer Talent Show]

“Hello, everyone! It feels like it’s been ages since my last stream. How have you all been?”

[ShinHa]

[Did your cold get better?]

[The rookie male streamer, lol.]

[You still look a bit unwell. Your cheeks are red.]

“I’ve fully recovered from my cold. I took a long nap today and got plenty of rest, so don’t worry!”

At 9 PM sharp, I started the stream.

It was my first personal broadcast in two days, and we began with some casual chats about recent events.

Many viewers expressed concern for my health, and I made a mental note to take better care of myself in the future.

[Enjoyed the public broadcast earlier.]

[What was it like meeting Lee Seolhyun in person? Stunning, right?]

[She’s so gorgeous, even as a fellow woman, I was in awe.]

Questions about the public broadcast started flooding in.

It was only natural—after all, I appeared with the nation’s top actress.

Recalling the scene, I began to share my thoughts.

“Seolhyun is incredibly beautiful. I was so nervous that I couldn’t even play the game properly.”

[Lol, you were totally focused, though.]

[Is that what you call not playing properly? Haha.]

[Loved seeing her dragged around like a helpless pup, lol.]

“Wow, you guys are brutal. I never treated her like that! Stop trying to ruin my reputation.”

I did push Seolhyun a bit hard during the broadcast.

I asked a lot from someone unfamiliar with directional pad controls.

But what choice did I have? If I hadn’t, the broadcast wouldn’t have had any good moments.

[[God] RecklessOfficeWorker has donated 10,000,000 won.]

[Looked like you were treating her like a stray pup to me. Anyway, great job on the broadcast. ^-^;]

“Wow! Thank you for the 10 million won donation, RecklessOfficeWorker! If you say so, then maybe I did. I’ll make sure to apologize to Seolhyun later. Thank you so much!”

[10 million won? That’s crazy.]

[???]

[That’s Yuseong’s stream, right?]

[The guy who had a donation battle with Moonhwa Office Worker a while back?]

[10 million in one go. Wow.]

Speak of the devil—Seolhyun herself donated. A whopping 10 million won.

Truly fitting for a top-tier actress.

I’m glad I took care of her when she was drunk yesterday.

She’s already repaid the favor.

This brings Seolhyun’s total donations to 29 million won, solidifying her position as Vice President of the channel’s donor rankings with a significant lead over others.

[[God] RecklessOfficeWorker: Just kidding. I’m busy, so I’ll head out now. ^-^;]

“Oh! Don’t you want to stay for a reaction? You’re leaving already?”

[[God] RecklessOfficeWorker: It’s fine. I’ll catch it next time.]

“All right. Take care! Thank you so much!”

Seolhyun left the stream. Judging by her rejection of the reaction and quick departure, she must be genuinely busy.

She probably squeezed in some time during her filming schedule to drop by.

“Okay, let’s start the talent show segment now! I posted the announcement, right? The first prize is 200,000 won, so be sure to join in!”

[200,000 won, lol.]

[Didn’t you just get a 10 million won donation?]

[So stingy, lol.]

“Hey, is 200,000 won a joke to you? And the total, including the runner-up prizes, is 500,000 won!”

The viewers teased me about the prize money, but that’s normal for this kind of content.

It’s standard for streamers on Youcube to offer similar amounts.

Still, it stings. What’s wrong with 500,000 won?

Try digging around the ground and see if you can find a single 10-won coin.

These people have no idea how hard it is to earn money.

[That’s the one, isn’t it? The voucher you bought when you met those snipers. Recycling lol]

“Recycling?! That’s harsh. This is about keeping promises to the viewers!”

[Disposal task squad, lolololol]

[lololol]

[Consistently the same person, lolololol]

[lololol]

[Fact: Without snipers, this content wouldn’t exist.]

I should have explained the origin of the vouchers first, but since I got caught right away, it became a laughingstock.

Still, the mood in the chat isn’t bad.

They’re just teasing me; no one’s actually upset.

They’re enjoying watching me flustered. I’ll play along for now and then get the content rolling.

“Alright! Who will claim this 200,000 won prize? Let’s welcome our first contestant!”

[Hello? Wow! Holy crap, I got in!]

I created a Talk-On chat room with a limit of two participants, and someone joined right away.

They were shouting in excitement, and understandably so—they must have clicked their mouse frantically to get in.

“Where are you from, and who are you? Please introduce yourself briefly.”

[Hi, I’m a 17-year-old high school girl from Seoul. I’m a huge fan of Yuseong oppa!]

“Thank you. What talent will you be showing us?”

[I’ll sing. Oh, and I’m good at rapping too.]

“Oh! I find rappers so cool. Go ahead and start!”

A moment of silence, then the beat began. It’s good—fast-paced with a grand scale. It feels like a masterpiece.

Huh-! Yeah-!

Even the ad-libs sound promising. Starting off this strong with the first contestant? This could generate some great views on YouTube.

[My wet ****! Yeah! Hit it hard…]

“Alright, next contestant, please come in.”

I immediately kicked the high school girl out.

Are you serious?

That was an assassin sent to get someone’s account suspended.

Wet what now? If I’d listened a bit longer, it could’ve been a disaster.

[Wet **** lolololol]

[Oh wow.]

[High school girl, my foot, lolololol]

[Quick reflexes, lololol]

[Lyrics are wild, lololol]

“Sing normal songs, please! What is this, a construction site? Hit what hard? Seriously, do you not want the prize?

Next contestant!”

[Hello? I’m a 20-something unemployed guy from Ulsan.]

The next contestant sounded calm. This one seems more normal.

But I won’t let my guard down.

They could turn crazy at any moment.

I need to be ready to kick them out instantly.

“What talent will you be showing us?”

[Impressions.]

“Impressions of whom?”

[Not a person, but animals.]

Should I be relieved?

Since I’m not familiar with celebrities in this world, animal impressions might be easier to judge.

Plus, they’re likely to be more wholesome. I told the contestant to go ahead.

[Grr-oink! Screeeeech! Ah, sec…]

“Alright, not falling for that twice. Next contestant.”

Do they think I’m stupid?

I was prepared this time and kicked out the pig impersonator immediately.

I didn’t even need to hear the rest—who wants to hear, “Ah, sec…”? Now I just want to wash my ears.

Can I even manage a proper broadcast today?

Are there any normal contestants at all?

The focus has shifted from showcasing skills to trying to fluster me.

“Uh, I know you worked hard, but your skills were just a bit lacking. Too bad.”

[Yuseong is so nice, lololol.]

[That wasn’t just ‘a bit’ lacking, though.]

[Ah, I laughed so much, lololol. Just give them the grand prize, lololol.]

[Why do I feel embarrassed on their behalf, lol.]

[By the way, what’s the original song? Never heard it before, lololol.]

Finally, I found someone genuinely trying, but their skills were terrible.

They ignored rhythm and pitch entirely and recited their song like poetry.

They were so earnest that I couldn’t even criticize them, and I barely managed to suppress my laughter.

The subsequent contestants were the same—pranking or underwhelming.

Thirty minutes into the broadcast, I hadn’t found a single contestant worth making a YouCube video about.

This won’t do. I’ll have to take drastic measures.

“Alright, everyone, you’re all doing so well that I’m adding a new mission. The first person to show a proper talent will get a 100,000 won voucher immediately. Got it? Oh, and I’ll throw in a Quick View pass too.”

[What??]

[This is so sweet, lol.]

[Oh, by the way, did Yuseong just become a partner streamer?]

[Already?]

[For real? It hasn’t even been two weeks since you started streaming, right?]

The chat shifted to discussing my promotion to partner streamer.

It’s no wonder they’re surprised—I worked out a special deal with the platform’s representative for preferential treatment.

As a partner streamer, I now get 100 Quick View passes per month.

I’ll have to hold frequent events to give them out.

For now, I used this as part of the prize.

[Hello?]

“Yes, hello! Could you introduce yourself?”

[I live in Seoul, and I stream under the nickname Song Yua on Twika TV.]

The next contestant was another streamer.

This one seems promising.

Since they’re using their real name to stream, they should take this seriously.

Curious if they were famous, I checked the chat.

[Who???]

[Seven viewers? Is this for real? Lol.]

[But they’re a singing streamer, so this could be worth expecting.]

[If they were any good, their viewer count wouldn’t be that low, lol.]

[Seriously, not a single person knows them? Lol.]

Doesn’t seem like they’re well-known.

Still, I shouldn’t judge prematurely—hidden gems exist.

Not everyone starts off big.

Even I went through a Hako phase before becoming a top streamer.

“Yes, Yua. What talent will you be showing us?”

[I’ll sing. I’d like to perform an original song.]