Chapter 48: Talent Show and Late-Night Success

“An Original Song?”

It’s not an easy choice. A popular song would likely draw a stronger reaction.

With an original song, even a slight dip in quality can lead to indifference.

Is this confidence or overreach?

[Yes, I’d like to give it a try. It’s been my dream to share this song with many people.]

I could sense the frustration of obscurity.

They wanted to be judged, but no one would even listen.

That’s probably why they joined chatrooms after tirelessly clicking their mouse, hoping to seize an opportunity to showcase their singing to a larger audience.

“May I join your stream, Yua?”

[Of course, it would be an honor. I’m actually a fan of yours, Yuseong. But I’m sorry, there isn’t much to see.]

I started wondering what Yua looked like. Curious, I searched for Song Yua in the streaming list and clicked on her stream.

[010]
[What the? A Dullahan?]
[010]
[No-cam singing stream LOL]
[010]
[010]

“Please don’t spam ‘Yuseong-op’ in another streamer’s chat. It disrupts their broadcast.”

No wonder there were a thousand viewers.

My viewers had entered Yua’s stream and were spamming chat with my name.

For a small-time streamer, this kind of influx can feel incredibly intimidating.

I know because I’ve experienced it in the past when a bigger streamer, WheelNine, overwhelmed my channel.

Thankfully, mentioning the issue reduced the spam significantly.

“Do you stream without a camera?”

[Yes, I don’t have a camera yet.]

Yua was a “Dullahan,” or a no-cam streamer.

Her stream only displayed a clumsy character illustration.

With this setup, it was no surprise her viewership was low.

Twika TV is full of beautiful and talented singing streamers.

There’s no way she could compete.

“Shall we hear your song then?”

[Sure.]

A stream with neither a face nor a studio revealed, leaving all curiosity unsatisfied.

Might as well just listen to the song.

I couldn’t waste too much time with Yua—other contestants were waiting.

[Wow, the intro quality is amazing!]

[This could be released as an audio track as it is!]

[This one’s going to be big.]

[Something about this feels pro-level LOL.]

[Is this really an original song? Feels too good to be true.]

The intro was incredible.

Was she playing the piano herself?

The melody was serene and beautiful, like sitting in a green meadow with a gentle breeze, feeling healed.

[Only one~ dream remains~ Walking this path~ together with you~]

As the intro ended, the singing began.

Huh?

I found myself tilting my head in confusion.

Her pitch was unstable, contrary to expectations.

While it wasn’t terrible, it felt nerve-wracking to listen to.

Perhaps it was nerves, as her voice quivered noticeably.

[LOL]

[???]

[Feels off.]

[She can’t do low notes LOL.]

[Now we know why she’s a small streamer.]

[A Dullahan who can’t sing either LOL.]

[Yuseong, just cut her off.]

The chat reactions weren’t good.

The intro had been filled with praise, but now they were asking to stop the performance.

There was no point in listening further.

Should I let her keep singing?

Her voice grew increasingly shaky, with frequent pitch breaks.

Cutting her off seemed like the right choice for her own good, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

She sang with such desperation, as if silently begging, “Please, just listen to the end.” I could almost hear the anguish in her voice.

[Sorry… Am I really that bad?]

Had she seen the chat? The piano stopped playing as Yua sighed deeply, her voice trembling with apology.

In the end, she gave up on her own.

It hurt to watch. She had finally seized the opportunity she had longed for, only for it to backfire.

“No, there’s nothing to apologize for. It seemed like you struggled with low notes—did you injure your throat?”

[Yes, I have vocal nodules. I thought I could succeed if I pushed myself hard enough, but I guess it was too much. I’m truly sorry.]

“Wait…”

Yua left the chatroom.

To create an original song, she must have had a great deal of pride in her music.

It was clear her pride had been deeply wounded.

I wanted to offer her some words of comfort, but she left before I could.

[What was that? Why stop mid-song and leave?]

[Stream ended LOL. Why’s her mental game so weak? LOL.]

[No wonder she’s a small streamer LOL.]

[Forget her.]

[If she’d just stuck to piano, she could’ve won the top prize LOL.]

[20]

[Why’s she crying? Did anyone insult her?]

It was because you all pressured her.

I wanted to say it out loud, but I held back.

The audience had simply offered an honest critique.

If she had sung well, the reaction would have been overwhelmingly positive instead.

“She must have felt upset because the performance didn’t go well. Alright, let’s move on to the next contestant.”

I resumed the talent show.

The mood was somber now.

Hopefully, the next participant would bring something more entertaining.

[Hello, I’m a sexy lady from Incheon.]

“Yes, Ms. Sexy Lady. What’s your talent?”

[My tongue is really long. I’ll show you how I can lick my nostrils. I’ve uploaded a video to the bulletin board.]

Wow, now we’ve got someone showing off their ability to lick their own nostrils.

But hey, this could be entertaining.

Basic physical comedy like this often gets good laughs.

I opened the bulletin board to preview the video.

You never know—it could be an inappropriate clip uploaded by a troll.

Pre-screening was essential.

“Ms. Sexy Lady?”

[Yes?]

“Are you a snake or something? Unbelievable.”

After ensuring there were no issues, I replayed the video from the beginning and broadcast it on the screen.

The video zoomed in on the lower half of a face with pale skin.

A long tongue extended upward, touching the nostrils.

Wow.

Even on the second watch, it was impressive.

What must it feel like to lick your own nose hairs?

[Wait, there’s more. Go Yuseong!]

The woman in the video mentioned my name.

It was proof that she had recorded the clip herself and not stolen it from someone else.

He placed a long string in his mouth, chewed it for a moment, and spat it out, now tied into a knot.

How did he do that? Is it really possible to tie a string with your tongue?

That’s almost a superhuman skill. Watching it, I couldn’t help but be amazed.

“Alright, you’re in! Share your Twika TV ID through the TalkOn chat. I’ll send you a 100,000 won gift certificate and a quick view pass right away.”

[No hesitation, straight acceptance lol.]

[Hey, stand up for a sec?]

[lolololol]

[Yuseong just imagined himself tying his own stuff LOL.]

[Wow.]

[Get out, you pervs!]

“Ugh, men can’t do this. It’s not long or thin enough to tie. You wouldn’t know unless you dated a guy. You’re all clueless virgins anyway.”

[Stop dropping truth bombs!]

[But seriously, is it impossible?]

[IDK lol.]

[Just stand up already, lol.]

As soon as a risqué topic emerged, the chat exploded into chaos.

Stand up? Stand up for what? That won’t even elicit a reaction from me.

Honestly, these viewers only know how to spice up the chat, yet they know nothing about the opposite s*x.

Such innocent spectators.

Anyway, the first successful participant finally emerged. I promptly sent the gift card PIN and quick view pass to their Twika TV ID.

After nearly an hour of streaming, I finally got one participant.

I need to speed things up.

At this rate, I won’t have enough content even if I pull an all-nighter.

I kept accepting more participants.

“Now, only the grand prize remains. Aren’t you curious who’ll win?”

The talent show segment ended up lasting four hours.

I should’ve held a preliminary round beforehand.

Too many empty shells.

I have to admit, I wasn’t well-prepared.

Still, I managed to gather enough material.

Ten participants are more than enough to make a video.

I was worried the entire segment might flop, but luckily, some talented folks appeared after midnight.

“The winner is TalkOn username Sugeumjihwa98, who sang Ko Woo-ryeon’s ‘The Love I Believe In’!”

[Thank you! I was about to give up because there were so many skilled participants. Can’t believe I got first place!]

“In my opinion, your performance was the best. You mentioned you work as a vocal coach, right? Keep teaching those young students well. Great job.”

With the announcement of the grand prize winner, the talent show segment finally ended.

Hosting on TalkOn is surprisingly exhausting.

Engaging in continuous conversations with strangers drains a lot of mental energy.

I was constantly on edge, worrying about what mishap someone might cause.

“This concludes the viewer talent show segment. I’ll consider doing this again sometime in the future.”

[It was fun, lolol.]

[lolol.]

[When’s the next one? I want to participate too! ^_^]

[Half of them were just attention seekers, lol.]

[They were all trying to chat with Yuseong, lololol.]

[The competition was fierce, lol. My wrist hurts from typing.]

I was utterly exhausted, but it seems the viewers had a good time.

These troublemakers, of course, take pleasure in watching me suffer.

Well, as long as they enjoyed it, it’s fine.

The stream’s purpose was fulfilled, so that’s a relief.

“It’s already past 1 a.m. It’s way too late to keep going, isn’t it? I don’t think I can stream anymore tonight.”

[Weren’t you going to play LoL?]

[???]

[He’s running away, lol.]

[Hasn’t played LoL in ages. Is this even a gaming stream?]

[You trying to fall off?]

I know, I haven’t played LoL in a while.

I’m not planning to end the stream just yet.

Maybe it’s because today’s segment was so tightly packed, but the donations weren’t as frequent as expected.

Before I start gaming, I need to reach the donation quota.

“Who said I’m ending the stream? It’s just that I need a stamina recharge. I’m too exhausted right now.”

I have to make a living, after all.

Grabbing my head, I pretended to be completely drained.

Not long after, the donation alerts started ringing.

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

[Will this be enough to recharge your stamina?]

“Yes! Stamina fully recharged. Thank you, Moonhwa, for the 10 million won. Oh, suddenly I feel like playing LoL. Let me start it up right now.”

[[God] Yuseong♡LoveLove has donated 400,000 won.]

[[God] StarGlassYuri85 has donated 300,000 won.]

[[God] YuseongIsAdorable has donated 500,000 won.]

Moonhwa set off a chain reaction.

A whopping 10 million won—such a large donation from a vice chairman-level supporter must’ve inspired others.

The dam burst, and the donations started flooding in.

Now, the smaller 5,000 or 10,000 won donations have practically disappeared.

Everything starts at a minimum of 100,000 won.

This increase in significant donations proves the growing presence of major contributors.

I’m gradually following in the footsteps of Tangled Changsu.

But it’s not enough.

I need to grow even more, relentlessly, until I achieve everything I desire.

In that sense, today has been a fortunate day.

I’ve found someone who fits the conditions to fulfill one of my plans.

“This concludes today’s stream. Thank you for watching. I won’t stream tomorrow due to personal reasons. Instead, I’ll make up for it with amazing content over the weekend. Please understand.”

[Bye-bye~.]

[Another break? T_T.]

[Take a good rest, Yuseong.]

[Bye-bye.]

[That was epic lol.]

I played three LoL matches and achieved a flawless victory.

I could keep playing, but I held back for Dajang’s sake.

It’s already well past 2 a.m.

I need to end the stream so everyone can get some sleep.

After wrapping up with reactions and closing remarks, I ended the broadcast.

[??]

[Not ending yet?]

“One moment. There’s something I need to do.”

Checking the viewer list, I saw they were still here, watching my stream.

They weren’t lying about being a fan, after all.

I hope they’re feeling better now.

Maybe they were disappointed earlier.

I sent a private message right after the stream ended.

[Ms. Yua, I have something to discuss. Can we talk?]