Chapter 58: Molru’s Time

The recent “Switch EoWar Streamer Tournament” became a hot topic.

It was regarded as one of the best official broadcasts on Switch, garnering the most viewers among recent streams.

Naturally, attention shifted to the streamers who participated in the tournament, with even greater focus on the winning team.

If one of the winning team members is a high-profile streamer capable of attracting viewers to every broadcast, that focus intensifies.

The more influential a streamer becomes, the more excessive attention, both good and bad, they receive.

Some viewers go beyond simply enjoying the broadcasts and become overly interested in the streamer’s personal life.

They want to know everything: the streamer’s personality, who they collaborate well with, and other personal aspects.

At this level, it’s still manageable as mere fandom.

However, crossing the line is far too easy, and some malicious viewers don’t even recognize that a line exists—or worse, they knowingly ignore it.

They obsessively track what their favorite streamer eats, whom they meet, and how they spend their day off, as if they were FBI agents.

These viewers don’t consider how irrelevant this information is to them or how much suffering their behavior might cause.

To them, such considerations are irrelevant.

In the anonymous realm of cyberspace, people often become more ruthless and cold than in real life.

It’s as if they’re unleashing suppressed emotions, targeting specific individuals with reckless intensity.

This is why some streamers are disparagingly called “emotional trash bins.”

<User ‘NaeriSulMoon’ donated 1,000 KRW!>

• How was yesterday? How was yesterday? How was yesterday? How was yesterday? How was yesterday? How was yesterday? How was yesterday? How was yesterday?

The donation, packed with repetitive messages like a “mountain of rice,” played back in a robotic voice.

Listening to the glitchy, stuttering sound, Ryu-Ah held her throbbing head.

Ryu-Ah is live!
[Welcome back (**)]

After taking two days off due to a distant trip, Ryu-Ah’s stream drew a crowd far exceeding her usual viewership.

[Tell us about the company dinner!]
[Aren’t you turning on your cam?]
[Hello, Ryu-Ah!]
[Is Ryu-Ah pretty? Is Ryu-Ah pretty? Is Ryu-Ah pretty?]
[Your mic seems off.]
[Too many people here, lol. Thumbs up for the overwhelmed host.]
[ᄀᄎ]

The day after the company dinner had passed.

Despite that, Ryu-Ah was the first team member to go live, and the audience—eager for any post-tournament updates—flocked to her stream.

Remaining composed, Ryu-Ah chose her words carefully.

“Ah, stories from the dinner, right? Of course, I’ll share. Where should I start…?”

[Is Ryu-Ah pretty? Is Ryu-Ah pretty? Is Ryu-Ah pretty?]
[Ugh, enough with that ‘pretty’ nonsense already.]

[Anything works]
[It’s up to you]
[Just start with whatever comes to mind]

“What comes to mind… I think I drank too much and made a mistake. I’m not usually like that.”

[LOL, this is already funny]
[What kind of mistake?]
[Confessed to Tex?]
[Definitely]
[Congrats ^^]

“Ugh, what confession? It’s nothing like that. If you keep jumping to conclusions, I’m not sharing the story.”

The chat filled with apologies and playful comments like, “Sorry, just kidding LOL.”

Even the transient viewers stopped posting edgy comments after Ryu-Ah threatened not to share the story.

With the mood now settled and everyone’s anticipation heightened, Ryu-Ah finally spoke.

“So, we started by meeting Tex oppa at Busan Station and taking the KTX. It was freezing since it’s winter—I thought I’d die from the cold. Good thing I dressed warmly. We were traveling from far away and got our tickets early to avoid being late, but guess what? We were the first to arrive! They say people who live far away are always the first to arrive, right? I guess ‘streamer time’ doesn’t count. Hmm… I was such a rookie. But hey, I’m the youngest, so I can wait.”

Clicking her mouse, Ryu-Ah displayed her train ticket.

With the visual aid, the audience became even more engaged, casually throwing in comments about winter, transportation in Busan, and why streamers are often late.

Ryu-Ah continued chatting effortlessly with her viewers.

“So when we got to the restaurant, only the director was there. The three of us waited for everyone else. After a bit of chatting, Cheol-Woo showed up. Who was the last to arrive? Hmm, should I even say…”

Ryu-Ah flashed a mischievous smile, and donations started pouring in as if the viewers already knew the answer.

<User ‘Satan’s Temptation’ donated 10,000 KRW!>

• Stop stalling and spill it.

[20==]
[Ryu-Ah used to flail around, but now she’s nailed the art of monetization.]
[Full-fledged pro streamer vibes LOL]
[The whole team’s got such personalities.]
[So who was late?]
[Judging by appearances, I’d say Molru.]

“Yes… Molru-nim was the last to arrive. They got lost and wandered around for a while. At first, we thought they wouldn’t show up, so we started ordering food without them. They eventually came in later. Did someone go out to get them? Uh… none of us had Molru-nim’s phone number. Yeah, that’s how it went.”

[Legendary LOL]
[Wait, how do you not exchange numbers before meeting up?]
[Too lazy, I guess.]
[The Molru fan club apologizes.]
[Honestly, it’s a miracle they even showed up.]

<User ‘Name Warrior Park Han-Beom’ donated 10,000 KRW!>

• So, is Molru pretty?

Right after a pause in the Molru story, the donation perfectly landed.

Ryu-Ah had been carefully avoiding any comments about Molru’s appearance, but this time, there was no escaping it.

She sighed, clearly resigned, and began to answer.

“Molru-nim’s face… Well, you know, Molru streams without a cam. I really shouldn’t say anything without their permission.”\

“Just say it.”

“Half the people here seem to have come just for this story.”

“If you didn’t want this to come up, you shouldn’t have gone to the dinner LOL.”

“It’s bound to come out anyway, isn’t it?”

“These guys talk so easily since it’s not their issue.”

“Judging by how you’re dodging, bet she’s ugly.”

“She’s not! Molru-nim is beautiful! When she walked in, everyone was stunned because they didn’t recognize her. Since we’re the same age, we became friends… ah, oops.”

After Ryu-Ah said that, the chat scrolled so fast it became unreadable. Amid the blur of messages, only the word Molru was consistently visible.

“Welcome, everyone. Didn’t you already hear most of it in Ryu-Ah’s stream? I caught bits of it while eating, too.”

Ryu-Ah wrapped up her story and ended her stream, citing over-drinking as the reason.

Satisfied with her recount, viewers let her go peacefully and then flocked to Tex’s stream, eager for more behind-the-scenes stories, especially about Molru’s appearance.

“Appearance questions… I knew these were coming. Isn’t this basically a no-win situation? Let me explain.”

Tex opened a drawing program and began illustrating his point step by step.

“If I brush it off, people will say, ‘Oh, so she must be ugly.’ If I say she’s pretty, they’ll either not believe me and accuse me of lying to her face, or they’ll go, ‘Wow, she’s really celebrity-level pretty,’ and blow it out of proportion.”

[Spot on LOL]
[Tex, you’ve got sharp insight.]
[So, is she pretty?]
[Only twisted people think like that; I’d take it at face value.]
[He’s foreseen the future…]

“I actually got a vague okay from Molru-nim, anticipating this might happen. When I asked how to handle questions about her appearance, she said to just say whatever I’m comfortable with.”

[Confidence of a queen LOL]
[Molru has guts!]
[So, is she pretty?]

“I’ll be honest about how I feel. Yes, she’s pretty. Ryu-Ah wasn’t exaggerating. She’s really that beautiful.”

Having extracted the answer they wanted, the viewers gradually left Tex’s stream after his story ended, moving on to other destinations.

Soon, Papyjoa’s stream started, and the cycle continued.

Like a swarm of locusts, viewers filled the streams of anyone from Team Jacky who went live. Once the after-dinner stories ended, they’d drain out and move to the next streamer.

This cycle continued with Papyjoa and Jacky before ending with Cheol-Woo’s stream.

Realizing there was no one left to visit, the viewers’ final destination was Molru’s yet-to-be-started stream.

In Molru’s offline chat, they chatted among themselves, waiting endlessly for a streamer who might not even go live.

And then, as if to meet their expectations, Molru’s stream finally started.

To be continued.