Chapter 60: Meeting with a Madman

The logs burned steadily, refusing to go out.

Was it that people were so curious about the face of a no-cam streamer, or were they simply looking for an excuse to tear me down?

Perhaps they were just excited to find something new to chew over as a group.

The problem, of course, was that I was their target.

They say that from a distance, it’s comedy, but up close, it’s tragedy.

If it weren’t my situation, I might have joined those people, laughing and chatting along.

Or maybe I’d have stayed indifferent, which suits my personality more.

Even so, I kept streaming consistently.

Every broadcast, sparse though they were, inevitably included comments about my appearance.

Be it in chat or donations, I’d grown used to it by now.

It felt like it had solidified into a meme.

Whenever I did something, messages about “cute girl behavior” popped up in chat.

Yawning brought compliments, and blowing my nose sometimes even led to donations with comments about wanting to buy the tissue.

Back during competitions, when I had the camera partially on, it wasn’t this bad. Somehow, it feels like it’s worsened since then.

At this rate, I’m no different from a face-cam streamer.

Then again, there’s a subtle difference from the typical face-cam streamers.

Who would say they wanted to buy the tissue of a face-cam streamer who sneezed? At least, I’ve never seen such reactions on the streams I’ve watched.

It feels like a strange amalgamation of various elements, mashed together into something grotesque.

What does it feel like to harbor feelings of affection for someone whose face you’ve never seen?

When faced with the overwhelming emotion-laden posts that show up daily in the fan cafe, I find myself unsure how to respond.

I couldn’t bring myself to feel satisfied, even now that the fan cafe finally seemed like a real “fan” cafe.

To be fair, it had been more of a banter-focused community.

I wanted a place where funny or cool moments from my streams could be shared, and viewers could casually exchange bits of information while maintaining a certain level of decorum. For the most part, they’d been doing just that.

I even admired the sly jabs at my lack of public announcements.

But now, it was different.

The posts were inundated with declarations like “I love your voice,” “I love you, streamer,” and “Please insult me.”

What was I supposed to do with that?

Human beings have always been powerless in the face of overwhelming forces.

This situation was no exception—I could only hope it would pass smoothly.

Tomorrow, the sun would rise again, as it always does.

And so, the show must go on.

Even if the world were to end tomorrow, I’d stream today, like a person planting an apple tree.

The metaphor might not be perfect, but it reflects my state of mind.

After streaming for a few days, I realized I was running out of content.

It wasn’t just that I lacked material for YouTube or something fresh to show viewers.

I had grown bored with the games I’d been playing and needed something new.

Sure, I could have skipped gaming and just chatted with viewers, but even that felt awkward lately.

You can’t call one-sided interactions “communication.”

That’s when a thought occurred to me while searching for a new game.

Why not harness collective intelligence instead of racking my brain alone?

Of course, it could be fun to pick a game I liked and subtly guide these dishonest people into enjoying it, but the process of choosing a game suited for everyone felt like part of the broadcast.

“So, I’ve opened the ‘Games Streamer Might Enjoy’ suggestion board. Please recommend games you think I should play on stream.”

With 10,000 viewers, the board should fill up quickly.

[Why the silly name?]
[To annoy the viewers.]
[That’s kind of cute.]
[Stop being mindlessly adorable.]
[Her antics really are cute, lol.]
[Can we suggest any game?]
[Horror games, let’s go!]

“Yes, any game is fine. Horror games, though… I doubt you’d enjoy the reaction. Not because I’m scared, but because I’m really not. You wouldn’t get the reactions you’re hoping for.”

What do viewers expect from streamers playing horror games?

They want to see the streamer frightened, shrinking in fear, or revealing a vulnerable side that evokes a protective instinct.

[You’re talking faster because you’re scared, lol.]
[Horror games, let’s go!!]
[But if it’s her, she might really not get scared.]
[Unpredictable as ever…]

I was being sincere, but some people still misinterpreted my intentions.

Well, let them think what they want. Trying out a trending horror game wouldn’t hurt.

The only ones who wouldn’t enjoy it are the viewers.

“Posts are coming in fast. I’ll play the game with the most likes in an hour.”

This way, I’d interact with viewers and play a game, striking a perfect balance.

The viewers seemed satisfied; the reactions were not bad.

I began reviewing the posts one by one.

“Currently 62% off on Steam, only an hour left, hurry before it’s sold out… The title sounds like a home shopping ad, but there’s no game description. Rejected.”

“A game where you survive as a prehistoric dinosaur… This looks like a trash game. I’ll keep it in reserve for now.”

“Guaranteed 2 billion views on YouTube if uploaded?! And you’re not playing this? Nope, not doing it.”

Reading and evaluating the posts one by one turned out to be a pretty entertaining segment.

Everyone had different preferences and values when it came to games, leading to a variety of fresh opinions in real time.

I was chatting with the viewers as I read through the suggestions.

Suddenly, a donation message popped up:
<Molu’s Essence donated 10,000 won!>
-“I made a presentation. Could you take a look at it?”

“Huh? A presentation?”

[?]
[What is he saying?]
[Molu’s Essence, lol]
[How’s he going to show it?]

Both the viewers and I were caught off guard by the sudden request.

But the donor, unfazed, followed up with another donation to avoid being drowned out by the fast-moving chat:
<Molu’s Essence donated 100,000 won!>
-“Can we chat privately on the fan cafe?”

110,000 won isn’t a small amount of money.

What could be so important that they’d go to this length to show me?

Of course, with the recent influx of trolls in my stream, there was a chance this could be a harmful prank.

But if that were the case, I could just view the content privately and avoid broadcasting it.

“Alright, hold on. Your fan cafe username is the same as your donation name. I’d prefer if you could change it. As for Discord screen sharing, sure, let’s do that.”

[Private message???]
[Jealous, jealous, jealous!]
[He even matched the cafe username. Legendary, lol.]
[Whispering with the streamer sounds so scandalous.]
[This needs a 19+ rating.]
[ASMR levels of intimacy.]
[It’s just like chatting, nothing special… Wait, chatting? With the streamer? I’m jealous now.]
[Discord friend request too? Ugh, so lucky.]

Ignoring the over-the-top reactions from viewers, I received Molu’s Essence’s ID and connected via Discord.

“Hello, is this Molu’s Essence?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

[It’s me (confident).]
[So this is what it takes to get a Discord call with the streamer…]

“Your voice is surprisingly nice. I thought you’d be some weirdo.”

“Uh, uh, thanks. You’ve got a great voice too, Molu.”

[This sly fox…]
[Look at him getting flustered, lol.]
[Molu, you shouldn’t say stuff like that…]

“Let me turn off my camera for a moment. I’ll check the content to see if it’s stream-appropriate.”

Leaving the clamoring viewers behind, I watched as Molu’s Essence shared his screen and showed me his presentation.

What was this?

He even flipped through the slides quickly, as if to prove there was no harmful content.

Alright, I get it—it’s safe.

But still…

“It seems fine to show on stream, but… what is this?”

“It’s a PowerPoint. Would it be okay if I presented it myself?”

“Sure, I don’t see any problem with that.”

[What is it, though?]
[Wait, so they posted in the suggestion board just 30 minutes ago and already made a full PowerPoint?]
[That’s some insane speed.]
[Hurry, show us!]

Somehow, this turned into a full-blown presentation event.

The scale of things had escalated quickly.

Returning to the stream, I displayed Molu’s Essence’s visual materials on screen.

With a dramatic sound effect, a familiar-looking blue Bonobono character appeared.

[Bonobono enters the chat, lol.]
[This is ridiculous, lol.]
[If it’s Bonobono, I could whip this up in 30 minutes too.]
[Don’t underestimate Bonobono; he’s a presentation cheat code.]

“Can I start the presentation now?”

“Yes, uh, this is for game recommendations, right?”

“Exactly.”

They say people become silent and flustered when faced with something incomprehensible.

That was exactly my situation right now.

Where did this person even come from?

[Molu is flustered, lol.]
[Fake insanity vs. real insanity.]
[Turns out Molu’s crazy persona was all an act.]
[Bonobono villain, you win!]

And so began the unexpected, eccentric game recommendation presentation by a mysterious individual.

To be continued…