Chapter 8: The Streamer’s Evolution: From Rookie to Rising Star

[ RL  A monster-tier male streamer has appeared.]

(Shin Yuseong phone room.GIF)

Isn’t Shin Yuseong seriously amazing?

Judging by how he crushed Wheel Nine, he’s at least Platinum-tier.

And while his face is covered, his skin looks so smooth.

He’s funny and entertaining to watch, too.

Most importantly, the cultural icon gave him their stamp of approval.

Isn’t he basically the complete package?

[Not sure… You know, right? Wheel Nine is only Gold-tier by rank, not skill. If he’s confident about his looks, why cover his face?]

[Forget his looks—his League rank is at least Platinum. You probably haven’t seen his ranked games.]

[ RL He’s on another level. No competition among male streamers.]

[Ah, just looking at the clip is… damn. When will he reveal his face?]

[No cam yet, but he’ll probably show it eventually.]

[But it’s kinda suspicious, LOL. What if his jawline’s super weird? LOL.]

[There was someone like that before, LOL.]

[I’m just sticking with Yuseong. With his specs—cultural icon, chairman, manager—he’s bound for a corporate career. And his streams are insanely fun.]

[The moment when he encountered that sniper at the end, LOL. It still cracks me up, LOL.]

“Not bad.”

I searched my name on Twika Gallery and skimmed through the reactions.

Most were positive—there was some skepticism, but hardly any negative opinions.

[Shin Yuseong’s personality just sucks. Can’t stand him.]

[Give it up, Wheel fangirl. Wheel Nine’s gone to America.]

[Talk about devotion, LOL.]

The only issue was that some viewers seemed to hold a grudge against me.

Still, their numbers were small compared to Wheel Nine’s former fanbase.

It looked like the backlash from her face reveal had overshadowed everything else.

Most of the public’s criticism was aimed at her.

Good. Things could’ve turned ugly with me as the main target, but the situation was de-escalating nicely.

As long as I avoided making mistakes and stayed clear of snipers, I’d be fine.

“Why are there so many messages?”

Forty messages flooded my Twika TV account inbox.

Was this because of my sudden stream shutdown?

Most of them were accusatory, asking where I had run off to.

Some even included threats.

Well, this much I could handle—it would die down soon enough.

I was closing the messages out of habit when one particular note caught my eye.

[Hello! I enjoyed your stream. I’m a streamer named Kim Sara, specializing in ‘Bora’ content. Would you be interested in collaborating?]

Kim Sara?

A pretty name, though I could imagine she was teased a lot growing up.

‘Bora’ referred to “visible radio,” a type of streaming where the host invited guests for talk segments.

While it wasn’t as popular as gaming, it still attracted high viewership.

First, I needed to check who she was.

I searched the monthly cumulative viewer rankings for streamers on Twika Gallery.

5th. Kim Sara

Cumulative Viewers: 17,890,052

Revenue from Donations: 147,529,900 KRW

What in the world? A streaming giant!

She ranked 5th among all streamers in cumulative monthly viewers.

This wasn’t just a big-time streamer—it was the top-tier figure in Bora content, often called the “Bora President.”

She averaged 20,000–30,000 viewers per stream, making her one of the very best.

This was undeniably an opportunity.

Participating as a guest on her stream would significantly boost my exposure.

I immediately sent a reply.

[Hello, Kim Sara! Sorry for the delayed response. Yes, I’d love to collaborate. This is a great opportunity for me.]

[Ah! I see you’ve finally read it. Thank you for accepting! When would you be available for the collaboration? Tomorrow’s probably too soon, right?]

Tomorrow was out of the question.

I had to finish the placement test content and set up the new equipment I’d ordered.

[Tomorrow won’t work, but I’m free any day after that.]

[Got it! Let’s do the day after tomorrow, then.

We need to maximize viewership while you’re trending.]

[Sounds good. Where should I go?]

[I’ll send you the address and script tomorrow. Just review them and prepare. Oh, by the way… during the collab, would you be willing to reveal your face? I don’t know if you’re aware, but I’m a pretty popular streamer. If you reveal your face, we could make history with this stream. But no pressure!]

She was asking for a face reveal.

It made sense—guests on Bora content rarely hid their faces.

Plus, she likely saw the opportunity to capitalize on my rising fame as a new streamer, revealing my identity to draw in more viewers.

This was perfect.

It aligned with my goals—a chance to leave a strong impression on a massive audience.

[Let me review the script first. It’s my hidden card, after all.]

[LOL, I get it. Don’t worry—I’m an expert at this. I’ll write a killer script for us.]

A seasoned pro, for sure.

She understood my intentions immediately and would set the stage perfectly.

I needed to prepare on my end as well.

I woke up starving, unable to ignore my hunger.

It was already 2 PM, well past lunchtime.

I opened the window for fresh air and sat on the edge of my bed, staring blankly at my cramped room.

Drowsiness crept over me again.

After ending yesterday’s stream, I’d fallen asleep almost instantly.

At midnight, I woke up and spent the night browsing Twika TV, gathering tips from its gallery’s popular posts.

To survive in this industry, I needed to stay on top of trends.

I organized the information until sunrise and took a short nap before lunchtime.

This irregular lifestyle would take some getting used to.

The peak streaming hours were after 8 PM.

Most major streamers broadcasted late into the night, and if I wanted to follow in their footsteps, I’d have to flip my schedule.

At least I’d managed two hours of sleep.

I shook off the fatigue, got up, and headed to the shower.

Today, I had errands to run.

My debut stream had been a surprise hit.

Even though I’d hidden my face, there was a chance someone might recognize me before I became even more famous.

I needed to take care of my business now.

“Yes, your phone is now activated!”

The most important task was done.

I’d recovered my old phone.

Most of the apps were gone—they didn’t exist in this world—but thankfully, the most critical files were intact.

These files would be my treasures, paving the way for me to become a top-tier streamer and beyond.

I smiled with satisfaction, thanked the employee, and left the store.

“Um, excuse me.”

While walking down the street, a woman approached me.

She hesitated, glancing at me for a long time.

Did she recognize me?

Ah, this could be tricky. I’d just deny it.

“It’s just that… I really like you! Oh, but please don’t misunderstand—I’m not the type to say this to every guy I see.”

Never mind. She wasn’t a fan—she was hitting on me.

This was new to me.

I’d never been approached like this before.

The woman wasn’t unattractive.

Her backpack straps accentuated her chest, adding to her appeal.

But I didn’t feel any urge to pursue her.

This wasn’t the time for romance.

“Sorry, you’re not my type.”

I firmly rejected her and turned away, heading back to my place.

At the dorm’s entrance, I found a pile of packages stacked against the wall near the office.

Had my order arrived?

I moved closer and confirmed it was the streaming equipment I’d purchased yesterday.

I’d expected it to arrive later in the evening, but here it was early.

I carried the boxes to my room and started setting up.

While I fumbled a bit, the instructions made it easy enough.

Before long, everything was installed.

Time to test it.

I launched a private stream to see how it worked.

“Wow, is that really me?”

I was impressed.

I didn’t think I looked this good, but under the studio lighting, I could’ve been a TV celebrity in my previous world.

It was worth every penny of the 700,000 won investment.

After turning off the equipment, I went to YouCube and searched for ballad classics.

Most of the top results were by female singers.

It was tough to find popular male ballads.

Thankfully, there were a few, so I picked five songs to practice.

I couldn’t just rely on saying “Thank you” repeatedly—I needed a proper reaction.

I memorized the lyrics and sang them over and over again.

[Address and script sent to the email in your profile. Please confirm.]

[Got it. Thanks.]

Sara had messaged me.

I glanced at the time.

It was 5 PM already.

Time flew.

I saved the script to my phone and set a reminder for tomorrow.

Everything was moving along smoothly.

Impressive. You’ve prepared this thoroughly?

Honestly, I expected just a simple list of collaborative content ideas.

But that wasn’t the case. The script was filled with detailed situational setups and dialogue.

Just reading through the lines made me chuckle multiple times because of the wit.

I had no choice but to admit why Sara held such a prominent position, often referred to as the “Sub-President.”

After thoroughly reviewing the script, I sent Sara my response.

[The script is very satisfying. Let’s go with it as is. See you tomorrow.]

[(Newbie Male Role Stream) 10 Wins in a Row or X Fail]

[Shinha]

[It’s live! I’ve been waiting for this!]

[Shinha]

[Look at the viewer count skyrocket! Ddd]

[Run Ranked Games! Now!]

[Shinha]

As soon as the stream started, the number of viewers grew like a snowball.

Already, there were 200 viewers. While glancing at the chat, another 50 or so joined in.

The numbers kept climbing without pause.

Yesterday, when I first started streaming, it took a long time to get even one viewer.

The difference is striking.

“Hello, everyone! Nice to meet you.”

[????]

[This doesn’t sound like the same voice from yesterday?]

[Who are you?]

[??]

[What’s this honey-dripping voice?]

[Lol! Oppa, scold me!]

“I bought a new mic. Does my voice sound that different now?”

[Ooo, much better.]

[I need to change my underwear, lol.]

[Same, lol.]

[The voice is way better now, lol. Yesterday, the noise was painful on the ears, lol.]

[Are you getting a cam?]

[Oh!]

[You bought it, didn’t you? Tell us! You made a lot of money yesterday!]

“Who knows? Haha.”

The viewers seemed satisfied. Was my voice that distorted yesterday?

It must’ve been because my previous headset wasn’t great. I’m glad I bought new equipment yesterday.

“Alright! Let’s jump straight into ranked games.”

The game had already begun.

This time, my champion was Orianna.

I purchased Doran’s Ring and two potions, then headed toward the mid-right bush.

[When did the game start? I didn’t even see the pick-ban phase!]

[He’s trying to avoid being sniped, lol.]

[Yeah, yesterday was pretty rough, lol. Four snipers on the enemy team, lol.]

[Good call. Yesterday was fun because it was the first time, but repeated sniping would be too much.]

How can I avoid sniping?

After pondering for a bit, I decided to go with a typical method: not showing the game screen until the pick-ban phase was over.

Did it work? All my allies were standing in positions to counter an invade.

Today, I’ll finish placement matches cleanly with 10 straight wins.

As I joined the minion wave at mid-lane, I refocused my mind.

[Isn’t Azir disadvantaged in the laning phase?]

[These days, Orianna is a better pick, isn’t she?]

[Lol, after yesterday’s stream, why still talk about matchups?]

[It doesn’t matter, right?]

[We’re in the silver tier—who cares about matchups? Just trust the streamer and watch.]

Orianna is a traditional teamfight-focused AP mid champion.

Without dashes or escape skills, she’s vulnerable to ganks and not great for roaming to other lanes.

However, her skillset, with AOE damage from her Q to her ultimate, makes her incredibly impactful in teamfights.

Her control mechanics are tricky—so much so that even pro players occasionally miss their skills.

But so what? That doesn’t apply to me.

I can showcase enough skill to impress the viewers.

[Wow, this gameplay is infuriatingly good, lol.]

[Landing every skill while dodging all enemy ones—seriously?]

[Azir’s just a punching bag, lol.]

[This is why I watch Yuseong’s streams! The thrill!]

The promised level 3 phase had arrived.

Azir, with his HP whittled down from harassment, was attempting to recall.

Why there? Not behind the safety of the turret, but at the upper mid-area?

What if I flash in and attack?

It’s obviously bait. In the fog of war, hidden behind that dark wall, the enemy jungler, Natalya, is definitely waiting in ambush.

So what? Does that mean I can’t secure the kill?

Without hesitation, I used Flash and threw my Q ball at Azir.

Then, I immediately followed up with my W energy burst skill.

Not enough yet.

I also applied Ignite and landed an auto-attack.

Finally, Azir reacted, desperately flashing toward his turret.

And as expected, a slender spear came flying from behind the wall.

It was a pre-drawn scenario.

With a light diagonal movement, I easily dodged the spear.

If the spear hits an enemy champion, the skill’s jump range increases.

But since it sailed harmlessly into the void, Natalya could only watch as Orianna retreated safely.

[First Blood!]

Azir succumbed to the Ignite damage over time and died.

Natalya, who had been lurking for an opportunity, clicked her tongue and returned to the jungle.

[[God] RecklessOfficeWorker donated 100,000 won.]

[The moment the stream started, I was here. As always, great gameplay today.]

Moonhwa, a loyal viewer, made a donation.

Does he really plan to donate every time I stream?

I still can’t believe such a big spender is watching my streams.

It makes me greedy—I don’t want him to leave.

After all, this was just the beginning.

Today marks the official start of my streaming career.

I’ll dominate in a way no other male streamer can match.

For example?

“Moonhwa, welcome! Thank you. I felt like I didn’t give you a proper reaction yesterday, so I prepared something. Want me to do it now?”

[[God] RecklessOfficeWorker: Isn’t it tough since you’re gaming? Show it after the match.]

“This match? It’s fine. I’ll do it now.”

Clearing my throat, I got ready.