[TS] Formula One Streamer - Chapter 27
One day, a mysterious user called KING appeared out of nowhere.
Like a comet, he advanced without a single brake from F9 to F2, with skills that were on a different orbit.
Whenever he broke the circuit’s shortest lap time, the whole world stirred, and when he achieved F2, even official media reported on the news, highlighting KING’s tremendous impact.
It was only natural that people were enthusiastic and cheered for his appearance, akin to a protagonist in a movie or drama.
However, not everyone welcomed KING’s arrival.
For those only looking to reach the peak, KING might have been an object of respect, but for those who were already at the top, he was a source of jealousy.
Despite climbing to the top through immense effort of flesh and bl**d, they were not receiving nearly the same attention, while a rookie, who had just entered F2, was garnering such global interest that it was infuriating.
Like everyone in F2, TIA, ranked 389 and chosen as KING’s first opponent, also found him unpleasant.
TIA, an amateur driver from China, gritted his teeth while watching the electronic scoreboard.
“KING, you’ve met your match. Let’s pop your bubble.”
To Yao-ming, KING seemed merely a coward who rose through easy means.
It was surely an alternate account, and despite numerous controversies, he was just a coward who was taking advantage of the situation without speaking up.
Every time he saw his compatriots from the 1.4 billion Chinese being deceived into cheering his name, his anger boiled over.
“That scammer…! I will definitely defeat you for the sake of the 1.4 billion people.”
Fuming, Yao-ming shouted towards KING.
“I will punish you in the name of the great People’s Republic of China, you who consistently deceive and lie!”
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I was dumbfounded.
I was preparing to face my opponent with a solemn heart, and here was someone shouting, “I will punish you in the name of the People’s Republic of China!”
I’ve never seen someone this insane before.
Moreover, I’m accused of deceiving and lying?
It was absurd to the point of leaving me speechless.
By the time I regained my composure and was about to say something, the announcement for the next round was continuing, and I had already lost my timing.
KING: What was that guy about?
One Man Show: Just another Chinese being a Chinese. Ignore it.
KING: Seriously… But what have I done wrong? People don’t look at me kindly.
One Man Show: Well, that’s…
Kang Ho-yun sighed and continued.
One Man Show: I didn’t mention it because I thought it might be too much pressure for you, but the users above F2 don’t look at you kindly. You must have seen it while working in the community – ridiculous comments saying you’re only riding on an alternate account. They’re saying it’s disgusting that you pretend not to be a secondary account.
On top of that, everywhere you go, it’s all about you, and they’re jealous. It generally feels like they’ve been waiting for you to reach F2 and plan to take you down.
KING: Ah, is that so?
Ah, so that’s why.
The reason I received all this attention made them glare at me with such resentment.
The fact that that Chinese guy dared to say he’d take me down was also for that reason.
Jealousy from comparison is human instinct, and sometimes it can even be a driving force for growth, so I can understand it with an open mind.
They worked their bones out to reach F2, but my path seemed easy, so it might look like I’m taking shortcuts.
In summary, what made me angry was not the fact that they felt jealous of me.
The real reason I was angry was,
KING: But… Did I really look that easy?
You dare say that you’ll take down KING, Jin Hyun-woo?
The king of F1, the emperor, the genius, unrivaled, a god, etc.
I have monopolized all the titles possible in F1, and you think you can take me down?
If I were not Yooihyun but Jin Hyun-woo, you wouldn’t have even dared to speak that way.
There’s a saying that has existed since ancient times: pride comes before a fall.
One Man Show: No, it’s not that simple…
KING: You’ll have to get beaten hard to come to your senses.
Determined to save these guys from the abyss of pride, the announcement quickly came to an end.
“I will conclude the match-ups. In 30 minutes, we will begin the 1v1 tournament.”
As everyone left to prepare, I received a voice message from Kang Ho-yun.
One Man Show: Poor Yao-ming…
KING: Yao-ming? Who’s that?
One Man Show: That’s the name of your opponent, Talent is All.
Yao-ming.
The name of the guy who would become my first victim.
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The 3rd day of the Kiwich 1v1 tournament officially began.
Besides the F1 closed event officially held by For One, this was quite a large-scale tournament conducted in partnership with Kiwich X For One, and numerous viewers flocked to watch the match-up announcement.
That number was around 1 billion.
In the main event, the number of viewers would easily surpass 2 billion, so one could say that 1 billion was a reasonable figure.
While the match-up was being announced, their reactions were no different from those on-site.
When lesser-known participants appeared, the comments lit up:
“Let’s skip these nobodies quickly;;”
“Seriously, just show the player match-ups~ LOL”
“Bring out my oppa!!!”
“Next next next next!”
“People who receive praise everywhere get completely ignored here, haha”
“My oppa is F2! Don’t underestimate him ––”
“He’s the streamer you selected. Hold on with grit.”
As various curses and creative insults filled the chat window.
When current and former F1 drivers or top-tier streamers and broadcasters appeared, it went:
[Legend] VS [Royalty]
[Yoo Seon-jin! Yoo Seon-jin! Yoo Seon-jin! Yoo Seon-jin!]
[The pride of Korea, God Seon-jin King Seon-jin!]
[Wow!!]
[I love Hwang Seon-jin!]
[Let’s go!]
[Oppa, I’m dying!!!!]
His name would often flood the chat without the need for any extra embellishments.
Afterward, when the match-ups for players like Verstaphin and Steven were confirmed, the chat got even hotter but seemed to reach the peak.
But now, at this moment, when the user KING, who was drawing the most attention, appeared, the chat exploded.
[KING] VS [Talent is All]
[Aaaaaah!!! KING!!!]
[I love you! I love you! I love you!]
“He’s here, KING!”
[KING KINK KINK KINK KINK]
“I’m really dying…”
Without time to comprehend, the flood of chats surged like a tsunami, clearly showing KING’s popularity.
And then……
“When you who continuously deceive and lie shall be punished in the name of the great People’s Republic of China!”
When the provocation from the opposing player TIA, Yao-ming aired live, it not only amplified KING’s fan support but also ignited anti-China sentiments worldwide, causing the chat to freeze temporarily.
“I will conclude the match-ups.”
After the match-ups were set, the viewers divided into two groups.
Some remained in the chat to soak up the excitement, while others moved to the stream of the participant they supported.
As Kiwich’s official broadcast covered from the top 256 onwards, those wanting to watch the race had to pick the latter, and the number of viewers, already in the hundreds of millions, began to dwindle.
The remaining viewers engaged in passionate discussions about their favorites to win.
“By the way, it’s a bit disappointing that KING isn’t streaming…”
“Right? Should we go watch Yao-ming the Chinese?”
“Ah~ I really don’t want to go to that annoying Chinese stream, but I want to see KING’s race, haha.”
“If he streams, I’ll donate 100,000 won instantly.”
“Then I’ll donate a million won.”
“KING… are you watching? If you are, please turn on the stream!”
[KING! KING! KING! KING!]
As people expressed their regret that KING wasn’t streaming and called out his name, a succinct chat message slipped through.
[Breaking News) KING is streaming ON]
It was unbelievable that this person, who had not streamed even once before reaching F2 and had not posted a single thing in the community, was now streaming.
Viewers scoffed and dismissed it lightly.
[Just trolling]
[Showing signs of not having received love]
[Really lacking affection haha]
[Let’s stop giving him attention.]
But when the number of chats confirming that KING was indeed streaming reached ten, then a hundred, and finally completely overwhelmed the chat.
[He really did turn it on? d*mn? Take me with you!]
– Remaining viewers: 0
It was after everyone had left.
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“Phew, what am I supposed to say if I turn this on…”
My personal stream.
Why am I so nervous about this?
Even after setting everything from my streamer nickname to the title, I was still unable to start the stream.
[Broadcast Start]
It’s just about pressing that button. I can do it…!
I was more nervous than during the final Grand Prix that would determine the season championship.
As I hesitated over whether to hit the button, two streamers came to mind.
One Man Show, Kang Ho-yun, and Speed Racer, Kim Woo-hyuk.
[One Man Show ⚪]
[Speed Racer ⚪]
I called both of them for advice.
KING: I’m about to start my stream, what should I do?
Speed Racer: Oh? Are you streaming, KING? Everyone! KING is streaming!
One Man Show: Are you friends with Sre?
The voice of an overly excited Sre and Kang Ho-yun, who sounded somewhat disappointed.
After calming them down completely, I was able to receive their advice.
One Man Show: Right now the content is the tournament, so just be natural. Prepare for the race, analyze it, and respond to the viewers appropriately. Since it’s your first time, don’t be too tense.
Speed Racer: The key to streaming is the concept. If you’re ordinary, you won’t survive. If you nail down a character, that’s half the battle. You get what I’m saying, right?
One was very basic and standard advice. The other was right, but it felt like a bit of a shortcut.
“Yeah. What’s so special about being a streamer? If you communicate well and have a solid character, that’s what makes a streamer.”
After all, personal streaming is about people tuning in because of the charm of the streamer, isn’t it?
I don’t know what my human charm is, but I do know one thing clearly.
Skill.
Whether I’m Jin Hyun-woo or KING, the reason I received cheers is solely due to my skill.
Since I originally thought about streaming based on skill, I now focus on what I can do.
Human charm would be nice to have, but if not, it’s no big deal.
Clack!
With my thoughts settled, I pressed the button to start the stream.
[Broadcast ON]
The chat window activated so it wouldn’t obstruct my view, and the information like real-time viewer count.
The title was neat and concise.
[KING]
In an instant, I initiated my first broadcast in front of a crowd of viewers filling the room.
“I have arrived.”