Streamer Crazy About Slaughter - Chapter 50

“Ah, and you know, there are really malicious viewers out there. There will probably be some every day. I banned one instead of you today, but there’s that saying, right? When there are a lot of people, there are bound to be some weird ones mixed in. There will definitely be people sending strange chats or trying to create chaos, so you need to be cautious moving forward.”

“Cautious?”

“Yes. You don’t need to let those malicious viewers hurt you or cause you to worry unnecessarily. From what I saw in today’s broadcast, you definitely have a clear direction for your stream and you handled the chats well, so I think you’ll be fine. But when you’re just starting out, there are often viewers who try to stir trouble.”

While waiting for the food to arrive, I was chatting with Sua in my room.

I had talked more than double my usual amount during my first broadcast today, so I was just giving simple answers while Sua was doing most of the talking.

It felt genuinely nice that she seemed to be considering my feelings even in small ways.

I had very few times when I felt this comfortable around others, and noticing how Sua was being considerate in every little thing made me feel that she was quite a great person.

So, I decided to drop the formalities with Sua.

I felt that someone like Yoon Sua wouldn’t become a burden to me as we got closer, and seeing her attitude wanting to get closer made me feel bad for sticking to the formal speech, as if I was trying to keep my distance.

“Hey, did you know that when I first broadcasted, there was even someone among the viewers who was caught up in it?”

“Oh, really? Did you stream on cam even back then, Sua?”

“Yes, when I was a newbie, being a streamer and gaining attention for my looks was really important. I had urgent living expenses… Actually, I started streaming to do broadcasts in Another World, but from the beginning, I turned the cam on to show my looks.”

“What? Then there must have been stalker-like viewers or those who were obsessing over you.”

“Wow, Seorin unni, how did you know? It feels like you know exactly what I was going to say.”

As Sua looked at me with wide eyes, I thought there wasn’t anything particularly surprising.

For a few days, I had been watching internet streams that, coincidentally, were all female cam shows, so listening to Sua, I could easily guess what kind of situations she must have encountered.

Just from looking at the chat panel of Sua’s stream from earlier today, I could strongly sense what kind of viewers were there.

Considering that my gender was not revealed, and just the fact that I was in the same house as Sua had already set the chat ablaze…

“Well, with looks like yours, Sua, you naturally stand out. And considering the makeup I saw you wear not long ago, it seemed like you were dressing very differently for the broadcast. Honestly, when I first saw you, I thought you were a celebrity.”

There are always people who get overly invested, and especially if the object of their interest is a streamer with outstanding looks, there would be even more of them.

“A celebrity? Come on, unni, that’s overdoing it. Though I do think my looks aren’t something to be hidden.”

With her own compliment, Sua didn’t seem to feel bad at all and soon continued speaking with a grin.

“Anyway, there was a person who constantly asked about my personal details when I was a newbie streamer, and there were actually a lot of people who discreetly asked where I lived. A few days after starting the broadcast, I even had viewers sending me sexually harassing whispers during the stream!”

“…That makes me angry just hearing it.”

I didn’t know how long Sua had been streaming, but just hearing that situation didn’t seem easy for a woman in her early twenties to endure.

I felt completely incredulous.

Asking personal information and where someone lived, on top of that, sending s*xual harassment whispers…

I felt a sigh escaping me involuntarily as I thought about how deep that kind of conversation could go, wondering how terrible people could be.

“Right? I was angry at first too. But when there’s a low number of viewers, there tends to be a lot of those malicious types, you know? Well, my broadcasts grew rapidly, but it wasn’t unbearable.”

But contrary to my expectations, Sua kept looking at me and smiling.

“Oh, and I’m going to tell you this only, Seorin unni. Actually, I received a lot of donations when I was a newbie too. Being a female streamer is really… lucrative, you know?”

…It felt hard, but it was somewhat manageable because of the money, I guess?

Thinking about it, sitting and making money by playing games or talking is indeed more comfortable than working physically outside.

“If there’s ever a time when you really need money, just try showing your cam once. With looks like yours, Seorin unni, you could make way more than I imagine.”

It felt like she was subtly urging me to do a cam broadcast, so I shook my head and smiled faintly.

“Well, I appreciate the thought, but that’s not going to happen.”

To be honest, I doubted that no matter how much Seo Sua earned, she had more money than me.

Even though I had 2.7 billion in my bank account, I didn’t spend much, so it didn’t feel substantial. However, when money-related topics came up, it felt like a reassuring support protecting me.

In a capitalist society, having money does indeed feel much more solid than just about anything else.

“Honestly… it’s regrettable that only I know Seorin unni’s looks… But with looks like yours, you might get a lot more malicious types if you reveal them.”

“Still, saying that in front of someone feels a bit…”

When it came to discussing things like looks right in front of someone, it made me feel a bit embarrassed, considering it was getting me worked up.

“Ah, I get it. So, what I did about those malicious viewers was…”

As I listened to Sua’s experiences, things to be cautious about when streaming as a streamer, and future broadcasting directions, suddenly—

*Ding dong.*

The doorbell rang.

“Oh, the food is here!”

With an excited expression, Sua was all smiles.

Contrastingly, I stood up with a stiff expression.

‘The moment has come.’

In this very moment, that’s all I could think.

***

“…Seorin unni?”

“Yeah?”

“Honestly, tell me. You can’t eat spicy food, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“Then why didn’t you say so!! I mean… this tteokbokki is super spicy.”

With her keen intuition or maybe because she noticed every little thing I usually did, it hadn’t even been 10 minutes since we sat down to eat in the living room, and now Sua was looking at me like she was angry.

Once I had reached for the tteokbokki initially, I hadn’t touched it again for almost 10 minutes, so it’s understandable she noticed.

Staring at me intently, I finally spoke in a small voice.

“Well, honestly, you were acting like you love spicy food… I just couldn’t find the right timing to say it.”

After a short broadcast, this trash of a body quickly got tired, and I felt sorry for rejecting Quando Sua’s eager offer when she was excited about the spicy food.

Plus, since I had received so much help from Sua with everything from the broadcasting equipment to the setup and the first broadcast, I wanted to give something back to her.

With a small sigh at my answer, Sua soon opened her mouth in a disappointed voice.

“…Ah.”

She was hesitating while fiddling with the fork she had been holding.

“Ah, then… just a moment, unni.”

Suddenly, Sua put down her fork and went to the kitchen to scoop some tteokbokki onto another plate.

“…?”

I blankly watched her action as I picked up another fried snack that was placed in front of me.

Dipping it into the soy sauce on the side, I brought it to my mouth.

The fried snack was pretty tasty on its own.

The crispy batter was just right, and since it was shrimp tempura, it could hardly taste bad.

Then suddenly, my gaze fell on the huge container in front of me.

Something covered in a dark-red liquid.

Could that really be called tteokbokki with such an unusual color?

Then I dipped a squid tempura in and blankly stared at it.

Isn’t it said that tempura tastes better when dipped in tteokbokki sauce? That’s why they must sell fried snacks as a set or side menu at tteokbokki places.

But I just couldn’t bring myself to dip the tempura into that dark-red concoction.

My eyes caught a phrase written on the outside of the container.

‘Crazy Tteokbokki’

Even the brand name of the tteokbokki was no laughing matter.

And this ‘Crazy Tteokbokki’ was marked as a level 4 spiciness.

It was described as ‘Hell’.

After the delivery arrived, I gathered myself and reached for the tteokbokki, but I nearly lost my mind and haven’t touched that food since.

Clack.

Then suddenly, my eye caught one of the bowls next to my plate.

“Honestly, I’m not sure if this is okay to give you, Seorin unni… but I tried to neutralize the spiciness in my own way.”

Since I saw her fiddling with various ingredients and seasonings in the kitchen, I wondered what she was doing, and she seemed to have cooked something separately.

It definitely looked lighter in color than the disturbing concoction in that container.

But honestly, I still didn’t want to eat it.

I felt certain that whatever is meant to neutralize wouldn’t suffice.

“Ah, thank you.”

Despite that, I could feel Sua’s warm intentions in her actions. People tend to feel she’s very kind the more you see her.

“No, no, but really, Seorin unni, from now on, you must tell me if something is not right!”

“Yeah, I got it.”

Something felt like it was reminding me of Seoyoon in a different way.

Seeing her being so worried or considerate about me made me feel cautious about how to open my mouth.

“Of course, giving a spicy dish like ‘Crazy Tteokbokki’ to someone who can’t handle spicy food is really something to dislike. Am I now going to earn your dislike, Seorin unni?”

“It’s fine. No, I know you mean no harm, so why would I have those feelings toward you? Plus, I ordered it anyway. I just wanted you to enjoy it. You helped me a lot today.”

“No, but that’s that, and this is this.”

“Eh, whatever.”

Saying that, she picked up her fried snack and dipped it into the “neutralized” ‘Crazy Tteokbokki’.

Thus the fried snack became completely coated in a deep red sauce.

As she slowly pulled the snack out from the sauce, its appearance became all the more distinct.

‘Shrimp Tempura.’

I’m counting on you.

It will still be quite spicy, but if it’s shrimp tempura… you can handle it nicely.

Repeating that in my mind as if putting myself under a spell, I took the red-coated shrimp tempura into my mouth.

“…”

I was determined to eat the fried snack and tell her it was fine as Sua continued to stare at me in silence.

Mumbling.

Without saying anything, her gaze seemed to be asking if I was okay now.

As I looked into her eyes, I managed to swallow the whole shrimp tempura in my mouth.

Now I had to say something.

That it was fine.

That I could eat it.

But before that…

Unknowingly, I grabbed a cup.

Then I grabbed the soda bottle on the table.

But both were completely empty.

My tongue kept complaining from the pain as if it was scolding me.

Why did I eat such a thing?

“Seorin unni!? F-First, drink this! Quick!”

She handed me a cup with the drink in a hurry, and I hastily accepted it.