Streamer Crazy About Slaughter - Chapter 90
***
“ㅇㅇ has donated 100,000 won!!”
“Please don’t react or even say thank you.”
Hae-yoon, who was blankly staring at the donation notification, once again searches for the person who donated.
“Is the donor really not going to reveal themselves? I just want to express my gratitude somehow… Okay.”
Even a private donation.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t find them.
[God-ji-eun Haetban: Wow, who is it?]
[Starrick: The donor??]
[Larire: They said not to react or thank anyone…?]
[Jemble: Donating 100,000 won without asking for anything in return… Seems like someone who’s been watching the broadcast for a while?]
Looking at the people chatting right now, the familiar names of those who chat every day were all that she saw.
Starrick, Larire, Jemble, and God-ji-eun Haetban. Just these four people.
The number of viewers had quickly dwindled to 25 if including those who listened like a radio or just left it on.
It stung a little, but still, she was curious about the viewer who had made such a large donation.
“Um… you said not to react or thank you at all, but… is it really okay for me to just accept this?”
She couldn’t believe it and asked again.
It was the first time she had received such a large donation in her six-month broadcasting career.
Even when receiving a rare 10,000 won donation, she remembered the donor’s ID and noted it in a separate file.
But receiving 100,000 won suddenly from an anonymous donor with no reason was something else.
—Ting-ting-ting!
“ㅇㅇ has donated 100,000 won!!”
“I hope you just do a drinking broadcast since it’s your last show. I’m giving this because I wish you well in the future.”
Once again, she blankly stared at the flashy notification.
The message was just too heartwarming.
“Wow… okay, I understand. Then I’ll proceed with the drinking broadcast right away.”
Stammering, she forcibly swallowed the gratitude that rose to her throat.
Her hand holding the soju trembled unknowingly.
Again, 100,000 won.
This was undeniably a big donor.
Big donors are usually attached to successful corporate broadcasts or pretty female streamers.
‘… I guess I’m getting donations at the end too.’
In a daze, she felt so happy.
Even though today was her last broadcast, someone had donated this substantial amount of money while watching her show. The amount was significant, but more than that, the donation message felt like it was supporting her.
That made her even more grateful.
“If the donor has any wishes for me, please chat just once. I don’t know if I can satisfy you, but I’ll do my best to show you what I can.”
Recalling the donor’s words to not react or express thanks, she tried to find another way to express her gratitude.
[God-ji-eun Haetban: Wow… Combined that’s 200,000 won donation?]
[Jemble: Hae-yoon is finally seeing the light at the end!]
[Larire: I guess the big donor isn’t going to chat.]
[Starrick: There’s really no chat from them! Plus, a private donation!]
As she watched the chat, she couldn’t help but feel anxious.
She had received such a large donation, yet she was told not to do anything, which made her restless and fidgety.
“… Really, do you not want any reaction or thank you about your donation?”
Having broadcasted for about six months, she felt that donations should never be taken lightly.
If she maintained even a hint of arrogance or nonchalance, viewers would pick up on that attitude.
Because of that, if they saw even a slightly inadequate reaction, they would no longer donate.
Only a few unique big corporate streamers, who had built their image in such a way, or a handful of streamers overflowing with charm, could afford to brush off donations.
For example… Lin.
With a minimum donation of 50,000 won, it could be seen as the pinnacle of arrogance in internet broadcasting history, yet there were still people who consistently donated.
Having watched Lin’s broadcasts every day, she knew that there were at least 10 donations each broadcast.
But even when receiving such large donations, Lin didn’t express much gratitude.
She had a phrase not to donate; whether that was a tactic or not, her reaction ended with a simple thank you.
She wondered how that could be, but she had recently given up trying to understand Lin.
That must be talent.
Lin was just born that way.
Hae-yoon felt that trying to imitate Lin would only lead to failure.
Lin’s overwhelming skills in Another World and that unique mystique they possessed came together to create who Lin was today; trying to copy any minor aspects would only backfire.
She knew a streamer who raised their donation minimum to 50,000 won, attempting to imitate Lin, had earned a massive backlash from the community and suffered a complete image crash.
Clink.
Trying to erase the ongoing thoughts, she poured soju into her glass. After all, she was live broadcasting.
Right then, she wanted to find out who among the 25 viewers had donated 200,000 won, but that thought soon faded.
‘If the donor said not to, I shouldn’t look.’
“For the first drink… I’ll drink to express my gratitude to the current viewers who are watching this last broadcast and to the anonymous viewer who donated such a large amount.”
Thus, she tried to express her gratitude in the first drink.
It would be woefully inadequate, but still, she wanted to express her appreciation, even a little.
Bringing her soju glass close to the camera, she said, “Cheers.”
She spoke cautiously.
Feeling awkward for doing a drinking broadcast for the first time, she quickly brought the glass to her lips.
The bitter soju slid down her throat, naturally making her frown.
But today, the soju felt strangely sweet.
‘Suddenly… things seem to be going well recently.’
That thought made her smile foolishly without realizing it.
No longer living the uncertain life of a stressed streamer and YouTuber but now having become an editor, which could be called a proper job.
And not just any editor but Lin’s editor.
Recently, Lin, who had appeared out of nowhere, was riding a wave of success like none other before.
The pressure of being entrusted with editing the YouTube channel of such a remarkable person was huge, but more than that, she was happy to work alongside Lin.
As the saying goes, “If you associate with a winner, you are also considered a winner,” Lin had succeeded, and it felt like she too had gained a bit of that success.
‘No, I could say I’m half successful, right? Lin is already famous on YouTube.’
As she poured soju into her glass again, that thought crossed her mind.
She felt inexplicably good, and her lips curled into a smile.
[Larire: Cheers!]
[Jemble: Hae-yoon, I hope everything goes well for you in whatever you do next.]
Warm messages in the chat.
The chatted messages from Larire and Jemble, who could be considered fixed viewers, were always appreciated by her.
Among the few regular viewers, they were the ones who chatted the most and reacted well.
It was unfortunate that she would have to say goodbye to such viewers, but she couldn’t continue juggling both roles.
It was a hard-earned position as an editor.
She had exchanged contact details with Park So-yul, a woman she would be working with, and learned a bit about her. Park So-yul was already an experienced editor for top corporate YouTubers.
‘… I have to work harder.’
She realized her reality.
She had to strive to catch up to So-yul.
So she would boldly give up her current streaming and YouTube career.
Though she felt some regret, there was no hesitation in quitting.
She knew it was beyond her means to try to greedily catch two rabbits at once when the opportunity arose.
And so, another drink.
“Cheers!” she shouted, bringing her glass to the camera, grimacing as she drank and soon smiling again.
The light buzz of the alcohol was beginning to feel good.
Not for the usual worries weighing her down, but just floating on the happiness of the recent joyful events, even sipping the bitter alcohol made her happy.
“Today, I truly feel like the soju is sweet. I’m ending my streaming career today, but I genuinely hope that all of you watching my broadcast will succeed in everything you do. This is truly from my heart.”
Saying it with all her sincerity, she managed to speak genuinely as she felt good things happening for her.
Always wrapped in failures.
Living a life of continual setbacks.
Instead of wishing for someone else’s success, she had only felt negativity, wondering why she couldn’t succeed.
But just one success.
Becoming Lin’s editor was enough to make her feel incredibly good.
Since being chosen as an editor yesterday, she had been so excited that she could hardly sleep. She didn’t know how many times she replayed Lin’s broadcasts just to revisit that excitement.
Lin personally mentioning her name while announcing the results of the second viewer vote.
Then, when she checked the contract that arrived by email, her feelings were magnified. The one line from Lin saying her effort showed was something she cherished for hours while drafting a thank-you note to send.
‘Has she checked it yet?’
Until turning on the broadcast today, she figured Lin probably hadn’t read the email, just busy. That thought didn’t lead to anything else recognizing Lin would be someone she had to serve.
The envy, jealousy, and inferiority complex she initially felt toward Lin, which used to weigh heavily on her, had vanished as if those dark feelings never existed, replaced with just the warmth of liking Lin as a person.
Except for the voice she heard during the broadcasts, she knew nothing else about Lin. Just positive feelings like wondering if Lin wasn’t beautiful or kind.
Now, pouring soju into her glass out of habit, she smiled widely enough to notice even herself.
“Cheers!”
As if her mood had lifted, she raised her glass to the camera and shouted louder than usual.
As she looked at the chat box while experiencing the lingering bitterness, a few messages appeared.
[God-ji-eun Haetban: Oh, I have something I’ve been curious about. Can I ask?]
[Jemble: Hae-yoon, do you have any direction planned after quitting streaming?]
[Starrick: I’m just pleased we can finish off warmly like this, chatting together.]
“Feel free to ask anything you’re curious about. I’ll answer everything I can. After quitting streaming, I think I’ll head towards video editing. So I’ll likely be handling videos for others rather than my own.”
Edit-related.
She felt a buzz of excitement, wondering if announcing some good news before the broadcast ended would surprise the viewers.
It wouldn’t be anyone other than the current hot streamer, Lin.
[Jemble: Video editing… I enjoyed watching Hae-yoon’s YouTube channel.]
[Starrick: Right? The quality of the videos is really high, so I find myself watching them without noticing.]
[God-ji-eun Haetban: Where do you live in Yeoksam-dong?]
Feeling good about the compliments regarding her YouTube channel, she suddenly flinched at God-ji-eun Haetban’s last message.
“I’m always grateful to those who watch my YouTube channel. And… I’m sorry, but I can’t disclose any personal information.”
Speaking carefully, it felt as though her alcohol-fueled buoyancy was abruptly pulled back.
Suddenly asking where she lived seemed like a probing question as if they were trying to find out where she lived.
In that moment, she felt chills run down her spine.
[Jemble: Why are you suddenly asking about where she lives?]
[Starrick: That person seems a bit odd.]
And she realized she wasn’t the only one who sensed the abnormality; other viewers echoed that concern in the chat.
[God-ji-eun Haetban: Well, they could just be curious. It’s the last broadcast, so they might feel regret… maybe asking if they could run into you by chance?]
God-ji-eun Haetban was sending yet another strange message.
She was undoubtedly a grateful viewer who frequently watched her broadcasts and occasionally donated.
But now she felt bewildered by what they were saying.
‘Do they mean they’d recognize me if we bumped into each other?’
Hae-yoon found her hand gripping the soju glass trembling without her realizing.
—Ding-ding-ding!
“ㅇㅇ has donated 100,000 won!!”
“How much would it take to ban that person? You said to mention what I wanted earlier. I just hope to never see that person again.”