Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Streamers Trashing Ma-sam
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Most of the people in the waiting room wore shocked expressions. It was all because of Ma-sam, who had suddenly appeared.
"Wh-what's Ma-sam doing here?"
"Even the top five corporations are participating?"
"Wh-what's going on?"
"He wasn't on the list of audition applicants, right?"
However, Ma-sam didn't look good at all. He looked like he'd eaten something bad.
No, it wasn't just his expression.
Dark circles ringed his eyes. And his already poor skin had gotten even worse.
He looked like he'd been through some serious mental torment.
And I knew exactly why.
'He ran away because he was scared I'd steal his viewers...'
Before, Ma-sam had chosen to flee from me out of fear that I'd take his audience.
Because of that, he'd faced massive backlash. Especially from his fan cafe, which he called his home base, where the attacks had been particularly vicious.
From what I knew, he'd even shut down the fan cafe by now.
That would definitely explain his current face.
'Who told you to try and block me?'
Of course, I didn't feel any sympathy. If anything, it was karmic retribution.
Soon, Ma-sam shuffled weakly to an empty seat.
Unfortunately, it happened to be right across from me.
I lifted my head and looked at him.
His ugly face was as ugly as ever. Especially with his worsened skin, he looked even uglier.
'How does someone get that much malice etched into their face?'
Anyway, Ma-sam didn't look at me. He just kept staring at the floor.
Normally, he would've tried to act like we knew each other. And in front of the other streamers, he probably would've trashed me to take control of the vibe.
But he didn't. He just kept staring at the ground. Fleeing from me out of fear must've hit him really hard.
I glanced at Ma-sam for a moment before turning my head to the side.
There I saw Haedal, the streamer with a conflicted look on his face.
Come to think of it, he'd been sucking up to Ma-sam like a total sycophant back then. It was exactly like how he'd behaved with me earlier.
And now, the very Ma-sam he'd groveled to had shown up.
I was pretty curious what he'd do.
'Will he go sit next to Ma-sam?'
He might even go back to fawning over him like before. Given Haedal's personality from what I'd seen, it was entirely possible.
But he didn't.
"Ahem."
Instead, he cleared his throat and scooted even closer to me. Then he looked up at me like a dog begging for praise.
I gave him a dumbfounded look.
It wasn't loyalty to me that made him stick close.
He probably just figured I'd be more useful to him than Ma-sam.
Still, it didn't feel bad.
'I'm better than Ma-sam, huh?'
It felt like he'd chosen me because I seemed superior.
'Hmm, maybe I should actually recruit him later?'
It didn't sound like a bad idea. A sycophant character like that could be useful in his own way.
That was when it happened.
Flick.
Ma-sam suddenly snapped his head up.
And then he started staring at me.
I turned my head as well.
And looked back at him.
"......"
"......"
Ma-sam's eyes were filled with resentment toward me. It was obvious at a glance.
'No, shouldn't I be the one resenting you?'
It was ridiculous.
He was the one who'd cut ties with me first. And now he was resenting me?
'What an idiot.'
But I didn't say anything. I just kept staring at him.
There were too many eyes on us right now. Not the best time to start a conversation.
How long did we glare at each other like that?
Suddenly, Ma-sam shot to his feet.
And stormed out of the waiting room.
Bam.
It looked like he couldn't hold back his anger, or maybe he was just running away again.
I looked around.
Was it because of Ma-sam's sudden outburst?
The atmosphere had frozen solid.
'Man... he always puts his feelings first.'
I sighed at Ma-sam's selfish display. Some things about him never changed.
Then, murmurs started rising from the surrounding streamers.
"Looks like those rumors about bad blood between them are true."
"Yeah, it really seems like Ma-sam cut ties with Jae-ho."
"But why's Ma-sam resenting Jae-ho?"
"You didn't hear? He tried to block him but ended up running away himself."
"Oh... that's why?"
"I didn't realize Ma-sam was so petty."
Most of it was trash-talking Ma-sam. It clearly showed how far his reputation had fallen.
But my expression wasn't great.
'Hold on. This isn't good...'
There were dozens of streamers here. And I'd just shown all of them that Ma-sam and I were on bad terms.
In the tight-knit streaming world, rumors like that were bound to spread.
'Tch, now Ma-sam's fans are gonna come after me...'
His fans had been ramping up attacks lately. If this got out, it'd get even worse. No doubt about it.
And in a situation like this, I was at a disadvantage with fewer fans.
'Did he do that on purpose, knowing it'd play out like this?'
No matter how bad Ma-sam's personality was, he wasn't completely brainless. He might've deliberately shown that angry side to set this up.
I shook my head.
I'd taken an unexpected hit.
'Looks like I need to become a big corporation streamer fast.'
The rumors hadn't spread yet. I still had time, and I needed to hit big-corp status before then. That way, Ma-sam's fans wouldn't dare attack me recklessly.
'And the opportunity for that... is this content.'
This was massive content with dozens of streamers participating. And in big events like this, surprise stars often emerged out of nowhere.
I needed to claim that spot.
'Of course, it won't be easy.'
From what I knew, Ma-sam had a close connection with one of the judges.
And that judge might try to sabotage me.
But I wasn't scared.
If anything, I trusted in my own talent.
'If my talent is the real deal... I don't need to worry.'
I just had to show what I'd prepared.
Then everything would work out.
I had a good feeling about it.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ While I was preoccupied with Ma-sam,
the auditions finally began.
We could watch it live through the TV set up in the waiting room.
[Hello, everyone. I'm Dokgo Hwayeon.]
Dokgo Hwayeon was still stunningly beautiful. And that noble aura of hers hadn't faded.
Especially today, in her beige jacket and short skirt, she looked refreshingly pure yet sexy.
'She really is pretty.'
I tore my eyes away from Dokgo Hwayeon and scanned the background and the other judges.
The surroundings were bare. Just a plain white backdrop, a long table, and chairs. They'd probably cleared it out in advance for the audition.
At the long table sat four judges, including Dokgo Hwayeon. All of them were prominent martial artists, which explained their sharp gazes.
'That must be pretty intimidating.'
Even the boldest person would probably shake under those four pairs of eyes.
And my hunch was spot on.
[Then, please come in, first applicant.]
A pale-faced man soon appeared on screen. His face wasn't naturally that white; he looked pale from nerves.
[You're quite famous on Express, right? Game streamer Jax.]
[Ah, uh, hello. S-se... Gah! N-no! J-Jax here!]
He clapped a hand over his mouth in shock. It didn't seem intentional.
'Tsk, if it were me, I'd have played it up on purpose and milked it for laughs...'
He'd probably just frozen up and slipped.
Anyway, the mood was sour. Especially Dokgo Hwayeon's vibe.
I watched closely.
'Yep, she still hates sex jokes.'
I filed that away in my head. No way was I dropping one in front of her.
Then, one of the judges—a burly man—spoke up. Hwang Boseok, a guy in his forties.
[Kahahaha! That's hilarious. Really funny! You've got some top-notch comedic timing, kid.]
Was it because he was a total dad type?
Taste as unique as it gets.
Thanks to Hwang Boseok, the tension eased a bit.
The streamer named Jax started introducing himself properly.
[Wh-what I'm good at is gaming and cooking. Oh, and a bit of hosting. Editing too, and especially as a former Battlegrounds pro gamer...]
That's when a man wearing a bamboo hat among the judges spoke. Go Usan, a streamer martial artist with a unique concept.
[Hmm, there's an old saying: overdoing it is as bad as not doing enough. To my eyes, you're trying too many things at once. Especially pro gaming—it doesn't seem related to martial arts, does it?]
He had this gimmick of being a swordsman from old Joseon, and his speech nailed the concept.
[Y-yes? Oh, w-well, yeah...]
[Another old saying: trembling in fear. It means shaking with caution, but to me, it fits you perfectly, Jax. You're too timid to learn martial arts.]
[Th-that's not...]
Go Usan ripped into Jax harshly. And I caught him glancing at Dokgo Hwayeon.
He was probably trying to impress her with that.
Of course, Jax looked like he'd completely lost his confidence because of it.
I took my eyes off the TV for a moment and checked my surroundings.
Most people had gone pale. The judges were being aggressive, it seemed. Even Haedal, who claimed to be confident, looked ashen.
The only ones staying calm were the big-corp streamers.
'They must have their passes guaranteed.'
No other way they'd look that composed.