Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Gangster Uncle's Audition Debacle
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A typical weekend evening meant to be spent with a lover.
But people held their breath, staring at the brightly glowing monitors.
That's right.
Today was the day of the long-awaited match.
- To hell!
> - Na
> - Rak!
> - Na
> - Rak!
> - Na
> - Rak! The president of Starcraft itself.
The streamer known as the history of internet broadcasting, Jin-seong.
The moment he turned on his stream, he broke into a cold sweat at the chat exploding faster than the eye could follow.
No matter what aggro he pulled, it had never gotten this dynamic.
It was proof of just how much interest there was in "Gangster Uncle," the one undergoing the test today.
Jin-seong grabbed his mic.
Unlike usual, he was dressed in a suit reminiscent of a judge.
He'd put in some real effort.
"Hello, everyone! Today is the entry test day for the 'Gangster Uncle' you've all been waiting for. We've brought the man himself here for the audition."
- Woooh!
> - Shit, is the faker here?
> - Starcraft my ass... go chase girls and be a simp.
> - Whoa! Hiding skills to sneak in? On the verge of explosion.
To calm the viewers, Jin-seong spoke hurriedly.
"Results aren't out yet, so please settle down. For now, let's welcome him. Streamer Gangster Uncle!"
- Get lost! Don't ruin my memories!
> - Na
> - Rak!
> - Na
> - Rak! The crowd was boiling over.
But Gangster Uncle entered Jin-seong's studio with a snort.
That is, Koo Seong-hwan.
"Hello. This is Gangster Uncle, lover of Starcraft."
The reason he'd come here despite the hate was simple.
Joining JNU meant his life would change overnight.
After all, it was Jin-seong's JNU that turned even no-name streamers into monthly million-dollar earners.
"Alright, Gangster Uncle, please get set up on the prepped PC. And for today, we've got a special guest as well. This person is also on day 8 of playing Starcraft, just like Gangster Uncle. I verified it myself to guard against any faking."
- Jin-seong's word is trustworthy.
> - Whoa! Who's the opponent?
> - No idea. Not a streamer, I guess?
> - Huh? Not a streamer?
> - Yeah; all low-tier streamers are streaming right now.
> - Everyone's watching this ㄷㄷ;; With both sides ready, Jin-seong's lips twitched upward.
Truth be told, he didn't like it either.
Jin-seong was the guy called a clown on stream.
Sure, he got a lot of flak, but he was a former pro Starcraft player.
He absolutely hated fakers.
If not for them, he might have had a longer pro league career.
He'd created the Starcraft University content out of nostalgia, only to swallow his anger upon hearing streamers were abusing it for personal gain.
"Both sides are ready. Today's match is best-of-three. If Gangster Uncle wins, he joins JNU. Lose, and it's all smoke and mirrors."
He was deceiving the viewers.
To fool others, you had to fool your own family, right?
Win or lose today, he'd already sprung the trap.
Gangster Uncle had no clue and was warming up diligently.
'Shit, treating the Starcraft I love like this?'
The stream's viewer count was already at 150,000.
For a 20-year-old game, that was overwhelming momentum. Word of today's content had spread far and wide.
Had Gangster Uncle really hidden his skills?
Or would he shock everyone with raw talent?
Hundreds of thousands of eyes focused on one streamer.
"Today, it's your favorite TeTe match. Map is the national pick, Fighting Spirit. Everyone cool with that?"
- Ugh, TeTe shit....
> - Most boring mirror match?
> - Fighting Spirit's fine. Easiest for newbies.
> - Whoa! Making us watch low-tier TeTe? You treat us like animals?
> - Damn, content ends at dawn. Time for chicken. "Hahaha, hot reactions mean you're all satisfied."
Of all the dull mirror matches, it had to be Terran vs. Terran. Jin-seong let out a quiet sigh. This could drag into a marathon if not careful.
"Huh?"
Then, something astonishing happened.
The first game started, and a twist hit immediately.
Gangster Uncle's opponent.
The mystery Terran sent a worker straight to the center early on.
- Whoa? 8-Barracks?
> - Shit, low-tiers doing 8-Rax now?
> - They try, but control sucks—not real 8-Rax.
> - Still tough build for newbies...? An unbelievable sight, even seeing it with their own eyes.
Without scouting, one lone worker marched center and started building a barracks.
8-Barracks: simple yet hard.
At pop 8, build barracks first, then bunker up.
A build Lim Yo-hwan used to love.
Jin-seong's jaw dropped.
He'd expected a slog for TeTe, but no.
The anonymous Ladder S player who'd contacted him.
They weren't planning to drag it out.
"Huh? Gangster Uncle's not building barracks? No way, right?"
Builds diverged.
Viewers watching the stream went wild.
- Whoa, game 1 cheese rush?
> - Shit, how much does he look down on him to all-in 8-Rax on Fighting Spirit?
> - ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
> - Gangster Uncle lost. Totally outbuilt.
> - Haha, feels like old-school triple bunker? The first game ended anticlimactically.
Gangster Uncle panicked under the sudden rush and hit GG.
"First game to the anonymous player. Wow, low-tiers pulling 8-Rax these days. Heh, truly shocking."
It was all scripted from the start.
Viewers were baffled by Jin-seong's feigned ignorance.
- Opponent really low-tier?
> - Who's that anon Terran?
> - Marine control's weird tho.
> - Thought Gangster Uncle was hiding skills, but looks like anon's the real deal?
> - Both hiding?
> - Faker vs. faker?
> - Jin-seong could pull it off ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
> - Whoa! Legendary stream. Good call canceling date with gf.
> - You'll get dumped.... Unable to contain their excitement, people hammered their keyboards.
The chat sped up even more.
"Wow, game over in just 8 minutes 35 seconds."
Streamer Gangster Uncle.
And the anonymous player.
Their clash veered in an unpredictable direction.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Koo Seong-hwan chewed his lip anxiously.
A few days ago.
He'd seen the post titled 【Gangster Uncle is a Faker】.
Shocked at first, but no hard evidence, so he brushed it off. Communities always started and ended in suspicion, right?
'Shit, who the hell are you?'
8-Rax he could handle.
Even outnumbered, worker control could've blocked it.
Big mistake.
The opponent counter-rushed with superior micro.
'Can't back down now.'
Second game.
Despite appearances, Koo Seong-hwan was Ladder A.
Too early to quit.
'Vultures it is!'
He teched straight to Factory. No expansions. All-in on main base resources.
But.
'What the...?'
Scouting the anon: same damn build.
'Copying me?'
A blatant challenge.
Koo Seong-hwan grinned.
Even against a pro, he had Vulture fight confidence.
He'd cleared thousands of Vulture-only use maps back in the day.
'Bring it!'
And his hunch was right.
Second game.
Opponent folded quick when micro faltered.
"Hahaha! Got him!"
One game left.
Looking winnable.
Koo Seong-hwan didn't know.
That single game had everyone slack-jawed in stunned silence.
His burning desire to win had triggered the incident.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Jin-seong set down the mic.
That last game lingered in his mind.
"Wh-what was that? That Vulture control...?"
He was a pro.
Not some scrub—solid league results.
Best finish: top 8.
No wins, but he'd impressed fans.
So his shock was telling.
- ?
> - ?
> - ?
> - ?
> - ? Chat flooded with question marks.
That level of play was beyond noobs.
Vultures danced like fresh sashimi.
"Unbelievable. Really just over a week on Starcraft, Gangster Uncle? Zero damage loss on moves, snappy attacks. That's not one or two days of Vulture practice..."
Mid-sentence, third game started.
Incredibly, they traded fierce blows.
One attacked.
The other defended solidly.
Defender switched to offense.
Attacker fell back.
Too advanced for beginners.
Like a Go board.
Normally, thumbs up all around.
But the mood chilled.
Third game: shockingly, Gangster Uncle—Koo Seong-hwan—won.
Score: 2-1.
Entry test cleared successfully.
A hyped man burst into Jin-seong's studio, cheering.
Jin-seong tilted his head at the thrilled Gangster Uncle declaring a new golden age.
A question mark floated over his head.
"Gangster Uncle?"
"...Yes?"
"These days, week-old newbies can do 'Parachute Drops' too?"
Parachute Drop: high-skill control noobs couldn't mimic.
Tough to pull off; sloppy mousework backfired.
"......"
He'd emptied his bag of tricks to win.
Lost rationality in the heat.
"Th-that's..."
"You hid your skills, right?"
"!"
"Frankly, that play was semi-pro level."
"I-I..."
Finally, Koo Seong-hwan bowed his head.
Too late for apologies.
Viewers hurled curses and vitriol.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I recalled the match with Gangster Uncle from not long ago.
I'd prided myself on Ladder S.
But after a long break, I realized my skills had rusted more than expected.
"Lost, but no hard feelings."
The guys who'd ruined my date with Kang So-yeon.
Delivering justice felt great.
"Been ages. Time for a drive."
Today, I took out the 110-million-won LaFerrari. Pedestrians gawked at crosswalks.
"Heh heh, even betas can't ignore this."
Crossing a few blocks.
A familiar figure.
The guy once called Gangster Uncle before getting booted from streaming.
[Myungjin Staffing Office]
Lost his gig, so day labor it was.
I pulled the roaring supercar to the curb and approached.
"Oh? Working here?"
"!"
He flinched at me.
Gone was the smug grin; shoulders slumped, eyes darting.
What else could an ex-streamer without skills do?
Obvious.
Pitiful.
Even after he wrecked my first date, I had a soft spot.
Pulled six 50,000-won bills from my wallet.
"Hang in there. Not much, but grab some kimbap."
"......"
300,000 won.
To spend on kimbap.
His face flushed beet red, body trembling.
"Should've played nice. Who knows? If you'd been cool, Big Spender Bukppudeupppu might've showered you."
"What?"
Bukppudeupppu was infamous in streaming.
A whale dropping over 10 million a month.
No one knew it was me.
"Work hard."
Saying so, I slid elegantly into the LaFerrari.
His jaw dropped impossibly wide.
Surprised?
The basement-dwelling beta you scorned, driving a 110-million-won car.
"Hahaha!"
I burst out laughing and tore down the street.
The pent-up grudge blasted away like a highway breakthrough.