Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: The Broadcast Debut
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Viewer discretion advised.
Safety first.
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To start broadcasting as a regular guy from the suburbs, a ton of preparation was essential.
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The top priority? Protecting personal information. That meant my face could never show up on stream, no matter what.
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I hadn't done anything extreme like sexually harassing someone, getting exposed in a community post for being a slob, running a flower shop scam, or committing some heinous crime, as those viral exposés might suggest.
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To fully claim my 3 trillion won fortune, I'd needed a bit of money laundering—nothing major. I just used the fake company Jin Seol-hwa had set up in the Philippines for it.
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Even if a tax audit hit, it wouldn't be a problem.
As a law-abiding citizen, I'd pay up honestly when the time came.
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But right now, I needed cash more than ever.
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'How did I end up acquiring Selig, too...'
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If the Korean government caught wind of me, it wouldn't take long for them to connect the dots to me owning Selig.
Everyone currently saw Jin Seol-hwa as the public face.
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She was the light.
I was the shadow.
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Our roles were clearly divided.
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"Alright, President Do-jun. Let's practice your walk."
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"...Sure. Thanks for the help."
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"One, two! One, two!"
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Not even a model, and here I was practicing my catwalk...
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Even without showing my face, my walking style would be visible on screen.
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That's why Im Yun-ah was helping me out.
She said projecting confidence was key to winning people over.
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"Good! One, two! One, two!"
"You think people will recognize me just from how I walk?"
"What do you think when you see the U.S. President or the Korean President?"
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Impressions of presidents?
They just seem like impressive people, that's all.
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Im Yun-ah straightened my collar.
Her delicate, warm touch felt comforting.
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"The president represents the nation as its top authority figure, bearing immense responsibility and duty. Fairness, transparency, dignity, leadership, and sharp judgment are crucial. Every time they appear in the media, even their aides scrutinize the tiniest gestures."
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I was dressed like a businessman—elegant, refined, with a touch of sophistication.
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Im Yun-ah checked my tie and let out a big sigh of relief.
Her expression softened; she seemed satisfied now.
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"Even if you're just a shut-in NEET holed up in your room..."
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Thwack!
A dagger flew from nowhere and pierced my heart.
Ouch, that hurt—even if it was true.
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"You're the head of a major pharmaceutical giant that's been making waves in the U.S. markets. And the president of DJ Investment, too. Your researchers are busting their asses today, just like every day, to turn your dream of helping countless people into reality."
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Pat pat!
She brushed off a speck of dust like it was nothing.
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"Phew... Now you finally look like a company chairman."
"R-Really?"
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I spun around in front of the full-length mirror.
She even gave me a thumbs-up.
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Now all that was left was to go live?
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"President Do-jun."
"Yes?"
"Just remember one thing."
"What...?"
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Im Yun-ah held the shoes I was about to put on.
Her smile sparkled in the sunlight today—eerie yet beautiful.
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"Even if the whole world turns against you, Seol-hwa and I will stand by your side. Even if it costs us our lives."
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A vassal's oath of loyalty to their king.
It weighed heavy on my heart.
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Now I had so many more people to protect.
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◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I hit the start button on the broadcast.
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From now on, I wouldn't be Kim Do-jun—I'd be Bukppudeupppu.
This was the moment my online nickname, not the name my parents gave me, became my true self.
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"Hey everyone, it's Bukppudeupppu. You've all been so curious about me, so I figured it was time to show a little."
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💬 Live Chat — Viewer1 Go-------d! — Viewer2 Oooh, the god has graced us with a stream! — Viewer3 Bukppudeupppu bro! Thanks for the gift icons! — Viewer4 Wtf is this now? ⭐ Top Comment — Viewer5 Lmao popcorn time?? — Viewer6 Did the community exposé force him to go live? Traffic exploded in seconds.
Viewers jumped from thousands to tens of thousands.
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Sweat beaded on my forehead.
The camera captured the mansion's living room.
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'Phew, stay calm...'
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My voice trembled like an earthquake, despite my thoughts.
I took a deep breath and walked forward with the stride Im Yun-ah had taught me.
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"I'm going live today because I saw that exposé post on the community forums. I know who wrote it, but I won't name names here."
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Calling them out directly could lead to a lawsuit over privacy.
I'd set up a few safeguards.
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The cops didn't scare me.
Jin Seol-hwa would pull every string from the U.S. to get me out if it came to that.
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'But that would reach the government's ears...'
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Better to play it safe.
No harm in caution.
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"I get where you're all coming from. Dropping billions on the moon out of nowhere? Suspicion was inevitable. I understand."
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— Viewer7 Go------d! — Viewer8 Bro, no worries~ We're the grateful ones. — Viewer9 Wow! Guy's spending his own money, and haters wanna meddle? Can they even adult? — Viewer10 Agreed; his money, his call... — Viewer11 Remote-control haters are getting out of hand lately. — Viewer12 Too many leeches DM-spamming whales. Platform gonna ban 'em? — Viewer13 Sue 'em. — Viewer14 DMs are hard to sue over. Some streamer sued 200, all no charge. — Viewer15 For real? — Viewer16 Yup; legit criticism via DM ain't sue-able, even if it's toxic af. — Viewer17 Streamers gonna lose their minds lol. The chat scrolled faster than a blink.
Tens of thousands exchanging thoughts in real time.
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'Public sentiment's on my side.'
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The viewers' mood was the true pulse of the stream.
If the chat had been a toxic mess, no story would sway them. This was decent.
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"I grew up dirt poor—no denying that. If you know Bukppudeupppu's history, you'd see when I started throwing money around without a care."
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— Viewer18 Yeah, spending ramped up after that Romance Scam with Choa. — Viewer19 Not just me noticing. Everyone thinks the same. — Viewer20 Why care how much whales spend? Mind your business. ⭐ Top Comment — Viewer21 Dopamine rush lmao — Viewer22 Fr;; To dive into the real talk, I needed some warm-up. As the vibe softened, I shared a bit of my personal story.
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Not everything, of course.
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"I was raised in a single-parent home."
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— Viewer23 ! — Viewer24 ! — Viewer25 ! Shocked viewers.
Exclamations flooded the chat nonstop.
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They never imagined Bukppudeupppu had such a tragic backstory.
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"Mom worked multiple jobs a day to raise me. One day, walking home from school, I saw her at a restaurant."
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I let out a few sniffles.
No face on camera, but viewers might think:
Oh, he's crying. Must be a sad story.
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"She was on her knees in front of the boss. Must've been some mistake at work. Otherwise, she wouldn't end up like that—my only family."
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— Viewer26 ? — Viewer27 ? — Viewer28 ? Tens of thousands spamming question marks.
Did we hear that right? Kneeling to a boss? In this day and age?
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"Hard to believe, but true. She sobbed, begging him not to fire her. I didn't understand at first."
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The camera panned to the dressing room in the corner of the living room.
A spacious area packed with clothes, a central display case like something from a museum.
Filled with Richard Mille watches worth billions, luxury accessories galore.
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— Viewer29 Whoa... — Viewer30 Is that a real Richard Mille? — Viewer31 That one's 1B alone. Worth a whole house lol — Viewer32 Bukppudeupppu really rich af. Not a chaebol kid poser? — Viewer33 Sapphire on those accessories too? Millions each? — Viewer34 Lol searched it—170M that one. — Viewer35 What? No way! Silent gasps from the viewers.
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I stepped out of the dressing room and sat in the rocking chair by the fireplace. It creaked softly as it swayed.
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"It took growing up to understand why Mom did that. All for me. Like I said, dirt-poor family—market jobs were it. If not for me, she wouldn't have suffered. After that, I turned inward. The world scared me."
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— Viewer36 Rough life. Hang in there, Bukppudeupppu. — Viewer37 Single-parent kid here too. Hits close. — Viewer38 But now he's loaded and can spoil Mom, right? — Viewer39 Agreed; 1B watch alone. Glad he can filial piety now. — Viewer40 Happy ending? Lmao They didn't know.
They assumed Mom was alive.
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Even without my face showing, I shook my head vigorously.
A faint twitch crossed my features.
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"She's gone."
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— Viewer41 ? — Viewer42 ? — Viewer43 ? Question marks again.
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This time, real tears welled up in my eyes.
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Mom's death anniversary was coming. Time to visit.
Would she be happy seeing her son succeed from heaven?
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"She overworked herself on those grueling jobs raising me and passed away. I hope she's watching me thrive up there."
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A hush fell.
The frantic chat slowed to a crawl.
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Chats thrive on high viewer counts—but this one froze.
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— Viewer44 Uh... — Viewer45 Um... — Viewer46 Eh? — Viewer47 M-May the deceased rest in peace... — Viewer48 ...... And so, Bukppudeupppu's stream drew to a close.
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I apologized to viewers for taking their precious time, announced a small event in the notice, and logged off.
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◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Sniff! Hic!"
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A bed piled high with tissues.
A woman dabbing her eyes with more, sobbing pitifully.
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Han Yu-jeong had no idea Bukppudeupppu oppa had been through all that.
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Things had seemed off before.
Normally, Bubble Gifts came with expectations.
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She'd asked for a meal date, but got shot down cold.
She thought it was Big Spender pride—but no.
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Bukppudeupppu oppa was just shy and introverted.
Trauma from his mom's story as a kid.
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"Oppa-aaang!"
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She came from dirt poor roots too.
That shared background hit home.
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Han Yu-jeong had studied hard through hardship, making it into Korea University, the nation's top school.
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She knew exactly how tough clawing your way up from misfortune could be.