Launching the Ttaemin Official Fan Cafe
Maybe it was because he'd racked his brain so hard, but when he woke up, he felt refreshed on a whole new level. After splashing away the last remnants of sleep with tap water, he plopped right down in front of the computer. But he didn't turn it on immediately. It was time for his daily routine: market research.
Instead of the PC, he fired up his phone and opened the streaming app. Sure enough, Patrose was live today too.
Man, her mouth won't shut. With that many viewers, she must be on cloud nine.
But the thumbnail didn't quite match that vibe. Had she not slept well? There seemed to be dark circles under her eyes. He slipped in with his alt account to check.
"What do you mean what? There's nothing to do..."
"Teacher, she's smiling though?"
Explanations like that never panned out. For now, he left Patrose's stream, who looked exhausted. He needed a different kind of research right now.
His target was, of course, her fan cafe. It was called "Ye-seul's Heart-Pounding Time."
Not the greatest name.
But the cafe was perfectly active. Schedules, events, and announcements were neatly organized and easy to navigate. Broadcast recaps, fan art, humor—viewer spaces were appropriately open yet well-moderated. A model of management. Plenty to learn from.
He gave silent thanks inside, then hit the create cafe button back home. And immediately hit a wall.
What the hell do I name it?
Naming the cafe had him stumped from the jump. He wanted something catchy, not tacky. But no matter how hard he brainstormed, nothing came.
'Ttaemin Official Cafe?'
Safe, but boring as hell! The aftermath of naming his streamer handle on a whim. But that's what viewers were for. Crowdsource the collective wisdom, and boom—perfect name.
...And at 10:20 PM, mic check complete.
Right on cue, cafe-related chats flooded in, like they'd been waiting with bated breath. Perfect timing.
"You said it perfectly!"
He typed over the barrage of '?'s. The screen lit up with today's Part 1 topic: "Let's Make a Cafe Together."
"It's our space, so let's brainstorm as a group! Name the cafe, decide on boards—what do you think?"
"Hah, knew you'd love it. Part 1 locked in!"
"Nah, I see everything. And honestly, you guys don't trust me either. Saw that puzzle game yesterday, right?"
Rage quit glossed over nicely. Now, just milk ideas from chat...
Ching!
"Roulette?"
He'd heard of it. Other platforms used it a lot.
Donations buy shares in options proportional to amount.
In other words, turning him into capitalism's slave!
"Haven't fallen that far! I earn clean with straight donations only!"
"Oh."
His brain was the one compromised by cash. He sheepishly moved the mouse cursor.
Typed "roulette" into search.
Hyenas pouncing on any scrap. He cleared his throat, acting casual.
"Alright! Let's hear some ideas? Post good ones in chat, I'll pin 'em!"
Ching! Ching! Ching!!
"Wait, hold up."
Donations poured in too fast for TTS to keep up.
"Wait! Wait!!"
"No more 1k!! Wait!"
He frantically disabled donations. Finally quiet, he replayed them one by one.
Spectacular.
"Who's Seong-ah?"
Why so many Seong-ahs? He scrolled up frantically for Nokgodong.
Found it. He highlighted Nokgodong's chat log on screen.
"Nokgodong?"
"No no, not sorry."
He skipped past the rising chats, refocusing on Nokgodong.
"Not that—I was asking who Seong-ah is."
Something nagged at him. The name felt familiar. Specifically, from the convenience store near his place. He shopped there around the same time, so he'd glimpsed the name tag. Didn't look closely, but it was definitely "Lee Seong-ah."
"Is that you?"
Silence. Then Nokgodong chatted.
So bold, doxxing her real name without a care. He admired the honesty.
At least I know she's the clerk at the store nearby.
Nothing to do with it, but it felt satisfying. Like he'd snuck into her playlist of usual streams.
Business done—back to the main topic. He closed Nokgodong's log and started tallying suggestions.
"Lemme see... Ttaemin's Toilet Paradise. Toilet Paradise..."
What the hell! At this rate, his cafe would smell like a men's room. But the world loved screwing him over. "Ttaemin's Toilet Paradise" hit over 60% odds.
No more. "Alright! Cafe name is Ttaemin Official Cafe! Clap clap!"
"Right? Not bad. Classics are king!"
Thumbs down from viewers. He dared retort.
"What can you do? Spam hate in chat—that's it!"
"No! That wasn't scripted!"
He bowed low. But Toilet Paradise? No way! Somehow, it settled on Official Cafe.
...Their internal nickname stuck, but no biggie if outsiders didn't know. He hit create—the cafe popped up. Barebones for now: four boards. "Broadcast Notices," "Free Board," "Humor Board," "Game Recs."
"Boards can expand later. Let's write a broadcast notice first?"
"Knew you'd like it. Banners next time—stay tuned!"
He played along with the cheering chat.
"Already? Fast! Before notice, read the first post?"
All posts view: one post, as chat said.
"Look at 'em telling me to look. Okay, checking."
"Everyone, no poop talk. Ban on mention."
"We let most stuff slide! This is a full-game stream, not that!"
Going toilet-heavy was the worst move. Banter with viewers? Fine. But keep doors open for growth.
Even after threats, chat yapped. He checked.
Bound to get caught. He 3-min chat-limited a few as examples, back to business.
"Okay... broadcast notice. Wonder how others do it..."
But barging in? Rude. Not acquaintances.
Pow!!
Familiar name.
"Right, no other streamers either. Talk only about me when you're here."
That counts as flirting? Weird world. Anyway, lurking other streams mid-broadcast? Bad manners. Trust his gut and write.
Daily 22:00 Stream! Next day 08:00 End Attempt!
"How's this!?"
Complaints erupted. Whips alone don't spark ideas. Sweating, he tweaked the schedule.
Ching!
Ching!
"Like this?"
No! Not the intent! But his lips curled up involuntarily. Dizzy from 1k punches and advice, unexpected profits smiled back. No vibe killer either—everyone tossing 1ks.
Aha! Win-win!
...He invested time crafting the schedule with viewers. Weekly format works. Bonus: reading cafe posts fills just-chat time.
Perfect timing. Ending Part 1 for next chapter.
"Part 2: What game?!"
Fired up prepped game. Screen center: poop-headed woman, lower body devoured by shell, bra-only, relying on sledgehammer to space. Physics game.
"Sora game time!"
Part 2: this game.