The Broadcast Encountered in the Final Moments (5)
With that, the lecture on the basics of internet streaming—which had felt like it would drag on forever—finally wrapped up.
"Hmm, hmm. Indeed! Subway-Old-Man-Denture-Stealer-nim's advice is so helpful!"
Rena's eyes sparkled like suns once more as she spoke. It was worth thinking about again: her modeling was insanely cute.
If she couldn't gain traction for 100 days with that model, then maybe talent really isn't everything.
Such a blunt thought flitted through his mind, but he tucked it away without voicing it. Yeah. This was his final act of kindness before leaving. A way to sweep out the lingering trash in his heart.
"Oh, right! Subway-Old-Man-Denture-Stealer-nim! I have another question."
"One thing first, before that."
"Ah……… Yes! Hehe, I got carried away talking by myself. Sorry. I've never chatted with a viewer this long……."
On the monitor, she looked sheepish.
"Could you stop reading out my nickname—Subway-Old-Man-Denture-Stealer—in full every single time?"
Yeah. The whole conversation, she'd been calling him Subway-Old-Man-Denture-Stealer over and over. Sure, it was his nickname, so no big deal, but couldn't she at least shorten it to something like Subway-nim? Or if that felt weird, Stealer-nim from the end? No matter that he'd made up the awful name himself, hearing [Subway-Old-Man-Denture-Stealer] repeated nonstop left a weird aftertaste. Especially considering the origin of the damn thing!
"Huh? But…… Subway-Old-Man-Denture-Stealer-nim is the first person to chat with me this long on my stream……. You're the one I did my first phone date with. So shouldn't I at least read your nickname with care……?"
"No. Just shorten it already."
"Hmm…… How should I?"
He answered indifferently, not really caring.
"Just call me Jit-leus or whatever."
"Ji-tleus……-nim?"
"Yeah. Didn't you know all the MZ kids these days use abbreviations like that?"
Of course, it was total bullshit, but explaining a plausible reason while asking her to shorten it felt like too much hassle. She was a newbie at viewer chats, sure—but she hung on his every word anyway. So this half-assed excuse would probably fly.
And it did.
"I see……! I thought I was an MZ gen kid too, but I didn't know……! As expected from Subway-Old-Ma—uh, no, Ji. Tleus. Nim! Ji-Tleus-nim is the best!"
"Don't space out every syllable."
"Ah, got it……!"
Haa. He called it a good deed, but he couldn't help worrying if this girl could keep streaming successfully. Not his problem, though.
"S-so, can I ask my question now, Jit-leus-nim?"
"Let's hear it."
"Um…… What games should I play these days?"
"Games? Out of nowhere?"
He barely hid his bewilderment at her random question and shot back.
"Yes! My next stream's probably gonna be a game one, per my schedule…… I figure popular games are the way to go. You just taught me not to pick niche ones……."
He pondered her words for a moment. Should he just say go with whatever hot game everyone else was playing? But no—somehow, he doubted her zero-streaming-skills ass could pull off a famous title. Why watch her scrub stream when you could see pros doing it?
So, niche games it was. Not too niche, though—like the ancient PC-98 relics she'd been grinding till now, unknown even in Korea. The appeal of niche games was pulling in the handful of diehards who'd kill for content on it. At least ten obsessives would bite.
Moderately maniacal. That was the answer.
Racking his brain, one title popped up.
Demon God Legend: Hermenian.
Hitting its 8th service anniversary this year. It popped off in years 1-2 before trash management tanked it, but its unique gameplay and mobile-exclusive controls still gripped maniacs tight.
Truth was, back when he had to grind cash for his girlfriend……-ex, his only distractions had been stream-watching and phone games like Demon God Legend: Hermenian. No time for PC games; phone stuff in spare moments. Potted plant simulators weren't real gaming, so this scratched the itch.
He didn't play much anymore…… but it was the only niche game he could recommend.
"Know Demon God Legend: Hermenian?"
"Demon God Legend: Hermenian……? First time hearing it."
Of course. An 8-year-old relic. Smartphones had evolved insanely since then.
"Mobile game. Famous streamers ignore it, but if someone streams it, the curious maniacs will swarm. Niche game's last frontier…… You get the vibe?"
His words tumbled out messy, but she nodded eagerly.
"Yes yes! Totally! So, a game people might dig but no one else touches—right?"
……Huh? She got it quicker than expected. He froze, surprised she'd nailed his point.
"J-Jit-leus-nim?"
"Huh? Yeah?"
"Um, you didn't reply, so……."
She fidgeted. Like a kid who'd done something wrong. Not that he had some magic to read her expressions—it was all crystal-clear in her high-quality avatar's real-time motions.
Smarter than she seems?
"No, yeah—that's right. Try that game."
"Got it! If Jit-leus-nim recommends it, it'll work for sure. I…… really knew nothing…… Maybe I got no talent……."
She drooped, head down.
……….
She'd been so plucky during the lecture, but zero views for 100 days would break anyone. Even niche games wouldn't magically fix her play-by-play skills. Diehards needed some entertainment.
Feeling awkward, he tossed it out casually.
"RenaP."
"Eek, yes?! Y-Yes, yes!"
"Why so shocked?"
"Hehe. But Jit-leus-nim called my name for the first time…… Hehe."
Had he? Come to think, he'd been saying "you" instead of her name…… Whatever.
"Why not try singing, RenaP?"
"Huh? Singing?"
"Yeah."
One thing was certain. Her streaming talent was trash…… but her singing wasn't.
He remembered the song when he'd entered. Pretty, pleasant voice. Clear, pure tone. Natural highs. It pierced even her cheap mic—the real deal.
So lean into talent. Games later, after singing blows up.
"Singing streams could go viral easy."
"R-Really?"
She hesitated, then beamed.
"Thanks……! I feel like I can actually do this now! I'll work hard!"
Watching her brighten, his stomach twisted.
……Honestly, he didn't think one singing stream would rocket her to stardom. Good singers overflowed the world. The higher her hopes, the harder the crash.
But whatever. By then, he'd be gone.
Yeah. Last time.
After that, they traded a few more questions. She fired them off passionately, like sucking up every last drop of knowledge.
Her killer reactions even tricked him into thinking he had a knack for teaching.
But if he truly had [talent]……
Would he be dumped by the woman he loved, ending up like this?
The answer was obvious.
"Haa. Really…… thank you so much. I got so much courage. I feel confident I can do this again. Truly, thank you!"
"………."
He glanced at the clock, silent.
Time to bail. Nearly two hours chatting, and shockingly, zero new viewers the whole time. Her cute model should've pulled some aggro…… Why not?
Rumor spread already? 100 days of "total snoozefest" whispers?
Whatever.
Anyway, wrap-up time.
"Alright, I'm out."
"Huh? Leaving already?! No, um—one last question! Not trying to hold you, but……."
"What?"
"The nickname RenaP. What do you think? Cute?"
He replied offhand.
"Not bad, but what's the P for?"
"This? Means PD! Don't streamers add PD like that?"
PD? Ancient history.
"Change that part."
"To what……?"
Figure it out yourself. He swallowed it. Yeah. Hold back. Last time.
"RenaPpi? Ppi's cute."
Lazy as hell, but she grinned satisfied.
"Ppi……… Yeah! Feels cuter! Thanks!"
"Sure."
"W-Wait! And, um……!"
Her voice shrank. Probably hating to lose her first two-hour chat buddy. Understandable, but inevitable. He couldn't play hype viewer forever.
Not compensation, but……
"Hold on."
He donated every last won to her.
[Subway-Old-Man-Denture-Stealer donated 1,649,000 won!]
"Keep it up from now on lol"
"Huh? Jit-leus-nim………… Wha-wha-what………???"
Perfect. She was totally lost. No wonder—1.64 million won out of nowhere would stun anyone.
He hadn't donated for the freakout. Thrill-seeking off reactions wasn't his style.
As he'd said before, this was just his [final good deed before leaving].
"Alright, I'm off. Fighting! Prosper and become the top virtual streamer. Who knows? Your 100 days of invisible grind might pay off. I couldn't, but you can. Live well, at least you. Bye."
"W-Wait……!! Hold on! Jit-leus…… Jit-leus-nim!!!"
Ignoring her pleas, he closed the browser.
Then powered off the computer.
*
The next day, as dawn broke, he headed to the Han River.
He stood where countless lives flowed in—and washed away.
No time to waste.
Dilly-dally here and botch the plan? Worst-case scenario.
So he climbed the railing—
and leaped.
Pathetically simple, hurling his body into the rushing waters.