The Second Stream

It was 6 p.m. — the hour when most people's workdays were starting to wind down. I planned to stream for seven hours straight, from now until one in the morning.

If you already had a big channel or a loyal fanbase, you could go live whenever you felt like it, take days off, and still stay popular. Hell, that kind of unpredictability might even become part of your charm.

None of that applied to someone who'd only streamed once.

Showing up at a set time and streaming for a set duration. That was the first commandment of a minor stream.

So I went live. Viewer count: zero, of course. Wait — one. No, three.

A smile crept onto my face. Having people hop in the second you go live, even on a tiny channel like this — that was a genuine joy.

I waited a bit, and the numbers ticked up, little by little.

"Geumha. Starting the second stream."

"Where exactly do I look like a delinquent? How did that misunderstanding even start..."

The stream tag was "talk" — the one used for radio-style broadcasts where you just chat with viewers. People also called it Just Chatting, or "just chat" for short.

I'd noticed it during the first stream too: my viewers were surprisingly dedicated about typing. And since jumping straight into a game the second I went live didn't sit right with me, I figured I'd try a radio segment for a little while myself.

"Heh heh heh. We'll get to the game a little later. I've got something else planned."

Today's content: cooking. Nothing fancy — just a simple fried rice.

But cooking wasn't the point today.

Image.

A straight-up delinquent persona would only backfire thanks to my already terrifying face. If this were an actual school thug's stream, I wouldn't watch it either.

I wanted viewers to see me not as a plain delinquent, but as someone who looked like one and still had a gentle side. A character like the delinquent who's only kind to you was always going to have demand — and that was even depicted in the Goguryeo tomb mural, Subakdo.

There was not a single flaw in my grand design!

Anyway, I passed the time chatting with viewers, and I could already tell today's influx was different from the first stream.

Fifty minutes in, and I had thirty-three viewers. What?

"Huh. Why so many people today? Did something happen?"

Was the stream tag the problem? If I was going to weaponize my face, a radio stream might have been a better fit than gaming.

"Still, dropping games entirely ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠feels like a stretch."

When that viewer said male cam streamer, they didn't mean a guy who just turned on a webcam. They meant the kind of stream that sold itself on looks. These days, with VTubers everywhere, that distinction was fading out anyway.

Distinction aside, it just wasn't my style. No deep reason — it was a matter of taste. Forcing yourself into clothes that don't fit never ends well. That's just reality.

?

Actually, that whole "reality" thing was nonsense. Personality, taste — couldn't you just work on those? Ten thousand won an hour? Was this the power of male cam streaming?

...I'm kidding.

Chat that filthy was rare even on other streams. Not because streamers banned it — people just didn't usually throw around sexual harassment like that.

Either way, what mattered to me was that a 10,000-won donation had just come in. Hearing stuff like that didn't even register; I wasn't from this world. Isn't that just a compliment?

"Ohh. Ten thousand won."

"...Should we try a little male cam streaming?"

"Go ahead. Keep it within reason."

"'Whore' is too far. That's a no, pal."

"Heh heh... anyway. Time for the 10,000-won reaction."

I'd planned the donation reaction in advance.

The so-called Grand Bow. It took a lot of strength to pull off from a standing start on the floor, but Geum Taeyang's muscles made it look easy.

I shoved the chair back and adjusted the cam. I planted both hands on the floor and lifted my body. I'd already practiced it several times today, so the Grand Bow came out in perfect form.

I shouted the thank-you and slowly lowered myself down. The whole sequence had been a flawless reaction, not a single wobble. I was sure of it.

I dragged the chair back, sat down, and looked at chat.

"That was insanely perfect, right...? Wait."

"What... what is it?! Why are you guys like this again! Always saying stuff I don't get!"

"...Clothes?"

What were they talking about?

I slowly replayed what had just happened.

I was trying to think, and these people wouldn't shut up.

Anyway — why were they reacting like this? The form had definitely been perfect... ah.

"Wait... did my shirt ride up?"

I'd forgotten this was the Gender-Reversed World.

Thinking about the Grand Bow pose — it was the perfect position for a shirt to slide down. My back had probably been on full display.

How bad was that level of exposure, exactly? The Reverse Filter wasn't kicking in. Don't tell me I'd get suspended over just that?

Getting banned while you were just starting to grow was a serious blow. You had to lock in viewers the moment they gathered.

A cold sweat broke out.

"Shit... I won't get banned, right?"

I watched the situation unfold without saying a word for a full minute.

Whether it was because I had so few viewers, or because the exposure just wasn't that serious, it looked like I wasn't getting banned.

I felt like I'd aged ten years. The tension drained out of my body.

"Haa... fuck. Bathroom. Just a sec..."

I'd only been live for an hour, but honestly, this was harder than the several hours I'd streamed on day one.

According to the plan, I was supposed to do a cooking stream...

I felt like those few minutes had sucked every last drop of energy out of me.

I filled the sink and dunked my face in the water. My head started to clear, little by little.

The reaction... maybe I needed to find a new one.

For now, back to the stream.

"Alright. Today we're going to cook."

"I was planning a cooking stream from the start. You guys just had to throw around weird sexual harassment and kill the vibe."

"You're fucking banned. I told you not to do the man-whore bit."

Even if I wanted a freewheeling atmosphere, there had to be a line. You had to cut people who crossed it, or the stream couldn't grow in a healthy direction. Besides, that kind of chat was only fun in moderation. Too much of it and more people would bounce than stay.

I dropped the second ban in the stream's history and checked the numbers: fifty viewers. The growth rate was starting to feel unnatural.

I had to keep rowing, and fast.

I'd prepped a cooking stream for more than just image rehab. I'd dug through the Gender-Reversed World's internet and analyzed what women here were into, and this seemed to land surprisingly well.

An apron.

I brought it up to the camera.

"Time to show you a domestic Geum Taeyang."

I put it on and tied the strings. Nothing over-the-top, but the silhouette of hard muscle still showed through. The straps over my shoulders made them look even broader, and this superior male body had the lust-drunk females in the palm of its hand.

The apron — symbol of a homey atmosphere — fused with Geum Taeyang, the homewrecker himself. Those always-fierce eyes curved softly as he smiled.

"Heh heh... well? Pretty easy on the eyes, right?"

I swung the webcam around to show the kitchen.

"Nothing fancy. Just gonna make some egg fried rice."

If I had to name the thing I'd eaten most while living on my own, it would be egg fried rice, no contest. When it came to making it, I was confident I could match any housewife.

I cooked the way I always did, naturally. A calculated play to show off some gap moe.

One look at chat told me the design was working. Nothing but praise. Most of them were calling me hubby, or saying the cooking was sexy.

The cooking segment didn't last long. With that much practice under my belt, the food was done in no time. I plated it, came back to my seat, and sat down.

I scooped up a spoonful and brought it toward the cam. I said "ahh" like I was about to feed someone, then popped it into my own mouth.

"Heh heh. You lot can feed yourselves."

"Isn't it even better because I'm Geum Taeyang?"

I'd played coy long enough. Whatever I did, I never overdid it. Time to switch back to no-sweet Geum Taeyang.

I shoveled a huge scoop into my mouth. I was starving too.

"Ah, this is seriously fucking good. Insane."

"What's so great about pecking at your food like a bunch of cowards. It tastes better when you just shovel it in."

I was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠still eating when a video donation came in.

"Aigoo!! Thank you, DoThisReactionForMeToo, for the 10,000-won donation!! Wait — you guys were calling that sexy and whatever because of this...?"

"Let me finish chewing this and I'll do it."

Not even two hours in and I'd already made 20,000 won! Better hourly than most part-time jobs! As for the Grand Bow — I just had to be a little more careful! Once the stream got big, I wouldn't be able to do a reaction like that even if I wanted to.

Pulling in 20,000 won from streaming alone already had my mood soaring. I felt ridiculous for panicking about a ban over flashing my back once.

This time I tucked my shirt firmly into my pants and executed the Grand Bow.

Chat sounded disappointed, but I could tell they were mostly teasing.

I kept the stream going. I'd rolled out every reaction and the cooking content I'd prepared, and the vibe was pretty good besides. I ate and laughed and talked with the viewers.

Current viewers: fifty-nine. By any measure, this was isekai cheat-code levels of growth.

Was it because I was full? Or was I just actually enjoying the stream?

Energy to run the remaining five hours welled up in me.

The second stream... was a lot of fun.