Picking Up the Pace
Harang's lyrical intro piano melody echoes out.
Saebyeok's mixed voice, effortlessly transitioning into a falsetto, tickles the ears.
The tempo gradually quickens.
The viewers unconsciously surrender their bodies to the rhythm, shouting along to "Don't stop me now."
Starting with the drum's hi-hat, the bass kicks in, and Saebyeok's guitar joyfully follows suit.
As if by design, Harang and Saebyeok repeatedly hit the same notes to pump up the crowd, and the completely captivated viewers set the chat on fire.
The guitar solo bursts through the drums. Adrenaline surges as the viewers join in on the chorus.
"Kyaaaah! This is crazy! I love it so much!"
Choi Seola sprang up from her seat and screamed like mad, and the staff gathered at Just Code were not much different.
Somewhere far away in the UK, Ally, who had requested the song on a whim, was also grooving to the rhythm and shouting at the top of her lungs.
"Don't stop! Don't stop! Yes! I knew it! You're a ready-made star!"
After a storm of music passes, Saebyeok's deeply appealing voice seeps into the fading piano notes.
"Wow... thank you for the donations. The Moon Units' firepower is no joke."
Harang also stood up in a daze and bowed.
"Sunflowers, Moon Units, please give a big round of applause to Harang-nim for her amazing performance."
"Aw! Thank you. Sunflowers, you know I always love you, right? Moon Units, and Saebyeok-nim, thank you so much too!"
"...*Grind.*"
"Wow! Thank you, Ally!"
"Thank you, Ally. It was a great song request."
"Whew... it's been a while since I've felt this exhausted after just two songs. Girls, look at how much I'm sweating."
"W-what do you mean! I didn't squeeze anything! They're perfectly fine as they are!"
Even in this reversed world, Harang seemed to have some pride in her chest as she leaned toward the camera, emphasizing her cleavage.
"Ahaha... It's fine."
"O-oh my! Saebyeok-nim, I really didn't do that on purpose. I was just, well..."
She seemed genuinely flustered.
Isn't it actually a reward, though?
Is it really something to get reported over?
While he was whispering with Choi Seola, the chat room had also descended into chaos.
It was a melting pot of confusion as Harang's Sunflowers defended her while the Moon Units, unable to hide their displeasure, argued back.
*In times like this, a song is the only answer!*
"Ahem, everyone. Harang-nim?"
"Yes, yes, Saebyeok-nim!"
Seeing her face flushed red as she tightly clutched the hem of her skirt made him feel a bit sorry for her.
Thinking about it from the perspective of this world, he realized it was indeed something that quite a few men might find offensive.
*I need to change the mood quickly.*
"Shall we sing another song?"
"Ah..."
"I don't usually sing songs like this, but I think this one would fit the mood perfectly right now. Harang-nim, is George Benson's 'Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You' possible?"
"Of course! Leave it to me."
*Her face is so stiff... well, it's a very simple melody, so she should be fine, right?*
"Dedicated to the viewers. Hit the accompaniment!"
After a brief deep breath, Saebyeok's charming voice blends into the gentle piano intro.
The briefly turbulent atmosphere quickly dissolved, soaking into Saebyeok's heart-melting voice.
"Thank you. We only exist because of all of you."
At that moment, the viewer count for Harang and Saebyeok's joint broadcast surpassed 10,000.
In many ways, it was a broadcast that left a legendary impact.
"Good work today. Whew, you really saved me back there."
"Unni, you seriously need to do a sliding bow to Saebyeok-nim. I was terrified."
Saebyeok smiled awkwardly.
Looking at the situation, he realized it was roughly equivalent to a guy showing off his bulge to a woman in his original world.
*Whew... she could have easily gotten slapped or sued.*
Since men were a minority here, they seemed to be much stricter about these things.
*But is it fine for women to walk around practically naked?*
*Aren't men supposed to not feel sexually harassed...?*
*It's still hard to understand.*
"You managers worked hard too. With so many viewers flooding in, monitoring everything couldn't have been easy."
"Oh my! Saebyeok-nim is so sweet. Unni? Try to be even half as nice as Saebyeok-nim."
"Ayyy... don't be so mean. I was really scared out of my wits today."
Harang apologized repeatedly, and Saebyeok was busy telling her it was fine.
"Alright, both of you stop. I'll go over the settlement logs with Smoothie-nim. Today's donations were legendary, so even a fifty-fifty split will be huge!"
"I'll leave it in your capable hands."
*Managers really do a lot. Shouldn't I be paying them a salary?*
Since Harang was a veteran, he decided to ask her.
"Harang-nim, excuse me, but could I ask you a few questions about streaming?"
"Ah, right. You're so good at streaming that I forgot it's only your third day. Are you really a rookie?"
"Ahaha... Well, yes."
*A rookie is a rookie. Only, just to internet streaming.*
"If you keep going like this, reaching the upper-middle tier is practically guaranteed. What are you curious about?"
"Well... even though I offer to pay my managers and staff, they keep refusing. How do you run things, Harang-nim?"
"Ah... that's actually quite common. Most of them volunteer out of pure fandom, so they strongly decline. But in my personal opinion, it's better to give them proper compensation. That way, it stays healthy and lasts long... Um, I can't name names, but quite a few streamers have been ruined because of issues like that."
"I really should persuade them, then."
"Yes. In a way, they're the closest people to you. You end up sharing secrets with them, whether you mean to or not... Just as a friendly piece of advice, I highly recommend meeting them in person at least once. It's hard to judge someone solely online, after all."
That was certainly true.
Scandals triggered by internal leaks in the entertainment industry were a dime a dozen.
*There are no issues right now, but... I should still meet them and at least treat them to a meal.*
"Um... Saebyeok-nim, can I ask you something too?"
"Sure, go ahead."
"Do you plan to do a facecam stream someday? No matter how I look at it, your singing and hosting skills are extraordinary, so I wondered if you were doing this on purpose as a concept. Is this question too rude?"
"Well, yes... someday?"
"Then! When you finally reveal your face, how about doing a joint broadcast with me?"
*Is this why she's a top-tier streamer?* Even after apologizing with a flushed face, she was quick to seize a sharp content angle.
Yet, somehow, he couldn't bring himself to dislike her.
"Sure. Let's do that sometime."