I'll Be the Asshole (3)

I stared blankly at the screen showing I'd been kicked, then let out a hollow chuckle.

What the hell.

Scammed? That I could understand. Even getting kicked hundreds of times—I could nod along if I had to. Just chalk it up to my question rubbing her the wrong way.

But the real question went deeper.

It's that it was bad for the stream.

Streamers had to handle viewer aggro flexibly. I hadn't even sworn; it was just a simple question about why the avatar looked like that. And the response? A kick...

Guess it hit a sore spot.

I mulled it over a bit more, came to a rough conclusion, and nodded. Yeah, if she'd been scammed too, that made sense. I'd been through it myself—the shock could ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠drive you nuts. Not that her tastes ran to weird clay blobs or anything. Cheers.

Man, it really snaps you awake, though.

It felt like hearing a famous soccer player's dad say, "You're not world-class." Sure, it was my alt account, so she wouldn't know, but still.

-Click, click.

I posted on the Gallery from my alt: a question about getting kicked by her.

For just four posts' worth of people, she was pretty infamous. In a bad way.

Well, hakko VTubers always have their reasons.

There were all sorts of reasons streamers weren't famous. Bad luck, treating it like a hobby with weird schedules, spamming collabs, no sense so they leave chats open, or going silent for an hour. The streaming world was where every imaginable screw-up happened.

People said it had improved since the old days...

Honestly, no clue.

The extreme outliers had thinned out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on the surface, but the mentally off ones seemed to multiply. And it wasn't just streamers. Sometimes when I helped with Secretary Song's manager duties on her streams, I'd wonder if these were even humans.

A newbie's hasty judgment after barely dipping in, sure.

But speculation like this is the most fun part.

The next day, I headed to the Gym for my workout.

"Aigoo, hyungnim, you're here?"

Hyun-woo was manning the counter as usual.

"Hey."

"Gonna stick to cardio again today?"

"No plans for PT. Oh yeah, got a question for you."

"Hyungnim asking me something?" Hyun-woo ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tilted his head in surprise.

"You know your little sis streams, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Know what kind?"

"Heard it's gaming... Did she do something to you, hyungnim?"

"Nah, nothing bad. Her stream's got a unique vibe. Like, pro at rapid-fire banter?"

"...Hold up, hyungnim. I get it without you saying. You watched it."

Hyun-woo sighed.

"Talking about the swearing?"

"...Yeah."

"Shouldn't have mentioned it to you. Didn't think you'd check right away."

Hyun-woo sipped coffee from a mug on the desk behind the counter.

"My sister's... well, in short, a total hikikomori."

"Suddenly? She seemed fine in the vids."

"That's 'cause I pay her to do it."

Business mode, huh.

"Bottom line, she does whatever she wants. No family money issues, so why work caring what others think?"

"...Bit rude to ask, but you're not like that, right? Never mind if you don't wanna answer."

"Dad's ex-military. Thinks not working is unforgivable. He'd drop dead. But why ask? You into my sis? I wouldn't mind if it's you, hyungnim."

I tilted my head.

"What're you on about? Why wouldn't you mind?"

"She needs to date while she's young. Hasn't left the house since girls' high."

"..."

"And you seem capable, good-looking too. Solid match?"

"Not just to sneak in PT?"

"Hard to say no."

"No time for dating."

"Then why ask about her mindset?"

"Kinda got PTSD."

"Ah... Got it. World's rough these days. I'd ask too."

Hyun-woo nodded and continued. "Anyway, think about it. She's not bad on the outside."

"Hikikomori, though. And her stream vibe? Says she does it comfy, no watching eyes."

"Looks like it, but IRL she's not. Uh... got bullied bad."

The heavy topic hit like rat poison—I whipped my head away on instinct.

"Whoa, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you hate hearing that. Fair. Anyway, she's not a bad kid. Just defense mechanisms or whatever."

"...Oh yeah, heard you got scammed on an avatar."

"Changing subjects? Fine. Reported it, but no dice. Cops said I met all demands, so what's the issue."

"Ah."

"Society's conservative on internet stuff, and it wasn't theft—just taste clash."

True. I'd met buyer specs; complaining about quality was iffy.

"Can't just buy another?"

"Dad's not big on VTubers. Allowance ain't huge. Offered to fund, but she insists on handling it."

Tough.

"Hard for you to help, hyungnim?" Hyun-woo said softly.

"I just want her honest, not mega-famous. Swearing aside, real her."

"Isn't the swearing the honest part?"

"No way. She vents daily: kicked this guy, sorry for cursing that one."

Mentally fragile type? Or concept-driven.

Comfy stream with casual curses and banter.

Some streamers get stuck forever on one viral quote or clip. Easy to remember, so they mold to it. See a no-curse streamer trying friendly banter? Vets call it lost purity.

For hakko? Even more so.

Every viewer counts.

Unless big corp-backed or aggro magnets, most start at zero. Talk to walls, make yourself compelling—in those first three minutes viewers judge.

Easy to waver.

Rat-shake. No immunity to it. Viewer words hit direct.

"What do you want me to do?"

Hyun-woo shrugged. "Dunno. Seemed like you watch streams, so asked. Got nothing."

"Just a viewer."

"Haha..."

"She wants to keep streaming?"

"Fun, chatting with viewers. Thinks she needs to fix her speech."

Hyun-woo drummed the desk idly.

"..."

Nothing from me. Stream vet or ex-streamer might suggest shifting vibes or content. But me? Under a year newbie.

"Sigh... Uh..."

"Yeah, hyungnim."

"Your sis like money?"

Evening, post-workout shower, I sat at my PC. Monitor showed Hyun-seo's stream. Clock?

[5:59 PM]

One minute till start.

Not nosy?

This plan screamed meddling. Laughable inefficiency.

But what could I do.

It's my usual asshole routine.

Looked fun. And relatable—not whiny defense, but effort.

How many minutes watching to judge? I'd see.

-Ring ring ring!!!!

6 PM. Phone alarm blared as her stream went live.

"Hi hi."

No waiting music. But viewers knew—over 10 already in.

Hakko stream's signature horny chat soup—I clutched my head.

"Chat's extra weird today. Wanna go ham? Come in."

This her concept...?

Tough.

If not for Hyun-woo's request, I'd bail. Took a breath, dropped a mission.

"Whoooaa...!"

Her clay-like avatar ballooned round.

"10 million...! But only nice words...?"

Avatar glanced aside, probably at chat.

As expected. Rat-shake move, not viewer-pleasing.

And counters with rewards climbing live. 150k already. Peanuts vs 10 mil, but solid cash. Plus 10% cancel fee—net ~1.15 mil gain. Not bad.

"Ahaha... Right? No rat-shakes! You just sent a mission, so I'll cancel..."

Swept by chat opinion, canceled. Voice shaky, dead silence, no laugh.

Viewers popped champagne for her loyalty and spine.

I'll be the asshole.

How to normalize hakko without cracking.