Chapter 174: The Dream of a Solo Ad
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 174: The Dream of a Solo Ad
[Ah~ Hello, everyone~]
[Luhai! Luhai luhai!]
[Luhai~]
[Luka-tan cuteee]
This wasn't the first time Luka had done a sponsored stream.
The important thing, however, was that this was her first time doing one all by herself.
Though she was a skilled host, the pressure must have gotten to her, because Luka’s voice started cracking right from the beginning.
[Yes~ everyone~ the game we’ll be playing today is~ Wow! Everything is automatic? You level up automatically just by being idle?]
It was an idle RPG gacha game, the kind most viewers were familiar with.
It didn't seem to have any particularly unique or special features, but I could see Luka trying her best to explain everything.
[Now! Doesn’t this look so~ much~ fun, everyone?]
[yep yep]
[Wooooow it looks so fun!]
[Luka-nim! Am I doing this right?]
She nodded, signaling that they were.
Unable to just watch, I joined the crowd and typed in the chat that the game looked incredibly fun.
[Alright, let’s get to the best part of any gacha game! I’m going to do a pull!]
The gacha was a feature I rarely touched because of the financial burden, but I always found it fun to watch.
I wasn't the one pulling, but it was like watching someone next to you play the lottery.
It was a brilliant, life-condensing piece of content that could evoke the entire spectrum of human emotion in just a few short moments.
[Okay, I’ll start with a 10-pull! Here I goooo! Hah!]
With a brilliant golden effect, the overturned cards began to reveal themselves one by one.
[C, C, B, A, SS, C, B, B, C, A]
Considering SSS was the highest tier, that was a pretty good pull.
There were plenty of times when you wouldn't even get a single SS-rank.
[Is this a good pull?]
When the viewers replied that it was good, or at least decent, Luka nodded, looking pleased.
[Then should I focus on raising this SS-rank character? What if I don’t get anything good after this?]
[Her avatar is super pretty, too. Ah... but I kind of wanted to pull the blonde-haired character on the title screen.]
It seemed like a safe choice.
It felt like if she just poured all her resources into that one character, she’d be able to clear most of the content.
But then.
[Huh? Everyone? What’s happening?]
The animation was different from before.
The Pink Army, knowing exactly what this implied, immediately started chanting the word.
[Rigged]
[Staged]
[Rigged]
[Rigged]
[Staged]
[Huh? Why? What?]
Luka, who claimed not to understand, finally grasped the meaning after she started flipping the cards.
[Woooooow!]
Her voice, already high for the stream, shot up to an unbelievable pitch.
[Wow! Everyone, I got an SSS! This is super good, right? It’s the strongest one!]
[Holy shit~ Wow! Isn’t this a god-tier game, everyone? For real?]
But the chat was filled with more accusations than cheers.
[This is so fucking staged...]
[fr this makes no sense unless it’s rigged lol]
[Got paid lol]
Doah quickly tried to explain herself, as if to clear her name.
[No! I mean, I did get... paid for the ad, but I really pulled this one myself! This part isn’t rigged!]
[You all saw me create a new account!]
[No. I’m telling you it’s not!]
People who mock the success of others exist everywhere.
It was an unavoidable fate, even on a stream hosted by a member of the world-class supergroup, CLOSER.
[Ah! I’m telling you it’s reaaal!]
Even when she tried to move on, too many people were spamming that it was rigged, throwing harsh words at her.
It seemed like the moderators were banning people in real-time, but the chat showed no signs of dying down.
Even from my perspective, the toxicity in the chat was enough to make me frown.
The smile on Luka’s pink-haired avatar vanished.
[Everyone... I really just got lucky and pulled it...]
[I was just trying to have fun, why are you all saying such mean things...]
[It’s not like I hurt anyone...]
Hey... Doah...
Are you... crying?
Hearing what sounded like a choked-up voice, the hardcore members of the Pink Army who had been watching quietly decided they couldn't take it anymore and brought out their bats.
[Ah! Just get lost! She said it’s not rigged!]
[Can’t you just shut up and watch?]
[Let her run the stream! Ah, seriously;;; what are you doing;;;]
[Why are you making Luka cry, you assholes!]
While I was busy typing in the chat along with them, I was more worried about Doah.
She had prepared so diligently before starting, calling it her first solo ad.
Remembering her muttering the game’s introduction script next to me, I felt my heart sink and started fiddling with my phone.
Ah... I have a feeling she’s not doing well.
[Ah. I’ll just... continue...? Everyone! Stop! Stop!]
If this had been a regular stream, I felt like she would have just rage-quit and turned it off, but Luka, driven by a sense of duty, was determined to see it through to the end.
Gritting her teeth and pretending not to see the flood of malicious accusations, Luka somehow managed to clear the stages and even succeeded in defeating the mid-boss.
[Haha! Everyone~ Did you enjoy that? It’s a super fun game, so! Make sure you all go to the store, install the app, and enjoy the adventure~ Bye-bye~]
And with that, the stream ended immediately.
...No Part 2?
There was supposed to be a Part 2. It was only 10 PM; there was no way the stream would end now.
She had even said at the beginning of the stream that Part 1 would be the ad, and Part 2 would be for chatting or playing another game.
Everyone thought it was a prank, but Luka never came back.
Feeling anxious, I called her, only to be met with the sound of my girlfriend’s crying.
[Hwaaaaaah, Oppaaaaa.]
I immediately threw on my slippers and sprinted toward Doah's studio.
“Hah... hah...”
How many men would just stand by after hearing their girlfriend cry?
I took the stairs three at a time and, panting for breath, knocked on the studio door.
When the door finally opened, Doah threw herself into my arms before I could even ask a question.
“Uwaaaaaah, Oppaaa...”
“Ah. It’s okay, Doah. Huh? It’s really okay.”
After taking off my shoes, I led her to the sofa and gently patted her back.
Doah sniffled, swallowing her tears.
I wondered if it was something to be this upset about, but comforting her came first.
“Did you cancel Part 2 because you were too upset?”
-Nod, nod-
Wiping her tears with her sleeve, the first thing she said to me was...
“...Did I. Did I do something that wrong?”
“...Huh?”
“I mean, did I really do something that bad...? You can get a good gacha pull sometimes... Hiiiing....”
I knew I should be comforting her as she cried so sorrowfully, but why?
Why was this so cute?
Seeing her like this.
Doah, crying with her delicate shoulders shaking, looked so small it was like watching a doll cry.
“Of course not~ You know they were just hating on you. You’ve been streaming for a while now, what’s with you.”
“But... today was my first solo ad... What if the sponsor gets mad at me...”
If this had been broadcast live, it would have become a legendary clip.
I’m sure the sponsor didn't intend for this, but I could just imagine a clip of this moment going viral across the internet.
“The company will understand. And this is a good chance to clean out the toxic viewers, so the chat will be cleaner.”
“Oppa... did you... sob... think I rigged it, too?”
Honestly, it was pretty unbelievable.
But since it’s you, I’ll let it slide.
“No, of course not. It can happen. Why?”
“Right? I know... Uwaaaaaah. Then why are they yelling at me...”
Just then, as if on cue, Doah’s phone rang.
Seeing it was her manager, Doah’s face went pale, and she brought a finger to my lips.
“Be quiet... okay...”
“Hello?”
“Ah. Yes.”
“It’s nothing... I’m okay... Ahaha.”
“But for Part 2, I think today might be a little... Yes...”
“Ah. I was just worried the... sponsor might be upset.”
“Yes, yes. Okay.”
“Ah. That’s a relief. Thank you, Unnie.”
I couldn't hear what was being said, but it seemed like things were smoothed over.
“Is the company okay with it?”
Instead of answering, she nodded once more and beckoned me over with her hand.
Assuming she wanted a hug, I opened my arms, only for my eyes to go wide at the sudden pain in my side.
“Hey. Hey. Why are you hitting me?”
“...Oppa, you’re the representative of the Pink Army today.”
“Hey. I was quiet! I didn’t even doubt you.”
“I know, but just be the Pink Army’s class president for today.”
Doah swung her tiny fists wildly.
“Bad! Bad! Bad! Bad!”
Still, I could feel her anger subsiding in real-time, so with the heart of someone watching over a child, I let her do as she pleased.
Her stamina wasn't the best, so she quickly tired herself out and stopped.
“Feel a little better now?”
“...I don’t know.”
“Still, wouldn’t you say I’m an SSS-tier boyfriend?”
Seeing that her mood had improved, I tried to joke around, and she poked me in the cheek.
“Oppa, you’re kind of like that.”
“Like what?”
“Hmm... a character that’s SSS-tier and eats up a ton of resources, but you can only use them in very specific situations?”
...That’s a roundabout way of calling me a trash character, isn’t it?
Since I had already decided to let things slide, I resolved not to argue with her for the rest of the day.