One Sec, Switching to R-19

The new-avatar reveal and the audition schedule announcement stream wrapped up a resounding success. Apparently my broadcast had held the number one spot all evening without budging. It drove home, once again, just how much good bait matters.

Back when Lilac revealed her new avatar, even her viewer count never came close to this.

An outrageous hook — a 150-million-won new avatar plus a 5-billion-won audition — must have reeled in that much more traffic.

And all of it is thanks to the grace of the Powerball.

Anyway. A day passed. Today I posted a stream-break notice and decided to rest up properly.

The viewers whined and begged, but there was nothing to be done. Today was that day, after all.

Oof, ouch.

The pain was familiar by now, but familiarity didn't make it welcome. That said, unlike the old days, my emotions no longer swung wildly or curdled into resentment at the world. Maybe being well-off helped with that.

I rolled around in bed for a while, then dragged myself to the computer. Was there anything worth watching? I scrolled the SOOPIZ main page up and down, savoring the drifters' life.

A VTuber with a striking pink-and-sky-blue gradient color scheme caught my eye. A pretty name and an adorable voice. I decided this would be my daytime stream of choice.

Oh, she's running an API fundraiser.

Tomorrow was the day the streamer "Dust" opened his Minecraft server. Minecraft servers almost always come equipped with an "API" system that links viewer donations directly to the server — the amount you donate translates into loot boxes you can claim in-game.

That was why Frappe's stream had a challenge mission attached. Viewers pooled money in advance so that the streamer could crack open boxes the instant she set foot on the server. Claim the pooled funds upon connecting, and you'd start the day with a mountain of API boxes.

Might as well watch for a bit.

Typing in chat would make me stand out, so I enjoyed the stream quietly. I always thought this, but there's something genuinely pleasant about watching a cute girl VTuber dance. And today of all days, I found myself missing my long-lost little friend.

I was happily spectating when—

"Huh?"

Out of nowhere, someone had gifted me a one-month subscription to Frappe's stream.

"Ah, for the love of—"

A curse burst out of me on the spot.

A gifted subscription displays the recipient's nickname for everyone to see. Even streamers ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠who usually lurk in silence get dragged into the light by that one notification — nowhere left to hide.

This system had been twisted by lowlifes into an ugly little culture known as "busting" (geom-geo): using a browser extension to check whether a famous streamer was lurking in a smaller channel, then deliberately gifting them a subscription to out them.

Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to get caught. My name was already plastered all over the chat.

Word traveled fast — drifters came flooding into Frappe's stream from who knows where.

The streamer, blindsided by the sudden chaos, panicked.

I let out a long, deep sigh.

"Haah…"

It was that day, my mood was already in the gutter, and this just piled on. Lesson learned: log out before I watch anything next time.

Setting that aside, an apology was in order. Cleaning up after thoughtless fans is, as always, the streamer's burden to carry.

I slammed down a cool one million won as apology money.

Frappe, mid-fluster, froze solid at the donation message.

Having dispatched the lowlife rabble, I moved on to the main point.

One last word to close it out.

A triumphant ten million won, hurled in total. That should be enough to keep a controversy line off my Tree Wiki page.

Frappe's eyes spun in circles, then snapped to a stop. She had clearly pieced together exactly what had just happened. Then, all at once, she dropped to her knees and bowed toward the camera.

Watching Frappe overflow with joy, a rush of electric satisfaction shot through me. …So this is how the rich become whales in the streaming world, huh? This feels incredible.

My foot, already headed for the exit, stopped. I lingered to watch a little longer. Frappe's regular viewers were chatting up a storm.

I'd been worried I'd soured the atmosphere, but seeing them enjoying themselves set me at ease. Though — what exactly was "that thing"?

Frappe flipped her broadcast to 18+ without missing a beat.

And then Frappe unveiled her ten-million-won donation reaction.

"…Whoa."

My long-lost little friend very nearly came back to life.

For a long while afterward, the SOOPIZ Virtual Gallery was wallpapered with nothing but Lu-e and Frappe. The people who had witnessed Frappe's legendary ten-million-won reaction teased the ones who hadn't, and the hype only deepened. Before long, the frenzy had spread beyond a single gallery to communities far and wide.

The next day, Frappe switched on her stream to find herself facing a tidal wave of drifters.

"…Excuse me, why is my viewer count—?"

Frappe, who had been staring blankly, finally grasped what was going on. Apparently yesterday's little reaction had spread by word of mouth and summoned all these drifters to her door.

"…So you've all come because you're curious about that reaction, I see."

A slightly embarrassed, faintly flushed voice. Frappe cleared her throat with a prim little cough.

"That reaction can only be seen if ten million won is donated to this stream. If you want to see it — go ahead and drop ten million won!"

She couldn't very well abandon the broadcast just because drifters had flooded in. In the internet streaming industry, a no-show is legally a crime.

Frappe connected to the Mimecraft streamer server as originally planned, then opened the donation fund Lu-e had filled with ten million won.

With a dazzling burst of effects, an enormous pile of API boxes materialized in her in-game mailbox. A haul far too grand for a small-time VTuber.

"Well then — shall we do a little box opening?"

Frappe threw herself into cracking open the boxes, one after another.

"Oh!"

Among them was even an invitation to the streamer server.