It's Really Fucked...
A few minutes before the galleries related to the newly joined team members were completely filled with posts blaming Yeonggun. In other words, back when Mazia's recruitment to the team hadn't been finalized yet. Yeonggun, who had been watching the auction broadcast, felt pretty much the same way.
“We're fucked. What the hell do I do?”
In fact, Yeonggun had faced a similar crisis during last year's tournament. The only difference was that Serena hadn't been one of the available players back then, so his head hadn't been completely smashed in. He had barely escaped getting caught up in the bluffing war. The opposing team's roster, which had been trying to snipe bids, ended up in complete chaos instead…
But this time Serena was in the pool, so Yeonggun couldn't hold back. After all, fanboying wasn't something you could control.
“I know, right… It's pretty much confirmed that our dear Mazia will be joining as a 3-tier, yeah?”
Just as expected, the results came in exactly as predicted.
[Yes, with this outcome, 3-tier Mazia will naturally be joining Yeonggun's team.]
The moment they heard Yeonggun's deep sigh, the viewers started teasing him mercilessly.
“Ah… I really feel bad for Serena. I got too heated during the bidding.”
“No, that's not it! I really wanted to get her because I like her. Huh? I wanted to help her win at least once. This fucking— Aaaargh!!”
No amount of hair-pulling or emotional outbursts changed anything. The team roster was finalized with five members: Kamik (Duelist), Serena (Strategist), Mazia (Duelist), Bajubi (Infiltrator), and Keugaemang (Defender). The fact that none of their roles overlapped was probably the only stroke of luck they had.
“…Oh, really?”
“Sorry. I don't really know what she does. I thought she was just a regular VTuber. The clip she submitted was exactly average for 3-tier. Actually, it was below average.”
“Hold on. Now that you guys mention it, I should probably look her up.”
As Yeonggun searched for Mazia, what did he find but an entire Tree Wiki page. She was that famous? She was even a Master (True) in Battle Colosseum and had a record of beating MoovGun in a kill bet.
“Wait. Why is someone like this in 3-tier? According to what you guys are saying, she should be at least 2-tier, right?”
The fact that the person who became a coach hadn't even bothered to look up the profiles of the twenty players was now exposed. Criticism poured in, as expected.
“Guys. I wanted to pick only surefire choices this time. If you want to win, that's how you're supposed to do it, right?”
Yeonggun crept over to the wall and flipped upside down. A moment later, he performed the bizarre act of doing a handstand on his head instead of his hands and spoke. His face burned bright red with veins popping out.
“I'm sorry. But that was ultimately because I wanted to win with Serena. I'm sorry.”
While Yeonggun was getting roasted, Mazia was called up for her interview.
[Alright then, let's have a quick interview with Mazia, our final addition to the roster.]
[Hello.]
The moment he heard that gentle yet slightly exhausted voice, Yeonggun's eyes snapped wide open.
[So Mazia, this is your first time participating in this tournament. How are you feeling right now?]
Even though it was an official auction broadcast, she casually dropped a curse word.
[I think it's just fucked.]
[Kyahahahahaha! NG, NG, hold on, hold on!]
[Uhahaha! You mean 'it's cooked,' or 'it's done for,' right? We'll go with that. Hehehe.]
Some might call it cute, but Yeonggun, a certified female voice connoisseur, could tell. That was the tone of a corporate slave who had just survived another brutal day at the office. And if that office worker's voice wrapped around your ears so perfectly?
Naturally, he stopped his punishment handstand and sat back down in his chair. The viewers sighed the moment they saw his bright red face shoved right up against the camera.
“No, Oshi-hen is for bastards. I wouldn't do that. I just think her voice is nice! More importantly, you guys. You fucking idiots. If someone like her existed, you should have told me sooner!”
While Yeonggun argued with his viewers, Mazia continued speaking during the interview.
[If it were a different game, I would have confidently said I'd carry. It's a shame that it's Combative so I can't say that. Still, I'll do my best.]
The following round of applause came from Yeonggun. Whether the viewers found it ridiculous or not, he seemed to have already made up his mind.
“Our team… might not be that bad? With Serena and Mazia. Just thinking about being able to hear the voices of two beautiful women makes me happy all of a sudden? Plus Mazia has the potential to be 2-tier. It's fine. We can do this.”
* At the same time, in the team chat room where Mazia had joined after finishing her interview. The atmosphere was, naturally, like a funeral home. This was the time when they should be discussing how to move forward or hyping each other up with fighting spirit. In reality, almost no one was talking except for Keugaemang.
[Oh, Jia's here!]
“Hello, Uncle. Nice to see you again.”
[Wow. I'm feeling pretty confident? Our Serena is amazing, Kamik has great aim, and now we even have my niece? This is a championship team~!]
Someone like Keugaemang wouldn't speak without reading the room. In other words, his constant chatter was an effort to somehow salvage the dying atmosphere.
[No, it's not…]
[I'll work hard.]
[……………….]
However, Serena was too burdened to speak properly. Kamik was as colorless and odorless as he had been since the I'm a Wolf collab. Bajubi was a bottom-tier streamer who usually played to around fifty viewers, so she couldn't even join the conversation.
In the end, the only person who could step up without reading the room in this atmosphere was Mazia. If the broadcasters were too busy worrying about social cues, then the ordinary person—Mazia—had to take the lead. There was a brief moment of hesitation about whether it was okay for her to step up among streamers, but she was worried that this gloomy atmosphere might spread to Parallel itself.
“Uncle. Did you see my interview?”
[Huh? I did.]
“We're screwed.”
[Wasn't that just a bit?]
“No. We're actually screwed. I'm not joking.”
The root cause was Yeonggun, who had put the team together like this. But there was no turning back now, so all they could do was give it their best. Even then, the team needed good synergy and the members needed to get along. In a situation where everyone was doing their own thing, problems that should be solved wouldn't get solved.
Fortunately, as Keugaemang played along with Mazia's joke, the mood gradually brightened.
[Kyahahaha! Well, nothing we can do about it. Guess we'll have to become comedians. What else can we do?]
“As expected of Uncle, I knew you'd say that. But becoming a comedian right away is a bit much. We should at least do what we can in scrims.”
[Right, right. That's true! But you keep calling me Uncle so politely? I thought after that day you'd be too embarrassed to keep doing it.]
“I wasn't particularly embarrassed that day either.”
[Ehey. Not according to my memory. Mazia, you were a total ripe persimmon that day. A ripe persimmon.]
“Ah, don't force the joke.”
As the two of them chatted, Serena naturally joined in. She didn't have much connection with Keugaemang, but they shared the common denominator of a blushing Mazia.
[Jia… During the year-end party, you were a ripe persimmon the whole time you were with us. People kept recognizing you and asking for your business card…]
“Ah, even Serena is starting now. Did you enjoy locking me up and beating me?”
[I-I didn't beat you. I was protecting you…? Maru said we had to protect you or you'd get harassed a lot.]
“Aigoo. Those same people got excited when others showed up and introduced me instead. Aigoo, aigoo.”
Kamik couldn't stay out of this flow either. Ever since the I'm a Wolf collab, he had wanted to become broadcast friends with Mazia. However, his real-life shy personality clashed with the madness he showed on stream, holding him back. He had the chance to greet her at the year-end party through Roofkr, but all he managed was one very short greeting.
But now they were on the same team. Whether he liked it or not, they would be together until at least next week's league matches, and if things went well, even the playoffs the week after. If he didn't seize this opportunity, he would be an idiot—just like Roofkr had said, “It's not like you're confessing, why are you so nervous?”
Kamik carefully joined the conversation. Naturally, the topic was related to Mazia's embarrassment.
[Jia, you didn't blush at all when you were with us at the year-end party.]
“The Mad Dog Crew all felt like friends and it was comfortable.”
[Friends? Jia, aren't you a teenager?]
“How would a teenager work at a company… Wait, is that the wrong thing to say? Anyway. What's wrong with me working at a company? No. And I revealed my age during self-introductions back then, so if you're bringing it up now… We're the same age.”
[Joke. It was a joke.]
Serena, who had been bid on for an expensive amount of points, was under the most pressure. Kamik, as the 1-tier who had to carry the team alongside her, didn't feel comfortable either. But as the conversation naturally continued with Mazia at the center, even he started to think differently.
'With this team… we might actually have a chance?'
A tournament was ultimately about team synergy. Even teams whose individual skills had been deemed hopeless, or teams that had been crushed in scrims, would sometimes soar in actual matches if their synergy was good. There was no rule saying Yeonggun's team couldn't do the same.
Of course, there was Bajubi, the tiny shrimp caught between giant corporations who would get squished. It was better not to touch her. After all, since Mazia herself was originally supposed to be in Bajubi's position, she understood better than anyone how a bottom-tier streamer like Bajubi must be feeling. Her heart was probably about to burst. She was probably praying no one would talk to her.
It was probably similar to how Mazia had felt when Do-hee had challenged her to a mukbang competition. Anyway, in this somewhat warm and friendly atmosphere—
Ding.
The bastard who had driven the team into this state—no, the coach Yeonggun—finally appeared.
[Hello everyone! Coach Yeonggun has come to greet his team members with great enthusiasm!!]
The response was so cold it froze solid, like a winter military base north of Cheorwon. Surprisingly, Bajubi, who had been watching the mood the entire time, casually tossed out a single line.
[Coach. Thanks to you, I met some wonderful teammates. Thank you.]
If the team atmosphere had been good from the start, those words might have been seen as a symbol of warmth… But considering Bajubi's own stream and what all the current viewers were thinking?
Wow, after making the team this bad, that bottom-tier who had been watching the mood the whole time is now throwing subtle shade.
It couldn't be helped. Sure enough, countless arrows of malice soon flew into team leader Yeonggun's broadcast chat. It was a battlefield. The defending side consisted solely of Yeonggun.
Just looking at the chat that was hot enough to burn your hand, it was clear. Even if they laughed it off now, once the actual tournament started, people would definitely talk. They would say the players couldn't even try properly because of that damn coach. So to prevent an explosion later, they had to create a scene where he got stepped on by the players right now. Even if he later acknowledged his responsibility and apologized, for the sake of protecting the players, they had to pass it off cheerfully for now.
[Hahaha. Still, we have three beautiful women with lovely voices on the team, so I'm feeling motivated. Right? Keugaemang, Kamik.]
That was why Yeonggun deliberately acted even more shameless. The reason he called out Keugaemang and Kamik was because the two of them had the largest builds. It was like asking them to step on him properly.
[Aigoo, yes. It does give me energy, but thanks to Coach Yeonggun, it looks like we'll be marching through hardship. Hahaha!]
[Indeed. Just as Keugaemang said. Thank you soooo much.]
However, even when Keugaemang tried to twist his words, his kind personality remained, and Kamik was the shy guy as previously mentioned. Their “stepping” amounted to nothing more than placing their feet on the crouched Yeonggun who was waiting to be stepped on. Serena was too kind-hearted to say anything harsh even at a time like this.
In the end, the only one who could step up again was Mazia. It would be troublesome if the filth produced by the ruined team flowed back into Parallel. Above all, no one was as used to playing the villain as Mazia. These days she was the notorious villain symbolizing the signal flare for Momo, but when she first appeared on Momo's stream, the backlash had been intense.
Mazia cleared her throat to gather everyone's attention and spoke coldly.
“Coach.”
[Ah yes, Jia! Nice to meet you!]
“You can laugh right now? Get down and stretch.”
Yeonggun immediately dropped to the floor. Not satisfied with just lying down, he started doing push-ups.
[Krrgh. Physical training commencing!! One for Mazia! Two for absolute obedience! One! For Mazia—.]
But it still wasn't enough. To flip the atmosphere, she had to keep roasting him until the viewers felt uncomfortable.
“Why are you obeying me? Is that what's important right now? Repeat after me. One for Serena. Two, I'm sorry.”
[I'm sorry!! Serena!!]
“Your voice is too quiet.”
[I'M SORRY!!! SEREEENA!!!]
“Louder.”
[KRRGH!!]
Receiving the punishment willingly and being forgiven by the team members was the WWE moment where coach Yeonggun, who had messed up the team composition, earned recognition. That was why Mazia acted like she was possessed by a demon.
After about thirty push-ups, Yeonggun froze in the prone position, unable to move.
“Why aren't you continuing? Don't tell me all your feelings of remorse have already disappeared?”
[Ah… no… I… am… huff.]
“Aigoo. The team's completely ruined but you're still smiling. Start over from one.”
[Serena…]
It was only when Yeonggun's arms began trembling violently from the pain that Serena, who had been watching the mood the entire time, finally stepped in.
[Jia! Stop. You can stop now. I think the coach's feelings have been conveyed enough…]
Since it was time to end the skit, Mazia spoke to Serena.
“Serena, you should also let out any dissatisfaction you have with the coach and finish this. That way there won't be any noise while we practice throughout the tournament.”
Serena hesitated, but even she had accumulated some grievances. From what Mazia had seen of various VTubers, the kind and angelic people usually bottled up the most.
[If we don't make it to playoffs, I'll permanently ban your account, Coach.]
To Yeonggun the fan, it was like a bolt from the blue. Even a flirtatious womanizer like Yeomisae had a favorite. Although he was distracted by pretty voices, his feelings toward Serena were sincere.
[Serena. Do you know who I made this team for? I'm confident I won't get banned. Let's aim for the championship!]
* * *
Yeonggun's confidence was revealed through results three days later.
Just looking at the atmosphere in our room's chat after finishing the third day of scrims, it was obvious. His confidence had been closer to bluffing. There were complicated reasons, but if you looked at the results, this was it.
The chat atmosphere looked dangerously explosive. In the end, I had no choice but to roast the coach, Yeonggun, once again.
“Coach. What are you doing? Get down.”
[KRRRRGH.]