The Last-Minute Arrival

The new computer had arrived in its assembled state.

Windows 12 and all the essential programs were already installed.

So all Kim Yejun had to do was install the League of Champions and the broadcasting programs onto the sponsorship computer.

Since Yejun had already been streaming from his own studio, the entire process unfolded right in front of the viewers.

If he had handled it alone, he risked being accused of manipulation himself.

Therefore, to reassure the viewers that nothing beyond the basic programs had been installed, he confirmed the setup. Now, they just needed today’s guest to arrive.

“Hello, today I’m hosting with Kancho as the co-host. This is Hwang Jaemin. I go by the nickname Celesty and stream under that name.”

“Ah, Kancho. You’ve already set everything up, haven’t you?”

“Yes, I have. Um… since Celesty doesn’t usually show her face on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stream, I’ll proceed with this mask on.”

“Ehehe. Thank you for understanding. Wow, the bunny ears are so cute~”

Jaemin had arrived first, but he couldn’t push aside the real protagonist.

After all, it was none other than Celesty who had requested today’s content.

Right now, the biggest topic buzzing in the League of Champions community was the user suspected of using a cheat program who had reached the top ranks.

If it had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠been just another random cheater, their complaints would have died down among the elite players.

What made Noel famous was that everyone had been cursing him, demanding proof, and the game company had never taken any action.

Other cheaters were quickly banned, but Noel alone used an undetectable cheat.

Or maybe he was truly innocent.

Most people believed he was using a cheat, but the company’s official stance was that he hadn’t used any unauthorized program.

The person himself had only told Jaemin he wasn’t using a cheat, while ignoring all the insults and friend requests.

That was why, even though the suspicion lingered, Celesty had brought Noel here today.

Of course, Jaemin must have felt reluctant to invite Noel into her own home, so she had come to Kancho instead.

Still, Jaemin was grateful.

Yejun had briefly hesitated, though—because Celesty was a woman.

He had watched Celesty’s streams for a short time and assumed it was a young male voice changer.

But it turned out to be a female gamer hiding her gender.

As someone in the same industry, Yejun knew exactly how women were treated in gaming and decided to keep it a secret.

He had no intention of treating her any differently just because she was female.

The reason Yejun had survived as a streamer without a single scandal so far—along with his outstanding skill—was that he was extremely rational.

He didn’t live by any rigid moral code, but he understood that, for his own peace of mind, it was better to stand for honesty, neutrality, and fairness even if it meant sacrificing a little advantage.

In short, according to the old MBTI terms, Yejun was an extreme T personality.

Someone who could calculate long-term benefits and risks better than anyone.

“Um… it’s been an hour and almost ten minutes. Why isn’t she here yet? No message either. Should I have taken her phone number?”

Yejun muttered while scrolling through KakaoTalk as Jaemin’s comment appeared.

The viewers were mocking the absent Noel, but Yejun calmly tried to soothe them.

“He said he would only be late for an hour, so let’s wait a little longer. Maybe he missed the bus, right?”

“Um… but if something happened halfway… and she doesn’t answer, is it really an emergency? Then is our content over?”

“I just hope not.”

Of course, these viewers wouldn’t be calmed so easily.

Yejun decided to let them be.

After all, he understood the gamers’ hatred toward cheaters who deliberately threw games.

When Noel was proven innocent, most of that malice would turn into worship of Noel.

So he didn’t worry much.

Unless the real culprits were streamers who maliciously slandered and targeted people, they probably wouldn’t even apologize.

Even if they did, they would only be praised as “cheaters who played so well they were insulted and came to explain themselves,” which would satisfy some gamers at least.

Of course, if Noel was actually a cheater, this broadcast would be their downfall.

Yejun’s role now was to objectively show whether Noel’s usual game performance still held up here.

Just in case viewers blamed equipment, he had prepared multiple monitors, keyboards, and mice of different sizes and types, plus various keycaps.

To pass the time, he began showing viewers Noel’s cheat-suspicion videos from YouTube for about ten minutes.

Someone knocked on the door of Kancho Studio.

Everyone inside turned their heads toward it at the same time and instinctively sensed it.

Behind that door was someone caught in the storm of controversy.

Yejun raised his voice.

“Yes, the door is open. Come in.”

“…Sorry for being late. I tripped on the way here. I’m the one using the Noel ID. Everyone probably thinks it’s Noel.”

After Yejun’s permission, the visitor paused for a moment, then slowly opened the door.

And when the face of today’s guest appeared, Yejun felt his heart stop and his chest tighten as if being torn apart.

For the first time in a long time, Yejun’s words faltered.

“W-welcome.”

If the person who had come to explain the cheat were just a minor, it wouldn’t have been such a shock.

Or if she were just a woman, it wouldn’t have been either.

After all, Celesty was a woman and Jaemin had been surprised but had accepted it.

It wasn’t uncommon for talent in arts and physical activities to bloom from a young age.

Gaming was no different.

Women weren’t excluded either.

There were pro players in FPS, and the Brazilian mid laner in League of Champions right now was female.

In other genres too, the proportion of female pro players was high.

But today’s guest.

The person who had come to explain the cheat had one eye with no focus and the other leg below the ankle empty.

How had they come here without crutches or a wheelchair, breathing heavily?

Anyone would naturally wonder if they had done something wrong.

Silver-white hair, red eyes, pale skin—those were just incidental details.

Looking at the viewers still sending malicious chats while Noel hadn’t even appeared on camera yet, Yejun felt truly dreadful.

But as a streamer, he couldn’t stop the show.

So he opened his lips carefully, keeping neutrality.

“Viewers, Noel has arrived. I thought it was Noel, but it seems to be Noel. For now, Noel is just a normal person, so showing their face might be difficult. If you want, you can stream with this mask on.”

“Ah, yes.”

But even with this appearance, it was possible they were a cheater using an unauthorized program to ruin fair games.

Maybe that was even more likely.

Since the reality was uncomfortable, they might want to feel superior in the virtual world.

But Yejun didn’t say it out loud.

No one would care what was in his head.

If he said it out loud and Noel was actually innocent, Yejun’s streaming life would end right there.

It would be a blessing if only his streaming life ended.

Ninety percent chance the news would spread to articles.

If he just stayed silent, that thought would remain only his, never exposed to the world.

When Noel was eventually proven to be a cheater, he could say something like, “Perhaps Noel used the cheat after hearing that thought from me,” and that would be enough.

So Yejun only needed to give Noel the chance to prove their game was normal to the people.

“Um… Noel, you have a wound on your hand. Is it okay?”

Jaemin, who had been frozen by Noel’s entrance, seemed to snap out of it thanks to Yejun’s calm hosting.

Or maybe because the hand was covered by the fox mask that hid everything except the mouth and chin, making the hand stand out.

“Yeah, it’s fine. It doesn’t interfere with playing.”

“No, it’s gaming, but blood is coming out now!”

“It’s hardened. It’ll be fine on its own.”

“Ugh… but I should still wash it and disinfect…”

“I’ll play the game and go home and wash it later.”

Paying no attention to Jaemin’s worry, Noel walked to the chair set up between Jaemin and Yejun, sat down with their back to the wall.

Naturally, what viewers saw was only the game screen and the upper bodies of the streamers.

But seeing Noel bounce over and sit between them was enough for viewers to guess Noel’s condition.

The chat immediately started burning with new meaning.

“Um… Noel has no… one foot. But how did you get here? I don’t see a wheelchair or crutches.”

“By bus.”

“No, whether bus or subway, you still have to walk from the stop here… Did you fall?”

“I was using a cane, but when I fell it broke.”

“Ah…”

Of course, that didn’t make the atmosphere friendlier toward Noel.

Whether Noel had a disability or not had nothing to do with the cheat suspicion.

“Then, Noel, please log in with your own account and start. As you can see, this computer only has the basic programs, broadcasting software, and League of Champions installed. We have confirmed this. Noel, do you need any particular keyboard or mouse settings?”

Yejun continued the stream with his throat dry.