Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Is this a funeral?
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Sudden announcement of Tweet's withdrawal from the Korean service.
However, there wasn't a single streamer who could throw stones at it or protest.
And that made sense—the reason for the withdrawal was fundamentally a business structure that had devolved into deficits, and the deficits themselves stemmed from this country's structural issues.
— Anonymous Ha, this is fucking insane, guys. What are we gonna do? That didn't mean there was no shock just because they couldn't complain about it. Even checking major corporate streamers' broadcasts or Tgether revealed utter chaos.
"Wooju, you okay? Tweet shutting down out of nowhere..."
"...Yeah, I need to cool my head first and turn on the stream. I have no idea what's going on either."
My sister had heard the news and come to my room to offer some comfort, but my mind just wouldn't settle.
I hadn't accomplished anything huge here, but there was still over a year's worth of bond with the platform and connections with viewers—and now it felt like it was all crumbling in an instant.
Of course, alternatives weren't nonexistent.
If Tweet was a foreign internet broadcasting platform, Korea had its own domestic one.
But it was definitely different from the Tweet I'd been streaming on—different viewer demands and tastes, overall vibe, and even minute system details.
There was no guarantee I could pull in viewers at my current level there, or that my regular audience would follow to another platform.
In the end, unless Tweet restarted service, no alternative looked promising.
"Haa..."
I sighed and checked the clock at the bottom of my computer screen.
5:48 PM. It was about time to start streaming.
It was obvious the vibe would be like a funeral home, but I still needed to go live to discuss options with viewers. That was my promise as a streamer.
"Tch."
I sent my sister out of the room, smacked my bitter lips, and hit the go-live button.
『Cosmo has started broadcasting.』 Summarizing my mood for the day in one line, I set the stream title to 'My house burned down' and went live. Viewers trickled in as usual.
— Neighbor Raises Hani Coha... — Octopus Sashimi What's going on... — You Know Wassand Coba ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ The difference from usual was that viewers, instead of greeting right away, poured out tearful emoticons and initials expressing their sympathy.
And amid that, who's this donating already? I ain't dead yet.
"Ahem, hello everyone. Back after a day off-stream, but I can't greet you brightly today. Sorry."
I understood their feelings, so instead of my usual casual cheer, I opened with a formal tone heavy with dismay.
No sooner had I spoken than a donation popped up.
⚙ DONATION ALERT ⚙ ‘Cosmo Absolute Guardian’ has donated 10,000 won. Heard the news. You okay? Must be a huge shock. The message sounded like a condolence visit, drawing a wry smile from me unbidden.
Well, it was a condolence. Pretty much a death sentence, really.
"Thanks for the 10k don. What can ya do? It's not like they wanted to pull out... Gotta understand."
— Elephant Hoou For real, watching live felt so heartbreaking — Arisa Jowa They must've gotten squeezed for so much cash lololol — Moscos 3 years straight in the red, miracle they lasted this long fr Viewers seemed to get it too. If anyone's pissed, it'd be at whoever let it get this bad, not the platform.
"Anyway, shutdown's not immediate, so I'll keep streaming as usual till then. No worries there."
— Cosmo Absolute Guardian Decided where you're going yet? "Just heard the news, no way. Thinking it over step by step."
— Cro-Magnon Honestly only one real option... — Soju-Flavored Hand Cream Ugauuga? — Bluemangem Yeah everywhere else is niche... tch As viewers said, aside from Safari TV—aka Ugauuga—there wasn't much else worth going to. Some other platforms existed, but they were either adult-focused or ghost towns with barely any viewers.
So I'd probably end up at Safari TV if I chose, but I wanted to mull it over more. Briefly considered going back to college, but nah.
⚙ DONATION ALERT ⚙ ‘Moscos’ has donated 100,000 won. Boss... take this and hang in there... I'll follow anywhere "Aigoo, thanks for the condolence cash. Yeah, shocked, but not throwing in the towel. Don't worry too much, everyone."
Huge dons were always welcome and joyful, but today, the promise to follow anywhere meant more than the amount.
Not everyone watching now, but if even one stuck with me to the end, I'd happily start streaming again somewhere.
Don't underestimate the grit of a streamer who slogged half a year with an average of 5 viewers.
Clap clap.
"Anyway, enough doom and gloom. Time to spill about AGP yesterday. Everyone sit tight—let's crank up the energy!"
To lift the chat's heavy gloom, I switched back to my usual tone, clapped hard, and forced my voice higher.
— The completely deflated Flower Boss was forcing the hype, lololol. — Gokicurry Not even lost yet and making a fuss lol — Multet Master Bro says amp the energy! What you all doing?! The chat quickly filled with laughing initials, the mood lifting—forced as it was—and in that air, I grinned through coffin-dance vibes, unpacking my stories.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Today's stream ended a bit earlier than usual.
Normally wrapped around 2 AM, but today I had to call it just shy of 1. My head was still a mess, limiting how long I could fake the energy.
Already a gloomy day, and I felt bad cutting viewers short of fun, but they seemed to get it— even donating to shoo me off to rest.
Thanks to that, I flopped onto bed early to sleep.
That was when it happened.
Screeech.
"Wooju, stream over?"
Staring blankly at the ceiling light, I saw my sister poke her head through the cautiously opened door.
Our home sound booth wasn't top-tier, so figuring the noise kept her up, I apologized right away.
"Yeah, just ended. Sorry, must've been too loud to sleep."
"Nah, it's fine. I sleep late anyway. Here..."
She shook her head at me and rummaged, handing over my phone.
"Huh? Why's my phone there..."
"You left it when grabbing water earlier."
"Oh, sorry. Was out of it."
She'd probably held off delivering it to avoid interrupting the stream.
Thanking her as I took it, my sister, who'd been gazing at me, pointed subtly at the phone and spoke.
"By the way, calls kept coming in a bit ago. From that Seoha sister you mentioned."
"...Seoha noona?"
The name popping from my sister's mouth caught me off guard, head tilting.
What at this hour? Timing suggested she'd watched the stream and called right after I ended.
"I'll call back, thanks."
"Night."
"You too."
Waving off my departing sister, I checked the missed calls.
Three times. That urgent?
Riiing. Riiing.
The dry tone like from a flip phone droned, soon replaced by a familiar voice.
- Ah, Cosmo. Sorry for the late call.
"No biggie, stream just wrapped."
The 'Cosmo-nim' title still didn't sit right, but asking her to use my name felt awkward, so I rolled with it.
I shrugged invisibly toward her apology, and a relieved sigh came through before words continued.
- Actually, calling about the Tweet shutdown. Can we talk a while?
"Sure, but..."
The emphasis on 'a while' felt odd—like something from a crucial business call.
Anyway, what could Seoha noona have to say about Tweet's end? Made me curious. Asking about future plans?
- Any thoughts on switching to a new internet broadcasting platform if one pops up?
"A new... platform?"
Expecting basics like Safari TV or quitting, her unexpected question widened my eyes.
New platform? Never heard. Viewers hadn't mentioned it either.
How'd she know to ask me?
- Yeah, actually...
Before the doubt cleared, her soft voice flowed, ears perking instinctively.
Unbelievable—but something I wanted to believe—content drew me in deep before I knew it.