Charity Auction (1)

"You're treating us?" she confirmed once more.

I had no intention of going back on my word, so I nodded.

What's going on...?

What did she mean, what was going on? They had hit the jackpot, that's what.

If you got hate whether you proved you were rich or not, what were you supposed to do? The answer was simple: use that money to throw a massive feast. You go from being a lucky bastard who only had money to a good person who also had money.

"One thousand chickens. It's on me."

"Huh?"

Her jaw dropped. A visible shiver ran through her. From the look on her face, she was frantically running the numbers in her head.

The chat exploded into utter chaos. Having finally finished her mental math, she suddenly let out a shriek.

"Aaaahhh!! A thousand chickens is over twenty million won!!!!"

"You're quick at math."

"Do you want to die?!"

I chuckled. What a perfect picture this was. A viewer handing out gifts to other viewers. From her perspective, she was reaping the benefits without lifting a finger.

But that wasn't all. From now on, this stream would practically be sacred ground for me. If anyone dared to talk trash about me, they'd immediately be branded a traitor by the rest of the community. It was a win-win-win situation for Suming, me, and the viewers—killing three birds with one stone.

"But how are you going to draw the winners?"

"You'll have to do the heavy lifting for that, Suming."

"Okay, leave it to me!"

A raffle. Giving away gifts was great, but the method of drawing could make or break the mood. It was crucial to do it transparently so that everyone could accept the results.

"Guys, I'll do a random draw among those who've been subscribed to my channel for at least a month! No complaints, right?"

Oh. She hadn't been streaming all this time for nothing. Limiting the draw to viewers who had been subscribed for at least a month had two major advantages. First, it excluded duplicate entries from alt accounts, and second, it filtered out random freeloaders who weren't actual viewers.

Now, all that was left was to verify the actual purchase of the thousand chickens.

"The chickens are ready."

The gifticon price for a single chicken, cheese balls, and cola set was 26,500 won. I completed the real-time verification of the 26,500,000 won payment for the thousand viewers.

As expected, money was much more fun to spend when you shared it. Of course, this didn't mean everyone would suddenly like me. Some would still criticize it as wasteful and extravagant, and others would accuse me of trying to buy people's favor.

Not like I care, though.

The collab stream wrapped up in a festive atmosphere. The raffle was over, and now all that was left was for her to distribute the gifts one by one in real-time. It wasn't like she was in a rush anyway, since she still had eleven days left on her no-stream-end challenge.

"Are you leaving already?"

"It's late, so I should head out."

"That's a shame..."

"You do know you still have a long way to go before you can end the stream, right, Suming?"

"..."

She glared at me with laser eyes. Maybe I teased her too much?

"It's not Suming... it's Suhyeon. My name."

"Pardon?"

"Just go already!"

She suddenly pushed me out the door and slammed it shut behind me. Her earlobes looked quite red... but maybe I was just imagining things?

The impact of the collab stream far exceeded my wildest imaginations.

The community was buzzing with posts proving they had received the chicken. My name was mentioned in every single post, to the point where there was practically no one in the community who didn't know who I was.

It was exactly what I had intended, but the effect was far more powerful than I had anticipated. Embarrassed, I rubbed the back of my neck.

Thanks to this, my home turf, the Epic of Seven Gallery, was experiencing unprecedented prosperity. It felt as if people were running a challenge to leave a comment on every single shitpost I had ever written. New users were flocking in like pilgrims, leaving comments one by one.

Naturally, the Epic of Seven group chat was in an uproar.

Come to think of it, it was about time I met these people. I had skipped the previous meetups using all sorts of excuses, but they were people I was genuinely grateful to.

And so, another ordinary day passed as I browsed the community.

Clack.

I set my coffee cup down on the desk. As my name value rose, my inbox, which used to be filled with nothing but spam, had entered a new phase. It was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠flooded with sponsorship proposals, advertisements, interview requests, and even emails begging for money.

Maybe I should open a personal social media account?

I let out a hollow laugh as I scrolled through the emails.

What's this? A charity auction invitation?

Drawn in by the unusual subject line, I opened the email.

A charity auction for underprivileged children at the Five Seasons Hotel... It was aimed at a small group of high-society VIPs, and honestly, it piqued my curiosity.

I tapped my fingers against the marble table, lost in thought. An auction. Honestly, I was tempted. Had I ever attended an event where so many people gathered? My mind was already made up. An auction event, the exclusive playground of the upper class I had only ever admired from afar. My heart fluttered with excitement.

I began writing a reply to accept the invitation. There were so many terms and conditions to agree to, and so many rules to follow.

"Plus-one?"

A companion.

I picked up my phone and tapped the very first name on my short contact list: Kim Hyung-jun.

"Yeah, Sung-woo."

"Hey, are you free this Saturday evening by any chance?"

"This Saturday? I don't think I can make it. I have to go to an older cousin's wedding... Why, is something up?"

"No, just asking. Talk to you later."

"Wait, what is—"

Click.

This was bad. I had no one else to contact. I thought about asking Suhyeon, whom I had gotten closer to recently, but she still had over a week left on her no-stream-end challenge.

I let out a deep sigh and stared at my phone. I never thought my ruined social life would hold me back like this. Should I just go alone?

I licked my dry lips.

Ding! Ding!

The Epic of Seven group chat was buzzing with notifications.

Wait, hold on.

I quickly opened the chat and sent a message.

Nice. I had met Seo-ha once before, so she was a familiar face. I immediately sent her a direct message.

Perfect.

Clack, clack.

I filled out the rest of the form, including my guest's information, and sent my RSVP. Everything was set.