The Joint Stream, Part 1
"I have to go to work. What do you mean, staycation? Are you out of your mind?"
"Can't you just take one day off?"
"So you want me to call my boss a few hours before my shift and tell him I can't make it because I'm going on a staycation?"
Sigh. Hyung-jun smacked his forehead and let out a deep sigh, looking too exhausted to even get angry. Seeing his utterly devastated expression was honestly a little funny.
"Anyway, there's no way in hell I can go today."
"Yeah, I guess I did just show up out of the blue."
"Glad you realize that, you bastard."
When I smacked my lips in disappointment, Hyung-jun let out a chuckle.
"I'm heading back inside. Thanks for thinking of me, though."
"Sure. Take it easy."
He waved his hand dismissively as he walked back into his house. Well, since it's come to this, I guess it's time for Plan B.
There was still plenty of time before sunset. I got back into my car and picked up my phone.
I know it was around here somewhere. I scrolled down endlessly. Ah, found it.
Joint stream. Short for "collaborative broadcast," it refers to when two or more streamers meet up in person or online to broadcast together.
A few days ago, I received a proposal for a joint stream from a popular streamer.
How did an ordinary guy like me get a joint stream offer from a popular streamer? The reason was simple: I was the Chairman of her channel.
Whenever I was bored, I'd tune in and throw money at her. In less than a month, I had seized the number one spot on her all-time donor rankings.
Some people would probably curse at me, asking if I was crazy for throwing away such precious money on a stranger.
Like I care. As long as I'm having fun, who cares? It's not like I'm short on cash.
Tap. I opened the live-streaming platform Tweety and searched for "Suming."
Perhaps due to the aftermath of the no-stream-end roulette bombardment I had unleashed on her, she was still live. She was laughing, chatting, and shooting the breeze with her viewers.
"How many days am I taking off after the no-stream-end mission? Hmm, I wonder?"
"When are you going to start dating, Suming-noona...? Hey, you want to die?!"
She was a natural-born entertainer, chattering away without a single second of dead air, keeping the communication flowing.
My remaining cash balance was plenty. I was logged in. I, too, was fully prepared.
As soon as the donation went through, a loud sound effect echoed along with the alert message.
Suming, who had been rambling mindlessly, widened her eyes at the sudden donation and shrieked.
"Aigoo, Chairman!!! Thank you so much for the 100,000 Cash!!"
"What kind of reaction would you like to see?"
She hopped around like a niece who had just received New Year's allowance, shoving her face close to the camera.
Now that I'd said hello, time to get to the point.
She stared at the donation, blinking repeatedly, her body freezing up. She shook her head as if she had misread it, then checked the message once more.
"Heol! No way! Of course, of course it's possible for me!"
"I still have eleven days left of this no-stream-end challenge because of a certain someone! But are you really coming?!"
Startled, she nodded her head vigorously, emphasizing how thrilled she was.
Because of the sudden drift in the conversation, the chat window began to overflow with question marks.
"No, guys, listen. Honestly, you were all curious about the Chairman too, right?"
"So I just threw a hail Mary and sent him a joint stream proposal, thinking there was nothing to lose..."
The chat was suddenly on fire. Like the professional broadcaster she was, she immediately began rolling with the new bait, building up the hype.
I guess it's time for me to lend a hand.
Her eyes rolled back in sheer ecstasy. She pulled her chair right up to the desk, placing one hand on the mouse and the other on the keyboard to draft an email.
"Chairman, I sent the address... So... you're really coming... today?... Hehehe..."
"Maybe a quick interview, a mukbang, and some Just Chatting?"
"I'm taking question recommendations starting now!"
To be honest, it was completely impulsive. Initially, I had left the house just to blow some cash and shake off my gloomy mood. But after going on a luxurious shopping spree, my spirits were already riding high. I wanted to wrap up the day in an even more spectacular fashion.
When my staycation plans fell through, I kept searching for an alternative. That was when the joint stream proposal from a streamer I regularly watched as a fan flashed through my mind.
At first, it felt too burdensome, so I had pretended not to see it. But maybe the shopping spree had given me a boost of confidence, because on a whim, I had entered her stream and accepted the offer right in front of everyone.
"Kyaaaaah!!! A one-million Cash donation from the Chairman!!!!"
"I pledge my eternal loyalty, Chairman!!!"
"Loyaaaaalty!!!"
On the screen, she was headbanging like a windmill and roaring. The ear-splitting racket made me hastily turn down the volume on my phone.
No turning back now. A chuckle escaped my lips.
I used to be so terrified of meeting people. I had always hidden behind a web of lies just to feel accepted. My current proactive attitude felt unfamiliar, yet incredibly welcome.
Ding-dong. I carefully pressed the doorbell.
Just as I was about to take a deep breath to calm my nerves, the door clicked open.
"Potato... nim? Huh? Are you really Hot Potato?"
Potato. I really should have put more effort into choosing my username. Seeing her in person after only watching her through a screen felt surreal.
Her long black hair was tied back, and her delicate, sharp features perfectly fit her small face. Seeing her in real life, she was even prettier than she appeared on screen.
"Yes, that's me."
"Heol... Please, come in, Potato-nim!"
"..."
I seriously need to change my username. What kind of name is Potato...
By the way, her place is surprisingly spacious and clean. Does she live alone? I entertained these idle thoughts as I followed her inside.
"Um... by any chance, do you work in the entertainment industry? A model? An actor?"
"Pardon?"
No wonder she had been stealing glances at me and sizing me up since I walked in. I let out a soft chuckle at the unexpected question.
"Haha, no. I'm just an ordinary citizen."
"Liar... There's no way..."
Muttering to herself, she guided me into her streaming studio, which also doubled as her workspace. Oh. So this is where she streams.
There was a main monitor in the center, and next to it, a tall, vertically mounted wide monitor. The vertical monitor was probably for reading the chat. The walls and ceiling were surrounded by studio lights that resembled a professional photography studio, wrapping around the room like a panorama.
"I've put up a standby screen and muted the audio for now. I'll give you a quick rundown, so please listen closely."
"Sure, go ahead."
"When I stream... well... I might swear a lot. It's absolutely just a concept! So please don't take it personally."
"You don't have to worry about that."
As if I didn't know. I had been watching her stream for years. The easygoing, tomboyish girl from the stream was nowhere to be found; only a shy, hesitating girl remained.
"Um... if there are any uncomfortable questions, feel free to tell me right away. And... thank you... for coming...?"
Pfft. Seeing her so restless and walking on eggshells around me was incredibly refreshing. She was cute, in a completely different way than her usual persona. Thanks to that, my own tension eased up quite a bit.
She gave me a hand signal and resumed the broadcast.
"Hey guys~ Did you miss me!"
The chat was, as always, filled with nothing but teasing.
Pfft— Ah, oops. I accidentally let out a brief chuckle.
She waved her hand as if to say it was fine, then carefully turned on the camera. Oh, so that's what I look like on screen. The image of me sitting right next to her began broadcasting live.
The moment she turned on the camera, the chat went absolutely wild. It seemed everyone was far more shocked than expected.
"I'm telling you, I was shocked when I first saw him too! Woohoo! The camera not being able to capture his real-life looks is the real legend here."
She laughed exaggeratingly, showering me with compliments. The chat scrolled up endlessly, and the viewer count was skyrocketing. Ah... this is surprisingly thrilling.
"Now, since everyone is curious! Could you please introduce yourself!"
The timid girl from earlier was completely gone, replaced by a smooth-talking, professional broadcaster who playfully made the request. Curling the corners of my lips into a smirk, I faced the camera and spoke.
"Hello, I'm Hot Potato."