Pride
At the center of the stage, standing tall at the podium, was the moderator — Gold Kiwi.
At the right-hand table sat the Affirmative side: Han Se-bin and Nuri.
At the left-hand table sat the Opposition: me and Miho.
The criteria for dividing Affirmative and Opposition had been simple enough. Those who had to watch Ssa-yo's face, and those who didn't particularly care. The former became the Affirmative; the latter, the Opposition. That was how we'd managed to talk the rest of the team into a debate topic this sensitive. After all, if anything blew up, the people in the crosshairs would be the Opposition side.
Before the debate began in earnest, all of us turned to the camera, bowed our heads, and offered our greetings.
"Team leader Miho here. We put a lot into this, so I hope you enjoy it."
"Gold Kiwi, your moderator. I'll do my best to keep this a constructive discussion."
Han Se-bin and Nuri's greetings came and went, and then it was my turn. I threw out a deliberately provocative opening line, fishing for Ssa-yo's reaction.
"I hope this debate helps the idol crew that forms after the Wooga-dol audition move in a better direction. I'm Seo-a — looking forward to working with you."
Once everyone's introductions were done, Gold Kiwi struck the gavel twice and brought the room to order. When all eyes had settled on him, he announced the topic of the day with solemn gravity.
"Today's debate topic is the virtual idol crew that will be formed through this audition… for now, let's call it Wooga-dol. Where should Wooga-dol go from here? We've analyzed this from multiple angles. First, the Affirmative side."
"Hello. We fully support the vision and opinions Ssa-yo has shared throughout his broadcasts. Affirmative side — Han Se-bin and Nuri."
"Next, the Opposition."
"We respect Ssa-yo's opinions, but we believe Wooga-dol, as a party to this, should have its voice reflected as well. A community of shared destiny, if you will. Where our thinking differs, we believe constructive debate can change things. Opposition side — Seo-a and Miho."
Bang. Bang—!
"Then let the debate begin."
The curtain rose.
Ssa-yo was rattled.
He couldn't even remember the last time he'd been this thrown off. Team F's debate content. He'd been watching with genuine interest, wondering what topic they'd chosen — and then a stray bullet he never saw coming hit him square in the chest.
The direction Wooga-dol should take?
For Ssa-yo, this was a bolt from the blue. A thunderclap out of a clear sky.
I've staked my entire streaming career on Wooga-dol. I need absolute control over every aspect of it. It has to move exactly the way I want.
If it failed, who would take the blame? The person pointed at first would be him — so he needed the authority to match. And now they were talking about a community of shared destiny? That constructive debate should change the things that needed changing?
To a man as stubborn and prideful as Ssa-yo, those words were nearly impossible to swallow.
And I thought so highly of you.
Ssa-yo narrowed his eyes at Seo-a, seated front and center on the Opposition side. It felt like he'd been slapped across the back of the head. Betrayal surged up hot in his chest. But he still didn't know. He'd only just heard the topic — nothing of real substance had come out yet. For all he knew, the whole thing was just variety-show fluff for entertainment value.
While Ssa-yo slowly tried to settle himself, the chat was going up in flames. Up until a moment ago, a string of dead content had kept things quiet. Not anymore.
"Then, first question. Please look over here."
On screen, Gold Kiwi pointed to the wide blackboard behind him. He pressed a button, and the first question appeared across the board.
What are your thoughts on Wooga-dol's "Idol RP"?
"This one needs a bit more explanation. Right now, as Ssa-yo has talked about idol-like conduct, there are a few things he's prohibited, correct? For example — Bang-sel, full-tracker streams in male-oriented outfits, collab bans, and so on. That's what we're talking about here. Ah, first hand up. Han Se-bin, go ahead."
"I believe these rules must be upheld without exception. First, there are successful cases on other platforms that thrived through appropriate control, just as Ssa-yo has said. Second, the most important thing for an idol is their image. To build a differentiated image, there are things you have to give up."
Ssa-yo nodded at Han Se-bin's remarks. They lined up with his own thinking in large part, and he found himself leaning in further.
Then Seo-a on the Opposition side raised her hand and began to speak.
"I think there's a fundamental error in that statement itself. Idols? Yes, we are idols. But before that, we need to remember that we are streamers. This isn't some chicken-or-egg headache. It's self-evident that we are streamers first, idols second."
"Well, I'll grant you that, but—"
"That's exactly my point. Right now you're too buried in the idol RP. We need to be faithful to a streamer's fundamental duty first. Entertainment. Above all else, viewers want to be entertained. But with collab bans locking the successful contestants into only broadcasting with each other? Watching the same faces every day, image fatigue sets in fast, and the range of fun you can deliver becomes extremely limited, doesn't it?"
Seo-a's sharp critique. Han Se-bin flinched — and so, for a moment, did Ssa-yo.
Han Se-bin pushed back.
"Why wouldn't it work? The platform next door did exactly that."
"No. Your example is completely wrong. The situation over there is entirely different. For one, they have a fan café of overwhelming scale. That alone means the content they can generate in-house is practically endless. And for all the talk about 'regular members' this and that — sure, they're civilians on paper, but in practice there are plenty of people who can fill the role of fellow streamers. It's nothing like the isolation you'd get here."
"Th-that's…"
"I understand that Ssa-yo has taken a lot of cues from the platform next door, but when the environment is different, the prescription has to be different too. What Wooga-dol needs is an environment where they can grow as streamers first — before they grow as idols."
sj234516 has been forcibly removed.
"Don't talk down about streamers. If there's a problem, I'll handle it myself. Belittling, badmouthing — all of it gets you kicked."
The moment the chat started to overheat, he stepped in and shut it down on the spot. Even as he did, the debate rolled on, and Nuri and Miho each laid out their own positions. Ssa-yo felt his thoughts growing more tangled by the second.
The Opposition's points aren't entirely wrong. But it's not like they've seen the future — how can they be so sure of their own opinions? In the end, if something goes wrong, I'm the one who takes the hit.
Ssa-yo thought it through. If he weren't the one sitting in the seat of responsibility, he could talk as freely and easily as Seo-a was right now.
What are your thoughts on Wooga-dol aiming for YouTube?
"We'll start with Seo-a from the Opposition. I'm against it. There's a saying about trying to run before you can walk. If Wooga-dol is born, the priority should be laying a solid foundation first. Build a core fanbase, develop self-sustaining power, and only once there's enough breathing room to look elsewhere should they take on YouTube. That's the right order, in my view."
"…"
Several more questions followed, and the debate grew fiercer still. Watching it all, Ssa-yo found that rather than arriving at any rational judgment, what he felt most keenly was his pride being crumpled further and further.
In one corner of his mind, he knew. The arguments had their own logic. But the identity he'd built as a streamer over ten long years refused to accept it.
At the end of the day, this is the opinion of a streamer who debuted barely two months ago. I've been doing this for ten years.
However plausible it sounded, there was no proof anywhere that Seo-a's claims were correct. In the end, you don't know the hand until the cards are all turned over. And Ssa-yo trusted his ten years of experience.
Do you have any idea how much resolve I put into preparing this content?
At last, Team F's debate came to a close. Ssa-yo couldn't afford to show the pride that had been left in tatters, so he forced a smile.
"That was a truly heated debate from Team F. Wow — you all really put a lot of work into this, didn't you?"
"Alright, last up is Team D. Dantz, are you ready?"
"Yes! All set."
As he entered Dantz's stream, Ssa-yo let himself picture it — Wooga-dol with Seo-a as a member.
She's this assertive already. Would I even be able to keep her in line?
Not a chance.
Ssa-yo decided to let go of the greed he'd felt the first time he watched Seo-a's stream. Hoping, at least a little, that his wounded pride might find some comfort in the choice.