In the End, It's All About Timing
I'd landed a bigger catch than I'd ever expected.
Honestly, at first I'd just wanted to use the MCK to get my face known among the big-agency streamers. Call in the crew during the match mission for a little promo while I was at it.
But things had gotten way too big.
When I woke up early and checked FM Community, there were over ten popular posts about me.
And that wasn't all.
Yesterday's stream metrics had been insane. Separate from the 46,000 candies I'd received for winning the match mission, I'd probably pulled in another 5,000 in residual candies. Viewership had been packed solid too.
Yeah, the big-agency water sure tastes sweet.
But there was one thing I had to keep in mind.
Big-agency streamers were a double-edged sword.
Even a minor mistake that would normally get buried could blow up into a major problem just because you'd gotten tangled up with a big-agency streamer and drawn attention. I'd seen plenty of those cases before my regression.
I need to keep a healthy distance, no more.
Sure, some viewers had watched yesterday's episode laughing along, but there were also people who'd found me arrogant. Stay careful. Keep a low profile.
Which means it's about time I cleaned up the stock stuff too.
It wasn't just because a downturn was approaching. Stocks had been the perfect bait for drawing aggro on my debut stream — a flashy early hook. And I'd gotten so much out of it. Pure profit, for one. And the steady viral buzz had done wonders for building my name recognition.
But now the problem's gotten too big. Some people are starting to look at me suspiciously, and conspiracy theories are even circulating.
As a regressor, I'd known the optimal buy and sell timings. Once, you could write it off as beginner's luck. But after it happened several times, I could feel the gazes growing colder — only a minority, but still. Lately I'd even gotten a few DMs about it. And the people flooding into my stream to spam stock chat were countless.
After going through all that, I'd realized something. It was time to cut ties with stocks.
Ah, of course, that was the surface story. Obviously I still needed to make money, so I'd keep trading stocks. But there would be no more stock-related content on stream. I'd act like I'd completely cleaned house in front of the viewers. That way, no more talk would come of it.
It's a shame, but stocks are more of a minus than a plus for my stream now. Cleaning it up is the smart move.
I'd already become a hot topic after getting mixed up with a big-agency streamer yesterday. If stock talk came up again, it could get dangerous. What if I actually got investigated or put under surveillance? Compared to the big players and professional "operators," my amounts were basically nothing — but I had the attention factor, so I had to be careful.
So I started putting together materials for a clean wrap-up. Documents supporting the idea that my profits had just been "luck." And screenshots of the nasty DMs the haters had sent me, added to the file.
Once everything was ready, I uploaded the notice.
Just looking at the view count on the notice, I could tell I was getting more attention than when I posted content-related announcements. It wasn't just virtual stream viewers anymore — the aggro was pulling in people from the stock galleries and beyond.
Once again, I felt that now was the optimal timing to quit.
Alright. It's a shame, but let's wrap this up cleanly.
The stream went live at 8 AM.
Anyone who watched my stream knew exactly what that meant. Today's content was stocks.
Office workers who'd clocked in early and were quietly milking their salaries. My regular viewers. The Muyang guys who'd wandered over after I'd gotten mixed up with Park Bong-sik. And finally, the stock gallery lurkers who'd flocked in after hearing the rumors.
I offered my sincere apologies to Lucy, who'd take a hit to her stream from the unintentional time overlap. But it couldn't be helped. This was a problem that needed to be cleaned up before the controversy got any bigger.
Today, I skipped the waiting-screen stalling and went straight to the broadcast screen. I'd set the background to look like a press conference hall. A cluster of microphones pointed neatly at my avatar, dressed in a sharp black suit.
"Hello, everyone. And to those of you visiting from outside — the stock gallery, I believe? Let me start with a greeting."
I bowed.
When I lifted my head and glanced at chat, the viewers clearly looked puzzled by the unexpectedly stiff atmosphere.
The stock gallery types paid no mind to the stream's atmosphere and just blurted out their own agendas.
Ah, this was another reason I was looking to cut ties. You can't reason with people who've gone stock-crazy. The more of these people poured into the stream, the more the atmosphere would spiral out of control.
So I made a firm decision.
"As of today, I am liquidating all 233 shares of Pangea TV stock I hold, and I have decided never to trade again. Once more, I ask for my viewers' understanding."
I bowed.
Honestly, I didn't need to take such a low posture. I hadn't done anything illegal — just legitimate stock trading. But when the stock-related aggro was already this thick, standing tall and defiant wouldn't help.
Hadn't I already confirmed it? Words don't work on people who've gone stock-crazy. So I had to show humility — the attitude of the underdog. That way, the viewers who had nothing to do with stocks would feel sympathy and take my side.
Sure enough, fights were already breaking out in chat. I spent a while trying to calm things down. Since I still didn't have an official manager, I temporarily asked Vice-Chairman Seoah Not Streaming, who was in the stream, for help.
After about five minutes, once chat had quieted a bit, I put the materials I'd prepared up on screen.
"The truth is, I started trading stocks on stream to draw aggro for my debut broadcast. As you can see from the materials, the price I bought at wasn't even the bottom. After that, it dropped nearly another 4%, and there was no rebound for quite a while."
Then chat started pouring in criticisms about the first sell and second buy, which had been timed perfectly — leaving the first trade alone. I didn't panic. I pulled up the next set of materials and responded.
"I believe I adequately explained the reason for the first sell on stream at the time. Back then, I'd spent a considerable amount on a concert and commissions. I even opened my actual account to prove I was short on living expenses. So I had no choice but to liquidate the stocks... and then, remarkably, starting the next day, Pangea TV's stock price dropped. It was pure coincidence."
Every time I did a stock trading stream, I'd manufactured a reasonable justification and mentioned it to the viewers. All that evidence was still sitting in the VODs.
There's a saying — a cunning rabbit digs three burrows. I'd taken plenty of time to logically persuade people. Once I'd seized control of public opinion, I returned to the main point and revealed why I was quitting stocks.
"It's been about a month now. I've been receiving DMs that slander and harass me over stocks. And the frequency keeps increasing. Lately, people have even been coming into the stream itself to post that kind of chat..."
Once again, the materials appeared. The carefully screenshotted DMs full of insults and abuse directed at me. With clear evidence on the table, the stock gallery types lost their momentum, and my supporters started railing against them.
I soothed them and spoke.
"I am a streamer. I'm truly grateful for all the interest you've shown in my stock trading, but if it starts affecting my actual job — streaming — then I have no choice. And now I'm not alone anymore; I have a crew. If this ends up affecting my crewmates, that simply can't happen. So let me say it once more, right here: as of today, there will be no more stock streams from Seo-a."
I declared it firmly.
And the time was exactly 8:59. I'd been checking the clock out of the corner of my eye, but the timing was truly exquisite.
Maintaining a serious demeanor, I hovered the mouse cursor over the sell button.
Yeah. No. This is the peak.
After today, word would spread again that the sell timing had been perfect. But with all the evidence proving nothing illegal had happened, it would stop right there. Things wouldn't get any bigger.
Stocks, life — in the end, it's all about timing.
I boldly pressed the sell button and thought. A return of over 36% made me smile.