53. Her and Her and Her
53. Her and Her and Her
***
"Ah."
From the very start, the stream didn't go the way I'd planned.
A sudden huge donation.
I'd figured I'd do the stream I'd prepared as usual, then move on to Another World, but everything went off the rails.
On top of that, the chat seemed even more worked up than I was—and I was the one who'd just received a million won. The messages looked like they were waiting to see how I'd react, and it made me want to sigh.
"You all... want to see a reaction, right?"
Even as I said it, I wondered what I was even talking about.
[lol no]
[she really doesn't wanna do a reaction lmaooo]
[she stalled so long I thought she was gonna do one;]
[but seriously what kind of reaction do no-cam streamers even do?]
[singing? or acting cute? don't they do stuff like that]
[no-cam streamers’ reactions are all ripoffs]
[come on, she got a million won, no way she won't react?]
[fr no way]
"Just a moment, then."
I let out a small sigh and ended up opening the NewTube site.
If I didn't know, I could at least look it up.
Tap tap tap.
I searched "streamer reaction," and a bunch of videos came up.
But most of them had face cams.
So I searched again for "no-cam reaction."
Videos did come up, but even watching them, they all felt vague to me.
Was this the kind of thing viewers liked?
It also felt like the streamers weren't doing much compared to the money they were receiving.
Ah.
Then a thought struck me.
'Since when have I ever done a proper reaction for money...?'
Looking back, I'd received donations yesterday too, but I hadn't given much of a response.
So I tried to take it easy.
'Right. Let's just lower expectations for reactions from the start.'
With that in mind, I decided to copy one of the lines I'd seen in a NewTube video.
『Yoo Eunha donated 1,000,000 won!』
That is, until another million-won donation went off.
***
"You all want to see a reaction, right?"
A soft, gentle voice. It was exactly the same as the voice of the character Rin she'd seen in videos.
As if Rin's character were her.
"It wasn't a character voice... it was her real voice."
Come to think of it, it had been a voice she'd never heard before—too lovely to be just a character voice.
Watching Rin’s stream outside Another World, Eunha felt a sense of wonder, but the chat was also getting on her nerves.
[no she's stalling so much]
[the person who donated is gonna wait until their neck snaps lol]
[just how amazing is Rin's reaction gonna be]
[sing for us!]
[that'd be good too]
[chat's losing its mind again lmaooo]
[a million won, she's gotta do a big reaction out of basic decency, right?]
[no wtf it says on screen there's no reaction, why is everyone freaking out]
The chat was flooding with messages demanding a reaction, all different variations, practically spamming the screen.
Eunha wondered if internet streams were always like this, but something about it didn't sit right with her.
"...I'm the one who donated."
Why were they the ones making a fuss?
And on top of that, Rin had suddenly gone quiet because of that chat.
Watching Serin's stream, Eunha felt sorry for no real reason.
"Just a moment, then."
Maybe it was because of the chat's sky-high expectations for a reaction. In Rin's voice as she spoke cautiously again, Eunha could feel the hesitation, as if Rin were feeling pressured—so much so that even she could sense it.
She began to wonder if her donation had needlessly burdened Rin.
'Did I put pressure on Rin...'
It felt so different from what she'd seen in NewTube videos or in Plea's stream yesterday.
Rin being surprised by the first donation had been fine, but Eunha didn't like how Rin had suddenly gone quiet now, probably because of the chat scrolling by so fast.
`This wasn't what I wanted.`
Seeing Rin hesitate now made her feel like she'd done something wrong.
What she'd wanted was the Rin who was always confident, self-assured, and never showed the slightest hesitation or uncertainty when dealing with anyone.
The Rin who danced as beautifully as the Dancer herself, swinging her Crescent-Moon Weight, or who smiled radiantly while clashing with the greatsword user Gosu using a greatsword that wasn’t even her main weapon.
"Let's donate again."
So she made up her mind to donate once more.
She wanted to convey her feelings.
To tell Rin she didn't need to feel pressured, that she could just stream like she always did.
Tap tap tap.
She entered the amount into the "Donate to Streamer" window again.
1,000,000 won.
And without a moment's hesitation, Eunha moved her mouse to the donate button.
Click.
Ding-a-ling-a-ling!!!!
『Yoo Eunha donated 1,000,000 won!』
The donation appeared on screen exactly as typed, along with the donation alert.
What Eunha wanted was to have a conversation with the woman named Rin. She hadn't donated because she wanted Rin to perform a reaction for other viewers.
So she spoke up instead, telling Rin not to do a reaction at all.
[???]
[no...]
[don't do a reaction?]
[lmaoooooo]
[no way, after getting everyone hyped?]
[for real lol]
[no, Yoo Eunha or whoever, read the room]
[Rin was just about to react]
[the person paying is saying that, what can you do lol]
[sigh...]
"Yoo Eunha, thank you so much for another million-won donation. And you said you don't expect a reaction. I think you were being considerate of me. Then I'll gratefully accept that kindness."
A much lighter voice.
Hearing Serin sound so relieved put Eunha's mind at ease.
"Her voice..."
And before she knew it, she found herself thinking again that Rin's voice was such a pleasant, lovely voice.
Maybe it was because she already felt favorably toward her—even Serin's light words sounded wonderfully pleasant to Eunha, and she found herself smiling faintly without realizing it.
But at Serin's next words, Eunha's smile disappeared.
"Then I'll go straight into Part 1, the community check content."
Serin's voice, saying without any hesitation that she'd now get on with what she had to do.
"..."
As a feeling like deep disappointment washed over her, even Eunha herself felt a bit strange.
She'd hoped Rin would show a little more interest in her, but it felt almost hollow, as if the thank-you just now had been the end of it.
'I donated two million won.'
The donation had certainly come from pure goodwill, but...
Still, she hadn't expected Rin to move on to another topic so quickly.
Ding!
Then a notification sound suddenly rang out, and Eunha naturally checked it. Afterward, her expression brightened.
[Rin : Yoo Eunha, is there anything you'd like? I received two million won, after all, so it feels wrong to just move on... As long as it's not about my personal information, I'll do whatever I can for you.]
[Yoo Eunha : Ah, I really donated just because I wanted to! Then... it's nothing much, but would it be possible to add me as a friend in Another World?]
[Rin : Then if you give me your nickname, I'll send the request when I log into Another World later.]
[Yoo Eunha : Thank you!! My nickname is 'Jeanne d'Arc.']
***
Kim Hayoon had stayed up all night editing videos and had seen the sunrise.
She stared blankly at Serin's stream with a smile.
She'd turned on the stream at the scheduled time in case there was any news or any mention of editors.
But while editing, her gaze had been drawn against her will by the massive donation alert.
『Yoo Eunha donated 1,000,000 won!』
"......"
Thick, sticky, base emotions churned inside her, seizing her again and again.
No, beyond that, Hayoon couldn't even find words anymore.
Just ten minutes.
It had only been ten minutes since the streamer named Rin had started her broadcast.
And the donation total had already passed two million won.
"Heh-heh-heh..."
A grotesque laugh.
The smile that settled on Hayoon's twisted lips looked almost eerie.
"It feels like being tortured..."
She was editing videos all night to become Rin's NewTube editor, but she was still a streamer herself.
A small-time streamer, at that...
She couldn't remember ever receiving even a ten-thousand-won donation.
And yet someone else...!
In an instant, Hayoon shook her head violently.
Smack!
Then she raised both hands and slapped her own cheeks hard enough to make a loud sound.
"Kim Hayoon, get a grip... Don't be envious, don't be jealous, don't have bad feelings. You're going to be an editor now, right. That's what you decided..."
Over the past few months, she'd studied other streamers and NewTubers to succeed, working harder than she ever had for college entrance exams.
But in the end, Kim Hayoon had been feeling that she wouldn't make it.
To succeed as a streamer and NewTuber, more than anything else, you needed "it."
In other words, "entertainment value."
She'd vaguely realized that entertainment value wasn't something you could create just by working hard or putting in effort.
Those were the things she'd felt while studying other streamers and NewTubers.
Even when she tried to copy and imitate them, Hayoon herself could never express it.
Suddenly, the few comments on her own NewTube videos came to mind.
[This person's videos are really well made, but she herself is boring...]
[Likes 3]
[Small-time streamers are small-time for a reason]
[Likes 2]
And now, only a single day had passed since she'd compromised with reality and decided to walk the path of an editor.
—Yoo Eunha, thank you so much for another million-won donation. And you said you don't expect a reaction. I think you were being considerate of me. Then I'll gratefully accept that kindness.
No, excuse me...
You just received two million won.
You're not going to react...?
That simple thank-you just now—that's the end of your gratitude for the donation?
Unable to find words to describe it beyond arrogance, Hayoon could only stare blankly at Serin's stream.