Broadcast Day 3 - Mukbang (3)
Somehow, the broadcast atmosphere had dipped quite a bit, so I pondered how to liven things up.
"……."
If I'd known, I'd have studied up on streaming. Every time this happens, I seriously wonder if I was ever really human in a past life. Or was it all just my imagination…….
"Let's wrap up the chit-chat here. Today, I've prepared some content for you all."
The chat's energy shot up in an instant. ……Though it feels like it's spiked a bit too high. To the viewers harboring excessive expectations, I unveiled the content I'd prepared this time.
"Some of you are quick on the uptake. Indeed. Today, we'll do a mukbang."
After deciding to start internet streaming, I'd watched countless broadcasts online, analyzing how humans streamed, and what kinds made them enjoy themselves the most. And the content most streamers chose boiled down to three types.
Just Chatting—pure conversation streams. Gaming streams with playthings called games. And mukbangs, where they ate specific foods.
"Of course, there were other varieties…… but they mostly fell into those three categories."
There were workout streams or hunting streams too. But those were rare. Probably because they required specialized knowledge or divided opinions…….
"Given my goals, Just Chatting—idle talk—would be the best fit."
But from what I'd studied, even with a main content type, you needed to mix in others now and then to refresh the vibe. So my main gig would be chit-chat streams. Introducing something new around now seemed smart, and rather than something niche, sticking to what most humans loved made sense.
"Among them, mukbang overlaps nicely with chit-chat, so that's what I chose."
"I've thought about games too."
But games have a big issue.
"The only games I've ever played are what this world calls board games."
The viewers are at a loss for words. Indeed. I'd played games in my past life, but after becoming a dragon, survival was my daily grind—no time for games. Once that stabilized, I was busy fighting other dragons over territory. After crushing them all, self-proclaimed gods started poking at me. By the time I sorted that mess and came to, it had been 6,000 years since I'd touched a game.
"Games can wait for another time."
I'll probably need to start with simple ones for retraining. ……Or should I just dive straight into PC games from scratch?
"Now, let's bring out today's food."
As viewers tossed out wild menu guesses, I placed the chicken I'd set aside nearby.
"……What does 'ni-eun ji-eut' mean?"
These kids use such weird words. As I opened the chicken box, I asked the viewers.
"Goblin roast, though…… Do humans really eat that these days?"
No…… I was genuinely curious. My past-life memories only go up to before gates appeared. The current Earth, with gates and otherworldly beings, is obviously different from what I remember. Societal shifts mean eating habits and food have changed too.
"Goblins aren't inedible if cleaned properly. They're just filthy, pollution-munching pests that make them unfit."
While bantering with viewers, the chicken box came into view. What emerged was the classic fried chicken.
The viewers seemed dissatisfied, so before digging in, I decided to explain.
"Children, you all eat this plenty, but this is essentially my first time."
As I always say, I've mostly forgotten my past-life memories. And those include the tastes of all sorts of foods from back then. So yeah, this is basically my chicken debut.
Can't afford it? ……How pitiful.
"Fried meat from a beast called chicken…… I'm looking forward to the taste."
I pick up a drumstick. Hot for humans, maybe, but not for this avatar body.
"Here goes."
Nom!
Minding the camera angle, I shove the drumstick in my mouth. And one big bite!
Crunch!
"Why call me?"
Crunch crunch!
I chew the drumstick, savoring the taste. Crispy fried batter. Juicy meat bursting out. Tender, chewable bones.
"Ho. Definitely tasty."
I pop the half-eaten drumstick whole into my mouth and chomp. The soft meat texture's great, and the bones add nice chew. So…… this is chicken.
Viewers are raging at how I'm eating the chicken. ……Why?
I analyzed tons of mukbangs to figure out what viewers like—angles, sounds, everything calculated.
"What's wrong? Did I mess up?"
"Why not? Bones are edible, right?"
At their words, I glanced down at the chicken. Then grabbed what looked like breast meat, shoved it whole in my mouth, and crunched.
Crunch!
"……Tasty, though?"
The bone-chew texture's the best part—why avoid it?
"I do."
"……Really?"
Pondering their words…… Come to think of it, most mukbangs I saw were boneless chicken. Rare bone-in ones existed, but I figured it was just preference. What if that assumption was wrong from the start?
"Humans…… can't eat bones?"
Dragons eat them fine…… I chomp bones with meat…… Having human past-life experience, I thought I'd be immune to cultural shocks—but this was my first.
But that's that, and this is this.
"Mm. Delicious."
I set aside the now-empty box, bones and all. Took a deep breath, and
Fwoosh!
Whoosh!
Just a paper box left anyway. Might as well burn it. A quick breath incinerated it, and I turned back to the camera.
"Fried chicken…… delicious."
So this is chicken? Hardly anyone dislikes it, and it lives up to the hype. Was this the taste I'd forgotten…….
"What do you mean 'done'?"
Before the viewers thinking it was over could react, I pulled out a new chicken box.
"Now that I've tried fried chicken, next up is seasoned chicken."
I opened the new box with a smile.
Crunch!