059. Promise
059. Promise
The rain poured down more fiercely with each passing day.
Because of that, I holed up inside for a while and only did casual chat streams from time to time.
I hadn't been able to schedule the postponed promise either.
After all, I didn't want to go outside even with an umbrella.
It wasn't an urgent appointment anyway.
‘...But I didn't hear the sound of rain today. Had it finally stopped?’
Late morning.
I woke up, got out of bed, and walked over to the window.
Then I pulled back the blackout curtains to check the weather outside.
A blue sky without a single cloud was revealed.
‘It stopped? I thought the weather bureau said it would keep raining until next week.’
I unlocked the window and opened it wide.
At that, the humidity that had built up from days of rain vanished as if evaporating, and fresh air filled the room.
‘As expected, the weather bureau's forecasts couldn't be trusted.’
I decided that was enough ventilation for now.
Thud.
I closed the window again and even pulled the blackout curtains shut to block out the outside.
‘If I left it open, I might feel that strange gaze again, so I'd keep it covered.’
Lately, I'd been living with the curtains always drawn like this.
I didn't know if it was just my imagination.
Recently, I'd been feeling a strange gaze from outside the window pretty often.
‘Just in case, I needed to tell Gomdori to pay more attention to surveillance.’
Well, anyway.
Since the weather had cleared up, I could finally schedule the meeting.
I hadn't set an order because it was a pain.
I just had to make the rounds of calls and meet whoever was free first.
I immediately looked up the contacts and called the people I had promised to meet.
***
Inside the second-floor sub-bedroom.
Gomdori hurriedly sat down at the computer and connected to the streaming platform.
［I have to log in quickly!］
Gomdori was acting on Gye Se-hun's orders.
The order was to start the broadcast in ten minutes.
［Logged in!］
Even though there was still time to spare,
there was one reason Gomdori was making such a fuss and rushing.
That reason was to send an email to some of the Fixed Viewers, telling them the broadcast was about to start.
[Turning on the stream now!]
┗Gye Bastard-hun stream in ten minutes!
Gomdori quickly sent the mail out to the viewers.
There was a story behind this behavior.
A few days ago, on a day Gye Se-hun took a day off from streaming.
While doing a game stream, Gomdori secretly made a whispered proposal to a few viewers.
The proposal was that before Gye Se-hun started his broadcast,
Gomdori would give them advance notice in exchange for them buying Gomdori a game avatar once a month.
The viewers who received that proposal were:
Hottie Licker.
Qkrnfl892.
BigGirl.
Se-hun Defense Force.
These four viewers, who also happily watched Gomdori's game streams.
For reference, Bubblegum Collector received special treatment.
Gomdori had been secretly sending them emails for a long time, for free, without receiving things like avatars.
Giving them special treatment was only natural.
Because when Gomdori first started gaming, Bubblegum Collector was the 'game mentor' who kindly taught Gomdori how to play.
Anyway, after Gomdori sent out the mail like that, replies from the viewers arrived before long.
[Sender: Hottie Licker]
┗Thanks, Gyejipsa! Schluuurp!
[Sender: Qkrnfl892]
┗Thx lol
[Sender: BigGirl]
┗Thank you.
[Sender: Se-hun Defense Force]
┗lol you actually sent it. Thanks thanks.
[Sender: Bubblegum Collector]
┗Warkyarpya!!!
Even though they had an entry code,
the reason the viewers went so far as to buy Gomdori avatars just to get into the stream faster was simple.
It was just to block new people from coming in.
It was a dark and twisted desire born from possessiveness—the wish that no more people would watch Gye Se-hun's streams.
［I'm picking an avatar! Heu-hee!］
Gomdori was simply exploiting that desire very well.
***
After getting in the truck to go to the meeting place,
I fixed the camera to the driver's seat and checked the stream on my smartphone.
‘It felt like way more than ten minutes had passed; what the hell was that bastard Gomdori doing, not turning on the stream?’
I was thinking that when,
right on cue, the broadcast started, and the viewers began entering at lightspeed.
【Reformed Guburi】─Kuaaaak!
【Yoho】─2nd!
【Hottie Licker】─Do Guburi and Yoho use some kinda hack program? Fuck, why are you so fast?
【Qkrnfl892】─Hehe.
【BigGirl】─Hello.
【Bubblegum Collector】─Wakyapya! Nice to see ya!
【Gyejipsa】─Wakyapya!
【Se-hun Defense Force】─hi hi! But seriously, what is Guburi. Is that the power of a veteran NEET?
【Reverse-Rape Maniac】─Phew. I got in today. Standing by 24 hours is hard as hell.
【Semen Thief】─Oh-wa!
【Drift AI】─I speak. I say hello.
【Dick Lover】─Ah fuck, the entry limit was on, so I used a code to get in.
【Min-ji】─Hello! I got in with a code too. T.T
【Plum Tree】─Looks like I'm the latest.
There were fourteen viewers today in total.
Among them, one new viewer also caught my eye.
It was the tenth viewer to enter, named 'Semen Thief'.
‘The members on this platform all had names that were anything but ordinary.’
I had no intention of taking issue with the nickname.
After all, there were viewers like Dick Lover and Reverse-Rape Maniac.
Besides, restricting nicknames was a violation of freedom of expression.
【Reformed Guburi】─The four of you who came in with codes, just fuck off.
【Hottie Licker】─Real talk lol. You lost the original spirit. Ptui!
【Se-hun Defense Force】─Ah. It's because you were late that one new person got in.
【Qkrnfl892】─Right. Newbies are only supposed to be seen during event streams. -.-
【Bubblegum Collector】─Wakyapya! These fucks' territorial attitude is insane!
【Semen Thief】─O_O?
【Reformed Guburi】─You fuckin' musty cunt, why are you acting cute? You wanna get smacked the fuck up?
【Semen Thief】─What's this idiot saying. Lol.
【Reformed Guburi】─Oh? You called me an idiot? Wanna meet up and throw down? For your info, I'm damn good at fighting.
【Semen Thief】─Lol I'm good at fighting too.
Guburi was suddenly picking a fight with the new viewer.
It was a sight befitting an internet tyrant.
【Reformed Guburi】─Just you wait. I'll track your IP and find your house. I've already gotten a rough trace on your home address. You live in South Korea, right?
【Semen Thief】─Lol of course I live in South Korea.
【Reformed Guburi】─And you live in Seoul, right?
【Semen Thief】─?? How did you know that?
【Reformed Guburi】─Oh lol.
【Semen Thief】─???
【Reformed Guburi】─What, you fucker. Lol, I'm telling you I'm really tracing your IP. I'm digging up your personal info as a bonus. Your gender's female, right? Under 40?
【Semen Thief】─Are you really tracing me?
【Reformed Guburi】─Yeah lol. Have you only ever been fooled your whole life?
【Semen Thief】─Ah... I'm sorry. I just thought you were joking around. I won't act cutesy ever again. Please just let me off this once.
【Reformed Guburi】─Lol. Since you apologized, I'll let you off. Don't get cocky from now on. When you see a senior, you greet them politely.
【Semen Thief】─Okay. Hello.
【Reformed Guburi】─That's better.
【Min-ji】─What is this, a drill instructor...?
【Hottie Licker】─LOLOL 'that's better' wtf.
【Bubblegum Collector】─Wakyapya! Now the viewers are pulling seniority on each other!
【Reverse-Rape Maniac】─What? Guburi's a hacker too?
【Plum Tree】─As if they'd be a hacker.
【Drift AI】─I speak. I say there are too many stupid humans in this place.
【Dick Lover】─The blockheads keep multiplying.
The viewer called Semen Thief was probably a young kid.
Or maybe someone a little lacking.
"Guburi, don't bully the newbie. If you don't wanna get dead."
【Reformed Guburi】─lol k
After giving Guburi a moderate warning,
I explained today's stream schedule.
To roughly summarize:
I had made lunch and dinner appointments.
The drive to the meeting place would be boring, so I'd do a driving stream.
I wouldn't broadcast from the restaurant.
It was that kind of content.
The reason I wouldn't stream while eating was simply to avoid it, since it could inconvenience the other party.
"Ah. And I'll leave the stream on, so while I'm eating, just watch Gyejipsa's game stream or something."
【Bubblegum Collector】─Wakyapya! I gotta go to a PC bang ahead of time! Let's duo!
【Gyejipsa】─Wakyapya! We can't, the tiers don't match!
【Bubblegum Collector】─Do it on a sub account, you ungrateful bastard.
【Gyejipsa】─Wakyapya...
【Plum Tree】─Ah. Gyejipsa's stream is no fun though.
【Dick Lover】─I'll just go work out or something during that time.
【Reformed Guburi】─Not gonna watch Gyejipsa, the bastard sucks too much. Lol.
【Yoho】─I guess I'll go wash up while Gyejipsa is streaming. heh.
【Hottie Licker】─But who's the appointment with?
"That's none of your business, is it."
【Hottie Licker】─Ptui.
【Qkrnfl892】─lol
【Min-ji】─Are you going to meet Cheerful Namsu maybe? hehe
【Qkrnfl892】─Nope. lol
After that, I started the engine, pulled out of the garage, and headed for the meeting place.
***
I arrived at the meeting place.
The place was the Gwangneung Bulgogi Restaurant, which I had visited once a long time ago.
‘I'd gotten here faster than I'd thought. Well, it was better than being late.’
There were still twenty minutes until the appointment time.
But the other person might have arrived early too, so I decided not to wait in the car and headed straight for the front of the restaurant.
"I'm heading out now."
【Reformed Guburi】─Don't go, fuuuaack!!!
【Hottie Licker】─Let me lick you just a little longer...
【Qkrnfl892】─lol Come back quick.
【Yoho】─Please come back safely T.T.
【Plum Tree】─Don't be too late.
【Reverse-Rape Maniac】─Viewer neglect play. Ddd.
【Semen Thief】─Good-bye for now.
【Min-ji】─At least take a taser with you.
【BigGirl】─Min-ji, he's just going out to eat...
【Dick Lover】─Come back alive. I'll be waiting.
【Se-hun Defense Force】─Sigh. This feeling, like sending off a lover...
【Bubblegum Collector】─Wakyapya! Someone's gonna think Se-hun's heading off to war!
【Gyejipsa】─Wakyapya! Now it's my time!
【Drift AI】─I speak. I say I will continue to watch over you through the restaurant's CCTV.
I parked the car in the parking lot just like that.
After saying my goodbyes to the viewers, I headed for the restaurant.
Of course, I left the camera in the car, too.
*
*
*
In front of the restaurant entrance,
next to the uniformed police chief, a soldier waved their hand vigorously, greeting me.
"Oh! Gye-Swaeri-hun!"
That soldier was Eight-Nine-Two, a viewer of my stream.
And behind Eight-Nine-Two,
I could see other soldiers standing there, smiling awkwardly.
It looked like they were the squadmates Eight-Nine-Two had brought along.