Hot in Summer, Cold in Winter
Hearing a barrage of foul profanities burst from such an adorably delicate voice made Jo Meohyeop collapse in uproarious laughter. The viewers in chat went into absolute hysterics as well.
“Man, your comedic instincts are utterly alive!”
Jo Meohyeop clapped his hands with delight. Had he not been lying down inside a virtual reality capsule, he would have stood up and given her an ovation. When it came to profanity, timing was everything; hurling curses at people who undeniably had it coming was the most satisfying thing in the world.
Of course, So Rihwa had not calculated any of it. She had simply cursed out the toxic viewers for being genuinely repulsive. The certainty that she would never see any of these people again had played a major role in her boldness. Without that reassurance, an online keyboard warrior like Rihwa would never have dared to let loose such blistering vitriol.
“…This is humiliating. Could you hurry up and turn off the stream?”
When Jo Meohyeop kept laughing instead of cutting the broadcast, So Rihwa shrank back and muttered timidly. That sudden contrast only drove the chat into an even wilder frenzy.
“That was legendary. Alright, I'm wrapping up the stream here for today.”
Marveling in admiration, Jo Meohyeop ended the broadcast. Keeping it live would have surely brought in a flood of donations, but cutting it off at the perfect peak left the audience craving more, guaranteeing they would return. Besides, So Rihwa had specifically requested him to shut it down.
“Great work today, Wadeulwadeul-nim.”
“Yes, yes. Thank you so much.”
The moment the broadcast went dark, Jo Meohyeop offered his parting words, and So Rihwa politely accepted them.
“I really want to apologize once more for doubting you earlier.”
“It's fine. Honestly, I didn't think I'd play that well either.”
Truth be told, So Rihwa had been just as stunned by her own movement and aim. If anything, the in-game characters had felt too sluggish to keep up with her reflexes. That was simply how peerless her martial prowess truly was. Having never had the opportunity to demonstrate it to anyone or compare herself against others, she had remained blissfully oblivious until now.
“Ah, right. If you send me your account number, I'll transfer the two million liang bounty along with all the donations that came in today. Platform fees will be deducted, of course, but it should still be a tidy sum.”
“Pardon? Wasn't it supposed to be a fifty-fifty split?”
“I was quite rude to you today. Giving you everything is the only way I'll be able to sleep with a clear conscience.”
So Rihwa hesitated for a brief second. While she couldn't keep track of everything mid-match, she distinctly recalled donations detonating across the screen from the moment the cheat accusations were cleared until the stream ended. Taking all of that felt a little burdensome, but she was hardly in a position to be picky about money.
“Then... I'll accept it gratefully.”
“Awesome. And one more thing.”
“Yes?”
“How would you feel about trying your hand at streaming?”
“Excuse me?”
Jo Meohyeop hurled a direct fastball right at her chest. As So Rihwa stood tongue-tied from the shock, he pressed on.
“Your gaming mechanics are obviously insane, but that closing line totally tore the roof off. That kind of entertainment instinct is born, not made.”
“…Umm.”
“Have you never considered streaming before?”
So Rihwa paused at the question, then decided to answer honestly.
“I've thought about it. But I never had the cash for broadcasting gear, and after getting back from part-time work, I was always too exhausted to bother. Besides, VR capsules have basically become essential equipment for streaming these days, and not being able to afford one was the biggest hurdle.”
“Well, isn't that problem completely solved now?”
“I suppose it is.”
She hadn't completely dismissed the idea of streaming after receiving the VR capsule. Yet her introverted disposition made stepping before a crowd intimidating, and with the immediate pressures of overdue rent, utility bills, and grocery costs bearing down on her, diving into streaming—which offered no guarantee of quick income—felt like a reckless gamble.
“The V12 I sent you comes with all the streaming functions built right in. It's the latest flagship model, after all.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. I'm using the exact same model right now. If VR gaming is going to be your main content anyway, there's no need to buy any extra gear.”
“…That makes sense.”
“I'm telling you, you'll blow up for sure. I've been in this game for years, and my gut about these things is never wrong. If you start broadcasting now, I can back you up too.”
“What kind of backup?”
“You know, hosting your channel, doing collaborative streams, stuff like that. Of course, some haters will throw a fit and claim you're leeching off me, but if you want to grow your channel size, dealing with a few antis is just par for the course.”
Jo Meohyeop rattled off words like rapid-fire bursts. So Rihwa mulled it over before a sudden thought gave her pause.
“Why are you going this far for me?”
“Huh?”
“We only played one game together, so I don't understand why you'd offer all that support. If you host me or do collabs, you'll end up getting dragged through the mud right alongside me.”
That single question convinced Jo Meohyeop that her claims of extreme poverty were the absolute truth. For those born with dirt spoons in their mouths, trust was invariably the very first thing stripped away: trust in fellow humans, trust in love, and trust in sheer goodwill.
“Well, partly because I feel terrible about falsely accusing you, and partly because I just want to help out. Honestly, it's virtually no effort on my end, but it could make a world of difference for you, Wadeulwadeul-nim. Is that reason not good enough?”
“…I suppose. To be frank, I've never received this kind of help before, so I wouldn't know.”
“Then let yourself receive it this once. It's not like I'm trying to pull a scam on you, right?”
“Well... that's true.”
Even as she conceded, So Rihwa couldn't entirely wrap her head around it. In both her past life and her present one, people who approached wearing masks of benevolence almost always turned out to be human garbage. In the two years since she had descended the mountain in this life, she had encountered more vile trash than she cared to count.
Whenever she looked for work, the men trying to lure her in with sweet, silver-tongued promises were almost invariably operators of illegal nightlife establishments. She had even overheard revolting remarks about how, to certain niche tastes, a frail, pale-haired girl like her was 'SSS-grade merchandise.'
Once, when she was desperately strapped for cash, she had harbored a sliver of hope and followed one of them, only to be shoved into a dimly lit parlor and ordered to pour drinks. Naturally, she had beaten every single burly thug in the room to a bloody pulp before casually walking out.
Just this once...
Should she take the leap and trust him? That thought crossed her mind. In truth, despite keeping her guard perpetually raised, So Rihwa had a lingering habit of putting faith in people. From being born an orphan to crossing paths with vicious scoundrels, she had suffered through every misfortune imaginable. It seemed fundamentally unfair for the universe never to send a single stroke of good luck her way. And undeniably, Jo Meohyeop had already delivered an astonishing blessing into her hands: the V12 capsule.
“Maybe... I'll give it a shot.”
“You made the right call. You obviously don't need it right now, but once your channel grows bigger, I'll introduce you to an MCN.”
“An MCN?”
“It's like a management agency that looks after streamers.”
So Rihwa chuckled dryly. Counting her chickens before they hatched—or rather, since this was the Central Plains, gulping down an entire bowl of spicy mala broth before anyone had even offered a single dumpling.
“We don't even know if it'll succeed, so talking about agencies already is a bit much.”
“I'm telling you, it's a guaranteed hit.”
Jo Meohyeop reasserted with an intensity that bordered on overwhelming.
“Alright, I get it for now.”
“Great. You're going to stream Royal Commando, right?”
“Most likely.”
“Then the setup is a piece of cake. Just log into your Ogogok account, toggle the streaming option on, and link it with your V12. Whatever you see will be broadcast directly. The V12's interface is super intuitive, so you won't need any complex explanations.”
“Ah, okay. I'll give it a try. Thank you.”
“You're very welcome, Wadeulwadeul-nim. Rest up after today's marathon.”
“Yes, you too, Jo Meohyeop-nim.”
So Rihwa severed the call and stepped out of the virtual reality capsule. Even after lying inside for hours, the memory-foam cushioning left her back without an ounce of soreness. Her head was just a little dazed. Everything that had unfolded over the past few hours felt oddly like a dream.
“Ah, right.”
Snapping out of her stupor, So Rihwa suddenly remembered the most urgent task at hand: sending Jo Meohyeop her bank account number.
Barely a minute after she texted the details, a deposit notification flashed onto her screen. A bank deposit alert never failed to deliver an electrifying rush.
Deposit Confirmed: +3,500,000 Liang
Sender: Jo Meohyeop
“…Huh?”
So Rihwa squinted at her smartphone screen. The figure staring back at her defied all expectations. The amount of silver credited to her account was an astounding 3,500,000 liang.
So Rihwa had immediately fired off a message, but Jo Meohyeop replied with lightning speed. Did that mean she had earned a whopping 1,500,000 liang in donations alone over the course of three hours?
People always said top-tier streamers raked in cash, and apparently, the rumors didn't lie. A swell of ambition grand enough to dwarf her petite frame suddenly welled up inside her. If she succeeded as a streamer, could she really earn this kind of money? Her circuits of hope overheated so fiercely that it felt as though her Nine Yin Severed Meridians might be cured right then and there.
Of course, reality was never that accommodating. The instant the thought crossed her mind, a violent seizure struck without warning.
“Aargh... Okay, okay, I get it!”
Hurriedly apologizing to her spiteful Nine Yin Severed Meridians, So Rihwa popped her medication and swallowed it down.
With the medicine kicking in, she eased herself gently onto the mattress. The bed's springs were broken, meaning flopping onto it would result in bruising pain.
“Heh... hehe...”
Lying motionless, So Rihwa couldn't stop a goofy grin from spreading across her lips. Holding the colossal sum of 3,500,000 liang of silver for the first time in ages brought an involuntary giggle to her throat.
With a substantial windfall in hand, an urgent checklist formed in her mind. She needed to replenish her meridian-suppression pills, pay off her overdue rent, and check the Central Plains' largest social commerce platform, the Grand Canal, to see which canned foods were on bundle discount.
“…Hmm.”
Every single one of those errands was undeniably crucial, yet there was one task that superseded all the others.
“Ugh, such a hassle, though.”
So Rihwa rested the back of her hand against her cold forehead and stared up at the cracked ceiling. It was the aftermath of her furious blanket kick when Shaolin Temple stocks crashed into oblivion. While a brisk draft seeped through the fissures, having reached the realm of Immunity to Cold and Heat meant external temperatures posed little concern to her. Come to think of it, she hadn't mentioned the damage to her landlord yet. Telling him now would definitely result in a demand for repair costs, so she decided it was best left for later.
For now, it was time to step outside for the first time in a while. Unlike her usual excursions to scrape together pennies, today she was going out to spend. Naturally, her attire had to reflect the occasion. For a day just like this, she had carefully curated a secret weapon: her 'Clothing Donation Box Collection.'
“Alright.”
Having picked out and donned her full ensemble, So Rihwa admired her reflection in the half-length mirror that somehow managed to fit her entire petite frame.
A crisp white T-shirt stamped with a glaring luxury brand logo across the chest, luxury sweatpants emblazoned with flashy designer patterns, white sneakers, and a sleek black baseball cap.
It was the ultimate getup for flexing.