Shall I Give Streaming a Shot?
Shall I try streaming?
What could it be? Just like last time, Suihwa only hit me up out of the blue when something important was going on.
Ah. If it's this kind of worry, it's totally understandable. I don't really care if my face gets out there, but most people are super sensitive about that stuff.
Portrait rights aren't a thing for no reason.
But I'm fine with it. Sure, since I'm not a streamer, having my face spread around bugs me a little, but if it's unavoidable exposure, I just roll with it. What's done is done—what good does complaining do besides ruining my mood? Especially when Suihwa went out of her way to get the sponsors to blur it out.
Suihwa's a good person at heart—she's just not the sharpest when it comes to reading the room.
Even now, it blew my mind that I'd gotten chummy with those guys at the drinking party. Never imagined it'd turn out like this.
Fair enough. Anyone who knows me would be shocked. Me, voluntarily hitting up a drinking party? And a crowded one at that.
If there hadn't been anyone on my wavelength, I'd have read the room and bailed early. I'm not big on crowds anyway.
She really needs to kick that habit of worrying about everything. She's come a long way from the old days... but still a work in progress. Plenty of rough edges left, I guess.
At least I can see her changing—that's what's important.
If I couldn't, I probably wouldn't have stuck around as her big-bro figure. Back then... man, it was rough.
With those thoughts swirling, I closed my eyes.
Break time had finally arrived. And yeah, it was boring as hell.
Drawing in my cramped room had its limits. Maybe I needed something more stimulating.
...Ever since that stream with Suihwa, nothing really scratches the itch anymore.
Was it the dopamine hit from her broadcast? Regular stuff just wasn't cutting it anymore. Always felt a bit short.
"Hmm..."
What to do? I barely knew anyone. Sure, I'd made a few new connections lately, but we weren't close enough for hangouts. Nothing specific to do anyway.
Lying there zoning out, my mind kept drifting back to Japan. I'd impulsively taken Suihwa's invite to AniCon, run into Kashio Yuu there, and even ended up illustrating a volume cover and interiors at her suggestion. Compared to that thrill, this was painfully dull. No peripheral nerve tingles at all.
"...Sigh."
What now? I'd already stocked up drawings for my Sino account—no point grinding more.
Wasting time like that, a sudden impulse hit.
...Should I try streaming?
Streaming—like Suihwa's internet broadcasts. I'd never even considered it before, clueless about the tech. But after guesting on her stream and getting hooked on the vibe, the idea kept popping up.
Not planning to go pro like her. Just a hobby. Seemed harmless.
Two hours a day, tops.
No one would watch anyway. Perfect boredom killer.
On that whim, I started googling streaming setups.
My PC's top-tier, so that should be fine.
Not a hardware expert, but I'd dropped about two million won on it. Should suffice.
"No cam though."
Hobby stream—no need to show my face.
Quick searches, and settings were done. Suihwa was a pro, but I wanted to keep this secret. Hated getting caught.
Clicky-click. Setup complete—ready to go live.
Then it hit me.
...What do I even do on stream?
Impulsively set everything up, but no plan. Suihwa always came prepared.
Pondering that, my screen tablet caught my eye. Suddenly, I felt stupid for overthinking.
I don't game much anyway. All I do is watch anime or draw. Why was I stressing?
Feeling like an idiot, I set the title.
Drawing Pictures
Too bland.
Drawing Pics
Still meh. Needs a hook.
...Reveal I'm Sino? Nah, too risky. Embarrassing to say it myself, and the floodgates would open. Secret stays secret. Attention-seeking has limits.
So, something attention-grabbing...
"Ah."
Idea.
Drawing Pics (Otaku Talk Welcome Come!)
Otaku talk. Only thing besides drawing I'm good at. Never met anyone deeper into anime/manga than me.
Locked in. Double-checked.
Drawing Pics (Otaku Talk Welcome Come!)
"Not bad."
Solid title. Now, username.
What to pick?
Brain fart. After agonizing...
"Screw it."
Just use my name. No better ideas coming.
Yujin88
Yujin was taken, so random numbers. Bonus: throws off age guessers.
Click.
> Broadcast Started
And just like that, I went live without a second thought.
About an hour into drawing solo. Viewers: still zero.
Makes sense. Who watches a guy draw alone? Not serializing manga, just amateur scribbles.
Can't reveal I'm Sino anyway.
That'd spike viewers, but risk real-life friends piecing it together. Off-limits.
"Yawn..."
Eh, it's a hobby stream. Think of it as talking to myself with the mic on.
Kept going.
"Might as well go all-in on the details since I'm drawing."
Plenty of break time left.
Scribble-scribble. Mid-detailing—
> Viewers: 1
"Oh. Hey there."
My first viewer ever. Felt nostalgic—like the first commenter on my Sino account.
That one stuck with me too.
I still remembered that user's handle.
Anyway.
"Planning to draw base stuff, then chat when viewers show up."
Huh? Why ask that? Otaku topics have limits anyway.
No harm in clarifying.
"Japanese anime? Go as deep as you want. We all know the stuff."
Like they'd know more than me.
Right after—
Suspicious. Then poof—gone from chat.
Troll? Ambiguous vibe.
Then—
> Viewers: 10
Viewers exploded. From 1 to 10.