Hiatus Blues and a Familiar Stream Voice

Was Oppa streaming? I could deal with him sticking around longer, but if I had to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pick the biggest issue, it was Yuu's living situation. It wasn't like I could tell her to pack her bags now and crash at some nearby guesthouse.

This means I gotta set up the place a bit. It wasn't just for a day or two—this was a whole week. I'd probably need to tweak the apartment layout to make it comfy for her. Clear out some workspace so she could sit next to me, tidy it all up nice and neat. That should do it.

Anyway.

"How's the serialization going?"

Yuu wasn't done with her manga yet; she was actively posting Electric Man in real-time. And now she was planning to stay in Korea for a week? It made me a little uneasy.

She answered brightly when I asked.

"On hiatus..!"

"Ah."

This was a problem. A hiatus? As a fan of Electric Man even before I knew her personally, I couldn't accept that.

So I asked carefully.

"My setup here's pretty good. You could draw from here, I think."

"Hmm..?"

Yuu seemed to mull it over for a second—

"Ahaha.."

She scooted away from me cautiously. Looked like she really didn't want to serialize.

Couldn't blame her. From what I knew, she hadn't taken many breaks before. With this trip happening, she probably wanted a chance to pause.

But.

..Even so, skipping serialization is kinda iffy. From my perspective, it didn't sit right. No matter the artist's circumstances, a hiatus on a series you're following isn't fun for readers.

"No no..!"

I was about to suggest drawing ahead here, but her expression said she wouldn't listen. I gave up. Forcing someone who hated it that much could backfire.

*

"Die die!!!"

I had no idea how many days I'd been grinding just Minecraft. I was losing my mind. I'd only meant to practice lightly before the streamer server opened, but the time dragged on ridiculously.

I never knew I was this bad at games..

I knew I had no talent for games, but I hadn't thought I'd be this hopelessly awful. It was absurd.

"I'm seriously gonna die. Why does this game take forever.."

-Throwing stones at this sweaty Minecraft noob on day 3 lol

"The 1,000-won punch felt good at first, but getting hit with it for days is wrecking my brain.."

My goal was the endgame boss, the Ender Dragon, but I hadn't even reached its dimension yet. The monster I was facing off against right now was just a skeleton.

Whing!

"Ack."

How was this random mob so good with a bow? Was this even fair? It should miss sometimes.

I'd been shield-blocking and staring it down for who knows how long when—

Ping!

Dead. After 36 hours straight over three days.

"Gaaah.."

Of course, the YouTube reactions were great—every upload racked up insane views. But honestly, it felt like cyber torture. Like slowly searing my brain with a hot iron.

"Gonna take a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠quick break, just a sec.. I'm dying here."

I got permission from the viewers and took a short break. But that didn't mean I could just sit idle. Break from the game, not the stream.

"Gonna check out some other streams for a bit."

Watching another stream while yours is live is taboo, but it's allowed if they have 'browsing permitted' enabled.

"This one's.. no, this one too.. nope.."

Sip. Yeah, not easy to find. Most streamers turned off browsing permission.

I scrolled down who knows how far until I hit streams averaging 300 viewers.

Hmm. Maybe just go back to the game. Jumping into a random stream and bantering felt awkward anyway.

That was when I spotted it.

Yujin? Same name as Oppa. Common name, sure.

A bit curious, I checked the browsing permission.

"Oh."

Browsing allowed. What about the title?

"Hold up. Can't pass this one."

Mentioning the title lit up the chat instantly. Probably 'cause Twis viewers were heavy into subculture stuff. The energy was on another level.

Stream title's pretty clickbaity though. Titles like that don't last long.

"Browsing allowed, so let's hop in."

I was burned out on games and craving dopamine, so this was perfect. I jumped in right away.

A voice came through.

-I've been to Japan a ton, and when I asked random people passing by, they said hoglin.

"..."

I needed to type something, but words wouldn't come. I was too shocked.

Why was Oppa here? 'Yujin 88'—I'd doubted it, but he was streaming. With that many viewers too.

And.

Who's the other one? The title said 'Japanese local.' Did Oppa know a Japanese person? Impossible. He barely made Korean friends, let alone Japanese ones.

So I stayed quiet for now.

Definitely Oppa Yujin. No way I'd forget that voice.

Anyway. When would the Japanese person speak? I waited cautiously.

And then—

-Umm.. I think Crimson is definitely stronger..

The Japanese voice I'd been waiting for hit my ears.

"Huh?"

I let out a gasp without thinking. Total shock.

Oppa making a Japanese friend was wild enough—but a girl? My brain froze solid; words failed.

As I panicked—

The toxic viewers had invaded Oppa Yujin's stream.

Ah. Now I couldn't pretend I didn't notice.

"Haa..."