Viral Sensation and Stream Chaos
Part 1
Sena got the call from her editor right around the time Yuhan dragged himself upstairs to his room, saying he'd wash up first after getting home. As broadcast time loomed closer, her anxiety swelling with every passing minute, she gnawed at her lower lip—then tilted her head at her suddenly vibrating phone. What's gotten into her? The editor usually handled everything via text, so a phone call out of the blue was weird. Still, she picked it up.
And then...
"Unnie! Did you see the video went up on the channel?!"
The shrill voice hit her eardrum the second she pressed the phone to her ear. Who's this hyped when I'm dying of nerves over the collab? What's her deal?
"What, did it upload wrong or something?"
"No, nothing like that..."
"Then what?"
"W-well, just check it out yourself first."
One minute she was making a huge fuss like we'd gotten into some fancy university, and now her voice was shrinking? With nothing better to do but watch the clock anyway, Sena clicked into Vtube. She typed in her own name and pulled up the channel—and...
"...Huh?"
That's when it hit her. Something was off. The first thing that jumped out was the subscriber count plastered right there on the channel banner. That stubborn number that hadn't budged for months, the one that told her exactly where she stood as a Vtuber's harshest truth—it had changed. Specifically, it had skyrocketed. Big time. No need to dig back far; she'd last checked it this morning. And in that time, it'd gained a whopping 10,000 subscribers.
But that was just the appetizer. The real shock was elsewhere.
"...This a glitch or what?"
She couldn't help blurting it out. A video uploaded less than an hour ago had an insane view count. No way.
"How the hell...?"
"Well... I kinda grabbed a screenshot of your little bro's part to stir up some buzz and spread it around..."
Sena nearly snapped that she hadn't asked for it, but swallowed the words. With Yuhan's face in the video, this was bound to happen eventually.
"Then some foreigner must've posted it on Reddit."
"Reddit? That site a bunch of foreigners use...?"
"Yeah, that's the one. Anyway, it blew up there."
Sena clicked the video and checked the comments—yep, English ones outnumbered the Korean ones. Apparently, it rubbed the regulars the wrong way, sparking a random Korea vs. America showdown. That explained the impossible views in under an hour.
Nothing beat watching fights or fires for entertainment—and here, you got both at once. Probably some Korean spotted the foreigner spam, crossposted to a community site, and boom: views exploded.
"Block the comments?"
"Nah... Leave 'em for now."
This was an opportunity. The war would escalate, the buzz would grow. Guilt twinged at exploiting Yuhan, but she'd repay him properly. That was only fair after his tough call for her sake.
What to get him... Pocket money? Appearance fee? She could afford it, but cash felt too transactional. Settled on a gift instead—better than straight money.
Or does he prefer cash? She did, but Yuhan never showed material greed. They'd lived together 12 years, but he was just wired that way—not out of consideration. Early on, it'd caused hilarious mishaps.
If your backpack rips, say something! Why keep lugging it around...?
A bitter smile at the memory, then she thanked the editor and hung up. Her nail-biting anxiety eased a bit.
While Sena psyched herself up, what was Yuhan doing...?
"Hiss..."
He groaned, pain shooting up his thighs. Fuck, this hurts. No joke—like he'd been beaten with a rod. Every muscle throbbed. Better than sprawled on the gym chair earlier, though—that felt like death. One perk: confirmed this body was fragile as hell. Weaker than expected, courtesy of Jina's workout. Just 1.5 hours, toned-down for his level—and still wrecked. How'd he even go to school? Piggyback rides from Jina or Sena?
Desperate for stamina, he skipped drying his hair to scour the shop menu frantically. He'd skimmed before, but now deep dive.
Gotta find workout helpers...
Names were straightforward, but he clicked each to confirm.
And found these:
5,000,000 Cash (Consumable)
15,000,000 Cash
30,000,000 Cash
Cheapest at 5 mil—and consumable. 1kg supplement might last, but still pricey. He'd buy the booster once cash flowed, test it first.
Tonight's stream was key. How well he trolled would decide if he coasted through life.
Resolve firmed, he headed downstairs to Sena's studio. Stepped in—and got booted.
"You nuts? Change clothes."
"Didn't you say dress comfy?"
"...Just do it!"
Too casual, apparently. Switched to shirt and slacks—rejected again.
"This too?"
"I-it'll be cold. AC's blasting all stream—think you can tough it?"
"Blanket it is."
"No way."
Finally, hoodie and jeans got a nod.
"So? Anything I can help with?"
"Prep's done before you came. Just don't freak when it starts."
Her big worry: him freezing up. Who knew? First time for him too.
Need a chill pill? Shop had one—bought and swallowed in the bathroom. Cash dipped to 30k, but better than bombing.
Worth every 200k penny. Heart slowed from jackhammer to steady in seconds. Calm settled. No panic now.
Or so he thought...
"What? Say that again?"
Under 10 minutes to go—disaster struck. Soria, the collab partner, had an emergency.
"Ugh... The water purifier. Trying to fix it."
"Hang tight an hour? Do something else? Pls?"
"One hour tops?"
"Tight, but..."
"I'll stall. Text when fixed."
"Thanks!!"
Soria's cats, Chiki and Chacara, struck: Chiki yanked the cord, smashed the purifier. Water flooded, turning her place into a waterpark. Pic she sent? Living room puddle party, cats lapping it up. Hilarious to outsiders—totally got the delay, but still panic-inducing.
Sena chucked her phone on the desk, gnawing her nails.
"Stop. You'll bleed."
Pulled her hand away—she switched to lip-biting.
He intervened: "Just tell viewers the truth, ask what they wanna see. Or Q&A with me to kill time."
"That'd be..."
"Got another idea?"
No shot. 30 minutes left? Improv possible. Now? Under 5. And ticking down.
Fill-in content that fast? Even Sena'd struggle.
As she pondered, doom time hit—
In that somewhat chaotic vibe, Sena's stream kicked off.