Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Join Us (2nd Try)
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There is one literary work that is particularly revered like scripture among people who share a specific hobby.
In the first chapter of that literature, the angel says that everything has its cause and effect.
Cause and effect, literally the origin and the result.
Kang Nari could hypothesize a very specific example of this.
One day, you encounter a girl who is soft on the inside but tough on the outside.
She seems to suffer from various mental illnesses at first glance,
and given her weakness to monetary temptation, you can guess she lived in poverty.
And recently, you learn she grew up alone in an orphanage and had a unfortunate childhood.
This is the point where the odd sense of disconnect from the past that Kang Nari had brushed off resurfaces.
Social phobia.
The girl said it didn't stem from school bullying.
Feminine avoidance tendencies.
Rejection of compliments on her appearance, aversion to sweet treats, insistence on neutral clothing, and even abandoning basic grooming like brushing or drying her messy hair.
Gathering these results points to one horrific cause.
'...Could it be she particularly hated sexual harassment in the chat too...?'
Kang Nari had heard shady comments since entering the entertainment industry as a child.
But she had parents and an agency to protect her from such remarks.
Then what about Yoo Seo-ha, born with that appearance but without a single guardian?
She must have endured it relentlessly her whole life.
Kang Nari hurriedly stopped her rash speculation.
Whether true or false, just imagining it was a huge discourtesy to the person involved.
It was the kind of thing you should never pry into.
Of course, if she told Yoo Seo-ha about these delusions right now,
the response would probably be something like, 'Me? Sexual harassment? It's shitty just imagining it... but if it were true, I wouldn't have made dragon ball jokes like 'conni' or 'two mouths.'
Kang Nari, caught in confirmation bias, would twist even that counterevidence to fit her narrative.
Having successfully serialized a parody novel in her head, rookie author Kang Nari shook her head to clear her thoughts.
And to shake off the distractions, she deliberately thought of something else.
The subject changed, but the focus remained the same.
'She's always been slow typing in chat, though I've overlooked it until now...'
It seemed the story about injuring her hand as a child wasn't a lie.
Yet current Yoo Seo-ha was free enough with her hands to achieve a 2,750 rating.
An injury so severe she couldn't even hold chopsticks until adulthood, healed without any aftereffects?
It was beyond Kang Nari's common sense.
So perhaps it was some rare disease hard to even imagine.
Monster rookie author Kang Nari.
How long had it been since finishing her first work? She was already starting a sequel.
At least this time, the genre was modern fantasy mixed with reality, which was encouraging.
Thus, Kang Nari contracted the chronic illness all creators face.
Pity for a character with an unfortunate backstory.
This was the trigger for deciding to treat Seo-ha warmly from today on.
Knock knock!
"Seo-ha? It's me."
"Ah, Boss. You're here? Come in."
The reason for visiting Yoo Seo-ha's house was yesterday's promise.
She had agreed to turn on a personal broadcast tomorrow evening, so this was to help set it up.
"This is your room, Seo-ha?"
"Yes... It's a bit small, right?"
"Perfect for one person."
The first impression was surprisingly girly.
The wallpaper. The furniture. Just like the wallet she'd seen before, it was filled with a vibe a normal woman would have.
This fact added plausibility to the debut work she'd penned on the way here.
It meant she just didn't want to show femininity outwardly, but her actual tastes were ordinary like anyone else's.
Smooth.
"Why stroke me suddenly?"
"Hm. Just admiring how well you live alone?"
"You're at that age where maternal instincts kick in, huh..."
"You little brat! You think you won't age?!"
"Eubub...!!"
She couldn't hold back and grabbed both cheeks.
Oh no, she'd just resolved to be affectionate today.
But maintaining good intentions in front of Yoo Seo-ha was brutally hard.
"Ahem. Sorry. But aren't those lines just for during streams?"
"...Boss is a f...friend, so it's okay..."
"Argh. So cute."
"Guuuk. Uweeeek."
She couldn't help blurting out "cute" at the timid words.
How could someone be so two-faced?
Just when you think she's cheeky, she does something adorable, and when she's all cute, she spits out infuriating lines.
"When does Apprentice CK start, where you're competing, Boss?"
"Exactly one week left... Straight to the round of 16."
"No qualifiers, huh."
"Nope. They recruited 16 women around similar ratings from the start."
Of course, most Triachia women gamers knew each other.
They'd faced off in past tournaments or collabed before.
So Kang Nari wanted to prove something in this one.
Her round-of-16 opponent, a work colleague, had bragged about an easy 8-strong win.
"Kuhuk...! I'll win somehow and get revenge!! She sees me as such a joke...!!"
"Great motivation. Let's film an underdog rebellion?"
"Absolutely!!"
Three weeks of practice.
The solo week showed no improvement,
but the week with Yoo Seo-ha saw her grow beyond recognition.
No matter that the opponent was also training under ex-pros and pros...
She was now at a level to seriously aim top ranks.
"But Boss, do you know victory afterward is even more important?"
"...What do you mean?"
Glancing at Yoo Seo-ha, she wore that signature mischievous grin.
A chill ran down her spine.
Whenever that cute face showed that smile, it heralded an earth-shattering remark.
"Boss... Imagine this: After beating someone who ignored you, you rake them over the coals in chat..."
"I said I don't do that...!"
"Something like 'Bad condition today? Thought you'd defend since you built so hard early. ㅠ' How would she react?"
Gulp. Her ears perked up involuntarily.
She'd never say that to a total stranger, but they knew each other, right?
And the opponent had dissed her first—narrative stacked.
Even Kang Nari couldn't claim zero revenge urge after that humiliation.
"Then in the winner interview: 'Sorry I couldn't show the late-game I prepared so hard for.'
"You evil...!"
Unlike you, I practiced late-game, but you sucked so bad it ended before I could show it.
Bones-deep words.
How would the opponent feel? She'd need a dentist soon.
Teeth grinding down.
"Boss! Declare to the world...! Betting victory on the opponent is wrong—bet on you instead!"
"It's best of three, not single! What if I lose?!"
"Heh. Now you're not rejecting teabagging out of manners, but worrying about something else?"
"......"
"Don't worry. One more week like this... You'll 2-0 a 1,500 easy."
The dirty demon was leading Kang Nari to superstardom.
The problem? Her heart wavered.
If she really did it, viewers would flock.
The ridiculed weakling pulling a reversal? Massive buzz.
That meant stream growth.
"Etiquette? Respect? That's for the top dog. Overwhelming arrogance draws people in..."
"I'm hardly top dog material..."
"Tsk. Key point: It doesn't matter if you don't win."
Yoo Seo-ha clicked her tongue and shook her head.
As if winning wasn't the point.
"Possible? Teabag and lose, you're just a joke..."
"Average skill, good manners, invisible. Or shit skill but blew up viewers once for deep impression. Streamer-wise, who's better?"
She got it then.
Did she need to spell it out?
Even kids knew the latter wins.
Worst label in this biz: "boring."
Yoo Seo-ha had presented a way to boost inflows, tournament results aside.
"Boss...! I believe without doubt you have our talent. Join us...!"
Extended hand.
Kang Nari stared blankly.
Tempting, but hesitation.
Even with familiarity, teabagging was bad manners territory.
Mess up, and hate floods in.
Unlikable stamp? Fatal for a streamer.
Of course, with an expert PhD in "[How to Teabag Gracefully]" beside her, worry was low...
But caution was inevitable.
After agonizing...
She grabbed the hand.
"Just... for the tournament."
"Everyone starts that way."
"Feels like stepping into forbidden territory..."
"Welcome, comrade."
"Even you aren't that extreme!!"
They ate a late lunch together and finished setup.
Yoo Seo-ha insisted on chopsticks confidently,
but knelt before slippery stainless ones.
Ended up dipping sides.
"Hm. Guess buy wooden chopsticks."
"Not the issue... Anyway, I'm heading to the shop?"
"Yep. Thanks so much."
"Yeah! See you for evening collab."
Today's collab went as usual.
Mostly Yoo Seo-ha wrecking them, occasionally counterattacked.
Though those counters bounced off the orphan shield.
Thus, a smooth day passed.
Finally, broadcast day arrived.
.
.
.
"atem551. Let's see, you typed in Boss's chat: 'Wanna suck Seo-ha's tiny fingers slurrrp ㅎㅎ'."
"Barcode users in Triachia? I spot 'em easy. Banned for 'I'll mass 500 sub-units to praise your body~'."
"Our room: Say 'broth' and you're banned. Especially you—no nick change, no release."
Rule: Unspoken that big donors get unbanned?
Irrelevant to me, quitting after exactly 4 days of streaming.
Dictator streamer's media suppression broadcast.
ON.