Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Amuse Entertainment
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A woman who lounged around in a baggy tank top and chain-smoked in real life.
But on stream, she put on the purest, most innocent act imaginable. This kind of behavior was called "gimmickry" in the industry.
Stimulating viewers' fantasies with this double life was once a basic skill for any aspiring female streamer.
And the ultimate pinnacle of gimmickry was pretending to be a hopeless single while actually having a boyfriend, creating a faux-romantic atmosphere with the audience.
Acting like she was riding the vibe with viewers while playing coy, dropping lines like, "I've never even dated anyone before~," laced with cutesy lies.
Of course, those unfamiliar with the indie streaming ecosystem often raised eyebrows.
In reality, some streamers had their lies exposed, watching years of built-up career crumble overnight.
A massive risk compared to the returns.
Even for growth's sake, avoiding detection demanded immense mental effort.
A constant tightrope walk over thin ice.
Getting caught meant instant downfall, so the stress was no joke for broadcasters.
This duplicitous gimmickry caused massive backlash if exposed.
So streamers' thinking naturally shifted elsewhere.
"What if it's something that doesn't matter even if caught?"
Taking it further.
"What if we just own it outright?"
Thus, the second-generation gimmicks were born.
Refined versions that slashed risks dramatically, letting streamers laugh and have fun with viewers.
A weary dragon descending for amusement after millennia.
A galactic fleet captain scouting Earth for conquest.
A grand archmage crash-landing on Earth after a botched dimension jump.
Blatantly obvious fabrications, embracing the absurdity head-on.
And the pioneer of this genre? Amuse Entertainment.
*
"Who's this?"
Park In-ho, CEO of Amuse Entertainment.
He'd been monitoring a certain community after staff mentioned increased mentions of their agency.
"TS? What's TS?"
TS.
Short for Trans-Sexual.
A man turning into a woman. Or vice versa.
A physical gender swap.
"My god..."
Realizing the implications, CEO Park couldn't hold back a sigh.
"Why didn't I think of that?"
A sigh born of regret.
Revolutionary.
The more he chewed on it, the more immense potential he sensed.
Tons of tomboy bestie gimmicks existed, but this transcended personality tropes into perfect material.
Prior gimmicks, no matter how polished, had chronic issues.
Stagnant lore games.
For instance, the archmage character ended at initial setup.
Knows most magic, but modern laws limit usable spells.
Exploits boiled down to simple video edits for teleportation, a torch fireball, or flashlight light spells—cute tricks at best.
Performances were capped. Clear limits.
But TS? Endless potential.
The killer feature: Viewers weren't passive anymore.
They co-created TS Hyo-jeong with her.
Every stream birthed new stories. Layers piled on daily, breathing life into the gimmick.
Weaving into a fully fleshed-out character.
Creating one solo? Easy.
But collaboratively? Unprecedented.
This was new entertainment.
Trembling, CEO Park dove into TS Hyo-jeong's VOD channel.
Bingeing clips seriously, then in awe.
He even cheered aloud at the one-piece exposure scene.
"To think we had talent like this in our country."
Initially, he rated the gimmick's uniqueness high.
But deeper viewing revealed more.
She was captivating herself.
Stunning visuals clashing with brash attitude.
Bold, unapologetic actions.
Casually taping her face with duct tape, unbothered by mess-ups.
That surprisingly timid reaction to a charging big dog.
She knew exactly what drove viewers wild.
Actions screaming "guy," yet oozing feminine charm.
A paradox.
Guy-like, yet girly?
Peak contradiction.
Born for TS gimmickry.
Her door always shut during streams—except that one day it was wide open.
Odds of a feminine one-piece hanging in frame? Perfectly camera-angled.
Engineered.
Meticulous design.
Whose dress? Irrelevant.
Timing the reminder as concept faded, then smoothly defusing with flair. Pro-level wizardry.
Park In-ho, years-deep gimmick researcher, deemed himself an expert.
Even to him, her actions felt organic.
"If a guy really turned girl, it'd look just like that."
He recalled debuting gimmicks on indie boards.
"We got flamed hard back then."
And still did.
Negatives outnumbered positives.
Yet he believed in gimmicks.
They'd open new horizons.
Some succeeded—even agency streamers pulling thousands of viewers.
But even in success, something felt off.
2% short.
Gimmick for the stream, not stream for the gimmick.
Subtle, crucial difference.
He couldn't articulate it—until now.
The ideal: Stream for the gimmick.
TS Hyo-jeong embodied it.
Gimmick as core concept.
Main course, not garnish.
Fantastical yet grounded.
Everything linked seamlessly.
Archmages don't lecture fireball theory.
Fleet captains skip war tales.
Novelty fades fast.
Not TS Hyo-jeong. She deepened endlessly.
Girl clothes at home? Sister's.
Military slip-ups tanking others? She flaunted her service, winning fans preemptively.
Then hammed up macho cosplay to tickle male egos.
Different stance entirely.
Her vibe just hit different.
Others built characters for concepts; she built streams for the character.
With her, major leagues felt possible.
This.
This works.
"Letting talent like that slip is like grilling oysters with pearls inside."
Decision made, he dialed hastily.
Fingers shaking with urgency.
"Hey, Team Leader Kim. You know TS Hyo-jeong? Get her contact."
[Pardon?]
"What pardon? Don't know TS Hyo-jeong?"
[Who's that?]
"One of ours, right?"
[First I've heard...]
Speechless.
A prodigy shining in contests—not ours?
CEO Park panicked openly.
"Wh-who handles newbies lately?"
[Joo-tae right now.]
Called Joo-tae. Same story.
"You don't know either?"
[Nope. No recent rookie by that handle.]
Incredibly, TS Hyo-jeong wasn't Amuse.
CEO Park hung up, lost.
Then pondered.
"...Then which agency?"
Luckily, freelance.
No contract? Easy scout.
He logged into Lemon TV, sent a polite email to her channel.
Impressed by your potential. Synergy with us could be huge. Please reply.
A day passed.
No response.
"Too direct? Or spam?"
Maybe mulling.
Two days.
Counting minutes, he checked her channel.
Prepping email two, spotted high-view VOD.
"135 views?"
VODs usually hit single or low double digits.
Triples? Rare sans events.
135 piqued curiosity.
Night stream VOD.
He'd skimmed it.
Scrolled to highlights: Idaram speaking.
"Idaram...?"
Idaram.
Amuse streamer with petite, cute looks and "squirrel fiend" gimmick.
3 years in, still fresh and skilled.
CEO Park grabbed his phone again.
"Hey, Idaram. It's me. Free lately?"
[Whoa! CEO! What's up?]
Her delighted voice warmed him.
Boss calling? Most tense up. Her cheer? Boosted his ego.
Acting? Maybe. Still nice.
"Got a favor."
[Sure, shoot!]
"Know TS Hyo-jeong? Schedule a collab with her?"
Silence.
Then, hesitant.
[Who's that?]
"...The night stream buddy. Dog charged at her."
[Ohhh! Was gonna look her up! Hyo-jeong, huh.]
"Yeah, seemed friendly in the vid."
[Whoa, CEO watched my clip? Touching.]
No.
Stumbled on her in TS Hyo-jeong VOD, noted later.
But today? Sweet CEO mode.
"Yup. Saw you, checked her out. Hot stuff, no agency. Thinking of recruiting."
[Collab? Why not direct like usual?]
He had.
Ignored politely.
Hence Idaram—pretext via her prior invite.
"Anyway, safe trip home. Grab food sometime."
"Food? Tomorrow work?"
That trajectory hoped for.
Brazen, but it'd work—Idaram would schedule.
Her charm.
[Love to! Couldn't apologize properly mid-stream. Perfect!]
See?
Her easy enthusiasm felt natural.
Agency's sunniest personality.
[But I wanna bond, sure. Will Hyo-jeong agree? Can't collab solo.]
"Ah."
True—rejection kills it.
Best plans need buy-in.
"Still, reach out."
Another wait began. No promises.