Chapter 27
Chapter 27
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Collab Proposal
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Early morning.
After finishing my jog and returning home, Ye-eun approached me.
"Bro, there's a collab request on your Lemon TV account?"
I checked the message inbox, half-expecting it, and sure enough, it was flooded with collab requests.
"You should check your messages more often from now on. There were tons piled up."
She'd already deleted the unnecessary ones herself, but there were still a bunch left.
Sorting through them, there were a total of six related to collabs.
One of them was even from a major streamer whose name anyone would recognize instantly.
"What's with all these? Is everyone doing collabs these days?"
"It's not a bad idea to try it once. That's how I blew up early on."
It was a recommendation based on experience.
She said nothing beat collabs for pulling in new viewers.
There were plenty of cases where streamers shot to fame through collabs with big names, and the vibe was so different from solo streams that some even specialized in them.
"What about this one?"
Ye-eun was pointing to the most recent message.
Activity name: Jang Pro.
Main content: Cooking streams leveraging his hotel chef background.
A big-league streamer with 6,000 average viewers per stream.
"Someone this big wants to collab with me?"
The message ended like this:
[I really want to have you on and make a great stream together.]
Seeing that, Ye-eun giggled and poked my arm.
"She seems super eager to collab with you, bro?"
No matter how much buzz I'd gotten lately, objectively speaking, I was still just a rookie.
For a top-tier streamer like that to approach a nobody like me first?
With verified streamers lining up to work with her, it was safe to assume nine times out of ten there was an ulterior motive.
Well, not really ulterior. It was right there in the message.
[I want to do a fake couple stream with Hyo-jeong.]
Fake couple stream.
Taken from the old hit TV show We Got Married, it referred to streamers pretending to date or pairing up romantically.
Of course, it wasn't real dating—just acting for the stream.
They flirted on camera to create a dating show vibe.
It racked up views and popularity, making it a solid hit formula among streamers.
Apparently, some even ended up as real couples after sparks flew.
Not particularly interested in the behind-the-scenes gossip, I shook my head uncomfortably.
The thought of flirting or doing anything with a guy made me want to puke.
Me dating a man?
That was a future that didn't exist in my worldview.
Not even in my wildest dreams.
"Pass on this one."
The message kept pleading for me to join, but what could I do?
I'd have to overhaul my entire content theme for that.
Skimming the others, they were mostly the same.
Blind date content.
Group mixer.
Real-life ideal type world cup...
"Seriously, are these people streaming to find love or what?"
After clearing out the shady ones, one remained.
And there was a familiar name.
"Daram TV?"
"Oh? Isn't this the one you met at that night stream last time?"
"Yeah, think so?"
Wolf-beaked Daram.
She'd sent a proposal too.
Guess that casual "let's stream sometime" wasn't just politeness.
If this was fate, her timing was spot on.
And the collab theme was pretty appealing.
[Have some food before you go]
I'd request food I wanted, she'd cook it, I'd eat and rate the taste. Simple.
Foodie concept. Just show up, eat, and leave. Low pressure.
"Not bad?"
Amid all the disasters, this safe option looked like a goddess.
A cooking streamer bizarrely suggesting fake marriage, while a non-cooking camgirl pitched cooking content? Ironic.
I accepted Daram's proposal.
Quick reply, set a date.
We lived nearby, so a local coffee shop it was.
"You sure you'll be okay alone?"
"I'm not a kid."
I talked her out of tagging along and headed out.
She'd dolled up extra so I wouldn't feel intimidated, but for one collab? She looked ready for battle.
I arrived at the coffee shop.
Checked the time—ten minutes early.
Strolling in casually, surprisingly, she was already there.
Daram, spotting me from her table, jumped up and waved wildly.
"Over here! Here!"
Her face lit up with genuine delight as she greeted me.
"Didn't expect to see you again so soon!"
"You're early too? I thought I was ahead."
I hadn't noticed at first meeting, but Daram was tiny.
Even though I wasn't tall, she was a full handspan shorter.
Her petite frame made her look more like a cute little animal than a person.
"But who's the guy next to you...?"
A man sat beside her. When I raised the question, he stood and offered a handshake.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Park In-ho, CEO of Amuse Entertainment. I know it's rude, but I really wanted to meet you, Hyo-jeong."
"CEO...?"
Sudden VIP appearance: confusion level one.
"Treat me casually."
"Yeah! Just think of him as a regular neighborhood uncle~!"
Their easygoing vibe: confusion level two.
"Oh, and he'll be our cameraman for the collab."
The big shot volunteering as cameraman: confusion level three.
Daram burst into quiet laughter at my stunned expression.
I'd heard the concept beforehand, but we double-checked anyway.
Ingredients and studio costs covered by Daram's side.
Revenue split 50/50, but since the host draws the viewers, whose account to stream from was key.
Unanimous decision: mine.
Maybe because I'm a newbie. Felt like generous terms.
What more proof did I need with the CEO holding the camera?
Even I, clueless about the scene, could tell.
"This seems too favorable to me. Maybe you should host on your account at least..."
"No, we requested the collab, so we should accommodate you."
Couldn't argue with that.
No point forcing it if they were fine.
So I pivoted.
"Then about the content— you cook and I eat, right? What if we swap? I cook for you."
Least I could do was treat with food.
But their faces lit up like I'd said something unbelievable.
"You can cook, Hyo-jeong?"
"Hyo-jeong does cooking too?!"
What? That surprising?
Skills honed from feeding Ye-eun three meals a day since she was little.
Did I look that incompetent? While I reeled, they exchanged glances and nodded.
The CEO especially was thrilled.
"Sounds good. Let's swap. You cook, Daram's the foodie. Better visual."
Wrapped up business, time for proper introductions.
"So, how old are you, Hyo-jeong?"
"Twenty-four this year."
"Ooh, prime of life."
Daram was twenty-six.
"Psh, that's nothing."
"No, two years makes a big difference. Hyo-jeong... oops, can I call you Hyo-jeong? Wait, is that okay? Yeah... it's fine, right...?"
I could see why Daram was popular on Lemon TV.
How could someone be this cute?
"Yep. Call me whatever's comfy."
Her charm made me grin like a dad involuntarily.
This must be pure camgirl aura.
Worlds apart from a freak like me.
Something about her tickled the heart.
*
CEO Park watched the two women chat with a pleased smile.
Up close, their characters really popped.
Daram's cuteness that drew smiles effortlessly, and Hyo-jeong's enigmatic vibe hard to pin down.
Different appeals, but great synergy together.
Good chemistry potential. His instincts were spot on.
'Oh, right—not the time.'
He quickly set up the camera.
Attached a mini-monitor for live chat, got Hyo-jeong's login, prepped streaming.
"Shall we start now?"
"Huh? Right now?"
We'd planned to start with intros but missed the timing—everyone laughed.
"Oh! Right, I should post that I'm collabing with Hyo-jeong!"
As Daram excitedly tapped her phone, Park asked,
"What's the stream title?"
After some thought:
*
Before going live.
A sudden wave of anxiety hit me.
'Wait... can I handle these kids' personalities?'
Thinking about it, yeah.
Normally, I ignored viewer nonsense, but this wasn't solo.
Worried what BS they'd spew now.
Almost suggested switching to Daram's account—too late.
Stream went live.
Hey! Do we smell?!
As expected, a total madhouse party right from the start. I pressed my forehead.
Chat plunging into the abyss already—embarrassment flooding in.
Who's the guest? A guy???
What? Meeting the parents in front of us?
The mood turning hostile for some reason.
Daram, gauging the vibe, chimed in perfectly timed.
"Hi hi! Nice to meet you all! Surprise guest Daram here~!"
Her smooth self-promo showed three years of pro experience.
But they barely reacted.
Daram even backed off awkwardly from the spicy chat they'd never tasted.
"Guys... I mean, kids. Can't we try being proper intellectuals today and use nice words? I'm not streaming solo this time."
Did that asshole just say 'asshole'?
These guys were extra crazy today. Imagination?
Glancing at them, they didn't seem fazed.
Daram even marveled, like it was her first time seeing such chat.
"Wow... Hyo-jeong's viewers are so, uh, spirited?"
"Just say it—they're rude little shits."
"Don't you know 'tiger dad, dog son,' kids? Parents tiger, kids could be dogs."
Filming Park CEO couldn't hold back a chuckle.
Daram peeked amusedly too.
She said enviously,
"You and your viewers seem really close."
"If this is close, then China and America's brothers. World peace achieved."
"I do the stream, why do you get prizes?"
Utterly uncooperative to the end.
Lucky Daram had a good personality, or the vibe would've tanked a hundred times over.
The first collab was royally trolled.