Chapter 133
Chapter 133 Even If You Are Dragged Into A Tiger’s Den, You Can Survive If You Stay Alert (1)
“Hyung.”
“……Why?”
“Why are you trembling like that?”
“I’m not trembling.”
“But you are?”
“I said I’m not!”
The long-awaited morning dawned.
Due to Na-young’s acceptance, a three-person collab was quickly arranged.
This collab, featuring Korea’s top idol, brought even greater impact than the previous one with Se-yeon noona.
Joo-hyun’s gaming skills, broadcast nationwide through Twipod’s VRN channel, were still heating up the internet.
Even to me, her skills seemed insane.
It would be hard to find a player who could mimic my playstyle to that extent anywhere in Korea.
Her skills were such that she would have excelled even as a professional gamer.
Historically, there have always been fewer female pro gamers in this field.
It was an unavoidable difference.
It wasn’t that there were no skilled female gamers at all, but on average, male gamers had superior skills.
However, the skills Joo-hyun displayed were overwhelming to the point where the word “talent” was the only way to describe them.
Even I was amazed, so there’s no need to elaborate further.
Thanks to that brief video, Joo-hyun’s popularity soared even more rapidly.
She was already a rising idol in Korea, and this added another huge buzz.
It was inevitable that her popularity spread like wildfire.
“Hyung.”
Today’s collab was scheduled to take place at the Chicken Box office. So, as I was getting ready to leave, Jin-hyuk spoke to me in a rather creepy voice.
That voice only came out when he had a favor to ask.
I responded with clear annoyance.
“If you say something unnecessary, I’ll just go.”
“……I also became a fan after watching Joo-hyun-chan’s video last time. Can you get me her autograph?”
“You didn’t used to like celebrities.”
“I changed last time. She’s now my first love.”
“Didn’t you also like Na-young?”
“Oh, no. I just liked Na-young noona as a noona.”
Well, whatever.
Getting an autograph wasn’t a difficult task.
But doing it for free was out of the question.
With a sly smile, I told Jin-hyuk.
“Two weeks of house chores.”
After a brief moment of hesitation, Jin-hyuk nodded readily.
“Alright.”
If I’d known he’d agree so quickly, I would have asked for a month. Seeing how readily he agreed, he must have already anticipated such a negotiation.
His perceptiveness was improving.
Still, he was much better than before.
A few months ago, he was quite clueless, but he seemed to have developed a lot in that area after continuously broadcasting.
After wrapping up the brief negotiation with Jin-hyuk, I immediately took a taxi to Chicken Box.
The Chicken Box office, which I arrived at in less than 30 minutes, was as bustling as ever.
When Se-yeon noona came, all the staff stayed to prepare for the broadcast, and today was no different.
About two weeks ago, the office next to Chicken Box became vacant, and the company president rented that office as well.
As a result, the Chicken Box studio became even larger.
They said Sung-jae strongly emphasized the importance of the studio.
Unlike the old days when the company was mainly managed by big-name streamers, the current Chicken Box was undertaking a very challenging management strategy.
You could say they were focusing on discovering new streamers like me.
As a result, the name Chicken Box was leaving a strong impression among stream viewers and netizens.
“You’re here, Chan-sik?”
“How have you been?”
“Haha, it hasn’t been that long, has it?”
“But didn’t you come with Na-young? I thought you’d come together.”
Na-young’s house wasn’t far from mine. So, when we had to come to Chicken Box, we usually shared a taxi.
Since I came alone today, Sung-jae seemed to be asking about it.
I awkwardly smiled and replied to his question.
“We decided to come separately today.”
“If I were Na-young, I’d be upset.”
“Did you watch the last broadcast?”
“Of course. As the person in charge of you and Na-young, it’s only natural to keep a close eye on your collabs.”
Sung-jae was not only my manager but also a dedicated viewer.
There was no way he would have missed that broadcast.
“I’m innocent.”
“In what way?”
“I really didn’t mean to tease Na-young that day…”
“I understand. You were just caught up in the viewers’ schemes. Didn’t they purposely steer it that way?”
As expected, Sung-jae was the only one in the world who understood me…
“But Chan-sik, you did go too far.”
“In what way?”
“When the mood was set like that, you should have confessed on the spot. The viewers created the perfect opportunity for you!”
What? Even Sung-jae was riding the Sha-young ship?
While I was chatting with Sung-jae about this and that, someone greeted us.
“Hello.”
“…Wow!”
Behind me, looking prettier than ever, Na-young appeared.
Na-young usually preferred a simple makeup style, but today she went all out.
Even someone already pretty like her couldn’t help but look stunning when she made an effort.
“Sung-jae, how have you been?”
“I think we need to change the direction of our company.”
“Excuse me?”
“Starting today, we should switch to an entertainment agency. Na-young, will you stay with us then?”
“Hehe.”
Na-young took Sung-jae’s sly joke with a light laugh.
She then looked at me and changed her bright expression in an instant.
“Hi.”
With a voice dripping with coldness, I nodded and said,
“Na-young, you look really pretty today…”
“Yeah.”
…She was really upset.
Today’s collab seemed like it would be tough.
With Na-young arriving at the office, the only one left was Joo-hyun.
About 20 minutes after Na-young arrived.
The front of the office became slightly noisy, and soon, a girl entered through the office door.
“Whoa!”
“Welcome to Chicken Box!”
Amidst the excitement of a few staff members who introduced themselves as Joo-hyun’s hardcore fans,
“Nice to meet you, I’m Joo-hyun from Red Line! It’s an honor to meet you all!”
Joo-hyun, dressed in jeans and a jacket, finally made her appearance at the Chicken Box office.
I gulped, looking between Joo-hyun and Na-young.
Please, I hoped I could survive this day.
2.
Contrary to my worries, things flowed smoothly.
30 minutes before the broadcast started.
Joo-hyun and Na-young, who had exchanged greetings, became much closer than I expected.
“I’ve heard a lot about you from Se-yeon unnie. Can I call you unnie too?”
“Really? Of course!”
“Unni, seeing you in person after only watching you on cam, you’re really beautiful. Don’t you want to join our agency?”
“Hehe, I still like it here.”
“That’s a shame. I think it would be great if we could work together.”
The world of women was something I couldn’t easily understand.
Even Na-young was like that.
She had come in with a chilly demeanor at first, but now a warm breeze was blowing between the two of them.
Of course, I didn’t have any complaints about that.
Watching two pretty and cute girls happily chatting made my heart feel warm too.
As their conversation continued, Joo-hyun’s eyes sparkled as she asked Na-young,
“But unni, when do you think the Sha-young coin will skyrocket?”
“Sha-young… coin?”
“Yes! I’ve been holding onto that coin since a long time ago.”
“Well, I’m not sure.”
Joo-hyun’s straightforward question.
Na-young seemed flustered by Joo-hyun’s question, stammering and showing an awkward expression.
How many people could ask such a direct question in front of the concerned parties?
Should I say she was clueless or just pure-hearted?
However, since her tone was so innocent, Na-young seemed to be pondering it.
After a moment.
Na-young, having made up her mind, looked at Joo-hyun and replied,
“Maybe… there will be good news soon?”
“Wow!”
“You… you have to keep it a secret, okay?”
What?
What did I just hear?
Na-young glanced at me and then quickly looked away.
…Ahem.
Why did my face feel like it was turning red?
Joo-hyun, having achieved her goal, smiled brightly and then looked at me.
“Teacher, what game are we playing today?”
“Teacher?”
Na-young tilted her head at Joo-hyun’s way of addressing me, and I explained with a slight smile.
“I taught her some games while filming <Trendy People>. Since then, she calls me teacher.”
“Good for you.”
Na-young responded in a cold voice to my answer.
It seemed she still hadn’t gotten over her upset.
Cute.
“The game we’re playing today is . You’ve all probably heard of it.”
It’s not a new game but one that already exists.
It’s known for its high level of freedom.
Among the content we’ll play is a specific mode.
A mode where a team of three carries out missions, called <Dishonorable Heist>.
It’s nicely called a <Heist>, but it was essentially a robbery mission.
It was a special piece of content only available in .
Joo-hyun’s eyes sparkled as she spoke to my explanation.
“I’ve seen others play it on MeTube a few times. It’s the one where you carry out missions with guns, right?”
“Well, ah, if you feel uncomfortable, we can choose another mission.”
Since she was an idol, playing might make her feel uneasy.
In fact, this game frequently sparked controversies.
It was a game that was constantly at the center of imitation crime debates.
Of course, a game is just a game. However, playing a controversial game on a broadcast could potentially harm an idol’s image.
After some thought, Joo-hyun called her manager.
“Oppa, can I play this game?”
Her manager nodded, indicating it was fine.
“There’s no reason you can’t. The CEO and the manager didn’t say anything about it.”
“Thank goodness.”
People might wonder why she was being so particular about this, but she was an idol.
Celebrities were particularly sensitive to controversies.
Joo-hyun, relieved by her manager’s answer, smiled brightly and clenched her fists cutely.
“This sounds fun. I’ve never played it before, though. Is that okay?”
“It’s okay. For you… never mind.”
With Joo-hyun’s talent, she would quickly adapt to a new game and catch on fast.
However, saying that in front of Na-young would not be helpful.
Anyway, once the broadcast started, their roles would be distinctly different.
One would take on the role of getting angry.
The other would naturally play well without needing much guidance.
When you bring two polar opposites together, unintended chemistry is bound to explode.
That’s what I was looking forward to.
As the brief explanation ended, it was time for the broadcast to start, and the studio’s streaming setup was ready.
“The broadcast will begin.”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
Today’s broadcast would start as a simple cam stream, just like the previous one with Se-yeon noona.
Under Sung-jae’s efficient direction, the broadcast countdown began, and soon the camera light turned on, signaling the start of the broadcast.
The current time was 6 PM.
The much-anticipated collab began.
As soon as the broadcast started, the viewer count skyrocketed exponentially, and the chat started scrolling rapidly.
– Where does this guy find all these guests? LOL
– Cable TV is really awesome… they can even get celebrity guests.
– Thank you!
– Hey, Kim Chan-sik, move your face to the side LOL. We can’t see the goddesses because of you.
– No, having the squid in the middle makes the beauties stand out more LOL
– He must have been Admiral Yi Sun-sin in his past life.
– If he was Admiral Yi Sun-sin in his past life, why do you call him “that guy”? Is he a traitor?
– ???
– In this life, he’s not Admiral Yi Sun-sin, but Shia LOL
– Ah LOL
The hellish roller coaster with the unruly Evil Gang had already started.
