Chapter 161: New Wine in New Bottles (2)

The god of broadcasting had always been very kind to me.

The problem was that this kindness remained unchanged even during times when it was unnecessary.

I barely managed to keep my composure while looking at the shattered pieces of expensive tableware next to the dining table.

These were luxury dishes imported directly from Europe, which I had deliberately purchased for the move.

Each plate cost 200,000 won.

It might be nothing to those who are extremely wealthy, but for someone like me, who was no different from a nouveau riche, it was a significant investment.

In the past, I used to buy cost-effective items from places like DaiX, but this time I had really flexed my spending.

However, that flex didn’t last long.

“…Who did this?”

The moving was almost done, and all the furniture had already arrived, so the moving center staff had left.

The culprit was inside the house.

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Who did it? ㅋㅋ

-The camera angle didn’t catch it properly.

-Our Evil’s eyes aren’t shedding tears, right? Bro? Are you crying over a broken plate?

-That plate looks super expensive.

The viewers were just grinning at the unexpected accident.

The pain of the streamer was their happiness.

I clenched my fists and looked around at the people in the house.

“…Confess.”

Then Dong-su hyung and the others shook their heads and answered.

“It definitely wasn’t me.”

“Me neither.”

“I never went near the dining table.”

“Who told you to put the plates on the table? You should have put them on the shelf right away.”

That bastard Heo-su spoke annoyingly.

But the important thing wasn’t Heo-su’s attitude.

It was identifying the culprit.

“If you come forward now, I’ll let it go. You just need to compensate for the damage.”

Everyone here was capable of paying for those plates.

“Let’s just consider this as a bad omen wiped away as we moved into the new house. Will you deceive your conscience?”

Under my pressure, they started to gauge each other’s reactions.

I quickly narrowed my eyes as I scanned their faces.

Expressions often reveal everything, but these streamers were perfect at acting.

Damn, who the hell…

[DetectiveYouNane donated 150,000 won!]

[May the plate rest in peace… There is only one truth… May the injustice of the plate’s death be revealed!]

“Huh?”

“Chan-sik, are you laughing? Isn’t that your plate… broken?”

“At least I broke even.”

It was a good thing I had kept the broadcast on.

If I hadn’t, the outcome might have been disastrous.

The guests in my house wouldn’t have been able to leave until the culprit was revealed.

I looked at the people with a more relaxed expression.

Now that financial reparation was taken care of, it was time to act magnanimous.

“I will show leniency, so come forward quickly.”

As I spoke with a smile, the tense atmosphere finally eased.

Breaking a 150,000 won plate was no big deal; I could just buy a new one.

Thinking of it as getting rid of bad luck right after moving in was good for mental health.

They say life is full of ups and downs.

Perhaps the new house was destined for more successful broadcasts.

Just as I was smiling benevolently, Dong-su hyung raised his hand with an embarrassed expression.

“Sorry, Chan-sik. I accidentally knocked it over with my hip. You know how much my butt has been lifted lately, right?”

“Then why didn’t you just tell me honestly?”

“…Would you have?”

“If it were me…”

If I were in his shoes… I might have denied it till the end, just as Dong-su hyung said.

I nodded while smiling at Dong-su hyung.

-Wowㅋㅋ Look at his character.

-So betrayal with betrayal?

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Still, Dong-su hyung is genuinely niceㅋㅋ He could have kept it a secret.

-Look at his expressionㅇㅇ He’s confessing so confidently.

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I just want to flick his lips.

Just like the viewers said, Dong-su hyung was grinning shamelessly.

They say you can’t spit on a smiling face.

Dong-su hyung always smiled when his stance was ambiguous.

But not this time.

“Hyung. Compensation is still compensation, right?”

“What? Between us, why?”

“You were the one who advised me right after I got discharged to manage money strictly with close people, remember?”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The first day I met Dong-su hyung.

When Jin-hyuk introduced me to him, and we were having a light beer, that’s what he told me.

When confronted with his own words, Dong-su hyung swallowed and said,

“Just now… a viewer donated…”

“That’s the viewer’s money, not yours, right? Do you agree?”

“Damn.”

It was a logically unwinnable fight.

Dong-su hyung quickly nodded and answered.

“Sorry. I’ll transfer the money to your account right away.”

“Thank you for the quick handling. Alright, shall we order some Chinese food now?”

Chinese food is the best on moving day.

As I cheerfully smiled and was about to order delivery food,

Jin-hyuk cautiously approached and spoke with a trembling voice.

“Hyung.”

What could he be so hesitant to say?

Come on, it’s only the first day. What else could go wrong?

I smiled benevolently at Jin-hyuk.

“Except for a problem with the TV, I can forgive everything. What’s wrong, Jin-hyuk?”

Then Jin-hyuk closed his mouth.

-This house is cursed from the startㅋㅋ

-Look at the TV screen.

-??? There’s a crack ㅋㅋㅋ

-Recently, drone performance has improved a lot.

-Evacuate! Evacuate! The volcano is about to erupt!

No way…

It was the first day of moving.

Moreover, that TV was supposed to be our house’s treasure from today. But it got a crack on the screen within a day.

A pure, unused TV in its ultimate pristine condition.

I took a deep breath, clenched my fist, and shouted.

“Who did this?!”

4.

“I thought he was going to kill us all.”

“Seriously.”

“I thought I was going to get beaten to death for saying something wrong to him.”

The TV crack incident turned out to be an issue that occurred during delivery.

If Sung-su hyung hadn’t urgently informed us through donations, it could have been a big problem.

The cracked TV was going to be exchanged tomorrow.

Since Seongdo Electronics was taking care of it personally, the issue was resolved.

I awkwardly smiled while eating a bite of jajangmyeon.

“Come on, anyone would have gotten angry, right?”

“Extreme anger, well witnessed.”

“It’s the first time I’ve seen you get so angry.”

“You don’t even get mad in games. You just curse like crazy without getting angry.”

Dong-su hyung and the other fellow streamers continued their meal with sly smiles.

To be honest, they were right.

Think about it.

Anyone would be furious if a brand-new TV had a crack without even being used once.

Unless you’re a living Buddha, it’s nearly impossible to maintain patience in such a situation.

“Oh, by the way.”

As the meal was proceeding smoothly, Dong-su hyung, who had been enthusiastically drinking jjamppong soup, put down his bowl and looked at me.

“It seems like Gaia Online Classic will open sooner than expected. Have you heard?”

“Really?”

“Yeah. They said the date will be confirmed soon. It’s been moved up to February 12th next year.”

That’s not far off.

As Dong-su hyung said this, Heo-su chuckled and spoke up.

“When the classic opens, what’s your goal, hyung?”

“Of course…”

Dong-su hyung glanced at me as he spoke.

“It’s to reach Apocalypse Dragon. We failed last time.”

If I hadn’t betrayed Dong-su hyung back then and tried until the end, we might have achieved the first kill of Apocalypse Dragon.

I swallowed my jajangmyeon and spoke to Dong-su hyung.

“This time, I won’t betray you. Let’s give it a proper try. The farming is just a hassle…”

-ㄷㄷ

-Sia not betraying? Isn’t that overpowered? ㅋㅋㅋ

-I’m a bit excited about Gaia Online Classic opening early.

-Look at the old-timers getting excitedㅋㅋ Do you really think Gaia Online Classic will be that fun?

-It’s just a nostalgia-fueled game. It won’t be fun. The farming is too tedious for anyone to stick with itㅇㅇ

Sia without betrayal…

Not a bad nickname.

Back then, my only blemish was being a traitor.

It was a fatal flaw that overshadowed all my strengths, but it was an inevitable one.

I don’t think Dong-su hyung brought it up to blame me.

“This time, let’s stick together. You know what I mean?”

With Dong-su hyung’s friendly words, I could only nod.

“Thank you, hyung.”

“When the classic starts, a lot of new users will join, and Twipod will be all about that. Shoutout suggested a first kill challenge on Apocalypse Dragon.”

“A first kill challenge?”

“Yeah. They haven’t decided what the bet will be yet, but they mentioned it. Are you interested?”

“I’m always in, but…”

I need to ask the other crew members’ opinions too.

When the game starts, it seems like Dong-su hyung’s crew and our crew will join forces to form a guild.

Dong-su hyung’s crew included not just him but also top-ranked streamers from Gaia like Sae-rin noona and Yoo-seon noona.

I glanced at Heo-su and the other crew members.

Judging by their expressions, no one seemed inclined to refuse.

They all loved games, so of course, they would play .

“That content won’t last long. You know that, right, hyung?”

Dong-su hyung nodded at my words.

“That’s why we need to cut Apocalypse Dragon as soon as possible. Everyone has the know-how to level up, right? And since it will be released in the final patch version… gear will be the issue, not levels.”

“Got it.”

February 12th.

Still a long way off, but it’s a date worth waiting for.

If I think positively, it’s an opportunity to get free content after February.

No one would stop me from playing that game.

-I really want to see Sia playing Gaia Online.

-Wasn’t he the unofficial rank 1?

-What’s the difference between unofficial and official ranking?

-It’s the difference between public and private informationㅇㅇ

-People hesitated to reveal their settings and setups when sharing information back then.

-Yeah, it was like thatㅋㅋ

Nostalgia always stays above average.

As soon as was mentioned, the chat room became lively.

People started reminiscing, and I looked at the chat and said,

“Talk all you want.”

Today, I could enjoy the broadcast effortlessly.

I was quite satisfied.

We continued eating our Chinese food, chatting about various topics.

Fortunately, everyone here preferred dipping their sweet and sour pork, so there was no dispute over it.

Thus, the moving broadcast proceeded smoothly.

It wasn’t the usual stimulating broadcast but one where we moved stuff and interacted with viewers.

It seemed that I wasn’t the only one satisfied with this rare moment of relaxation.

Even the Evil Gang members were having fun amongst themselves.

Some were donating and making jokes, while others were causing a ruckus in the chat.

While the comfortable broadcast continued, a donation came in from ‘CuriosityVillain’ for 10,000 won!

[So what are you going to stream starting tomorrow? There are no cable shoots this week, right?]

A useful question.

I nodded lightly while looking at the filming drone.

Then, with a sly smile, I said,

“It’s the end of the season for League of Storm soon, right?”

The most exciting time of the year for .

The end of the season, when countless incidents and accidents occur.

always offered a highly stimulating experience for broadcasters.

I wouldn’t miss such an opportunity.

I nodded with a smile.

“I haven’t disciplined anyone in League of Storm lately, so let’s do that for a change.”

The first content after moving in.

It would be .