Chapter 162: New Wine in New Bottles (3)

Thanks to Dong-su and the crew members’ help, the new house quickly regained its peace.

After enjoying a very delicious lunch, we started working hard.

The movers carefully transported the items from the original house and placed the heavy furniture in their respective spots inside the new house.

Once the movers left, the moving process went smoothly.

With the large furniture pieces arranged, all that remained was to place the dishes and other household items in their proper places.

Thanks to Na-young’s sense, as the only woman in our crew, the dish arrangement was completed very quickly. The move was being wrapped up amidst the congratulatory donations from the viewers.

When we checked the time after finishing all the moving, it was 4 PM.

It seemed like we finished at a decent time, having started in the morning.

Afterward, we had a gathering at a barbecue place around the house and quickly dispersed.

Originally, we planned to do a group broadcast, but everyone seemed to be very tired from the hard work.

Anyway, after eating some meat and drinking lightly, I ended the broadcast.

And the crew members each returned to their homes.

Jin-hyuk and I also returned home, looking around the house with nostalgic eyes.

The house that we couldn’t fully check earlier with the fellow streamers around.

Since this was the place we would be living in from now on, it felt different.

“We really moved.”

Jin-hyuk was looking around the much larger house with a mysterious expression.

His expression wasn’t much different from mine.

The house still felt awkward and unbelievable.

Since some of Jin-hyuk’s money went into purchasing the house, it must have felt even more significant to him.

Unlike the previous house, this house was one that Jin-hyuk had contributed to, even if just a bit.

I lightly punched Jin-hyuk on the back and spoke.

“Do you like it?”

Jin-hyuk turned to me and replied.

“Of course I do. Don’t you?”

“I do too.”

“Who would have thought we’d ever live in such a house? Wow, if you hadn’t listened to me back then and started broadcasting…”

That’s true.

As Jin-hyuk said, if I hadn’t started broadcasting back then, none of this would have happened.

The gift that broadcasting brought us.

It was something I wouldn’t have gained if I hadn’t started broadcasting boldly back then.

As I looked around the house, I said to Jin-hyuk.

“Hey, you should save up money quickly and move out.”

Jin-hyuk looked at me with wide eyes.

“What are you talking about?”

“I’ve done everything for you, haven’t I? When you ask for the money invested in this house later, I’ll give it back, so save up quickly and move out.”

Jin-hyuk shook his head firmly and answered.

“Hyung, we’re the only family each other has. We should rely on and support each other…”

“Oh dear.”

“Why are you trying to kick me out…”

“Even if I don’t try to kick you out, the Ministry of National Defense will take you away. You know I’m a PR ambassador for the Ministry of National Defense, right? I’ll mention it subtly.”

“That’s an abuse of power!”

It was a joke.

I didn’t actually intend to make Jin-hyuk move out right now.

This kid still needed a lot of help. And it was better to save money while living together for now.

There’s a higher chance he won’t have to go to the army, but I plan to keep him with me as long as I can.

As he said, we’re the only family each other has.

And most importantly,

“I’ll make sure to get my money back from you later.”

“Ah, why are you like this.”

“You have to repay me for your medical expenses. Agree?”

“…Agreed.”

I had to get my money back.

What? How much had I sacrificed to save you?

Jin-hyuk sighed deeply and threw himself onto the luxurious sofa in the living room.

A plush sofa.

It was a top-grade sofa made from the leather of a young calf.

For reference, that sofa was a gift from Mr. Sung-jae as a moving present.

Come to think of it, most of the expensive items in the new house were gifts.

Most of the appliances were bought by the PDs, and the TV was a gift from Hyung Sung-soo…

Moving in made me realize how blessed I was with good people around me.

I seemed to be surrounded only by good people.

Jin-hyuk rolled around on the sofa, enjoying its plush comfort, then looked at me and spoke.

“Did you check the capsule earlier?”

“It’s working fine. Oh right, the soundproof booth installation team is coming tomorrow.”

“Do we really need a soundproof booth?”

“It’s good to have one. Don’t worry about the cost, I’ll pay for it. Let’s set a generous repayment period. Got it?”

“…When will I ever become financially independent?”

“Oh, you’ll never be able to.”

A soundproof booth is a must-have for streamers.

With a sly grin, I slowly walked into my room.

Unlike the old room, which only had a capsule, wardrobe, and bed, this time I had the master bedroom.

A new bed purchased from a company with the slogan “Bed is Science” and a private bathroom.

How blissful is this layout?

There was even a small dressing room, a space we could never have dreamed of in our old house.

Honestly, we really barely managed in the old house.

It was cozy, but it wasn’t spacious.

“Oh my.”

I lay down on the bed and took a light breath.

Finally, we had moved.

I had wondered when we would move, and now that we had, it truly felt different.

Lying on a bed of a different size from the old one, I looked up at the slightly higher ceiling.

Unlike the fluorescent light in the old house that I was too lazy to change, this one was bright enough to chase away any sleepiness.

Staring blankly at that light, I smiled.

The night in the new house.

It seemed I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep easily tonight.

6.

Morning in the new house.

I woke up around 9 AM, had a quick toast, and registered at a gym I would start using.

A small gym within the apartment complex.

However, it had all the necessary exercise equipment, so I decided to work out there.

The accessibility was excellent as I could head to the gym through the underground parking lot.

After registering and sweating it out, I returned home, and soon the soundproof booth installers arrived.

Since there were originally four rooms, Jin-hyuk and I decided to use one each as our personal studios.

Soundproof booths were installed in the rooms to be used as studios, and all the broadcast setups were completed.

Jin-hyuk looked at the installed soundproof booths and exclaimed.

“Hyung, I feel like I’ve achieved my dream.”

“What dream?”

“Having a personal broadcast studio. Now, no matter how loud I get, there won’t be any complaints, right?”

In the old house, there were occasional complaints, so this was a significant improvement.

I nodded, smiling at Jin-hyuk’s words.

“I heard the technology for soundproof booths has improved a lot recently. It’s a company recommended by Dong-su, so it should be reliable.”

I had heard that old soundproof booths couldn’t completely block out noise, but this company’s booths were different.

Wasn’t it almost 100% noise cancellation?

I guess it would be okay to be a little noisy here.

Anyway.

After the soundproof booths were installed, Jin-hyuk quickly ate lunch and rushed to start his broadcast.

He was eager to experience the power of the soundproof booth.

Since he often did daytime broadcasts, he must have been itching to start.

After briefly monitoring Jin-hyuk’s broadcast, I went back to the living room and lay down on the sofa.

Soft cushion and comfort.

Is this… what life is?

Ring, ring, ring.

It was around the time I was rolling around on the sofa.

The ringtone echoed from my phone, and of course, I thought it was Sung-jae.

After all, he was the type of person who would call whenever I was lounging on the sofa.

But the name displayed on the screen wasn’t Sung-jae’s, it was a very welcome name.

I answered the call with a smile.

“Hey, is it Sung-shin?”

It was Sung-shin.

He was the guy who, with the help of his older brother Seong-su, broke free from a slave contract and started pursuing his own dreams.

I heard he went to China.

“Hey, how are you doing?”

“Yeah, man. I heard you went to China? How’s the food there?”

“The club hired a Korean chef for us, so luckily, the food’s fine!”

“…They hired a chef for you?”

“Yes, there’s another Korean pro gamer here besides me.”

It felt like a different world.

Hiring a Korean chef just to suit the players’ taste… Is this what the continent is like?

Indeed, seeing the influx of Chinese viewers on Actube these days, you could feel the power of Chinese capital.

Of course, the comments they left were quite… vile, though.

“That’s great. I wish I had someone to cook for me too.”

“Should I send someone to you?”

“You’re making a lot of money, huh?”

“Hehe, my parents always told me to be grateful to you. Oh, I heard you moved recently?”

I met Sung-shin’s parents once, and they were both very upright people.

Our first meeting wasn’t pleasant, but because Sung-shin sincerely apologized and built our relationship, we’ve come this far.

I answered with a pleased smile.

“Yeah, I moved yesterday.”

“I didn’t know your new address, so I ordered a robot vacuum cleaner and an air purifier to the chicken place address. Make sure to pick them up later, okay?”

“Oh, you didn’t have to do that… Well, I’ll gladly accept.”

It felt like just yesterday he was a snot-nosed kid, and now he’s making money and even giving me gifts.

Is this why people raise children?

He’s not my biological child, but since I practically raised him with my heart, I decided to accept it with pride.

“Thank you, Sung-shin. Hey, but don’t you get flak for being friends with me in China?”

“Oh, that? I don’t mention that I’m friends with you in interviews here.”

…Well, I’m not sure if I should be happy about that.

I swallowed my pride and paused for a moment, and Sung-shin continued cheerfully.

“You’re the one who told me to do that!”

“Even so… yeah, good job.”

After that, Sung-shin kept boasting happily, and I listened to all of his stories with a warm heart.

I wondered how long our conversation lasted.

Finally, when he finished talking, he said in a voice full of laughter,

“I’ll definitely visit your place when I return to Korea.”

“Sure, you’re always welcome.”

If Sung-shin came over, it would definitely be good content.

Moreover, since Sung-shin became a pro gamer with the passionate support of the Evil Gang, he was also special to my broadcast viewers.

I hoped this kid would walk a path of flowers from now on.

He had been a victim of the ugly greed of adults in Korea, so I wished him happiness there.

After the pleasant call with Sung-shin ended, it was almost time to start today’s broadcast.

Since it was the first broadcast in my new house, I had promised the viewers to start a bit earlier.

I went into the bathroom for a quick shower and then headed straight to my dedicated room.

Now that the soundproof booth installation was complete, it really felt like a proper studio.

“Turn on the power.”

Ring, ring, ring.

Furthermore, since the voice recognition system was implemented, all the broadcasting equipment, including the capsule, would turn on with just a word from me.

[User recognized]

[According to the set system, the power to the capsule and personal PC is being turned on.]

[Checking soundproof booth status… Everything is normal.]

Actually, the most impressive thing I saw at Dong-su’s house last time was this voice recognition system.

It was so cool how all the electronic devices responded to Dong-su’s words.

So, I set it up for myself too.

I sat in front of the computer with a satisfied smile and started the broadcast.

Soon, viewers began to enter rapidly.

“You’re starting early today?”

“Wow, haha.”

“Breaking news: Evil Lotcrete gathering!”

“Haha, the end-of-century League of Storm is going to be hilarious.”

“Are you going to use your main or alt character?”

“Aka! Shaha! Aka! Shaha!”

Lotcrete is a portmanteau of concrete and , referring to the toxic viewers who roam around broadcasts, backseat gaming even for the top-ranking players.

I glanced at the chat and raised my middle finger lightly.

“Lotcrete? Eat this.”

If they backseat the top-ranked player, how much more would they for me?

I should let them know today’s broadcast plan.

“I won’t be playing the main character for a while.”

Currently, my main character is at Challenger 1,000 points.

If I wanted to, I could try for the top rank, but I didn’t intend to go through the trouble.

“I’m going to start from placement matches with my alt character and aim for Challenger. That’s how this content will proceed.”

The upper echelons at the end of the season are intense, but the lower ones are even more fierce.

Especially the Gold, Platinum, and Diamond tiers.

Those hellish tiers play like a war zone.

That’s the charm of this content.

It’s a time to explore the spiciness of each tier as I climb up.

Recently, some viewers said that my broadcast’s spiciness had become too mild, so I planned to add a lot of capsaicin this time.

I said to the viewers with a smirk,

“It’s time for the spicy snack bar. Watch if you want, and if you don’t, get lost.”