Chapter 69: Don’t Bet If You’re Not Sure (2)

After the demonstration of , we suddenly felt hungry and devoured two bowls of pork soup each before spending the night at our pre-booked lodging.

Although the demonstration was over, our schedule in Busan wasn’t finished yet.

When we were about to sleep at the lodging, Dong-su hyung was being quite annoying.

– Hey, since we’re in Busan, shouldn’t we hit the beach and do some hunting?

Should I say he’s living youthfully, or just being childish?

Anyway, I lightly dismissed Dong-su hyung’s nonsense and went to sleep.

Thus, a day passed.

At 9 a.m.,

I woke up naturally, rubbed my eyes, and looked around.

In the spacious suite of the hotel, two men were sprawled out in their underwear, sleeping in various positions.

Why can’t they drink in moderation, tsk.

Rrring.

While I was waking up, my quiet smartphone rang. Checking it, I saw it was a call from Jin-hyuk.

When I answered, it wasn’t Jin-hyuk’s voice but someone else’s.

– Chan-sik!

“What? Na-young?”

– Yeah! You can recognize me just from my voice now?

“What’s up this early? Isn’t this Jin-hyuk’s phone?”

– I’m also planning to participate in VR Star this time. They said anyone can join.

Of course.

Participation was open to everyone.

It was an opportunity to experience VR games firsthand.

Still, I didn’t expect Na-young to try outdoor streaming already.

…Well, considering her outstanding looks, that’s kind of a cheat code.

I nodded while listening to Na-young’s voice.

“Well, I’m glad if you’re coming.”

Collab content is always welcome.

With Dong-su hyung and Shoutout, plus Jin-hyuk and Na-young… we might be able to have a larger collab than expected.

“Still, I’m surprised you’re joining so soon.”

– Hehe, I was just planning to stream League of Storms in a capsule room, but viewers insisted I come…

“Typical.”

They sit at home enjoying themselves, but make streamers do what they’re curious about.

It’s not the first time those Tsu guys act like that.

Well, it doesn’t matter.

The more opportunities for collabs, the easier today’s broadcast will be.

Besides, I can also capture good footage for AkTube, making it a very convenient day.

And I have a lucrative to do at the booth for some cash.

Anyway, I scratched my head lightly and spoke.

“When will you arrive in Busan?”

– Huh? We’re already in Busan!

“…Early birds, huh.”

– Gotta wake up early. Jin-hyuk is about to die. He said he pulled an all-nighter.

That Jin-hyuk, what a guy.

A quick check on Twipod showed he streamed until 4 a.m.

If they arrived in Busan by 9 a.m., they probably took the first train, essentially staying up all night.

Serves him right.

I frowned slightly at Na-young’s words and said,

“If he’s too sleepy, just leave him. Take a taxi… Let’s meet at BEXCO. I’m heading there now.”

– Got it!

“See you later.”

The main events of VR Star start at 11 a.m.

There’s an opening ceremony at 10 a.m., followed by introductions of the game companies.

It’s a boring schedule, so there’s no need for me to watch it.

I could head to Value’s booth around 1 p.m. after lunch.

They promised a generous fee, so I could treat the other streamers once today’s work is done.

I ended the call and lightly stretched.

VR Star.

It’s an event where many streamers and other platform broadcasters, besides Na-young and Jin-hyuk, come.

I’m slightly looking forward to it.

As I quickly gave up on my morning walk and finished preparing to leave, Dong-su hyung, who was lying on the bed like a dead man, slowly opened his eyes and looked at me.

“Hey… Since the main event isn’t far off, why not sleep a bit more?”

“Jin-hyuk and Na-young have arrived at Busan Station. We agreed to meet at BEXCO, so take your time coming.”

As soon as I mentioned Na-young’s name, Dong-su hyung, who had been full of complaints, immediately got out of bed.

“What? Na-young’s coming too? I shouldn’t be lazing around. Hey! Shoutout! Wake up!”

“What the fuck? Dong-su, why’re you shouting?”

“There’s a beauty. A beauty.”

“Where?”

“Hurry up and get ready. I’ll introduce you to Chan-sik’s girlfriend.”

This guy can really talk nonsense.

“…She’s not my girlfriend.”

“Then a prospective girlfriend.”

“She’s not that either.”

“Ah, prospective wife?”

Give up.

But why does Na-young’s arrival make Dong-su hyung so happy?

When I frowned slightly at him, Dong-su hyung shrugged and answered.

“I should see my sister-in-law myself. We’re not strangers, right? Isn’t that right?”

“Hyung.”

“Yeah?”

“We are strangers.”

This guy, you never know where he’ll jump next.

4.

Men’s preparation doesn’t take long. Wash up roughly, dress up roughly.

Dong-su hyung and Shoutout quickly got ready, then we took a taxi straight to BEXCO.

Since our lodging was in Haeundae, it didn’t take long to get to BEXCO.

When we arrived at BEXCO, many people were already gathered, waiting.

“Here.”

While I was looking around, bewildered by the crowd, Dong-su hyung took out a badge from his pocket and handed it to me.

The badge had my name, “Kim Chan-sik,” on it, and my streaming nickname was underneath.

“Seong-jae gave it to me in advance, saying we’d need it. It’s a special badge for influencers.”

“Being called an influencer feels so uncool.”

“What can you do? We’re streamers, and Paprika calls us VJs. Also, some MeTubers are here, so it’s better to use a general term. Even the mainstream media calls us that.”

I know it means people who influence others, but the naming sense is pretty lame.

After hanging the badge Dong-su hyung handed me around my neck, I immediately looked around.

Then, from afar, a woman waved her hand excitedly and approached us.

She was holding a long selfie stick.

“Chan-sik!”

It was Na-young.

Na-young, dressed in a light shirt and jeans, smiled at me.

Wearing simple clothes, her innocent charm stood out.

She’s really pretty, as always.

She quickly approached me, lightly patting my shoulder.

“As soon as I got here, viewers came for autographs. I really feel like a streamer now!”

It seemed she was experiencing what I had gone through before.

Even though she had just started streaming, Na-young had already grown to the point where she could easily rival major streamers.

Some say it’s all hype, but if you maintain that hype, it’s no longer just hype.

I smiled broadly at the excited Na-young.

Pointing at the selfie stick she was holding, I asked,

“What’s that?”

Na-young smiled cutely.

“Just trying to feel some old-school vibes, streaming with a selfie stick and smartphone. How is it?”

With today’s advanced technology, streamers with money tend to use drones for outdoor streaming.

Holding the camera directly like Na-young did now felt quite outdated.

Wait a minute.

Does that mean?

“Are we broadcasting?”

“Do you want to say hello? The viewers want a greeting from you.”

As Na-young said that, a donation notification sound came from her phone.

‘GreetingVillain’ has donated 10,000 won.

[Give a proper greeting.]

It wasn’t even a donation for me, so why should I bother?

But seeing Na-young’s cheerful smile, I couldn’t ignore it.

Forcing a smile, I greeted them.

“Hello, this is Streamer Shia.”

Na-young glanced at the chat and then looked at me.

“They say it’s weak.”

“……Hello, bastards. Did you eat your breakfast well? It’s almost lunchtime, so eat your lunch well too!”

Na-young’s viewers seemed to be quite a handful.

……No, most of them must be from the Evil Gang, so it’s a very fitting greeting.

Na-young nodded in satisfaction only after I finished swearing.

While we were talking, Dong-su hyung and Sharaout approached us from behind.

As soon as Dong-su hyung saw Na-young, he extended his hand.

“I’ve heard a lot about you!”

Na-young looked at Dong-su hyung with wide eyes and spoke in an excited tone.

“Wow! A celebrity! Kan-nim! I’ve watched your broadcasts a lot since long ago!”

……She seems quite skilled in social interactions.

Dong-su hyung is weak against beautiful women and compliments.

And if a beautiful woman compliments him?

He loves it to death.

Dong-su hyung grinned widely and waved towards the phone Na-young was holding.

While we were exchanging greetings, people who recognized us started to gather around.

“Wow! Mister! You’re that streamer, right?”

“Gasp! It’s Kan!”

“Shia’s here too?”

“Wow, I’m so glad I came here today.”

Once a few people approached us, the number of people increased rapidly.

It looked like a celebrity had appeared.

Streamers, including myself, had no choice but to provide fan service to the endless crowd, and time flew by in a blur.

We didn’t even have time to eat lunch.

“Hyung! Blow some air into my ear.”

“Shut up before I bite that ear off.”

“Gasp! Such the greatest reward?”

There were perverted viewers who were undoubtedly from the Evil Gang clinging to me from time to time.

Why were men clinging to me when Na-young was also there?

I really didn’t get it.

There used to be quite a few female viewers before, but these days it seems like I only see men.

Is my viewer pool changing like Dong-su hyung’s?

While I was buried among the viewers for a while, a man approached through the crowd.

It was Mr. Seok-hwan from whom I saw yesterday.

He politely asked the people surrounding me to excuse him, then nodded at me.

“I’ve come to get you. As expected, you’re different as a star! It seemed like you wouldn’t be able to get out alone.”

He’s quite perceptive.

If he hadn’t come, it would have been hard to leave this place easily.

I could easily guess why he had come to find me.

“Is it that time already?”

“Yes, it’s about time to start preparing.”

My first official schedule as a VR star.

It was related to .

It wasn’t simply playing the story mode like at yesterday’s demonstration.

A specially prepared mode for the demonstration.

It would make even more special in the future.

After nodding at Mr. Seok-hwan’s words, I looked around at the people and spoke.

“I have some business to attend to, so I have to go to the Value booth. There’s an event there, so if you’re interested, please participate.”

There were a total of 20 game companies participating in the VR star event.

Therefore, each company sought active means to promote themselves.

That’s why Value deliberately hired me yesterday.

A special event to draw people in.

As we walked together, Mr. Seok-hwan quietly asked.

“Do you like the event name?”

“……Hmm, isn’t it a bit childish?”

“Things need to be childish to be easily understood.”

The event name that Value had informed me of this morning.

[Catch the Special Zombie ‘Streamer Shia’!]

It was a very simple and straightforward event title.

The event was exactly as the title suggested.

I would become a special zombie in and confront the participants.

Before I knew it, we arrived at the Value booth.

There were already people lined up to play .

The schedule was tight today, so let’s finish quickly.

As I naturally tried to connect to the capsule, Mr. Seok-hwan quietly added.

“By the way, there’s an extra incentive each time Shia-nim catches a participant….”

That was music to my ears.

I immediately connected to the game upon hearing those words.

As soon as I connected, the official Value event began, and the first participants entered the game.

[You have become the special zombie ‘Hunter’!]

[Throw the survivors into despair.]

With the game message popping up, the survivors’ locations glowed red.

I smiled slyly at the viewers, or rather, my money makers.

“It’s time to earn some money.”