Chapter 79: Turning Point (3)

It was just one word.

Even the chat restricted to subscribers went wild.

– ㅁㅊ.

– No excuses, brutally honest.

– Alpha male, Acknowledgmentㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ.

– Are you quitting streaming now?

– Wowㅋㅋ was our Evil really Shia? No wonder they were so good at the game.

– Why did you betray us back then? It’s still outrageous when I think about it.

– This guy is a betrayal expertㅅㄱ. He’ll betray his viewers eventually, so I’m unsubscribing.

These were just a few comments that stood out from the endless stream of chat.

I glanced at the chat window for a moment, sighed, and then closed it.

There was no point in live interaction anymore.

Watching the chat only hurt me.

I had to end the broadcast after saying everything I had prepared.

This was never a broadcast for “excuses.”

It was simply a broadcast to confess the truth as it was.

I looked straight ahead and slowly began to speak again.

“Some of you might remember the Apocalypse Dragon raid, which was called the last boss of . That raid failed because I betrayed them.”

My voice trembled, but I couldn’t stop.

If I trembled and showed fear here, it would look like I regretted it to others.

I had to show a confident demeanor.

Only then could I open the only path to overcome this situation.

So, I mustered all my strength and continued to speak.

“Among the people who played with me back then, many have become famous streamers. Like Dong-su hyung, Sae-rin noona, and Yoo-seon noona. I will continue to apologize to them.” Ɍ

They are the ones who knowingly let me deceive them.

I would have to keep apologizing to those people for the rest of my life.

Dong-su hyung brought me to this position knowing that I was Shia.

Yoo-seon noona and Sae-rin noona warmly welcomed me.

How heartbreaking and sorry that made me.

However, separate from that, there was something I wanted to say confidently to the viewers.

“But if I were to go back to that time, I would betray them again. I have no regrets.”

No regrets.

If I said here that I regretted my actions back then, that I wanted to correct my mistakes if I could go back?

Public opinion might change a little.

But what about Jin-hyuk, who would be waiting for me at the dorm?

I didn’t want my brother to get hurt.

That was why I didn’t regret the betrayal.

I saved Jin-hyuk, and that was enough.

Many people would throw stones at me, but it didn’t matter.

It was enough for me to be the only one to take the hits.

“Sorry for hiding it all this time.”

It was a broadcast for confession.

Dragging it out with various excuses would only harm me.

I gave the viewers the answer they wanted and conveyed my intentions.

Regardless of the reasons, the fact that I betrayed didn’t change.

The more complex the story, the uglier it would be.

“I’m ending it early today, goodbye.”

So, I concluded briefly and ended the broadcast.

Then, I stepped out of the capsule.

As soon as I did, Dong-su hyung, who had sobered up, looked at me and spoke.

“Good job.”

“Hyung.”

“You talked well with Sung-jae hyung too, right? Now, all you have to do is go to the dorm and talk with Jin-hyuk. Leave the rest to us.”

“You don’t need to exert yourself. Thank you.”

I hadn’t been streaming for long, but I had received an excessive amount of attention and income relative to the time.

It had been too much of a choice for me from the beginning.

Greed in this situation seemed like a luxury.

It didn’t seem too bad to end my streaming like this.

Dong-su hyung looked at me and sighed deeply. Then he put his arm around my shoulder and spoke.

“Cheer up, buddy.”

“I’m really okay. You don’t have to exert yourself?”

“My brother had the courage to confess, and just watching quietly wouldn’t be right. Hey, I created that spot for you. So, it’s only natural I take responsibility, isn’t it?”

He’s such a good person.

Why had I hidden it all this time?

……Maybe it was because I lacked courage for the immediate matter.

But now that I confessed to the viewers, the anxiety that had piled up in a corner of my heart melted away like snow.

It was the first time in a long time that I felt such a sense of relief.

I looked at Dong-su hyung with a slight smile.

“Hyung, I’m leaving first today.”

“Oh, sure. Go back and rest. I’ll come later. I have to stream too. I didn’t announce a break today. Oh, and tonight, a drink with Sae-rin and Yoo-seon. You know?”

Drinking again after all that since morning?

I wished Dong-su hyung would drink less, for the sake of his future partner.

With that, I bowed my head to Dong-su hyung and slowly left the Twipod booth.

As soon as I stepped out of the booth, I felt much sharper gazes.

Some recognized me, and there were a few fellow streamers.

Most of the streamers who usually acknowledged me didn’t approach first.

It meant they didn’t want to be involved in the controversy.

But I didn’t blame them.

I wouldn’t want to create controversy on purpose either.

But there was one person.

A woman quietly approached and hugged me.

“Chan-sik, why are you standing there all gloomy? That’s not like you.”

Na-young.

Today too, Na-young was wearing a pretty smile.

She sighed deeply as she hugged me. Then, she spoke in a warm voice.

“Everything will be alright. You’re a good person.”

Ah.

I had nothing but good people around me.

The emotions I had barely held back began to surface.

#### 6.

Back at the dorm, I talked with Jin-hyuk for a long time.

About the times in . And about the final raid.

I also told him why I betrayed them.

Jin-hyuk quietly listened to my story, shedding tears.

Why was he crying over such a story?

I talked with Jin-hyuk for about three hours.

Finally, when I finished my story, Jin-hyuk, sniffling, spoke to me.

“So, hyung, are you not going to stream anymore?”

“Yeah, probably. I don’t think I can handle public opinion. Even if I stream again, it won’t be the same as before.”

“Still, shouldn’t you try a few more times? Why didn’t you mention it earlier?”

“Mention what?”

“That you were paid by the game company to do it. That would have garnered some sympathy.”

So he had been watching my broadcast.

I smiled wryly and shook my head as I answered.

“What difference does it make? The fact that I betrayed doesn’t change. And I said I’d keep it a secret, right? If I mentioned it on the broadcast……”

“The company went bankrupt. It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Jin-hyuk, do you want me to cling to streaming so desperately that I’d even use your name?”

I didn’t want to show an ugly side.

But Jin-hyuk seemed frustrated with my actions.

“What does it matter? I’m also a successful streamer thanks to you, and you want me to just watch? You betrayed because of me.”

“I didn’t tell you to make you feel guilty. Get it straight, Kim Jin-hyuk.”

At my words, Jin-hyuk stayed silent for a moment, then stood up and spoke to me.

“I’m going to go meet a friend for a bit.”

With that, he opened the door and left the dorm.

I shouted towards Jin-hyuk as he got farther away.

“Hey, you don’t have any friends in Busan!”

“…I’m going to meet other streamers.”

“Oh, really? Sorry.”

After sending Jin-hyuk off, I lay down alone on the dorm bed.

So much had happened today.

It wasn’t even evening yet, but I felt inexplicably exhausted.

Even though I had tried to stay calm during the broadcast, it seemed I had unknowingly been under a lot of stress.

Since Dong-su hyung had arranged a drinking session for the evening, it might not be a bad idea to catch some sleep until then.

For now, I should try to get some rest…

Beep beep beep.

Just as I was about to lie down with my smartphone flipped over, a small notification sound echoed.

I was too tired to check it, but a strange feeling prompted me to look at my phone.

The notification was a push alert from the Twipod app.

It was an alert saying Dong-su hyung had started his broadcast.

However, the broadcast title revealed through the alert was seriously unsettling.

[Streamer ‘Kan’ has started broadcasting!]

[Title: Conscience Confession]

Why did I feel so uneasy?

I had intended to sleep, but I couldn’t relax.

I needed to check the broadcast just in case.

I quickly opened the Twipod app and connected to Dong-su hyung’s broadcast.

As expected, considering the timing, over 30,000 viewers had already tuned in.

On the screen, there were two empty chairs, and Dong-su hyung was nowhere to be seen.

Needless to say, the chat was in chaos.

-Hyung! What’s with all the confessions today? Are you going to confess something too?ㅋㅋ

-Is he confessing that he’s going to beat up Shia? I support it!

-ㅋㅋㅋ He kept saying he’d get that bastard every day during the broadcasts, finally, he’ll achieve his wishㅎㅎ

-Spoiler for tomorrow morning’s news: Breaking news) Famous streamer arrested for assaulting a fellow streamer.

-Shia is probably on the run in a panic right now.

-LOL That bastard relied only on his skills and now he’s getting what he deserves. I always thought he looked like a traitor from the start.

Most of the chat was filled with insults towards me.

It was no surprise, as it seemed to outsiders that Dong-su hyung held a significant grudge against me.

The only blemish on Dong-su hyung’s career as a leading streamer was the raid, after all.

Just as the chat was turning into a battlefield, Dong-su hyung finally appeared, wearing a neat suit.

He wasn’t broadcasting from the capsule.

It was a real-life filming using a camera.

Judging by the two chairs, it seemed there was a guest.

Dong-su hyung appeared on the screen, tapping the microphone as he spoke.

-ㅇㅇㅇㅇㅇ.

-Hyung! You look so cool today! Are you going for a gangster look?

-Let’s go catch that bastard Shia with the gangster look~~ㅋㅋ

-Expecting some refreshing words.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

-He’ll surely curse him out, right? Ah, I also feel like swearing.

Seeing the continued harsh criticism towards me, Dong-su hyung frowned and spoke.

With those words, the chat was frozen, and Dong-su hyung nodded with a smile.

It was clear to anyone that he was referring to me.

I bit my lip and continued watching the broadcast.

I had told him he didn’t need to go this far for me, but seeing Dong-su hyung’s eyes, I knew it was different.

His eyes were filled with a sense of responsibility.

As in the past, every time Dong-su hyung had that expression, an incident would occur.

Dong-su hyung nodded calmly and spoke.

The story about me flowed out quickly.

As expected of someone with extensive broadcasting experience, there was no hint of urgency in Dong-su hyung’s demeanor.

In contrast to the attitude I had shown earlier, he was astonishingly calm.

After saying that, Dong-su hyung looked beside the camera and waved his hand.

Soon after, a man I had seen earlier appeared.

It was Lee Nak-joon, a former production staff member.

As soon as he appeared, I couldn’t help but hold my breath.

I realized what Dong-su hyung was planning to do.

and was an administrator until the end of its service.>

With his substantial appearance, Lee Nak-joon filled the screen.

Dong-su hyung lightly shook hands with Lee Nak-joon, then looked straight at the camera and spoke.

Just as I made my choice.

Dong-su hyung had made his choice too.