Chapter 82: Karma (3)

‘Gukpong Mission Man’ sponsored 100,000 won!

[As a sign of reconciliation, give each other a deep hug. I was going to make you kiss on the lips, but I’ll let it goㅇㅇ]

“We didn’t even fight in the first place.”

“It’s true.”

“But a mission is a mission, so come here.”

Had he not shaved? Dong-su hyung’s stubbly beard touched my cheek.

It was a sensation I didn’t want to think about, but could I refuse the mission?

Moreover, our channel chairman had sponsored us to change the mood.

I closed my eyes tightly and nodded.

Dong-su hyung had practically dragged me into this broadcast to explain things.

Contrary to my worries, the viewers’ atmosphere was considerably softened.

If I had started the broadcast alone, the atmosphere would have been quite different.

The fact that this broadcast was on “Dong-su hyung’s channel” played the biggest role.

In hindsight, the person most affected by my betrayal back then was Dong-su hyung.

It was a raid that Dong-su hyung had meticulously prepared, and many sponsors were focused on the broadcast.

“Chan-sik.”

“Yes, hyung.”

“I won’t say much more. Let’s just sign a contract.”

“What kind of contract, hyung?”

“From now on, whenever I call, you must come on my broadcast as a guest. Just 10 times, how about that?”

-He’s going to get everything out of Kan now.

-Honestly, he should definitely do this.

-The man of the era.

-Our hyung is quite kind. If it were me, I wouldn’t have shown my face for a while.

The warm atmosphere continued.

For this reason, I couldn’t help but be grateful to Dong-su hyung.

A story that should have been difficult to resolve was quickly being untangled thanks to him.

Dong-su hyung, looking much more relaxed than me, glanced at the chat and smiled.

Then he quickly changed the subject.

“Guys, did you hear the news? Next year, is making a comeback in classic form.”

Dong-su hyung seemed to have heard the same information from Reporter Im.

Almost official information.

Some viewers seemed to know about it already, but most appeared to be hearing it for the first time.

The chat became noisy again.

A game considered the pioneer of virtual reality games.

In other words, it was an old game.

But for many people, was not just an old game.

It was a game of shared memories.

A pioneering game that opened a new genre of virtual reality games.

Thanks to this, the conversation in the chat shifted from talking about me to discussing the game.

Dong-su hyung winked at me and continued speaking slowly.

“It’s still a long way off, but I plan to play it when it’s released. Chan-sik, you’ll join me, right?”

“Of course.”

-He’s planning to betray Dong-su again.

-LOL

-Wow, that’s really nostalgic.

-There’s no way a classic release will succeed. Old games can’t be fun.

-People who say Gaia Online isn’t fun because it’s old don’t know games LOL

The chat on my channel and Dong-su hyung’s channel had similarities but more differences.

This was one of those differences.

The topics of conversation among the viewers were so diverse.

This implied that the age range of Dong-su hyung’s viewers was also diverse.

While the chat was buzzing with talk, a viewer threw a large sum of money at me with a question.

‘Curiosity Villain’ sponsored 100,000 won!

[But there’s something I want to ask Shia. Why did you reveal the secret? You’ve kept it well so far, was it really necessary to reveal it?]

A simple but pointed question.

Dong-su hyung looked at me, seeming to signal that I could answer as I wished.

So, I exhaled briefly.

And with a slightly awkward expression, I answered the question.

“While directly confronting my character in Dark Spirit, I had a lot of thoughts.”

I could have just brushed off the sponsorship question with a joke as usual.

The outcome could have been different depending on my choice.

But I didn’t want to avoid it by filling the controversy with lies once more.

Even if no one knew, it’s not like no one would ever find out.

Life is always about the results.

What if I had denied it back then?

Would my current colleagues, who knew everything, have stayed by my side?

If I had just tried to get away with it jokingly, as I always did…

Some viewers left comments on my Twitch page saying, ‘I’m disappointed because it’s not like you,’ ‘Why aren’t you brazen this time?’

The only feeling I had while reading those comments was regret.

If I had laid everything out from the start, this might not have happened.

Of course, I wouldn’t be in this position either.

I just finally corrected the mistake I made in the past.

I chuckled and looked at the camera.

“There are limits to running away with jokes all the time. So I irresponsibly confessed. I’m sorry again.”

At those words, Dong-su hyung just patted my back as if he was proud of me.

A little later.

The viewer who had just sponsored came through with another large amount.

‘Curiosity Villain’ sponsored 1,000,000 won!

[ㅇㅋㅇㅋ, I fully understand! Use this money to buy something delicious for Kanㅎㅎ Make sure to post a review on Twitch! Oh, and when will you return to streaming?] �

“Hmmm.”

Returning to streaming.

I had originally planned to take about a month off for self-reflection.

But seeing the current atmosphere, I thought that staying silent for a month might escalate the situation.

I looked at the donation message and nodded.

“I plan to take a week of self-reflection and then resume broadcasting next week.”

A week of self-reflection and rest.

I planned to reorganize my future broadcasting schedule during this time.

Upon hearing that, some viewers started voicing their complaints and attacking me.

– This guy is totally running awayㅋㅋ.

– Do you think we don’t know you’ll be enjoying yourself for a week after saying that?

– A week off? No way!

– Just kiss the lips.

– Holding my breath until Shia starts broadcasting again.

Cute Evil Gang members.

Maybe it’s because a big incident has just passed, but their chat messages seemed cuter than usual.

Dong-su hyung shrugged his shoulders while watching my interaction with the viewers.

Then he casually said.

“You said you already decided on the content for a week later.”

“Yes, it will probably be… Dark Spirit.”

Dark Spirit, the starting point of all this.

Unintentionally, I had received help from the Dark Spirit production team, so now it was time for me to repay them.

Moreover, I had received an assignment from the team.

Originally, it was an assignment I was supposed to start next month, but since my period of self-reflection was shortened, I planned to start it next week.

I looked at the camera and smiled slightly.

“The content for my return broadcast next Monday will be Dark Spirit, but it will be a viewer participation event.”

An event that could be called noise marketing if one wanted to.

Inspired by the event, the Dark Spirit production team had prepared a surprise.

That event was none other than.

“An event with a prize of 1 million won! Check it out on my broadcast next week!”

Ahem.

It’s my return broadcast, so I should at least prepare something like this, right?

6.

A week passed by very quickly.

It was a long rest after being busy with daily broadcasts.

Actually, a week isn’t that long of a time.

It’s a period that can pass by in the blink of an eye.

I didn’t do much during the break.

I either lay at home surfing the internet, played League of Storms, or met Dong-su hyung for drinks in the evening.

Or spent time with Na-young during the day?

Since my friendships during my school days weren’t smooth, I didn’t have many friends to hang out with even if I had time.

If it wasn’t for meeting Na-young or Dong-su hyung, I had no reason to go out.

But one thing was clear, my mind was at ease.

During the week, public opinion changed rapidly.

With the announcement of added, the story about me spread even faster among the public.

According to Sung-jae, internal research showed that my popularity had increased compared to before the incident.

was that famous a game.

It was a game that dominated the world at that time, and the fact that I was , the worst villain in the game, had a significant impact even on people who didn’t usually watch internet broadcasts.

Moreover, during the break, I received a message from my celebrity fan, Hae-chul hyung.

– Hey, are you resting well? Remember what I mentioned last time. It seems that the program will start production soon. You haven’t changed your mind, right? I’ll proceed as planned.

I thought my cable TV debut was out of the question due to this controversy, but apparently not.

From my perspective, there was no reason to refuse.

…Honestly, when I first confessed that I was , I thought I would return to my old self.

To be precise, the me right after I deleted my character.

But the situation was completely different from back then.

Was it thanks to the many people who helped me?

Anyway, a week had passed, and the day of my return had come.

Though it was only a return after a week.

As usual, I woke up in the morning and went for a workout.

Then, after a shower, I sat on the living room sofa to rest for a while.

I had already installed , today’s content, in the capsule.

By the way, was currently the top-ranked game on Twipod.

The timely marketing had caused many streamers to start broadcasting to challenge .

It was probably a trend orchestrated by Dong-su hyung, but it was successful in the end.

By the way, no one had cleared yet, other than me.

Of course, that’s how it should be.

I was such a phenomenal person back then!

“Hyung, you honestly want to rest a bit more, right?”

As I was lying on the sofa looking at my phone, Jin-hyuk, whose eyes were swollen as if he had just woken up, looked at me and said.

It was already 1 PM when I checked the time.

His lifestyle was totally wrecked too.

I looked at Jin-hyuk and answered.

“No? I really want to broadcast.”

“Hey… Liar.”

“Should I just rest for another week then?”

“…Sorry. Please start broadcasting today and take those damn Evil Gang members with you. Please?”

Jin-hyuk had absorbed most of the Evil Gang during my week off.

Although Na-young absorbed most of them during her daytime broadcasts, Jin-hyuk’s streaming hours didn’t overlap much with Na-young’s.

So, when Na-young finished her stream?

They went straight to Jin-hyuk.

Thanks to that, Jin-hyuk had been having nightmares for a week.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one affected when I revealed I was .

I heard the nature of the Evil Gang who followed me had also changed somewhat…

Hmm, you really have to experience these things firsthand to know.

“Are you going to start broadcasting early today? You usually sleep more after working out.”

“I’m starting the stream at 3 PM today.”

“Wow, you’re going to apologize and then rake in donations again, right?”

He’s definitely my brother, recognizing everything so well?

But I frowned and replied.

“I’m doing it because I feel bad. Do you see me as such a trashy person?”

Then Jin-hyuk nodded without hesitation.

“Of course.”

Someday, I’ll cut ties with this brat.

Anyway, after finishing my light conversation with Jin-hyuk and looking at my phone, the scheduled broadcast time approached.

2:55 PM.

After checking the time, I took a deep breath.

Then I went to my room and accessed the capsule.

After launching , I summoned the Twipod streamer dashboard and stretched lightly.

Shortly after.

[Streamer mode on Twipod is activated!]

[The broadcast is starting.]

[Set broadcast title: Traitor]

The title seemed appropriate.

As the broadcast began, I started to worry.

What if people don’t watch my stream?

Although I could start small, the sense of loss would be significant.

But that worry disappeared within a minute of starting.

The chat, which had been quiet, exploded in an instant.

-Traitorㅎ2

-Oh, oh! I believed in you!

-??? Streamer changed their nicknameㅋㅋ

-Today again, imagining that the streamer betrays usㅋㅋ Thought he wouldn’t come back after promising to return… But no! Starts the broadcast right on time!

-I’ve been holding back donationsㅎㅎ

-Explain! Explain! Explain! Explain!

As expected, the chat was filled with familiar messages.

I smiled as I looked at the chat.

And said cheerfully.

“Newbie streamer Shia here. Since it’s my first stream today, please understand if I make mistakes. Got it, you wicked bastards?”