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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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Time flew by quickly, perhaps because it was the beginning of the semester.
My group, Group 3, had been preparing props and practicing the song for the talent show. Of course, the song practice included me.
On our way out of the coin karaoke where we had practiced, A-reum, who had indulged my request for practice, said,
“Geez, Kang Cheol, you’re so insecure. You’re a good singer.”
“Even if you say that…”
I knew now. I knew that the compliments
I received at the karaoke that day weren’t just empty flattery. I was a surprisingly good singer.
But singing well and singing on stage were two completely different things! Just the thought made my heart pound like it was about to leap out of my chest.
“Well, it’s too late to back out now.”
“Yeah, we have no choice. By the way, Cheol-jin…”
A-reum suddenly called me by my name instead of my nickname. This usually meant one of two things.
The first was a serious conversation.
And the second…
“Can I come over to your place tonight? Pretty please?” A-reum asked, clinging to my arm. Her ample D-cup breasts pressed against me. Both my head and my lower half instinctively nodded in agreement.
But I was a professional. I exercised immense self-control and shook my head. “Sorry. I have some work to do today. I have to finish it before the MT.”
“…Ugh!”
“I’m really sorry. I’d love to, but…”
“I hate you! Stupid Kang Cheol!”
Her soft fists pounded my shoulder. It didn’t hurt at all.
“I’m leaving.”
“B-Be careful! See you at school tomorrow!”
“No!”
She was so cute when she was sulking, even though I had no idea what she meant by “no.” I wanted to scoop her up in my arms and run home with her. And then spend the entire night…!
“Ugh. I really want to…”
But I had too much work to do.
Illustration commissions weren’t my only source of income.
The Digital Content Department… after enrolling, I realized it was even more demanding than I had imagined. As soon as orientation week ended, they started cramming the syllabus and bombarded us with assignments.
The only saving grace was that my hobbies had given me a head start in some areas.
I was already proficient in basic design programs like Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator. I had also taught myself basic 3D modeling, video editing, and programming by watching YouTube tutorials.
These skills were how I made a living. I worked as a freelancer, taking on commissions.
“I need to finish this video editing project today…”
My eagerness to earn as much as possible while I could had led me to take on too many projects. Even after finishing the work for Yoo Si, my regular big-spending client, I still had five illustration commissions and three video editing projects left.
I finished two of the video editing projects and opened the last one. I watched the two-hour video on fast-forward, chuckling occasionally, then suddenly exclaimed in frustration,
“This guy’s streams are entertaining, but he’s so disorganized. Does he think his editor is his personal servant?”
His streaming schedule, content, and even the way he commissioned work were all over the place. He had a good on-screen presence, but he was unprofessional. I had a feeling he would eventually cause a major incident and ruin his career.
I thought for a moment and made a decision. “This is the last time.”
I wasn’t his exclusive editor; we had a per-project agreement. It was unprofessional to suddenly quit, but he was the one who had been unprofessional first, so I didn’t feel guilty. He had delayed payments countless times, and ghosting me on KakaoTalk was his specialty.
I finished editing, sent the file, and checked the time. It was already 11 PM. I needed to go to bed soon to make it to my morning workout.
But there are days when you just can’t fall asleep, no matter how tired you are.
Today was one of those days. My mind was strangely alert, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep even if I lay in bed.
…Was it because I had too much pent-up energy?
While exercising, I realized that virility was closely linked to physical fitness. Ever since I started running every morning, my lower half had been constantly perked up. It had always been sensitive, but it was even more so recently.
It was probably also because I hadn’t been intimate with A-reum for a week due to my busy schedule. Normally, I would have taken care of it with my onahole, but after experiencing sex, masturbation felt like a waste.
“Should I watch some streams?”
One of my hobbies was watching internet broadcasts. This small hobby had led to my illustration and video editing work.
There were several internet broadcasting platforms in Korea, but the two biggest were Twatch and Awesome.
I used to be a viewer on the T platform. But then, T suddenly withdrew from Korea, and C company took over its operations. A company, wanting to shed its old image, rebranded with a new name.
That left Cheese and SuperTime.
So, I moved to the C platform, which had taken over T’s operations. But then, the streamers I enjoyed watching moved en masse to the S platform, so I followed them.
In the end, I settled on the S platform. Not only were many of my favorite streamers there, but the niche I was interested in was also starting to blossom, albeit slowly.
I set the category to “Virtual” and browsed.
“As expected, there aren’t many virtual streamers. This platform has the most, but it’s still not many.”
Virtual streamers. That was the main reason I settled on the S platform. The virtual streaming scene, still relatively unknown in Korea, was starting to grow here.
Virtual is the future.
I was certain of it. It wasn’t just because I was an otaku. So many people streamed with just a 2D image. Virtual streaming was clearly superior. People weren’t used to it yet, but in time, more and more streamers would use virtual avatars instead of static images.
That was why I enrolled in the Digital Content Department.
I believed in the market potential and wanted to learn the skills necessary for creating virtual characters. I would have preferred a department specializing in virtual avatars, but unfortunately, such a department didn’t exist yet.
It’s better than self-studying.
Many of the skills taught in the Digital Content Department were relevant to creating virtual avatars: 3D modeling, texturing and shading, rigging, animation, and so on.
Anyway, as I was browsing the Virtual category, a particular thumbnail caught my eye. Was it because the virtual character was pretty? No, quite the opposite.
“Wow, that’s one ugly character.”
I wondered where they dug up that design. It was truly hideous. Even the characters I made for practice looked better.
I clicked on the stream, and it turned out the character wasn’t the only problem. The setup and the computer specs were so bad that there was a horrendous lag. The stream itself was decent, but the character’s movements were choppy.
“Ugh, even the sound settings are messed up. Is this a newbie? No, they’ve been streaming for two months?”
The channel had been created almost two months ago. They should know the basics of sound setup by now.
But it was funny.
This stream was strangely entertaining.
Heehee! Look at this! I told you I was Diamond rank! This is my account! Everyone who doubted me, apologize! I’ll accept apologies in the form of donations!
The streamer, after getting a solo kill, spoke confidently. It was a good play, worthy of her confidence.
The chat was filled with surprised reactions, though there were fewer than five viewers.
“She has good energy.”
Despite the poor stream setup, the streamer herself was entertaining. She was a high-ranked player, so her gameplay was impressive, and she had a reckless, all-in style that was fun to watch. A female gamer in Diamond tier? I couldn’t resist.
Let’s go! Carry! I’m taking the mission gold!
Was her name Bada? I glanced at her nickname. It was “Pibada” (Sea of Blood). What a fierce name for a girl.
Then, a paid chat message popped up.
[Are you a girl?]
Pibada replied, – “No, I identify as an attack helicopter. An AH-64 Apache.”
“Pfft.”
I chuckled.
The attack helicopter was a foreign meme satirizing the increasingly liberal views on gender identity. You can choose your own gender? Then I choose to be an attack helicopter. The AH-64 Apache was a well-known attack helicopter model.
It didn’t seem like the streamer was using the meme to make a statement. She was probably just trying to hide her gender. Now that I was paying attention, the robotic quality in her voice wasn’t due to noise, but a deliberate voice changer.
“Hmm. The stream itself is entertaining, but… the setup is a shame. And the avatar is terrible.”
I thought for a moment and decided to help her.
I’ll give her the avatar I made for practice. I wasn’t planning on selling it anyway.
I had always wanted to see my avatar used in a stream. I could use this streamer as a test subject. And I could help her with her stream setup too.
I wrote her a message and clicked the “Donate” button.
[Steel donated 100 Berries.]
1 Berry was 100 won, so 100 Berries was 10,000 won – not a small amount for a new streamer.
Wow, Steel nim, thank you for the 100 Berry donation!
Pibada thanked me.
Then, the voice message I had typed appeared in the chat.
[Steel: Please check your messages. You can check after the stream ends.]
As I waited for a reply…
Sorry, no personal messages. Please read the stream rules.
“What the…?”
I typed another message.
No, I said you can check after the stream!
[You have been banned from the channel.]
I got banned after donating…
Fortunately, I cleared up the misunderstanding with Pibada.
She seemed to have checked her messages after the stream, despite saying she didn’t accept personal messages.
A long, apologetic message, along with a thank you, arrived in my inbox.
I’ve been getting a lot of malicious messages lately, so I overreacted. I unbanned you o(_ _)o
I’m really sorry ㅠ∧ㅠ
I’ll try setting things up the way you suggested. Thank you for your support. Really.
I know it’s shameless, but I’ll leave my L code here…
I was a little annoyed, but I decided to help her.
I needed a test subject, and I understood why she reacted the way she did.
Streamers got a lot of hate, especially female streamers, who were often targeted by perverts.
She’s not showing her face, so it should be fine, right?
No. There were more creeps in the world than you could imagine. Plenty of people got aroused by 2D images, so why would virtual avatars be any different? There was a reason she was using a voice changer and joking about being an attack helicopter.
But Pibada’s reaction after I gave her my L code was strange.
She saw my nickname during our voice call and…
Huh? Kang Cheol?
“Yes, this is Kang Cheol. I used the nickname Steel in the chat. My usual nickname was already taken.”
Oh, um, wait a second!
Why was she speaking informally?
I frowned, wondering if I should just find another streamer, when…
Kang Cheol!
Her voice changed.
The robotic tone disappeared, replaced by a bright, higher-pitched voice.
It was a voice I knew well.
“A-A-reum?”
Yea! It’s me, A-reum! I’m Pibada!
Pibada was A-reum? The “Pi” in Pibada was from her name?
No, that wasn’t important.
I lowered my voice and said,
“A-reum.”
“Y-Yeah?”
“Give me back my ten thousand won, dammit.”
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