#24
“What you’re watching is a game called Legend of Legend… It’s a game where teams of five fight against each other to destroy the enemy base. The important point here is…”
Hajun traced his memories from a few years back, explaining the game mechanics from a beginner’s perspective. Perhaps because he focused primarily on Imun, explaining things in a way that would help understand his gameplay, Imun’s fans seemed to gradually grasp the live broadcast.
– OMG LOLLL IMUNIE HAHAHA Is there anything he can’t do well?!HAHA
– Imun, didn’t you just miss that last hit?!HAHAHAHA
– Is that skill Imun just used his ultimate?!
As though they had never been timidly cheering before, they had now integrated into the broadcast and were enjoying the game. By the time Imun scored a pentakill, fans from both sides were sending donations and celebratory messages.
After the match ended in the blink of an eye, the chat window scrolled rapidly with reviews and admiration for their duo play, along with pleas for them to stream a little longer. Hajun was just rolling his eyes, wondering what to do, as it was already time to end the stream according to his original schedule.
“Um… oh? The chat… crashed again.”
[30,000 won donation! It crashes whenever Gangha appears lol! A professional chat killer lol]
[10,000 won donation! Wow lol! Haneul fans, now you have to pay to speak lol!]
[20,000 won donation! A minimum of 1,000 won per chat message! If you want to support streamers, you should at least do this much! lol]
[20,000 won donation! Breaking my savings account today T_T Please T_T Don’t go T_T]
Faced with the frozen chat window, Hajun awkwardly scratched his head. He could feel the viewers’ desperate wishes through the endless stream of donations.
What should I do? Just as he was about to turn to PC KaTok to ask Imun’s opinion, he encountered an unexpected message.
[Hyung, I’m sorry about my fans again…]
[Should I just quit the game?]
The timestamp beside the chat showed it was sent while they were in the middle of playing. It seemed Imun had been watching his broadcast while playing the duo.
[Were you watching the stream? lolllll;;]
[Your fans were looking for you the whole time, you could have at least told them through game chat]
[It felt too obvious to announce it was me]
[I’m sorry the chat crashed again because of me T_T]
[No, no, it’s fine haha. My streaming time is over anyway…]
[I thought I wouldn’t be discovered, but I guess there’s a spy among my fans lol]
So he knew all along but kept quiet. While grateful for his thoughtfulness in every little detail, Hajun couldn’t help feeling slightly annoyed.
Recalling how he’d broken a sweat trying to soothe Imun’s fans, he decided to slightly twist his original plan. He smiled mischievously for Imun, who was probably still watching through his lens.
“Thanks to your support, I’ll play just one more game before ending the stream. Imun-nim is automatically participating, so don’t try to run away! For those who find the crashed chat inconvenient, I’ll see you again in tomorrow’s broadcast.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a flood of cheering donations poured in. ‘Since it’s come to this, I’ll shower you with money!’, ‘If we donate, can we continue watching the duo broadcast?!’ Quickly calming the increasingly enthusiastic viewers, he started the second game.
Afterward, the viewer count didn’t decrease but rather increased, reaching an all-time high just before the broadcast ended. It was a day when he became newly aware of Imun’s enormous influence.
***
He turned up his coat collar against the chilly wind. It seemed to be time to bring out winter clothes. When he put his hands in his pockets, he felt a piece of paper rustling. It was a note his grandmother had given him that morning, asking him to buy an album by a certain singer.
Is there no age or gender limit to liking celebrities? Recalling Imun’s videos that he had watched until just before falling asleep yesterday, he took a deep breath of cold air. He had ventured out for the first time in a while, partly to fulfill his grandmother’s request and partly to see people.
Seated in a corner of the platform, he checked the subway time. There was still plenty of time left.
Maybe I should check the broadcast reactions. With an embarrassed expression, Hajun looked around and accessed the fan site. It was a place he occasionally visited to check viewer reactions when something significant happened.
Clicking through the latest posts one by one, he eventually went back to the day of their duo broadcast. Just skimming the post titles was enough to tell how excited the viewers had been that day.
I almost gave myself away by laughing. He felt oddly proud that the misunderstanding about Imun seemed to have been resolved well. He clicked on the post with the most comments among the various posts.
【Gangha Minor Board】
Title: Gangha and Imun lolll Ah lollll
I was really worried from the start of the broadcast because Gangha’s mood seemed bad, thought things weren’t going well with that person
But when Imun suddenly greeted him I literally got goosebumps lol I’m still annoyed lol T_T
But they’re really good at duo together lol! They barely chat or talk
But how do they coordinate so well just by pinging? lol
I can understand Gangha since he was always good at games
But Imun was really unexpected lol! Isn’t his main job being an idol? lol
I see why Gangha praised Imun so much lol this is too much lol
Seriously, I wouldn’t mind if the chat crashed every day if they would do duo broadcasts often lol
Comments(102)
– They really seem close lol How do you just give away your ID and password even if it’s an alt account? lol;;;
– Being friends with an idol… Gangha suddenly seems so far away, it makes me sad…
└ Gangha was always an unreachable existence lol Top Twitch mukbang streamer
└ lol I’m surprised too haha
└ Hoxy… is this Gangha? lolll
└ lol if by any chance this is Gangha, please close this immediately and don’t even look at this T_T This is our last refuge for fan obsession T_T
– Actually, I was a bit upset with Imun because Gangha cried so sadly during the drinking stream T_T I’m glad it was a misunderstanding T_T
– Imun following him around and dancing throughout the game was seriously so cute lol I didn’t know LoL had that many emotes lol He also gave the most thumbs-up I’ve seen in any game lol
└ It was even funnier when the opponent thought they were being mocked and got upset lol He was just happy playing with his friend T_T
└ It was also hilarious when he only used basic attacks to feed Imun kills on that OP opponent lol And yet you didn’t get hit by a single enemy skill… what kind of man are you… lol
└ Sigh… by my standards, this is true love
– Guys, if anyone has the drinking stream video, please share T_T It’s not like it’s a rare stream, why is it so hard to find the video? T_T Why didn’t I watch the broadcast at that time, you idiot T_T
└ lol be satisfied with this at least…^^ I’d like to share everything but I’m afraid it would break Gangha’s mental lol
(GIF of Hajun clapping like a seal with a drunk face)
[See more comments]
In the middle of reading the post intently, an announcement echoed through the platform. Hajun stood at the end of the waiting line, following people getting up to board the subway.
He was absently staring at the dust on his shoes when he looked up. It was particularly bustling ahead—sure enough, male students in black uniforms with Chinese collars were giggling as they playfully pushed each other.
“What should we eat?” “Let’s go to that ramen place from before.” “Ah, I’m not really feeling that place.” Though their language with each other was quite rough, their expressions were bright. Hajun eavesdropped with interest on the students’ conversation until just before getting off the subway.
“What should we eat…huh.”
Words that could only be spoken when meeting in person. A sentence that couldn’t be found in his conversations with Imun suddenly struck his heart.
Once he became conscious of it, people around him kept catching his eye. In the busy downtown area, there were far more people walking with friends or lovers than alone like himself.
While subtly observing groups of men his age, he unconsciously imagined walking with Imun.
‘What should we eat today?’
‘You’re on a diet, so how about some light beef?’
‘Hyung, that’s mean. You’re teasing me, right?’
They say greed has no end. He’d never particularly felt lonely for not having friends, but now that he’d made a friend he never had before, the reality of feeling emptier instead struck him as a paradox.
The wind felt especially biting today. With his coat tightly fastened, he quickened his pace. In a few hours, Mari was scheduled to visit his home.
*
He entered a CD shop in the heart of downtown, near an intersection. After finding the album his grandmother had requested and heading toward the checkout counter, the K-POP section suddenly caught his eye. It was fascinating how it occupied the most prominent position, standing out among the numerous genres placed around.
He reflexively scanned the panel elaborately decorated with promotional posters and albums. Without even trying hard, it wasn’t difficult to spot his target. Naturally, On The Sky’s albums were proudly displayed right in the center of the section.
I have to save this! Like a photographer, he devoted himself to taking pictures, disregarding the people around him. After taking satisfactory photos from various angles, he sent them to his friend as a boast.
[You guys are completely displayed in the center lol So impressive!]
[(Collection of photos)]
Unlike usual, something didn’t feel right. After staring at the chat window for a long time, he realized the source of his unease.
[When you come to Tokyo someday, let’s visit together lol]
After adding this casual remark, Hajun looked much more refreshed as he went to browse the albums.
It was his first time seeing On The Sky’s CDs in person. While excitedly examining the album for a moment, he clicked his tongue when he confirmed that each member had a different cover.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
