It’s not that kind of malicious broadcast

“Hello, Yena-nim!”

《Yes, hello.》

A voice, gently muted, mixed with a slight nasal tone. It was quite different from her usual soft, whisper-like tone, but not entirely unfamiliar.

‘I’ve heard this voice before, but when was it…?’

If Arc had just a little more time, she would have recalled that it was the voice she had heard during the phone call for the ‘apology’ in the aftermath of the pre-snipe and post-snipe incident.

Unfortunately, there was no time to drag the voice from the depths of her memory.

《It’s about the interview we talked about last time… I called to ask what you thought about the schedule.》

On the other end of the line, Yena’s tone carried a bit of chill.

Her tone was fairly business-like, almost to the point where Arc worried that she might be upset.

‘Is she disappointed because I didn’t follow up on the interview? But she was climbing the Challenger ranks, so there was no helping it…’

Or maybe she was hinting that there’s no reason to go through with the interview anymore since the situation had changed. After all, when she thought about it, the promise of the interview had been made on the very first day the show started.

Not much time had passed since then, but Yena had quickly risen to become a broadcaster who commanded a crowd of 4,000 to 5,000 viewers.

At a point of rapid growth, it was not surprising that one might not want to waste their image on a collaboration – especially an interview.

Particularly when the scale of the broadcast had become (temporarily or not) similar to theirs.

‘Still, she didn’t seem like the type who would treat people based on rank.’

“Ah… I was planning to ask you soon. I’ll try to accommodate Yena-nim as much as possible. If an interview is difficult right now due to the current broadcast flow, please feel free to let me know!”

It was a tentative suggestion made with an anxious heart, while closely observing Yena’s reaction. However, her response was completely opposite of what Arc had expected.

“Oh…! Then, then… the interview, could we possibly do it today?”

“Today? Really?”

“Yes. Back then, you mentioned that you already had the questions prepared.”

“I did say that, didn’t I…?”

She was indeed prepared. It was surprising that she still remembered it. Despite being somewhat flustered, Arc’s mind quickly assessed the situation.

‘If we post an emergency announcement right away…’

The previous broadcast they did together had received great reviews, so the viewers would likely have a positive reaction to another collaboration.

Moreover, recently, there had been increasing complaints in the chat about only doing serious rank games without any content. The timing was perfect.

‘If I hadn’t been demoted to Diamond, I would have had the leisure to do more varied things…’

Recalling it brought new tears to her eyes. Influenced by Lee Yena’s challenger climb, she had attempted to break her own top rating, only to end in a disastrous result. Arc shook her head and forced herself to focus.

The interview with Lee Yena held substantial potential to become major content. With the right promotional efforts, it could stir up even greater buzz.

However… considering the flow of Arc’s broadcast, it also made sense to conduct the interview quickly to refresh the atmosphere. Most importantly, Lee Yena wanted it.

‘Why is that? Why do I feel…’

Even so, the reason she couldn’t readily agree was due to a certain anxiety stirring within him—though objectively, there was no reason to oppose it.

Perhaps it was the silence that followed her pondering, making her impatient. Lee Yena, who had been sipping her drink while waiting, continued to explain.

“I… I’m going to apply for the tournament soon. I don’t know if I’ll get in, but if I do, my schedule will be pushed back again. So, I thought it would be better to do it right away.”

“Oh, the tournament! Are you entering this time?”

There was no need for her to explain which tournament. It was obviously Tweet Untouchables.

If Lee Yena applied, her participation was as good as confirmed. Who else would they choose over the first woman challenger who had recently become a hot topic?

As Arc considered this, the opportunity before her seemed to shine brighter and brighter.

In every sense of the word, Lee Yena was undeniably a broadcaster bound to be the center of attention. Skills. Personality. Voice. Broadcast style. By any measure.

The signs were already visible in the community and similar platforms.

If, with this upcoming competition, interest in the broadcaster known as “CravingWarmAmericano” surged.

And at that time, if the previously prepared interview video was uploaded on G-tube.

Moreover, if that interview encompassed a storyline from sniper games to duo matches.

‘A broadcaster—or rather, a G-Tuber—wouldn’t be able to resist this.’

By the time she reached the point of making the call, all the worries that had filled her mind were long gone.

It was an inevitable outcome. Despite everything, Arc was a natural broadcaster—

And Lee Yena had always been like a mushroom that looked temptingly appetizing.

A bit, prettily shaped.

* * * *

While she was contemplating if it might have been too much to schedule for the same day.

“Yes, I’d be grateful! You must be busy these days, Yena-nim, thank you. So, how about an online interview via Discourse at 7 PM today? I’ll send you the question list right after the call!”

Arc’s voice came through, sounding somewhat exhilarated.

It was this easy. What had I been so worried about?

A sigh of relief followed by a slight chuckle.

Right.

From now on, let’s just face things as they come.

Without sinking into insignificance.

Reflecting on a small resolve, I raised a glass in a gesture of a vow—

—*drip*.

《Ah. There’s one thing I need to request of you…》

Ah, already empty.

“Yes.”

Responding as I strode toward the fridge, Arc continued in a steady tone.

《I’m just saying this just in case, but, you shouldn’t drink any alcohol until the interview is finished.》

… There was a condition like that? Surely, I hadn’t heard about this last time…

—*crack*.

Could Arc be mistaken? Hmm. It must be.

“What are you saying…?”

-Clink.

-Gulp.

“Alcohol! You really shouldn’t be drinking…!”

-Clink.

Wasn’t it?

“Um, are you listening?”

“Yes.”

“… You won’t be drinking, right?”

I guess not.

-Gulp.

“Yes. Since Arc is so adamant… Of course.”

With a sense of regret, I slowly twisted the red cap closed, mumbling my words.

“From now on, then.”

.

.

.

When I accessed Discourse on my computer, messages left by Arc greeted me immediately after the call ended.

『Arc: (Interview Questions.pdf)』

『Arc: We’ll conduct the interview roughly according to these questions.』

『Arc: Please let us know in advance if any questions make you uncomfortable.』

『Arc: I will start the broadcast at 7, do the opening remarks, introduce briefly, and then we aim to start the interview around 7:20.』

『Arc: Absolutely no alcohol. If it feels like an intoxicated interview, I’ll stop the broadcast.』

I never realized it just by watching the show…

Arc turned out to be surprisingly meticulous and firm.

『CravingWarmAmericano: 😟』

『CravingWarmAmericano: To handle KoK with such meticulousness』

…Once, I read the results of an experiment where people had to endure in a bathtub filled with ice-cold water. Those who could scream with all their might endured longer compared to those who had to keep their mouths shut.

So… if you used up your strength to restrain something somewhere, then you had to do something else… This must be science, right?

『Arc: …My manager and I will try to handle the chat and donations as much as possible, so you don’t have to worry too much.』

『Arc: We’ll raise the pricing to avoid excessive donations, and for this interview, we will distribute the donation revenue proportionately later.』

『Arc: Do you have any questions?』

『CravingWarmAmericano: 🍺🍺🍺?』

『CravingWarmAmericano: Ah』

『CravingWarmAmericano: I sent it by mistake』

『CravingWarmAmericano: 👍👍👍』

『CravingWarmAmericano: Thumbs up』

『Arc: …I’ll see you later.』

After finishing the prior consultation with Arc, the time was 6 PM. Under normal circumstances, it would still be time to sleep, yet oddly enough, my mind was clear. It felt somewhat like being awakened.

I tidied up the already clean desk once more for no reason and opened the interview questionnaire file to review it. There didn’t seem to be any questions that I needed to prepare answers for in advance… None at all.

Honestly, I just needed to say what I had to say.

『Posted by: ㅇㅇ』

『Title: Today’s Lineup is Insane ㄷㄷㄷㄷ』

“Rogue Spotlight with Dodat & Revan

Arc & GetDevoured Interview

It’s a feast, a real feast”

– Rogue spotlight? With Revan?

– ㅇㅇㅇ said on the broadcast that he wanted to learn more about rogues. Looks like he’s getting serious.

– Changing roles?

– No, not that far. He just wants to learn how to counter them, it seems.

– The timings clash. Which one should I watch?

– Definitely the fight, lOL. Do you think the GetDevoured interview will go smoothly?

– No way, the GetDevoured interview is for watching them get roasted;

– For real, it’s a definite post-battle watch.

* * *

『Author: ㅇㅇ』

『Title: Why are Rogues suddenly popular these days』

『Revan keeps saying on his broadcast that we should consider building with Rogues in mind. Is there something going on?』

– Isn’t it because of attaining Challenger status by “GetDevoured”?

– Nah, it’s just one crazy master, every game has one LOL

『Author: ReformedGwangjil』

『Title: Amazing, rogues Rogues』

『(Record Capture)

Amazing, rogues Rogues

Today’s Rogue has a 60% win rate.

Rogues were good today』

– Gwang-Jil… how did it come to this…

– You’re persistently flooding the chat, man.

– Change your nickname to “Do-Jil”, you jerk.

– Should I?

– Should I, my ass, cut the crap LOL LOL

– This is how scary women can be

TL’s Corner:

Yena downing the last bit of alchohol remaining after she heard that she couldn’t drink alchohol during the interview. This is going to be a riot.