It’s not that kind of malicious broadcast

A broadcaster was extremely sensitive to public opinion, often referred to as ‘Public Sentiment’.

In a way, it was natural. Reviews were thrown right in their faces by the audience, and the increase or decrease in numbers was visible in real-time.

Therefore, most broadcasters were naturally swayed by the chat window. Even though they knew they shouldn’t be, it wasn’t uncommon for them to nervously search for their names in various communities.

However, no matter how obsessively they monitored public opinion, there were always moments when the thoughts of the masses and the broadcaster’s judgment diverged.

Arc was also diligent in monitoring public opinion, trying to understand the needs and thoughts of her viewers – but she couldn’t choose the right answer every time.

For example, Arc’s thought that ‘it would definitely blow up before and after the competition’ was only half correct.

Lee Yena was already receiving explosive interest.

Of course, it had been almost a week since Lee Yena achieved Challenger status. In the fast-moving world of internet broadcasts, where topics shifted rapidly, three juicy pieces of gossip could easily pass by in such a time span.

However, there were many who learned about it only recently, having come across the community later – and more importantly, since the moment ‘CravingWarmAmericano’ achieved Challenger status and abruptly ended the broadcast, she hadn’t gone live even once.

For no apparent reason.

Curiosity piled up and piled up, boiling like steam inside a pressure cooker. Whether she knew it or not, Lee Yena vanished somewhere without giving even the smallest gap for the heat to escape.

It would have been problematic if she didn’t know, but if she did it knowingly, it was even worse.

However, sometimes that very frustration served as the best marketing strategy—the power of which was evident in Arc achieving the highest viewer count ever.

15,200 viewers.

A number that easily surpassed three times the average viewership could have been a huge pressure—

Yet the broadcast was progressing remarkably smoothly.

“Oh, I should have mentioned this first. Congratulations on achieving Challenger! Declaring to climb from mid-tier Master to Challenger and achieving it within just 40 hours is an incredible record. Among all female pro gamers and broadcasters, you are the first female user to do so… How do you feel?”

“…… Of course, I am happy. But if you ask if I am happy to become Challenger… more than that, I am happy that I have acquired the skills to be Challenger.”

Even to simple questions, and even to slightly mischievous ones, Lee Yena consistently provided remarkably normal answers.

I expected you to say something like, ‘Now I can snipe even the Challenger players.'”

Instead, the thought crossed Arc’s mind that a slightly more controversial answer might be entertaining. Just before starting the broadcast, she would have shuddered just at the idea.

“Yes, I’m sure our viewers have no doubts about your skills. I’ve seen the highlights too, and wow, really. So, have you always been that good with the Paladin?”

“I… I’m not that good, but I know a variety of characters. You know, there are times when I need to give up playing the Rogue.”

“… Didn’t you not play other characters before?”

“That’s because I didn’t have to give up playing the Rogue.”

– Anonymous user donated 10,000 won! –

【Is there a Rogue? NO? Then I’ll play it】

『LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL』

『So neat LOLOLOL LOLOLOL』

『Someone has to play the Rogue』

“Why does such an algorithm exist?”

Apart from the sudden surge of emotions triggered by the memories, the flow of their conversation was seamless, and the audience’s engagement and response were excellent. By Arc’s own evaluation, it was a flawless broadcast.

With a much lighter heart than before the broadcast began, she flipped through the slides and continued with the questions.

“Yes… we’ll have to hear more detailed answers at the police station. By the way, speaking of the police station, there’s another question I’d like to ask. Are you really not going to change your ID?”

《Yes.》

The response was immediate.

“Honestly, I’ve come to terms with it halfway… but now that ‘CravingWarmAmericano’ has also started broadcasting, isn’t it too much of a hassle having such a provocative username?”

《Ah, the provocation…》

It was a calm whisper without much variation in tone.

Continuing her words with a hint of curiosity, Lee Yena added,

《Compared to other broadcasts, the flashpoint is quite low here. Why do you think that is?》

– “‘LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL. Right? Why do you think that is?'”

– “‘At least pretend to be curious, dear teacher.'”

– “‘I want to hit that person who’s pretending not to know anything.'”

– “‘It’s not that the flashpoint is low, it’s that you’re shooting napalm, you crazy lunatic.'”

[‘This message has been temporarily blocked and deleted.’]

[“‘Even a monk would break his wooden gong over his head upon hearing that ocarina.'”]

[‘This message has been temporarily blocked and deleted.’]

Despite the viewers bringing their habit of chatting from Lee Yena’s broadcast and getting blocked for 10 minutes without hesitation, the chat window was flooded to the point of lagging.

“…… Yes, there’s no point in probing any further. Nonetheless, let’s clarify this. What does your username mean?”

“‘Hmm……. That’s a good question. What could it mean?'”
Lee Yena mumbled as if she was truly curious, then closed her mouth. Then.

“I’ve thought about it… but I don’t really know. Maybe I wanted a warm Americano when I was making the ID.”

“The ID you made yourself… No, anyway. Not that ID, but the ID ‘KoK’…”

“Oh, that one. It’s an abbreviation.”

She dismissed it with that response, whispering in a voice devoid of any hint of laughter.

“The ‘KoK’ ID can only have 11 characters. So, I shortened it to ‘CravingToDevour’ but it was deemed inappropriate… I was upset but changed it to ‘CraveToDevour’, and even tried switching the order. Same goes for my other characters. With Faraday, everything’s an issue… especially the lack of flexibility. Don’t you agree?”

『Whoa』

『No, that’s seriously inappropriate LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOL』

『What were you even upset about LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOL』

『Faraday is efficient though』

– “I Want To Devour You.”

[This message has been temporarily blocked and deleted.]

– “Wow, wow!”

– “Awesome, awesome!”

– “I’ve got today’s material for enjoyment!”

– This message has been temporarily blocked and deleted.

– “From now on, I’ll call it ‘Delightful Snack.'”

– “Delightful Snack Nuna…”

– “Wow, this is amazing!”

– User XX donated 10,000 won! –

【“What? What was the username again? Please say it slowly, and if possible, in a quieter voice.”】

Usually, such an overwhelming amount of chat messages and unpredictable responses would have been enough to fluster her.

Regardless of these challenges, Arc, already in the flow, continued the conversation with the sensation of a fearless rush.

Not long ago, she remembered the thrill she had felt while rafting in turbulent waters… due to this memory, her confidence surged. No matter what response her counterpart gave, she felt certain that she could handle it amusingly.

“What? Yes, yes. That’s right. Oh… that’s unexpected.”

Yet, the moment Lee Yena calmly said in a soft voice, “Craving to Devour You”, Arc froze momentarily.

It was undoubtedly a source that would make the rounds in clips with a hundred percent certainty. It would also be extracted as a voice donation, used to harass all female broadcasters, especially Arc herself.

Even her face, unable to hide her momentary confusion, would surely circulate as a video donation.

However, was it truly because she disliked his broadcast clips being misused that she hesitated?

If she disliked the clips, she only needed to request their deletion.

Yet, before she could even come up with an answer to such questions, Lee Yena’s voice once again pierced his ears.

“‘Surprising, isn’t it? Why?”

“What, what?”

“Surely, you didn’t think that ‘A’ was short for ‘Arc’, did you? I could live without the law, you know.”

A playful voice.

It was the most dangerous signal that Arc always guarded against.

The feeling of potentially losing control of the conversation was manageable. However, the disaster that ensued once she actually handed over control of the conversation was something she was painfully familiar with.

The ambitious interview she had started but ended up being dragged along throughout was no longer something that could even be called an interview.

“Come on, there’s no way. I’m not that excessively self-conscious. That’s harsh of you.”

Arc, hastily trying to steer the conversation in a different direction, quickly scanned the chat and threw out a comment regarding the frequently recurring questions.

“Alright, let’s move on to the next question! This is something we simply must ask. It’s a question many have raised, and everyone seems to be curious about it in the chat as well… Since you handle both the warrior and the rogue, the potential of the underground warrior must be enormous. The warrior’s trademark, swinging a two-handed axe. Can we expect to see that someday?”

She was met with an unexpected silence.

“GetDevoured?”

“Can you hear me?”

Then,

-Sssst.

《Yes.》

Following the sound of a can being opened, the response finally came back, though it was notably more subdued compared to before.

“Uh… Could you not hear me?”

《Yes.》

“… It seems there was a connection issue. I apologize for that. So, the warrior’s trademark, the two-handed axe-”

《Hmm… I probably won’t be using it. It’s just… No. It doesn’t suit my taste.》

However, fortunately, Lee Yena’s voice soon returned to its usual tone.

Luckily, after all.

TL’s Corner:
As a reminder MC’s KoK handle is 아따먹(Attameok), hence her joke to Arc. As unskilled as I am, I am not able to successfully translate to essence to English.