NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 10
Hanam Mi was sitting there, her face a picture of bewildered surprise.
Somehow, she had ended up meeting Inaring, and somehow, they’d ended up doing a clarification broadcast together. And now, somehow, she was dragged into a dinner gathering.
And it wasn’t just any dinner—it was one with her favorite streamer. How could she not be bewildered?
“Hey… Seriously, when I woke up this morning, I heard the café was on fire because you duo-queued with someone rumored to be a cheater. Do you have any idea how shocked I was? I thought the company was going under again!”
“I was quite shocked, too! I actually thought we were doing so well that this was finally happening.”
“And what about me? Suddenly, the hidden contributor to my broadcast was embroiled in a cheater scandal. Seriously… I experienced my first bout of dizziness during that time.”
“Me too. I almost fainted because my head was spinning.”
Ha ha ha!
The atmosphere was exceptionally lively.
Everyone laughed and chattered.
Of course, I wasn’t directly part of their conversation, but I didn’t feel left out at all.
Why…
Chuck- Chuck- Chuck-
While they were talking animatedly, their hands were moving swiftly.
It wasn’t just idle chatter—they were quickly placing slices of meat onto my plate.
How could I feel left out when they were being so thoughtful?
In fact, it was almost overwhelming.
“Eat lots, little sister.”
“Ah… Inaring, you should eat a lot too.”
“Big sister, watching you eat is satisfying enough for me.”
“Anyone watching would really think we’re biological siblings.”
“Let’s be sisters starting today.”
“Boss! Inaring keeps calling me that again.”
“Well, you shouldn’t say that out loud, remember? Akainu.”
“Who’s Akainu!?”
At the scene, Choa chuckled and said,
“These two are like this even outside. Don’t mind them and dig in, Nam Mi.”
“Ah, yes. And you can speak casually, too.”
“You really are adorable, Nam Mi—not just cute, but also so polite.”
To which Inahi responded, “Ooh?”
‘Polite’—she glanced knowingly at Hanam Mi.
Hanam Mi, catching the hint, looked away quickly.
Then Karin, also known as Asanagi Sana, spoke up.
“Ah, I always enjoy your broadcasts. Nam Mi, please look after Afro well, alright?”
“Yes, I will.”
“Wha- What-!?”
With that, Inahi grabbed Hanam Mi’s cheeks and stretched them.
“Oww…”
“How dare you so openly declare your intentions to harass someone in front of them! You’ve got guts, girl! As punishment, I’m going to make you eat until your stomach bursts!”
“Ah, thank you.”
And once again, the meat piled up on the plate.
The meat was absolutely delicious.
Looking at Hanam Mi kindly, Shop Owner Choa spoke.
“Nam Mi, I might be overstepping, but…”
“Ah, don’t worry, you can ask.”
“Alright, then may I ask what you do?”
Eh… work?
Hanam Mi didn’t have a specific job. She was unemployed.
Shaking her head, Hanam Mi replied,
“I don’t work at an office.”
“Then, what about university?”
“I don’t attend university.”
“What?”
Choa gave a meaningful smile and Hanam Mi tilted her head inquisitively.
Her ability to question without any trace of rudeness was simply adorable.
Wow, this girl was really cute.
Choa thought and then brought up the matter she had intended to from the beginning.
“Then, would you consider something? Could I offer you something?”
“Me? An offer?”
“Yes. Would you ever consider becoming a Vertubuer under our company?”
“Wow!”
“Amazing!”
At this, Inaring and Karin lit up with excitement, while the manager nodded understandingly, having expected this.
Hanam Mi, meanwhile, responded with a blank expression,
“Me? Why?”
“Yup. But of course, feel free to decline if it feels overwhelming.”
At that, Hanam Mi thought,
‘Me? A Vertubuer…?’
Why she was getting such an offer suddenly was beyond her. This seemed far beyond her capabilities…
Since I’m not good at speaking…
“Wait… Why this sudden offer…?”
“Well, when I first saw you, Nam Mi, I found you extremely charming.”
“Me?”
At her reaction, everyone thought,
She seems unexpectedly low in self-esteem despite her appearance. With her face, one would assume she grew up being loved.
After a brief pause, Choi Seon-ha continued,
“Hmm… Let me ask you this: What do streamers need most?”
What would a streamer need?
Nam Mi pondered for a moment then replied honestly,
“A high-performance streaming computer.”
“You’re not wrong, but that’s not exactly right. To me, the one most essential thing is luck.”
Wit? Charm? Communication Skills?
All of those were valuable, yes. But after seven years of streaming, Choi Seon-ha believed the most crucial factor was luck.
She’d seen plenty of streamers who had great skills but failed to gain popularity despite broadcasting for three whole years. The online streaming industry was ruthless—so saturated that success was almost impossible without luck.
“Considering all these elements, Nam Mi, the attention is entirely on you right now.”
How could Nam Mi not be charming when put under such conditions?
Her voice was cute, she attracted audience attention naturally, and she played games well. It was almost as if she was made to broadcast.
“Therefore, I want to help you. Would you consider trying out streaming?”
With shining eyes, three individuals looked at Hanam Mi expectantly.
It was difficult not to feel pressured by such earnest gazes.
Meanwhile, Hanam Mi was lost in thought, suddenly struck by many considerations.
‘Aaah… Hmm…’
Hanam Mi was already an adult, turning 20 years old.
Having been unemployed for two years and skipping school, she had been causing various troubles for her parents. Naturally, she felt a pang of guilt because of that.
But the world had so far been frightening enough to make her withdraw.
Still, she wasn’t foolish enough not to seize an opportunity when it came.
Nam Mi remembered a conversation she had with her mother before coming here.
“Goodness, is our adorable daughter really meeting her boyfriend?”
No, not that line.
“Nam Mi, I’ll always be on your side. I’ll wait for you however long it takes. Understand?”
Her mother was waiting for her to overcome her past trauma and stand on her own two feet, to become a capable person.
Wouldn’t her parents be happy if she got a job?
Even more so if she earned money on her own…
And…
Peek…
“Hmm?”
Even Inaring was there.
“Alright.”
Hanam Mi made her decision.
“Yes, I’ll do it. I’ll become a Vertubuer.”
At that, Choi Seon-ha punched her fist triumphantly,
“Nice!”
—
* * *
At the Korean branch of Volvord, Team Leader Choi Seong-nam let out a thunderous roar.
“Which moron is responsible?!”
Most of the team understood why he was yelling, aware of the company’s image being severely tarnished.
“Who the heck failed to properly check and applied the ban? Huh?!”
The Charge Knight Aim-Hack Scandal.
A current significant controversy within the streaming community.
“Come on out this instant!”
“I-I’m stepping down.”
“Hey you! Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
The Time Click game had been released just a year ago. Praised as a revolution in FPS, it boasted over 11 million buyers and was immensely popular. Yet, in those 12 months, issues had occasionally occurred.
Most notable was the Zabid False-Ban Incident. Similar to the recent scandal, it started when an American user named Zabid was wrongfully banned and publicized this on the community forums. The real problem arose when Volvord HQ handled the situation poorly, responding arrogantly. A furious Zabid, supported by a famous streamer, conducted an anti-hack explanation broadcast, which had far-reaching effects. After that broadcast, Time Click experienced its lowest number of concurrent users and suffered heavy sales losses—a part of its dark history.
Eventually, the episode settled down only when a Volvord VP formally apologized.
Yet now, a similar situation was happening in Korea.
“Because of what you’ve done, HQ has sent down an official reprimand! Do you know that?!”
“Huh, but the program was detected clearly!”
“What? A program? What proof do we have?”
“H-Here…”
As Choi Seong-nam looked at the monitor indicated by the employee, his eyes widened involuntarily.
An incredulous widening.
“Damn it! What kind of incompetent moron are you? Is *this* even a hacking program? Did you, who supposedly work for a game company, have no idea what this program was?”
“MAKE Aim”
The name of the recorded program.
And it was well-known in the gaming community.
A tool for generating and removing crosshairs.
“This is a crosshair creation program, not an aim-hack program! You dummy!”
“Yes, yes?”
“Good grief… You should consider yourself lucky this happened in Korea. In America, you’d be fired instantly. There will be a disciplinary hearing, so start preparing your explanation! Right now!”
Turning away with a sigh, Choi Seong-nam strode towards the smoking room.
Lighting a cigarette, his head still a mess, he scratched it repeatedly, pondering how to respond to this already disastrous event.
“Hmph…”
“Team Leader, are you okay?”
Approaching him was Section Chief Lee Min-ho.
Glancing briefly at Lee Min-ho, Choi Seong-nam replied with an unsteady tone,
“Am I alright? I feel like I’m going to explode, my head aches.”
“Honestly, banning that person wasn’t the best call, but I kind of understand why.”
“Still, we should’ve verified before taking action! Banning someone on the spot without thinking? How is that acceptable?”
“That’s true, but…”
Lee Min-ho suddenly pulled out his smartphone,
“What’s that?”
“Look. The Charge Knight Suspected Aim Hack video.”
Choi Seong-nam, who was laughing off the situation, suddenly froze as he watched the YouTube video.
“What… is this really… humanly possible?”
“That’s right. Even though they explained everything, it’s hard to believe this isn’t a hack.”
The video clearly showed the hero “Soldier,” a character requiring precision aim. The footage was slowed down, making every movement visible.
Ding- Ding- Ding- Ding
The Charge Knight’s aim was glued to the enemy’s head. Regardless of how they stepped, the cursor tracked it precisely.
The aim never went off, consistently fixed on the target’s head.
It was unbelievable.
“Is this even real? What is he?!”
The aim demonstrated was beyond human reaction times.
There might not be a Time Click pro-gamer who could match this.
Of course, suspicion naturally arose.
“Could this really not be a hack?”
Such an impossible aim…
Additionally, the fact that the user was female made it even harder to believe.
Even though they explained, doubt was inevitable.
“The clarification broadcast happened at the streamer company’s office, right?”
“Yes.”
“Hey, send a polite email to the Charge Knight. Ask if they’d attend for further clarification.”
“Understood.”