Dae-sik’s training did not take as long as I thought it would.
Perhaps it was because he still had some remnants of his past memories, but I could see him quickly regaining his form while sparring with me.
Glancing at the chat window, it seemed that the viewers agreed. There were even comments scolding him about why he hadn’t done this earlier since he could do it now.
It’s a common truth that we often don’t fully understand our own issues. That’s why there are directors and coaches. While it’s possible to find one’s own problems by reviewing replay footage, feedback from others tends to be much more effective.
After holding onto Dae-sik for about 30 minutes, the sentiments of the viewers shifted.
They pitied Dae-sik and pleaded for him to be let go. I couldn’t understand what they found so pitiful about him. The malice of Molryn, the trolling, the loser Dae-sik, all led to this absurd notion that I was somehow the one tormenting him.
Some even asked if I was a bully. Once a frame is set, it’s easy for misunderstandings to arise. That’s why it’s important to manage the atmosphere in the room.
For that reason, Dae-sik concluded his training session after about an hour and departed from me.
The second student is set to make a stronger appearance, capping off the season. Given his current form, it seems likely he’ll return to Master rank, and if luck is on his side, he might even reach the Grandmaster rank he’s always dreamed of.
All in all, it’s a good thing. I also thought that the name Oh Dae-sik did not suit the rank of Diamond at all.
With that, Dae-sik went off to prove the fruits of his training by playing ranked, leaving me alone now.
It’s currently 1 AM. I couldn’t sleep, and there was nothing in particular to do. In the end, there was only one thing left for me.
I hadn’t planned on streaming today, but human emotions can be as fickle as reeds. It’s not like I’m on a strict schedule; as it’s a free personal broadcast, I can turn it on when I want and off when I want.
‘Morllu is live!’
-Just bored, I guess
[Mollah]
[Mollu is so diligent]
[Wow, you actually turned on the stream; I thought you wouldn’t]
[Mollu, I love youㅠㅠ Mollu, I love youㅠㅠ]
[I really enjoyed watching Dae-sik get beaten ^^]
“Um… Hello. It’s a beautiful night.”
So, I turned on the broadcast without any particular plan. Since it’s the middle of the night, I didn’t intend to stream for long, and therefore had no plans to play any other games.
“What should I do?”
With that thought, I asked the viewers. I was worried that it might be uncomfortable for someone to have a streamer ask them for content without being prepared, but it turned out to be an unfounded worry.
They all seemed genuinely pleased that I had turned on the stream. It felt kind of cute seeing everyone throw out ideas together.
Surely, there are streamers who broadcast every single day, but it’s not feasible to prepare for a stream every time. Days like this happen too.
I blurted out a bunch of content ideas that I hoped to engage in without much thought, looking for something in the rapidly scrolling chat.
Suddenly, a collective intelligence was born. The power of brainstorming with over ten thousand people pooling their thoughts together was immense. Among the chats people were sending, there was something that caught my interest.
“Phone date? Should we try that?”
It’s content in its most literal sense. A streamer connects a random viewer and they have a conversation. It’s basically just a phone call.
The issue, however, is that since it’s a content where both the viewer and the streamer are participating, it may lack entertainment if the viewer loses their sense of broadcasting. In extreme cases, it could lead to an awkward silence where neither side knows what to say.
There’s that risk, but for me, it’s about having something to do rather than just seeking fun at the moment.
Additionally, I had also grown curious lately. As I’ve been meeting fans more frequently, I became interested in what kind of lives those who consistently watch my broadcasts lead, how they discovered my stream, and what they find appealing about it.
I wanted to take this opportunity to engage in conversation and delve into those points.
[Date? Date? Date? Date? Date? Date? Date? Date?]
[A call at 1 AM…? This is totally]
[Mollu’s rental girlfriend content…]
[This lady is offering it for free ㄷㄷ]
[Free (call), actually it’s paid]
[1 in 15000, damn, it’s tougher than a large company interview]
[I can’t resist this ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Pleasepleasepleaseplease GodAlahBuddhaJesus…]
[Grrooo… Yuksu has started to brew…]
However, what I hadn’t anticipated was how much more enthusiastic the viewers were than I expected.
While everyone raised their hands, I quietly set up the screen.
*
‘Morllu is live!’
-Mollu’s counseling corner
The content underwent a slight change. From a phone date to a counseling corner where each person shares their concerns.
I calculated that this would provide much more to discuss than just mindlessly calling someone. While it’s called a counseling corner, I wouldn’t be providing solutions to their problems. If I felt I could offer a suggestion, I’d add a brief comment; otherwise, I’d just listen quietly.
Then came the highly anticipated first guest.
“Hello.”
“Hello, Mollu? Can you hear me? Wow, is it really you, Mollu?”
An excited male student with a high-pitched voice. He didn’t sound like someone with a serious concern.
I expected that among those who signed up saying they had problems, very few would genuinely have something serious to discuss. They probably just wanted to talk to me.
Connecting over the phone isn’t difficult, but this seemed too lacking in sincerity. At least think of a problem to discuss.
“Do you not have any concerns? I’ll hang up now.”
“No, no! Wait, I have a concern!”
“What is it?”
Let’s hear what he has to say.
“I’m just too fond of you, Mollu. I want to watch your broadcasts all the time, and during late night broadcasts, I end up dozing off in school. I even went to an award ceremony. You’re so pretty in person.”
“Okay, thank you. That’s a pretty trivial concern. You can solve that one on your own.”
I ended the call and hovered my mouse over his nickname, personally banning him.
“I thought he was a student, so I banned him to tell him to study hard. Stop watching my stream and study.”
[Wow]
[Justice served]
[School lunch kid, kekekekek!]
[Haha, those kinds of concerns are common.]
[For real, haha, everyone in this room has had similar worries.]
[If he had thought of a decent issue, he wouldn’t have been banned, oof, just lacking sincerity.]
[The moderator is banning decisively, very clean.]
It was then that two or three rounds of actual concerns for the counseling corner passed by without any serious issues.
“Hello, Mollu…”
As I heard a deeper male voice filled with a certain darkness, I immediately sensed that this was the real deal.
“What concerns have you come with today?”
“Please don’t laugh…”
“Yes, of course.”
I could never be so wicked as to laugh while listening to someone’s serious concerns. Encouraging him to speak, he began to share his troubles.
“I… I’m an otaku.”
“Ahem, yes.”
“Were you laughing just now?”
“No, I just had a little cough. Please continue.”
The way he said he was an otaku while being filled with concerns was too amusing; I chuckled momentarily.
Calm down, calm down, I can’t laugh. He must have mustered serious courage to share this.
“I got found out at school…”
The story from the male student was short yet profound. I couldn’t distinguish his voice to know, but he was a high school student. He said he usually enjoys my streams but also diligently keeps up with various anime, comics, and light novels.
The issue was that this fact had leaked into school. Recently, some frightening bully friends heard rumors and found the light novel he had been hiding in his bag.
“Is this a serious situation?”
“…Not really. It’s mostly just teasing. I’m just embarrassed…”
So, he became a public jester, huh? Fortunately, even the scary bullies only tease him in a friendly way. However, this boy can’t bear the embarrassment.
[Ah, then why did you take it to school?]
[I hid it very well when I was in school.]
[But is it really appropriate to consult this with Mollu?]
[For real, haha would Molryn sympathize with this?]
[As long as they don’t start bullying you harshly, that’s a relief.]
In fact, otakus are now quite common in our surroundings. They are no longer as rare as they used to be. In short, it’s not something to be embarrassed about.
“Ah, I’ve got it. I’ll propose a solution for you.”
“What, what is it?”
“You should embrace it more.”
“Eh?”
I confidently told him what seemed surprising to him.
“Trying to hide it will only make it weirder. If you try to avoid it, it only draws more attention. You should own it. Like, ‘I’m an otaku, so what?’ and be cheerful about it.”
“…That sounds too difficult.”
“Just give it a shot. They probably won’t tease you as much if you’re not embarrassed.”
[Is this really the right solution?]
[So, you’re saying I should climb the joyous mountain?]
[You’re suggesting a career change to an otaku?]
[That does have its merits.]
[This sounds extreme, but it might be worth a try?]
While I communicated and considered the reactions in the chat, the male student seemed to gain a little courage.
“Thank you. I’ll give it a try as you suggested.”
“Good luck!”
I sent him off with a brief encouragement. Things should go well, right? Even if they don’t, that’s okay. Youth is like that.
[And just like that, another one leaves…]
[You killed him, you killed him, you killed him, you killed him.]
[Is that friend going to become the otaku of the entire school?]
[Just a toy for Mollu’s affection.]
[Totally sent him off, how pitiful…]
“Sent off? What do you mean? You guys are saying strange things.”
