One day, five months into a twin pregnancy, while we were having a cozy meal together as usual, my wife suddenly threw out a rather unexpected comment.
“Hey, honey.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you think it’d be weird to play games for prenatal education?”
“…Games?”
Forget about how unexpected it was; I was so confused I couldn’t even tell if I understood her correctly. Playing games for prenatal education? What kind of innovative method was that?
“Why not? I’ve heard that a lot of kids these days are going to game academies. If our kids learn how to play games beforehand, they might have a better chance of being good at it later.”
“Well, I guess… I can’t say much about that.”
Maybe she was saying this because we recently found out the twins were a boy and a girl. There’s a stereotype that boys usually like games.
But still, playing games for prenatal education? I had never heard of such a thing.
“What do you think about our kids wanting to be pro gamers in the future?”
“I wouldn’t mind, but if they just want to do it to escape studying, then that’s a different story.”
I firmly established my opinion, and my wife smiled her characteristic gentle smile.
“Haha, as expected, you’re more certain about educational policies than I am.”
“That simply means if someone chooses gaming because they want to escape doing something else, it’s not genuine.”
“That’s true.”
I remembered saying this before. Many times, I’d seen people who didn’t want to study just dive into the arts, but I never saw anyone succeed who took that route.
I didn’t mean to say they should study all the time. It’s okay not to do well in studies, but if someone chose to become a pro gamer just to avoid responsibilities, I couldn’t say anything good about that.
On the other hand, if someone really had talent for gaming and showed eagerness despite not being good in studies, I’d be all for it. Honestly, I was unsure how important studying was in today’s world anyway.
In my case, I had no skills so I had to study like mad to find something to do.
“But still, if my son became a pro gamer, it would be pretty cool. The world of competition is something most people can’t experience directly.”
“True. In a way, you’re also making a living through games, but that’s a completely different case.”
“I live a much easier life compared to that.”
Of course, being a streamer also involves competition with others, but it was a different level than the hardcore world of wins and losses where one day you win and the next you don’t.
So whenever someone asks, I always answer this way: While being a streamer comes with its own struggles, for someone like me who wants to live comfortably, it’s a job that’s almost too good to be true.
“So, what do you think? Should I learn to play games too? Honestly, I was joking about the prenatal thing.”
“Learning doesn’t hurt. But what brought this on all of a sudden?”
I could always teach her if she asked. Wouldn’t I make time for my dear wife? With free one-on-one tutoring when I’m not busy working, I’d be ready to help her out.
But what really baffled me was how, after watching my streams, my wife suddenly was curious enough about games to bring this up.
As I mentioned earlier, saying it was for prenatal education felt like an excuse or a joke, so moving on…
“Actually, I realized something after we got married. You know what I like and strike up conversations about it, but I, in return, haven’t really gotten to know what you like.”
“Oh dear, I have plenty to worry about. Other husbands would call me a spoiled guy.”
I appreciated her simply for knowing me well, but it was both commendable and a bit concerning that she wanted to find an interest in gaming because of me.
Especially since she’s pregnant and has enough on her plate already.
“Hey? I called you over here! Look, my belly’s sticking out!”
“…You really learned weird jokes from your dad, huh.”
“Haha… Caught!”
Thinking about who taught that silly joke made me shake my head in disbelief. My wife stuck her tongue out and smiled cutely.
How could she not know? The only person around me who enjoys those dad jokes is my father.
“Well, teaching you isn’t hard. But are you sure about this? Games can be quite stressful sometimes, and it might not be good for the baby.”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Besides, I won’t get stressed at all.”
“Oh, confident, are we?”
Does that mean she believes she can play well?
I couldn’t help but admire her boldness. As I widened my mouth in shock, my wife smiled sweetly at me while pulling her hand to the table.
“Well, you’re going to teach me, right? I’ll be having too much fun to feel stressed.”
“……”
How can my wife throw out such cheesy and heart-fluttering lines without changing her expression at all?
I slumped back in my chair, resting my hand on my forehead, thinking I had lost this round. My wife, looking triumphant, grinned like a little kid.
*
Today, without any special announcement, I started the broadcast a bit earlier. Because of that, the viewers gradually trickled in, each throwing up question marks in their greetings.
Since I hadn’t turned on the camera yet, everyone was eager to tell me to switch it on, clueless about who else was in the room.
But seriously, why would these folks want to see a guy’s face? Are they really that curious?
“Hello everyone. I had an emergency hit content, and that’s why I’m here early today.”
【Kokkiyaho】- Oh
【I’m Telling The Teacher】- Something big coming, huh?
【tws2425】- So why isn’t the cam on?
【Astral Chronicles】- Is Seo-ha noona here?
Ugh, this is why I dislike perceptive viewers. I wanted to surprise them, but some had already caught on.
I decided it was useless to delay any longer; time to unveil my surprise. Everyone who would come in has likely done so by now.
Click.
I moved the mouse and hit the cam ON button, confirming our faces showed up on the streaming screen.
“Okay! As you guessed, today we have a surprise guest and the owner of this house! Please welcome Ryu Seo-ha! Give her a round of applause!”
“Hello everyone, I’m Ryu Seo-ha. It’s been a while!”
As a flower bloomed in what was otherwise a drab room, the chat window began scrolling at an incredible rate, three times faster than usual.
【JeobiChuriSal】- Wowwww
【Bera666】- Wowwwwwww
【Cro-Magnon】- Greatest Seo-ha! Greatest Seo-ha!
【White Whale】- I’ve been waiting for someone like you for a long time.
【Soju Flavored Hand Cream】- The guest is insane!
【High Stake Finance】- The haters who said it would be nothing are all gone haha!
【Gyeonghwa Suwol】- I trusted the streamer.
Trusting me? Haha, nonsense. Just a moment ago, weren’t you the one saying, ‘No big deal, just show it quick’? Don’t think I didn’t catch that.
“Anyways, the reason my wife is here today is that she suddenly wanted to learn how to play games. So I thought I’d do a short teaching stream!”
【Holic Shit】- ??????????
【Missing Frog】- Seo-ha noona plays games?
【BINGO】- Honestly, that could be fun!
【Arisa Loves It】- I figured she wouldn’t play at all. How surprising haha!
Right? I could never have imagined my wife would want to learn to play games.
“But she hasn’t decided what game she wants to play yet. So first, we need to pick a game and then start the lesson.”
【Alpaca Hunter】- Is it going to be LOL?
【Allfreed】- Those LOL players can shut it!
【Pigeon Swallowed a Lego】- Suggesting a competitive game to a pregnant lady, really?
【K-HipHopTopCosmo】- Isn’t something solo better? Maybe a console game?
Hmm, looks like the opinions are divided. LOL is definitely the most popular and easy to teach since I play it a lot, but it’s a team game and if you mess up, it could lead to questioning your mother’s health. So maybe I shouldn’t recommend it for my pregnant wife.
Plus, with how much of a veterans’ game it is now, it’s hard for newbies to join in and improve.
“So, what do you want to play? Maybe something you thought looked fun while watching me play?”
“Well, I think, as the viewers suggested, LOL is probably the best option, right? It’s also a game I’ve seen a lot.”
“LOL?”
Wait, does she really want to play that? I honestly wasn’t recommending it…
【Mushroom Soup】- Nooooooo
【Sinking Flowers】- No, sister, don’t!
【Potato Ring】- For the sake of the child, please…
【Passing App Dungi】- She might get stressed from just one game and want to quit…
As soon as my wife mentioned it, the chat was filled with people urging her not to go for it.
Honestly, from the viewers’ standpoint, it’s the game I play most, so they’d be fine with it, but my concern for my wife took precedence.
“Isn’t it that you’re telling me not to do LOL not because it’s boring, but because you’re worried about me?”
【Lemon Tanghulu】- Yeah, exactly!
【Dust Bunnies Should Sign Up】- That’s right!
【That’s it, Cosmo…】- Huh?
【Please Be Positive】- We don’t mind.
“Well, if that’s the case, don’t worry too much. It’s just out of curiosity since it’s my husband’s favorite game.”
As my wife tried to soothe the viewers with her warm tone, they quickly shifted sides, typing things like “Then you should try LOL.”
Wow, they’ve never been this obedient.
“And it’s not that I’m bragging, but I’m surprisingly quick at learning. I’ve watched my husband play a lot, so I might pick it up really fast.”
【Just Finished Eating】- Um… well…
【BlueBungieWooRuh】- It feels different once you actually try…
【Murderous Craftsman】- You’ll know once you give it a go…
Even with unexpected confidence from my wife, both the viewers and I were skeptical—”This won’t be easy.” But she remained unfazed, smiling as she began to create her account and come up with a username.
Thus, the curtain rose on a role education streaming show with a mother of three and an executive director of Changseong Corporation.
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