“What do you do for a living? What job do you have? Where do you work?”
These were all questions that men absolutely despised. And rightly so, because he was unemployed – a true master of loafing around.
32-year-old man, Kim Byeong-hun. Jobless.
He could joke about being a “home security guard” a few times, but now he couldn’t brush it off anymore.
At 32, it was a ripe age. His peers and friends had slowly begun to find their footing in society, with some even getting married and starting families.
For Byeong-hun, it was enough to shrink back in self-deprecation. While everyone else was blending into society, he felt like an outsider—a feeling that was beyond explanation, it was just plain miserable.
Back in school, he thought he was on the golden path after getting decent grades and entering a prestigious university.
But where did it all go wrong? Was it the major he switched to that didn’t fit him? Or was it that he had unrealistic expectations when job hunting? Maybe it was that he couldn’t adapt to his first job and quit after just two months.
Society was cruel. The world wasn’t warm enough to comfort someone like Byeong-hun who was awkward and lost.
When he shared his life struggles with others, he was met with unanimous judgment that he was weak and just whining.
Slowly, he began sinking into a swamp. He cut ties with friends and acquaintances, isolating himself in his room.
Depression and lethargy consumed him. He was too exhausted to want to do anything.
To be honest, he had considered taking some drastic steps more than once… but he couldn’t do that to his mother. He knew too well how hard she worked to raise him alone.
Thus, he lived day after day, barely getting by while turning a blind eye to his mother who was burdened with supporting her grown son.
It was during this time that he stumbled upon Kayak’s broadcast.
At first, he thought, “What a pretty girl. She looks just like a game character,” but as he delved deeper, his impressions changed.
The more he learned about her, the more he realized she was an eccentric person. From her surreal looks to her incredible gaming skills and a physique strong enough to overpower grown men.
Unlike the seriously lacking Byeong-hun, she was a flawless being. The world that terrified him must have been a playground to her.
Like a moth to a flame, Byeong-hun became more and more captivated by Kayak’s broadcast.
He began to gain vicarious satisfaction watching her. The more successful she became, the happier he felt. Watching her rise to stardom only highlighted his own pathetic existence…
Whenever he watched Kayak’s shows, he could momentarily shake off the grip of his depression and lethargy, and seeing her work hard allowed him to think constructively—thoughts he couldn’t have while wallowing in his everyday life.
Whenever he watched her streams, he could shake off the lingering gloom and powerlessness a bit, and seeing her live her life energetically sparked constructive thoughts that he normally wouldn’t have.
Having completely turned into a fan of Kayak, Byeong-hoon was fortunate enough to participate today in her viewer participation content.
For Byeong-hoon, who had been completely cut off from the outside world, it was a huge step, almost like throwing down the gauntlet to the world.
Through this Fantasia raid participation, he would prove his worth.
Even if it was just a game, he vowed to successfully complete this raid and use it as a stepping stone to venture out into the world again, to soar back up into the skies.
“30 lines!”
“Beware of the 30-lines pattern!”
Amidst the ongoing raid, Kayak’s calm voice rang out even in the tense situation.
Byeong-hoon lifted his focus to its peak. For some reason, it felt like he was doing really well in the game today.
Each skill shot from the boss seemed to move in slow motion, the special attack wave triggered when the health bar dropped to 30 lines slowly headed towards his allies.
In that moment, he spotted an ally in danger.
“Theodora! Behind me!”
Byeong-hoon’s character, the tank role of Shan, lifted his thick shield. He blocked the boss’s attack meant for an ally who couldn’t dodge in time.
If the dealer had been hit, it would have been an instant death move, but thanks to the solid build of the tank, they narrowly escaped with their lives.
At that moment, Kayak’s voice came through.
“Nice, Shan!”
“Haha…”
How long had it been since he heard such pure praise? How could those three little letters be so touching?
Right at this moment, Byeong-hoon truly felt alive for the first time in ages. Unlike the half-dead state he had been in, he was more alert now than ever.
‘Almost there!’
Just a bit more to go. Once the 30-line chaotic pattern was over, there wouldn’t be anything too difficult remaining.
If they maintained their pace and slowly chipped away at the boss’s health like this, the raid would end successfully.
However, variables always come into play.
What Byeong-hoon hadn’t expected was that his mother had come home early today, and of all things, the chat with the restaurant ladies at work had gradually shifted to their children.
With the only son feeling crushed and cooped up in his room, it was incredibly frustrating for Byeong-hoon’s mother, who couldn’t even bring up the topic of children in conversation with her friends.
It was quite upsetting for Byunghun’s mother, who couldn’t pull out her worries.
So, it was only natural that she came home and immediately looked for her son.
“Son, it’s been a while, let’s talk—”
“Okay, let’s stick with this. If we avoid the wave and keep it like this, we shouldn’t have any problems until the 20th line….”
Lost in the game, Byunghun’s eyes widened as he suddenly noticed his mother’s presence.
*
Somehow, from the start, it felt good, and this time it really looked like the clear chance was razor-sharp.
The corners of his mouth crept upwards. He thought he shouldn’t let his guard down recklessly, but at this point, it almost felt like the clear was as good as confirmed.
Unless someone deliberately trolled, it was impossible to reverse the situation.
“Let’s go, this time we can definitely break through!”
[Are you really going to break it??]
[The great Kayak got banned, and now we’re smoothly heading to the 30th line pattern, lol]
[Kayak… not really missing it]
[As expected, banning and the true level of preparation are stories confined to novels]
[Just joat]
[Kayak didn’t do so well, but the new Shan is just killing it]
[For real, the dealer care is on point]
[That shield block earlier was fire, no doubt]
It was rewarding to keep grinding people down. Although the phrases “elimination show” and “ban show” pricked at my heart a bit, in the end, it was proven through results.
It was a tough journey, but that’s what made the outcome even more valuable.
Why do people choose to challenge themselves in marathons or climb lofty mountains like the Himalayas? Each has different reasons, but I think the greater the hardship, the greater the sense of accomplishment that follows.
This was no different; the level of difficulty varied, but if everyone worked together towards a common goal, there was no greater joy than achieving the desired results.
“We’re almost there, really the last one! Just avoid the vampire pattern, everyone!”
“Yup!”
“Let’s go, let’s go!”
The party members, who were raiding together, started to respond to my briefing as they sensed success was near.
But then, it happened.
“@$#%-0s….”
Strange noises came through Discord. Watching our tank, Shan, suddenly stop moving, I sensed something was going wrong.
“Shan, if you stay there, you’ll get drained. You need to move, Shan!”
“No!”
“Where did you go so suddenly!”
Silence. Despite my calls and those of the party members, he wouldn’t respond, and his character remained motionless.
Through Discord, only occasional mumbled human voices filtered through.
“Feels like we’re about to Mom-Crack, huh?”
“Mom-Crack?”
“Yeah, just a vibe I’m getting, you know…”
[Wait, seriously? Mom-Crack at this timing?]
[Is this for real?]
[Should’ve planned better if you were going to play with a kayak… ㅇㅇ… Totally unprepared.]
[Aigoo, Mom, really? Now?]
[I had it all down and now it’s just so wasted;;]
“Let’s just kick Shan out, haha. I live alone, so no Mom-Crack for me.”
And just like that, the raid failed. The boss, Akuntala, feasted on our tank Shan, regaining health, and we couldn’t withstand the onslaught since we lost our tank.
The disappointment felt even greater since success was within reach. Honestly, it left a bitter taste, but it was something no one could blame.
User named Dipucoco, who played Shan, had some mixed feelings of resentment, but listening to his voice over Discord made that fade away.
“How long are you planning to live like this? How long!”
“No, Mom! Just wait a sec! I’m not alone, I’m with other people inside-.”
“Your mom is a PERSON, you know!”
The conversation was clearer than before. It seemed the mic positioning adjusted during the bickering.
Guess he must’ve been unemployed. That’s not too weird. Most viewers were people with time to spare, like students on vacation, college students, or the unemployed making up a high percentage.
“Hmm, guess I need to find new party members. Shan was decent, too. Such a shame.”
After eavesdropping on the mother-son conversation for a bit, I decided to kick him from the party and end the call, just to protect his dignity.
But suddenly, a different voice cut through the bickering in the voice channel.
“Hello? Is there anyone there? – Oh, don’t call me Mom-”
A middle-aged woman’s voice came through clearly. Behind her, I could hear a guy trying to shut down his mom.
I was starting to get the gist of the situation. It seemed he had lost control of the mic and the computer itself.
“Hold on a sec, Byeonghoon. Let Mom talk. – What are you even talking about! Come on!-”
Well, this was clearly an unexpected situation. But I thought it might turn out interesting if handled well.
Since the raid had already failed, it wouldn’t be too bad to change the mood by chatting with the viewer’s mom.
I cleared my throat for a moment before speaking up.
“Hello, ma’am. I’m Kayak, a streamer broadcasting on the internet.”
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