“Ugh.”
I’ve returned, to Korea.
The scent of my hometown hasn’t changed much compared to a month ago.
Time has passed, and even though it’s already September, the sweltering weather and rising humidity create a musty smell on the streets that makes me feel I have truly returned.
I’ve informed everyone, including Yusia and the employees, as well as acquaintances, that I’ve come back. They were all quite worried about my prolonged absence.
Kim Jae-jun even prepared himself to be unemployed, making me realize once again how irresponsible I had been during my time away.
Right, I need to wrap things up properly before retiring. I can’t just vanish carelessly in a state where I have so many burdens on me like now.
The situation with the broadcast hasn’t changed much either. I wasn’t completely inactive during my absence, but I’m already feeling very anxious about turning the broadcast back on.
I did write some posts on the bulletin board and shared updates with the viewers about my time in America, but the fact that I’ve been on an entire month-long break still stands.
Not to mention, the reason was extremely personal—just enjoying the VR version of Abyss, that’s all.
I can’t even make any excuses. Brutal’s league match ended ages ago. By now, I should have arrived in Korea and done my comeback broadcast three weeks ago.
“Ugh…”
That’s why I had already finished preparing everything for the broadcast but couldn’t press the start button.
No matter how brazen and thick-skinned I am, this needs a bit of mental preparation.
Instead of starting the broadcast, I began to browse through other streams on TwiSy.
I thought I should see what others are doing and follow suit. Since it’s come to this, I might as well go all out.
“Oh?”
However, the top broadcast was something vastly different from what I had anticipated.
Han Kang · Live – 28,132
-I’m sorry….
The broadcast with the highest viewer count was, in fact, an apology stream by one of my acquaintances, Han Kang.
*
The world of internet broadcasting is incredibly treacherous.
It’s a survival of the fittest. To survive, one must step on others and rise above.
Surviving in an already red ocean of internet broadcasting, debuting anew is incredibly challenging.
Luring viewers who have settled on other broadcasts, captivating the occasional newcomers, and clinging on amidst the noise from the major corporations, any method will do.
It’s like a jungle ecosystem, but if you can just survive and gain some recognition, wealth and glory naturally follow.
If you deceive, and just manage to get your name out there, wealth and glory will naturally follow.
Some dive into the internet broadcasting scene simply because they enjoy gaming, they love communicating with countless people, or they dream of becoming a famous VTuber.
Each person has different ideals as they jump into the fray.
If you look up from the top and scroll down, you’ll notice a plethora of Day 1, 2, and 3 broadcasters crowded below.
Among them, only a small number rise to the top, gaining more viewers and making a name for themselves.
Most finish their broadcasting careers quietly, without any significant influx of viewers.
However, that doesn’t mean the tides never change.
In the internet broadcasting world, major events occasionally shake up the market and alter the landscape.
Streamers who have lost significant viewer support, what you might call “falling into the abyss,” often see their audience pie absorbed by mid-tier streamers who then grow.
If you time things right, even low-viewership Hako broadcasters can make a leap upward.
This is a different concept from just raiding empty houses.
Unlike traditional broadcasting, the internet broadcasting sphere is inherently provocative, and events absolutely happen there.
Just a few months ago, a once-renowned streamer firmly seated at the top vanished into the abyss due to a particular incident, a significant decline in their viewer count is all too common.
If you can seize these opportunities, you can definitely expand your broadcasting scale.
Of course, consistently maintaining the viewers you’ve lucky absorbed is solely up to you.
As the grand holiday of Chuseok approached, another incident occurred on Twitch.
A backbiting controversy erupted among streamers participating on a massive server.
Han Kang · Live – 28132
– I’m sorry…
Today, the target of attacks was a group of streamers led by Han Kang.
Over the past few years, their broadcasts had exploded in popularity, earning them a reputation akin to a major corporation.
There were even whispers that no one could compare to Han Kang in a specific category.
So when the incident broke out, its impact was monumental.
It was the fall of a king. Those dopamine-addicted viewers, hoping for chaos rather than peace, plunged in like piranhas.
Starting with Han Kang, the implicated streamers began to don black clothes and turned on their broadcasts one by one, bowing their heads in apology.
<An Ji-eun<<< Who does she think she is, not following the rules of apology broadcasting?>
Why’d she even put on makeup? LOL, she’s lost it.
– For real, seems like she’s holding back laughter during the apology broadcast, which isn’t an apology at all.
– The apology lacks sincerity.
– She’s pretty, though.
– I heard she’s the girlfriend of the prince, LOL. Whatever the apology is, she’s gotta look good! LOL
“Well, you’re her boyfriend, right? LOL, it’s a broadcast about apples, you gotta look pretty! LOL
– What’s this “prince” thing again?
– It’s a nickname that came about when An Ji-eun called Han Kang ‘prince’ during the Discord scandal leak.
– This nickname isn’t easy to say…
– I think “prince” is gonna stick around for a while, yup.
[What on earth did Han Kang do wrong?]
Did he bring An-sae into the guild just to abandon them?
Then why was he yelling at An-sae for not working?
He set up a guild but barely logged on, leaving the guild members hanging?
Did he try to take on the top guild while not even building up his own foundation?
Then after losing, did he start whispering sweet nothings to An-sae and other Hakos?
Did he actually talk trash behind their backs in Discord?
Seriously, what did Han Kang do to get ripped apart like this?
– It’s all right there in the text, yup.
– This feels like a temple run, LOL.
– Seeing it all laid out like this, yeah, Han Kang seems like a real jerk; you’re gonna need a timeout.
– Honestly, I don’t get why he’s getting bashed just for gossiping about the Hakos, LOL.
– For real, LOL, if you’re that mad, don’t be a Hako.
– As a guild leader, I bet the prince felt really bad having to rant about the guild members, poor guy. ㅠㅠ
– But the most pitiful one is An-sae, who’s being talked about while being disliked, what a LOL.
– But honestly, it’s not just a baseless hate; Han Kang has been getting a little too big for his britches lately; a reality check was needed.
– I’m saying, I get it, LOL.
– They went off the rails, those crazy guys, LOL. Just a bunch of losers stuck at home watching streams.
– They’re all mad because their owner gets trashed, LOL.
[The Taker, Han Kang, Ji-eun, and LimeTack, all down on the ground!]
Everyone’s in a line, for sure, yup.
– Ji-eun, you better get outta here if you don’t want to get slapped!
– Yup, Ji-eun should just side-step and get over here for a bit.
– Move aside, I’ve got something to say!
– Oh ho!
– Brave souls not afraid of a lawsuit!
– Why’s the Taker getting hit, you madman? LOL.
– Because they’re the server manager!
– If there’s a scandal in the server, should the server manager apologize? Since when’s that a rule?
– They’re friends with Han Kang, right? Yup, by the joint guilt, the Taker has to go down too.
– Han Kang started his stream by modeling after the Taker, so the Taker’s got some blame too.
– The Taker gets dragged into everything, LOL.
– At this point, it’s kinda sad.
[Now’s your chance, Hansoo!]
Quick, go live and condemn the wicked Han Kang crew, and you’ll become a big shot!
– Who’s this Hansoo again?
– There’s a kid streaming in the cyber wrecking-ball theme, LOL. Always bringing the gossip and having fun trashing with the viewers.
– Just saw it, it’s literally a cyber dumpster, crazy underground broadcast.
– I mean, trashing fellow streamers is a bit too…
It’s a bit much to roast, huh…
It’s not just a fellow streamer; roasting the prince makes it harder to stream on Twitch, LOL.
Almost like a heavenly dragon.
…
[Sigh, is it you again?]
For the past few years, no scandals at all with this woman.
Not a single mention in the gossip Discord filled with corporate types.
Receiving shouts from pro gamers and celebrities both at home and abroad.
So pretty that even with lousy cam settings, she easily outshines female streamers.
Suddenly went to the States, dropped a few announcements, and vanished… and today I miss her even more…
(A meme with Kayak’s face stuck on a memorial photo)
I miss you, goat.
– So when is this crazy woman going to stream again?
– She probably wasn’t even in the Discord, so no mentions…
– First time I’ve seen someone avoid a scandal by not streaming.
This is just a long hiatus controversy.
This woman just does her own thing.
Since she’s got no worries, of course.
– If she predicted all this and took a month off to evade it, I’ll give her credit, LOL.
– Kayak’s style of foresight, whoa.
– It’s just that she abandoned her viewers, damn it.
– If the gallery chief had seen this coming, they could’ve warned her…
– For real, if she had come back earlier, Kayak would’ve been caught in it too.
Kayak fans are putting way too much meaning into her hiatus, LOL. Just because of that, your owner isn’t coming back.
– Is this person famous? It’s my first time seeing her.
– You don’t know the living legend Kayak from the Abyss gallery?
– You didn’t recognize the gallery chief? You’re up for execution, LOL.
– I get it—it’s hard to recognize someone who hasn’t streamed in a month.
– Your gallery privileges have long been revoked.
– Honestly, she hasn’t streamed so much that new followers can’t even recognize her. I’m so mad.
Amidst the tea on streamers’ gossip, the story of Kayak also began to circulate.
[Wait, isn’t An-sae streaming right now?]
I see An-sae crying live, LOL.
– What the hell is this crazy lady doing over there?
– Kayak’s entering the chat, LOL.
– Ah, LOL, whether she’s on break or not, I have to see her fellow streamers tanking, right?
– Is she shamelessly logging in to watch and making it obvious?
– The chat is going to explode, LOL.
– An-sae got flustered; you crazy guys started flooding the chat while she’s talking about Kayak!
Of course, it didn’t matter since they were probably about to end the stream anyway.
As expected, the nuisance is Kayak fans, LOL.
Then, not long after the broadcast ended for the victim, An-sae…
[Kayak’s back, LOL! Sexch, LOL!]
[Kayak returned after a month-long break!!!]
[The Hako thieves were startled and ran away at the appearance of Camilla, LOL.]
Kayak’s stream lit up.
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