Gender Swap: The Introvert’s Broadcast

[Omniscient Cthulhu: Breaking news!]
[Omniscient Cthulhu: After getting completely wrecked, Mangming drops the ‘it’s a smurf’ card. ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Omniscient Cthulhu: Legendary move.]
[Oh, come on… This is too much.]
[Honestly, this is next-level cringe.]
[Hwanhee: Mangming, does this feel right to you? Mangming, does this feel right to you? Mangming, does this feel right to you? Mangming, does this feel right to you? Mangming, does this feel right to you? Mangming, does this feel right to you?]
[Absolutely revolting…]
[Mangming, come on, this is too much.]

"Ah…"

Even though the comments weren’t directed at him, Jihoo couldn’t help but feel secondhand embarrassment.

It reminded him of an old, cringeworthy memory—back when he’d taken a semester off from university. He had tried to muster the courage to confess to a female classmate. After carefully planning, he had gone to a nearby flower shop and bought an expensive bouquet. For a college student, spending over ten thousand won was a big deal. He’d brought the bouquet to their MT trip and confessed, only to be rejected outright.

‘Ugh… bad memories.’

At that time, he had wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear. Now, this current situation gave him a slightly milder version of that same feeling.

"Let’s not be too harsh. I’m sure Mangming had valid reasons for thinking it was a smurf," Jihoo said, trying to mediate.

It was a fair point. There was always a possibility that the enemy midlaner really was using a smurf account. Without concrete evidence, it wasn’t right to accuse someone unfairly.

[Omniscient Cthulhu: Breaking news! Updated info just in!]
[Omniscient Cthulhu: Turns out, the enemy mid is NOT a smurf, lol.]
[Oh no…]
[Someone tried to shield him, but this is just sad, lol.]
[What even is this?]
[Trash-tier confirmed.]
[Kang Hoo-min: Yup, yup. It’s true. Mangming has officially entered the has-been category.]
[Kang is spitting facts as usual, lol.]
[But honestly, he kind of is a has-been.]

The chat filled with comments ridiculing Mangming, branding him as a washed-up player. Jihoo couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him. Sure, having Mangming on his team and watching him flounder was frustrating, but Jihoo didn’t think he deserved this much ridicule.

"Honestly, he’s doing fine for his age. Only getting solo-killed twice is pretty impressive," Jihoo said sincerely.

For someone older, it was an achievement to maintain such a performance.

[Omniscient Cthulhu: Still, the enemy mid isn’t a smurf…]
[Hwanhee: If it were a smurf, we could understand, but this? Lol.]
[Yeah, he’s just washed up.]

The chat was still on fire, so Jihoo decided to take a direct approach.

[Ally][LondonIsInDanger][Dows]: Hey, midlaner.]
[Ally][LondonIsInDanger][Dows]: My chat keeps calling you a has-been. What’s your take on this?]

As expected, the chat erupted in shock.

[Omniscient Cthulhu: Did you seriously just ask that, lol?]
[Hwanhee: Are you insane?]
[Kang Hoo-min: Yup, she’s nuts.]
[Isn’t it ‘he’s nuts’?]
[Either way, totally insane, lol.]

After a brief silence, the midlaner responded.

[Ally][ClearSkies][Corki]: I’m just not used to this champion.]
[Ally][ClearSkies][Corki]: If I pick a champion I’m familiar with, I can crush gold-tier players easily.]

"Hmm."

It was an overly confident reply, fitting of Mangming’s personality.

[So vulgar, honestly.]
[Why is he so cocky, lol?]
[Omniscient Cthulhu: The GOAT of vulgarity and cringe, lol.]
[Confidence for days, lol.]
[Please demote his main account to platinum. Please, please, please!]

Although the chat was still lively, it wasn’t as chaotic as before. Perhaps it was because Mangming had responded himself.

[Victory!]

"Wow… we actually won."

Despite Mangming’s rocky start, this was gold tier. After the laning phase, the diamond-tier Mangming began leading the game, ultimately steering the team to victory.

"It would’ve been an easier win if mid hadn’t collapsed early on," Jihoo muttered.

The game had been tough, but Jihoo’s early advantage in the top lane had helped carry them through the later stages.

[Omniscient Cthulhu: How did we even win this, lol?]
[Omniscient Cthulhu: This was a game we should’ve lost.]
[He may be washed up, but his game sense is still alive, making late-game much smoother.]
[Mangming <<< The washed-up king of gold tier, lol.]
[Man, I don’t want to get old. I don’t want to get old. I don’t want to get old.]@@novelbin@@

At least they won. That was all that mattered.

Just as Jihoo was preparing for the next game—

[Mangming has donated 10,000 won!]
-Hey there, just dropping by to celebrate the win!

Mangming had shown up in Jihoo’s stream.

"Thank you for the 10,000 won," Jihoo said, still a little stunned.

This was his first-ever donation, and it left him feeling a bit flustered. Was it okay to just accept it?

Eventually, Jihoo rationalized it. Mangming probably made good money from streaming, so it wasn’t a big deal for him.

[Hwanhee: Wait, why is Mangming here, lol?]
[Hwanhee: Is 10,000 won really enough? Shouldn’t he donate more?]
[Omniscient Cthulhu: Why isn’t he typing in chat, though?]
[He’s chat-banned right now.]
[Omniscient Cthulhu: Oh, that makes sense.]

Jihoo glanced at the viewer count. For the first time, it had crossed 100.

‘This is unexpected.’

He never thought he’d reach triple digits. It was clear Mangming’s presence had drawn in viewers.

Jihoo addressed the chat, "I’d love to unban Mangming, but the chat has been pretty chaotic with trolls. If you have something to say, donating might be faster."

It wasn’t about greed—it was about maintaining order in the chat.

[Omniscient Cthulhu: Greedy much, lol.]
[Omniscient Cthulhu: One donation and now you’re acting all high and mighty, lol.]
[Hwanhee: Money is important, though.]
[Take what you can get.]
[Kang Hoo-min: With Mangming’s personality, he’s definitely going to donate again.]

A moment later—

[Mangming has donated 1,000 won!]
-You have such a lovely voice.

"I get that a lot," Jihoo replied smoothly.

The chat went wild again, with comments about Mangming’s antics and Jihoo’s voice. Jihoo ignored most of it, focusing instead on maintaining the stream’s flow.

Just then—

Ding-dong!

"I’m home!" Yeram’s loud, cheerful voice echoed through the house.

[???]
[Omniscient Cthulhu: What was that?]
[Who is that?]
[Hwanhee: Who’s there?]
[Is there a girl in the house? Is there a girl in the house? Is there a girl in the house?]
[Who is she?]

The chat exploded with speculation. Jihoo sighed and explained, "It’s my younger sister. Don’t even think about posting inappropriate comments."

Some chat members were clearly toeing the line, and Jihoo decided it was best to shut them down early.

At that moment—

[Mangming has donated 1,000 won!]
-Is that your sister? ㅎㅎ

Mangming, of course, couldn’t resist chiming in.