Gender Swap: The Introvert’s Broadcast

The fact that I’d talked about the braised short ribs on the gallery naturally led to discussions about it. After all, the picture I had taken looked exceptionally appetizing.

"I had braised short ribs with my sister for the first time in a while. It was delicious, as expected from a famous spot."

Since I’d started streaming, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to share what had happened yesterday.
Everyone was probably curious anyway.

[🗡️Omniscient Cthulhu: So you used our donations to eat braised short ribs?]
[🗡️Omniscient Cthulhu: Hmm.]
[“Our donations” (even though they never donated)]
[Is it even right for a mod to never donate?]
[Honestly, trolls might’ve donated more than the regulars, LOL.]
[Hwanhee: Just watching the stream is support enough. ㅇㅇ]
[Watching alone brings financial benefits.]
[Kang Hoo-min: You should be grateful just for us watching.]
[The regulars sure lack self-awareness, LOL.]
[Those in the chat arguing with first-tier regulars don’t even have a fixed nickname, smh.]

"I used the donations for it, so to those who donated—thank you. Truly."

If it weren’t for the donations, I wouldn’t have even thought about eating braised short ribs.
They’re just so expensive.

At over 40,000 won per serving, it wasn’t something I could comfortably pay for otherwise.
If not for the money I made from streaming, could I have eaten them at all?
With that thought, I continued.

"For those who didn’t donate… it’s fine. I’m not streaming to make money."

[🗡️Omniscient Cthulhu: Classic.]
[🗡️Omniscient Cthulhu: I knew that, which is why I’ve never donated.]
[As expected, Cthulhu the stingy, LOL.]
[Kang Hoo-min: You can’t call them stingy, though. Some people contribute just by watching. That’s us.]
[Classic Kang sarcasm, LOL.]
[Hwanhee has donated 1,000 won!]

Buy something tasty.
Even though I’d said donations weren’t necessary, they still donated.

"Where are you even getting money to donate? Besides, you can’t even buy cup noodles with 1,000 won these days."

It was a harsh truth.
The other day, I went to a convenience store with just 1,000 won, only to find that even the cup noodles cost more than that. I left empty-handed.

‘It was brutal.’

How could cup noodles cost more than 1,000 won?
Granted, I had picked a large-sized one, but still—weren’t they supposed to be the "poor man’s food"?
Letting out a sigh, I transferred the photo I had taken yesterday to my computer. It didn’t show any faces.

[🗡️Omniscient Cthulhu: Damn.]
[🗡️Omniscient Cthulhu: So this is Seongsu-dong?]
[🗡️Omniscient Cthulhu: Looks fancy.]
[I’ve never been to a place like that. How is it?]
[As if Daegu doesn’t have similar places, LOL.]
[Hwanhee: What’s with the cow head at the entrance? Is that real?]

"Of course not. Who’d actually put a cow head there?"

I couldn’t believe I had to explain this.
A deep sigh escaped me.

It reminded me of high school.

Back in my senior year, there was a classmate who struggled with academics.
They couldn’t grasp simple concepts and constantly asked the same questions.
Though it was frustrating, I answered them patiently, thinking they might just have a bad memory.

Later, I found out the reason they kept asking—it was absurd.
They had a peculiar fetish.
Not only did they like people of the same gender, but they also derived pleasure from asking questions and hearing the answers.

‘No wonder they kept forgetting everything.’

At the time, it was terrifying, but looking back, it was kind of funny.
It might make for a good story to share during a class reunion someday.

Pushing those random thoughts aside, I moved on to the next photo.

"So, here’s the braised short ribs. They were amazing. If you get the chance, you should try them in Seongsu-dong."

Expensive, yes, but definitely worth it at least once.

[🗡️Omniscient Cthulhu: Baby manager.]
[🗡️Omniscient Cthulhu: No money.]
[Why’s that guy suddenly acting cute?]
[Feels like punching him, LOL.]
[Stop pretending to be cute.]
[Kang Hoo-min: What do we get if we take a photo there?]

"Why would I give you anything? Go eat and enjoy it; that’s reward enough."

It’s not like I was advertising for the restaurant.
What could I possibly offer them?

As I was showing another photo of the restaurant’s interior—

[Mangming: Hello~~]

Mangming appeared in the chat, sounding unusually excited.

[🗡️Omniscient Cthulhu: LOL.]
[🗡️Omniscient Cthulhu: Why’s Mangming so cheerful?]
[Did something good happen?]
[Mangming: Hehe.]
[Hehe, seriously?]
[Kang Hoo-min: You look shady. Spit it out before I punish you with my managerial authority.]
[Managerial authority (X) Just Kang being Kang, LOL.]
[Though they act like an honorary manager, to be fair.]

Seeing Mangming that happy made me curious.
What could have happened to put her in such a good mood?

"So, what’s making you so happy?"

I asked, genuinely curious.

[Mangming: Ahem.]
[Mangming: Well…]
[Mangming: I’ve reached ‘Master’ tier.]

[🗡️Omniscient Cthulhu: Is that true?]
[🗡️Omniscient Cthulhu: No way.]
[Checked her match history, and it’s real, LOL.]
[The Great Mangming.]
[Mangming, who just casually conquers Master tier, LOL.]
[Master tier with 400 wins and 398 losses.]
[A grind monster, LOL.]
[Respect the grind.]

Master tier.

Compared to my current rank, it was incredibly high.
I had only just made it to Platinum.

"Master tier feels so far away. I don’t even know how I’d climb from Platinum."

Getting to Platinum hadn’t been too difficult, but from what I’d heard, the higher the rank, the exponentially harder it became.

I needed to keep that in mind.

[Mangming: It’s not that hard.]
[Mangming: If you want, I can teach you.]

[🗡️Omniscient Cthulhu: I knew she’d boast and then offer that.]
[🗡️Omniscient Cthulhu: Such a schemer.]
[So sneaky, LOL.]

Mangming offered to teach me Reore.

But—

"I prefer playing Reore alone."

Not that I disliked playing with others, but I did enjoy soloing more.
It saved me the emotional hassle of dealing with teammates.

[🗡️Omniscient Cthulhu: Immediate rejection, LOL.]
[That’s the way, LOL.]
[Mangming: Oh, well, then…]

Mangming seemed a bit disappointed, but it couldn’t be helped.
What wouldn’t work, wouldn’t work.

Unless there was some sort of mission involved, the chances were slim to none.

Just as I was thinking that—

[Oh, Harin started her stream.]
└ User has been temporarily muted!

[🗡️Omniscient Cthulhu: No mentioning other streams.]
[Yes, no mentioning streams. It attracts trolls.]
[Trolls are the worst.]

Someone announced Harin’s stream, but the mod swiftly removed them.

‘Harin’s streaming already?’

She’d looked so tired at the restaurant, I thought she’d take the day off.

Yet here she was, streaming without a break.

Impressed, I launched my game to focus on solo queue.

"Let’s have some fun with Reore today."

What champion would I pick?

But then—

[Harin: Hello.]

Harin entered my stream.

While I had occasionally visited hers, this was the first time she’d come to mine.

‘I think I know why she’s here…’

I had a hunch, but I asked anyway.@@novelbin@@

"This is the first time I’ve seen you in chat. What brings you here?"

She responded—

[Harin: Just curious about what you were up to.]
[Harin: I’ve heard a lot about you from Mangming.]

Harin mentioned Mangming, and I couldn’t help but wonder.

‘Why is she here?’

I needed to find out.