Chapter 45

* * *

At that moment, at Jo Miwon’s house.

Jo Miwon sat in front of his computer and started the stream early.

Today more than ever, the broadcast needed careful preparation.

Why?

Because he had to finish preparing the roulette that would decide the fate of the stream.

This roulette had fifty menu options and fifty ingredient options.

Jo Miwon filled half of them himself, while the remaining twenty five would be recommended directly by viewers.

With a meaningful smile, Jo Miwon grabbed the mouse.

“Alright. I’ll start filling it in first.”

Without hesitation he began filling half of the menu roulette.

Kimchi stew, soybean paste stew, stir fried anchovies, tteokbokki, potato pancakes.

Mostly everyday home cooked dishes.

Anyone could see it was a blatantly safe list.

The intention was obvious.

As the roulette filled up one option at a time, viewers immediately began booing in the chat.

[GodViewer: LOLLL what is this? Are you making a home meal list?]

[BulletproofVest: The streamer has zero shame LOL]

[CheeseMoonland: It’s fine. We’ll fill the other twenty five. Prepare yourself.]

Jo Miwon crossed his arms and shrugged.

An extremely irritating smile spread across his face.

“You remember we agreed on fifty fifty, right? You guys are going to add nothing but difficult dishes anyway. I have to balance it out. Otherwise our Chan’s mental will collapse before the stream even starts.”

[GimbapNo1: Just wait LOL]

[IAmConcerned: You think you know what we’ll put? LOL]

[EndlessDarkness: That confident expression is so annoying LOLLLL]

“Triggered, right? But you can’t do anything about it.”

At Jo Miwon’s provocation, the viewers gritted their teeth.

Finally it was the viewers’ turn.

Pointing at the remaining empty slots on the roulette, Jo Miwon said.

“Alright, now it’s your turn. Recommend menus. First come first served. Ready… go.”

[LikableScumbag: Haesintang.]

[WarningIssued: Korean beef yukhoe rice bowl.]

[OceanSunfishForever: Grilled baby octopus lol.]

[CheeseMoonland: Braised monkfish.]

Just as expected.

The viewers started pouring in high difficulty dishes filled with pure malice.

Jo Miwon smirked like he had expected it all along.

“I knew this would happen.”

Next came the ingredient roulette.

But Jo Miwon had already prepared for that.

Sugar, salt, soy sauce, soybean paste, gochujang.

Essential cooking ingredients had already been added.

And the most important ingredients even had duplicates.

Two sugars, three salts, two eggs.

The chat instantly exploded.

[WoofRoar: Look at this sneaky guy LOL]

[MeanPickledRadish: Isn’t that cheating?]

[YoShake: Such a petty dude LOL]

Jo Miwon shrugged like he had done nothing wrong.

“No, this is a fair strategy. Anyway, for the remaining ingredients please recommend things necessary for the menu.”

But the viewers immediately launched a counterattack.

[HamsterRat: What kind of rule is that? Just write whatever we say.]

[Henri: Why should we listen to you?]

[GoejeongDongMinnow: Creating something from nothing is the mark of a true master.]

[CookieChickenDumpling: Nope.]

[HoHoWalnut: The streamer’s throwing a tantrum now LOL. We’re not going easy today.]

It was a complete rebellion.

The viewers had clearly entered full demon mode.

Anyone could see they were thrilled at the idea of cornering Jo Miwon.

Jo Miwon stared blankly at the chat before muttering a moment later.

“…Wow. You people are actual demons. This isn’t good.”

* * *

After a hectic day filled with practical classes and reports, I headed straight to Jo Miwon’s house once classes ended.

Today was the day I had agreed to appear on his stream.

Come to think of it, it had been a long time since I last visited his house.

Back when we were in culinary high school, during vacations Miwon and I spent most of our time either at my parents’ snack bar or at his house.

Since he was obsessed with tteokbokki, we visited the snack bar often.

But because I practically hated tteokbokki, he sometimes cooked various other dishes at home for me.

Those days when we spent all day eating and playing games together.

Looking back, they were pretty happy memories.

While I was lost in thought, I had already arrived in front of Jo Miwon’s house.

When I rang the doorbell, the door flew open and a familiar face greeted me.

“Oh. You’re early. Come in.”

“Wow. It’s been a while since I came here.”

“Yeah. First time since you finished the army, right?”

Jo Miwon excitedly led me into his room.

The moment I stepped inside, the scene felt strangely unfamiliar.

In the past his room had been extremely tidy, almost like a model home with only the essentials.

Now it had completely transformed into a streamer’s room.

Various lights, microphones, and professional cameras were set up.

One wall even had banners that fans had apparently sent.

I burst out laughing when I saw phrases like “Illogical Jo Miwon” and “MSG Miwon” written on them.

Jo Miwon followed my gaze and shrugged.

“Does it look like a real streamer’s room now?”

“Yeah. When did you decorate it like this?”

“I just bought things one by one whenever I needed them.”

He seemed slightly embarrassed but also secretly proud.

It felt like just yesterday when he complained that he was falling behind everyone else.

Seeing him now, having found a path that suited him, made me feel strangely proud.

My gaze shifted to one corner of the desk.

There lay a notebook filled with broadcasting ideas.

As expected, brilliant success was always built on relentless effort.

After looking around the room for a bit, Jo Miwon and I sat in front of the monitor.

Then I casually asked.

“So what’s today’s stream concept?”

“…Huh?”

Even though it was a simple question, Jo Miwon looked noticeably flustered.

When I stared at him silently, his eyes darted around before he muttered.

“I don’t know. Y you’ll find out in a bit.”

“It’s your stream. If you don’t know what you’re doing, who does?”

“It’s not that I don’t know. It’s just… you’re not supposed to know yet. So just wait a little.”

I looked at him suspiciously.

Just a moment ago he had been acting so confident.

Now he was suddenly trailing off.

Then Jo Miwon suddenly added.

“Listen. Don’t ask why. I’ll apologize in advance.”

“…What? Why?”

“Just don’t ask. I feel bad so you can take all the stream revenue today.”

I laughed in disbelief and narrowed my eyes.

“It’s your stream. Why would I take it? Forget it. That’s not why I came.”

“Think of it as an appearance fee. I’ll feel better if you take it.”

I refused several times, but Jo Miwon stubbornly insisted.

After sighing and thinking for a moment, I eventually nodded.

“Alright. Then just give me a little. Why would I take all of it? It’s not like you make that much anyway.”

Jo Miwon snorted as if that was ridiculous.

“You don’t know this, but ever since I started streaming thanks to you, I’ve actually been making good money.”

“How much?”

“About one million won a day on average.”

“…What?”

My eyes widened in shock.

One million won a day.

And that was just from a few hours of streaming.

It was far more than I expected.

For a moment I couldn’t say anything.

I hadn’t realized Jo Miwon had become this successful.

But even so, I couldn’t accept all that money.

“That’s way too much. How could I take that?”

“I’m grateful. Please just accept it. Don’t say anything and just take it.”

Jo Miwon pleaded with an earnest expression.

Is this really something you beg about?

I stared at his uneasy eyes.

At this point something felt strange.

‘What exactly is he planning to make me do?’

* * *

Jo Miwon glanced at Kang Chan sitting beside him and scratched his head.

In the end he had been the one who asked Kang Chan to appear on the stream after being provoked by the viewers.

But the content that had been decided somehow turned into a mission far harsher than expected.

‘Sorry, Chan…’

Kang Chan, who still knew nothing, calmly looked around the room.

He probably thought it would just be a simple eating stream or cooking stream.

But for the sake of good broadcast content, the scale had grown far larger than expected.

Now it had reached the point of no return.

Jo Miwon definitely felt sorry for Kang Chan, who had readily agreed to appear.

But honestly speaking, it was unavoidable for the sake of the stream.

For Jo Miwon this broadcast was not just entertainment.

It was his livelihood.

Meeting the viewers’ expectations.

That was his job and his responsibility.

After sitting in thought for a while, he finally gathered his resolve.

Then like a professional streamer he began the broadcast with practiced ease.

“Alright everyone, hello!”

As he greeted them energetically, the chat exploded as if they had been waiting.

[HungryTroll: ★The streamer has appeared★]

[HardworkingUncle: Wow the stream finally started.]

[UglyTiger: Where’s the friend??]

[GodViewerNo12: I’ve never wanted to see someone else’s friend this badly in my life.]

[IAmFat: Johi!!]

[BusyPerson: Johi!!]

Since he had already mentioned Kang Chan’s appearance during the previous stream, many viewers seemed excited about today’s broadcast.

Jo Miwon had expected that reaction to some extent.

However one thing surprised him.

Even though the stream had only just started.

The viewer count was already twice the usual number.

Kang Chan sat slightly to the side watching the chat window with wide eyes.

He looked a bit overwhelmed by the viewers welcoming him.

Seeing that, Jo Miwon grinned and gestured.

“The friend you’ve all been asking about is here today. Everyone please welcome Kang Chan.”

At Jo Miwon’s signal, Kang Chan hesitated before awkwardly pulling his chair closer.

Then he slightly bowed toward the screen.

“Hello. I’m Kang Chan, Miwon’s friend.”

The moment he appeared on screen, the viewer count began skyrocketing.

[HardworkingUncle: Is that face even real?]

[IAmFat: Are you two really the same species? Why is his face so small?]

[WarningIssued: Even his voice is handsome.]

[ScorchedRiceBread: That face is insane. Is he a celebrity?]

[ReturnMyElephant: Is he an idol trainee or something?]

[JustWatch: Snack bar owner’s son and he’s handsome… he has everything.]

[ParkPotato: He must have a girlfriend right?]

[OhYes: Did you really make the tteokbokki recipe?]

[TalkingMarimo: Oppa please take me.]

[PinkDumbbell: How are even his ears handsome?]

The chat was practically paralyzed.

Watching the flood of praise directed at Kang Chan, Jo Miwon felt oddly proud.

‘Chan really is handsome.’

Even back in school Kang Chan’s popularity was well known.

It was harder to find girls who didn’t like him.

The problem was that Kang Chan always rejected confessions with an impenetrable attitude.

Jo Miwon watched the growing viewer count happily.

Then he suddenly froze when he noticed one chat message.

[RottenTangerine: Are you two really friends? Or is he just a guest you hired?]

Jo Miwon had experienced all kinds of provocations before.

But this one he couldn’t tolerate.

His face turned red instantly as he glared at the screen.

“We are friends!”

As he reacted dramatically, the viewers became even more excited.

[EasygoingWorld: LOL, look how triggered he is.]

[LukewarmCola: This is why I come here to tease the streamer.]

[LeeUng: Chan please stop him lol.]

[KimCheeseGamjatang: Already hitting the rage button at the start.]

Watching the chat, Jo Miwon secretly felt satisfied.

At first he never understood why viewers enjoyed teasing him so much.

But now he knew.

He had what people called good reaction value.

So sometimes he intentionally exaggerated his reactions to entertain them.

Before starting the main content, Jo Miwon shouted in an over the top voice.

“Today’s stream revenue will all go to my friend. Everyone please show lots of support!”

Immediately the viewers began sending donations.

[PinkDumbbell has donated 10,000 won.]

[★MapoDongPorsche★ has donated 50,000 won.]

[ParkPotato has donated 30,000 won.]