It’s not that kind of malicious broadcast

The office from which the branch manager had just left—no, perhaps it was more accurate to say he had been kicked out. His expression didn’t look good.

Well, considering that the nameplate on the door prominently displayed “Branch Manager’s Office”… No matter how powerful the CEO of the headquarters might be, being expelled from one’s own office could not have felt great.

Of course, I didn’t have the luxury to worry about anyone else’s feelings. I had to carefully align my thoughts and the situation with the onslaught of questions—while simultaneously hiding any knowledge of the future.

In the meantime, Lee Yeri was whispering so faintly, perhaps in case of being recorded, that it was hard to catch what she was saying.

Yet honestly, that wasn’t the most significant issue.

“Oh, and… you haven’t used any bugs related to cashable currency, right?”

… KoK, seriously didn’t seem like I had. Probably just did the tutorial.

Cashable currency in KoK? It was a game notorious for its lack of content worth spending real money on. There were years when we all linked arms and shouted together for them to release any kind of skin, even if it cost money.

Now, strangely enough… they were releasing expensive skins one after another. Still, games like this were for spending money, not earning it.

… However.

If you think of it differently, it meant that Lee Yeri, possibly not well-versed in KoK, was trying her best to defend me… her sister, doing everything she could. She was even taking a short break from her job, where she only slept four hours a day, to do this…

Because of that, I just couldn’t disregard her and act recklessly.

“Yeah. None.”

In the end, the only response that came out of my mouth was a short answer.

My replies to the following questions weren’t much different. Sometimes I nodded or shook my head, other times I gave brief answers…

… But what did any of this mean?

This wasn’t the reason I came here.

Not at all.

“Yena?”

… Had I been lost in thought for too long?

Lee Yeri’s gaze, filled with worry as she checked my complexion, felt like it was crushing my chest.

Lee Yeri.

Lee Yena’s older sister.

The person who overwhelmingly dominated the photo folder on Lee Yena’s phone. And the only connection unrelated to KoK.

If I recalled correctly, the first name I had seen when I woke up in the hospital was Lee Yeri. It was definitely the caller ID on the vibrating phone screen. Amidst my swirling thoughts, I strongly felt that I shouldn’t answer the call in my current state. I couldn’t remember why, though.

Surprisingly, the unanswered call didn’t lead to persistent attempts. Thinking back now, maybe it wasn’t uncommon for Lee Yena to ignore her sister’s calls.

When the phone vibrated again, it wasn’t a call but a message: “Nothing major, right? Just called to check in! Let me know if you’re short on your allowance!”

I didn’t have the energy to properly read the message, barely able to move my heavy fingers to send a reply, “Nothing’s wrong.”

It wasn’t because I thought that was an appropriate response. For some reason, it was a phrase already written in the chat room. I just drowsily pressed the send button shaped like an arrow.

After that, I forgot about it. Since there wasn’t any particular contact coming in, it wasn’t difficult.

Just before opening the front door, thinking that the chicken had arrived, I faced a sobbing Lee Yeri.

Maybe my attitude towards Lee Yeri had already been set at that exact moment, mingling with the smell of chicken and tears.

But…

“Yeah.”

“Are you okay? Should we take a break?”

“No. I’m okay.”

“Alright. Don’t worry, just trust your unni. I have a general grasp of the situation and stance… I can explain it sufficiently.”

I wondered, was I really dealing with Lee Yeri? The answer didn’t come easily.

There was no alcohol to drown my thoughts whenever such a stream of consciousness dawned upon me. In a way, it made me want to accuse even the lack of proper hospitality as typical of this place.

Given the nature of the game, one might expect guests visiting the company to be handed a mug of beer in a medieval-like wooden cup… that kind of feeling.

Various ideas popped up. Would they accept if I suggested them? Such thoughts spun in my head but—

The excessively clear mind strengthened by veins void of a drop of alcohol… didn’t allow for such blatant escapism.

… It was tormenting.

* * * *

『Author: ㅇㅇ』

『Title: Honest Statement: Control Sucks』

『Lawsuit? Fine.

Rooting out bad guys? Fine. Honestly, even by gal standards, some real disgusting bastards were around.

But control? It sucks. Really fucking sucks.

Is there anyone who doesn’t know why we hurled ourselves into GetDevoured’s broadcast despite her doing whatever she wanted?

Because it was fun, because GetDevoured did whatever she wanted.

But look at the recent situation.

Thought it was some crazy act at first, but suddenly, she starts giving away souvenirs like some female cam broadcaster, and her unni appears to wrap things up LOLOLOL

The conclusion of the protest? Ends with ‘Gallery Master is pretty.’

No doubt, she’s really pretty but damn, who watched GetDevoured just for that?

Now, you drop a few jokes on broadcast and you’re out immediately.

The entertaining banter from the WeTogether Rogue Revival Movement days is all gone.

The fan café is like a soup-stock detention center.

Where did the fierce GetDevoured, who had a controversy page reaching index 8.5 on the wiki, go? Suddenly, she seems so timid, looking around nervously.

Ah

Fuck, everything is fucking shitty.

I just longed for those days when GetDevoured would simply stab a dagger into a pro’s head and swing a greatsword at Buddha’s neck…

Since yesterday, I gave up everything and have been rewatching like crazy, and the more I watch, the more tears flow, you bastards…」

– Why are you so mad;

– Whose IP is this again?

– Asgard, isn’t it?

– Aren’t you embarrassed to turn on Thor while pretending to make a bold statement?

– The forum master told everyone to run a cleaner directly, not running it makes you an idiot.

– But doesn’t the fact that the forum master told everyone to run a cleaner herself mean she doesn’t want to sue?

– Exactly.

– But she was really damn pretty…

– Right, the protest was worth it. Let’s not deny that.

– But, you assholes, the problem is that the protest suddenly turned boring.

– Even just looking at her face was fun. Did you even attend the protest?

『Author: Anonymous』

『Title: Honestly, I felt the same way…』

『Last time, I made a comment suggesting something was off and got massively downvoted and called a dumbass set to be sued.

Didn’t it feel kind of like an automatic mouse trap?

When they put up the sign ‘Soon to sue~~’ and streamed, how would the viewers and the broadcaster get into a high-energy vibe?

Obviously, everyone felt the change as the broadcaster suddenly turned into some kids G-Tuber.

Yesterday, when she said, ‘Today we’re going to do Knight of Knights’, I almost threw up LOLOLOL fuck

Now that she’s shown her face, she’ll probably bring slime next and do a jelly mukbang fuck」

– Yeah, that wasn’t good.

– Why is there no middle ground with this channel……

– Did KoK broadcast yesterday?

– She turned it off after about 30 minutes; she probably hated the broadcast too.

『Author: Anonymous』

『Title: Weren’t you happy when a manager was appointed?』

『Do you want to go back to seeing disgusting sex-related comments that have nothing to do with the broadcast, like ‘your baby’s belly is so big, she’s gonna get child obesity’?

I was glad those disgusting chats decreased, but the quality of posts here is truly abhorrent.』

It was clear that she was hurt every time she saw those kinds of posts, even though she pretended to be fine. If it had been left alone, she would have eventually exploded.

“Why do people treat others like trash? Please, get a grip.”

– Military service number, gun number, comrade number

– ㄴ I’m a guy, you idiot.

– ㄴㄴ Yeah, so give your military service number, gun number, comrade number.

– Now, everyone gets banned and sued, but do you think they genuinely liked that? LOLOLOL, the level of intelligence is really…

– ㄴ Why isn’t anyone getting sued now?

– ㄴㄴ Held back for too long.

– ㄴㄴ It’s been a week, you fool…

– ㄴㄴ Yeah, that’s what I’m saying, held back for too long.

『Author: GetDevoured’s Slave』

『Title: Stop Acting Like Newcomers and Just Support』

『When did GetDevoured ever care about viewers while broadcasting?

The time to brush off the viewers was due.

It’s a hundred times better than the days of absolute hatred.

Newbies whining for free content – utterly disgusting.』

『Author: Anonymous』

『Title: It Just Feels Like the Broadcast Suddenly Changed』

『The illiterate forum kids are unbelievable. Their level of comprehension is astounding.

Of course, it’s good to ban those crossing the line.

And sure, suing them is fine too.

But after the protest, the broadcast has turned to crap.

It’s only been five days of broadcasting, but it’s obvious how much it sucks now.

When did she start talking like she’s on national TV?

She said a company executive from the Korean branch is coming this week?

If it were the original broadcaster, she would have put on a helmet, grabbed her dual daggers, and streamed, for real.

She didn’t even say when she’s leaving.

She didn’t say what they’re going to do.

And she didn’t broadcast.

But in this situation, we can’t even complain?

Stop tipping over the trashcan; you’re ruining the broadcast.』

– But weren’t the streams always irregular?