Episode 18
Sizzle!
Beef sizzled on the searing hot grill. Garlic, mushrooms, scallions, and kimchi claimed their empty spaces on the metal surface.
Zzzzt.
Thick meat juices bubbled and reduced, releasing mouthwatering sounds as they cooked.
“I’m starving. This smells amazing.”
Taewoo plopped down beside Seojun, who nodded in agreement.
Seojun always felt ravenous after logging out of virtual reality.
‘Most high school seniors gain weight.’
Mental activities like studying burned surprisingly few calories. Even intense brainwork consumed only 1.5kcal per minute, while light walking used 4kcal. Though students felt like they burned energy while cramming, their actual consumption paled compared to physical exertion.
‘But VR’s the opposite.’
Though mentally engaging, VR didn’t create the illusion of calorie burn. Most users didn’t experience Seojun’s intense post-session hunger. He suspected his low assimilation rate was to blame—those with high rates used VR efficiently without fatigue, while he burned energy like a faulty engine.
Streaming in the real world felt far more comfortable.
“Hey everyone!” Taewoo waved at the camera mounted at the table’s edge.
-Taewha!
-Damn that looks good
-My mouth’s watering
-Gimme meat too
They checked their phones. Mid-20,000s viewers—still strong, though Alpaca had mentioned peaks breaching 30k earlier. The stream category had shifted from travel to mukbang. Now they just needed to eat, chat, and wrap up.
-So that’s why you’re offline today?
-Taewoo, stream AFTER eating. Content > health lol
-Taewha!
-Why you butting in?
Taewoo’s regulars flooded the chat. As a mid-tier streamer himself, his fans likely comprised much of the audience.
“Why’s Taewoo here?” Alpaca flipped a meat slice. “Funny how connections work—turns out he and Seojun are childhood friends! Our collab offer actually came through him.”
-Oh?
-Taewoo you bastard, should’ve debuted him earlier lol
-FR tho
“Yep. I’m the one who dragged him into streaming.” Taewoo tried slinging an arm around Seojun, who promptly swatted it away.
-Parry king strikes again LMAO
-Get stunned scrub
-How’d you two meet?
“We became friends in high school,” Seojun answered. “After graduation, we started living togeth—”
Chat erupted.
-PFFFTHAHAHAHA
-NO WAY YOU’RE THAT ROOMMATE?! LMAOOOO
-“That guy”?! HOLY SHIT
Taewoo’s fans howled while newcomers spammed question marks. The other three streamers swiveled to stare at him.
-?? Context?
-Why’s only half the chat laughing?
Taewoo flushed. “It’s not even funny! Right? Haha. Hey, chat—read the room!”
[User ‘NoWay’ donated ₩1,000 – Travel Clip]
A video donation played—shortened to “VDon” in streamer slang. This one showed Taewoo’s past broadcast:
[“Remember my roommate? Dude’s usually chill, but sometimes...”]
Taewoo’s pixelated face filled the screen, fresh off starting a stream.
[“Same guy who soap-washed his phone! So yesterday—” snort “—I streamed forever, right? My VR capsule overheated, so I asked him to cool it while I showered.”]
The current stream’s audience watched as past-Taewoo wheezed:
[“I come out and this madman’s SQUATTING by the capsule, FANNING IT LIKE A SHRINE. Dead serious! I’m not memeing—just turn on the AC, you psycho!”]
-FR THIS REAL? LMAOOOO
-Bro’s unhinged
-Welp, that debunks the “fake donations” theory
-Never let him near appliances again
-Breaking news) Lee Su-han went to check if his capsule was broken lolol
-There are so many legendary stories lolol
Seo-junn stepped hard on Tae-woo's foot under the table while casually picking up perfectly cooked meat.
“Tch. Eat up already.”
Seo-junn listened to Tae-woo and Alpaca discuss various struggles of being streamers.
He also heard Alpaca and Lee Su-han’s success story.
Originally, Lee Su-han had been one of Alpaca’s earliest viewers.
Back then, Alpaca couldn’t afford an editor, so he’d created a channel only to abandon it.
A small-time streamer barely scraping 100 live viewers—that was Alpaca’s past.
To this Alpaca, Lee Su-han proposed growing an iTube channel together, seeing potential in him.
At the time, Lee Su-han was a highly valued editor at a company.
Capsule games’ free-viewing perspective made editing chaotic, so editors who could cleanly highlight the action were rare.
Though Lee Su-han now earns far more by splitting iTube profits 50/50 with Alpaca than he did at his old job,
the choice had been considered a massive risk back then.
Fortunately, the editor’s involvement helped Alpaca’s YouTube grow, boosting live viewers too.
“An editor, huh?”
Lee Su-han told Seo-junn he’d personally edit his videos if he couldn’t find a dedicated editor.
Returning home, Seo-jun grabbed a beer can and stepped onto the balcony to untangle his thoughts.
Beyond the railing stood the plum tree he’d planted.
Imagining its vibrant red blossoms, Seo-jun swept his hand across the chilly balcony floor.
It felt like the day he’d first met his master.
Not exactly fond memories, yet oddly calming.
“Hmm. What should I do?”
iTube was Seo-jun’s current dilemma.
Everyone he met today assumed he’d naturally start a channel.
If you want streaming success, iTube is mandatory—that’s the rule.
But.
Seo-jun’s plan was to enter the Rios tournament by any means, win the capsule, then quit streaming.
That had always been the goal.
The problem?
Streaming was fun.
Playing games with people was fun.
Watching them react to his plays, teasing each other while collaborating…
It was fun.
Pssst—
Click—
Seo-jun cracked open the beer and chugged it in one go,
then muttered blankly at the night sky: “Was I… lonely?”
Maybe.
Remembering past lives was like
yearning for a hometown you could never return to.
“What should I do?”
It was becoming one of those introspective nights. During such times—keep it simple:
“Should hit the gym.”
Gotta move his body.
Lee Dong-soo, starting player for a famous pro gaming team, arrived early at a celebrity gym.
His team had taken second at worlds—a stellar achievement by any measure.
But in sports? Second place meant nothing.
The coach ordered extreme special training for each player next year.
Dong-soo’s mission: learn real-world combat.
‘Might as well build stamina.’
Through connections, the team found an exclusive gym guaranteeing privacy for celebrities and staffed by combat athletes.
Not that it was particularly special—just a place where people worked out quietly, and loud athletes were tolerated.
“Dong-soo here? Hit the treadmill.”
The gym owner loomed over him—disgustingly large with a face that looked like it lost every fight.
“Seriously? Again today?”
“Yep. This ain’t VR. Stamina first.”
Dong-soo seethed. Sure, he’d only been coming two weeks, but—
“C’mon! Only basics and conditioning is bullshit!”
He couldn’t take this disrespect.
He was a pro.
A top-tier pro from the world’s second-best team.
The VR-reality gap aside, manipulating physical specs was second nature to someone at his level.
Hell—pros adapted to their avatars’ shifting parameters mid-game!
“I want real combat training! Okay?!”
The owner snorted and waved him off like a brat:
“Fine. We’ll do light sparring today. Now run.”
“Yes! Then I pick my partner, right?”
“Whatever. You’ll lose anyway.”
Shoo, shoo.
Dong-soo ran with uncharacteristic zeal.
At 18, he lived as a pro after dropping out, but remained a hot-blooded teen at heart.
‘Bring it.’
His opponent would likely be a fighter, but Dong-soo genuinely believed he could win.
His body felt sharper lately, too.
As he ran, he scanned potential targets.
‘Just need someone in my weight class—’
Then—
The entrance opened, revealing someone eerily resembling yesterday’s streamer.
That stupidly handsome face.
No—it was him.
The streamer his teammate had overhyped via clipped highlights.
‘Wasn’t even good.’
Thanks to said teammate, Dong-soo knew too much about “Seo-jun.”
‘Face matches his avatar. Wasn’t he a 3-day rookie? How’d he get in here?’
Whatever.
The owner greeted him warmly.
His muscles weren’t intimidating either.
‘Perfect.’
For becoming his first sparring partner.
