Season 4: Chapter 65. General Fame (2)
“Cheese.”
Watching that guy stubbornly choose Cheese, Ju-Hyeok recalled what happened yesterday when he investigated the viewer named AK47.
[AK47 has registered a mission.]
A viewer suddenly showed up and posted a huge mission, but something felt off. It wasn’t normal. Ju-Hyeok had encountered over 100,000 viewers per stream and was practically a viewer profiler. He could instantly tell whether someone had ordinary intentions or not. The problem was that he didn’t know why this guy felt unusual.
‘What is this guy after?’
He could tell this wasn’t just any viewer, but he had no idea what AK47 hoped to achieve through this endurance run challenge. It was like a mystery story where he knew the culprit, but didn’t know the trick. The only clue was the comment about the upcoming platform showdown.
[They say there’ll be a platform showdown after Cheese launches. You participating?]
[It’s basically platforms going head-to-head. Not sure on the details—it’s just rumors right now.]
‘He’s probably an insider in the industry.’
Even Ju-Hyeok hadn’t heard of this platform showdown until very recently. He only learned about it during talks with Paprika that a big event would happen if Cheese launched.
‘Definitely an insider...’
Still, he didn’t have much to go on. All he could do now was reverse search the guy.
‘5ranGang’
Ju-Hyeok found the user’s login ID. It wasn’t exactly a secret since streamers could easily click to see viewer info. Guys like this often couldn’t help but leave a trail with some clue tied to their real identity.
‘Oh-ran-gang[1]?’
Even with the ID in hand, nothing obvious came to mind. Still, Ju-Hyeok wasn’t the one doing the legwork. The search engine would do the work. He pasted the ID and hit search. A few results popped up. What stood out most was a blog.
[No posts in the last 3 years]
The blog had been inactive, but it did have the owner’s name.
‘Oh Junseo.'
Ju-Hyeok knew exactly where to look next. He already had a good idea of what kind of industry insider this guy would be.
[Wikipedia search: Oh Junseo]
The results popped up instantly.
[Oh Junseo: Businessman]
[Oh Junseo: Scholar, Lecturer]
[Orange (Oh Junseo): Streamer]
Among the three names, one stood out immediately.
“Orange?”
Could it really be the well-known streamer?
‘Yup. It's him.’
After confirming it, Ju-Hyeok finally understood.
‘5ranGang... Oh Rang Gang... Orange Gang? Seriously? So cringe.’
Ju-Hyeok smirked and scrolled through Orange’s public profile. One thing stood out.
[Recently transferred to Paprika]
Following the Treevy Korea shutdown, Orange had already switched to Paprika. Few had made the move yet, but he acted very quickly.
[Reportedly expressed resentment toward Treevy...]
Interesting, he seemed to have bad blood with Treevy. Why? Ju-Hyeok found a clue in Orange’s past achievements.
==== ====
[Achievements]
2029 LIL Champs Spring Champion
2029 Worlds Quarterfinalist
2029 LIL Champs Summer – 3rd Place
2029 Worlds Quarterfinalist
2033 Treevy Awards – Person of the Year
2033 Treevy Awards – Rookie of the Year
“Legend Tale (LIL RPG)” – World First Omega Kill
2035 Treevy Awards – Best Performance Nominee
2035 Treevy Awards – Person of the Year Nominee
==== ====
Orange’s prime was in 2029 as a pro in the LIL esports scene. Since then, he became a full-time streamer and mainly focused on LIL RPG. Its declining popularity seemed to have impacted him.
Still, just last year, he was the first in the world to defeat the final boss Omega, which marked the end of the original LIL RPG. The guy had skills, but why did he target Almond with a hardcore gaming challenge?
‘Just for fun?’
Maybe he didn’t know Almond’s situation? No, he had to know. They had even been nominated for the same awards.
[2035 Treevy Awards – Best Performance (Nominee)]
[2035 Treevy Awards – Person of the Year (Nominee)]
Almond actually won those awards.
‘Ah.’
It all made sense when Ju-Hyeok connected the dots. The resentment toward Treevy and the early move to Paprika was all because he lost. This guy clearly viewed Almond as a rival.
‘Makes sense.’
Even their average viewership was similar.
[Average Viewers: 90,000]
At least, that was the case before the Civil Empire tournament.
‘It’s still impressive.’
Given that Orange’s main content was an RPG, which usually attracted fewer viewers than PvP games, those were still solid numbers. Orange did mix in other games and didn’t just play Legend Tale all the time.
‘He’ll skyrocket if the Legend Tale remake launches well.’
That remake could be his ticket to a major comeback. He was likely biding his time and preparing for that moment.
‘So the platform showdown...’
Orange had hinted at the upcoming platform showdown. It wasn’t confirmed, but his line of thinking was simple.
“He wants to beat Almond there? But that’s only possible if Almond goes to Cheese, right?”
What if Almond joined Paprika instead?
“I have to go to Cheese for who to beat me?”
Thud!
Ju-Hyeok banged his knee against the desk in surprise.
“Ow... Wh—What are you, a ninja? Make some noise when you walk in.”
Almond had suddenly appeared.
“I’m an archer. And you were just too focused.”
While Ju-Hyeok winced in pain and rubbed his knee, Sang-Hyeon casually leaned in to glance at the monitor.
“Ah—Aah!” Ju-Hyeok tried to block the screen, but it was too late.
“What is it?” Sang-Hyeon had already pushed forward and saw everything. “Orange? Is that a streamer?”
If Orange had heard that, his soul would’ve shattered. Sang-Hyeon didn’t even know who Orange was.
He skimmed through the notes. “So this guy is AK47?”
‘Why is he only sharp when it comes to stuff like this?’
“You’re just pretending to be dumb, right?” Ju-Hyeok asked.
Sang-Hyeon made another clueless face. This guy only used his brain when it suited him. He was truly something else.
***
The next day, Ju-Hyeok had the same thought again.
‘He really is something...’
This time, he meant Orange.
‘He predicted all of this.’
Tap.
Sang-Hyeon’s hand rested on the Cheese contract. Orange’s entire plan would’ve collapsed if Sang-Hyeon hadn’t chosen Cheese. At first, Ju-Hyeok thought he was being reckless. However, Orange had always planned to send Sang-Hyeon to Cheese like this.
“I’m going to Cheese.”
Sang-Hyeon’s eyes shone with pure, unwavering madness. Not the reckless kind of madness seen in third-rate punks, but the kind that would chase someone to the ends of hell and break their soul.
‘Orange figured out how easy it is to trigger Almond’s competitive side.’
Orange had a professional background. Maybe he understood Yu Sang-Hyeon even better than Ju-Hyeok did.
‘No wonder his plan was so sloppy.’
Orange used an easy-to-trace ID, and his donations clearly showed his intentions. Was he being honorable? No, his true intentions were to manipulate.
Orange was just that kind of person. Sang-Hyeon was also straightforward and easy to read.
Click.
“Explain.”
Sang-Hyeon didn’t even raise his hand off the Cheese contract. He just told Ju-Hyeok to go ahead.
‘What am I even supposed to say?’
Ju-Hyeok sighed. Honestly, both contracts looked great. From here on out, it wasn’t about the terms. It was about the platform’s atmosphere and vibe.
Could Cheese, even if it inherited Treevy’s vibe and userbase, really grow the same way or even beyond? Paprika invested heavily in game streamers, but for how long? Could it shake off the reputation as a graveyard for variety streamers? These were all variables.
‘But it’s not like we’d know anyway. Sigh.’
Ju-Hyeok laughed bitterly. No one could predict the future, not even insiders.
‘Actually...’
Maybe a platform’s fate depended on the streamer. Ju-Hyeok looked at Sang-Hyeon, whose hand remained steady on the Cheese contract.
“Alright. Let’s go with Cheese.” Ju-Hyeok nodded.
Sang-Hyeon looked at him in surprise because he clearly expected Ju-Hyeok to push back.
“Why? I didn’t think you’d just go along.”
“Pfft. Like you’d listen if I did. Just ask the rep when you meet them.”
Ju-Hyeok knew one thing after working with Sang-Hyeon for so long. That guy’s competitive nature couldn’t be stopped. As his manager, it was better to support him and help him win.
“Ugh...” Even so, Ju-Hyeok’s stomach twisted in frustration.
‘Paprika was good too.’
He had run around endlessly making calls to negotiate better terms with Paprika. Now, all that effort had gone to waste.
“Fine! Let’s go with Cheese. Cheese it is!” he shouted like he was trying to convince himself and sprang up from his chair.
Sang-Hyeon looked at him for a long moment. “Thanks.”
Ju-Hyeok turned around in the middle of stretching. “What?”
However, Sang-Hyeon had already disappeared into his room.
‘Is he actually a ninja?’
***
The next day, a headline showed up on the news rankings.
[#7 Almond, National Tournament MVP, Chooses Cheese — Paprika Shares Wobble from Unexpected Decision]
Other articles popped up in the esports and entertainment sections.
[#17 Cheese-Flavored Almond — Chosen After Long Deliberation... But Was It Too Fast?]
[#20 Cheese CEO: “Other Streamers Will Be Heavily Influenced” — Smiles All Around]
— Whoa
— Huh? He didn’t go to Paprika??
— Something big is coming!
— Ugh I wanted him on Paprika
└ Pro gamers are usually on Paprika tho
└ Maybe he didn’t like how aggressive the vibe was?
└ Honestly, Cheese’s chat is way cleaner than Treevy’s lol
— So now Balloon Stars is all Cheese-based? Lol
└ But the real face of that is Bubblegum, no?
└ Lol nobody thinks that though
└ Poor Gum Bro
└ Well, Bubblegum is the balloon part after all
Ju-Hyeok proudly smiled at the fact that Almond’s platform switch made the news rankings. Of course, the Treevy Korea shutdown had been a major issue. Seeing multiple headlines wasn’t surprising, especially since it could influence stock prices.
“Too bad it didn’t hit number one.”
Currently, the number one entertainment article was something else.
[#1 One Successful Ad Contract Brings in Billions — Who Is the Future Building-Owner Streamer?]
A streamer made billions off a single ad? Ju-Hyeok’s face twitched with mild jealousy.
“Who is it?”
Who could’ve landed a deal like that? Ju-Hyeok had no idea that the article was about them.
1. Five is pronounced “oh” in Korean ☜