Chapter 120
Pretending to be indifferent, Suhyuk continued walking while replaying Bald Suhyuk’s words in his mind. As if he’s already experienced fame.
It wasn’t wrong. Although it was different in nature, Suhyuk had experienced enormous popularity in the past. And that, in a way, was far beyond his current fame.
In fact, even the popularity that Bald Suhyuk was enjoying had ties to his past self.
“I guess this is just my natural personality.”
It wasn’t just an excuse.
‘I didn’t think too much about it back then, either.’
Focusing more on the tasks ahead rather than being conscious of invisible popularity. Because of this personality, he had never felt burdened by popularity.
Feeling the sincerity in Suhyuk’s answer, Bald Suhyuk nodded.
“If that’s the case, it’s a talent.”
“A talent?”
“Yes. While many people can gain popularity, not many can withstand it.”
Looking contemplative, he continued.
“Popularity can weigh so heavily that it ruins streams or leads to self-absorption, like being drunk on power, causing them to stray off path… The reasons for falling apart are varied.”
“Do many people end up that way?”
“Yes. It’s quite common in this field.”
For a brief moment, a look of bitterness crossed Bald Suhyuk’s face. Although he soon returned to his usual expression, Suhyuk was reminded of one thing.
“There’s a jinx.”
The reason many streamers were reluctant to collaborate with Bald Suhyuk. It was because of the absurd and frightening jinx that any streamer who collaborated with him would end up failing.
“Is that why the streamers who collaborated with you ended up failing?”
Bald Suhyuk flinched in surprise and stopped walking. Just as Suhyuk wondered if he was about to say something profound, they arrived at an upscale-looking bar.
After staring at the bar sign for a moment, Bald Suhyuk asked.
“How about a drink?”
*
The interior of the bar had a luxurious atmosphere with dim lighting and soft hues. Sitting on a clearly expensive sofa, Bald Suhyuk was the first to order drinks and snacks.
“Cheese and crackers, and any Elbafesan wine aged over 30 years, please.”
Suhyuk’s eyes widened as he heard this from across the table. Elbafesan wine was notoriously expensive. If it was aged over 30 years, a single bottle could cost thousands of points.
To order such a pricey wine on a whim.
“Why are you so surprised? You earn quite a lot yourself.”
“I do, but…”
Taking a sip of water, Suhyuk spoke in a dissatisfied tone.
“It’s the expenses that are the problem.”
“I suppose. Players like you must spend a ton on equipment and other stuff.”
Although he had spent more points elsewhere, there was no need to clarify. Nodding, Suhyuk heard Bald Suhyuk laugh and speak.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m treating. After all, it’s not every day I get to collaborate with a streamer like you.”
“Shouldn’t I be the one saying thanks?”
Suhyuk still couldn’t understand.
“Your viewers and subscribers far outnumber mine.”
In the short time they’d talked, the luxurious wine arrived. Ignoring the price, Bald Suhyuk immediately opened the bottle.
“True, but the rumors are so bad.”
“It bothers you, doesn’t it?”
“Of course. All the viewers know about it. Didn’t you see the comments on the notice?”
“Comments…”
Suhyuk quickly took out his kit.
“You really don’t pay attention to this stuff, huh? Since yesterday, there’s been an uproar. People saying ‘Do you want to ruin our brother?’ and ‘Bald Suhyuk’s going to destroy another streamer.’”
As Suhyuk listened, he quickly checked the comments.
– Again????
– I support Bald Suhyuk, but this is a bit LOLOLOL
– Suhyuk, run away!!
– Which Suhyuk are we talking about?
– This guy still hasn’t learned LOLOLOL How many streamers has he ruined with his own hands?
– It’s not the worst thing to die while being applauded
The comments were harsh. Although it was on his own stream notice, most of the criticism was directed at Bald Suhyuk.
Pourrr-.
“I expected this to happen.”
“Then why did you agree?”
“First, let’s have a drink.”
Bald Suhyuk handed a drink to Suhyuk, seemingly unbothered by the expensive liquor, and filled the glass to the brim.
After taking a sip.
“My manager also tried to talk me out of it. Said there’s nothing to gain from it.”
“Then, who made the decision…”
“I did.”
“Why?”
“There’s this feeling, you know? That this time, it’ll be different.”
As he said this, Bald Suhyuk let out a small laugh.
“The problem is that my intuition isn’t great.”
It was an accurate statement. Even from his stream tests, it was clear. He showed play that was messy enough to surprise Suhyuk, with not a hint of pretense.
He had no intuition. Literally zero. And it seemed that this lack of intuition wasn’t confined to just playing tests as a player.
“I always thought things would be different each time, but the results were always the same. The stream suddenly became dull, or they got what I call ‘celebrity syndrome’, or scandals arose…”
“The scandals aren’t your fault, are they?”
“Right. Just bad luck.”
He nodded as he poured himself another drink.
“But that’s why it’s a ‘jinx’. As if I was cursed or something.”
A curse.
It was far from a grandiose term. When dissecting the cause of this jinx, there was only one possible explanation.
“The effect of the collaboration must be substantial.”
“Pardon?”
“I mean, enough to make them feel pressured or get ‘celebrity syndrome’ due to the sudden spike in viewers.”
Suhyuk had experienced the effect of a collaboration before. After the collaboration with Falcon Eye, Suhyuk saw a sudden increase in viewers.
It was due to the promotion of his channel through Falcon Eye’s stream and the subsequent influx of Falcon Eye’s viewers.
Sharing viewers. Securing and promoting viewers through collaboration. That was the fundamental reason for collaborations.
‘If it’s Bald Suhyuk, the effect of the collaboration would be significantly greater.’
He was a major streamer with over ten times the viewers of Falcon Eye. Naturally, the effect of the collaboration would be much more pronounced.
It wasn’t surprising that sudden popularity might overwhelm a streamer, making it difficult to maintain direction.
“You’re quite positive.”
Slightly, but Bald Suhyuk’s face brightened.
“In fact, I was hoping for something like this. I felt like nothing would faze you, Suhyuk-nim.”
Glancing at his reflection in the wine bottle, Bald Suhyuk muttered in a small voice.
“If it ends up the same way this time…”
His voice trailed off as he shook his head. Then he filled his empty glass again and held it out.
“Let’s stop with the bad thoughts and have a toast. Let’s change this heavy topic.”
His expression shifted instantly. Seeing Bald Suhyuk’s face quickly return to its bright state, Suhyuk clinked his glass with his.
“Let’s do that.”
“Is there anything you’re curious about? After all, I’m a senior in this industry.”
“How much do you make exactly?”
“Wow, going straight for it, huh?”
“You’re buying such expensive drinks, how could I not be curious?”
*
They emptied several bottles, but surprisingly, they didn’t get that drunk. Getting drunk or not was the choice of the players.
If they wanted, they could instantly clear their system of alcohol. Though it wasn’t common to drink such expensive liquor only to waste it by clearing the effect.
“It feels like a waste.”
As soon as they returned to the accommodation, both of them instantly sobered up.
“We didn’t have a choice. We have work to do.”
“Next time, let’s have a proper drink.”
“I’d like that.”
As Suhyuk and Bald Suhyuk walked in together, Un Hyang and Netz turned to look at them.
“When did those two get so close?”
“Looks like they had a drink together.”
“That’s good. Getting friendly will make the collaboration’s synergy better.”
Suhyuk and Bald Suhyuk joined the meeting again. Having sobered up, Bald Suhyuk looked at his manager, Netz.
“Did you finalize the content?”
“Yeah. It might be a bit cliché, but there’s nothing better.”
“Ah, I think I know what it is.”
Even with a brief explanation, Bald Suhyuk grasped the theme of the content.
“Master and apprentice.”
“Exactly.”
Master and apprentice.
The name alone gave a clear idea of what the content would be like.
“So I’ll be teaching Bald Suhyuk?”
Un Hyang nodded in response to Suhyuk’s question.
“Yes, that’s right. It’s a common content theme when skilled streamers collaborate with comedy streamers.”
“I’ve never done any teaching before.”
“You don’t have to be good at it.”
Bald Suhyuk shrugged at Suhyuk’s concern.
“The whole point of this content is to see the apprentice beat the master.”
“Beat the master?”
“Yes. No matter how much the master teaches, the apprentice remains hilariously bad.”
“Ah…”
Thinking through the content’s structure, Suhyuk nodded. He had a good grasp of how the content would unfold.
‘A content focus highlighting Bald Suhyuk’s cursed talent.’
Although he had only watched a few times, Suhyuk knew how terrible Bald Suhyuk’s play was.
He was a mess in every aspect. Frankly, it seemed a miracle that he had made it up to the 4th floor.
“This isn’t the first time we’ve done this content.”
Un Hyang continued to explain.
“We’ve already tried this collaboration with some of our streamers. The reason we decided on this content again is because it received great responses.”
“Did they all fail?”
The person who answered Suhyuk’s question was Bald Suhyuk’s manager, Netz.
“It wasn’t a failure. Each time, the viewership exceeded 200,000.”
200,000.
A staggering number.
It was ten times the viewership of Suhyuk, who had around 20,000 viewers. It was clear why Bald Suhyuk was classified as a major streamer.
However.
“No, I meant…”
Suhyuk’s question was not about that.
“I’m asking if they all failed to teach Bald Suhyuk.”
With a more detailed explanation, Netz blinked and glanced between Suhyuk and Bald Suhyuk.
“Seriously, you mean it?”
“Yes.”
Netz looked perplexed. Bald Suhyuk’s reaction was not much different.
“Suhyuk, have you watched our stream before?”
“I have. It was a mess.”
“And you really think you can fix him?”
Although it might have been offensive, Bald Suhyuk didn’t react negatively. It was a factual statement and the two had become close enough to speak this frankly.
“I don’t think it’s impossible. And saying I’d ‘fix’ him sounds a bit grandiose…”
Master and Apprentice.
A humorous content where the master struggles with the cursed talent of the apprentice.
However.
“If he does get better, wouldn’t that be awesome?”
Wouldn’t it be a shame to end it with such a mediocre conclusion?
Suhyuk looked at Bald Suhyuk with determination.
“Let’s give it our best.”