Time Machine
After Maze 24 Hours, the first broadcast—and also the final one—got so much buzz that a lot of people rushed to watch Miro's stream.
[Live Maze Ant-Farming on LOL]
"New viewers from Maze 24 Hours in just one day? LOL."
"Let's see if I get farmed. LOL. I'm sticking close, I won't fall off~"
"No way, getting farmed on the first day? That's ridiculous."
"Damn, look at the viewers dropping."
"Still, more than Anna though. LOL."
[What is Miro, a military otaku?]
"Talking tech this, science that…"
"From picking Germany onward, reeks of mil-otaku vibes. LOL."
"For real, he's like some mil-nerd, why not just play a vampire game?"
"What are you even saying, just leave."
"Tsk… this is what you call romance."
"True… it is romantic."
[Am I the only one worried? LOL]
"She ditched a LoL game before, you think Civ will be different?"
"She'll just fail early, make excuses, wander cafés. LOL."
"Bro's watched some Miro, I see. LOL."
"How many years now? LOL."
"Certified Miro expert, respect."
"You've watched all her streams."
At first, everyone enjoyed the Miro broadcast. But as time passed…
[No, what the hell]
(Screenshot of Miro's stream)
"I'm losing my mind. Who screwed up?"
"Damn, she's been stuck in Civilization for four hours straight."
"If you don't like it, leave. LOL."
"It's fun tho."
"Yeah, it's actually hilarious. LOL."
"Perfect background radio, you're the only one mad."
[Ant-farming God-Tier LOL]
"Newbies from Maze 24 Hours can't handle this, huh? LOL."
"Keep complaining, not like Miro's listening."
"For real, she just shuts her ears."
"You can't shake Miro. LOL."
"We already failed long ago~ LOL."
"Long stream = profit, baby."
"True LOL."
[First time I fell asleep watching Miro's stream]
"Her voice is literally a sleeping pill."
"For real, I knocked out."
"Thanks to her, my insomnia's cured."
"How can you fall asleep to this comedy? LOL."
"If you don't know Civ, it is a sleeping pill."
[Today's Miro Pro-Japan Move]
(Clip where Miro discovers Tokyo nearby)
"'Oh? It's Japan?'"
"'Should I ally with them like history?'"
"'Might as well be friendly since they're neighbors?'"
"LOL of course, typical Vtuber."
"Didn't watch, what civ is Miro playing that allies with Japan? Has Japan ever been friends with anyone?"
"Germany."
"Damn, is that real? LOL."
"Axis alliance, fair enough."
"Not Korea??"
"Nope, she's played Korea a lot in past series."
"Wait, she played previous Civ games too?"
"Yeah, she knows the basics."
[Live Germany vs Japan War LOL]
"Typical Japs, can't change their trash personality. LOL, they attacked first."
"Miro did build cities way too close though."
"But she had no choice, no land left."
"So war was inevitable from the start."
"Isn't she screwed? No army."
"Production's high, she can manage."
"Can she handle Samurai?"
"Just stall while pumping units."
"Weren't you guys swearing before? Now you're enjoying it."
"Those who couldn't enjoy already went to bed. LOL."
[When does this war end? LOL]
"Damn, I said I'd sleep after the war ends, but it's still going!"
"Fun, but my sleep schedule's wrecked."
"Gotta see the Japs crushed."
"High difficulty, so units are slow."
[Live Miro Mom Entrance]
"LOLOLOLOLOLOL"
"I'm wide awake now. LOL."
"No way you normie workers missed this, right? LOL."
"For real LOL."
"That hit perfectly. LOL."
"She dropped the mic and panicked. LOL."
"Another perfect stream. LOL."
[Felt kinship with Miro]
"Watching her get smacked by her mom, she's just like us, a basement gamer."
"Honestly, I felt like she was getting too distant, so this felt good. LOL."
"She was always distant, dumbass. LOL."
"So… she's a virgin, right?"
[So Miro Summary is—]
"Blue-pill basement gamer virgin (with a nice voice), right?"
"Stop spouting BS. LOL."
"Nah, it's facts."
"Cheers, Miro-fans. LOL."
"Oh, hey Ham. LOL."
[Anna? That hag Korean chick?]
"But she's 28… not a virgin…"
"Miro's 21 and a virgin…"
"When Miro was in elementary school, Anna was an adult…"
"No way anyone's still simping for ^PongPongAnna^, right? LOL."
"Stop beating on her."
"Just ^PongPongHagCrew^."
"What did Anna ever do wrong?"
"Being an old hag is a crime~."
"Victory to Miro-fans, upvote. LOL."
"Anna <— basically Ronaldo, just pops up to get clowned every time Miro (Messi) succeeds. LOL."
"For real LOL."
"The Rivaldor. LOL."
[From today, the Dwitch Gallery hereby declares:]
"Miro is a virgin, and the best Vtuber in Korea—no, in the world."
"Shedding tears, upvoted."
"Agreed…"
"Yep, blue-pill virgin LOL."
"You guys are overreacting. Big boobs = pretty face? Really?"
"Yep LOL, with that voice and body she's definitely blue-pill."
"If Miro's ugly, we can't trust any Vtuber anymore. LOL."
"Fact: Vtubers were never trustworthy to begin with."
"Fact my ass, only fact is you grew up in an orphanage."
"Damn, weeb freak talking shit."
"Triggered, huh? LOL."
"I'm a top-tier Vtuber myself, signed with tears in my eyes."
"Anna? You're not top-tier yet, get out. LOL."
"Why's Anna signing too? LOL."
"Stop randomly beating on Anna."
***
When she opened her eyes, the sun was already high in the sky.
Did she overdo it yesterday?
She'd only planned on a little "ant-farming," but it ended up being more fun than expected.
There was a reason this game was so infamous as a time machine—she played way too long.
How long had it been? She remembered the sun rising, then fighting Japan, and after that…
"Ah!"
At the sudden memory of this morning, her face flushed red and she kicked off the blanket.
Why did Mrs. Jang have to come in then!
No, no—it was her own fault.
If only she'd warned in advance she'd be streaming…
Well, it was too late now.
At least nothing disastrous happened, just a bit of fuss.
But next time she streamed, they'd definitely tease her about it.
That was a problem for later. For now, since she woke up in the afternoon, maybe she should just take a break.
Actually, thinking about it, didn't she technically already stream today?
By the calendar, she'd already done her stream for the day.
As she seriously considered taking a break, she walked into the living room. From the kitchen came the sound of bubbling and a delicious smell.
"Oh, our streamer daughter is up early today?"
…Mrs. Jang immediately fired off a sarcastic jab the moment she appeared.
Earlier, I finally confessed everything.
That I dropped out of college and started internet streaming.
At first, she blew up in anger, but after I explained in detail what I was doing, her expression became… complicated.
"Why are you doing this?"
That kind of vibe.
In the end, after she glanced around my room and looked at my Miro character, she finally accepted it.
And I wasn't exactly lying, was I?
I had done singer activities. My songs were even registered on music sites.
Of course, streaming is my main focus, but it's not like I lied to Mrs. Jang. I could hold my head high.
When I passed her and went into the living room, Manager Kim was there in a sleeveless undershirt, sitting on the sofa, stroking Boksil who was sprawled across his lap, while watching TV.
"What are you watching?"
"Checking if our streamer daughter is on TV."
"Oh wow, even Dad's teasing me now?"
"I'm not teasing, I'm giving you a warning—don't end up on the news."
"Geez, that's a scary thing to say."
I sat down next to him.
What exactly do adults think of internet streamers…?
"Woof!"
As soon as I sat, Boksil shook himself free from Manager Kim's lap and clambered onto mine.
"Damn mutt… can't even tell who pays for your food…"
Kim looked at Boksil with a complicated expression, then gave up and turned back to the TV.
"So, is streaming worth it?"
"Yeah. Just gaming and chatting, really."
"Do a lot of people watch?"
"Enough to feel burdensome."
That was true. I always thought maybe I'd get more viewers someday, but it happened all at once, before I was ready.
"Don't feel too burdened. At the end of the day, they disappear the moment you hit the power button."
"Isn't that a pretty irresponsible mindset?"
"Do they watch your streams with a sense of responsibility?"
"Well… no."
"Even if someone did, that would be the weird part."
Cold words. Maybe that's how adults survive in society.
Harsh and lacking warmth, but it felt like advice I actually needed.
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Good. Don't overdo it. At your age, the most important thing is to go slow and not get hurt."
"Dad, you should follow your own advice. Shouldn't you spend all the money you've saved before you die?"
He spends every day living at the company, yet tells me not to overdo it.
Manager Kim should be the one setting the example.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure to spend everything I saved before I die."
"Leave me an inheritance at least. Like this house, maybe."
"Who did you inherit that stubborn mouth from?"
"Anyway, anything in the news these days?"
"It's a mess. Be careful of knives."
"Knives? I heard things are dangerous lately."
Yeah, those incidents show up on the community boards every day. I don't watch the news, so I only hear about the world from forums or my viewers' chat.
"Yeah, the world's gone bad. Used to be, Korea was the model of public safety, but not anymore."
Manager Kim said it in that typical middle-aged, boomerish way.
Sure enough, following his gaze to the TV, the news was covering yet another stabbing rampage.
"Well, I stay home all the time, so it's not really my problem."
"Bragging, huh. Still, since you took after me and look decent, lock the doors well."
"Decent? I'd say a little more than that."
"It's just a saying."
Wait—I took after him?
I looked closely at his face.
…Actually, there was a bit of resemblance.
Now that I thought about it, he had a kind of middle-aged cool to him.
Why didn't he pass on this face when I was still a guy?
"What are you staring at? Admit it, your dad looks good, right?"
So shameless… maybe that's genetic too.
"Like an unlucky Kim Soo-hyun."
"What the hell's that supposed to mean?"
"It's… a thing."
"You're so dull."
If he knew the real meaning, "dull" wouldn't be enough.
Anyway, I snatched the remote.
If I were still a son, I'd have gotten scolded, but I was a pretty daughter now.
And dads are weak against daughters.
"You brat."
"It's not even important news, is it?"
I flicked through the channels. No point listening to grim news when the whole family was gathered. Better to watch some light entertainment.
I punched in the number for a channel that often played variety shows, but then—
["Do you know this song?"]
["Yes, it's from a band I like."]
A familiar voice and a familiar scene appeared on screen.
Beep—
I instantly changed the channel.
Why the hell did that air again? A rerun? How long has it been since the original broadcast?
"…Maybe I'll just go back to the news."
I tried to switch back naturally, but—
"Wait. Hold it."
Manager Kim grabbed my hand.
"Huh?"
"Go back to the previous channel."
"No, no."
"Go back."
I resisted, but in the end he snatched the remote back and flipped back.
"Oh no…"
"Why are you acting like this? Just want to check."
And then…
The channel I'd just skipped back to appeared again.
["Then you can sing this song too?"]
["Huh? Well… yes, I guess."]
["Then sing it with the guitar."]
On the TV screen was me, wearing a hat pulled low.
Even so, the person next to me was family—there's no way they wouldn't recognize me.
After staring at the screen for a while, Manager Kim finally shouted:
"Hey, honey! Come here!"
"What? What is it?"
"Aaagh!"
"Look at this—our daughter's on TV!"
At his shout, Mrs. Jang came rushing from the kitchen.
I immediately leapt up and bolted to my room.
There was no way I could watch myself on TV together with my parents.
Sigh… nothing's going right today.
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