Chapter 2 - Chapter 2

A new nickname had come to me.

That was none other than...

💬 CHAT EXPLOSION 💬-Bukppudeupppu God!

The chat started calling me Bukppudeupppu God.

The meaning was simple.

It was shorthand for "Bukppudeupppu is a god," turned into Bukppudeupppu God.

Pfft!

To earn that title, a few tens of thousands wouldn't cut it. I was now sitting at number three on the Big Spender rankings.

Number one was some mystery guy rumored to be a chaebol heir—Le Cafe.

He was the legendary whale who dropped 4 billion won a month.

Number two below him was famous for yachts and entertainment ventures.

Rumor had it he was handsome as hell, tall too, making him top husband material for Female Cam girls or whatever.

This guy was another madman, blowing about 2 billion a month.

And then there was me, the grand number three.

After dropping 400 million on Han Yu-jeong, I'd bounced around rooms, firing off nearly 1 billion in donations total. Before I knew it, the message inbox at the top of my profile showed +700.

This wasn't just from streamers who'd gotten my support—it was a ceremony from all the toxic trolls infesting every community out there.

💬 Comments— AnonBro! Pizza gift card plz... bowing deeply— Jealous TrollGot scammed for 40 mil in a Romance Scam and now you're dumping here? Sold a kidney or what?— Life LoserDoes your mom know you're living like this?

Begging for gift cards kicked it off.

Then envious losers circle-jerking themselves.

Even...

Full-on lawsuit-worthy life failures foaming at the mouth because they couldn't devour me.

"Heh heh heh..."

I didn't shrink from trash talk by guys I'd never even met. Nah, I saw it as proof I was writing legends in the Internet Broadcasting scene.

Think about it.

The bigger a hit movie is, the more reviews show 10% good, 90% hate.

Why's that?

All kinds of reasons, sure, but mostly because selfish assholes who hate anyone else enjoying something fun are everywhere.

Not just movies.

Look at web novels and webtoons on your smartphone.

The hotter the work, the more comments.

More comments mean every type of freak comes and goes, nitpicking and tearing into every little thing.

The more hate comments, the better.

It's an unchanging rule: thriving works draw the venom.

I grinned wickedly at the hundreds of messages piled up.

Anyone else seeing this might call me crazy.

"Hm?"

Scrolling through the mountain, I spotted a familiar nickname.

[Han Yu-jeong has sent you a message.]

Han Yu-jeong? That Han Yu-jeong!

The famous model sending me a message? What the hell?

[Bukppudeupppu oppa, hi! If you're okay with it, want to grab a meal together? Got time?]

Whoa...

Is this a date invite?

I felt great for a second, then my mood iced over fast.

Shorter than average height.

Exactly 168.2 cm.

Plus, even though I'm managing it now, my face is scarred with pockmarks.

If I were at least handsome, I could lean on that.

Fuck that...

My looks were trash enough to self-roast.

"Damn it!"

I didn't want to curse my parents who gave birth to me, but sometimes the resentment crept in.

Such a beauty mustering the courage for a date, and me turning it down.

Today, I resented the gods up in heaven more than ever.

'Reject her coolly!'

'Can't let her look down on me. This world's survival of the fittest.'

Other whales meet hot Female Cam girls, dine, watch movies, drive luxury cars worth hundreds of millions.

Communities had Big Spenders bragging about banging them.

I agonized, then placed my fingers on the keyboard.

[Thanks for the courage, but I'd like to stay fan and streamer.]

Tears poured like a waterfall before I hit enter.

This could've been my shot at sealing the deal.

Kicking away a chance like this myself...

"Fuck!"

I booted the innocent teddy bear I'd won for 2,000 won, but nothing changed.

In the end, I hit enter.

[Message sent.]

"Hahaha..."

Drained, I saw Han Yu-jeong in a bikini on my monitor.

Tap tap tap!

Before long, the room filled with the scent of night-blooming flowers.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

Han Yu-jeong let out a deep sigh.

This was the first time she'd messaged someone to grab a meal.

Surprisingly, she—with looks that turned heads everywhere—was a virgin who'd never dated.

'Nervous... What if he's a bad guy?'

Streamers patrolled communities as a basic passive skill.

Reading those posts, the world seemed full of beasts not fit for human description.

— Anon1Heard the news?— Anon2What news?— Anon1A Female Cam girl just wrecked a marriage.— Anon2For real? So she hooked up with a married guy?— Anon1Yeah;;; And she doesn't even know what she did wrong lololol— Anon3Fuck, what a delusional bitch? Total homewrecker.— Anon1And get this—she got knocked up by the guy.

News that rocked the world popped up in communities all the time.

Seeing that, Han Yu-jeong couldn't guarantee it wouldn't happen to her.

But with 400 million from Big Spender Bukppudeupppu, she couldn't just sit idle. One slip, and she'd be labeled a money-grubbing runaway.

The problem came after the unexpected reply.

[Thanks for the courage, but I'd like to stay fan and streamer.]

"..."

She cast her eyes down and brushed her ample chest.

Had she ever been treated like this?

Self-praise aside, she had a secret the world didn't know.

Han Yu-jeong had gotten into the business school at Korea University, the nation's top school.

Viewers didn't know she was a college student on leave—family issues forced her to take a break right after enrolling.

If she'd gone to campus, she'd have set countless guys' souls ablaze.

Had she been born ages ago, she might've been called a kingdom-toppling beauty.

A sense of defeat and exhaustion started dominating her mind.

She'd never dated, but she wasn't the type to be treated like this.

She put her hand on the mouse, closed her eyes, and started typing a message.

How could she get him to say yes?

How could she show her sincerity?

So she poured her heart into it.

[Bukppudeupppu oppa. Truth is, I'm super nervous. So I want to say this bravely. You gave so much support, it'd feel a bit unfair not to do anything. O-of course!]

Han Yu-jeong exhaled again.

Her fingers trembled violently on the keys like aspen leaves.

[Wanting to eat together is purely from the heart. Please, just an hour... no, 30 minutes?]

Stunning looks good for magazine modeling.

Enrolled in Korea University's vaunted business school.

All her pride crumbled.

'No regrets.'

Just the support money was 400 million won.

Even as a model, scraping together 10 million took endless shoots.

While waiting...

A message from Bukppudeupppu.

[Fan stays fan.]

Six letters.

Seven with the period.

But more sincere than any words.

Tears streamed from Han Yu-jeong's eyes.

Internet broadcasting brought endless stress and sleepless nights.

What if she met a gangster?

This world was both light and shadow.

People compared Female Cams to whores, calling it the animal kingdom.

Han Yu-jeong was from the dirt-poor bottom.

Born into poverty.

Parents divorced young.

Her only remaining mom was in poor health.

She'd jumped into this for the money.

"Thank you. Really, thank you..."

Gratitude welled up, bowing her head low enough to touch the ground.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

"Fuck, she's persistent!"

I stared in panic at Han Yu-jeong's repeated meet-up messages.

These girls cozy up sweet at first, then toss you like half-eaten bread if you don't measure up. Didn't Choa do exactly that?

Just thinking about it boiled my blood like a raging pot.

Han Yu-jeong on cam shone brighter than anyone.

A girl that radiant...

Seeing a 168 cm acne-scarred loser—what would she think? Obvious as day.

Probably something like:

[Eww, what a loser wasting money here? Pathetic parvenu fuck...]

I shuddered at the scene I could picture without seeing.

No more meeting anyone who suggests it.

Didn't someone say life is solo?

These days, living alone doesn't draw side-eye. Ten years ago, solo dining, movies, or amusement parks got you mocked as a wasted life.

'Times are different now.'

Yeah. Singles everywhere you look.

I hardened my resolve.

Ding!

"Hm?"

Message alert popped up.

Glancing at the time: 10 PM.

Prime time—only one type sends messages then.

'Community trolls, probably...'

Nope.

Sender: Choa, who ditched me a year ago.

Content was a joke.

[Bukppudeupppu oppa, long time! If you're back, come to my room. What're you doing in some other girl's room?]

What the hell, this bitch.

What's it to her where I go?

Acting like my girlfriend or some shit?

Probably pissed seeing me drop 400 million on another girl.

Might even think it was "her" money.

I ignored Choa and entered Han Yu-jeong's room.

Was she streaming now?

⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Bukppudeupppu has entered Han Yu-jeong's stream.]

The chat ebbed like the tide in an instant.

My entrance brought excited, anticipatory messages welcoming me.

💬 Comments— ViewerOh! Chairman's here!— HypeDamn, what legend today?— ViewerDidn't he drop 400 mil last time? First time seeing a 400 mil daily spender lol⭐ Top Comment— FanboyBukppudeupppu-----God!⭐ Top Comment— Fanboy2Bukppudeupppu--------------God!— SaltyFuck, I'm hard. Big drop today?

With reactions like that, I had to deliver.

I unleashed a Bubble Gifts barrage on Han Yu-jeong.

⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Bukppudeupppu gifted 300,000 Bubble Gifts.] [Bukppudeupppu gifted 300,000 Bubble Gifts.] [Bukppudeupppu gifted 300,000 Bubble Gifts.] [Bukppudeupppu gifted 100,000 Bubble Gifts.]

One million total.

100 million in cash.

The 1,500 viewers watching me etch history again were floored.

"Bu-Bukppudeupppu oppa!"

Han Yu-jeong paled at the massive sum.

'Watching now, huh? Enjoy the real-time cost of ditching me.'

The malignant lump in my chest vanished in one go.

Gulp!

A refreshing thrill like my gut got punched open shook my whole body.

"Heh heh heh..."

You mosquito bitch.

Justice is just getting started.