I Became a Malicious Streamer

I bounced out of the virtual world just like I was getting kicked from a game.

BAM!

Suddenly, my screen went dark POOF and a notification told me to get out because the capsule opened up.

As I removed the helmet, I saw a researcher standing in front of me, dripping with cold sweat.

I could roughly piece together what happened.

“So, the program overloaded? The capsule couldn’t handle my brainwaves?”

“Well, it’s not just the brainwaves; there are several complex reasons… but yes, that’s the main cause.”

I wondered why they even put this brainwave-measuring helmet on in the first place if this was going to happen. Isn’t the whole point of measuring brainwaves to prevent issues like this?

What made the program unable to handle my brainwaves and crash like a video game on the fritz? What on earth were they doing all this time?

As I shot a questioning glare at the researcher, he scrambled for an explanation.

“W-well, we never thought the program would crash! Even with all the intense gameplay, things had been smooth when we ran simulations beforehand… We never expected this to happen!”

They talked about intentionally creating flashy effects to push the program, sending strong brainwaves, or cranking up the graphics to the point where frames drop like a clumsy penguin.

After all sorts of tests that made me want to PUKE, they asserted there was no issue.

I guess that pain in my head every time I dodged a laser was a sign of just how intensely I was focused.

Stretching my mind like a tight rubber band, I used my animalistic reflexes to dodge the lasers coming at me.

The mysterious pain in my head was probably a side effect of putting my brain through extreme overtime.

With all that brain torture, it’s no wonder the program had a meltdown!

“But! Today! Right here! A problem occurred! How could this happen? It’s not just a simple bug, we can’t even find the cause! What on earth…”

The researcher wailed.

So, it was confirmed there was a fault in the program. The capsule wouldn’t work again until it was fixed.

People who had bet everything on this project or were simply interested would want the issues resolved ASAP.

That meant the researcher had no choice but to pull an all-nighter.

They’d probably be living at the office until the bugs were fixed. I think I heard similar horror stories about the gaming industry before.

“So, does that mean the rest of us can’t take the test?”

I asked, just to check. It’s not my fault, but knowing my brainwaves caused this glitch still bugged me.

“No… Luckily, only capsule number 28 that Mollru was using had an issue. The others are working perfectly.”

What kind of body do I have? This made me question things.

I had always thought my reflexes and reactions were abnormal, but to mess up a perfectly fine product just with my brainwaves?

At this point, I wouldn’t bat an eye if they told me I was some top-secret experimental bioweapon from a government lab hidden deep underground.

Considering I had doubts about whether my parents were actually my real ones, it made this theory even more believable!

Getting lost in my wacky thoughts, I suddenly remembered something and asked,

“Wait a minute, what about my test? Did I pass or fail?”

“Umm… I can’t give you a definite answer right now. But I think the company will be in touch later.”

If I had cleared stage 29 normally, I would’ve likely been picked as a top beta tester.

But with this sudden turn of events, well…

I could understand their hesitation to provide an immediate answer.

What if they picked me to be a beta tester only for the program to crash again on testing day?

They’d be in a jam worse than before!

With this in mind, I could already predict how the gaming company viewed me.

Probably as a walking bug disaster! Like a character that wrecks every capsule they touch!

I could tell the researcher was sneaking glances at me, worried I might mess up another system.

“Umm… hang in there. I hope we can meet again as beta testers.”

“Yeah! I hope you get good results too!”

There was nothing more for me to do here. My business was done.

I wished the exhausted researcher good luck and exited the testing room.

*

“Haha, you smashed a capsule, didn’t you?”

I turned to see George, grinning like a Cheshire cat, teasing me about what just happened.

“I have some connections with the developers here.”

“Oh… I see.”

George babbled on, and his annoying demeanor made me respond half-heartedly as I started to walk away.

“You might not know, but I was in the same testing group as you. What are the odds of getting paired with someone like us? Now all the attention I should’ve gotten went to you!”

“…I’m not very good at English. What are you saying?”

I tried to signal a polite dismissal, but George continued chattering away.

His laid-back attitude made the awkward silence between us worse.

“You’re from Korea, right? Are you planning to head back soon?”

“Maybe. I could be, but why do you ask?”

He seemed ready for that question.

“Oh, I was wondering if you’d like to appear on my show. It’s a gaming stream where I invite experts from various fields, and you just happen to be an expert at everything! It’s like a hidden master who can handle any game. Just thought up that title right now; what do you think?”

“Not really my thing.”

Regardless of my feelings towards George, I couldn’t muster any interest in his show concept.

Inviting experts was soooo boring and nothing special!

It’s a stale format I’ve seen time and again.

The only difference was that teaming up with George, the number one Switch player in the U.S., would bring about some major perks.

I’d get U.S. Switch viewers slipping into my stream, build a friendship, and earn some nice pay for joining the show.

But I didn’t want to do a show at this point.

What was the original reason I came to America? To sort out my thoughts. To clear my mind.

What I needed was healing. Broadcasting back in my homeland would be just fine.

“That’s too bad,” he said, recognizing my gentle refusal.

Suddenly he asked, “By the way, I told you my name, but I don’t think I caught yours. What is it? I saw it earlier, but can’t pronounce it.”

“Mollru. It’s my streaming nickname.”

“Mollru… good! I’ll remember that. If you’re in the area again, reach out! Or if you need help.”

I certainly had influence in the Switch community. George laughed heartily as he added that last bit.

Though his attitude was pretty cocky, he had the power to back it up.

But why was he being so friendly toward me? I hadn’t been especially warm to him.

“People like Mollru who excel at gaming are rare, you know? I like people who are good at games. Especially if they’re pretty too. Why wouldn’t I like a pretty girl who plays games well?”

It was a simple reason. Apparently, my gaming skills left quite an impression on him. As I listened quietly, he added,

“And… it’s better to get on good terms. If you keep streaming, we’ll inevitably cross paths again.”

George seemed to expect I would become a gigantic streamer with millions of followers.

He said it as if it would be weird if that didn’t happen.

*

After finishing up with George, I met Si-young to fine-tune the schedule.

Just two days, exactly two days to relax and tour before heading home.

Since this was Si-young’s old neighborhood, we took it easy and visited local attractions. It was a precious time to clear my head and gather my thoughts.

Then back to Korea! The day after arriving, I turned the stream back on.

People probably thought I’d hit my limit by then.

I had taken about a week off before leaving, ten days abroad, and two more days of travel back.

A three-week-long break was unprecedented in Mollru’s streaming history. Naturally, the viewers greeted me with intense enthusiasm upon my return.

[Who are you… who are you… who are you… who are you…]

[Mom, why are you just now showing up? Mom, why are you just now showing up?]

[Teacher, so you are alive ㅠㅠ]

[Mollru! Mollru! Mollru! Mollru! Mollru! Mollru!]

[It took a whopping 537 hours and 18 minutes to turn the stream back on ㄷㄷㄷㄷ]

[I thought you died since you didn’t show up for so long…]

[Now, you can’t go anywhere!]

[Mollru can’t be lost… too precious…]

“It’s good to see you!”

The familiar viewers hadn’t changed one bit.

SQUISH!

I felt a peculiar sense of homeliness in this familiarity and smiled gently.

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