I Have Reasons to Hate Streamers

The tenth encounter with BluetoothShowerhead wasn’t very pleasant.

Even though quite some time had passed since the death penalty was lifted, he hadn’t logged in.

He finally logged in after a full two days to complete the last tenth time.

Anyway, what an inconvenience.

He seemed to think he was the only person I had to kill.

It would be so nice if we could just lightly kill each other and end the contract.

Well, I could roughly guess what he was trying to do.

Perhaps he was trying to gather his guild members for revenge?

But as his login was delayed, I started targeting other guild members, and the guild members who were supposed to help with the revenge ended up becoming corpses side by side.

“I hope we don’t meet again.”

“Is… is this the end…?”

“I don’t know. Isn’t that up to me?”

[You have forcibly eliminated adventurer BluetoothShowerhead.]

This is exactly the difference experience makes.

It wasn’t for nothing that I killed people who weren’t streamers or pro gamers.

It’s also the reason why my price is high.

And so, one job that took longer than expected came to an end.

I stretched with a refreshed feeling and completed the collection.

Perhaps because the tension was released, my body felt strangely languid.

[System: 45 hours have passed since login.]

[System: Excessive gaming is harmful to your health. Rest is recommended.]

[System: Sweet dreams are more beautiful when your health is maintained.]

No. It wasn’t just because of my mood.

Soon it will be two full days since I entered the game. That’s enough to make the body tired.

I could go on longer, but I decided to manage my stamina at this point today.

If I have a meal and go to sleep… it’s obvious I’ll be out for at least 10 hours.

When I wake up, it will be the weekend. I have to go to the hospital every Saturday, and at least then I need to look like a decent human being.

I couldn’t be staggering after gaming to my limits.

The moment I exited the game like that.

As I opened the connection device and came out, there was a large shadow in front of me.

“I wondered when you’d come out.”

“Eeeek!”

“Why are you so surprised? Like you’ve seen something you shouldn’t.”

A large man sitting on the bed.

He wasn’t a stranger. No, rather, he was someone I knew too well, which was the problem.

It felt like my broken lifestyle had been caught by my parents.

Jung Seok-won.

My master from my national team days, who also served as my coach.

Currently, he was one of the few remaining connections in my life.

“How can I not be surprised when you’re standing there with that big frame? I told you it feels different now that there’s a big difference in our builds.”

“Even if I wanted to stand a bit further away, there needs to be space for that. When you’re so startled, it makes me feel weird too. It’s like I’m committing a crime or something.”

“It is a crime. Breaking and entering.”

“You gave me the door lock password. And hey. Clean up a bit when you live. Why have you turned your room into a pigsty?”

“……”

It’s unfair to pick on the state of my room.

This is cheating.

Only then did the state of my room catch my eye.

The pile of garbage I had accumulated was nowhere to be seen, and the old smell of ramen broth was gone.

Instead of the stench that should have been filling the room, the savory smell of doenjang jjigae was wafting through.

It’s not new, but I didn’t keep luxurious food like doenjang in my house.

So, the master must have bought and cooked it. The cleaning must be his work too, obviously.

Some guilt started to squirm in my chest.

“I… I didn’t completely not clean.”

“Really? What exactly did you clean while living here?”

“I was going to do it soon. And bugs don’t breed, you know.”

“Just because you didn’t see them doesn’t mean they’re not there.”

“Ah.”

My head naturally lowered.

Looking at the floor, I couldn’t help but be surprised once again.

I can see the floor covering. And there’s no dust. So this is what my room originally looked like.

The moment I realized that, embarrassment hit me once again.

I said what I had to say.

“So… um. I’m sorry.”

“Alright. It’s fine if you understand. I get how you feel, but don’t overwork your body too much. How can you live on just ramen when I’ve been too busy to come?”

“I’m taking vitamins. And ramen is surprisingly not bad in terms of nutrition.”

It wasn’t a lie.

Ramen is surprisingly nutritious food.

The carbohydrate content is high, but if you control the calories well, it doesn’t cause major health issues.

It takes a lot of time to prepare and cook healthy food every time, you know.

I’m not that leisurely, so it’s more time-efficient to make do with ramen and supplements.

Though I don’t think the master will agree.

“I knew you’d say that. Are you eating meals on time? You look even thinner than last time.”

“…Isn’t that better than getting fat?”

“That’s something you should say while looking healthier. And also…”

The master’s nagging shows no sign of ending.

Amidst the storm of words, I clearly realized. This won’t do.

I know better than anyone that my lifestyle is a mess.

If I try to dodge each of the coach’s points, there will be no end to it.

So, let’s change the subject.

In a very definite way.

“Um… can we eat first? Actually, I came out to eat just now.”

“Huh, alright. Let’s at least eat first. I brought boiled pork that you used to like.”

“Boiled pork? Master, you can only make stew, right?”

“My wife made it. When I said I was coming to your place, she made it this morning.”

“Oh.”

This is good news.

Actually, the master’s cooking wasn’t very tasty except for stew or ramen.

Being from a seafaring background, he wasn’t satisfied unless the food was salty.

It used to be okay before.

But after becoming like this, whether my sense of taste became more sensitive or not, salty food just didn’t suit me.

To the extent that even ramen was hard to endure unless it was mild.

The first time was quite a shock.

I chose spicy ramen as usual but couldn’t even finish half before emptying a whole carton of milk.

It was a moment when my heart shattered.

It wasn’t even some ridiculously spicy ramen, just a regular popular level of ramen.

– Si-Sir! Are you okay?

– Ugh, uuu… I’m… I’m fine…

– Should I get you some juice? Something sweet might help you feel better.

– No… I can’t… Nothing more will fit in my stomach… urp!

My tongue was so numb that I couldn’t feel anything but pain.

My pride in the midst of it all was the problem. I drank so much milk because it was spicy that my stomach got full and I even started dry heaving.

Sticky saliva dripped from my mouth, and I had to hold back tears in front of the convenience store part-timer.

No matter what, I didn’t want to cry from eating spicy food in front of a stranger.

Especially if it was just ordinary ramen.

Looking back, what I shed that day wasn’t tears of frustration, but my dignity.

Moreover, the original me was strong enough to boast about spice tolerance!

It used to be my life’s pleasure to make my spice-weak friends eat capsaicin tteokbokki as a punishment.

Now I’ve become so weak that just smelling spicy food makes me dizzy.

Fortunately, I’ve improved a lot now and can eat mild ramen without much trouble.

I haven’t been able to challenge anything beyond that due to trauma.

Probably won’t in the future either.

…Anyway, the master’s wife’s cooking was a different story.

They say couples complement each other’s shortcomings.

The madam was a woman who perfectly complemented the master’s lacking cooking skills.

“Wait a bit. The doenjang jjigae will be ready soon too. I put kimchi in the fridge, so make sure to eat it from now on.”

“Thank you. I’ll eat well.”

“Good.”

The time waiting for the food as the master said.

Staying still made me even more impatient.

The smell of freshly cooked white rice.

The aroma of meat wafting up with hot steam as soon as the sealed container is opened.

The savory and salty scent unique to doenjang jjigae.

Is it because I’m too excited about eating ‘rice’ after a long time? Or because I’m too hungry from just gaming?

Gulp! The sound of swallowing saliva was particularly loud. It happened during a brief moment of silence.

If only that was all, but my cruel stomach growled “grrrr-” urging me to fill my insides with food.

The master heard all of this and had a very pleased expression.

“Wow, should we eat quickly? You must have been very hungry.”

“Well, yes. It’s been a while since I ate.”

Damn this body.

A woman’s body quickly flushes and embarrassment immediately shows on the face.

I lowered my head deeply with my cheeks bright red.

The master grinned broadly.

“Haha! Right, you used to eat like a champion when you were an athlete.”

“That’s an old story… Well, I guess I did.”

“We should set the table quickly. Oh, no. I’ll do it, you sit down.”

Sadly, the boiled pork tasted wonderful.

So much so that I regretted that the amount I could eat at once had decreased.

I emptied my rice bowl without ever raising my head.