Translator: rainbowturtle
Editor: LD & Jyazen
Tick... tick... tick... tick!
The slot machine deciding Hyeonuâs fate started to slow down.
âPlease, please, please!â
Hyeonu didnât release the lever. It was because if he did that, everyone would see his hand was shaking. Hyeonu looked up carefully at the slot machine.
[Slot machine results: GGG]
[You have won.]
[The rewards and skills will be paid according to the results.]
[Gold paid: 500 gold.]
[Current number of times remaining: 0/10]
He won a prize. Like Yeongchan, Hyeonu had won twice, and the winning prizes were also the sameâgold.
âUwooooh! It came out!â Hyeonu exclaimed. Now he didnât have to kneel. Honestly, he hadnât thought he would win. Every time he pulled the lever, his feelings were a wreck. He became nervous and depressed, and his frustration grew worse. Nevertheless, Hyeonu overcame it at the end. To be exact, it was a thing of luck.
âBy the way... this wasnât in the scenario.â
There was just one slight problem. They hadnât predicted a situation where both of them won the same prize the same number of times. It was because Hyeonu had judged this wouldnât happen. He never dreamed that what he had considered a waste of time would become a reality. From now on, everything was adlib. They didnât have a script planned in advance, so they had to improvise from now on.
âAs you can see, both Argon and I won gold twice, so the bet is a draw. There will be no punishment.â Hyeonuâs first unscripted words resonated greatly. He received an intense consent from the party involved, Yeongchan.
âIt is unfortunate that I canât see you kneel down... Letâs do this. Both of us have no more opportunities to turn the slot machine.â Yeongchan willingly accepted Hyeonuâs suggestion.
He was also flustered as an unexpected situation had occurred. So he chose to give it a rough wrap-up and move onto the next content. There was just something else the two men really didnât expect. It was the reactions from the viewers.
-How can it end in such a vain manner?
-Thatâs right. One of you should kneel.
-Letâs set the loser by the amount of gold.
-Omg, what is this draw?There are always only winners and losers.
The viewers objected to the two menâs decision. The chat window was soon filled with all types of messages, so the chat couldnât be seen properly.
âWhat should I do?â Yeongchanâs mind was a mess. He had no thoughts at all; it was like his brain had stopped. Yeongchan just stood quietly and looked at the chat window.
âThat jerk is out of his mind,â Hyeonu thought. He had a precise understanding of Yeongchanâs state. They had been friends for over 10 years after all, so he could see what Yeongchan was thinking just by looking in his eyes.
Hyeonu let out a light sigh and spoke to the viewers, âDo we really have to do that?â
He felt like he was sitting at a negotiating table.
-Of course.
-Once youâve started, you need to watch it through to the end.
-If you pull out a knife, you must slash with it.
-Do you think you can get away from this?
The attitude of the viewers was very tough. They wanted to see someoneâs knees touch the ground. This was Hyeonu and Yeongchanâs retribution for acting in order to show a dramatic situation.
âIt canât be helped.â
Hyeonu shook his head as he looked at the messages of the viewers who didnât allow any compromise. It was already impossible to persuade the viewers otherwise, so all that remained was to decide the winner and loser. Hyeonu approached Yeongchan and poked him in the shoulder. âThen letâs do this. As the viewers said, the one with the least amount of gold earned will lose. How about it?â
Yeongchan woke up upon hearing Hyeonuâs words, but he didnât speak. It was like he wasnât quite sober yet. He just looked up and nodded.
âThen we will calculate it right now. How much did you get the first time?â Hyeonu asked.
â1,994 gold,â Yeongchan answered.
âI got 2,416 gold.â
âWhat? 2,416 gold?â Yeongchan sobered up when he realized the situation he was in. It felt like cold water had just been poured over his head, and his mind became clear. Hyeonuâs 2,416 gold had a great power.
âThis doesnât make sense,â Yeongchan said.
âWhy doesnât it make sense? I saw it just now. Ask the viewers.â Hyeonu was very confident because he wasnât lying.
Yeongchan noticed from Hyeonuâs appearance that the words were true, but in order to confirm it, he asked the audience about Hyeonuâs result: âDid he really get 2,416 gold coins from the first prize?â
-Yes.It came out.
-2,416 gold is right.
-I saw it earlier.I remember.
-The second time, Argonâs seemed a bit higher.
âI won more the second time?â Yeongchan felt a bit relieved this time. He had been flustered because the gap between their wins was larger than he had expected, but he was able to get rid of this worry after knowing heâd won more the second time.
âWhatâs next?â It was Yeongchan who asked Hyeonu this time.
âMe? 500 gold,â Hyeonu answered.
â500? I got 922 gold. So I won this time?â
The amount that Hyeonu won was 500 gold, the smallest amount that could be won.
âI have 400 more gold...â Yeongchan calculated it roughly and shook his head. The total amounts were similar.
âIs it similar?â
Just then, the viewers had already finished counting and had begun chatting.
-1,994+922 = 2,916
-2,416+500 = 2,916
-It is the same?
-Itâs exactly the same?
-What is this...Itâs a ridiculous situation.
The viewers were quick to say that the situation was ridiculous. This was something that shouldnât have happenedâa tie. Hyeonu and Yeongchan earned the same amount of 2,916 gold without a single difference.
âNow, itâs really over. Did you see it? It is a tie.â
âThen Iâll go onto the next content. Next...â
Yeongchan and Hyeonu streamed smoothly like a snake crossing the wall. It was as if there had been no war of words and no bet.
***
âDid everyone enjoy the stream today?â Yeongchan started wrapping up the stream smoothly. It had already been a few hours since the streaming began. Everyone expected it to be over by now, so there was no backlash. The problem was Hyeonu.
âYes, Iâm glad you all enjoyed it. Iâll be on the show from time to time, but not often. Of course, it should be like this.â He cut Yeongchanâs comment and finished the closing comment. The viewers protested because it happened before they could respond to Yeongchanâs words.
-Not even looking at the chats and talking alone...
-It seems there is no such thing as interaction.
-Do you watch the chat only on your own stream?
-Is it okay to come out as a guest and act like this?Of course not.
The viewers who were feeling annoyed by Hyeonuâs ridiculous actions suddenly stopped the moment Hyeonu implied he would appear on Yeongchanâs stream again in the future. Yeongchan glanced at the chat window and ended the streaming when he saw that the atmosphere was right: âThen Iâll see you next time.â
Hyeonu and Yeongchan ended Arena as soon as they finished streaming. Then they rushed straight to the living room. Yeongchan entered the living room with a white laptop. Hyeonu sat on the couch and urged Yeongchan, âHey, turn it on. Start the settlement.â
âWait. What type of laptop turns on during the time you close your eyes and open them? In addition, is it over as soon as it turns on? I have to go to A-World and log in. Then I have to enter the settlement page. Why are you urging me so much when you should be familiar with the process?!â Yeongchan poured out words like tentacles toward Hyeonu, who was just lying there and talking.
âHey, by this time, I wouldâve already opened the settlement page. Donât talk nonsense and just turn it on. The screen is lit up, you jerk,â Hyeonu spoke shamelessly like a poisonous snake regardless of Yeongchanâs retort.
âSigh...â Yeongchan sighed heavily as he turned and looked back at his laptop. He quickly moved the wireless mouse to turn on A-World.
âThe settlement page... What is this?â
Yeongchan saw the settlement page and exclaimed, âWow!â
The numbers were too different from what he had seen before.
âWhy? Did the streaming go well? What is it?â Hyeonu asked. He poked his head over Yeongchanâs shoulder while Yeongchan stared at the laptop with admiration.
âItâs high?â Hyeonu thought.
Then he said, âHey, itâs high. Itâs over 10 million?â
11,382,719 was the highest number of viewers Yeongchan had ever recorded in a stream. Yet it wasnât a very good number for Hyeonu.
âIt is lower than what I usually get on my stream. Why?â
Although Hyeonu had an admiring expression on his face, he couldnât hide his mixed feelings inside. He had done this to help Yeongchan but it didnât work out as well as he thought.
âHow much gold did you get?â Hyeonuâs attention shifted from the viewer numbers to gold. The number of viewers wasnât what he had expected, but the story would be different for the gold coins. The streaming atmosphere had been very good today, so he naturally expected the amount to be large.
âIt should be at least 50,000?â
Hyeonu remembered the 8,282 gold they received at the beginning of the stream. If that atmosphere continued, getting 50,000 would be easy. That was what he got on his usual stream.
âI got a lot. Around 25,000,â Yeongchan said in a tone that revealed his joyful feelings. His mood was rising. The number of gold coins Yeongchan usually received while streaming was around 5,000 to 6,000. He received 25,000 gold coins this time, so the income was four to five times his usual.
âItâs only half?â Hyeonu, on the other hand, didnât have a very good expression. Theyâd only obtained half of what heâd expected. It seemed he hadnât helped Yeongchan out properly with this guest appearance.
âIâm sorry, the results didnât come out as usual. I shouldâve given a notice about this on my last stream,â Hyeonu said while putting his arm around Yeongchanâs shoulder.
âWhat do you mean by those words? Isnât this a huge amount? Donât be like this and think about the dinner menu. Itâs my treat today. Iâve earned this much thanks to you. Iâll treat you.â Yeongchan pushed away Hyeonuâs face that was making strange sounds and moved the mouse on the screen while laughing.
He was deeply moved by the numbers he was seeing for the first time in his life. When Hyeonu saw Yeongchanâs unexpected response, he smiled. âHuh? Really? I understand. Then it must be at least 100,000 won today.â
The party involved said it didnât matter, so Hyeonuâs regret disappeared. Now all that remained in his head were images of the various delivery foods he would eat later.
âLetâs start with chicken... We should eat bossam too. I want to eat spicy food, so tteokbokki...â
The 100,000 won he mentioned to Yeongchan seemed easy to spend. Hyeonu added, âNo taking it back.â