Chapter 97: Once a Villain, Always a Villain (3)

After showcasing my overwhelming skills against Blade, I deliberately played a few more rounds. After all, it wouldn’t be good if it became apparent that I had sniped someone publicly.

Anyway.

I got some useful information from Dong-hyun, and after wrapping up my collection spree, I ended the broadcast feeling quite pleased.

“Good job, hyung. Are you sure this is okay?”

“What are you so worried about?”

“I mean… if there’s a controversy about your character, you’ll have to explain yourself and everything.”

The first person to express concern after I got out of the capsule was Sung-shin. He always had unnecessary worries.

I grinned and glanced at Sung-shin.

“I won’t need to explain myself.”

“Really?”

“You know my style, right? Even after all the hits I’ve taken from my viewers, you don’t get it? Oh, and… never mind, you’ll find out later.”

It wasn’t something Sung-shin needed to know right now.

What Dong-hyun had told me was quite related to him.

That’s right.

I also needed to convey this information to Dong-su hyung since he was quite close with Lee Tae-ho, the coach of Unicorn.

“Hold on, I need to make a call.”

“Sure.”

I grabbed my phone and stepped outside the house for a moment.

Then, I called Dong-su hyung. After a few rings, I heard his voice.

“I watched the broadcast. You should have teased him more.”

Him? Oh, he must be talking about that guy.

“You mean Blade?”

“Yeah, Blade. That kid is more arrogant than he looks. You should have given him a harder time.”

Judging by his words, he must have heard something.

It seemed like he had heard something from Coach Lee Tae-ho, so I smiled slightly.

“I was actually calling to ask about that.”

“Coach Tae-ho is a guest on tomorrow’s broadcast.”

“Is that rumor true?”

“Yeah, his contract was terminated today… Tae-ho didn’t say much about it though. I was planning to meet him soon for a drink and have him stay over at my place.” ɽ

Just a while ago, he had given me permission to bring Sung-shin to stay over. It seemed things were progressing faster than I had anticipated.

Nodding at Dong-su hyung’s words, I asked quietly.

“I was just trying to get back at him for Sung-shin…”

“That’s why you’re lucky. Whatever you do, timing always works in your favor.”

“Hyung.”

“You’ve been like that since forever. Anyway, good job on today’s broadcast. You might get some backlash for now, though.”

As expected, Unicorn fans were already starting to leave hate comments about me. To outsiders who didn’t know anything, it must have looked like I was just unilaterally insulting and slandering an innocent pro gamer.

But the story I heard from Dong-hyun was quite sensitive.

Coach Lee Tae-ho was going to be dismissed, and there was significant internal strife within Unicorn. The idea of firing the coach right before the World Championship was unimaginable.

At this point, there wasn’t much more to say.

After getting enough answers from Dong-su hyung, I smacked my lips and responded.

“I get it, hyung.”

“Don’t go around talking about this openly. Tae-ho didn’t have much to say either. If you’re really curious, why don’t you come over to my place tomorrow and join the broadcast with Tae-ho? Hey, that sounds like a good idea.”

“What kind of idea?”

“Tae-ho giving you direct feedback on your play while watching you. It could be great content. And we could promote the upcoming Korea-China streamer event… What do you think?”

Wow. This is why I couldn’t underestimate Dong-su hyung’s broadcasting experience. His ability to combine given conditions and create content was something I couldn’t match.

I truly had good luck with people.

I could see the picture clearly, just like Dong-su hyung said.

Coach Lee Tae-ho was regarded as a legendary figure among sports fans. Additionally, his unique background as a streamer made him highly recognizable.

He often appeared on Dong-su hyung’s broadcasts, bragging about his players, so it wasn’t strange at all.

It would create a pretty interesting scene.

Although it wasn’t my place to say, there were frequent debate posts in the community comparing my skills to those of pro gamers.

Watching my play through the coach’s eyes… I could already see the YouTube angles lining up.

After chatting about various things, Dong-su hyung said before hanging up.

“Oh, and you remember the classic advertisement shoot?”

“Yes, hyung.”

“A lot of people will be there. Even those who were famous during signed contracts for appearances. Not full contracts like ours, just for the appearance fee… Anyway, we’re planning a get-together for drinks afterwards.”

…Honestly, that sounded a bit scary.

I had made a lot of enemies back then. Even though time had passed, there might still be people who held grudges against me.

I might have to count myself lucky if I didn’t get hit over the head with a soju bottle while drinking.

But in the end, I couldn’t resist the sweet carrot that Dong-su hyung dangled in front of me.

“Let’s broadcast from your account that day. How about it?”

“Of course, I’ll go.”

Nostalgia always sells well. Most people who enjoyed had settled into their lives.

A broadcast reminiscing with the old rankers… This would be a hit.

There was no reason to refuse.

“You have a knack for smelling money. Okay, rest well. Contact me tomorrow.”

With that, the call with Dong-su hyung ended.

As soon as I hung up, Jin-hyuk and Sung-shin, who had been quietly listening, looked at me.

“What did he say?”

“Hmm… Hey, Sung-shin. Your coach’s contract was terminated today.”

Sung-shin looked at me with an expression that said this was news to him.

“Contract termination…? You mean he was fired?”

“I guess you didn’t know.”

Well, a guy who spent all day practicing games wouldn’t know.

I patted Sung-shin on the back a few times and said with a glint in my eye.

“I’m hungry from all the gaming. Should we order more jokbal? Jin-hyuk, what do you think? With some soju too.”

Even though it was late, since Sung-shin was sleeping over at our place, we should feed him more.

Jin-hyuk grinned and replied.

“I knew you’d say that, so I ordered it in advance.”

“That’s my brother. Sung-shin, let’s just relax and have fun today.”

I knew better than anyone how tough it was to play games all day.

Sung-shin smiled at my words, and soon enough, the jokbal arrived.

We ate voraciously again, and only after finishing did we go to sleep.

Unaware of what would happen the next day.

내용: “Our villain only messes with bad guys; this proves it, lol. I thought he crossed the line when he was being mean to Blade yesterday. But look at this, lol. Turns out it was etiquette training, ㄷㄷ. We have to acknowledge Our Villain’s insight.”

“Think about it, has Shia ever targeted anyone without reason? Lol, doesn’t seem like it.”

└“Don’t you know he mocked innocent Japanese people over old issues? That guy is just human trash.”

└“Go back to your country, lol.”

└“Samurai Wars? Those who play a game with the Yasukuni Shrine map deserve to be cursed at.”

└“ㄹ

“We shouldn’t judge too quickly without all the facts. As a streamer, he’s a public figure, and we don’t even know the truth about this incident…”

└“Grow up, please.”

└“Adults make their own judgments, lol.”

Various posts like these were popping up all over the internet.

The reason was simple.

Unicorn officially announced the termination of Coach Lee Tae-ho’s contract and soon revealed the reasons.

Poor performance and conflicts with the players, leading to effective dismissal.

The full story of the incident that began with the joint stream of Coach Lee Tae-ho and Dong-su hyung was slowly coming to light.

The spark that spread from Twipod quickly turned into a wildfire.

An unexpected incident when the League of Storm World Championship was just around the corner.

“Wow.”

I clicked my tongue while looking through the information released online.

Was it because Coach Lee Tae-ho wasn’t very good at talking?

Apparently, he let slip some things the players discussed during their conversations because he was so angry.

The biggest controversy was the phone call with Blade.

I had to confirm the facts, but from what Coach Lee Tae-ho said, I would have been angry too.

He told the coach to grow up or something like that…

Hmm, this blew up more than I thought.

“Sung-shin.”

“Yes, hyung.”

“You need to look for another team. Should I help you?”

“Hehe, it’s okay.”

Sung-shin shook his head while eating the cereal Jin-hyuk made for him.

He must have been the most confused person here.

To me, it was just another world’s story, but Sung-shin was currently a trainee for Unicorn.

However, Sung-shin smiled and said,

“I have a place to go!”

“Really?”

“Yes! You don’t have to worry about me, hyung.”

Sung-shin was the type who made you want to take care of him.

Well, he was the one involved in the industry, not me, so he should know what to do.

After glancing at some more posts on my phone, I stretched lightly and yawned.

Seeing me, Jin-hyuk nodded and said,

“People who are meant to succeed will succeed no matter what.”

“Did you just call your brother a punk? Do you want to die?”

“No… I thought you were in trouble when you cursed at Blade yesterday. The public sentiment was really bad after the broadcast ended, wasn’t it? But look at what happened after you slept. Isn’t that how most things you do turn out?”

“So, what’s your point?”

“Maybe you’re the main character of the Truman Show or something… Sorry, don’t hit me.”

He was just joking around.

At this time, I should be thinking about what to do for today’s broadcast.

I glared at Jin-hyuk, got up from my seat, and sighed.

Surely, I was lucky.

Most of the things I did without much thought had tremendous ripple effects.

That’s why I had to work even harder.

There were so many people supporting me.

“Where are you going, hyung?”

“I need to exercise. Lying in a capsule playing games all day is bad for your body.”

I woke up late, but I still had to take care of my body.

As always, it was time to go exercise.

Since Sung-shin said he was leaving soon, we could go together.

When I looked at him, Sung-shin got up with a smile.

“Shall we go?”

“Of course. If I had a car, I’d give you a ride.”

“No, it’s fine! The bus is quick enough!”

After leaving the house with Sung-shin, I handed him an envelope I had prepared in advance.

Sung-shin’s eyes widened as he looked at me.

“What’s this, hyung?”

“Just some money for a taxi and to buy something to eat on your way.”

“No, my mom gives me allowance…”

“Just take it if your brother gives it to you.”

Dong-su hyung always said that to me, but I never thought I’d say it to someone else.

I smiled broadly and flagged down a passing taxi.

After putting Sung-shin in the taxi, I said lightly,

“Contact me if things get tough. My house isn’t big, but I can occasionally let a student stay over. Got it?”

“…Thank you so much, hyung.”

“Okay, go on.”

“I’ll contact you later!”

The taxi soon left, and I nodded slightly as I watched it move away.

Well, since he’s shown good performances in the Korean Pro League a few times, he’ll find his own way regardless of the team.

He showed improvement every day when playing games with me, so I wasn’t too worried.

“Hmm.”

In any case, when I start streaming again, various memes will emerge.

Memes about Unicorn were already appearing in Dong-su hyung’s chatroom…

Other than teasing Blade at Sung-shin’s request, it had nothing to do with me.

In sensitive matters like this, I should just continue my broadcasts as usual.

With that in mind, I headed to the gym energetically.

At least, at that time, I had no idea that incident would be connected to me.