Chapter 8: Viewer Surge and Mafia Mindgames

• Streamer, open the door!!!!
• Bang bang bang bang bang
• FBI, open up!
• Open the door!!!!!
• Collab what? Collab what? Collab what? Collab what? Collab what?
• Wow, Hazy’s doing collabs now? Who’s in it?

…Went to grab water ‘cause my throat was dry right after starting the stream, and in seconds, viewers set the chat ablaze. In streamer terms, it’s “chat exploded.”

Why’s it so wild?

“Woah, woah, I’m back, calm down.”

• Ding deng ding deng
• Jiha
• Jiha! So what’s the collab?
• Dropped a collab notice outta nowhere, expectation mission failed

“Not a big deal, just a huge collab.”

Huge in scale, huge in popularity. Probably five times my viewer count… wait, what?

“Guys, is Watch bugging right now?”

• ?
• What bug?
• Something broken?
• No bugs, what’s up?

“Viewer count’s glitched.”

Sure, I’ve had steady new viewers since that first win clip, but not this many.

Stream stats show my average at 250-300, but minutes after going live, it’s 500.

• Someone looking at stats might think you’re using viewbots lol
• Fr lol

“Hold up. No viewbots here. I know nothing!”

• Eek
• Eek!
• Hazy, farewell…
• Tried the potato from the clip, this stream’s tasty.
• Influx spiked since yesterday lolol
• Yo! Seen my potato?

“Anyway, welcome newbies. Hope you enjoy today’s stream.”

Expected some influx, but not this ballooning. Kinda rattled.

[1,000 won donation!] So who’s in the collab?

“Sia-nim.”

• ?
• ?
• Sia-nim? Lucia?
• Wait, collab with Lucia?
• Damn, solo collab with a top streamer yikes

“…and the six people she always hangs with.”

Say “Lucia and her six buddies,” and most people know who.

The crew that fuels each other’s stream vibes. Real friends IRL too.

[1,000 won donation!] Wait, Saengsam said he’s off today

“If Saengsam says he’s off ten times, nine are bait.”

• Fr lol
• Saengsam just loves streaming lol
• Saw him do a 24-hour stream and end up in the ER, dude’s nuts
• Tell him to rest already

Saengsam-nim’s a streaming addict. Loves it so much he’ll stream through pain.

Ten “I’m off” claims, nine are bait. The last one?

He’s actually off. When he posts an apology for missing a stream with an IV drip photo, comments beg him to rest.

WWE’s got history and tradition, but even I think he needs a real break.

• Naguri and Yuki coming too?
• Yura too?

“Said six, right? Naguri-nim, Yuki-nim, Saengsam-nim, Radachi-nim, Nunbomap-nim, Yura-nim, all in.”

Saying it myself, it feels unreal. What a killer lineup. How’d I end up here?

Guess they think I’ll do fine. Let’s do this.

After some casual viewer chat, I joined the voice chat for the collab.

“Hey, can you hear me?”
“Yup! Crystal clear.”

Sia-nim’s familiar voice greeted me.

But she wasn’t alone.

“Yo, huge crew today.”
“This lineup’s new, right?”
“Got a newbie, so obviously. You dumb?”
“Dumb, yeah?”
“Wanna die?”

Voice chat participants: 6.

Yup, knew it’d be wild, but this is next-level. Edited YouTube clips don’t compare to this raw energy.

Muted my mic, took off my headset.

Why am I so nervous…

Just a collab. Just gaming, just chatting. Did fine earlier.

Heart pounding in my throat, I steadied myself.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime shot. Just have fun like usual. With that, I put the headset back on and unmuted.

“Alright, newbie’s here.”
“Here comes new Challenger!”
“You probably know him. The star of yesterday’s blazing Watch clip, ‘Seen My Potato?’—Hazy-nim!”

Even the clueless get it. They’re laying out the red carpet for me to show off. Not stepping up would be rude.

So, I dropped the critical-hit quip from before.

“Hm, all familiar faces, huh.”

Chat exploded with laughter. Not a new line, but their reactions kept it from feeling awkward. Gotta clear one thing up, though.

“Hey, one correction.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m not Challenger, I’m Bronze.”

Forever Bronze, at that.

My dead-serious tone flipped the chat again.

• Hazy, you’re embarrassing us.
• Lololololol
• Forever Bronze, forever Bronze, catchy tune
• Bronze is right lolol
• Gotta say it or tier drama starts lolol

Tier drama? Doubt it, but the reaction’s solid. Decent quip.

“Didn’t expect him to use it like that.”
“Take it, newbie Bronze!”
“Here’s to a great day!”

As planned, part one was CarRider.

Naguri-nim and Saengsam-nim drew lots to pick teams.

Naguri-nim, Yuki-nim, Nunbomap-nim, Sia-nim on one team.

Saengsam-nim, Radachi-nim, Yura-nim, and me on the other.

Since the team leaders’ skills outclassed everyone, we used practice cars for all games.

Naguri’s team won speed mode, our team took item mode.

Total score: 1-1.

“Tie, so captain showdown.”

Saengsam-nim vs. Naguri-nim kicked off.

Watching them, it hit me: what we did was child’s play.

One takes the lead, the other overtakes at the next corner, back and forth. Like a pro tourney final.

But in the end, Saengsam-nim, the former pro hopeful, crossed the finish line 0.4 seconds ahead.

“Wow! Lost by 0.4 seconds!”
“Damn, that was intense. My hands are sweaty.”
“When you guys collided at the end, I thought I was done.”
“So close.”

Sweaty-palmed match got the viewers hyped too.

“But, no prize for the winner?”

Saengsam-nim’s question silenced everyone. Streamer betting rule: subscriptions.

“Subs? Maybe five?”
“Let’s do ten.”
“Give to the teammate picked in the same round?”
“Keeps it simple, yeah?”
“Alright, folks! Not every day you get a Santa!”

Same round means I’d get subs from Sia-nim?

As I thought that, the subscriptions hit.

[“Lucia” gifted 10 subscriptions!]

• Woo
• Bing
• Isn’t getting them the good part?
• Gotta mentally win, can’t get ‘em anyway…
• Let’s go pickpocketing~

“Thanks to those who got them, use ‘em well.”

“Subs taste good. More.”
“You give me some.”
“Nah, win if you’re mad.”
“Yo!”

Saengsam-nim and Naguri-nim kept the comedy skit going to hold the vibe.

After a brief calm, we moved to part two: the mafia game we’d settled on.

“Explain the rules?”
“Anything different from normal mafia?”

Citizen, doctor, cop, mafia—classic setup, but with extra roles.

Detective: Can check one person’s identity once per game.

Lovers: If one dies, their partner dies instead.

Psycho: Doesn’t know if their role is real or fake until death. Could even be told they’re mafia.

Three factions fighting to win: citizens, lovers, mafia.

“Not sure I get it.”
“Learn by getting hit.”

Citizen, doctor, cop, detective, psycho, mafia, two lovers.

First game started. And of course…

[Your role is ‘Lover.’]

First night, lovers can confirm their partner.

While mafia pick their kill, I sent a message in the lover-only chat.

[Hazy: Who’s this?]

[Lucid: Hazy-nim, you’re my lover?]

First partner’s Sia-nim. Good she’s not cop or mafia, I guess. She’s too good at these games.

[Hazy: If they ask our roles, what do we say?]

[Lucid: Pretend we’re both psychos, say we’re cops, and claim we’re not mafia?]

[Hazy: Sia-nim, you’re a genius?]

Wrapped up night one’s plan.

Day broke, and Yuki-nim was dead.

[Yuki-nim has died.]

No role reveal in this version, so it feels harder.

“Cop! No cop reveal?”
“Yo, doctor or cop, say something!”
“I’m cop, Yuki’s not mafia.”

Cop can only check if someone’s mafia or not, so Yuki-nim was definitely a citizen. And dead.

“No doctor?”
“Don’t speak if you’re doctor! Claiming now will mess things up.”
“I’m doctor.”

Mid-discussion, someone claimed doctor.

“Did self-heal.”

Why’s Sia-nim saying that…?