Gender Swap: The Introvert’s Broadcast

Given the way things were unfolding, it seemed unlikely I could distance myself from the Mangming Gallery.
Not only was Mangming indirectly involved, but Harin was also connected.
The best course of action was to accept the situation.

‘Let’s just hope they disappear eventually.’

If I ignored them, they might lose interest and move on.
With that in mind, I decided to make another donation.

[Dugong has donated 1,000 KRW!]
-Are you close with Mangming?

I feigned ignorance in my message.
After all, I was genuinely curious how Harin and Mangming had become friends.

“Mangming and I have been gaming together since middle school. Of course, we’re close.”

[OmniscientCthulhu: ???]
[OmniscientCthulhu: Wait, how did I not know this?]
[Yeah, same, what the heck?]
[They’ve known each other since middle school?]
[That’s the first I’m hearing of it.]
[Are you serious?]
[How close are they?]

Middle school?
I never would have guessed.
The image of Mangming I had from her streams was so different from Harin’s that I couldn’t even imagine them hanging out, let alone being friends for years.

“Didn’t I mention it before? Hasn’t Mangming talked about me?”

Harin’s comment set off a flurry of messages in her chat.

[Not really.]
[She’s barely said anything about you.]
[At most, just a ‘yeah, I know her.’]
[Honestly, if I were her, I wouldn’t mention it either, considering her fanbase.]
[True, no one wants to drag their friends into that mess.]

Thinking about it now, I realized Mangming’s behavior was admirable.
Keeping her connection to Harin under wraps to avoid dragging her into the chaos?
It was a shame she had to deal with such a toxic fandom.

With that thought, I sent one last donation.

[Dugong has donated 1,000 KRW!]
-I’ll head out for now! I’ll drop by again when I have time.@@novelbin@@

I wanted to wrap up my involvement and start winding down my own stream.
After all, I’d already spent time watching Harin’s broadcast with my viewers.

As soon as I left, Harin’s chat lit up again.

[Dugong already leaving? Dang...]
[Don’t go, Dugbao! Please don’t go, Dugbao!]
[Wait, is their stream name Dugong or Dama? Why does everyone keep switching?]
[Both are correct.]
[Dugong, Dama, same thing.]
[Can we not bash the name “Dugong” right now? Lol.]

Apparently, I’d left quite an impression in a short time.
I hadn’t intended for my presence to be so noticeable, let alone overwhelming, in Harin’s chat.
Should I be flattered or worried?
Shaking off the mixed feelings, I closed her stream.

“Wow, today was eventful.”

[OmniscientCthulhu: Right? Lol.]
[OmniscientCthulhu: Back when you first started streaming, things were so chill.]
[Hwanhee: That’s what happens when your channel grows.]
[Grew by three times though—60 viewers now! That’s a big jump.]

I’d just wanted to play games and briefly chat during Harin’s stream.
But somehow, the day had turned into a whirlwind.

“Alright, that’s it for today. See you all tomorrow.”

With a sigh, I ended the stream, hoping for a calmer day tomorrow.

Meanwhile

“By the way, is that person really a guy?”

The structure of internet broadcasting made it easy to doubt anyone who claimed to be male but didn’t show their face.
It was unavoidable, considering how many people had pulled similar stunts in the past.

[Wow, doubting them like that?]
[Big yikes.]
[That’s breaking the unspoken rules, for sure.]
[But if Harin’s face can smooth over most controversies, I guess this one too.]

Broadcast etiquette usually frowned upon such remarks.
It was like feeding viewers a "red pill" they didn’t ask for, souring the mood.

“It’s not like I’m being weird. It’s just, there are way too many women pretending to be men online.”

[True.]
[People pretending to be men online are the worst.]
[It’s better to fake it offline like me, lol.]
[Net trolls are gross.]

Harin shut down the inappropriate comments quickly.

“Stop saying gross stuff in my chat. What do you think new viewers will think when they see this?”

Managing the tone of her streams had become more important as her viewership climbed past 5,000.
Curious about how things were going on Mangming’s end, Harin couldn’t help but wonder:

“So, does anyone here watch that Dugong person’s stream? Are they really a guy?”

[It’s not Dugong; it’s Dama, you idiot, lol.]
[I’m not sure.]
[Seems likely, though.]
[I’ve watched their streams, and their mannerisms seem feminine, but their voice is definitely male.]
[Voices can be altered, though, so that doesn’t prove anything.]

The chat was divided, as expected.
Without a face reveal, skepticism was inevitable, given how many trolls had abused anonymity in the past.

After finishing her broadcast, Harin collapsed onto her bed.
Yeram, who was idly scrolling through her phone nearby, looked up.

“So, were Harin and Mangming really close?”

That was still my biggest question. From her chat, even Harin’s regulars hadn’t known.

“Yeah, sounds like it. I watch Harin a lot too, but I never knew they were friends.”
“Maybe she kept it private on purpose.”
“Could be.”

Yeram resumed scrolling before suddenly speaking up.

“Oh, by the way, you’ve been getting a lot more viewers lately.”
“Yeah, I noticed. Not sure why, though.”
“Probably from Mangming’s side.”
“Ugh... That’s... complicated.”

I didn’t dislike Mangming, but the idea of her fans flooding my stream didn’t sit well either.
Still, viewers were viewers.

“Well, it’s not a bad thing. I like where my channel’s at now. Any bigger, and it’d just be a hassle.”
“You’re not doing this for a living anyway. It’s a good balance.”

Just as I was settling into my satisfaction, Yeram grinned and showed me something on her phone.

“Hey, isn’t this something you’d usually love? It’s happening in Busan.”

She’d pulled up details about Game Star, a large international gaming expo.

“I’d love to go, but how? I don’t have the money.”

Between travel and accommodations, it wasn’t realistic. I’d rather save that money for another game, like that new historical turn-based strategy one.

“Still, going before you go back to school might be nice.”
“I can’t just leave you here alone.”

Yeram was mature, but she was still a minor.
I couldn’t just abandon her.

“Wow, that’s actually sweet.”
“Sweet nothing. Go to bed. You’ve got studying tomorrow.”
“Ugh.”

Laughing, I poked her in the ribs, getting my petty revenge.

The next day, as I started my stream, something completely unexpected happened.

[No way, is this real?]
[Hwanhee: Wow...]
[KangHoomin: I wish that would happen to me.]

“Wait... seriously?”

A stroke of luck I hadn’t anticipated.