Chapter 31 of Season 1 of The Genius Archer's Streaming

12. Choice (1)

No wonder the voice sounded so thin.

The identity of the golden helmet was Rosalita, the second heroine of this game.

- She appears this way in this route.

- Rosalita, not Emilya. Obviously.

- Get rid of Emilya~~

- Whoa... I like Emilya.

Even Sanghyun, who knew nothing about this game, could immediately tell that Rosalita was an incredible character.

‘Amazing.’

Her modeling was exceptional. It seemed she had received much more attention than Emilya.

Her neat facial features, perfectly proportioned, the feminine charm that exuded even in her armor, and her deep, sparkling eyes that seemed to draw you into an abyss, even appearing dangerous.

Combined with her old-fashioned manner of speaking and movements, no man could resist her charm at first sight.

Indeed, even Emilya's knights were busy gazing at Rosalita's beauty, their jaws dropped.

Rosalita had done nothing but take off her helmet, yet the knights were already lost in their own trials.

Loyalty to Emilya or immediate desire.

Of course, the one directly facing this trial was none other than Almond.

The choice was now before him.

If he chooses option 1, he will eventually end up with Rosalita.

‘I’ve already spent seven days with Emilya…’

Sanghyun was flustered.

At this point, it would be difficult for him to betray Emilya, given the time they had spent together.

Of course, they were just game characters, and the seven days were just a part of the game's setting. Sanghyun had not experienced it firsthand.

‘Even so… I’ve grown attached to her.’

The times he escorted her in a carriage and fought off bandits, the times she asked him to slay goblins that were ruining the villagers' crops.

Emilya's blushing cheeks, her obvious and cute lies…

Her bold, righteous, and innocent eyes.

‘Ugh…’

All of these were experiences that Almond, and by extension, Sanghyun, had gone through. Even though it was just a game, they were things he had touched, heard, and even smelled.

- Go Emilya

- Vote now

- What, you're going to betray Emilya?!

- Go Rosalita, you Emilya fans

- Go Rosalita

- Ah, cool guys lol

- Go 1111111111

- Press 2222222222! Press 2!

Choosing 2 would mean picking Emilya, while choosing 1 would mean picking Rosalita.

The chat window was quickly flooded with 1s and 2s.

It was hard to imagine that this was the speed at which comments were appearing in a broadcast with 1,200 viewers.

“Will you leave me in such an awkward position?”

Rosalita frowned and tilted her head. It was just a line that would automatically play if time was delayed.

Sanghyun flinched at this simple action. The character Rosalita was that alive.

- Ohhh!

- Rosalita, I’m dying!

- I’m going with 1. Sorry, Emilya!

- No, still Emilya though :(

- Never abandoning Emilya!

Thanks to this action, the tide of opinion slightly shifted towards Rosalita, but the situation remained tense.

Almond pondered for a moment.

And he made his decision.

“I’ll end today’s broadcast here. We’ve gone too far.”

He ended the broadcast.

* * *

Almond, who mercilessly ended the broadcast.

- What, are you human?!

- Ah, nuts shake…

- Haha, look at the timing

- He’s just waiting for this to end

- Damn bastard… hahaha

The chat window, now dark, still had viewers lingering like lingering spirits, reminiscing about his ruthless end.

However, it wasn’t sincere, and the departed Almond wouldn’t return.

Eventually, they returned to their respective communities and spread the news of what had happened today.

These dedicated fans were always the first to arrive when Almond’s broadcast started and the last to leave, often cursing as they went.

Though their words were harsh, from Sanghyun’s perspective, they were grateful people who provided free advertising.

“His fan base… is quite solid.”

Kim Joo-hyuk muttered to himself while typing notes on his keyboard.

“Primarily men in their 20s and 30s, but the loyal fans are evenly split between men and women.”

He was analyzing the data of viewers leaving after the broadcast to determine the direction of future broadcasts.

He roughly categorized viewers who joined before the game started as loyal fans and those who joined after as light fans.

A notable feature of Sanghyun’s broadcast was the high ratio of female loyal fans, even though it was a game broadcast.

Though it was a 50-50 split, it was not a common occurrence compared to other game broadcasts.

“Even the donation ratio is overwhelmingly female…”

Due to a few heavy donations, the female donation ratio was currently overwhelming, with 79% of the total amount coming from women.

However, the number of donations was higher among male members, at 64%.

“This is still too small a sample size. A single donation from Seo Ji-a is equivalent to all male donations combined…”

Of course, it was too early to judge the donations.

Since the channel was still growing to a small company level, the percentage of viewers who donated was very low.

There simply weren’t enough data points.

“With these metrics, the next game should be…”

Joo-hyuk was analyzing the metrics to decide the next game to play after Kingdom Age.

Kingdom Age was a perfect choice for a streamer with a skilled concept.

It wasn’t just that Almond was good at the game or that the broadcast was well-done; the game choice was highly effective.

It was a source of pride that Sanghyun had made this decision himself.

However, now that Joo-hyuk was the manager and analyst, and since he didn’t edit videos, he needed to choose the games.

As he would become a partner streamer for Funk, Joo-hyuk scrolled through the list of games distributed by Funk.

“Hmm…”

He needed to find a game with similar viewer metrics to Sanghyun’s, one that he could excel at.

If it was a popular game, that would be even better.

“This one is good…”

Just as he discovered something and moved his mouse,

Bang.

His door was roughly opened.

“…Hey, hey!”

“Let go!”

His father’s voice rang out.

“!?”

Joo-hyuk jumped to his feet in shock.

A chill ran down his spine, a fear ingrained in his brain since childhood.

Like a dog that salivates at the sound of a bell, he shrank at the sound of his father’s angry voice.

“What are you trying to do?”

That angry voice was directed at him. His eyes seemed to be filled with welding sparks, ready to pierce through iron.

“I, I was just taking a break—”

“Does it sound like I’m asking that?”

“…!”

Joo-hyuk’s body trembled.

He clenched his fists, but they soon relaxed.

“Why did you quit your job?”

“…”

Who could say it didn’t suit him here?

To his father, it would just be an excuse. A loser’s excuse becomes an excuse the moment they give a reason. A common saying at dinner.

“Why did you quit!!!”

Bang.

The anger over his son quitting his job was almost manic.

He couldn’t bear to see his own blood fall short. Even being eliminated from society? He would rather kill him with his own hands.

“I… I’m planning to change jobs.”

“Since I already know how you quit, stop making empty promises about changing jobs.”

Joo-hyuk closed his mouth.

After all, after quitting in a fit of rage, it would be impossible to find a job in the same industry.

“Don’t you think about my reputation? As a manager… Ah, forget it. Just come to my company from tomorrow. Start as a deputy manager.”

“Father! That’s—”

“What?!”

Do you still have something to say? That’s what his eyes said. Joo-hyuk couldn’t bear it.

His shoulders trembled.

Those who knew his confident and cheerful personality would be shocked to see him like this.

But this was also a side of Joo-hyuk.

Where there is light, there is shadow.

“Do you have anything to say?”

“…”

He had too much to say. Or nothing to say.

In front of his father, these two sentences were the same. The result would be the same anyway.

“…No.”

“Starting tomorrow morning. Don’t act high and mighty and focus on learning your job. Treat your colleagues well. Each one of them is the blood and flesh of our company. Always be humble.”

The same words he heard every day.

“Yes…”

His father returned to his study.

“Joo-hyuk…”

“It’s fine, Mother. I’ll start from tomorrow.”

“…Good, you’ve made a good decision. Do you want some fruit?”

“No. I need some time alone.”

Click.

Joo-hyuk, drained of energy, slumped into his chair.

“Ha.”

His eyes briefly fell on his computer screen.

The list of games he had carefully selected, the viewer trend analysis charts and graphs.

The videos and channel interface designs sent by Seo Ji-a…

Was it all just a dream?

“A dream, but a long one.”

A tear rolled down Joo-hyuk’s chin as he muttered to himself.

Just over a week.

He hadn’t made a fortune or gained great honor, but he had been deeply immersed in this work, filled with hope.

“Huh…”

But now, it seemed, it would have to be treated as a brief, enjoyable dream.

* * *

Beep…

Sanghyun was woken early by his phone, which was screaming from the morning.

He had planned to sleep in after broadcasting until 4 AM the previous night.

“Ha. What is this guy up to again…”

Seeing the name on his phone, Sanghyun was surprised as he answered the call.

- Hey! Open the door!

Not only from his phone, but he could also hear the voice from outside his window.

“Are you really crazy? Why are you at someone’s house in the morning—”

“Sorry.”

Bang.

Seeing the item he had put down, Sanghyun’s eyes widened.

“Don’t tell me… you’ve left home?”

A suitcase for travel and a fully packed backpack. It was clear to anyone that he had left home.