NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 5 - No Brother Is as Good as the Older Brother. (1)
Chapter 5 No Brother Is as Good as the Older Brother. (1)
“That’s all for today. Once again… thank you, thank you very much!”
Our joint broadcast, starting off with a bang from the first round, seemed to have spread by word of mouth quite effectively.
Five hours into the broadcast.
The number of viewers had reached my brother’s all-time high record.
A whopping 2,000 viewers.
Considering that only about 500 people usually watched his broadcast, a lot of people had tuned in.
According to my brother, it was thanks to the video of me wrecking players with a crowbar being shared everywhere.
How absurd it was to see him explaining everything in detail, assuming I knew nothing about broadcasting.
If we go by experience, I’m your senior, you brat.
Anyway, there were many donations, including missions.
‘OurShaZzinaMarryMe’ donated 10,000 won!
[Sha oppa! You’re so cute! The buzz cut is my style! Please marry me! (wobble wobble)]
The only downside was that most of the donations were crazy like that.
To briefly explain for those unfamiliar with broadcasts, the term ‘ShaZzi’ is a combination of my nickname ‘Sha’ and a cute hamster.
Whether it’s ‘Ggudkeunza’ or ‘ShaZzi,’
Clearly, only those who are a bit off in the head would give such nicknames easily.
Anyway, the donation came in just before the broadcast ended.
Jin-hyuk bowed his head repeatedly after seeing the donation, then glared at me and said,
“Hyung, at least react a bit. As you said, they donated a whole 10,000 won.”
“Jin-hyuk.”
“Huh?”
“You’re still far from it.”
Back in my day, there was a way to handle viewers like that.
Wagging your tail like Jin-hyuk was one way, but dealing with such nasty viewers was my specialty.
How do I know so well?
It’s simple.
Among the streamers I was close to, there was one who, although not to this extent, had a fandom called the ‘Psych Ward.’
I took a deep breath, grinded my teeth, and spoke coolly.
“Thanks for the 10,000 won donation. Call me that again, and I’ll rip off that dangling thing of yours, you bastard.”
Suddenly, foul language poured out.
Jin-hyuk looked at me in shock at my sudden outburst, but as I expected, the reaction was explosive.
– Industry reward ㅗㅜㅑ
– Look at how smoothly it sticks to the mouth.
– Hyung-nim! Please rip mine off too!
– Today, the brother’s joint broadcast is legendary lol
The comment reactions were as expected.
‘NationalCapsaicinAssociation’ donated 10,000 won!
[Finally… you have arrived, the. worthy. one.]
‘KoreanScholarsAssociation’ donated 10,000 won!
[Hey! Didn’t they say your body is from your parents, including that scrotum? Kids these days, tsk tsk.]
Various villains went wild, and the donations kept coming in.
Jin-hyuk stared at the chat window, which was practically in an uproar, with his mouth agape.
Then he looked at me and said,
“Hyung.”
Why are you looking at me so heavily?
I frowned as I looked at my brother’s shining eyes.
“They took advantage of you because you kept babying them. Got it?”
“But, but they’re the viewers of my broadcast!”
“Brother.”
I slowly placed my hand on Jin-hyuk’s shoulder and turned off the mic function, whispering quietly into his ear.
“Get your concept straight.”
“Huh?”
“You want to succeed by making money through broadcasting? Then you should earn it properly.”
“…Hyung, did you perhaps cover my hospital bills through broadcasting back then?”
Jin-hyuk cautiously asked, surprised by my skillful handling.
I just laughed and replied while giving Jin-hyuk a hard pat on the back.
“Hyung was a villain too.”
“A villain? Oh.”
Only then did Jin-hyuk nod as if he understood.
He probably thought I used to mix in with those viewers, chatting away.
Well, a villain is a villain.
The worst villain in the history of gaming.
Even the curses from the nasty viewers dirtying Jin-hyuk’s chat room felt cute to me.
I’ve received worse. Even death threats against my family.
That level of cursing couldn’t easily bother me.
‘BromanceLover’ donated 10,000 won!
[I’ll donate 50,000 won if the brothers kiss on the lips three times.]
…Except for bastards like that.
Filthy bastards.
Total donation amount: 1.92 million won.
The joint broadcast with Jin-hyuk on the day of my discharge concluded successfully, achieving the best results, except for Jin-hyuk’s birthday broadcast.
As soon as the broadcast ended, I came out of the capsule, and Jin-hyuk was waiting for me with a cup of ice water in his hand.
“Hyung! You’ve worked hard. Have a refreshing drink from your little brother.”
“Yeah, sure. As I said earlier, make sure to calculate the money accurately.”
“Hyung, why are you so serious about money between brothers?”
“Because we’re brothers, we should be even clearer about money matters, little brother.”
I downed the water Jin-hyuk handed me in one gulp and took a deep breath.
My throat was parched, probably because I hadn’t used the capsule in a while.
Jin-hyuk quickly took the empty cup to the sink and then brought his smartphone.
“Hyung, this is huge. Let’s keep this going. At this rate, we’ll hit the big time soon.”
“Big time? Are you joking?”
“I’m serious. Look, we’ve caught the trend perfectly!”
Even though I was exhausted, seeing my brother clinging to me and chattering was stressing me out.
It seemed like it was time to teach this naïve lamb a timeless truth.
I casually put my arm around Jin-hyuk’s shoulder and spoke.
“Little brother.”
“Yes, hyung.”
“There were people around me who thought they were catching the trend too. Do you know what happened to them?”
With things like Bitcoin and stocks, you know?
“What happened to them?”
“They all got screwed.”
“Oh…”
“So don’t ever talk about catching the trend again, before you get screwed. Got it?”
The effect was remarkable.
Jin-hyuk seemed to be in a daze, shocked by my words.
But perhaps because of his youth, he soon regained his composure and spoke to me with a determined look.
“Honestly, hyung, you enjoyed it too. Isn’t that enough? Just do what you want. Get a certification, or find a part-time job. Just occasionally join my broadcast.”
“You know how old I am this year, right?”
“Twenty-six.”
“Hyung didn’t go to college, doesn’t have any special skills, and even served in the military late.”
This was a realistic issue.
We didn’t have parents like some people, nor did we have a reliable sponsor.
By some stroke of luck, we managed to get a small place in the capital region.
I never intended to stop Jin-hyuk from doing what he wanted.
I was always grateful that he was living his life normally.
But reality is reality.
For expenses like maintenance fees and communication bills, a stable income was essential.
“An unstable income is enough for you alone. Got it?”
Jin-hyuk was right.
Honestly, I had a lot of fun earlier.
Playing games freely after a long time was enjoyable, and joking around with Jin-hyuk’s viewers was fun too.
But that was it.
The reality was too harsh to dream big.
Jin-hyuk bit his lips for a long time, unable to continue speaking.
I looked at him and chuckled.
“Don’t get so serious. I’ll go take a shower…”
Ding-dong.
At that moment, a classic ringtone echoed from Jin-hyuk’s smartphone, and he immediately answered the call.
Seeing him pick up right away, it seemed to be someone important.
“Oh, yes! Hyung Dong-su. I just finished the broadcast.”
Hyung Dong-su?
It sounded somewhat familiar.
Well, there are probably many people named Dong-su in the world.
I was about to enter the bathroom with a towel from the drying rack.
Jin-hyuk, who was on the phone, met my eyes. Then, he suddenly smiled.
Did he get heatstroke or something?
Why’s he smiling like that?
“Oh, really? I’ll ask him right away.”
Jin-hyuk briefly took the phone away from his ear and, smiling, asked me.
“Hyung, I have a friend I’m really close to.”
“Then make him your brother.”
“No, it’s not that. He wants to buy you a congratulatory drink. What do you think?”
“For me? Really?”
“I wanted to introduce him to you after you got discharged anyway. The timing’s just right. Do you trust me? He wants to buy you a drink to celebrate your discharge.”
…Well.
Seeing your face makes me want to refuse even more.
However, seeing him talking so brightly on the phone, it seemed this person had a significant influence on my brother in various ways.
In that case, it might be necessary to meet him at least once.
Even though my brother was an adult, it was important to choose the right people to associate with.
After a brief consideration, I reluctantly nodded and replied.
“Fine, do as you want.”
Jin-hyuk immediately responded to the ‘hyung’ on the other end of the phone.
“Yes, hyung. We’ll see you there. Okay.”
Jin-hyuk quickly ended the call and turned to me excitedly.
“This is… an opportunity!”
Why was he acting so nervously?
We were at a bar located in Cheolsan-dong, Gwangmyeong-si, where we lived.
We were waiting for the ‘hyung’ that my brother praised to the point of annoyance.
We arrived a bit earlier than the appointed time.
“The hyung we’re meeting today is really amazing. You’ll be surprised when you meet him.”
My brother calling someone amazing?
There was a 100% chance he was a streamer. And not just any streamer, but one with a massive following.
I took a sip of the beer that was served first and popped a peanut into my mouth.
The spicy yet refreshing sensation hit the back of my throat.
Ah, this is life.
“He said he enjoyed our broadcast this afternoon. He seems really interested in you, hyung.”
“Is he gay, by any chance?”
“Of course not. He has a girlfriend.”
“Then could you shut up? You’ve told me that over a hundred times since earlier. It feels like you’ve set my ears on repeat.”
It was good that Jin-hyuk had become more outgoing in my absence, but he had become so energetic it was tiring. Probably because he started streaming, his audio seemed more abundant.
After effectively sealing Jin-hyuk’s mouth, I took another sip of beer.
Ah, this is the life!
When the 500cc beer glass was about half empty, Jin-hyuk, who had been quiet, suddenly raised his hand and cheerfully shouted.
“Hyung! Over here!”
“Hey, long time no see! Isn’t this the first time since the Twipod party?”
A man approached our table, and I put down my beer and stood up.
And then I froze.
“Nice to meet you, you’re Jin-hyuk’s older brother, right? I’m Han Dong-su.”
…Seriously, I couldn’t believe it.
But I forced a bright smile and shook the hand he offered.
“I’m Kim Chan-sik, Jin-hyuk’s brother.”
“Wow, Jin-hyuk is handsome, but you’re even more handsome! By the way, have we met before?”
“Excuse me?”
“No, it’s just that you seem familiar. Haha! Just kidding, just kidding.”
Bad luck always reaches out from the most unexpected places.
I knew this man very well.
Name: Han Dong-su.
Streamer name: Kan.
Three years ago, he was the person who failed the world’s first raid because of me.
It was an absolutely dreadful reunion that I didn’t even want to imagine.