Hmm.
They say bitter medicine is good for the body.
I suppose that includes things that make you face reality, or advice about what you should or shouldn't do for your future.
There are many words for such things.
Nagging, advice, words of concern—and if they get a bit harsher, they might become scolding...
Well, anyway.
If they're all said with my best interests at heart, I should accept them graciously.
Especially if someone is taking their own time to say things hoping I'll do well.
But when I look at these chat messages...
I just can't think that way.
Instead, they remind me of my mother and father.
To be fair, those two didn't often say unpleasant things to me.
Rather, they only said nice things.
"You're a good son because you study well."
Going out for a nice meal because I did well on a test.
Buying hamburgers for the whole class because I got along well with friends without fighting.
Promising to buy me a car once I got my license because I got into a prestigious university.
I was truly happy when I never doubted that was love.
Oh, of course, my father and mother probably genuinely thought it was love too.
If I hadn't become a woman with an unpleasant appearance, I'd probably still be living in that happy family.
But only after becoming a woman and being rejected by my father did I realize.
Those two were constantly guiding me to create the son they wanted.
Placing carrots along the path they wanted me to follow, signaling I shouldn't deviate.
And naturally, since the rewards were good, I followed that path eating the carrots.
Of course, there was no opportunity or reason to stray onto a different path.
But what if I had considered pursuing arts or sports?
Would my mother and father have supported me then?
Me, heading in a direction they didn't want?
Well, they might say they would have.
But they rejected me just for becoming a woman.
Would they have accepted me if I'd said I wanted to pursue arts?
Or what if I lacked ability?
If I couldn't get into college because I wasn't smart enough.
Would they still have been proud of me?
I don't think so.
Those two didn't love me.
They loved having an obedient son.
That's what it was.
That's all.
So.
Right now.
I think.
This person's words.
Are impure.
They sound like concern, sure.
They all seem like words meant for my benefit.
I don't expect only pleasant words all the time.
But now that I recognize malice disguised as goodwill,
I can't see those words as purely good anymore.
They feel more like slander disguised as concern.
It's a common type you see in League of Champions.
Since direct insults get you penalized, they mock you like this instead.
And if you get angry, they'll deny everything.
They'll say they were just concerned, asking how you could take their goodwill that way.
- NoelCrutchBreaker: Hmm... am I the only one who feels uncomfortable? Haha
- TearingApart: Maybe once or twice would be understandable, but this...
- SilverPanthea: Anyone can see that's gaslighting
- Mint_Ramen: They're really determined to get under your skin
It's not just me who feels this way—the viewers feel the same.
I would have felt wronged if I was just being paranoid.
It's such a comfort to know that others also see
the true intentions behind those chat messages.
- BurgeokSqueaky: But I was just worried...
Of course, they responded exactly as I expected.
Or should I say, they typed exactly as I expected.
Anyway, there's no way I could see that message kindly.
But it's also awkward to confront them directly.
What should I do in this situation?
While I was lost in thought,
I saw concerned messages in the chat.
Some opinions said I should kick them out.
But they're watching my stream...
I don't really want to kick them out.
At times like this, who could I...
Ah, I know just the right person.
I wonder if she's awake now.
Well, it's 5 o'clock.
She shouldn't be sleeping.
- YunNoel: Jaemin
- YunNoel: You awake?
- Celesti: What?
- Celesti: Lol
- Celesti: I'm streaming
- Celesti: What's up?
- YunNoel: I have something to ask
- YunNoel: Do you have a moment?
As expected, Celesti was awake.
I should have greeted her first, asking if she got home safely.
But I was in such a hurry that I put the greeting aside.
I sent her an objective summary of the current situation.
Excluding my personal feelings, just including the viewers' opinions.
Then my streaming senior, Jaemin, gave me a simple breakdown of the situation.
- Celesti: In that case, just make them a mod and keep an eye on them
- Celesti: It's obvious they're testing the waters for drama, so just let them be
- Celesti: People like that dig their own graves if you let them do what they want
- YunNoel: Is that enough? I'm worried other viewers might get swayed
- Celesti: In the streaming industry, even minor drama can send you to the bottom...
- Celesti: Better to let them fall on their own than for you to step in with a knife
- Celesti: Just ignore the gaslighting and say thanks for the concern
- Celesti: It's ridiculous that someone who'll never reach Grandmaster is giving advice to someone about to get there lol
After hearing that, it seemed like the right approach.
I already knew those words were just scratching at me under the guise of concern.
So I wouldn't be further affected.
The only problem was the viewers.
They were already worried that I might be swayed by BurgeokSqueaky.
Concerned I might be adding fuel to their worries, I asked Jaemin again.
- YunNoel: Won't the viewers be more worried though... is this okay?
- Celesti: They'll be the ones getting all the hate anyway
- Celesti: If you're really worried, just tell your mods to ban them immediately if they cross the line
- Celesti: Send them DMs saying it's awkward to ban now, but they'll watch until there's a clear reason
- Celesti: Just give temporary ban authority to your mods who'll follow your lead
- YunNoel: What's a DM?
- Celesti: ;
- Celesti: Direct Message... like a whisper
- YunNoel: Thanks
So this is what being a streamer involves.
I thought Jaemin was just a nice person, but she clearly knows how to manage public opinion.
So I took her advice.
If someone won't curse me to my face,
I can wear a mask in front of them too.
I'm not particularly a good person.
I just act kind and friendly because it's good for gaining people's goodwill.
That's all there is to it.
"Thank you for your support. Since you say it's coming from a good place, please don't say anything more about it. You're all watching my stream for fun and information, right? Getting angry just causes stress, and that's the root of all illness."
So I fairly appointed BurgeokSqueaky as a chat moderator too.
I just noticed that once I made them administrators, a sword mark appeared next to their IDs.
So that's why they call it the "true silver sword."
I don't know why they add "true silver" as a modifier.
Well, I guess the streaming world has its own origins for these terms.
"Now, let's move on to CosmicGlowingMonsterShoe."
So while continuing the autopsy,
I secretly sent whispers to the newly appointed moderators via my phone.
As Celesti advised, I told them to cut BurgeokSqueaky off immediately if they crossed the line.
And to thank them for stepping up, I shared some of the gift certificates I'd received.
- TearingApart: You don't need to give me this... you should keep it; put some meat on those bones...
- FarmingTrueSilverSwordThief: Oh my... thank you so much! I'll enjoy it!
- FarmingTrueSilverSwordThief: But I can't just take without giving...
- FarmingTrueSilverSwordThief: (photo)
- FarmingTrueSilverSwordThief: Please accept my sincerity too!
- CosmicGlowingMonsterShoe: Aaaah chat screenshot preserved ㅠㅠㅠ
- ImSorrySaveMePlease: Wow
- ImSorrySaveMePlease: ㅠㅠ I thought you were angry... Thank you... I'll really enjoy this...
- CosmicGlowingMonsterFarming: From today I'll praise Farming once a day...
This is the only way I can show my sincerity.
But only one person quietly accepted my gesture.
How strange.
Oh, I obviously didn't give anything to BurgeokSqueaky.
I'm only human, and I was annoyed.
But viewers unaware of these circumstances continued to express their dissatisfaction.
- SilverPanthea: But putting everything else aside...
- SilverPanthea: I think if you're giving gaming advice to a game streamer, you should reveal your tier
- SurpriseWitnessPraisingAlways: Yeah, how about having the mods open their tiers?
- 🗡CosmicGlowingMonsterFarming: Um... if I haven't given advice, do I still need to reveal?
- 🗡TearingApart: I vote for tier transparency
- QueenLexia: Lol this will be fun
- Rasputin14: Fun for you high-tier jerks maybe (Silver 2)
- 🗡BurgeokSqueaky: But it's personal information... is this really necessary?
- BB16: Honestly, if you're giving advice, you should be higher tier than the streamer lol (Iron)
- DdeuttaDdeuDdeutta: How do you even get to Iron
- BB16: Once you're here, you can't climb out. It's hell
What started as complaints
somehow evolved into an entertaining conversation among viewers.
This is the self-regulation I wanted, so I'm happy about it.
"Hmm... I wonder if the other moderators would be okay with this."
Even though I hesitated, reluctant to request personal information from viewers when I'm not even a streamer myself, the moderator who initially objected sent me a whisper saying they agreed—if it meant exposing BurgeokSqueaky. Well, I had no reason to refuse.
Ignoring BurgeokSqueaky's continued objections, I proceeded with the content.
"Then let's just open the moderators' tiers. Ah, some of you might not want your IDs revealed to others, so I'll cover up the nickname parts in the friends list and info screen and only show the rank tiers. Would that be okay?"
I even prevented personal information leaks.
Now BurgeokSqueaky can't object anymore.
So, how will you respond now?