In medicine, the term “side effect” didn’t necessarily carry a negative connotation. It referred to any unintended ancillary effect, as I remembered it.
So then, if one consumed something precisely for its ancillary effects, wouldn’t it cease to be called a side effect?
For instance, despite Viagra being initially developed to treat angina, everyone knew its now-famous so-called “side effect.”
Calling that miraculous effect a mere side effect seemed inadequate. Therefore, most of the diverse effects of alcohol couldn’t be simply termed side effects, at least not for me.
Losing memory temporarily and falling asleep—those were desired outcomes. And allowing time to disappear without a trace, that was a desperately wanted effect as well.
However, inevitably, living a life pickled in alcohol and confined to one’s room wasn’t without its issues.
The most significant issue was losing track of time. It was a common occurrence to realize that a week or two had suddenly zipped by.
And before I knew it, something I’d meant to delay only briefly would resurface in my memory almost a month later.
For example, selecting a manager for the FanTube.
Perhaps everyone had grown accustomed to the absence of FanTube. Or maybe they found the substitute channels on FanTube satisfying enough. I couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason, but it had become oddly rare to see complaints about the absence of an FanTube channel on WeTogether or in chat.
Perhaps they trusted that a manager would be chosen soon and were merely waiting patiently.
In any case, with the periodic reminders gone, I kept postponing it. And now, it’s been a week since the email notifications had surpassed 300.
At the very least, I thought I should check what those emails were about, so I reluctantly logged into the old account.
The publicly known email inbox, though not abandoned for too long, was cluttered with all sorts of emails from various senders. It seemed that those applying to be FanTube managers were in the minority.
While diligently deleting emails that seemed meaningless just by their subject lines,
“Really sorry, please forgive me just this once.”
My cursor, which had been moving mechanically, halted instinctively.
Had there ever been a reason to receive such an email?
There had been people who frequently caused trouble deserving an apology. But would such people bother to send an email apology? They weren’t sued or banned.
Could it be phishing? A catchy subject to grab my attention, only to unveil a bizarre message in the body.
Perhaps… something I definitely didn’t want to see, like a naked photo, unsolicited advice about streaming, or threats of a spinning heel kick to my head—
Ah.
That…
“Hello CravingWarmAmericano-nim…”
I sincerely apologize for repeatedly sending you emailsㅠㅠㅠㅠ. It seems like you haven’t checked the emails I sent, so I worried they might have been overlooked or deleted. This is really the last time I’ll email you……
I absolutely did not mean that I wanted to hit you, CravingWarmAmericano-nim, with those chats or emails…ㅠㅠㅠㅠ. When I initially typed the spinning roundkick chat, you seemed to find it funny, so I misunderstood and kept joking around… I am truly sorry.
I deeply regret my actions. Since you emailed me back then, I haven’t engaged in such pranks againㅠㅠ.
I truly am a fan of yours, CravingWarmAmericano-nimㅠㅠㅠㅠ. I always watch your live broadcasts or replays, and I edited and uploaded the FanTube channel you played during the Challenger climbing broadcast… If I had known it would offend you, I would never have done it…
Now I understand that even making a joke about a spinning roundkick deserves legal consequences, but I still wanted to apologize, so I’m emailing you.
I am really sorryㅠㅠ.
I’ve continued the fan channel thinking it might help your broadcasts, but if you dislike it even a little, I’ll shut it down right away……』
The email, which seemed to ramble, continued for quite a while. The phrase “I am truly sorry” appeared every three lines… Even if it’s just words, isn’t this level of apology quite sincere?
Suddenly curious, I searched using the sender’s email address. As expected. Naturally, this wasn’t the first email.
Emails threatening to throw a spinning roundkick if I didn’t start a broadcast immediately appeared one after another. Since I replied with a demonstration video, they’ve only been sending apologies.
One email title that caught my eye was ‘Regarding the Threats to the Streamer (Law Firm Rogue).’ It seemed excessive.
It was just a joke…… but admittedly, it was a bit much. Not only from my perspective but judging by the tone of the emails, it seemed like they were genuinely distressed about it.
However, accepting the apology as sufficient worried me… If people find out that I forgave such behavior, others might misunderstand and think any apology is enough for serious misconduct.
What should I do?
Should I seek advice from veteran broadcasters?
I looked at the active group chat for a moment, then shook my head and hit the back button.
I felt it was inappropriate to ask a question and expect a response via chat.
This kind of situation should be discussed in-person, perhaps over a meal. It wasn’t too long ago that the old-fashioned Revan complained about gift vouchers.
Ah.
Indeed… That might work.
Should I do that?
* * * *
Three days after the after-party.
Ark had become quite adept at dealing with desperate, flailing fans who came to her broadcast demanding pictures, clutching at straws.
-ㅇㅇ donated 10,000 won!-
【Ark, do you have any Polaroid photos of GetDevoured by any chance?】
“Ah, thank you for the 10,000 won! Thank you~! But come on, I can’t just share GetDevoured’s photos for 10,000 won. Sorry! You’re getting blocked!”
『Okay, just please stop with the “ling ling.”』
『Translation: Bring more money if you want to bribe me』
『Where did you learn such nonsense?』
『I knew it since you started hanging out with my GetDevoured』
『Oh great, another 10 minutes of annoying speak. Damn it』
ㄴ This message has been temporarily blocked and deleted.
『BetPork is the one who might accidentally leak the photos』
Ark would swiftly block any viewers who mentioned Lee Yena’s face and would employ a variety of methods to counteract any attempts to start a commotion.
This was a feasible approach since Ark had always aimed for a spicy back-and-forth with viewers. However, it was undeniable that the method was particularly influenced by Lee Yena.
Among the various strategies, she recently found the most effective one to be the use of quirky speech endings.
While this didn’t eliminate requests for Lee Yena’s photo via chat or donations, it at least made it harder to witness the chat room actively engaging with such comments.
.
.
.
“Alright, as much as it pains me to say it, as announced earlier, today’s broadcast is shorter, so it’s time to wrap up. I’ll see you all again tomorrow at 7! Bye-bye~”
At 11 PM, Ark ended the broadcast an hour earlier than usual, leaving the viewers’ regrets behind.
There were multiple reasons for this.
She had already basked in the glory of showing off her championship badge from KoK, and viewers were starting to get bored. Plus, with the first World Series currently making headlines, viewers would inevitably trickle away when the broadcast overlapped with the matches.
However, the most significant reason was,
『CravingWarmAmericano: Jinhee』
『CravingWarmAmericano: Jini』
『CravingWarmAmericano: Shall we have a drink?』
『CravingWarmAmericano: I need some advice.』
「Ark: Drinks? Hahaha sure!」
「Ark: ??Worrying??」
「Ark: Are you okay? ㅠ」
「CravingWarmAmericano: Something seems off about the nuance.」
「CravingWarmAmericano: It’s nothing serious. I just wanted to ask for a senior’s opinion on broadcasting.」
「Ark: Ah!」
「Ark: Nop, nop」
「Ark: I’m totally down! Hahaha. I’ll enjoy the ‘senior’ moment.」
「CravingWarmAmericano: How about after your broadcast ends today?」
「CravingWarmAmericano: I’ll come nearby.」
「Ark: Ah」
「Ark: Today??」
「Ark: I’d love to, but if we meet after my broadcast, won’t it be too late? Are you okay with that?」
「CravingWarmAmericano: Yes, sure.」
「CravingWarmAmericano: Then see you later.」
「CravingWarmAmericano: (map link)」
「CravingWarmAmericano: I’ll be having a beer here while watching your broadcast, so take your time.」
「Ark: Yes, yes!!」
「Ark: Ah」
「Ark: Should we invite others too?」
「CravingWarmAmericano: Ah」
「CravingWarmAmericano: Let me check.」
「CravingWarmAmericano: 🙂🙃🙂🙃🙂🙃」
It was because of a junior, who wasn’t really a junior, seeking help.
Ark’s curiosity about what Lee Yena was worrying about in her broadcast was 50%, genuinely wanting to help was 50%, and being worried that she might be already drunk if she went late was another 50%.
With 150% enthusiasm, Ark hurriedly got dressed and left the house.
‘Can’t keep the fans waiting…’