Chapter 66 – Breakdown and Analysis (1)
Picking apart and analyzing gamers was a relatively popular format with a rich history. It involved inviting players performing physical exams and thoroughly testing their skills. This format heavily relied on the guest.
— Wow Almond was invited for a breakdown?
— He’s world class now.
— What the! Is this why you went to Fantasia?
— Damn…
— He’s growing so quickly…
— A nobody? Not anymore.
This type of format only invited popular streamers to guarantee viewership. Like popular talk shows they typically invited pro gamers or celebrities who were good at video games.
It was unusual for a small upcoming streamer like Almond to be featured in this segment.
— Wow Almond! We believed in you!
— Holy moly!
— Boss! You’re killing me!
— Almond oppa you’re so big now!
— He’s getting big so fast!
Almond’s fans cheered for him from the very beginning and all felt happy for him. It meant a lot to see one of their favorite streamers on the show. Of course others envied him.
— Someone with only 4k viewers got invited?
— Going to be fucking boring.
— It’s all connections. Disgusting.
— He’s sucking up to the right people.
— The fuck? A nobody?
— Wait this is really happening? How does this make sense?
Jealousy and celebration. Celebration and curses. The stream began with all these complicated emotions.
[The live stream is starting!]
They would soon discover which side would win.
Thud!
Fantasia’s logo appeared with a loud noise.
Soon the announcer’s bright voice captured the audience’s attention.
“Hello everyone! We’re back with another special format. It’s going to be the segment where we break down Almond and analyze him!”
She had a thin but proper figure. Her expression looked cute and her voice sounded desirable with perfect pronunciation. The controversies all disappeared as soon as Yu Ha-Yeon appeared.
Sang-Hyeon was quietly impressed. ‘She’s no joke.’
Was this what it meant to be a celebrity? To be precise she was an anchorwoman.
Whee. Whee.
Sang-Hyeon could hear a light whistle.
The staff grabbed his attention by waving a signpost at him.
‘Almond the camera will point at you soon.’
Sang-Hyeon was off-camera but they told him it would zoom out to frame him.
The staff quickly moved after Sang-Hyeon nodded.
Ziiing.
One of the main cameras backed away with a loud noise.
“And here is Almond!”
Yu Ha-Yeon continued talking until she introduced Almond with a bright pose. She added some hand gestures like a cheerleading mascot.
Sang-Hyeon naturally smiled and felt touched by her efforts.
— Wooooow!
— He looks so good on camera!
— What the!? Why’s he so good looking today?
— ?! Who is that and why is he so handsome?
— Damn…
— Holy shit.
— Sorry noona I’m going to turn gay!
Sang-Hyeon also received an unexpectedly warm welcome like Yu Ha-Yeon.
‘The reactions are better than I thought.’
Sang-Hyeon wasn’t fully aware of his growing reputation yet. The staff had notified him but the audience’s reaction still surprised him.
“Almond? Can you say hello to the audience?” Yu Ha-Yeon passed it over to Almond with a smile.
Sang-Hyeon briefly thought about what to say and bowed with a light remark “I’m Almond.”
— So simple!
— Cold and handsome!
— So handsome!
— Damn! I’m going to start watching game streams too!
— Why are you streaming? Just debut as an idol!
All of the reactions seemed nice. Was it because of his looks?
Sang-Hyeon thought otherwise because he had never been praised so much for his looks in his entire life. It was likely the synergy of his looks with Almond’s character.
“I can’t become an idol when I’m already 30 years old” Sang-Hyeon accidentally spoke as if it was his stream.
He wasn’t trying to lead the conversation but just commented when he saw it. Funnily enough this was the first time he ever revealed his age. He had never revealed it on his stream.
— LOL
— Old man…
— Damn 30?!
— Hahahaha
— Tears are forming…
— Suddenly exposing himself…
— What the!
“Pfft” Yu Ha-Yeon laughed along with the chat. “Almond is it okay to reveal your age like that in the beginning? We haven’t even started the interview yet.”
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Laughter filled the chat as Almond scratched his head.
Yu Ha-Yeon laughed with them and they all flowed together. ‘He’s pretty good.’
Most gamers invited onto the show were amateurs who weren’t very good at talking. It was tough for streamers to adjust to big broadcasts.
However Sang-Hyeon was different. He naturally flowed with the viewers’ conversations.
“There’s… a lot of people.”
“Right? That’s the power of Fantasia!” Yu Ha-Yeon naturally flowed with the conversation too.
“Are there this many viewers with other guests too?”
“Of course!”
“Ah…”
The chat laughed again after seeing his disappointed look.
— LOL
— Hey bro don’t get greedy.
— Haha Ha-Yeon is ruthless!
— Almond’s greed has no bounds.
“But don’t be disappointed Almond. The viewership could double or triple once we start our interview and the tests right?” She spoke as if it was a question but no one replied.
— Who are you talking to???
— Ha-Yeon is so cute!
— Noona!
— Hahahaha
— Three times is too much.
— I think even she thought it was too much so she changed it into a question. LOL
“Oh ho it’s not too much. It happened before. Oh sorry Director. It’s never happened before? Dang why?”
“…”
“I’m sorry Almond. Looks like this is the peak viewership for today!”
The viewers felt satisfied as Yu Ha-Yeon poked fun at Almond.
— LOL
— Kya this is what we’re here for!
— This is it!
— Hahahaha
— I love it!
— LOL! Why!?
— Did the director really say something? I think she’s talking to herself.
Almond butted in “That’s right. The director didn’t say anything.”
— Hahahaha
— Almond isn’t backing down!
— Who’s telling the truth?
— Don’t lie to us!
— A close fight!
— Damn.
— They haven’t even started and it’s already funny.
“Hey what are you talking about? I can hear them through my earpiece.”
“…”
Yu Ha-Yeon continued to lie and left Almond speechless. His expression made it worth it.
— Hahahaha
— This is what a big stream is like Almond!
— This is what you call a world class stream!
— Hey Almond come back after you’re stronger!
— It’s a lot different from Acorn Jelly’s stream right?
— Hahaha look at his expression.
It was different from Acorn Jelly’s stream. Not only was the tension and atmosphere different but so was his role as the guest.
‘So this is why it’s called a breakdown.’
They didn’t just sit the guests down but also made fun of them.
“Alright then should we start easy with an interview?”
Almond quickly nodded. He thought moving on to the interview would be better than being made fun of.
— Haha Almond is whipped!
— Look at him obeying Ha-Yeon already.
— Hahaha
— What happened to the cold guy from earlier!?
***
Meanwhile Manager Oh watched from a distance outside the studio and felt impressed.
“Wow he’s really good. I’m glad I came to watch.”
He tagged along with Almond to the studio.
It was a privilege to have him accompany Almond considering Manager Oh was in charge of big-time streamers like Bubblegum.
Ju-Hyeok bowed to him “Thank you for taking care of us.”
“Huh? Oh no. I came here because I wanted to watch him.”
“Still…”
“Hoho this guy. Anyways Almond is doing pretty good! Did you expect this?”
Ju-Hyeok nodded with a smile “He’s got a loose screw.”
Manager Oh laughed at Ju-Hyeok’s gesture of putting a screw through his head.
“He would’ve blown up if he continued as an athlete. He has what it takes to be a star.”
“Ah… haha. Yes most likely.”
“Ah right. I’ll be careful about what I say regarding that” Manager Oh quickly apologized as if he stepped on a landmine.
“Thank you for your consideration.”
“No of course. It’s a given.”
Ju-Hyeok was busy asking everyone to keep quiet about Almond’s past. Thankfully most of the interview questions regarding Almond’s past were taken out due to his efforts.
Manager Oh was fully aware of the situation and stayed to make sure nothing leaked. He approached the staff and talked to the man wearing sunglasses.
“How is he Director?”
This man was the director of the show.
“How is he? First you have to tell me where you found a guy like that” the director responded with a smile.
They seemed close judging from how they casually spoke to each other.
“Haha right. He just rolled in.”
“It must be your senior luck.”
“Senior? I’m middle-aged!”
“Are you an elf?”
“Wahahaha!” Manager Oh laughed in his own unique way.
“But there is one small issue. Isn’t he too secretive?”
“Secretive?”
“Yeah all the questions about his past were taken out. There’s nothing to gain from the interview.”
“Ah.”
“Being secretive worked back in the days but not now. It’s all about being open and truthful these days laughing it off and letting people make fun of you. Celebrities have to act like a playground for the people.”
The director seemed fully aware of the current trends despite his age.
“That’s true but we had no choice since this was a personal request.”
“Hoo…”
“Ah besides the interview isn’t the main event for that fellow.”
“Then what… the physical test?”
“Yep we’re trying to see if he was legitimately placed into Platinum III or not. At least find out if he deserved it.”
“Pssh. The test is no fun. The stats already say so.”
Sang-Hyeon and Yu Ha-Yeon finished their interview as the director was mumbling.
Sang-Hyeon entered the capsule for the tests.
“Well maybe they have something exciting prepared this time.”
The director had an excited smile on his face.
***
Woong.
Sang-Hyeon and Ha-Yeon’s avatars appeared in Fantasia’s virtual space.
‘The layout sure is different.’ Sang-Hyeon thought to himself as he felt his hands.
There seemed to be more viewers than his interview judging from the chat.
— Oh shit is it starting?
— Time for judgment.
— Holy shit I’ve been waiting for this!
— Just in time!
— I’m so excited for Almond’s physical test!
[Current Viewers: 38k]
The viewership continued to rise and they reached around 40000 viewers. They have already surpassed Fantasia’s average viewer count.
Now the first test would start.
“Alright Almond. You’re most confident with the bow right?”
“Yes.”
They specifically prepared this test with the bow for Sang-Hyeon.
“So we got it ready for you! Ta-da!”
Swoosh—
The virtual surroundings changed and the square area turned into a bright green setting. A light breeze blew across the vast green field and a colored target stood at the end.
An Olympic archery field suddenly appeared. It looked all too real.
No one noticed Almond’s right arm trembling.
