Chapter 18: The Power of a Whisper

“…….”

[What’s up? Why’d she suddenly go quiet?]
[One more song! One more song! One more song!]
[Guess she’s embarrassed lol]
[lollollollollol]

I snapped out of my silence after exactly one minute.

To think I would make such a blunder. It was just humming, but… I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

Being caught doing something unconsciously was always mortifying.

The chat was filled with teasing remarks.

Playing along with their reactions wouldn’t have been a bad move. In a small stream like mine, the viewers were king.

But I couldn’t.
I had to stick to the motto I’d established before starting the stream – ‘I am the master of my stream.’

I would not be swayed by them. A spineless streamer could never become a major streamer.

Fortunately, I had a technique I could use.

Leni’s secret technique #1: ‘Pretend nothing happened.’

My goal was to become a major streamer like Leni, so following in her footsteps was the logical course of action.

Ahem!

I cleared my throat and delivered my prepared line. As the first words of my first stream, I’d carefully chosen the most polished phrase I could muster.

“Welcome to my stream, everyone. I’m NoonSol, and I’m incredibly grateful you’re here. I’m a new streamer, so please be kind.”

[Is she reading from a textbook?]
[Noonaaaaaaaaa!]
[What, she’s just a catfish. That voice changer is so obvious.]

The reaction was explosive. Half were praising me, the other half busy criticizing me.

My previous blunder had already faded from their memories. No, wait. What was I saying? That never even happened.

“First, since this is my first time, let me just say that I aim for a clean and respectful stream.”

[Clean? Respectful? lollollollollol]
[Is she serious?]
[Noona, even for you, that’s a bit much…]
[The biggest troll pretending to be wholesome]

“M-Moderator? Could you please ban anyone who crosses the line?”

[?? She has a moderator?]
[Is it her boyfriend? What a]
[Smooth~!]
[Noona, you have a boyfriend? Noona, you have a boyfriend? Noona, you have a boyfriend?]
[Am I… falling for her?]

Wow, just a single sentence, and the chat was ablaze. Boyfriend? I’d only mentioned a moderator.

As expected of trolls, their ability to ignite chaos was impressive.

[Moderator list: ]

Of course, I didn’t have a moderator. A brand-new streamer, ten minutes into her first stream, wouldn’t have such a convenient minion.

But I did have a backup plan.

[Explain yourself! Explain yourself! Explain yourself! Explain yourself!]
[ I want to die. Even SolNoon is a traitor.]

If I waited any longer, everyone would be consumed by the flames. ‘The world’s first stream to burn to a crisp!’ would be a unique title, but it would also make it impossible to continue today’s broadcast.

I executed my prepared countermeasure.

Lowering my voice slightly, I spoke as if I were a different person.

“Yes~ NoonSol, I understand! I’ll ban them right away!”

[???????]
[Not satisfied with the alt account, she’s using real-life clones now…]
[What a lame persona]
[But even this voice is amazing.]
[lollollollollol]

Ta-da! The clone jutsu worked perfectly!

The fire was extinguished, and cheerful messages filled the chat. I was relieved that my carefully prepared joke had landed.

This should be a sufficient appetizer for today’s broadcast.

[Current viewers: 205]

The viewer count was satisfactory. 200 viewers on my first stream, not bad at all.

I felt like dancing, but it was a shame I couldn’t share my excitement with the viewers.

“Wow, over 200 people are watching already. I’m starting to fear my own talent.”

[200 viewers: All LoL Gallery regulars]
[Shamelessly baiting viewers, where’s your conscience?]

“What? Too much baiting? Baiting is a skill, a talent. Not everyone can do it.”

I understood their jealousy. But as my viewers, I had faith in their generosity.

“Anyway, let’s start today’s content.”

[Oh yeah!]
[She’s actually prepared?]
[Please let it be viewer participation! Please let it be viewer participation! Please let it be viewer participation!]

More people than expected were anticipating the content. And for some reason, most were clamoring for viewer participation. Did they want to play LoL with me?

Unfortunately, I had no such plans.

“It seems many of you want the same thing I’ve prepared. Today’s content is viewer participation!”

I had a main event planned, one that aligned with the stream title, but I had about 30 minutes to fill before then.

So, while brainstorming ideas to fill the time…

“Ask me anything, and I’ll answer!”

[Me! Me! Me! Me! Me!]
[yesssssssssssss]
[Is it something big? Is it something big? Is it something big?]

I decided to do a Q&A.

It was inspired by my appearance on Leni’s stream. The viewers had so many questions for me back then.

“But there’s a condition. I’ll only take questions from donations. There are too many messages in chat to choose from. The minimum donation is $1.”

This type of content was also great for collecting donations.

To be honest, I hadn’t planned on asking for money today. I’d probably receive nothing, even if I begged.

But I had a good feeling. A feeling that donations would pour in.

Well… if things went south, I could always retract the offer.

[A dollar minimum?? A small streamer asking for donations?]
[No shame]
[Noona, this is a bit much…]

[Down bad]

Should I… retract the offer?

<There are too many messages in chat to choose from. The minimum donation is $1.>

“Wow… this is crazy.”

An exclamation of admiration escaped Si-Hyeon Kim’s lips. He was dumbfounded.

Si-Hyeon was a moderator on LoL Gallery, identifiable by his orange username.

He was a man (self-proclaimed) of immense tolerance, embracing all trolls with open arms… except for one. A user named SolNoon.

NoonSol, that is.

Before she arrived, LoL Gallery was practically under his control. All the notorious trolls cowered before his ban hammer.

Outwardly, it was everyone’s LoL Gallery, but in reality, it was Si-Hyeon’s personal playground.

But everything changed with her arrival. No matter how many times he banned her, she’d resurrect like a zombie. No, even cockroaches paled in comparison to her resilience.

She gradually built her following. More and more users sided with her. And her appearance on Leni’s stream was the icing on the cake.

LoL Gallery was no longer his precious domain, but NoonSol’s playground. She, a titan, was trampling all over his precious gallery.

Now, he couldn’t ban her unless she broke the rules.

He’d once banned her out of anger, and LoL Gallery nearly descended into anarchy that day. A coup d’état nearly took place.

He’d been waiting for an opportunity… and it had finally arrived. Today, he would clip this woman’s wings.

Determined, Si-Hyeon made his first-ever donation. Exactly $2.

He now had two opportunities.

<What? Donations for a small streamer? No one will ask questions?>

-Ta-da!

-LoLGalleryOwner donated $1.
〔It’s disgusting how you’re pretending to be innocent on stream after all the trolling you’ve done.〕

He fired his first arrow. A relatively mild comment for such a long wait, but with an underlying bite.

NoonSol would be triggered. That was Si-Hyeon’s prediction.

<And our first donation! Thank you, LoLGalleryOwner. That’s a familiar nickname.>

But NoonSol seemed completely unfazed.

If she was faking it, her voice should have at least trembled… but it remained as smooth and captivating as ever.

[Wait, LoLGalleryOwner? Isn’t that the head moderator?]
[I think it is? lol The head moderator is the first donation, what?]
[This dude was banning SolNoon for attention all along.]
[Tsundere head moderator]

The chat’s reaction was completely unexpected.

Si-Hyeon had expected everyone to side with him, but… he’d inadvertently become the lovesick puppy vying for NoonSol’s attention.

‘… What nonsense.’

Si-Hyeon’s blood boiled. He’d been so stressed because of her, and now he was the one wagging his tail?

Unable to bear it, he fired his last arrow. A rash, impulsive act, but filled with genuine emotion.

-LoLGalleryOwner donated $1.
〔Just get out of LoL Gallery. You’re disgusting.〕

<Wow! Another dollar from LoLGalleryOwner. Thank you. Unfortunately, I can’t grant your request.>

“What? She’s going to pocket the $2? Ha… this …”

<But LoL Gallery is my home. I can’t leave the people who love me.>

[Kyaaaaaa]
[That’s our noona…! That’s our noona…! That’s our noona…!]
[I worship you, GOAT.]

NoonSol was a master manipulator.

All the viewers were captivated by her eloquent words. Or perhaps it was her voice, but the point was, they were all on her side.

<Oh, speaking of which, I have a request for our head moderator… I mean, LoLGalleryOwner. Everyone, cover your ears for a second.>

[Muted!]
[Cover your ears!]
[Already wearing noise-canceling earphones lol]

-Gulp

Si-Hyeon gulped, a nervous lump forming in his throat. NoonSol’s seemingly kind words had singled him out.

Why?

What could she possibly want?

He’d refuse anyway. A troll like her wasn’t worth listening to.

That’s what he should have done… but he found himself waiting with bated breath.

NoonSol spoke. No, she whispered, her voice dripping with seduction.

<LoL.Gallery.Owner, please lift my 30-day ban on my main account. Hehe.>

[Whoa!!!! Kya!]
[I’m getting wet..]
[Wow…]

Boom!

Fireworks exploded in Si-Hyeon’s mind. It was a dizzying, thrilling, heart-stopping whisper.

-Click -Click

Dazed, Si-Hyeon unconsciously clicked his mouse. A primal, instinctual movement driven purely by desire.

Thus, for the first time in LoL Gallery history, a user who received a 30-day ban was pardoned.