Chapter 6: A friend

The next time Yoo Joonghyuk streamed, he opted to add a facecam to his visuals. Several of his viewers had been asking for it. How bad could it be? It wasn't that he was opposed to the idea, it didn't bother him, nothing really bothered him. He just hadn't gone through the hassle of setting one up. Until now, that is.

He was set up in front of a plain grey wall, dressed in a black turtleneck, his expression deadpan. The harsh lighting of the screen illuminated his features, emphasizing the stark black of his hair and obsidian eyes. He didn't look into the webcam, opting to glare at the screen before him.

[Start Stream]

[SupremeKing's feed is flowing through the stars.]

[Viewers: 2]

[Viewers: 5]

[Viewers: 12]

[contemporary: I KNEW IT]

[DemonAngel: Holy-]

[DelusionalDemon7: Damnit you got an edgy look that's kinda badass….]

[Sungoddess: OMG I didn't expect you to face-reveal already! Hang on I gotta message some friends!]

[Viewers: 17]

[@SupremeKing has been gifted 1,000 coins by @contemporary.]

[contemporary: I KNEW YOU WOULD BE GORGEOUS I KNEW IT!!!]

[WarOfGods8047: Are you continuing the game from before?]

[Viewers: 29]

Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes scanned the chat, not yet starting the game.

[SerpentSlayer: Haha, you're becoming quite popular now aren't you?]

[Viewers: 37]

[AVenus4Eva: Is this the stream I heard about?]

[KaliGurl: ohh, my friend was actually right this time!]

Yoo Joonghyuk squinted at the screen, covering his mouth with one hand, still scanning the rapidly increasing number of messages in chat.

[Viewers: 52]

[contemporary: what is that sexy smoldering look stop you're going to kill us! were you teasing us keeping your face hidden until now?!]

[Viewers: 58]

[DemonAngel: You're gonna have a fan club soon aren't you? Loll ]

[KimDokja: Wow, you're really popping off tonight! No one can resist a pretty face after all huh, your Supreme Highness? xD ]

Yoo Joonghyuk scoffed, lowering the hand by his mouth to his mouse. "Let's begin."

The chat erupted in what could only be described as swoons in typed format.

He thought it was annoying.

[Viewers: 71]

[@SupremeKing has been gifted 1,000 coins by @contemporary.]

[@SupremeKing has been gifted 2,000 coins by @AVenus4Eva.]

[@SupremeKing has been gifted 800 coins by @Sungoddess.]

Well, he supposed it wasn't all bad. At least with this, he'd be able to buy his sister more nutritious meals.

[Viewers: 83]

Maybe more than that, if he dared to believe it.

[KimDokja:

He caught a glimpse of it, but the message scrolled off screen before he could read it. He couldn't really decipher anything in the chat anymore, he could only read the messages sent with coins attached now.

[@SupremeKing has been gifted 1,000 coins by @contemporary.]

[contemporary: PLEASE dont turn off the facecam ever again i wont stand for it!]

[@SupremeKing has been gifted 1,000 coins by @AVenus4Eva.]

[AVenus4Eva: Amazing looks, a great voice, AND you're actually good at games?! What a package!]

He didn't like it. There were too many people.

But….

The money was good. He could take better care of his sister this way. He'd hoped it was a possibility when he first began streaming, but he didn't actually think it would happen.

[Viewers: 102]

[@SupremeKing has been gifted 2,000 coins by @contemporary.]

[contemporary: we have to do a collab let me know in DMs! you have it set to mutuals only, so follow me and then i'll message you!]

His mind made up, Yoo Joonghyuk stopped trying to read the chat. He kept his eyes off the donation messages too, only glancing at the names attached to them.

He focused steadfastly on the game now. This game had a story to tell, and amidst the growing number of viewers only there to get a look at him, he knew there was one waiting for him to help tell it.

A laser-focused look of determination remained on his face for the rest of the stream; he didn't utter a word. His brows were drawn together sharply, guiding his focus unwaveringly, his lips pressed into a relaxed but sturdy shape without disturbance. His chat was going wild, but he didn't spare it a single glance. Not even as the coin donations flowed in.

2am came quickly after that, the game helping pass the time and before he knew it, it was time to end. He could continue, there was no school tomorrow. Could continue racking in coins, unsure if he would have the opportunity to make such easy money again in the future. If he continued, he could have this game finished by morning.

He did not continue. He paused the game, saved, and exited to the main screen. For the only time that stream he looked directly at his camera. "Goodnight."

His eyes scanned chat. It was going wild. Nothing was discernable.

He hovered over the [End Stream] button.

[@SupremeKing has been gifted 300 coins by @KimDokja.]

[KimDokja: Goodnight]

[@SupremeKing has been gifted 1,000 coins by @KaliGurl.]

[KaliGurl: wow what kind of measly amount was that? He deserves better than just 300!!! Do it like this if you want to earn the right to his attention!]

Yoo Joonghyuk smiled at his second-to-last donation, completely ignoring the final one.

Unbeknownst to him, the chat degraded into utter chaos at a glimpse of that slight smile.

He ended the stream.

[SupremeKing's channel has gone silent.]

Kim Dokja joined the stream as soon as it went live. He prepared to send a common greeting in the chat when his fingers froze. He pressed his face as close to his small, cracked phone screen as he could, trying to get a clear vision of what he saw there.

Huh. So this was the SupremeKing.

Dokja held his phone tight as long minutes ticked by. The chat was going wild, he glanced at some of the messages before locking his eyes back on the streamer.

The sight filled him with heartache because now, he knew for certain, this man was in a different world from Kim Dokja. His chest constricted at the thought. When he joined the newbie streamer's chat, he didn't know what he was looking for. Someone to talk to? Just someone to help him pass the time? Over the last couple of streams, each time the streamer had responded to him, or remembered his penchant for stories, or asked him what he thought, it made Dokja feel a little less alone.

Kim Dokja thought he found a streamer who, although he did truly believe the man could make it big, he thought it wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility for Kim Dokja to remain some small part of his life.

Now he could see it. This streamer was not made to be his. The SupremeKing was destined for great things, greater even than what Kim Dokja had been imagining. He could be a phenomenon, he could be an idol, he was like a protagonist in one of those cliché 'small-time streamer with big dreams becomes the world's most beloved figure' stories. The story was too big for Kim Dokja to hold any ground in it.

The streamer was staring intently at the chat, not speaking. Was he looking for him?

With trembling fingers, Dokja mustered as much encouragement as he could and sent:

[KimDokja: Wow, you're really popping off tonight! No one can resist a pretty face after all huh, your Supreme Highness? xD ]

He always loved how easy it was to hide one's true emotions through simple texts. How easy it was to send a smile when you felt like crying, to tease like nothing was bothering you, no effort wasted on trying to shove your mouth up into a grimacing reassurance.

Noticing his presence, the streamer began. Dokja tried to focus on the story. If nothing else, he could still watch and enjoy the stories, couldn't he?

He soon became distracted by the real story taking place. To him, the one not in the game was more fascinating than anything the best writers could create.

Messages and donations were pouring in, and through it all the SupremeKing was engrossed in the game, as if all of the love being shared to him meant nothing, he was above it all. So far above he couldn't be bothered with it.

If all the money and all the love and attention was below him, Kim Dokja had no hope of ever reaching him again. It would be like an ant reaching for the stars; the distance loomed. Impossible. He sent a couple more messages, but by now the chat was scrolling so fast that even when the streamer did look at it, he doubted if anything would be readable, much less his plain words in a sea of caps-lock and emojis.

As the stream rolled to an end at 2am, Kim Dokja's only remaining desire was to say goodbye. If he was never again going to speak to the streamer he'd already become fond of in this short time, his only source of happiness since before he could remember, he at least wanted to slip in one last farewell.

[@Supremeking has been gifted 300 coins by @KimDokja.]

[KimDokja: Goodnight]

Would he even see it?

[@SupremeKing has been gifted 1,000 coins by @KaliGurl.]

[KaliGurl: wow what kind of measly amount was that? He deserves better than just 300!!! Do it like this if you want to earn the right to his attention!]

Dokja flinched. She was right. He hung his head in shame, curled up around his phone in his small sleeping space, the phone clutched tightly against his chest, tears dripping down his nose onto the broken screen.

The SupremeKing smiled and it looked like sunlight peeking out from clouds after a hurricane. That smile was made to save the world, not to save him.

The stream ended. Tears rolled down Dokja's face and his shoulders shook. He bit into the back of his hand to keep from sobbing and waking up his cousins in the bedroom outside his closet space, the taste of iron dully invading his palate.

He hated himself right then. Hated himself so much because here he was, sad that this streamer had caught a break and was going to be happy now. Part of him was happy for the man, he was genuinely glad the man was going to live a joyful life full of intrigue, and he hoped the man would get everything he ever wanted, but…. He hated the selfish part of him that despised the guy for finding a cheerfully bright world and leaving him here in the dark, hopeless places he lived.

As Dokja felt the constricting in his chest building and he feared he wouldn't be able to hold back his sobs any longer, a soft 'ding' rang from his phone and into his earbuds. Startled, he fumbled his phone for a moment.

Did a webnovel he follows update? Maybe…. Maybe that could make him feel better? He doubted it. He checked the notification.

It was a message from the Star Stream app.

[*StarStream*: You have 1 new follower.]

New follower? He's never even streamed before, who would follow him?

Another soft 'ding'. This time he already had the app pulled up. Sure enough, his page had a Followers count of 1. His DMs had a notification of receiving something in his inbox.

He feared it would be one of the SupremeKing's new avid fans set on chewing him out for that last pitiful donation. Kim Dokja gulped and clicked to his DMs.

[SupremeKing: The stream got a little out of hand.]

Kim Dokja's mind sputtered.

Another message popped in.

[SupremeKing: If we message here it won't get lost.]

Kim Dokja's chest constricted in a way entirely different from the feeling he had only moments before. He took a shuddering breath. Was this really happening?

Tentatively, he typed a response.

[KimDokja: It's ok, I'm glad you gained so much support. You have a lot of people you can talk to now.]

Yeah, surely the SupremeKing would be too busy with all his new fans to maintain this conversation with KimDokja for very long. He probably just wanted to check in because he was his first follower, right?

[SupremeKing: I'd rather not.]

Huh. That was…. Dokja didn't know what to think of it.

[SupremeKing: Here.]

[@KimDokja has been gifted 3,000 coins by @SupremeKing.]

Kim Dokja's breath hitched. He stared, dumbfounded.

[KimDokja: What's that for?! Those are yours!]

[SupremeKing: The coins you leant me. For the headset.]

[KimDokja: That was only 1,500 not 3k! And you don't have to pay that back!]

[SupremeKing: Plus interest.]

Kim Dokja almost laughed, managing to stifle it in a palm at the last moment.

[SupremeKing: I'll get more anyway.]

Dokja couldn't stop the smile on his face if he tried.

[KimDokja: In that case, if you're going to overpay me regardless, maybe I could at least earn it.]

[SupremeKing: Oh?]

[KimDokja: It looked like you got some, ah, *thirsty* fans in your stream tonight. Hopefully you didn't see it but some of the messages were…. Explicit? It might be good for you to get some stream mods.]

[KimDokja: If you want, I could help moderate for you?]

[SupremeKing: Hmm]

[KimDokja: Or not! It's up to you! I just thought, y'know, it might help? But you could probably find much better mods than me, I'm not that good with tech and I've never been a Star Stream mod before. And you wouldn't have to pay me of course!]

[SupremeKing: You type too much.]

Dokja's ear-tips warmed with embarrassment.

[SupremeKing: I accept.]

A new notification popped into his inbox.

[StarStream: You have been added as a moderator on the channel of SupremeKing.]

Dokja's face wasn't accustomed to this much smiling. It was starting to hurt. Tears leaked from the corners of his eyes.

Tomorrow, or a week from now, or a whole month from now if he was lucky, Kim Dokja knew the SupremeKing would lose interest in him, but for now, holding onto this a bit longer and being able to provide some miniscule level of support to him, Kim Dokja felt happy.

[SupremeKing: I look forward to it.] Show me what you can do.

[KimDokja: Tomorrow then?] I'll be there.

[SupremeKing: Goodnight KimDokja.]

[KimDokja: Goodnight King. :) ]