Season 2: Chapter 159: New Year’s Resolution (1)

The previously unseen Raina footage started playing.

"The Best Performance Award goes to... Almond! He’s coming up again!?"

The flashy actions that piled up into a fourteen hit combo blew away the enemy.

— That's what I'm talking about

— Wow.

— Raina! Raina! Raina!

— Mom, I want to be Raina when I grow up!

— So cool!!

'What's this?'

Sang-Hyeon hadn't expected this award. He could understand Best Team, but this was different.

'What do I say?'

Sang-Hyeon was running out of things to talk about. Still, he tried to squeeze something out.

"Ah... I'm really grateful for this award again. The performance... perhaps it's thanks to my capsule? Anyway, thank you."

He now had to make up words on the spot that weren't prepared.

— If it's not an ad, he can't speak.

— Lol, somehow makes a connection.

— Damn lol, nutty guy.

Viewers thought his way of speaking always led to advertisements if it wasn't actually an ad.

"The Best Couple award goes to... Almond and Miho! Their stunning visuals at the pool party photoshoot were quite the topic, weren't they!? Even in the tournament, many users paired them up because of their good chemistry! And here comes Almond again!?"

Sang-Hyeon, now receiving the Best Couple Award, stood before the microphone. From this point on, his mind went blank.

'...'

Not because he was nervous, but literally because he had nothing to say. Standing by his side, Miho somewhat comforted him and rambled on in his stead.

— So good looking!!

— They match well

— The worst streamer on Earth, Almond

— Miho, don't do it, you demon!

— It's going to be small. Please say it's small.

Being next to a popular female streamer meant he also received a lot of flak (or love) in the chat. It was utterly unfair.

"Does Mr. Almond have anything more to say?"

“Ahaha.”

Sang-Hyeon's blank expression caused laughter throughout the audience.

'What to say?'

Still, as a streamer, words came out when the microphone was passed to him.

"Ah, um... for the couple award... thank you... all couples in South Korea, fighting!"

— ????

— Lololol

— Miho's expression lol

— Is this an acceptance speech?

Miho looked at Sang-Hyeon with a dumbfounded expression. The host summarized Almond's words as followed.

"Aha! That's right! Couples need to fight on! South Korea needs to come alive, doesn't it!? Because we need more children!"

— The birth rate is the future lol

— Crazy lol

— Random grand eloquence lol

— Is this the multi-universe of big chaos?

— The host burst into laughter lol

— Miho's face turned red lol

— They're really crazy lol

"Indeed, the youth who aimed for the national team! That's the kind of comment you'd expect! Now, let's move on to the next award for Most Trending!"

The next award was The Most Trending Award. The person captured on the screen was already Sang-Hyeon. Who else would be shown on the screen shooting archery if not him?

The Raina video that hadn't appeared before started playing here.

"Most Trending goes to Almond!”

— Almond! Almond! Almond!

— ???: Almond! He’s winning like a dog!

— lol, sweeping the special awards for real?

— Almond lol

— Even the host gave up lol

"Everyone knows this, right!? When Yu Sang-Hyeon's past was revealed, it even made it to the nine o'clock news. And he appeared on a popular talk show, matching vibes with Kim Tru and Han Min-Gu! But what I'm most curious about is what he will say now!"

With the audience's laughter, Sang-Hyeon stood in front of the microphone again.

"Thank you. It's Almond."

Laughter spread once more.

"Although I couldn't represent the country by shooting arrows in reality..."

The laughter gradually faded. This was a different kind of speech with a firmness in his voice that seemed sincere.

"Ten years later, I was able to do it in a game, so I will continue to work hard. Thank you."

Sang-Hyeon bowed and exited as the audience all applauded.

— Now there's even emotion in the ads...

— The ad quality keeps getting better

The warmth in her chest reached her eyes. Tears poured out. It wasn't just a single drop. They freely flowed out quite embarrassingly, but she stood straight and looked toward Sang-Hyeon and Ju-Hyeok.

"Having never won one... it feels really good. And the two of you."

In her blurry vision were the silhouettes of the two men who saved her.

"Thank you for being with me, for saving me."

Although she was crying profusely, no one thought she looked sad. She was smiling brighter than ever.

***

It was well past midnight and the award ceremony had ended.

As expected, without any surprises, Zello won the Grand Prize.

"Wow, Zello's average viewership was insane. Isn't it the highest output domestically?"

"That one mala hotpot mukbang brought in 300,000 live viewers."

"That's almost like a small city's population."

"He arrived right before the Grand Prize. They asked why he was late and he said it was because of his hip... That was so cool..."

"Euhahaha! Did he just come to receive the Grand Prize and then go home?"

Streamers leaving the ceremony venue shared various stories about the awards. Naturally, most of the conversations were about the Grand Prize.

Surprisingly, there was also a lot of talk about the Newcomer Award.

"Did you see the graph for the Newcomer Award?"

"Ah... the difference was no joke. Is he aiming for the Best Award next year?"

"That's what I'm saying... Plus, he swept all the special awards too. He hogged the camera all to himself."

It wasn't just about winning the Newcomer Award, but the overwhelming difference compared to the rest. Then, he also swept various special awards.

As a result, Sang-Hyeon was featured on the award ceremony cameras several times. Even more than Zello, who won the Grand Prize.

"Alright, Almond. Strawberry. Go in."

"Yes~"

"See you next time, Mr. Ju-Hyeok and Ms. Ji-Ah!"

"Yes! Please go in!"

After the after-party ended, the Balloon Stars members parted ways.

"Bro! Let's do another collaboration next time! Bubblegum said he'll teach you a new game!"

"Sure~"

Sang-Hyeon and Ju-Hyeok kept saying goodbye to them. After everyone left, they finally took a breath.

Feeling that something was off, Sang-Hyeon and Ju-Hyeok looked at each other and laughed.

"Ha. To think I've been at Ah-Sung for five years."

"It's ingrained in your body, isn't it?"

"Yes."

They inadvertently sent everyone off like clients after a company dinner.

"Phew. Let's take a taxi."

Director Oh had already gone home. They had hitched a ride in a van to get here together, but couldn't hitch a ride back.

They decided to call a large taxi.

"Huuuuh..."

Ji-Ah drank too much again and wasn't in her right senses. After crying at the award ceremony, she said it was embarrassing and kept downing shots.

"Ji-Ah kept taking shots because she cried... Ah."

Ju-Hyeok sighed as he carried her.

"No, no need to carry!"

She tried to refuse, but ultimately complied.

"But why did she cry so much earlier?" Sang-Hyeon mused curiously.

"... Just happy tears, I guess."

Although Ju-Hyeok said this, he thought it was strange. He wondered if anyone had ever cried like that upon receiving the Newcomer Editor Award... No one else came to mind.

"Come to think of it, Ji-Ah hardly talks about herself," Sang-Hyeon muttered while booking a taxi.

He seemed pretty drunk too given his flushed face. Being talkative was evidence of his intoxication.

"All I know is she had a bad breakup with her ex-boyfriend and didn't like her job... That's all."

Sang-Hyeon looked at Ju-Hyeok as if to ask if he knew more.

"Um..."

Ju-Hyeok cut his words short.

'I don't know either.'

He didn't know. How had she lived her life? To be honest, who was she really?

***

The next day, comments started appearing on an old notification board long after the event since viewers were aware of the grand after-party for the award ceremony.

— Is there a stream today?

└ Most streamers seem to be taking a break today...

— Open up, boss!!

— Hey. Boss. Skipping the basement today? You've been ending streams like a dog lately, so do it today too!

└ For real lol, balance it out!!

— Let's all pray and take a bite of Almond. This is Almond's flesh, and this Almond breeze is Almond's blood.

└ Is this a religion now? Lol

Although they teased him for a stream, they didn't actually expect one, especially not on this topic.

Ding!

[What will this man be like in 2036? Planning a New Year Masterplan]