Genius Archer's Streaming-Chapter 160Season 4: . Office (2)
Creeeeeak!
Two men strained under the weight, sweating late into the night.
“Haaa...!”
“Ju-Hyeok, this thing is huge.”
Was it the wrong size? Sang-Hyeon almost said it out loud, but one look at Ju-Hyeok’s determined face made him stop. Ju-Hyeok clearly believed that this was the right choice.
‘Well... it does look cool being this big.’
A bookcase that reached all the way up to the ceiling had presence.
“One more push!”
“Grrrhh!”
Thud!
Finally, the bookshelf slid perfectly into place.
“Phew.” Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Ju-Hyeok caught his breath. “The previous tenant left it behind. I figured it would fit perfectly here.”
“Oh, so you didn’t buy it.”
Thump.
Sang-Hyeon dropped onto the table where they’d eaten chicken earlier. Even as a former athlete, lifting furniture after drinking wasn’t easy.
‘Can’t remember the last time I used real strength in the real world.’
Since becoming a streamer, he rarely did anything that required physical effort. He still ran for stamina, but didn't do any weight training.
Sang-Hyeon glanced at his right hand, trembling faintly.
‘Funny... it never gives me trouble when I’m doing something heavy.’
That was the cruel part. If he’d chosen a sport like judo or fencing, where brute strength mattered more than precision, this trembling would mean nothing. However, this tiny shake was everything in archery, where millimeter control decided victory.
“What’s wrong? Does your arm hurt?” Ju-Hyeok looked back from the ladder, alarmed.
“No. Stuff like this doesn’t bother it.”
“Alright. If it starts hurting, I’ll give you a massage.”
“You think that’ll fix it?”
“Fair point.”
They both chuckled softly.
Thud, thunk, thud.
As more books filled the shelves, the bookcase began to look proper.
“Whoa...”
Watching the rows climb higher toward the ceiling, Sang-Hyeon asked, “Where’d you even get all these books?”
“Oh, these? From my room.”
“From your room?”
‘That many books?’
Sang-Hyeon, who had spent his life in small, cramped rooms, couldn’t help but realize it again.
‘Yeah, he’s definitely a rich kid.’
This was the elite class right here.
“My mom sent them. I’m still kinda awkward with my dad.”
“Huh? But he came to the match before, didn’t he? They had dinner with you too.”
Ju-Hyeok paused. “He asked me how long I plan to keep doing this.”
“What do you mean?” Sang-Hyeon frowned, not quite getting it.
“He meant, ‘When are you going to stop fooling around and go back to your real job?’”
Sang-Hyeon blinked, stunned. He hadn’t imagined that kind of conversation had taken place.
‘He thinks Ju-Hyeok is just... playing around?’
To Sang-Hyeon, Ju-Hyeok was the hardest worker he knew. Someone who lived and breathed his job. Even after hearing the explanation, he couldn’t quite grasp what Ju-Hyeok’s father meant. What was a real job in his eyes?
‘Guess the upper class thinks differently.’
His own grandmother had always been proud of him for making ends meet through part-time jobs.
“Probably just a slip of the tongue,” Sang-Hyeon said weakly.
Ju-Hyeok climbed down from the ladder without replying, popped open another beer, and took a long drink.
Gulp. Gulp.
“Ahh.”
Outside, the night sky shimmered with stars brighter than usual.
***
The next night, on their way home, they picked up extra snacks and beer. As the drinks flowed, Ju-Hyeok started venting. First about his dad, then about the people at Ah-Sung, and finally, as always at the end, about how brilliant he was.
“I’m telling you! I helped design this whole system!”
“Yeah, yeah. Great design.” Sang-Hyeon was the kind of drinker who just nodded along no matter what the other person said.
That was probably why they’d been drinking buddies back at Ah-Sung too.
“Right? Right~?” Eyes half closed, Sang-Hyeon simply agreed with everything.
Even if his responses were empty, Ju-Hyeok didn’t care. He was too drunk to notice.
“See?! You get it! You’re the only one who does! Damn, friends really are the best!”
Even drunk, Sang-Hyeon thought quietly to himself.
‘He just wants someone to recognize him.’
Ju-Hyeok’s work was always behind the curtain. Managers like him built the stage but never stood on it. Streamers got the spotlight when things went well, not the people managing them.
‘Even if I say I see him... it probably doesn’t mean much.’
He knew Ju-Hyeok’s talent better than anyone, but that wasn’t the kind of recognition his friend sought. He wanted acknowledgment from the world, not from one person.
“Hey... the new video is up.”
Bzzz.
Even half-drunk, Ju-Hyeok perked up and grabbed his phone. The new upload had already gone live and received a huge response. The previous one had ended with the new servant recruits.
[When a miner dies, he leaves behind only iron...]
The new video began exactly when Zelo snuck into the Order’s base during lunch hour, only to trip an explosive and blow himself up.
— LMFAO 12:08 is insane
— It’s like the ending of a sitcom LOL
— So ChocoShroom killed him after all lol
— If you watch Zelo’s POV, it makes no sense lmao
— Almond’s reaction is killer
As expected, the thumbnail of Zelo in mid-explosion pulled the strongest reactions. Once again, this proved Ji-Ah’s spot-on editing instincts.
[#17 on Real-Time Trending Videos]
The moment it went live, the video climbed the charts fast.
“Damn... she’s killing it!” Ju-Hyeok nodded in satisfaction, then promptly collapsed onto his bed.
Within five seconds, he began snoring.
***
The next morning, Sang-Hyeon sat half-awake at the table. Not exactly hungover, just foggy.
“Mmh...”
Moments later, Ju-Hyeok shuffled out of his room and stretched.
“Yaaawn.”
He went straight to the fridge and pulled out the stew pot.
“Good thing I made this yesterday.”
He’d been making this soybean-paste stew often lately. Still, as he tasted it, something felt missing. He grabbed the cutting board, rummaged around, and came up with dried pollack.
Thud, thud.
He sliced it into strips, dropped them into the pot, and added a bit of starchy water from rinsed rice. Just like that, the plain soybean stew turned into pollack soybean stew.
Sang-Hyeon, watching from behind, unconsciously swallowed.
Crunch, crunch.
Ju-Hyeok threw in a few chopped Korean peppers for more kick.
“Grab the rice.”
“Got it.”
While Sang-Hyeon scooped rice, Ju-Hyeok quickly pan-fried some sausages and eggs.
‘He looks more energetic than yesterday.’
Maybe venting about his father had lightened him up. He seemed refreshed and hummed as he worked.
“Here, this too~”
“Yes, Chef~”
Sang-Hyeon set down the sides, and Ju-Hyeok brought over the stew. He couldn’t resist and took the first spoonful.
Sip.
A deep, clear flavor spread through his chest like a wake-up call.
“Wow.”
“Not bad for a last-minute upgrade, huh?”
“Better than that usual place we go to. You’ve wasted ten thousand years there.”
“That’s kimchi stew, though.”
“Whatever.” Sang-Hyeon grinned, switching between the rice and soup.
The sweet rice and earthy broth formed a perfect harmony. He topped his rice with the fried egg. Golden yolk melted into the grains, blending with the savory sausage fat, and rounded off by the rice’s soft sweetness. This was a flawless Korean comfort combo.
“Haaah...”
Before he knew it, the bowls were empty.
“That was amazing. I’ll clean up later.”
He leaned back, satisfied.
***
Meanwhile, in Cheese Village. While Lord Almond rested peacefully, the rest of the streamers logged off one by one.
[Miho has logged out.]
[SweetPotato has logged out.]
[Sweet Radish has logged out.]
...
Most streamers wrapped up between 5 and 6 A.M. It was already 8 now. Even the fierce rivalry between the Order and the Nonghyup Union paused for the morning.
A few remained and worked tirelessly. One of them, of course, was ForeverAlone.
“Now that I’ve joined the Order, I can’t disgrace the name of the Lackey Division!!”
He wasn’t streaming for personal gain. Just farming, watering, and mining purely to raise the Order’s profits.
— ForeverAlone...
— He’s literally fertilizing the soil himself lol
— A model worker of our time
— Almond needs to see this...
Ding!
Moved by his foolish dedication, a viewer couldn’t resist donating.
[Frustrated has donated 2000 won.]
[Why are you doing this when literally no one is watching, lmao]
“It’s embarrassing if people watch...” ForeverAlone answered earnestly while swinging his pickaxe again.
— Aww...
— Whatever you do, don’t watch “Come Visit Cheese Village.”
— ForeverAlone, promise me you’ll never watch Cheese Village content!
Even as filtered spoilers slipped through, he didn’t get it.
“Of course not, that’s in the contract. What are they talking about?”
He had no intention of understanding anyway.
Clang!
“For the bright future of the Order!!”
All he cared about was faithfully serving the organization that finally acknowledged him. For the first time in his life, others truly valued him.
So, ForeverAlone kept working through morning and noon. He tirelessly cultivated crops, especially the red-tinted soil that the Servant Division had dubbed the Special Field. There, ForeverAlone produced harvest after harvest, oblivious to fate.
— LMAO okay, good for you...
— Meanwhile, “Come Visit Cheese Village” just dropped LOL
— Breaking: new episode uploaded! This guy’s been grinding this whole time!
— Watching him feels like my first week at a company...
Right then, the official YouTube channel uploaded a new episode.
[Come Visit Cheese Village Ep. 2 – The Birth of the Great Lord]
[Premieres in 5 minutes.]
The thumbnail showed Almond surrounded by fireworks. And the title sounded like a video that ForeverAlone absolutely shouldn’t watch.
