It’s not that kind of malicious broadcast

《What are you doing right now… Ah, good question. I’m peeling the bark off a tree. When starting a fire, it’s good to use thinly peeled bark or the less wet inner parts as kindling. You hold the knife like this, and push it at this angle-》

『No, that’s not what I meant. What are you doing in general?』

『Wow, this is really informative』

『Is this some kind of jamboree?』

『But seriously, where is this place??』

『Just seeing your face makes everything better』

『Why is senpai so cute when he’s excited? LOLOLOL 』

『Her face really is content』

『Excuse me, are you an active rogue?』

『A suspiciously skilled woman with a knife』

『Why are there so many idiots asking about the location? Do they actually plan to go there if you tell them?』

Seriously, what was this all about?

Jinhee slowly set down the phone she had picked up.

On the screen, there were six unsent lines of messages. Warnings like, “Be careful if you capture any signs that might reveal your location”, or “Have you made sure how to get back if your battery dies?”

At the last moment, she barely restrained herself.

But-

‘I’m not her mother.’

She did not want to be seen as someone who only nagged. Even though it seemed like it was too late, still. What Yena needed right now did not seem to be a person who would nag her.

Watching Yena shrink and become more passive in front of Lee Yeri further strengthened Jinhee’s conviction.

‘She seemed to be on edge all the time. It wasn’t an act… she looked like she was struggling.’

Because of that doubt, Jinhee added another large chapter to her own dark history. It was something that made her shudder and want to close her eyes whenever she thought of it.

Nevertheless, there was no… little regret.

At that time, Yena really looked like she was having a hard time. Gone was her usual self, incredibly withdrawn and filled with the constant worry of how she appeared in Lee Yeri’s eyes.

She really did not want to see Yena acting so concerned about others’ opinions.

So, if by any chance, if by nagging incessantly, Jinhee herself made Yena watch her words and actions… she felt she wouldn’t be able to bear it. Just imagining it made her feel suffocated.

… Even so, unlike Ahri, she couldn’t bring herself to just let go and lose her mind.

In any case, Yena was someone Jinhee found confusing and didn’t know how to deal with. At times, she seemed like she would disappear, then she would come close and smile bashfully.

Just when it seemed they were getting closer, she would fade away again. The memory of a night when they drank together suddenly surfaced.

Under that dreamy lighting, Yena slumped in her chair was vividly imprinted like a photograph in Jinhee’s mind.

She had made a joke, saying with a poker face that she originally liked girls. The soft sigh that escaped from those red lips, and the eyes that seemed to glisten with a slight hint of tears-

‘Ah! Damn it!’

While she tried her best to chase away those images that seemed to bloom if she let her guard down.

Yena, with a noticeably brighter expression, was showing the knife to the camera.

《Like this, if you hold it at this angle, you won’t cut yourself and can do it well. It’s useful knowledge. I wish I could show you how to use a hatchet too… but I couldn’t bring it, unfortunately.》

-ㅇㅇ donated 1,000 won!-

【Is she seriously carrying a dagger all the time?】

《The term ‘all the time’ is a bit ambiguous. I’m always at home, so I don’t need to carry anything around.》

『Oh…』

『Ahh…』

『‘Comrade’』

『The same… again?』

『What the hell LOL, staying home with that face, you gross lot』

(This message has been temporarily blocked and deleted)

『『Manager』 Please maintain decorum in the chat』

As she peeled the tree bark and neatly piled it up, she haphazardly arranged the twigs on top. She had been doing this for several minutes already.

From beyond the screen, one could sense the exceptional skill with which she wielded her camping knife. There was something unexpectedly captivating about her demeanor. You might have thought she would be clumsy at such things. When did she become so adept at camping?

‘If only you had told me where you were going. I can’t help but worry.’

Knowing it might be wishful thinking, it was natural for the feeling of regret to seep back in.

Did she even have an inkling of his feelings? It’s unlikely, and that was only natural… but still, somehow.

Kim Jinhee felt a bit unfairly treated.

The subject of her worry, meanwhile, was seriously pointing a torch skyward and lighting it with a confident face.

《Hmm… Technically speaking, it’s a bit of a cheat to use this, so I wasn’t planning to. But since time is short… I’ll use the torch this time.》

『Short?』

『Short what』

『If it’s because your battery is at ten percent, no joke, go up to the roof』

『Auntie, you just started the camping broadcast, and it’s at 10%?』

『Sure, end the broadcast~ Let’s see what happens~』

『SEXY KUNOICHI SO HOT』

『Speak Korean, you LOL dirty western guys』

『But why doesn’t this cheat ban people when they speak in English? Is it just me?』

『『Manager』 Please avoid mentioning other broadcasters, viewers, managers, etc.』

She directed the torch’s flame carefully to the neatly stacked wood for a few seconds.

When the smoke started to rise, the flame soon caught enough, making it visible even on screen.

Indeed, her claim about being good at making fires wasn’t empty boasting, Jinhee thought. Though she did wonder whether using such a torch required that much skill.

-ㅇㅇ has donated 1,000 Won!-

【Teacher, the chat is already on fire】

《… That’s unfortunate. Everyone, don’t overdo it with the chatting as it might drain the battery faster. For our sake, let’s try to refrain from spamming, especially with fire emojis.》

『🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥』

『🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥』

『🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥』

『🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥』

Despite her words, the “fire” in the chat grew exponentially faster and fiercer.

* * * *

It took an entire 30 minutes for the chat to become somewhat calm, as the viewership dropped below 20,000.

Most were those who had been banned and kicked out, but a significant number left voluntarily.

This happened right after the announcement of a major patch, which could be considered a massive upheaval. During this period, numerous transient viewers roamed the ‘KoK’ category. Streamers who typically focused on KoK were all putting up titles like ‘Comprehensive Analysis of the Patch.’

Despite this, she continued camping, oblivious to the surrounding hype.

For devoted KoK users, it must have felt like a high-level endurance test.

Of course, some held on with a glimmer of hope, but it wasn’t easy. Whenever they thought it might be over soon, she started a new project. After making the fire, she reinforced the base, prepped the food, and then began carving thick branches, saying she was creating something.

So, it was natural for the chat to be flooded with comments like “Still holding on, so persistent.”

However, some viewers found the vivid scenes of cooking with just a single knife in nature quite intriguing—

Among her fans, there were those who were satisfied just by watching these distinctive moments in the process. For instance, Yena stretching her arms after working hard or tying her hair up with a rubber band from her pocket – these simple scenes brought them great satisfaction.

『Wow』

『Amazing』

『So cool』

『Incredible』

『Physics Master…』

『Please do camping in the summer too』

-ㅇㅇ has donated 1,000 won!-

【Please tell me the battery joke was just a joke】

『For real』

『Stop donating you @ssholes, she’s losing battery』

『Teacher, I tied the rope just in case. If the broadcast ends, we’ll start a tug-of-war immediately』

『Why is she so good with the dagger?』

『She seems to be a good cook, too』

『A master of the wild…』

In the end, except for the die-hard fans, most viewers watched the broadcast while expressing their anxiety in the chat. It was as if they were secretly playing games at night while their parents were out.

The broadcast could end abruptly at any moment. More significantly, no one knew when she would come back once it ended.

The last broadcast was 23 days ago. And even though she acted nonchalantly, if she turned on the broadcast today because of some KoK patch—

Then when would the next broadcast be?

《Alright. Now that the stand is finished… Shall we cook some meat? Sometimes people use these stones as grilling plates for fun, but if you pick the wrong one, it can explode, so be careful. I’m a civilized person, so I’ll use an iron skewer.》

Whether Yena knew everyone was anxious or not, she made a stand by driving two carved sticks into the ground, then skewered a pork belly she had prepared with the knife or spread an appropriate stone. Moving briskly, she was absorbed in her tasks.

As if giving a lecture, she continued her work while softly explaining what she was doing for a few more minutes.

Finally, after placing the completed meat skewer on the stand, she sat down lightly on a somewhat flat stone. From the bag she had dragged along, she pulled out three cans of beer simultaneously.

Her face looked slightly refreshed.

《…Isn’t nature wonderful? It calms your mind… Yeah. I suddenly felt like showing it to all of you.》

She slightly lifted her beer towards the camera as if making a toast, muttering a low “cheers.”

《Why? Because when something is nice… you want to share it.》

The refreshing scenery with not a single person around. Her drowsy voice and the small, modest setup filling the screen created a strange harmony.

A bonfire burning gently in the center, meat dripping tasty-looking oil as it cooked, branches being swayed by the breeze, and nameless weeds slowly blooming. And there was Lee Yena, sitting back casually and sipping on her beer, gazing intently at the camera.

Complaining that the camping chair ruined the atmosphere, she had even tossed it away to sit leisurely on some stone instead.

It was an image that brought a sense of peace and nostalgia – perhaps thanks to the host who seemed so at ease. Yena turned her head slowly toward the camera while gazing quietly at the burning bonfire in the middle of it all.

A small, somewhat awkward smile.

《I hope this is well transmitted through the broadcast. I really do.》

With the early afternoon dusk casting a shadow on her cheeks, Yena’s eyes curved softly.

-ㅇㅇ has donated 1,000 won!-

【Teacher, now I really want to binge-watch The Rogue】

-ㅇㅇ has donated 1,000 won!-

【Folks, I feel like my first love memory is being manipulated】

– User has donated 1,000 won! –

【If you just keep your mouth shut, you’re really damn beautiful】

Despite the karma accumulated just moments before, was it because of the somewhat romantic atmosphere? Or perhaps simply the power of her strikingly beautiful face?

The chat window, which had been swept by a storm of comments, was now filled with compliments.

Not only that, but most viewers were absorbed in the broadcast, making comments about bringing drinks or how delicious the pork belly looked. Even a small minority who missed the “rogue vibe” were starting to gain momentum.

– User has donated 1,000 won! –

【Don’t worry, as soon as she logs off because her battery’s about to die, I’ll be able to binge-watch GetDevouredTube 10 times】

Of course, it wasn’t a sentiment shared by everyone, but it was hardly the kind of opinion to be noticed in front of the rare sight of Yena’s mukbang.

《Hmm… Alright then, shall we taste the cooked meat first?》

『Wow』

『That looks freaking delicious;;』

『Cooked perfectly LOL』

『Let’s dive into the mukbang~』

『Teacher’s outdoor mukbang… There was no demand for it, but it’s certainly precious…』

『Please eat it quickly』

Lee Yena briefly showed the camera a skewer full of mouthwatering, well-cooked meat. She opened her mouth toward the succulent meat—

《Ah.》

Seeing something on her phone, she closed her mouth softly as if she realized something.

Then.

《Uh… I saw in the notice earlier that there’s talk about a one-on-one tournament.》

『Oh』

『Declaration of participation? Declaration of participation? Declaration of participation? Declaration of participation? Declaration of participation?』

『Even pros would probably enter since it’s the off-season』

『Honestly, if the top ranker doesn’t enter, who will』

『I don’t care, just eat it please』

『One-on-one matches are unpredictable even for pros, let’s go』

『Wow, look at the gloss on that meat』

As soon as she mentioned the tournament, the chat window buzzed with excitement again.

《While I was lighting the fire, I did some thinking. So, there are many things I want to say… but we’re really out of time now. To cut to the chase, well—》

『Ah』

『Thinking?』

『Damn it』

『She really left without taking a bite』

『So, what is it?』

『Damn it』

『Ah』

『Damn it, for real』

『Timing, damn it』

『So what!!!』

The slightly elated expression on Lee Yena’s face disappeared, replaced by a black screen with the message, “The broadcaster has ended the broadcast.”

It was exactly 42 minutes after the camping broadcast had started.