Kai hit the "Go Live" button like he always did.
Nothing special. No intro music. No hype. Just a tired young man sitting in a dim room, adjusting his cheap microphone and forcing energy into his voice like it cost money.
"Yo… welcome back," he said, glancing at the viewer count.
Seven viewers.
Then nine.
Then six.
He exhaled through his nose, half-laughing at himself. "Yeah, I know. Peak content."
The chat was slow. Usual usernames. A couple of regulars spamming emojis. One guy arguing with another about random nonsense. Normal. Safe. Predictable.
Kai leaned back in his chair. "Today we're just chilling. Maybe some ranked matches later—"
A notification popped up.
OnlyMine has joined the chat.
Kai didn't react immediately. New viewers came and went all the time. Weird usernames were normal too.
But within ten seconds—
A donation alert flashed across the screen.
$1,000.
Kai froze mid-sentence.
The sound of the alert felt louder than it should've been. His eyes locked onto the screen.
The chat paused.
Then exploded.
"BRO WHAT??""FIRST TIME VIEWER???""$1K FOR WHAT??""IS THIS REAL??"
Kai blinked. "Uh… thank you for the donation, OnlyMine. That's… insane. Appreciate it."
He tried to smile it off.
Then another alert hit.
$5,000.
This time, there was a message attached.
"You speak too casually. It's annoying."
Kai stared.
The smile didn't fully form this time. He leaned closer to the monitor. "Okay… I think this is a troll account or something."
The chat was going crazy now.
But before anyone could settle—
$10,000.
The screen shook slightly with the alert animation.
The message appeared slowly, like it wanted attention.
"Don't entertain them. Talk to me only."
Kai let out a short laugh. Not because it was funny—but because it felt like the only acceptable reaction.
"Alright, alright," he said, raising his hands slightly. "Thank you, OnlyMine. I appreciate the support. But I'm streaming for everyone here, you know?"
Silence in chat.
A second passed.
Then:
$20,000.
"Everyone?"
Kai's throat went dry.
Something about the tone—no emojis, no playful sarcasm—felt wrong. It wasn't like normal donation spam. It wasn't even attention-seeking.
It felt… directed.
Personal.
Kai leaned back again, trying to reset the mood. "Okay, guys, let's just play—"
The stream lagged for half a second.
Then recovered.
But the chat changed.
A few usernames disappeared.
Not banned messages. Not deleted spam.
Just gone.
Kai frowned. "Did anyone else notice—"
$50,000.
The alert cut him off.
The message came instantly this time.
"You notice too much when they talk."
Kai stopped talking.
His mouth stayed slightly open, but nothing came out.
The room felt quieter than before, even though the stream audio was fine.
He swallowed. "Listen… if this is a joke, it's kind of weird. Just chill, okay?"
For the first time—
OnlyMine didn't respond immediately.
The chat slowed.
Then:
$100,000.
The biggest alert he had ever seen in his life.
His entire screen lit up.
The donation animation lingered longer than normal.
And the message arrived with it.
"Don't look at them when I'm here."
Kai felt something cold slide into his chest.
He wasn't sure why—but he suddenly looked at the chat instead of the alert.
And noticed something strange.
There were fewer active messages than before.
A lot fewer.
He scrolled up slightly.
Usernames missing.
Messages missing.
Like pieces of the conversation had been erased mid-stream.
Kai forced a laugh, but it came out weaker than intended. "Okay… I think we're done with donation jokes for today."
OnlyMine replied instantly.
"Not a joke."
The words felt heavier than text should.
Kai rubbed the back of his neck. "Alright… thank you. Seriously. But let's just play the game now."
He started the queue.
Match found.
The game loaded.
For a moment, everything felt normal again.
Clicking sounds. Lobby chat. Random players arguing.
Kai focused on gameplay. He needed normal. He needed control.
Then his phone vibrated beside him.
Unknown notification.
He ignored it.
Another vibration.
Then another.
He glanced down.
A message appeared.
Unknown Number.
"You're smiling again."
Kai froze.
His eyes slowly lifted from the phone back to the screen.
The game had started.
But his character wasn't moving.
Not lagging.
Not disconnected.
Just… idle.
Like someone else had control.
"Uh…" Kai leaned forward. "Guys, I think my input—"
The chat froze.
Every message stopped.
Even the lobby noise in-game felt muted.
Then OnlyMine appeared again.
No donation this time.
Just text.
"You don't need them."
Kai's fingers tightened on the mouse.
"What are you talking about?" he muttered.
The screen flickered.
Once.
Twice.
And for a split second—
The reflection in his monitor didn't match his room.
There was something behind him.
Standing too still.
Too close.
Kai turned his head immediately.
Nothing.
Just his room.
Chair. Desk. Door.
Closed.
He exhaled sharply, trying to convince himself it was paranoia.
But the chat suddenly reactivated.
And every message was the same.
"END STREAM""END STREAM""END STREAM"
Kai frowned. "Guys, what—why are you spamming that?"
OnlyMine finally sent another message.
"Good. They're listening now."
Kai's stomach dropped.
His cursor hovered over the "End Stream" button without him realizing it.
"Okay… this is getting weird," he said quietly. "I'm just gonna—"
$200,000.
The donation hit so hard the screen stuttered.
The message came with it.
"Don't end it."
A pause.
Longer than before.
Then another line appeared.
"I want to see you."
Kai's hand slowly moved away from the button.
His throat felt tight. "See me…? I'm literally on stream."
OnlyMine replied.
"Not like that."
The room lights flickered once.
Kai looked up instinctively.
For a fraction of a second—
The darkness in the corner of his room felt… denser.
Like it was occupied.
He laughed nervously. "Okay, okay. I think I've had enough internet for today."
He reached for the end stream button again.
And then—
His screen changed.
Not crashed.
Not disconnected.
Changed.
The stream title updated itself.
"Don't Leave. I'm Watching."
Kai stared.
His hand froze mid-air.
And in the chat, OnlyMine sent one final message.
"If you end it… I'll come closer."
The stream continued running.
But Kai didn't move anymore.
Not because he couldn't.
Because for the first time—
He wasn't sure if he was the one streaming.