LS 35

What a ridiculous pipe dream.

Class balance patches didn’t happen that easily. You might get a few buffs if a class was seriously outdated, but big sweeping reworks were rare. Honestly, while supports got treated like crap in raids, that wasn’t NGA’s fault, it was just the way SoGod’s raid system was built, heavily focused on raw damage output. That system naturally left supporters in the dust.

That’s how class perception works. No matter how decent a class actually is, once the community collectively decides, “Ah, support classes suck,” they get left out of most content. It’s just the nature of MMORPGs.

Sure, NGA probably made some mistakes in how they originally designed the support class, but Dohee didn’t think its performance was objectively terrible. He was proof, people called him the god of PvP, after all.

PvP wasn’t as widely enjoyed as raids, story, or quests, but among hardcore PvPers, having a supporter alt was practically standard. That’s how good supporters were in that particular mode.

“They’re not gonna fix it just because people ask.”

“If NGA had any sense, they’d be trying to save the support class somehow. I mean, if you look through the TOP 300 rankings, I bet at least five of them are supports. And those guys? They probably drop the equivalent of a car’s worth of money just raising a single character. The bastards. If you’re draining players of that much cash, at least give something back. Maybe with Demon Hunter coming out, supports will finally get some raid utility again.”

Jinhee wasn’t entirely wrong. The time when supports and healers were most valued was always right after a new raid launched. There was a time when parties would make sure to bring one support and one healer each, just to boost DPS and survivability even a little more. But that was all in the past. Even during the Snow Witch full clear, support weren’t really necessary, just one healer per party was enough. The role of the support had clearly been shrinking over time.

“We’ll see once it’s out.”

Dohee wasn’t expecting much. Even if Demon Hunter launched, unless something big changed, he planned to form a raid with his AssaGo character and try for a full clear that way. His half-hearted reply made Jinhee look a little sheepish.

“Well, if you ever do think about streaming again, let me be the first to know.”

“Eh… don’t know if that’s ever gonna happen. Honestly, I’ll be lucky if I don’t just quit the game for good.”

“But you liked streaming.”

“That was back then. Thinking about starting again now just feels overwhelming.”

“Why? You’ve barely lost any subscribers. You still have a solid fanbase.”

Dohee just smiled and took a sip of coffee.

Yeah, he knew. Even back then, the GoingSupporter channel had a fiercely loyal following.

Whenever he streamed, he’d always hit the trending lists on live platforms, objectively speaking, he was pretty popular.

But the more popular he got, the more exhausting it all became.

After Corrupted Hana full clear drama, when Yapdeuk, GoingSupporter, and Yeohoo’s former main all clashed over how supports were treated, things exploded, on livestream, no less. Probably tens of thousands of people watched as the two sides hurled obscenities at each other.

After that, the entire community split into factions.

One side took Xeno’s, saying, “Supports just leech in raids, they don’t even do anything,” while the other defended GoingSupporter: “How can you call it leeching? Try playing the class before you talk. What other character gives you this little return for so much investment?”

The whole SoGod community was on fire. Even someone like Baek Dohee, who had spent his whole life in the spotlight, was getting sick of it.

When GoingSupporter posted videos on NuTube, people would leave random comments asking how his parents were doing. Others would drop bait like, “So, supports totally went to hell because of you, huh?”

Every time he went live, Xeno-supporting viewers would come to his chat and hurl abuse for no reason. Some even tried to make him take responsibility, saying, “Yapdeuk’s getting slammed because of you, what are you gonna do about it?” The trolling was off the charts.

It got worse. One maniac threatened, “You think not turning on your webcam will hide you? I’ll dox you and leak everything. Watch your back.”

There was no end to the madness. Even months later, GoingSupporter’s chat was still a battlefield. No matter what methods he tried, he couldn’t get things back to how they were.

In the end, Dohee posted an official announcement saying he was stepping down from streaming. That was how that long, miserable chapter finally ended.

After months of being cursed out and misunderstood for no reason, he was just done. His nerves were shot, and he had zero room left to breathe.

Even for someone like Baek Dohee, who didn’t give a damn what people thought of him, the constant hate and threats had pushed him to his limit. He wasn’t made of steel.

After quitting, all that was left was a strange mix of peace and emptiness. He had no idea how to feel better. Eventually, at Yeohoo’s urging, he went to therapy.

Turned out, it wasn’t so bad.

Time passed as he talked through things, and by the end of the year, even he could feel he was doing a bit better. One thing his therapist had told him stuck:

— “Dohee, right now, more than anything else, you need to take care of yourself. Think about what you want after that.”

It wasn’t wrong.

Dohee let out a deep sigh. He thought he was over it, but just thinking back made his chest feel heavy again. He downed the last drop of his coffee and grabbed his scarf.

“Whatever. Let’s just go get a drink.”

Jinhee scratched his forehead as he picked up his coat.

“Damn… maybe I shouldn’t have brought it up. Forget it, man. Don’t let it get to you.”

“Are you nuts? You already got to me.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine. Just… I’m not ready to stream again yet.”

“Okay, okay. That’s fine! Alright, I’ve decided! I’m treating tonight! Drink all you want!”

Dohee’s stiff expression finally eased at Jinhee’s exaggerated show of generosity.

Jinhee was being sincere, he genuinely missed the old days when they used to stream together.

Dohee missed them too.

Like the bitter winter wind that came every year, some things never got easier no matter how many times you faced them.

Dohee had thought he was used to being a public figure, used to being a target, but every time he became the subject of another rumor, he came away with a new scratch.

Maybe “getting used to it” was never the right phrase.

As they stepped out of the café, Dohee tightened his scarf once more.

“Yo, what the– It’s snowing.”

Dohee nodded and took a step forward.

It was the season’s first snow, arriving a little earlier than the forecast had predicted.

💎

Maybe I drank too much.

That was the only thought in Dohee’s mind on the way home.

He was glad he hadn’t brought his car, he’d known he’d be drinking. He was way too tired to call for a driver.

Slumped in the back of a cab, he pulled out his phone to check the time.

2 a.m.

Not too late.

A new alert had popped up from the GameTalk app. Blinking against the haze of alcohol, he tapped it open.

Knockoff

Did your plans go well???

Knockoff

It was snowing… ㅠ_ㅠ

Knockoff

Did you bring an umbrella? You’re not coming online today, right…?

Such a cute guy.

Dohee let out a small laugh. His fingers moved of their own accord, sending a reply.

Me

Don’t let the other help, wait for me. I’ll carry you myself. O O

His phone vibrated almost instantly. A lightning-fast response from Knockoff.

Knockoff

Wait … have you been drinking!? ㅠㅡㅠ

Me

Jussst a biiiit

Knockoff

It sounds like… a lot… 8 ㅅ 8

Me

You talk too much.

Knockoff

Sorry… ㅠㅡㅠ Did you at least bring an umbrella?

Are you still drinking? I wondered if I was bothering you by sending a game message…

Me

Not bother. Also no umb 7rella so I cabbed it

Dohee blinked hard, trying to clear his vision. His mind was perfectly clear, but his fingers weren’t cooperating.

The screen was quickly filled with typos, exactly the kind of messages you’d expect from someone completely drunk.

Knockoff

ㅠㅡㅠ… Please go home soon and get some good rest!!!

Reading Knockoff’s message made Dohee feel a little mischievous again.

Me

Sowwie Knock=Oie doesn’t care if I’m not here and looks like he’s having fun anyway