The World I Sponsored Is Real

When I close my eyes, I remember the faint memories of the old days.

Memories of the past, now faded to sepia, where all the light has vanished.

Back in my early elementary school days, when my parents were out, my only friend was, of course, the TV.

The computer was too shitty to play games, and because I moved schools a lot, I had no friends at the playground either.

On that cheap-ass TV, there was this game with a UI that looked like it was made in Flash, all janky and shit.

The host's goofy voice would blare out:

"Oh no, friends! Our hero's about to lose! Call in now to give the hero some support!"

And then, the number they'd repeat twice, every fucking time.

060~ ****~ ***~

060~ ****~ ***~

"Call 060-****-*** right now and mash the 3 button! If you don't support the hero, he won't have the strength to fight! We'll pick one caller to win a new game console, so don't miss this chance!"

060-****-***.

I heard it so much it was like earwax, and being the dumb kid I was, I'd call without thinking.

Sitting alone at home, smashing the 3 button on the phone while watching the hero on TV, that was one of my few joys since I had no real friends.

"Great! Thanks to all of you mashing 3, our hero survived the trial! Ahaha! It's all thanks to you, kids!"

After that, they'd announce winners by their phone number's last digits, but honestly, I didn't give a damn about the prize.

Just being there for the hero was enough for me. It made me happy to think my button mashing helped him.

Looking back, it was like some hero complex or a feeling of superiority. I believed other kids probably felt the same way.

―But, of course, being a hero for a short time comes with a brutal price.

"Oh, Mom! I'm sorry! I messed up!"

"How the hell did you rack up such a huge phone bill?! That's it, we're canceling the cable TV."

"But, but if I don't support, he won't make it through the trial..."

"That's all a scam! And who do you think you are? If you don't call, others will, so why stick your nose in and cause this mess!!!"

That day, I got my ass whooped so hard it felt like it was on fire. My childhood dream of being a hero took a beating.

I'm not blaming my mom. She was just doing what she had to do, teaching me a lesson.

It didn't take long to realize those shows were just scammy pieces of shit trying to swindle money from kids with pre-set outcomes.

So why am I recalling this bitter memory now?

It's because―

[If you don't sponsor, this family's fate will be a total disaster ㅠㅠ Please support the Milia family with your sponsorship now!!]

"Oh god."

I was just casually reading a comic in the challenge section and couldn't help but scoff.

Asking for sponsorship? What era does this comic think it's in?

It wasn't some famous author with a philosophical twist, making readers participate. It was just some family about to get killed by bandits, begging for sponsorship.

Naturally, the comments were a shitshow.

[Memorandoria: Is the author a retard? lol Go back and rethink your plot.]

[skxm7888: This begging for sponsorship is bullshit, won't sponsor, downvote.]

[antbungimammajo: Came for the pretty art, found out it's just a kid's begging comic...]

[Rayfa: Is this your doodle pad? If you want sponsorship, draw properly, not this crap.]

But that was the least of it.

The real issue was the next episode.

The family getting massacred by bandits was depicted in excruciating detail for no fucking reason.

"Ugh..."

Just a bunch of scenes that made you feel gross.

It wasn't even high-quality gore for gore fans, nor was it necessary for the story.

The kicker was the author's note at the end:

[Since no one sponsored, this poor family had to die ㅠㅠ So sad...!!!]

The comments section was a mess, but only a couple of comments showed any disdain.

The comic wasn't popular anyway. I only stumbled upon it by chance.

'This world has made even trolling hard.'

In an era where you can read comics just by browsing, trolling isn't surprising.

But what's the point of this pissing contest with readers?

I thought about leaving a sharp comment about the mindset of a creator but decided against it. It wouldn't benefit me.

'...'

Normally, I'd just close the page and switch to YTube or a game, but for some reason, this comic brought back old, faded memories.

The time I got my ass kicked for calling 060 and doing something similar, causing a huge phone bill.

There were still quite a few episodes left.

Maybe I'll check out what happens next.

So, I clicked 'Next Episode.'

The comic was a fucking mess.

Besides 'Milia's family', various characters appeared, but the pattern never changed.

Characters were put in danger to prompt sponsorship, and since no one sponsored, they all died gruesomely.

Amidst this slaughter, the only survivor, a girl named 'Erin', was shown trying to survive.

Of course, there was no meaningful plot development. It was like the author was on a mission to end misery porn, with repeated scenes of Erin suffering from hunger.

I say 'repeated' because they weren't exactly copy-pasted. The author drew Erin's suffering in different angles and scenes each time.

From the varied depictions of each character's death, it was clear only a real sicko could draw this.

But wait, there's more. The author kept begging for sponsorship in every 'Author's Note' section.

[With so many dislikes, if you don't sponsor to clear them, Erin might not get to eat today!]

[Last time, no sponsorship came, so Erin had to go hungry... Please sponsor now to support Erin!]

[Oh no... No one sponsored, so Erin's on her third day without water. She might die soon. Please sponsor to save her!]

'Even after watching all this, it's still this bad.'

The author's plea never changed.

Begging for sponsorship, subtly blaming the readers for not sponsoring, then showing another character in peril, begging again.

I only realized after clicking on the latest episode that it had just one view.

'This guy's really committed to his bit, even with zero views.'

Despite feeling disgusted by the pointless gore, I figured I'd forget about it in a few days. That's how little this comic meant to me.

If I were younger, I might have reacted more dramatically, but I'm in my late twenties now. I'm past being moved by such cheap tricks.

Just as I was about to close the tab, something inside me hesitated.

A voice in my head kept whispering:

―Hey, why not sponsor once? Aren't you curious what happens if you do? And look at Erin, she's suffering. Giving her water wouldn't hurt, right?

'...What the hell.'

I tried to squash the curiosity, but honestly, I was curious. What would happen if someone actually sponsored?

'...'

After a moment of hesitation, I put my hands on the keyboard and typed:

[ Iggokden: lol What happens if I sponsor? Does she get water? ]

I didn't think much of it when I posted the comment. I might forget it by tomorrow.

'Oh?'

―But within three seconds, a reply came:

ㄴ [ PleaseGiveMoney (Author): A 1,000 won sponsorship will provide water for Erin! The development changes with the sponsorship amount! ]

What? Was the author just lurking on the site?

Since comments notify the author, it wasn't weird if they were online.

'1,000 won, huh...'

Far less than what I paid back then for hero support via phone, considering inflation, it was peanuts.

Yeah, why not? As respect for the author's dedication to this bit, it's not a bad deal.

I clicked 'Sponsor' and paid 1,000 won.

[ Payment completed. ]

[ Iggokden (Sponsor / 1,000 won): So, does Erin get water now? ]

Again, a reply came almost instantly:

[ PleaseGiveMoney (Author): Thank you! The next episode update is scheduled for next week! Erin's water is all thanks to you, Iggokden! Thank you for supporting Erin! ]

"Great! Thanks to all of you mashing 3, our hero survived the trial! Ahaha! It's all thanks to you, kids!!"

'Brings back memories.'

Tasting the bitterness of old memories, I closed the window.