The Descent of the Super-Genius PhD Holder
Building a Reaction Model for Conceptual Worldview Overlaps
Generally speaking, 700,000 won is a pretty hefty sum. Not based on those inflated SNS averages polluted by bragging culture, but according to stats from credible institutions, a 20-something's monthly salary tops out at around 2.8 million at best. Factor in taxes, and it's even less. In that context, 700,000 won takes up about a quarter to a third of a 20-something's paycheck. For a mid-tier indie VTuber's short-term editor, it's more than half their monthly pay—so shelling out that much isn't just tough; it's straight-up impossible.
Which is all to say: I've never in my life touched a top-of-the-line 700,000-won gaming console before.
That's why...
"Bwoooom---!!"
"Y-You vile wretch! Enough with the puncheeees!"
"Hah! Jealous? Shoulda mained Paul yourself!! Bwoooom---!!"
...I was having a blast like this. It was all thanks to this latest-gen console. I couldn't help getting hyped in this smooth-as-butter gaming setup I'd never experienced before. I was just thrilled at the idea of thoroughly schooling a landmine girl in a fighting game format.
Absolutely not because playing games with a landmine girl is fun. For real.
===
"You two seem to have had a good time, huh?"
The president asked me and the landmine girl.
"Nah, it wasn't fun at all."
"We took no joy in it."
And we immediately denied it. Sure, denying that we "had fun" was a lie, but denying we "had fun together" was 100% true.
For real. That twinge of conscience? Just my imagination.
"Hmm... sure, let's go with that."
Unfortunately, the president didn't seem to buy our heartfelt denial.
"Sit tight for a sec. She's here any minute now..."
The moment the landmine girl and I plopped down on the office sofa, the door opened, and someone stepped in.
"Long time no see, President Huiyeon. Beg pardon for the intrusion."
It was a petite girl. Soft-spoken with an utterly harmless vibe. Her long hair reaching down to her waist was striking, but the men's hanbok and archaic speech felt so out of place. Like a character from a different era had wandered into the wrong story. She really should've gone next door to the wuxia genre...
"Uh... who might this be?"
I had a pretty good guess about the girl's identity... but hoping I was wrong, I quietly asked the president.
"Your cohort."
Damn, my guess was spot-on. I was increasingly impressed—no, awed—by the president's eye for talent. How did she cherry-pick all these lunatics from 2nd gen and 3rd gen combined?
Of course, Nari-nim and I were exceptions. I wasn't crazy at all, and if Nari-nim was, it was the world's fault.
"Oho...! So you're the new cohort! Delighted to meet you! This humble one is Park Yul. Might I have your introduction?"
Hearing "cohort," the wuxia girl—Park Yul—approached me with a greeting. Following the proverb about not spitting in a smiling face, I returned it.
"Uh, um... pleased to meet you. I'm Seol Yuna."
"Pleased, Lady Seol Yuna. I've awaited one such as you for so long."
I briefly reflected on her surprisingly normal demeanor. Maybe she's not that weird after all? Could be a high-level social strategy unique to wuxia girls—act the opposite of first impressions to skyrocket likability. They call it the peak-trough effect, right? Like how trash tyrants or northern dukes in romance novels are all "gentle only to my girl..."
But that likability from the peak-trough effect shattered in an instant...
"And you, seed of the Demonic Cult... you're here too."
"Hmph. Insignificant gnat. Mind your own business."
"Lady Yuna, will you aid me? We must swiftly eliminate this wicked seed of the Demonic Cult..."
"Ha! You dare?"
Whoa, what the fuck, these psychos.
Watching these concept-obsessed maniacs banter made my head spin. Was I really gonna VTuber with these crazies? This had to be an employment scam. Should've read the terms of service more carefully...
"Here."
Amid the chaos, the president handed me a small rectangular plastic card. Not targeting me specifically—just closest, I guess.
"This is...?"
"Company card."
Then she shooed me, the landmine girl, and the wuxia girl out.
"Kicked out" might be more accurate.
===
The reason the president booted me and those two lunatics outside was simple: go grab lunch. Probably to build some rapport before the stream... but honestly, I had zero confidence.
Zero confidence in bonding with those crazies.
"Today, I shall once more establish justice in the martial world! Come at me, Demonic Cult seed!"
"This one is Adelaine de Lorraine! Rightful ruler of darkness and despair!"
Crazy bitches. Even outside the office?
I desperately wanted to bolt right then and there, but I couldn't. Here's why:
The Scalaiive office was in a prime spot. Spacious, clean, great location. Excellent transit, good lighting—just perfect. No idea where the money came from, though. A brand-new agency with barely any VTubers having an office this nice? Doesn't add up.
Was the president secretly loaded? I hoped not—my inner sickle and hammer were turning red.
Anyway, point is: prime location. Bustling commercial area, great transit. In other words, Help...! Fuck, help...! Crowds everywhere. National-level crowds! As an F-rank hunter, I was like a roadside leaf, bound to get trampled...
And those two lunatics' performance art wasn't helping. Their eye-magnet outfits, plus...
"Hyaah--! Hiyot--!"
"Hah--! Hah--! Hah--!"
...their invisible-energy showdown. A literal ki battle.
"What the heck is that?"
"Dunno? Street performance?"
"Wanna watch for a bit?"
Nooo! Stop!
Gazes, gazes, gazes. More and more gazes. Anxiety and terror ballooned; cold sweat poured from every inch of me. My heart hammered past its limits.
And at the end of it all...
"You crazy fuckers..."
I blacked out.
===
"An unfamiliar ceiling."
A genuine unfamiliar ceiling stared back at me. A line I'd always wanted to say (even pre-possession). Top 10 all-time, and here I was delivering it.
"Mm, you're awake."
"...Who are you?"
The moment I came to, someone I'd never seen greeted me from beside the bed. A long-haired woman in horn-rimmed glasses.
"Seoyun and Yul's friend."
"Those two have friends???"
World's biggest shocker today. Friends for beings whose social skills had evaporated into oblivion? How much "friendship fee" did they wire to get that title?
"They're a bit quirky, but they grow on you."
"Quirky doesn't even begin to cover it..."
"True enough. But they're not bad kids."
...Really? First day and all, so not the most reliable intel, but...
"They dragged you all the way here, y'know? Kept insisting not to remove your hood and mask because of your social anxiety."
That explanation clicked a bit. M maybe their weirdness was them trying to befriend me? Dunno.
"Oh, right—you mentioned social anxiety? Should I give you space to rest?"
"Ah... no, I'm good now."
Did my social anxiety overflow before passing out? Felt stable now. For the first time in ages, I savored that calm and stepped out of the room.
"Clear Wind Sword Style First Form—Clear Wind Bright Moon!!"
"As if!! Dark Flame!!!"
The two lunatics were still at their pointless ki battle, surrounded by dozens of neatly arrayed clothes.
...Not a single "normal" outfit among them.
Maid dresses, bunny girl suits, cheongsams, school uniforms...
"...Mind if I ask where we are?"
"Cosplay shop. I'm the manager."
"Aha."
Now I got why those two had a "friend." They'd definitely paid the friendship fee—in cosplay purchases. Corner over there: landmine-girl gear and eyepatch. Other corner: wuxia-world robes.
And as I browsed...
Something caught my eye instantly.
"Th-This is..."
I drifted toward "it" like a moth to flame. Touching it lightly, a strange yet familiar texture...
"It" whispered seductively: Take me home... You've been chosen...
Quoting the landmine girl: a "demon sword choosing its master." Wuxia girl: a "demonic manual corrupting the righteous." Anonymous baseball gallery: a "high-end bat rejecting owners until it lands in Ohtani's hands."
"...Wanna try it on?"
The manager slyly suggested as I ogled the treasure. I nodded unconsciously and headed to the changing room.
And so... a person died in that cosplay shop changing room just now.
The frail former "Seol Yuna."
The weak Seol Yuna died today. Reborn now as the new "Seol Yuna"...!
"Ahh... this crisp, flowing sensation—it's been too long."
I caressed the "lab coat" and "fashion glasses" enveloping me.
No more hood and mask shielding me from gazes. Now, a being with "credentials" beyond lesser humans.
"Thanks, manager! Time to return as Doctor Seol Yuna!"
The Super-Genius PhD Holder Seol Yuna was here...!
I dove straight into those two idiots' brawl.
"What're you, serf? Wanna die too?"
"Out of the way, Lady Yuna—we must slay this foul blood demon...!"
Hmph—I brushed off their pathetic concept-spew with a single scoff.
"I've come to end this war...!"
Super-Genius PhD Holder Seol Yuna...
Has descended here!