Chapter 70
Chapter 70
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: They Fight Over Me
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Soon, Dokgo Hwayeon appeared, dressed in a sleek black gown. The instant she stepped into view, she seized everyone's attention.
It was impossible not to.
With her background as the pampered heir of one of the five great conglomerates, the Dokgo family, not to mention her stunning beauty.
No one could tear their eyes away from her.
"Whoa!"
"She's insanely hot in person!"
"She's too pretty..."
Both male and female streamers seemed utterly smitten. They all stared at her in a daze.
And then, she made a beeline straight for me, greeting me with a bright smile.
"You're already here? Jae-ho?"
"Yeah. Long time no see."
I couldn't help but feel a swell of pride in my chest. Especially with all the envious stares from the guys egging it on.
"It really has been forever. You haven't even suggested meeting up once this whole time... Hm?"
Dokgo Hwayeon started off sounding a bit miffed, probably because I hadn't reached out. But she suddenly cut herself off mid-sentence and stared right at my face.
"......What's up?"
"Ahem, oh, nothing."
She turned away, her cheeks slightly flushed.
I was puzzled but didn't pry further.
Actually, I had no choice but to hold back.
"Nice to meet you! I'm An Young!"
"Nice to meet you too! I'm Heyni!"
Suddenly, An Young and Heyni plastered themselves right up against me and greeted Dokgo Hwayeon.
"Oh, hi there?"
Dokgo Hwayeon looked a little flustered as she returned their greetings.
Then she shot me a glance, pointing at the two with her eyes, as if asking what the hell was going on.
'No idea...'
I was caught off guard myself.
It was their totally unexpected behavior.
'Why are they suddenly acting like this?'
Before I knew it, An Young and Heyni were flanking me on both sides, practically hugging me.
"I've wanted to meet you for so long, and now we finally have!"
"Right? I've been dying to see you sometime."
"Oh, really?"
An Young and Heyni had never been close before—just acquaintances by face. But now they were acting like a united front.
Like they'd formed an alliance against a powerful new intruder?
'Are they wary of Dokgo Hwayeon or something?'
It made sense, maybe. To them, she was a seriously threatening presence.
I decided not to butt in for now. My instincts were screaming that jumping in would spell disaster.
"Hehe, but you're seriously so pretty! You caught me off guard!"
"Totally! How can someone be that gorgeous?"
"Oh my, really? You two are pretty too."
Was this what they called a women's stare-down?
They were all smiling as they spoke. But it didn't feel friendly at all.
It was like they were holding knives to each other's throats while chatting.
"Really? Thank you."
"I never dreamed I'd hear that from Dokgo Hwayeon. What an honor."
"Honor? No way. Oh! Right. How old are you two, anyway?"
That was Dokgo Hwayeon's sudden counterattack.
More like a strike to divide their alliance?
"A-age? Why do you ask..."
An Young looked thrown by the abrupt age probe. She was 23, the oldest of the three here.
Heyni, on the other hand, wasn't fazed. She confidently stated her age.
"Oh! I'm twenty!"
"Oh my, you're younger than me? Mind if I call you by name casually?"
"Of course!"
In a flash, Dokgo Hwayeon had pulled Heyni to her side. She'd targeted the newbie in politics(?) first.
True to her conglomerate roots, her maneuvering was no joke.
I subtly glanced over at Seing-i's chat window. It was a habit I couldn't shake.
💬 Comments — Viewer Lololololol — Viewer Damn, that's savage lololol — Viewer Is this that legendary catfight everyone's talking about? — Viewer Wait, all three have something going on with Jae-ho? — Viewer Look at Jae-ho's panicked face lolololol — Viewer So who does Jae-ho like best out of the three? — Viewer An Young got rattled by the age drip lolol I half-hoped the viewers might have some solution to this mess. But nope, nothing helpful—just a flood of useless spam.
Then Dokgo Hwayeon opened her mouth again, poised to deliver a ruthless finisher.
"So, An Young, how old are you?"
"M-my age?"
"Yeah. If you're older than me, I'd love to call you unnie."
"U-unnie..."
An Young clearly hated the idea of being called unnie. But she had no choice—it was a fact she was the oldest.
Just as An Young's eyes started wavering...
"Gasp!"
"He's here!"
"It's Kim Kangrok!"
The entrance suddenly grew noisy. Everyone whipped their heads toward it.
The three women beside me did the same, turning to look.
And there, at the entrance, Kim Kangrok made his entrance, flanked by nearly ten people.
Thud. Thud.
His neatly pomaded hair, flawless skin, sharp eyes, and straight nose—Kim Kangrok was strikingly handsome.
The suit suited him perfectly too. He could've passed for a celebrity.
Gulp.
But the room fell silent. Everyone looked at him with a mix of fear and admiration.
It was inevitable.
All ten people with Kim Kangrok were streamers—and mages. Their presence was intimidating as hell.
And Kim Kangrok headed straight for me, like he had business to discuss.
Normally, I'd have been pretty rattled. But not this time.
'Phew, who knew I'd ever be this glad to see Kim Kangrok.'
I greeted him with a warm smile. Compared to the three women around me, he was nothing to fear.
"Ah! Brother Kangrok, you're here?"
"B-brother Kangrok?"
My sudden demeanor threw Kim Kangrok off.
I ignored it and kept talking, mimicking the bold intruders nearby.
More like copying what I'd seen him do.
"Come on, you're just two years older than me. That makes you my bro!"
"Well, that's true, but..."
"Over here. The food here's great."
I hadn't even tried the food yet, but I bluffed anyway, leading him to a distant table.
A few flustered streamers were already at the table.
I ignored them, focusing solely on Kim Kangrok.
Pretending to, at least.
'Phew, managed to slip out naturally.'
Even I had to admit it was a brilliant move. Using Kim Kangrok to escape the catfight? Genius.
"Here, bro, have a drink."
"Uh..."
Pour.
I poured wine from a nearby bottle into his glass, then mine.
"How about a toast to celebrate our meeting?"
"S-sure?"
The Kim Kangrok I knew would've bolted from his seat, pointing at me and demanding what the hell I was doing.
But he was surrounded by people now, cameras rolling. With his goody-two-shoes, righteous image, he couldn't just bail.
We clinked glasses and sipped our wine side by side. I kept the chatter going.
Sure enough, I spotted streamers filming us.
'Perfect time to ham it up.'
"I've been a fan of yours forever, bro. Honored to finally meet you like this."
"R-really?"
"Yeah. Here, another round."
"Uh."
I politely refilled his glass, then mine.
By now, everyone was watching us. They were dying to know what we were talking about.
"So, what brings you over to me first?"
"Oh... well... I watch your streams a lot too... Just wanted to say hi."
"Whoa, for real? That's an honor!"
"N-no, ahem."
I doubted that was his real reason.
'Too many mages in tow for a friendly chat.'
He'd probably come to intimidate me.
Sure, he'd play nice and righteous on the surface. But bringing human weapons—mages—changed everything.
Most people would've trembled.
But my quick thinking had foiled his plan. No wonder he looked so off-balance.
'Even those mages behind him seem thrown.'
I'd singled him out and dragged him to this far table, acting all buddy-buddy. Bet they were confused as hell.
Anyway, I kept up the friendly act on camera, downing drinks with him. We both had thick skins—easy to fake.
"You really watch my streams often?"
"Y-yeah! You put on a good show."
"Aw, thanks!"
I chatted while sneaking glances at Dokgo Hwayeon, An Young, and Heyni. Thankfully, Kim Kangrok wasn't the only one rattled by my stunt—they looked pretty shocked too.
The three had stopped talking among themselves and were just staring at me.
'Phew, maybe time to get up soon?'