Cosplay Isn't Like That!
The day of G-Star came rushing up on us. There hadn't been many days left to begin with, but by the time I blinked, it was the day before.
We decided to gather at Nikang's place before setting out, partly so we could try on the cosplay outfits once.
That's right — we.
"Why do I have to come too…"
Beside me, a familiar-looking woman muttered under her breath as she brushed her hair back. About a handspan shorter than me, she had the cute, small-animal air of a petite girl.
It was Ririyang.
Her hair, dyed a vivid yellow unlike her usual color, was strikingly different. Of course, her real hair hadn't actually been dyed. There was no way she'd change her hair color just for cosplay.
Though the world has all kinds of people. According to what Nikang had told me, some folks dye their hair and diet like they're shooting body profiles just to do cosplay properly. That didn't apply to us — we were planning to keep things relatively light.
The yellow hair that looked so real was fake. A wig, to be precise. But even knowing it was a wig, it didn't look cheap or low-quality. It matched Theodora's radiant blonde well enough without any trouble.
I only noticed because I'd known it was a wig beforehand — if I hadn't, I probably wouldn't have realized at all.
Thinking about how good wigs have gotten these days, I tried to reassure Ririyang.
"Going to G-Star together is nice, right? Why not?"
"Going together is fine, but…"
She was probably a bit flustered about the cosplay part. I understood that feeling perfectly well — I'd felt the same way myself.
Dragging Ririyang into this had been entirely my call. Just as I'd been inevitably pulled along by Nikang, I'd dragged her under with me like a water ghost.
It was a strategic decision of sorts. Thinking back to when we'd gone to watch the Abyss pro league live and run into a cosplay team there, I'd realized something.
The more people you have, the less embarrassing it is. With three of us as a baseline, the attention gets spread out — and beyond just diluting the stares, it also put my own mind more at ease. A kind of mental buff, if you will.
You know how it is in school — those bold stunts you pull are always easier when you've got a bunch of friends around. Climbing onto the festival stage together when you'd never dare go alone. Same logic.
Sure, Ririyang's dignity, which had been perfectly intact, would take a bit of a hit… but that wasn't my problem. She wasn't a kid — she must have considered that when she agreed. Of course, I was grateful, so I planned to treat her even better going forward.
"Da-hee's cosplaying Theodora, right? I'm Camilla."
"So what?"
Ah. So she doesn't know.
"In the lore, Camilla and Theodora are the closest of friends. Camilla only knows dancing, so she barely has any close heroes — and Theodora is the only one she'd actually teach to dance—"
"Hmm, I see. As expected, Muna knows everything about Camilla!"
But Ririyang didn't seem to be listening carefully. She was answering halfheartedly while looking in the mirror, clearly letting it go in one ear and out the other.
I'd meant that we were close friends just like Camilla and Theodora — but maybe she'd gotten sick of hearing about Camilla after all the times I'd talked about her.
"I'm all ready now too. You two aren't too uncomfortable, are you?"
That was when Nikang, who'd gone into the room to change into her cosplay outfit, came walking out.
She seemed more experienced with cosplay than expected — she'd dressed up me and Ririyang first, then started on herself last.
But I couldn't hide a quiet disappointment as I looked at Nikang's appearance.
She was wearing a wig and contacts, it seemed… but her outfit was somehow utterly ordinary.
A black-based one-piece with white fabric at the head and neck. A baggy outfit that revealed nothing of her figure. She looked like she'd just thrown on a sack.
What Nikang was wearing was a common nun's habit — the combat-nun Calliope's distinctive look. A cross hung around her neck, Calliope's signature identity piece.
Honestly, the accuracy of the cosplay itself was high, but I had a separate reason for thinking it looked plain.
"Isn't it a bit too modest?"
"Calliope's outfit is a nun's habit, so there's not much to dress up."
That's not what I meant. When people say cosplay, even a common nun's habit should be something more form-fitting, with side slits like a qipao, some exposure, some skin mixed in—
"Y-you pervert! Cosplay isn't like that! What do you even think cosplay is?"
"Looks like you hit a nerve…"
As if to prove Ririyang's muttered observation true, Nikang launched into a full lecture on the aesthetics of cosplay.
"But if you just search for cosplay, all that comes up is this kind of sexy outfit. Look, even the algorithm is recommending sexy event looks."
"There are so many pretty people…"
"Urgh…"
When I searched for cosplay online and showed them, Ririyang marveled while Nikang trembled with frustration.
She'd told me she just had a little cosplay experience, but looking at her now, it didn't seem like that at all.
After being thoroughly rebutted, Nikang fell quiet for a moment, then pointed at me and continued.
"Then Kayak's outfit should have been something more revealing too. We were going to do Snow Queen Camilla but went with the base skin instead… Want me to change it even now?"
"Oh…"
Nikang raised her voice, and Ririyang beside her lit up as she looked me over.
Snow Queen Camilla — that skin Nikang mentioned is one of the more risqué ones even in Abyss. The base look itself has underboob, and the bottoms cling tight for appeal.
I briefly imagined myself cosplaying Snow Queen Camilla. It wasn't hard to picture. I just had to think of the Snow Queen Camilla skin.
Maybe if I were alone, I could somehow manage it — but walking around G-Star in that…
"I was wrong… Everyone's ready, so we should just go like this."
"Hey hey, watch yourself, Kayak. Push me and I'll strip you bare."
"Kayak's base look is already sexy enough — she shouldn't take off any more…"
A swift declaration of surrender.
With Ririyang's supporting commentary from the side, we set out.
Unfortunately, none of us owned a car. Objectively speaking, we were all streamers doing reasonably well for ourselves, so money shouldn't have been an issue. Maybe I should have bought a car for times like this.
"It's a bit inconvenient, but taking the train like this has its own romance, doesn't it?"
"That's true."
Our transportation was public transit — specifically, the train. Going from Seoul to Busan, what else would you take but a train?
Along the way, I could feel glances from people around us. Probably because of this outfit. Camilla's base look is like a Western-style blouse — a fluttery outfit with buttons done up just below the neck.
Ririyang and Nikang planned to change once we arrived at the venue. Unlike me, they had more to prepare, and their outfits themselves were inconvenient to travel in.
"This is a little embarrassing…"
"You just changed clothes — what's there to be embarrassed about? Nikang and I are going to put on wigs and contacts too."
"That's right, at that level… Even if it's a bit unusual on the way there, once we arrive it'll be completely everyday-wear level. Cosplay has so many things that get completely bizarre depending on what you're copying."
Well, I was on the mild side. Compared to the two next to me, I hadn't put much effort into dressing up, and the only thing about changing clothes was that my chest felt a little tight.
At least the fabric was decent, so nothing particularly bothered me. No itchy body, no unfinished edges catching on things.
"Custom-made, so when you think about it, it's a luxury item."
"So the price was…?"
The natural follow-up question. Nikang answered that because she knew the person, they hadn't charged her too much — but even so, it was quite expensive.
Cosplay wasn't impossible on a budget, but Nikang herself was the type who found satisfaction through high accuracy, so she'd spent some money. Looking at what she showed us, higher prices did tend to mean higher quality.
As we went, we ate the kimbap we'd bought in advance, got into a travel mood, and chatted about this and that. We talked about cosplay, asked about G-Star, and since we were all streamers, the conversation never went quiet.
Time gradually passed, and people boarded at the various stops along the way.
Some of the passengers had put serious effort into their makeup or were dragging carriers behind them — you could tell just by looking that they were headed to the same destination. Occasionally people recognized each other and exchanged brief greetings, and some even asked me for autographs.
Among them were people who truly stood out — the kind of outfits where anyone walking by would immediately think, Oh, that person's cosplaying. Naturally, everyone's eyes on the train turned that way.
Normally you'd change after arriving, but these were impressive people who didn't care about stares at all.
Meanwhile, Nikang also saw them and tapped my shoulder.
"I told you someone at your level was on the mild side, right?"
"Indeed."
She was right. We hadn't even arrived yet and it was already this level. Even some people who weren't cosplaying flinched at the sight of others inside the train.
In that crowd, I was just Girl Number One who looked exactly like Camilla, dressed in an unusual fashion. You could even call it modest, in a way.