Opening Match
A few conditions came with finding someone to go watch the match with me in person.
First: it couldn't be someone I was too awkward around.
It was such an obvious requirement it barely even counted as a condition. If the silence between us got uncomfortable and we had nothing to say to each other, I'd rather just go alone.
So anyone I knew and was somewhat acquainted with, but not close enough that hanging out one-on-one felt natural — those people were out of the running.
Second: they couldn't be a celebrity whose face was widely recognized.
A fair number of my acquaintances were fairly well-known. Most of my already-narrow social circle had been built after I started streaming, which meant the majority of them were streamers themselves.
Even if random passersby wouldn't stop and go, "Hey, isn't that person a streamer?", the people who would know, would know. And a stadium packed with people who'd come to watch a pro match made that risk even higher.
Plenty of gamers who came to watch matches also watched internet streams. Bringing a fellow streamer along was something I needed to avoid.
If they'd been no-cam streamers like me, it wouldn't have mattered — but every single one of my friends streamed with their cameras on, so unfortunately none of them were an option.
That was why I'd told Ririyang I already had plans when she happened to message me. I'd hesitated for a moment, but Ririyang was a streamer with a decent following of her own. With that many fans, the odds of someone recognizing her were high.
And if that happened, attention would naturally spill over onto whoever was standing next to her. Someone would put it together — a streamer who looks just like Camilla among Ririyang's friends — and my face would be out there. That was exactly why I wasn't going to a live match with a celebrity. Call it protecting my personal information.
That said, I wasn't determined to keep my face hidden forever. The thought that I might turn on the cam someday while streaming crossed my mind more often than I'd admit.
It wasn't like showing it off would wear it out, and sometimes I even felt a quiet urge to show it off a little. That my face was a perfect match for Camilla's. That I was, by extension, more beautiful than anyone.
Honestly, I was pretty. I thought that every morning looking in the bathroom mirror.
It felt like a bit of a waste for only me to get to see this face.
The preamble ran long, but those were the two main conditions for my companion: someone I wouldn't feel awkward around, and an ordinary person whose face wouldn't get recognized.
I weighed those two conditions carefully, and eventually found one person among the people around me who checked both boxes.
"Hey, want to come watch something fun with Unnie?"
Maybe it was because the word "Unnie" still sat so unnaturally in my mouth, but I could feel my own lips curling into an awkward smile. From the other person's perspective, I probably looked pretty ridiculous.
"Hmm…"
The person who met the conditions — the one who'd just heard my pitch — eyed me with open suspicion. Hands on her hips, eyes narrowed, staring me down.
That person was none other than my mature little neighbor kid, Han Sihyeon.
"They taught us at school not to go with people who talk like that…"
Well. They'd taught her properly, then. To be fair, I probably would have found it suspicious too — someone showing up out of nowhere and saying, "Want to go watch something fun?"
Was there a more cliché line in existence? Not that I was trying to kidnap her or anything. Though most kidnappers were people the victim already knew, so I should probably be praising Sihyeon for being sharp enough not to just tag along with someone she recognized.
That said, I was now in a bit of a bind.
What do I do? If she turns me down too, I genuinely don't have anyone left to go with. Do I just leave the other ticket as an empty seat…?
And then, mid-thought — Sihyeon, who'd been standing there all stiff and proper, suddenly dropped her arms and started jabbing me in the side with her elbow.
"So? What fun thing are we going to watch?"
Looking at that sly little grin, I finally realized I'd been played.
I got a firm yes from the person who met the conditions.
I'd been so flustered by her initial reaction, thinking she was going to refuse. She had a cunning streak that was completely out of place for a kid. She was going to mess with a lot of people when she grew up. Between that face and that way with words, I could already see her future.
"Whew…"
Anyway. I had my companion. The fire at my feet was out for now.
Of course, whether Sihyeon — who barely knew anything about Abyss — would actually enjoy watching the match was still an open question… but even sports games were fun to watch live regardless of whether you understood them, weren't they?
Having experienced that myself, I had a certain confidence. Confidence that Sihyeon would end up feeling the charm of Abyss too.
"Clothes are packed, transportation's sorted…"
Everything was ready. All that was left was waiting for tomorrow.
For some reason, I couldn't wait for the next day to arrive.
"So, is she coming?"
"Is who coming."
Minhyung answered the incomplete question without much interest. People on the team had a habit of dropping the subject when they talked, so this kind of thing was common enough.
What had changed was the attitude of the person asking.
The one who'd thrown out the hard-to-parse question — the team's youngest member and trainee, Taewan — continued with rare hesitation.
"You know. That person. The one who looks like Camilla…"
"Ah, Kayak? Beats me. I don't really know. She'll probably come, right?"
They were talking about a match that was only a few hours away. Tomorrow's season opener. Kayak had taken two tickets as payment for helping them practice, after all.
But why did Taewan care about that? Minhyung found himself mildly puzzled.
He's not the type who chases after girls…
Taewan was, put generously, a practice maniac — put less generously, a lunatic who knew nothing outside of games.
Even though he still hadn't played in an official match, every time the team had a game he got more nervous than the players actually competing, and he'd sit on the bench watching live and giving real-time feedback the whole way through.
A young man burning with passion for the profession of pro gaming. That was Minhyung's assessment of Kim Taewan.
And yet here that same guy was, asking about something completely outside the match itself.
What's this about?
Minhyung studied Taewan with mild confusion, then caught sight of his tightly clenched fists and understood.
It was probably that day — the day Kayak had come. The day she'd handed losses to nearly every player on the roster except Junhyeok.
Kayak had become Taewan's rival. That was why he was acting like this now.
It was pretty shocking, yeah.
That day's memory had left a strong impression on Minhyung too. He'd probably never forget it for as long as he kept playing — maybe even after he retired.
It had been the match that taught humility to a guy riding high, convinced he was untouchable. For Taewan, it seemed to have worked as a kind of stimulant in a similar way.
Even if she did come, they wouldn't be able to rematch right there on the spot. And yet Taewan still seemed to want her to show up.
I kind of hope she comes too.
Minhyung wanted Kayak there just as much as Taewan did.
He also wanted another shot at her himself — but the reason Minhyung hoped she'd come was something else entirely.
I want her to come and see what we've prepared with her own eyes.
And he wanted to hear her take on it. Honest critique, genuine admiration, whatever — he just wanted to hear it.
After that practice session, under Junhyeok's overall direction, Fusion Gaming had prepared something extraordinary. A surprise bomb for their opponents — and if Kayak came to watch, a surprise gift for her.
Minhyung found himself curious about her reaction. What would someone of that caliber, that level of authority, think when they saw it?
And Minhyung wasn't the only one who reacted to Kayak's name.
"What, Kayak's coming?"
"Did she reply saying she'd be there?"
"Obviously. We gave her tickets — of course she's coming."
Ever since that day, the players had practically become her fans.
Led by the ones who already watched her streams, half the roster was borderline worshipping her. A complete reversal from before her visit, when they'd been teasing her as "broth."
"Uh, well… I don't know either."
"So you didn't get a confirmation?"
"Junhyeok hyung was the one exchanging messages with her in the first place. I just got the feedback secondhand."
In the end, finding out where Kayak was going meant asking the team captain, Junhyeok.
But nobody could bring themselves to walk over and ask him whether she was coming or not.
Right now, he was fully occupied pulling his focus together for a match only a few hours away.
The kind of routine pro players had — the things they did to bleed off the tension and keep performing at their usual level.
In the middle of that noisy room, Junhyeok sat alone with his eyes closed, deep in meditation.
It was the kind of composure you'd expect from a player called a world-class talent, the best in the country, the god of Abyss. The players who'd turned to look at that solemn figure quietly went back to their places and started settling their minds for the match ahead.
Is she coming…?
But what they didn't know was this:
Junhyeok was just as intensely interested in Kayak's whereabouts as anyone else.