Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Busan Date and Starcraft Finals
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I could feel the jealous stares from the guys packed with envy.
Their target was obviously me.
Insults mocking my ugly mug echoed from here and there.
"Wow, a guy like that on a date with two women..."
"Fuck, some of us can't even get a single girlfriend. This pisses me off."
"Those girls are seriously hot, though."
"Yeah. Gotta be actresses signed to some agency."
And then there were reactions like this.
"Oppa! What are you looking at?"
"Uh, huh? Nowhere."
"Don't lie. You were checking out those girls!"
Voices inflamed with jealousy rang out, as if they were the incarnations of it.
Whatever fights broke out over there had nothing to do with us. I was just naturally drawn to the two women right in front of me.
Take Han Yu-jeong, for example.
She looked like she'd stepped out of a serene painting. Her long, ebony hair cascaded softly down her pale neckline, and the subtle smile peeking through those strands captivated anyone who saw it.
And what about Im Yun-ah?
Unlike other women who leaned on men, her sharp, vigilant eyes scanning the surroundings exuded a unique allure. True to her ex-military background, her outfit was impeccably neat without a single wrinkle.
"What brings you to Busan? I think I saw you at the stadium last time too..."
She must have been referring to the semifinal encounter.
Nothing special about that.
I'd just sponsored the Starcraft tournament and knew Jin-seong personally.
"Do you know the streamer Jin-seong?"
"Yeah. I'm friends with Jin-seong oppa too."
Just as I'd guessed.
Han Yu-jeong and Jin-seong must have bonded.
And the one who'd sparked that connection was probably...
'Me!'
Since both had been sponsored under the ID 【Bukppudeupppu】 from behind the scenes, it was natural for them to cross paths.
"I'm personally acquainted with Jin-seong."
"Really?"
Just personal?
Once Starlight's next game dropped, he'd basically be my sales rep hustling to promote it.
"Order's up."
An elderly grandma set down the pork soup in its earthen pot. The menu star was their famous pork soup rice. If you're in Busan after a while, you have to have some of this, right?
Fortunately, Han Yu-jeong loved pork soup rice.
She ate it a ton on her streams. When asked why not pasta or Japanese food, her answer was legendary.
[You gotta eat pork soup rice to feel full inside!]
Growing up in tough circumstances, Han Yu-jeong favored cheap, filling foods. Pork soup rice was a prime example.
"I-is it good?"
Surprisingly, she was already on her second bowl.
"Yeah. I haven't eaten anything since morning."
"I-see. Eat up, then."
Slurp!
Nom nom!
Next to her, Im Yun-ah shoveled her spoon like she was in battle, cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk.
"Tho fthate tho.(President, eat some too.)"
"..."
It was like watching a mukbang YouTube video with these two.
I couldn't bear to watch with my eyes open.
Anyone would think they'd starved for a week.
Look at that.
People were already whispering and gossiping.
'...Now I'm hungry all of a sudden.'
Still, Busan's pork soup rice lived up to the hype—the broth was killer.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The Starlight Cup finals had finally begun.
The massive audience seats sold out in less than a day.
People unleashed their passion like they were at an idol concert.
"JNU fighting!"
"DC fighting!"
Unlike the upbeat vibe...
In JNU's waiting room, shouts flew every which way.
"Why stop production there?!"
"Don't obsess over troops—build first!"
"Do it this way here, that way there..."
"Get your head in the game!"
The ex-pro gamer coaches were busy drilling them.
The winner's prize was a whopping 1 billion won.
Not 10 million or 100 million—1 billion, with an extra zero.
Runner-up got zilch, on purpose for max immersion.
That's lottery jackpot territory.
Even split among a few, each walks away with over 30 million.
No wonder everyone's all-in.
"Do-jun oppa, look at that crowd! So many people!"
"Yeah. Way more than expected."
Before I knew it, Han Yu-jeong and I were on casual name terms. We'd shared hot pork soup rice—what's a little familiarity after that?
Im Yun-ah quietly trailed me.
Of course, cola from somewhere was glued to her hand.
Tickets were long gone, but that didn't apply to me. I'm the tournament organizer. As Starlight's CEO, who could stop me from watching?
Snagged the best VIP seats.
Set down the snacks from nearby vendors and eyed the vast arena.
Unlike the quarters, JNU was dominating.
Jin-seong seized early momentum.
⚙ LIVE COMMENTARY ⚙ [Wow, this is shocking! JNU takes Games 1 and 2 straight, leading 2:0!] [DC must dread this. They'll have to send their ace for Game 3.] [And there he is—DC's player enters!] That player was none other than...
"Ppimak-i's here!"
DC's leader, 'Ppimak-i'.
Don't underestimate her just 'cause she's a girl—Ppimak-i was an amateur dubbed 'Choo,' meaning she's top-tier.
"Jin-seong oppa!"
Ppimak-i grabbed a megaphone from somewhere and yelled.
"If we beat you, you hike 80km across the nation and do all my housework for a week?"
JNU fans jeered in response.
"Boooooo~"
Others cheered wildly.
DC supporters who'd traveled far.
"Woooo!"
"Go Ppimak-i!"
"Jin-seong to 80km hell, gooo!"
Occasionally, cameras caught bizarre JNU-uniformed fans amid DC's cheer squad.
⚙ LIVE COMMENTARY ⚙ [Haha! JNU fans cheering from the enemy side just to see Jin-seong's penalty!] [That's the charm of internet broadcasting, right?] Did the cheers fuel them?
DC clawed back Games 3 and 4, tying it at 2:2.
"Woooo!"
"DC! DC! DC!"
"JNU! JNU! JNU!"
In the chaos...
Han Yu-jeong clasped her hands beside me, praying for JNU's win.
Did her earnest wish work?
⚙ LIVE COMMENTARY ⚙ [Whoa? JNU's Hngwon lands a cheese rush!] [DC's Kkaman got greedy. A base rush at that range?!] JNU ultimately took Game 6, leaving just one match.
"Whew, too tense to watch anymore."
"You too, Do-jun oppa? Same here."
"Last player's Jin-seong, right?"
"Yeah. Looks like Jin-seong oppa's up for Game 7..."
The organizer Jin-seong and JNU.
Everyone hoped the winning college would be his.
"JNU fighting!"
"Jin-seong fighting!"
"Woooo!"
Jin-seong played Terran.
Streamer Yeomhwa from DC went Protoss.
Jin-seong quickly took his natural, steadily scouting while timing upgrades. The classic 'Upgrade Terran' strat.
Terran's mech is tough to recover once spent. Protoss grinding with cheap, efficient zealots was a nightmare matchup.
Yet Jin-seong handled the disadvantage calmly.
⚙ LIVE COMMENTARY ⚙ [Amazing! Held off Yeomhwa's 200 supply push!] [Insane defense. Protoss took heavy losses. Terran could snowball now!] [Terran Air 3/Defense 2 incoming. Protoss melts like ice cream!] [Overcommitted to army? Yeomhwa's only Air 1/Defense 1...] [Whoa! Jin-seong masses his army!] Spotting his chance, Jin-seong lumped his forces and smashed Protoss bases one by one.
Boom!
Booooom!
Terrans tanks spewing flames and shells.
Yeomhwa tried overwhelming with numbers, but it was futile.
⚙ LIVE COMMENTARY ⚙ [Protoss army comp shattered! JNU's win is imminent!] [Will the organizers take the trophy?] [Yeomhwa can't hold—GG! GG!!!!!!!!!] Having led JNU to victory with his own hands, Jin-seong couldn't hold back tears of joy.
"Woooo!"
Streamers and fans poured into the arena from the stands.
They hoisted the still-sobbing Jin-seong high, tossing him toward the ceiling.
"Jin-seong! Jin-seong! Jin-seong!"
Han Yu-jeong and I joined the fray.
CEO title or not, I was one of them right now.
"Jin-seong forever!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I gathered the post-match JNU and DC crews in one spot.
Starlight was the sponsor, after all.
And as CEO, treating them to a feast was the least I could do.
"Eat your fill here today. Pork belly, sirloin, tenderloin—order whatever."
"Woooo!"
"Starlight forever!"
"No limits—dig in! Great job, everyone."
Nearly 50 streamers mingled with their buddies.
DC's leader Ppimak-i sulked before me.
Up close, she looked like a Japanese girl into cosplay.
"Eek!"
If Jin-seong lost, he'd endure a blistering 80km national hike plus housework, humiliating the 'President of Streaming.'
But Jin-seong won, so Ppimak-i faced the penalty.
"Heh heh heh..."
Jin-seong grinned slyly at the dejected Ppimak-i.
"You know Galmeok Show, right?"
"!"
Galmeok Show.
Streamers called it the worst content ever.
Dump 100 ingredients on a table, let viewers pick randomly—mackerel, soy sauce, bizarre stuff—into a blender.
The taste? A shock like nothing else.
Rumor had it one streamer went on a week-long hiatus from the trauma.
'Huh, they kinda suit each other.'
Did Han Yu-jeong think the same?
Her lips twitched.
"Do-jun oppa, those two look good together, right?"
"Y-yeah?"
"They're gonna date soon."
"...What?"
I didn't get it then. But exactly a week later, Jin-seong dropped a bombshell on stream.
"Everyone! I'm dating Ppimak-i!"