I Met God (6)

A little time passed, and Nam Haneul returned, her face completely flushed red, behaving with uncharacteristic primness. Hong Suyeon watched her with a smirk, her eyes gleaming like she was about to tease her mercilessly.

"I heard something similar happened before."

"Th-that... um."

"Are you doing it on purpose, maybe?"

"N-no, ah, no way... I wouldn't..."

"Eek...!"

Nam Haneul didn't sit down; she stood there clutching the hem of her skirt, glaring at the chat window. Of course, with the stream's owner and biggest presence, Hong Suyeon, not stopping them, the teasing didn't let up.

"Argh, hate comments! Hate comments!"

"Pfft— isn't that just affection at this point?"

"B-but, b-but...!"

Hong Suyeon watched her fume for a good while longer before pulling up a chair and sitting down. She waved lazily at the chat as if to say enough teasing, then cleared her throat.

"Anyway, we won. Congrats. One more win and you're gold-bound, right?"

"Huh...!"

Now that she thought about it, she hadn't checked the post-game screen after the victory. There it was: Silver 1, 89 LP. She usually gained around 25 LP per win. One more victory, and gold was hers.

"W-wow. Then let's queue up right now—"

"But that's it for today."

"Gasp."

"Wh-why?"

"I wasn't planning to stream long today anyway, and it's getting late."

The two had met during peak evening hours when streams drew crowds. After intros and two games, it was past 10 PM. Prime streaming time, sure—but for her official debut, Hong Suyeon hadn't planned to go long. She wasn't here to grind streams, after all. Plus, Jjeung needed the booth for his own broadcast.

"And I have one announcement to make."

Viewership had already topped 120,000. Even with Nam Haneul there, it was Hong Suyeon's official debut—fans and LoL savvy viewers had flocked in.

"Wh-what is it?"

Nam Haneul shrank back at Hong Suyeon's suddenly serious demeanor. She'd been basking in the praise, but now ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠feared a scolding. Hong Suyeon smiled faintly at her fidgeting fingers under the desk and continued casually.

"Neon and Tsuruk are teaming up for a streamer LoL tournament, the Niruk Cup. Official announcement soon, but I'm here to tease it early."

Neon, undisputed top LoL pro team—seven Worlds wins. Teaming with streaming giant Tsuruk for a tournament? Massive news. Viewers spiked to 140,000 instantly, big streamers chiming in too.

"Streamers sign up, then directors bid to form teams. And—"

Nam Haneul's head spun; she had no clue why she was here anymore. With her upgraded intellect, she knew exactly how huge this was.

"I'll be directing too. And my one fixed core member? Sky Princess right here."

"...Huh?"

"N-no. Why, why me? Huh? No?"

"Directors get one fixed member like me. Lots of love, everyone. Check the site for details. Stream's over."

"W-wait, why me? Huh? No, uh. Goodbye. Wait, no."

Hong Suyeon ended the stream without giving Nam Haneul time to recover. Ending on her flustered charm was the perfect touch.

Viewers lingered post-stream. Hong Suyeon's solo debut was wild enough; announcing a tournament and her directing? In March, pre-pro season, it was the hottest thing possible.

Nam Haneul still stared at Hong Suyeon, unsure if she'd heard right.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"N-no. Why me...?"

"Core member. Directors get one no-bid pick, the team anchor."

"But why...?"

Hong Suyeon poked Nam Haneul's collarbone with a finger.

"You've got core potential."

"Eek... Huh?"

Nam Haneul exhaled at the touch, head dropping, then looked up ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠puzzled. Her rank was climbing, sure—but she'd been Bronze-locked for over a decade.

"I don't dwell on pasts. What I see now matters."

"Mm...?"

"Though, to be my core, you'll need results."

"Huh...?"

Hong Suyeon trailed her finger up Nam Haneul's collarbone, then gripped her chin and yanked her close. Nam Haneul froze as their faces nearly touched, Hong Suyeon's long lashes visible up close, breaths mingling.

"Before teams lock in—ten days. Hit Emerald. You can do it, right?"

"H-huh? Y-yes...!"

Nam Haneul doubted herself—Emerald felt like a dream. But pinned like that, nodding weakly was all she could manage. No thought of refusing crossed her mesmerized mind.

Satisfied, Hong Suyeon flicked her cheek and pulled back.

"Good. Hit me up if questions. Great debut today."

"...Y-yes. Y-you too, S-Suyeon."

Hong Suyeon stroked her cheek without waiting, then left the booth. Nam Haneul clutched her skirt, head bowed, lost.

"...?"

Hong Subin and Jjeung watched, cheeks flushing. The vibe between the women was... charged.

"A-hem. Gotta stream now, so..."

Jjeung broke the silence. Nam Haneul bowed hastily and fled.

What the hell...? Hong Subin couldn't shake the confusion.

Back home, Nam Haneul showered and crashed into bed. Exhausting day.

I... met her.

Hong Suyeon herself. Top pro, idol to millions.

Memories flashed: first meeting to that final chin-grab.

......

Her heart pounded recalling it. Ears and face burned; she kicked off the covers.

Why...?

Twenty-plus years avoiding romance—she chalked it up to nerves from meeting her idol.

Which naturally led to—

"Ah...!!"

Her Emerald promise.

She bolted upright, embarrassment forgotten, to her PC. Why? Silver 1 now. Gold, Plat, then Emerald—ten days? Even Plat seemed iffy, let alone Emerald. No rest now; daily penalty missions were dicey too.

Then the status window flared brighter than usual.

She jolted at the golden glow. She'd leaned on the status window hard, but a job change system? News to her.

F-Femininity? Masculinity...?

New stats popped up naturally.

Names suggested femininity vs. masculinity metrics—

"N-no, why's Femininity higher...?"

She saw herself as a tough guy, yet Femininity dominated.

"N-no way...?"

Her phone buzzed mid-panic: SNS from Hong Suyeon.

Nam Haneul stared at the pic and slumped, steam practically rising from her overheated head.