My Hero
After the shoot, I tried something new.
"Hello! I'm Lee Jiwoo, a rookie actress — I played Kang Sora in Ghost Singer!"
I bowed my head with the introduction and greeted everyone. The people I was greeting weren't the cameras packed in front of me, or the directors. It was a greeting for the viewers watching from somewhere beyond all of that.
"Whoa, nice to meet you. I actually enjoyed Ghost Singer a lot. That crying scene... people are still talking about it."
"I've still got a long way to go. But it makes me happy that the viewers like me."
Today's shoot was a different animal from a drama. Variety. And it was my first variety show, no less.
Thump-thump-thump.
Heart, don't you dare act up. Just do what you always do.
I let out a small breath and tapped my chest.
The variety show My Hero. A program where you won prizes through all kinds of games. Among today's prizes, there was one I absolutely had to take home. If only to get that.
"Alright, let's divide into teams!"
At the host's words, every gaze gathered. Teams. The result would change depending on who you drew.
"Then the first team!..."
Thankfully, I wasn't picked first. Going first is a disadvantage in every game. You don't know what's coming, and you don't even have time to read it.
"Second... third..."
The actors and idols who'd come on the show with me formed teams one after another, until only four of us were left, myself included. Which meant one of these people would be my teammate.
Please... let it be that guy.
I clasped my hands together and prayed, and prayed again. Not just me — every contestant here wanted the same man. A former game programmer, currently a coach for a pro gaming team. The Hand of God, Lee Sagu. The nickname meant his hands moved like a god's.
"Alright! At last, the final team we've all been waiting for! The teammate who'll join Lee Sagu, the so-called Hand of God, is~"
I watched, tense, as the host drew it out.
Please... please, me! Call my name~
"Lee Jiwoo!"
"Ya— Yahoo~!"
The moment my name was called, I couldn't contain myself and threw my arms up in a cheer.
There was only one reason I wanted Lee Sagu this badly. The game we'd be playing today was the very game he'd played until retirement — the game he now coached after stepping back from the pro scene.
Legend of Legends.
It would be weirder if we didn't take first.
And so the game began, with me riding high on confidence. I picked a character who could support from behind Lee Sagu and slip in heals whenever there was an opening. Matching my pick, Lee Sagu chose a character with a short attack range but devastating damage. We needed three wins to take the championship. As long as we didn't get careless, we had a real shot.
"I'll be counting on you."
"Yes, let's give it our all."
With those serious eyes and that request, Lee Sagu turned his gaze to the monitor. Even if this wasn't an official tournament, his expression said it loud and clear: Defeat is not an option.
Yeah. I can't lose either. A perfect woman who can sing, act, and game. That's Lee Jiwoo.
I slipped on the headset sitting beside me and sank into the world of the game. Through it came the crisp game audio and Lee Sagu's voice. The quality was so good that if I focused, I could even hear him breathing.
That's right. I'm taking this headset home no matter what.
"The game~ begins~!!"
While I was still loosening my fingers, the host's starting signal dropped. I quickly bought items and checked the enemy's purchases too. I'd bought boots that boosted movement speed, plus a potion. Lee Sagu bought a shield and a potion.
At the start, our levels were too low to decide anything. The real game would begin after we'd leveled up as much as possible.
"Huh?"
The enemies' movements were weird. I'd expected them to play defensive at first.
Fine. Come at me. I'm not sitting still either.
"I'm going in first!"
"...What? Wait!"
I met the enemies charging in from the front and lined up my skill. Track their movement with the mouse. And fire. Even as a support, I had one offensive skill. The plan had been to dump points into it early and level up fast.
"?!"
The enemies clearly hadn't expected a support to attack from the front — I could see them flustered — but I ignored it and swept them aside.
I'd love to go easy on them, but I need that prize. Become a sacrifice for my prize.
I quickly picked up two kills and seized the early-game advantage. With that lead, I stomped them into the dirt right up until the game was about to end.
"N-no!!"
A voice thick with despair came from the other side of the monitors, and I felt a tiny prick of conscience... but it couldn't be helped. This was for my victory. If you didn't like it, you shouldn't have rushed early. This was just a loss born of a bad decision.
5 / 2 / 17
The blue letters that appeared before my eyes welcomed me.
"W-we won!!"
Decorating those beautiful numbers, I claimed our first win.
"Lee Sagu! We won!"
"Congratulations. But we still have two more, so don't let your guard down."
"Yes! Of course! I'll sweep the second and third games too!"
Up to that point, I was overflowing with motivation. I mean, hadn't we just taken an overwhelming win?
A person, because of a single moment of carelessness...
"...H-huh? W-why is this...?"
The red letters filled the screen.
And this wasn't even the first time. The previous game — the second — and now the third as well. The red word Defeat had occupied the monitor every time.
"L-Lee Sagu...? Was it my fault?"
"No. I made the mistakes."
Lee Sagu admitted his errors without hesitation. A lecture had been about to burst out of my throat, but it wasn't like I'd played well either. There had definitely been mistakes in Lee Sagu's play that you wouldn't expect from a pro. When he dove in at a timing that clearly wasn't right, I'd even wondered if he'd been given some kind of mission. But then I saw his serious eyes, and the way his pupils had shaken in panic, and I shook my head.
I'd made more mistakes than he had. I couldn't chew out the man who'd been diligently cleaning up the mess I'd made.
"Hahh..."
When every game was over, I leaned back in my chair and let out a sigh. Out of five teams, my rank was a measly third. Every team would get a prize, but they picked in order starting from first place. Hoping a good prize would still be left by my turn was a shameless thought.
"Haah... it's over. I ruined everything... me."
"Was there a prize you really wanted?"
"Ah... yes."
I'd wanted it so badly — a headset that had recently gone out of stock, the kind you couldn't get even if you tried, which only made me want it more.
Nothing I can do. I'll just have to hunt down a used one...
I gave up and waited for my turn...
"Huh?"
Sitting right there in front of me was the headset.
Why is this still...
I looked around. It wasn't the most valuable prize among them, but anyone who knew what the product was worth wouldn't give it up easily. Everyone looked at me with sympathetic faces and said a word.
"I just had a feeling this was the one you wanted."
"I don't really know much about headsets anyway."
"I was aiming for something else more than a headset."
"I'm just happy I got to be on the show."
Everyone was showing off their kind hearts. For a moment, something welled up in my chest and the rims of my eyes went red.
Dammit... I don't get moved by stuff like this. This is all because I became a woman and my sensitivity went through the roof. I used to be a full-on capital-T Thinker!
Having safely wrapped up my first variety show, I had the latest-model headset I'd wanted sitting in my hands.
"That happy about it?"
"Of course! I was even looking at used listings just to get my hands on one, you know?"
"Is it that good?"
Good didn't begin to cover it. It was the latest version of a headset so optimized for gaming that you could call it essential for anyone who played. On top of that, the audio quality had been upgraded this time — you could practically make a simple song with just the headset alone.
I peeled the packaging open just a little and pulled the product out. From inside came a brand-new headset in a clean, pure-white design.
"Ohh..."
The headset I'd worn on the show was a pretty good product, but it was a step below the one I'd received as a prize. The headset in my hands right now was the strongest headset currently in existence.
I immediately took a photo and posted it to the members' group chat.
Less than a minute after I posted the message, my phone started buzzing.
Oof~ scary.
I checked, and everyone was going where did you get that? and if you're selling, sell it to me, and so on. Messages were pouring in at a terrifying rate.
"Now what should I do with this~"
Sell it? Or tease them a little more?
Alright. I've decided.
Well, I'd been planning to sell it to unnie from the start.
"Jiwoo, we're here."
"Ah, yes."
Right on cue, we'd arrived in front of the dorm.
"Don't go anywhere else. Go straight up to the dorm."
"Yes~"
Receiving Kang Hoyeon's worry right up until the last moment of her departure, I answered lightly and climbed out of the van. A little past eight in the evening. Even if the days were getting longer, at this hour the sun was fully down.
My steps, heading back to the dorm by the light of the lamp out front, suddenly stopped.
Growl.
I'm hungry... should I just pop into the convenience store for a second?
The convenience store was five minutes from the dorm. It was right nearby. What could possibly happen in that short stretch?
With that light thought, I turned my feet from the dorm toward the convenience store.
slither...