Chapter 83
Chapter 83
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: Frontline (1)
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"...What the hell did I just see?"
Mika rubbed her eyes.
Even though she was pressing down hard on her eyelids, that scene refused to leave her mind amid the pitch-black darkness.
This wasn't Hollywood or anything like that, and she'd never imagined seeing such a feast of maps in this tiny VTuber industry.
Emotional arcs, narrative depth, and maps and songs that conveyed it all at 120%—the live stream hadn't just succeeded; it was a massive hit.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it delivered a bigger shock than Myth's performance.
...QWER, you've made quite the bold decision.
To debut a work of this caliber—and a music video at that—for Sara's live stream first, instead of Myth unnie's.
Was it confidence that she could snag the spotlight anytime she wanted?
Or just innocent naivety?
Both were possible, and neither was a problem.
What she should really be thinking about now was just how much this music video—this live stream—had raked in.
"Let's see... the donation page."
Mika fiddled with her phone and navigated to the donation page right below the live video.
The goal had been surpassed ages ago, but she just wanted to check how much exactly.
...And if she'd gotten to watch something this insane for free, she might as well toss in a tiny spectator fee.
"Wha—huh...? No way, even if it's a hit, this much...?"
Mika had been humming smugly, thinking about her own bank balance, but the total donations on the page left her jaw on the floor.
"Cheers!!!"
At a Korean BBQ joint packed with all the staff—editors, retouchers, and even those who'd been ground down by the production work—five beer glasses clinked together in midair with a clang!
"20 times the goal? I never even dreamed of it!"
"Heh, it's all thanks to Legend."
"When I checked the final total, my heart nearly stopped. For a second, I thought it was in won, not dollars."
"Haha! It wouldn't be weird if it felt that way!"
The live stream had wrapped up successfully, and in just a few hours, the donations had hit 10 million dollars.
It was over ten times the million Rayshojo had pulled in. Honestly, I hadn't expected it to stack up that high, but when I asked how, the boss and our Yuri unnie happily explained.
"Major corporations and big-name influencers jumped in with huge donations."
"Especially game companies—they probably wanted to ride the wave and get on Legend's good side. In gaming and movies, they'd pay through the nose to snag him."
Our Yuri unnie started listing some of the companies and influencers who'd donated.
Famous soccer players, studios whose games popped into your head at the name, and ones I'd never heard of.
My dad's company was on there too. Thanks, Dad—you really went out of your way to hype up your son.
I glanced around the table.
"Am I really okay sitting here?"
Me, Myth, and Sara.
The three stars of this live stream, plus the boss, Shin Yuri, and manager Yoo Yuri.
...In other words, everyone but me was a woman.
I started fidgeting uncomfortably, like I'd intruded somewhere I didn't belong. I'd never thought of myself as shy, but to a guy fresh out of high school, knocking back drinks solo among four adult women was way harder than I'd imagined.
"Who else would sit there if you left?"
"Exactly. No matter what anyone says, Legend oppa's the MVP of this project."
Myth grabbed my hand.
She pinched the back of it lightly, as if to say, Where else would you sit if not next to me?
I couldn't help but down my beer under the weight of those unspoken feelings. Last time with soju had been a disaster, but beer should be fine.
Beer's around a third the strength of soju. Yeah, no problem.
"If we're being technical, I didn't do jack. These spots are for mooching."
Our Yuri unnie chugged her beer in one go with a hearty laugh.
Wasn't that a 500cc? How does it all fit in that tiny frame?
"But this project was basically volunteer work. You sure it's okay to splash cash like this?"
I asked the boss, who was pounding beers at almost the same pace as Yuri unnie.
Today's bar tab alone had to be insane.
"You didn't know, Legend? We never really kept it secret."
The boss's eyes went wide, like she was genuinely surprised.
What? Did I miss something?
Myth turned at the boss's words.
"Ahem. We wanted Seol to focus on the work without worrying. Kept it under wraps a bit."
"What'd you hide?"
"Heh, I'll tell you."
Sara suddenly stood up.
She raised her beer glass high.
"I'm Sara Iris, officially joining the label! Nice to meet you all!"
"Huh? You're joining the label, Sara?"
This was news to me. I'd vaguely guessed it from our emergency exit chat last time, but she'd really gone through with it.
"Even if Seol did it for free, the company was taking a loss on gear and staff. This covers it."
"The terms were solid too~. I finally get it—better than Rayshojo's sweetheart deal. Take what you can, give what you must."
"That's business. We'll work you to the bone, so take what you want from us."
"Haha! Sounds good."
Sara and the boss clinked glasses cheerfully.
I smirked at the heartwarming sight and went to sip mine—when another glass snuck up from the side.
"Clink~."
Myth shook her glass with a grin.
500cc was heavy, but I quickly clinked with her and drank. The buzz was mild—way better than soju. That first shot had blacked me out instantly.
The party rolled on in high spirits.
Myth suddenly stood up.
"Huh? Where you going, Myth?"
"Oh, uh..."
"Hey, Legend oppa, you don't ask that."
Ah, bathroom.
Myth flushed a bit and hurried to the back corner.
My bad—gotta be more tactful next time.
I brought my beer to my lips for another sip when Sara asked,
"By the way, Legend oppa, any connection to 'Frontline'?"
Frontline? What's that?
"I suck at English."
"Ehh... It's not exactly English—no, it is, but don't you play Highwatch?"
"Highwatch? It's still popular? Nah, I don't."
"No games at all?"
"I've fiddled with the big ones, but never dove deep."
Highwatch.
The FPS that blew up back when I was in high school.
Friends nagged me to hit PC bangs, but I was glued to Myth at home—no time.
"Oh yeah, my sister backpacked to the UK to go pro in Highwatch."
"Whoa! Pro gamer?"
"Not quite—she aimed to try out for every UK team. Come to think of it, no contact since I woke up."
Phone's changed, no XCode add back then. Who friended their actual sister on XCode?
Mom and Dad just say wait; Myth dodges the topic. Did they fight? Hope everyone's good.
No straight answers—frustrating.
"So, what's Frontline?"
"Highwatch's legendary female pro. Six or seven years ago, she debuted on a UK team and went nuts. Rep's dipped lately, though..."
Female pro gamer? First I'd heard.
Women do that too... Yeah, sis stormed out for it.
Sara took a sip.
"What does she have to do with me?"
"Nothing, probably. Just... gives off a similar vibe."
"Now that you mention it, yeah. Thought I'd seen her before we met. Actually looks a lot alike."
"Frontline was Korean too, surname Jeon, I think."
The boss chimed in.
That alike?
I pulled up my phone, searched Highwatch Frontline.
Her nickname auto-completed; profile popped her pic.
Whoa. My hand froze.
Why's she here?
Myth wasn't back; Yuri unnie craned over.
"Whoa, she really looks like you."
Our Yuri unnie said.
Of course she does. Differs from my memory, but this screen—
"Sis?"
My sister.
Jeon Seon.
Seven years no see, staring dead-eyed from my tiny screen.
UK, Highwatch powerhouse Landrox's dorm.
A sharp-eyed woman shut off her PC.
Barebones—no icons but the game, not even browser shortcuts. She flopped onto the bed behind it.
Last time out? Days ago. Recreated a certain boy's room from seven years back.
On-season, daily outings; off-season, zero need.
Everything she wanted was here.
She closed her eyes, hugged a doll.
A bit bigger than her, modeled after some boy.
"Goodnight. Seol-ah."
Amid wall-to-wall photos of someone, Legend's sister Jeon Seon drifted to sleep.