Female Lee Jua. "Nice and Clean."
"Nice and clean."
Odin waggled his mouse, making his character shake its head side to side in a ceremony. Former pro gamer. World rank 1 in Battlelands. Unshakable 1-Tier in Prism. It was a broadcast worthy of Odin—total domination.
The chat window, as always, showered praise on Odin's play. Donations poured in. The mission bounties stacked up neatly into Odin's payout. But Odin's expression was subtly dry.
...Why's this so boring?
"Aigoo, thanks for the donations, bros! Whoa! Boogie bro drops 310k on the kill-per-10k mission! Insane, insane! Knew you wouldn't let me down!"
Odin kept up the capitalist reaction, then slipped off his headset for a swig of water. The game was going great, viewers loved it, donations were rolling in steady. So why couldn't he get hyped?
...Can't stop comparing to Nari Land.
A memory from a few days ago flashed in Odin's mind. Nari Land with that short-haired girlcam Jua. They weren't on the same team, but that event had been weirdly gripping. Scores flipped back and forth, electric thrills in the middle, and even losing was fun.
After Nari Land, gathering his squad for a rematch review and feedback. Rewatching Jua and Teo's plays, analyzing the enemy team's moves one by one—even that time was a blast.
Ah... wanna team with Jua.
Odin flinched and shook his head. If viewers caught that thought, he'd be branded girl-obsessed Odin and roasted alive in seconds. He was a pro gamer who'd devoted his life to Battlelands. What he missed wasn't the woman Jua—it was the suffocating tension and dopamine rush she created as a player.
The predictable paths, orders, and scenarios in Battlelands—then bam, fresh predator Jua drops in. That thrill. Wild horse plays you couldn't predict, backed by operations tight as a chess grandmaster several moves ahead.
So this wasn't some rational crush. No way.
As Odin smirked inwardly, viewers started needling him one by one.
"Yeah, guess it's mannerism... Maybe time to drop Battlelands for another game?"
Odin didn't hesitate. Viewers looked ready to riot? He'd lead the charge. Impossible for a replaceable streamer, a dime-a-dozen broadcast. But this was the world rank 1 skill showcase—with killer banter and energy to boot. Every Battlelands event and kill bet in Prism featured Odin. Every streamer craved a collab with him.
Odin was irreplaceable. Viewers had to back down.
Then, a cuckoo flew into chat.
The moment "Jua" hit chat, a smile nearly cracked Odin's face. Dangerous reaction. Right now it was jokes like "Odin and Jua one body"—but if pink vibes actually flowed between them? Odin's fans attack Jua, Jua's attack Odin. Total war. No more collabs ever. Like office rumors of dating when neither's even coupled—awkward for everyone.
So he played it cool. "Ahem, bros—no TAS mentions outside kill bets."
Viewers grumbled but Jua mentions dropped sharply. Odin stroked his chin, pondering how to capitalize. Raiding another streamer? Taboo without agreement. But she was his unearthed gem. Sturdy sub-commander of Yagada Squad. His raised pup, per viewers. That narrative made her more crew than rival, right?
Sometime ago, she'd snapped, "What crew? We're just gaming buddies, cut that crap"—but Odin had already slotted her into his mental Odin Crew list.
"TAS taboo, but Jua's crew, yeah? Can't just watch our crew's first public game."
"Since you bros want it so bad, guess I'll do a quick site inspection for the people."
Odin popped open the Prism Studio window and searched for Jua's stream without delay.
[Endgame Jua. Pipi Playtime...]
The roulette result was unexpected. Dozens of slots with shit games and FPS flew by—then Pipi Playtime, a mid-tier horror game barely scraping 100 slots, hit jackpot.
Fuck... burning 500k on a horror game?
"Who's scared? My heart's just pounding 'cause it's cute!"
Jua bluffed hard while installing Pipi Playtime. Back in Lee Jinsu days, she didn't know the word "fear." Ghosts? Smash their heads with a hammer. Invisible thieves stealing materials scared her more than visible spooks.
But now? Post-TS body upgrade: senses sharpened—hearing, sight, all five. Dynamic vision, reflexes, balance—brain on overdrive. The eerie, grotesque music box BGM from the main screen gave her chills without warning.
"Euu... what's with this BGM? Gotta drag the composer to the site and beat his ass."
Jua ignored the mockery, finished audio/video settings, and hit start. Opening cutscene rolled.
"Alright bros, so... Pipi toy's got AI doll or whatever? This old dude on screen screams 80s American flick—AI back then? Whoa, realism's fucked—shut it down?"
"Pipi talks all cute like a real girl! 'Hi? I'm Pipi, love you!'"
"Pipi loves her brushing, poppy scent... huh? How you know poppy? Drug dealer confirmed!"
Viewers spammed annoyance at Jua's nonstop yapping through the opening. Honestly, she hadn't planned to talk this much. But the monitor's texture and content already had her heart racing tense. To fake nonchalance, she had to yap.
My image... my total badass Lu Bu image is crumbling...
It was a fake image anyway. But Jua was desperate to cling to it.
"Tons of Pipi dolls. Toy factory, huh? Exploring here. Factory promo? Toy ad? Something. 'Don't hesitate—come play at the factory!' Alright, heading in. KIIIYAAA—!"
"Ahaha... ahahaha... Everyone jumped? Y'all loosened up from the boring vid, so your genius streamer injected some tension."
Jua felt peak terror. Not from the flower, of course. Just a split-second eye-like thing popped during her daze—expected for her frail body and jumpscares.
But.
...KIIIYAAA? Me? KIIIYAAA?
That scream? Totally unforeseen.