Defense Champion - 2
Everyone who came in wore baffled expressions, and DoDa, inside the display, giggled to herself. Then she called out to the people standing there hesitantly.
-All right! Then the challengers should take the player seats! If you don't want to be on the broadcast cameras, just flip the camera in front to "OFF."
Buzz, buzz.
The people who had been staring blankly at the display.
Then, without warning, a few of them sat down without the slightest hesitation. Of the 5-on-5 player seats, nine were filled, leaving only one open seat with a blue crown above it.
They worked the computers with practiced ease and finished setting things up.
-Now, everyone power on your PCs! Launch the client! I opened the room, so get in here! Show them the majesty of a king!
Before long, the game had begun.
Hwa and I stood side by side, watching it unfold.
“...”
“...”
Hwa looked around at the noisy crowd and spoke. The number of people wasn't large, but scattered viewers were standing in the hall, watching the match taking place up front.
“The inside of the stadium is a lot bigger than I expected.... Is it because everything's been unified in that clean blue color? At this rate, you could fit three hundred people in standing room without a problem. Were you planning for mini concerts too?”
“...”
When it used to be dust-choked and falling apart, it had been the kind of place where two hundred people would have triggered a safety incident.
The interior of the arena was bigger than before.
That was because I'd gotten rid of all the useless junk.
The huge display still remained, broadcasting DoDa as it always did, but the bulky player seats had been replaced with a minimalist design. Decorative clutter and meaningless interior props had also been removed.
We stripped out every piece of junk that duplicated the same purpose, and we replaced even the broadcast equipment that had been practically scrap with the latest models.
Everything had been ripped out without hesitation.
And in their place, I put compact, top-of-the-line gear.
Gaming PCs.
Gaming monitors.
Performance speakers.
Broadcast displays.
Even the folding audience seats were the latest models. When DoDam asked whether it was really necessary to replace the chairs too, I just sent over extra budget for the chair swap.
-They're the things the audience will be in contact with the longest.
-Ah, right...! I was short-sighted.
After all that remodeling,
the replacement costs alone ended up running another two hundred million won.
But that wasn't money spent with performances in mind. I'd already resolved to help them put on shows in better venues.
And besides....
“...”
This place is DoDam's dream made concrete. It'd be better if it became a space everyone could enjoy, as far as possible.
So I answered Hwa.
“No. This place exists solely for DoDa's game events. It's just preparation to help us focus on this project.”
“Games?”
“Yes.”
“...”
Hwa's eyes sparkled above her mask. The glittering was almost theatrical, probably because the RGB flashes rippling through the arena had crossed her face.
She asked in a voice full of interest.
“You invested this much in an event hall just because of games? If someone other than you were in charge, they'd definitely call it overinvestment....”
“Yes, probably.”
Overinvestment.
At her words, the phrases ROI and cost-effectiveness flashed through my head by reflex. Numbers that ruled the world of investment and reason.
But I let them all drift away.
What I kept in my head was DoDam's smile.
-I want to become the champion right here, in this seat.
“...”
Some people want to become the best idol.
Some want to become the best champion.
Dreams can't be measured in numbers.
They're rare and shining.
They don't lose their light, even inside endless time.
That was why I didn't care how much money I spent.
In the end, I'm also Bigman, the one who cheers for dreams....
“...”
I looked at Hwa.
She kept asking me about figures, but her eyes were packed full of dreams. Maybe, since she was the one preparing the next event, she needed to make sure.
Though honestly, I got the feeling she was just unusually interested in me overinvesting in every facility under the sun.
Was she the type who enjoyed spending money?
I answered her.
“Games are dreams.”
“...”
When we fell silent,
the audience beside us erupted into cheers.
-Waaaaaah!
-Whoa, straight from the opening?
-This dopamine circus is insane!?
Up front in the arena, the heroes of both sides were locked in fierce combat on the giant display. After a boring back-and-forth, they had thrown everything into an aggressive opening gamble.
Clang!
First Blood!
Fwoosh!
The instant the skill sounds traded places in the air.
DoDa also shut her mouth and played in complete seriousness.
“...”
The ones seated in the player chairs had started out with sheepish grins and awkward faces, but by now they wore the expressions of warriors fighting with everything on the line.
They were sincere.
Even though it was a battlefield that would leave them with nothing and give them nothing.
They were fighting with total sincerity.
That struggle passed through the broadcasting center and spilled into the commentary streams of countless streamers. The audience inside the hall also held up their phones in one hand, listening to the broadcast and analyzing it as they watched.
“Ah, so that's the angle they were looking for there.”
“No wonder they're Challenger.”
“That old guy's mechanics are crazy too.”
It was nothing special.
And yet everyone was sincere.
That kind of feeling was a treasure to me.
“...Because it's a dream that makes people honest. That's why it isn't a waste no matter how much you spend on it. It's not overinvestment at all.”
“...”
Between our silences,
another wave of cheers rolled across the hall.
-Waaaaaah!
“...”
“...”
Was it because the wave had swept away her curiosity?
Hwa nodded and came a little closer. The brim of her wide black hat fluttered at the edge, and her long hair swayed softly.
“I see. It's getting more and more interesting. Really....”
“...”
Different hat.
Different hair color.
And yet,
for some reason, I thought of Ah-yeong.
“...”
So I took a step back.
Hwa just smiled slyly and extended a hand. Her slender fingers pressed down lightly on my tie. At that movement, the tie pin I wore caught the light and reflected it.
Flash!
The gleam skimmed across Hwa's face.
It was a strong light, but enough to make her blink. Even with the mask on, I could tell she was wearing a crooked smile. Then she said,
“That tie suits you. Yellow and blue. It's bolder than your usual image.”
“...”
“Did your girlfriend pick it out?”
“...”
I didn't answer.
It was a subject I couldn't just answer however I pleased. If I answered carelessly, I felt like I might vanish along with the bracelet.
I had no idea what that meant, though.
“...”
“...”
In the middle of that silence,
a louder roar than before cut in.
-Waaaaaaaah!!
-Oh, they're pushing! They're pushing!
-Damn, they finished it in an instant!
Looks like the gamble paid off.
DoDam's side was rapidly breaking through toward the opposite base. The back-and-forth struggle that had been hanging in the middle was now tightening around the enemy team like a noose.
In the end, the opposing base was completely shattered.
Bold letters rose over the broadcast screen.
Victory!
-They finished it like that?
-Wow, why are these old guys so good?
-DoDa really has the highest tier among them....
As they talked over the match,
the audience, who had been fully absorbed, got to their feet.
At that reaction, Hwa nodded and stepped back one pace. But her gaze still shone with calm light.
“It seems like a good atmosphere.”
“Yes.”
“Then shall we move on to the next place?”
“...”
There had been a meaningful note in her tone ever since before.
Too strong a feeling hurt.
So I corrected it in a more suitable direction.
“Yes, let's look at the next facility.”
“You're an interesting one, and a difficult one too.”
“...”
“Still, that's strange. Games ought to stop being fun if they're only difficult. And yet this is getting more and more fun.”
“...”
I didn't answer. I merely adjusted the tie pin that had shifted slightly off center. After straightening my clothes, I looked around the inside of the stadium again.
“Wow....”
Hwa marveled as she looked at the merchandise counter.
Neatly stacked there were boxes in four different colors. They were the All-Star Boxes that had once been loaded into Clara's proposal in a previous loop and then fired straight out into the world along with Big Plan capital.
They had been revived in this cycle.
Consumer price: 49,800 won.
The contents somehow felt even richer now.
Hwa picked up a blue D-box and said,
“Wow...! An All-Star Box? This is really cute. Packing everything into one box like this makes it look so nice. Using the ABCD theme colors was a great idea too. We never would have thought of something like this.”
Ultimately, the All-Star Box had been resurrected along with capital.
I picked up one of the yellow All-Star Boxes and nodded. Seeing it again made me oddly happy. A little painful and a little good, all at once.
I should buy the whole set on the way home.
While I was thinking that,
Hwa had already bought all four boxes.
“I'll pay by card. Could you put them in a bag?”
“...”
Watching that,
I carefully put the A-box I was holding back on the shelf.
...I should probably buy it later.
For some reason, if I bought it now,
it felt like I'd just get swept up in Hwa's shopping trip.
We also toured the broadcast booth, which had been converted from a storage room, and the waiting rooms. They were cramped spaces, but the remodeling and upgraded equipment had carved out usable room.
Hwa looked around and said,
“Wow, broadcasting from here would be convenient. It's right next to the event hall, so it'd be easy to feel the audience's reactions too.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. When you can hear the real cheers that chat can never give you, it makes you think, 'Ah, so I really was talking to actual people.' It feels pretty rewarding too.”
“I see.”
“Is this maybe a prerecorded voice?”
“?”
“You always answer with 'Is that so?' or 'Yes.'...”
“...”
I stayed silent.
Hwa looked at me like that and snickered. Then she slipped out and said to me,
“I'll step out for a moment.”
“Understood.”
I didn't ask why.
I felt like I already had a rough idea without asking. Besides, her stepping away for a bit was kind of a relief.
I closed the door to the broadcast booth and came out to the front desk, planning to check my phone. But a mechanical sound from beside me made me lift my head instead.
“?”
Right in front of me,
the remote manual-control camera placed at the front desk jerked its head violently. The clicking of its joints sounded almost like chatter.
Creak, creak, creak, creak, creak.
“...”
Creak, creak, creak, creak, creak.
For some reason,
that black camera's movement made me think of DoDam's playful gestures.
“...”
Is DoDam sending me a signal by moving the broadcast camera from the studio? It's just a camera moving, and yet somehow I can tell it's her. That's impressive too.
I waved a hand in front of the camera.
-!
Then the camera nodded back.
It probably was DoDam after all.
I and DoDam(?) stared at each other for a moment.
“...”
-....
Since it was a remote manual-control camera, there wasn't exactly a way to exchange messages.
So I quietly gave it a thumbs-up.
“It was excellent. Now that I've come in person, I can tell how much care went into it.”
I didn't mention the Bigman trophy.
-!
As soon as I finished speaking.
The camera nodded vigorously.
Creak, creak, creak, creak, creak.
“...”
At that moment,
Hwa, who had gone somewhere and come back, returned with a refreshed expression.
“You waited for me, right? Where shall we go next?”
“...”
The camera suddenly spun around. Then, with a sound that was almost like an angry baby owl, it made a skin-crawling noise and turned away. It was a sharp screech, like a needle scraping over glass.
Beeep?
“...”
Before long, my phone rang.
*
As the sun slowly sank into the horizon, elementary schooler Baek Daon came out to Hangang Park holding his aunt's hand. Whenever his aunt went out, since she was always hopelessly bad at finding her way, his father or Daon himself had to look after her like this.
He let out a long sigh and said,
“Aunt.”
“Hm?”
His aunt, Baek Hyang, answered. She had white hair, a white hanbok, and a face that looked twenty years younger than she really was. The sunset fell over her pale features and painted them red.
“Why did you call me?”
“What are we looking for? I'd like to know the reason, at least.”
“...”
Daon's question was reasonable.
Baek Hyang was simply holding the Five-Colored Thread in her hand and moving it around here and there. It was impossible to guess the reason for such an incomprehensible act.
At her nephew's perfectly valid question,
Baek Hyang thought for a moment and answered.
“I'm looking for someone.”
“Who?”
“...”
She thought for a very brief moment.
Then she found the right word.
“My junior.”