Psychic Watch: 20-Year-Old Army Vet High School Girl Takes the Field! (3)
Seo Joo-hwan answered the viewers' questions while stealing glances at Han Su-ah. 'This is nuts. Can Su-ah even handle this?'
She'd done a few streams before, but those had fewer than ten viewers—casual, non-fixed audiences that came and went. Now, they had hit 1,500 viewers. The aggro was off the charts. Someone might say more viewers were always good, but only if you had the skills to back it up. Push into unmanageable territory, and it could turn into a disaster.
Just then, Han Su-ah shot him an anxious look. The situation clearly had her flustered and on edge. But the words from her mouth were the total opposite of what he'd expected.
She whispered softly.
"Hwan oppa, you okay?"
"...Huh? Me?"
"Yeah. Aren't you in a tough spot helping with my stream? You had a hard time at the snack bar too..."
"Ah."
Seo Joo-hwan's face went blank for a moment. The time high schoolers had mobbed him at the family snack bar, leaving him overwhelmed. Han Su-ah was more worried about him than herself.
He couldn't help but chuckle. He'd always seen his four-years-younger childhood friend as just a kid, but her thoughtfulness was impressive.
"Ah, sorry about that. Gomi says she wants to game too. Time for Gomi to take over."
"Eh? Huh?"
"You got this, right? Just do it like I showed you."
"Ah, yeah!"
A moment later, the match loaded.
"Ack! So close! I could've got 'em!"
With just one manager handling chat, perfect moderation was impossible. A few toxic comments got blinded late.
"Ah, that was really close this time. Right, everyone? But I'm starting to get the hang of it!"
As expected, Han Su-ah fumbled here and there. But it was fine. Streams didn't thrive solely on skill. Viewers found a high school girl playing her first-ever game endlessly entertaining. Few expected pro-level plays from her anyway. Most cheered her on, saying she was doing great for a newbie.
But as one match, then two rolled by, the reactions shifted.
Bang!
Han Su-ah's Shadowmaker sniper rifle roared. Lost in the game, she ignored chat and dove in fully. Her character dashed across the battlefield, firing her rope skill to swing over terrain, sniping away.
Bang!
The bullet pierced an enemy's head.
Bang!
Clean headshot.
Bang!
Her aim sped up.
Bang!
Solo five-kill.
One enemy left, hiding. Han Su-ah hit her ultimate, Q.
The Shadowmaker uttered her ultimate line in French.
"Personne n'échappe à mon regard." (No one escapes my gaze.)
Infrared activated, exposing the foe. The rifle blazed.
Bang!
Blue Team won thanks to Han Su-ah. And her Shadowmaker topped the Play of the Game highlight.
"Oppa, look! I did great, right? Everyone, check this out! That's me!"
Han Su-ah flapped her arms and bounced around excitedly.
Chat exploded with superchats pouring in. Han Su-ah jumped up in shock, bowing repeatedly at the waist.
Meanwhile, Seo Joo-hwan watched her POTG clip and let out a hollow laugh. 'This can't be real. Her rank shot up mid-game.'
Han Su-ah's gaming talent had climbed to C-rank. Was this what an S-rank world-class genius looked like? Hitting C so fast was shocking enough, but her performance outstripped the rank. Six headshots—total team wipe in six bullets. Aim that snapped to heads on zoom was straight-up broken.
Of course, newbie judgment and map awareness were trash. She mained Shadowmaker all five games. Even so, her raw physical talent was genius-level.
"Hehe. Today was so much fun!"
"Satisfied?"
"Yup!"
After that, Han Su-ah lost track of time, playing round after round. No repeat POTG or rank-ups, but her flashes of brilliance kept viewers hooked.
Viewers wailed, but pros knew to cut on a high note. Seo Joo-hwan and Han Su-ah shared a smile, then faced the camera.
"Hope you enjoyed the stream! Thanks for joining us!"
"It was super fun with you today! Check out GomiTV's YouTube for the upload!"
They counted—one, two, three—and spoke in unison.
""See you next time!""
The stream ended.
* Cookie 1. <After the Stream>
"Hwan oppa, thanks so much today! I'll pay you back for sure later!"
"Nah, that was just a joke last time. I had fun too, so we're good. Can't even help out my 20-year buddy?"
"Hehe. Still gonna repay you. I had a blast thanks to you. First time with this many viewers, and the game was legit fun."
"Yeah?"
"Yup! Open beta? I'm doing Psychic Watch every day."
She must've loved it. No wonder—growth was visible shot by shot. Seo Joo-hwan chuckled and ruffled her hair. She grinned goofily, ehehehe.
"Aigoo. Get addicted, and I'll tell your parents."
"Ack. Then I'll play secretly so they don't find out."
"No, I meant moderately..."
"Hehe. Kidding."
Whether it was really a joke remained to be seen. Seo Joo-hwan greeted her parents, Yoo Sun-ok and Han Jeong-seok, then headed out. Han Su-ah followed, puppy eyes shining as she saw him off.
"Hehe. Oppa, thanks again. Let's game together next time."
"Sure. Use my ID freely till then."
"Eh? Then what about you, oppa?"
"Too busy for games lately."
"Really okay to use...? No, that's too bad. Maybe later... Ow!"
He flicked her forehead. She teared up a bit, looking up at him.
Feeling a tad guilty, he patted her head.
"Don't refuse gifts from grown-ups. Got it?"
"Tch. Only three years older."
"Still older. I've eaten a thousand more bowls of rice than you. Huh?"
"...Hwan oppa's such a boomer."
"Ugh. Anyway, just use it. Gotta keep playing to hold the viewers."
"...For real?"
"Yeah. Told you, I'm busy."
Not that busy—just not desperate for Psychic Watch. He'd played it to death, and beta had no ranks yet.
He handed over the account generously.
"Mm... Okay..."
Han Su-ah hesitated, then nodded and grabbed his hands, shaking them wildly.
"...?"
Bemused by the suddenness, she let go with a hehe.
"Text when you get home, oppa!"
"Sheesh. Got it, go inside."
"Okay! Bye!"
She peeked out the door. It shut, and she vanished.
"Haaah. That was fun."
A satisfying day.
* Cookie 2. <...?>
"Yes, that's me. Punibooks, right?"
"That too... Did I tell you my name?"
"...?"