[No title provided]
What kind of ghost story is this? We hadn't received any real rewards since we returned to Earth shortly after defeating the Demon King Magnus. Before we could get any of the typical hero treatment—like titles or honors—we woke up in our beds. Of course, neither of us were the type to expect that stuff anyway, so we were actually relieved to get sent home quickly. But that's beside the point.
Our individual abilities were essential for taking down Magnus, so in a way, there really weren't any rewards. That's why Yuna unnie had just said what she did.
"To be honest, I wasn't exactly unpaid. But you guys really went through hell..."
"...Huh?"
Yoo Seol-ah's eyes widened at Yuna unnie's sudden pitying gaze toward us.
"You know this already, but... I never even went to the front lines. I just cast magic from afar, right?"
"...Yeah."
"So I got to live my personal life pretty safely."
She said it like that, but it probably wasn't that safe. Enemy spells must have flown at her position, and she'd block them with defensive magic. But to use a modern analogy, Yuna unnie was like a one-woman intercontinental ballistic missile. No one could really compete with her range. She could rain wide-area spells anywhere she could see the stars. Sure, her spells had super long cooldowns, but she was still a massive help on the front lines.
"But you guys had to put your bodies on the line and fight up close. Looking back now, I'm just glad you didn't get hurt..."
"Unnie, you gave us all sorts of info and stuff, though?"
"...You did all the work, but thanks for saying that. Anyway, I compiled everything that happened in Astasia after I got back here. I can give it to you if you need it."
"...Unnie, you did that too?"
"Yeah. I figured there might be something useful for writing... You guys earned it after all that hardship."
Lee Seo-yeon, who was especially eager for the game to succeed, grabbed her hand with sparkling eyes, and Yuna unnie stroked it back with a look that said unpaid labor was unforgivable.
"...Well, it's not like we got nothing out of it... Thinking about it now, it's not that unfair."
Yoo Seol-ah, who had been listening quietly, spoke up cautiously. She glanced at Yuna unnie's expression—clearly asking if we hadn't gotten anything extra—then shot me a quick look. Just for a split second. Her blushing face made it easy to guess what was coming.
"...Well, if we hadn't gone to Astasia, I wouldn't even know unnie, right...? And..."
She always pulled the cutest stuff right when I'd forget, but she could never say it confidently. Yuna unnie seemed unable to resist teasing her too. She alternated glances between us, barely suppressing a grin.
"And?"
"...And we wouldn't have this club like we do now... Even if we did form it, we definitely wouldn't be this close..."
But Yoo Seol-ah had built up some resistance after years as my sandbag. Humans really are adaptable creatures.
Though it seemed like she wasn't the only one growing.
"Why not just say you like meeting Baek Sion?"
"Argh, seriously, Lee Seo-yeon!... Don't you like meeting me?"
"Of course I do. Love it. Where else do you get to see someone this pretty in person?"
Lee Seo-yeon, who'd poked her on purpose, played it off with a dramatic swoon. Yoo Seol-ah was the type to cherish her close friends fiercely. She really did like meeting me, and the same went for everyone in our club.
"Oh, looks like oppa's here? I'll go grab him."
"Yeah. Go for it."
Lee Seo-yeon checked her phone, her face lighting up as she stood.
Once she was gone, we smirked right back.
"...Seo-yeon acts like that but thinks she hides it well?"
"Seo-yeon's got this sneaky airhead side... It's cute."
More like she turned airhead only when it came to her own love life. The way she stared straight at us confirmed it. And we were way better at hiding ours than her.
"Feels like those two are weirdly fated... Turns out Seo-yeon was the destined one... The hero's Doyun, right?"
"Yeah."
"Poor guy'll have it rough..."
We'd initially thought it'd be great if their partners were rich kids, but Doyun hyung's situation showed adult perspectives were a bit different.
"You think so too, unnie?"
"Hmm... Suppose they actually get married and have a wedding. Think about who shows up."
No matter how approachable Lee Seo-yeon's CEO parents seemed, their circle was...
"Seo-yeon's not super public-facing, so it'll be less intense, but you'll still see corporate types everywhere..."
"...Ugh, no way I could handle that..."
Yoo Seol-ah waved it off after imagining it. She didn't like crowds anyway, especially high-pressure spots. Same for me.
"But her partner's a hero, so no real worries. Kinda inhumanly perfect in a good way?"
"...I get it."
From what we'd seen in Astasia and the club, we often wondered if he was even human. Personality-wise, he was near flawless. Unless you asked him to explain the difference between Java and JavaScript, he always had that smile. And they say if you mention a tiger, one appears—and it happens a lot.
Unlike when she'd left smiling, Lee Seo-yeon now kept a slightly awkward distance from Doyun hyung.
"We're here~"
"Heard on the way. It's been forever."
"Whoa, yeah. Club president now?"
"Yep. I'm a year older, second-year... Does that make me oppa?"
"...Guess being a senior teaches you some social skills?"
Yuna unnie's blatant grin made me think, Is this the hero's charisma? We'd treated him as older from the start. Half because formal speech felt off with him, and in Astasia, a seven-year gap wasn't much. Some races treated 30-year-olds like babies. Even humans often hid their ages—living a thousand years was plausible.
"Anyway, can I drop by sometimes? Mr. President."
"Of course. Our club room's awesome."
"Can't wait. I've played tons of mobile games lately. I can help a bit."
"You wrote novels too, right? We've been stressing over the story—perfect timing."
In the warm atmosphere, Yuna unnie pulled over a chair from the other side.
"You all played collection games much? The kind you build up."
"Just casually for me. Baek Sion hasn't done much either."
"Oh, I've tried a bunch lately. Guides are super detailed."
I caught Yuna unnie freeze for a second, but no clue why. The reason started unfolding soon enough.
"But there's this insane player. You know Lunatic? Community raves about their perfect guides, so I started with those. Then I hit Eden's Tower community—everyone recommends one newbie guide. No one else, so I check it."
"And?"
"Turns out the same person wrote both."
"......"
Yuna unnie wasn't one to stay quiet long. Even if she didn't know, she'd chime in. Her eyes darting around pointed to one thing.
...Her phone screen showing the community right when she unlocked it backed my hunch.
"They know two games that well?"
"And that's not even the end."
Now openly staring at distant mountains, she looked kinda pitiful.
"Nickname stuck with me—Luluka Malang or something."
Half the name was enough to confirm.
Yoo Seol-ah, clueless, looked shocked.
"Isn't Luluka a character there? The dancer?"
"Yeah. Checked it—guide there too."
"...What the hell? That's straight-up a mobile game ghost. Guides take forever to write."
"And every post reads so smoothly."
...Stop. Don't treat the person right here like a ghost story... Yoo Seol-ah's tone even got icy. As the only one in the know, it hit harder. Was my empathy that good?
"Got curious, checked their posts. Tons of guides, but they post female character swimsuit edits all the time. Oh, your illustrations were there too."
"......"
She'd held up okay till now, but hearing her own posts were seen broke her. Yuna unnie finally clutched her forehead.
...Wouldn't it hurt less if she just came clean quick?