Hero's Qualifications
"...No, since when..."
Not oblivious, but deliberately keeping his distance even though he knew? Seol-ah and I both fell into quite a shock at the same time.
...No way he doesn't feel attracted to Seo-yeon? He's not into someone else, is he...? Suddenly, club activities started feeling terrifying. Could we endure watching an unrequited crush play out? Seo-yeon would have it even worse, obviously.
"...Just sometime before. I figured it out because Seo-yeon's behavior around you two gets pretty obvious."
Seo-yeon hadn't fully realized her own feelings until recently. For some reason, she gave off total newbie-in-love vibes, so I figured pretty much anyone would notice. We'd thought Doyun hyung was above average in that regard, but if not... then why?
Seol-ah took a long, deep breath, squeezed her eyes shut, and forced the words out. "...Oppa, what do you think of Seo-yeon?"
She usually called her "Lee Seo-yeon" properly, but now she couldn't even muster that. Her face was openly tense, bracing for a negative answer.
We'd never imagined playing Cupid for love would lead to something like this.
Doyun hyung looked a bit flustered by the direct question but soon responded in his usual calm tone. "I like her too. Though she feels a bit out of my league."
Seol-ah, who had been clenching her eyes shut like it was her own business, let out a huge sigh of relief as the tension drained from her.
...I don't think I trembled this much even during my first battle in Astasia.
Our time together as a group of four had been so precious that any crack in our relationships terrified us.
Seol-ah seemed to compose herself a moment later and tossed out the next question. "...Then why...?"
Even if Seo-yeon didn't know, Doyun hyung was aware their feelings were mutual. No need to worry about rejection, so why drag it out like this? It was natural to wonder.
Skipping the dense hero cliché, ...no way he's impotent? Nah, that can't be.
Heroes had optimal control over their bodies, after all.
This time, the question was predictable, and the answer came quick. "Seo-yeon's just too good of a person. In every way."
Doyun hyung had been wearing that kind, gentle smile, but it was still frustrating somehow.
Ah, is he really impotent? But before I could say anything, Seol-ah voiced my thoughts for me.
"...Oppa, you know Seo-yeon's personality well too. You're not about to say you could find someone even better... right?"
Our club—our whole party—cared about each other so much that Seol-ah's voice rose a notch higher than usual. Knowing mutual feelings but not acting on them was pure misery. Especially since Doyun hyung had that strong self-sacrificing streak, she was probably nipping it in the bud.
Fortunately, hyung shook his head slightly. "That's not it."
Sensing her heat rising, Seol-ah fell silent for a bit before speaking in a calmer tone. "...Sorry, oppa. I got ahead of myself."
"It's fine. I get what you're worried about."
I felt the same frustration, but regaining some calm made me think getting too involved in their romance wasn't smart.
"I'm serious about her too. That's why I want a little more time."
"...Yeah."
"You all know this, but Seo-yeon's not from an ordinary family."
Doyun hyung wasn't the type to play the field, and out of us four, he seemed the least awkward around people. How to put it—shameless, maybe? Tall and striking, he had that overwhelming presence when dressed properly outside cosplay. Push a little, and Seo-yeon would fall for him, no doubt. Deep bonds like ours made looks secondary, anyway.
So if even he wasn't closing the distance, it had to be about her family.
"I don't think Seo-yeon cares about that stuff at all, but if I'm serious about marriage, I need to prepare myself one way or another."
We'd slightly misunderstood earlier, but hyung's eyes hadn't wavered once.
"Even if the two involved don't care, marriage isn't just between them, right? Realistically speaking."
"...True."
"It goes both ways, but I'd be joining her family too."
A lot of people probably fantasize about marrying into wealth. Sounds dreamy when it's not you, but a little thought shows it's no simple matter.
"I hear Ium Group's food division has the most explosive growth rate lately."
Since learning about Seo-yeon's family, I'd been keeping an eye on related news. They'd surged to solo second place among domestic food conglomerates. One of only two groups topping 10 trillion won in sales last year, alongside the long-dominant leader. Impressive overseas revenue, rapid growth, and a stellar domestic image to boot.
10 trillion won—it's hard to even grasp. Becoming the son-in-law of a family like that...
I couldn't imagine the worries swirling in Doyun hyung's head. But his expression stayed bright.
"...Anyway, that's why I'm trying to grow a bit myself."
"Huh?"
"After our game blows up, maybe I'll start my own company."
...Hyung knows game dev struggles better than any of us. Was this just to lighten the mood?
"...For real?"
"Not totally joking. Actually, after SOS, a bunch of domestic companies tried recruiting me to their teams. I turned them all down."
"Post-SOS?"
"Yeah. Excluding art and sound, it was basically solo dev, so yeah, lots of offers. Guess being a full-stack dev appeals."
"......"
Excluding art and sound meant everything from planning was on him. His voice brimmed with confidence, but not arrogance.
SOS had massive sales and rave reviews from players.
"If I become CEO, wouldn't that solve the 'not good enough' issue in others' eyes too?"
"...Y-yeah, it would."
Doyun hyung's bold words left Seol-ah nodding, a bit flustered. Probably thinking the same as me.
...Can we really pull off success on our own?
But hyung preempted our doubts like he read our minds. "Don't worry too much. You two are way too talented for this—overkill, even. I'd be less confident solo, but now? I'm good."
"...Really?"
"Yeah, I've thought it through some. And hey, we got dropped into another world and took down the demon king. This can't be harder."
So basically, skyrocket the game, climb high enough to match Seo-yeon. It sounded pie-in-the-sky, but looking at the people around me now, it felt kinda believable.
"I know Seo-yeon well, so I won't make things hard for her. Just don't stress—watch and see."
"...Got it."
Whether in that world or here on Earth, I'd always seen him as reliable, but now I got why he was chosen as the hero. Innately good-hearted, brimming with self-confidence—a textbook protagonist.
"Keep it secret from Seo-yeon for now?"
"Yeah. I'll just tell her not to worry."
That said, there were probably tons of other issues only Doyun hyung knew about. He wasn't saying failure meant no Seo-yeon, obviously.
But knowing they liked each other eased things. We could relax and watch.
A bit later, oblivious Seo-yeon arrived, plopping down next to Seol-ah on the sofa like it was natural.
"...Anything fun going on?"
"Yeah, I had an idea. Check this out."
Seol-ah's acting skills spiked in moments like this. With innocent casualness, she spread her palm and gathered mana.
"Descend."
Near-black shadows erupted from the center of her palm, elegantly curving outward to envelop the surroundings.
Her mana control was effortless artistry. Even after she pulled her hand away, the shadow lingered in midair. A few flicks of her fingers, and it replayed the scene like a video—brushed on like ink with a brush, refined and stylish.
Back then, demonkin got sucked in and left without bones. Now? Pure artwork.
"Games need effects, right? I've got tons from real use—just watch and draw."
"Seol-ah really is overqualified."
Seo-yeon and I were purely impressed; Doyun hyung smiled faintly, eyes sparkling. Seol-ah wanted them together as much as we did, and her game passion hit home.
Alright. Let's make Doyun hyung a CEO.