Chapter 119: Hyper Action (2)
Chapter 119: Hyper Action (2)
In truth, Seo-yeon had known for a long time that the school had an Esports Club.
The only reason she hadn't gone there was simply because she had been too busy.
‘Games!’
Gaming was an essential element for Seo-yeon.
After all, didn't characters who’ve undergone a TS transformation usually have top-tier gaming skills as a baseline?
Naturally, Seo-yeon assumed she would be great at games too.
At least, until she filmed the variety show Play Until the King.
"That was only because it was a console game."
"? Who said anything?"
Seo-yeon offered the excuse to Ji-yeon, but Ji-yeon looked like she couldn't care less.
She had the face of someone who didn't recognize the importance of gaming at all.
Seo-yeon pouted and stared intently at Ji-yeon.
Of course, this time, even Ji-yeon couldn't figure out the reason for that look.
Anyway.
‘PC games are a different story.’
In fact, it would have been much better if there were VR games controlled by physical abilities—the kind often seen in TS webnovels—or some other super-scientific gaming device.
If such things existed, she was confident she would be truly amazing.
But since those obviously didn't exist, Seo-yeon had no choice but to settle for a keyboard and mouse.
"Can't you just play games at home?"
"I can't."
Seo-yeon shook her head firmly at Ji-yeon's question.
"I don't think your mom and dad would stop you from gaming, though."
"Well, that’s true, but..."
As Ji-yeon said, Sua and Young-bin weren't the type to stop their daughter from doing what she wanted.
However...
"Behold, my daughter. The foolish players cannot keep up with your transcendent play."
"..."
"Surely, this father did not raise you to be a child who cannot even press the R key..."
"..."
"Amumu is looking for his daddy. Tell him he's right here next to you."
It was hard to focus on the game because her father kept pestering her from the side.
Whenever that happened, she would point her finger at the framed, torn-in-half stab-proof vest, which would shut him up—but only for a moment.
Because Young-bin would waddle over to watch every single time Seo-yeon played a game, she had given up on gaming at home.
"I'll play at home once my tier is higher than Dad's."
"...I see. Then why not do it at the agency?"
"That would be awkward."
The agency already had console games.
But even for Seo-yeon, bringing in a PC felt like pushing it.
What kind of looks would an actress get if she was sitting in her agency office, click-clacking away at League of Legends?
It wasn't good for her image, either.
‘She’s surprisingly mindful of things like that.’
Ji-yeon found Seo-yeon's words interesting.
Based on her actions alone, it seemed like she didn't care about what others thought at all, but Seo-yeon was actually quite sensitive to it.
To be precise, it was more like she enjoyed the attention.
Ji-yeon vaguely figured it was because Seo-yeon loved being praised by others so much.
‘But I’m worried.’
Ji-yeon watched with concern as Seo-yeon walked ahead with a light, expectant step.
The place Seo-yeon was heading today was the Esports Club.
Surprisingly, it was a fairly serious club.
It had two semi-pro level players.
There was even a player already active on a professional gaming team.
Yeonhwa High School put a lot of effort into arts and sports.
Since Esports was a club that had achieved great results for the school, it received substantial support in many ways.
‘Though their grades suffer relatively because of it...’
But what did it matter?
How many people in this school actually planned on getting into college through the CSAT?
‘I just hope she doesn't cause trouble.’
Originally, Seo-yeon was going to the Esports Club alone today.
Ji-yeon had only followed after seeing Seo-yeon walking off all excited.
She had a vague feeling that if left alone, Seo-yeon would definitely cause an incident.
"But Ji-yeon, you don't even like games."
"I play too. I've been playing a lot lately."
Is that so?
As Seo-yeon wondered, she suddenly remembered Ramiel’s recent collaboration with 'Wizard Erzsebet.'
The two of them didn't really play AOS games like LOL.
The last thing she saw them play was an FPS game called Valorant.
She recalled how much fun they seemed to be having during the broadcast.
"...Why are you looking at me like that?"
"It's nothing."
Seo-yeon stared at Ji-yeon for a moment before looking away.
Anyway, that was that.
Gaming was a mandatory requirement for a VTuber.
Even Ji-yeon, who hadn't been very interested in games, had no choice but to play in the end.
The problem was...
‘She was actually kind of good.’
Seo-yeon felt a slight sense of crisis.
That day, Ramiel’s skills—despite it being her first time playing an FPS with the Wizard—were quite impressive for a beginner.
By the time two hours had passed, she was flying across the map.
‘Come to think of it, Ramiel was always good at games...’
She knew.
She knew, but... wasn't it a bit unfair to get that good in just two hours?
Even the Wizard seemed quite surprised.
‘Well, if I can just play in a proper environment...’
She was confident she would be good.
As she’d thought, gaming was a pretty essential skill for a VTuber.
‘It’s different from consoles. Totally different.’
Assuming she would naturally be great at it, she boldly opened the door to the Esports Club.
That was the process of Seo-yeon making her way to the club room.
*
The male students in the Esports Club felt their minds go blank for a moment.
In particular, the president of the Esports Club, Baek Geun-soo, was extremely—no, incredibly—bewildered.
‘What? Is this a dream?’
It was a day like any other.
Classes were over, and he was planning to warm up with a game before heading to his pro-team practice.
Playing with friends felt different from playing with pro players, after all.
Just as he had turned on his PC and was warming up his hands...
"Hello."
Two female students opened the club room door and walked in.
Long black hair, contrasting with snow-white skin.
Eyes with a reddish tint.
With those distinct features, Baek Geun-soo couldn't help but recognize her.
‘Ju Seo-yeon!’
And the girl beside her was definitely Lee Ji-yeon.
If you had to pick the most famous people in this school, these two would undoubtedly be on the list.
In Ju Seo-yeon's case, she was even more recognizable due to her recent fame.
‘Wow, so this is... I see what they mean.’
Usually, the most common thing heard about Seo-yeon within the school was that she was "intimidating."
That didn't refer to her personality, but her looks.
Intimidatingly beautiful—that sort of thing.
During the previous Looking at the Past and Memories event, Baek Geun-soo hadn't seen Seo-yeon acting as Princess Yeonhwa.
He had been busy preparing for a tournament in his team's practice room back then.
So, this was his first time seeing her in person.
If he had to describe his impression, her appearance made the word "intimidating" perfectly understandable.
She had that unique aura of an actress.
On top of that, she wore a stone-faced expression that seemed to allow no approach.
Combined with her strangely cool atmosphere and features, the boys in the Esports Club could do nothing but gulp.
Honestly, she didn't feel like a peer at all.
‘The announcers I saw at tournaments... don't even compare.’
Even though those announcers were famous for their beauty, they couldn't hold a candle to a real actress.
And it wasn't just Seo-yeon; the same went for Ji-yeon.
Ji-yeon also had a sharp overall impression because of her cat-like, upturned eyes.
Since she was also exceptionally pretty, the two of them were practically the natural enemies of the Esports boys.
Why?
How?
Both of them felt completely out of place here.
‘Has the status of Esports risen this much lately?’
He had seen celebrities posting proof shots of themselves watching matches on Instagram recently.
He’d even seen some visit in person.
Honestly, he thought they just did it for image management... but was he wrong?
"Excuse me."
The person who snapped Baek Geun-soo out of his delusions was Ji-yeon, speaking with a reluctant voice.
"Are we just going to keep standing here?"
"No, not at all. No, no!"
As Baek Geun-soo waved his hands in a panic, the other club members looked at him with pathetic eyes.
It was embarrassing to see him make it so obvious that he’d never talked to a girl before.
"So..."
Baek Geun-soo recalled what Seo-yeon had said.
After her greeting, Seo-yeon had said this:
"Yes, I'd like to experience Esports. I'm not in a club yet."
At Seo-yeon's words, the atmosphere became even more puzzled.
‘Don't actresses usually join the Theater Club?’
Lee Ji-yeon, who was standing right next to her, was already in the Theater Club.
She wasn't very active, but she was a member nonetheless.
Since club activities added points to school records, many joined even if they didn't participate much.
"Do, do you know how to... I mean, do you know much about the game?"
"But you're older than me, so why are you talking to me like that?" Seo-yeon asked.
Baek Geun-soo was a senior, one year older than Seo-yeon.
Yet, based on his attitude, he was acting as submissive as a junior.
"Ahem! Then, I'll speak casually."
"Okay."
"But you do know how to play, right?"
"Of course."
Seo-yeon narrowed her eyes as if asking why he would even bother to inquire.
Because of that, the other boys' glares pierced into Baek Geun-soo.
"No, no! I need to know your skill level to be sure."
"But if you were curious about her skill, you wouldn't have asked like that."
"Ugh."
Baek Geun-soo had nothing to say to his members' criticisms.
Fine, then you guys talk to her.
He put up with it because the sight of them all standing two meters away while trying to talk was just too ridiculous.
"Then... alright."
To summarize Seo-yeon's story:
Seo-yeon preferred Esports, specifically LOL.
There were many leagues, lots to see, and it was popular on internet broadcasts.
It seemed to be for reasons like that.
"Do you want to... try a game together?"
"Yes!"
Seo-yeon replied, full of motivation.
It was finally happening.
‘I couldn't focus at home because of Dad.’
It would definitely be different here.
Honestly, unlike console games, she was secretly confident in this.
Wasn't it a basic trope for a TS girl to be a master of AOS games?
‘I have a bad feeling about this...’
Ji-yeon decided to just watch instead of participating.
Ji-yeon also had a fair amount of knowledge about League.
Since she was active as Ramiel, she inevitably had to learn.
She had to keep up with the viewers' topics, so even if she didn't play much, she knew all the related information.
In that sense, Seo-yeon's pick was worrying in many ways.
"Top?"
And so, the 5-man queue began.
As soon as it started, Seo-yeon picked a Top character.
Everyone's eyes turned to her.
Top? Here?
Seo-yeon said triumphantly, "I'm good at this."
"Ah, okay."
If she said she was good, what could they do?
She even picked Irelia.
Although her difficulty had dropped significantly after the recent rework, she was still a champion difficult for a beginner to handle...
‘No, she said she’s good, so she must be.’
Thinking otherwise would be disrespectful.
With that thought, Baek Geun-soo headed to the Mid lane.
And exactly 10 minutes later.
Seo-yeon's character was standing still in front of a tower.
When he pressed Tab, he saw: [Irelia 0/7/0].
The enemy Teemo typed in chat:
Of course, just like that message suggested, Seo-yeon wanted to move.
If only the mouse she was supposed to move hadn't been reduced to mere fragments.