The Only One Without a Care
While everyone else was buzzing with burning anticipation, there was exactly one person who hadn't given the upcoming event a single thought.
“Oh, right. What if Cain is late and we miss the Arena?”
That person was, of course, Tae-hyun.
Blinded by his greed for the Authority of Archisus, he had ordered Cain to bring it to him. But on second thought, to make it in time for the Arena tournament schedule, it was safest to return as quickly as possible and head straight to the Prica Continent.
“Hmm...” Tae-hyun pondered for a brief moment before reaching a swift conclusion. 'Well, as long as he isn't late, it'll be fine!'
It was the kind of thought that would have driven Lee Se-yeon or PD Bae Jang-wook to absolute madness had they heard it.
The other tournament participants had been managing their condition for days. They were being extremely careful to avoid the death penalty—lest they commit the ultimate stupidity of being locked out of the tournament—and were currently running final practice sessions on the Prica Continent.
Compared to their meticulous preparation, Tae-hyun's sheer recklessness was in a league of its own.
“Huh?”
“Is that... snow?”
“What? Does it normally snow in Pan-On during the summer?” Chairman Yoo asked, looking thoroughly intrigued.
“No, the weather usually follows the seasons... Something must have happened. Well, it's probably nothing major, so it'll resolve itself soon. Did someone use a magic scroll or something?”
“Uh... Tae-hyun. It's not just around here. Apparently, it's snowing across the entire Central Continent.”
“What?” Tae-hyun blinked in surprise. “Is it a quest? A phenomenon of this scale should trigger a continent-wide quest, right?”
“Are you going to clear it?”
“Why bother? I'm already busy enough hunting down my own Authorities. Besides, I have to participate in the Arena tournament. The other players can handle whatever that is.”
“You're probably the only player in the entire game who treats the Arena tournament so lightly...”
Listening to their conversation, Chairman Yoo's ears perked up. “Come to think of it, the Arena tournament is starting soon, isn't it?”
“Oh? Are you interested, Elder?”
“Ahem! I-I have no particular interest. I simply brought it up because you two were speaking of it.”
Chairman Yoo quickly changed the subject. He had already given away just how deeply obsessed he was with Pan-On ever since he shouted, I shall fish up the heads of demons! Mwahahaha! Yet, he was the only one who refused to admit it.
'I only came here to fish! It's not like I actually enjoy Pan-On!'
But the Chairman had forgotten one crucial detail: Tae-hyun had absolutely zero interest in other people unless they were directly useful to him.
“Is that so? Then you won't be needing this, Elder. Here, Da-bi. Take this.”
Tae-hyun handed a ticket to Lee Da-bi. It was a VIP pass for the Arena stadium! It offered the most thrilling, immersive view possible within the game, far superior to any broadcast. It was a premium ticket he had received directly from MBS, the host of the tournament.
“Oh, thank you!”
“Don't sell it.”
“...I-I wasn't planning to.”
“I gave it to you so you could watch... Don't turn it into cash. If you scalp it, it'll make things awkward for me with the MBS folks.”
Meanwhile, Chairman Yoo stared at Tae-hyun with an increasingly anxious expression. Should I ask for one now? No, no. There's no need. I can just buy a scalped ticket with money...
As if deliberately shattering the Chairman's hopes, Tae-hyun spoke up again.
“You won't even be able to buy these with money.”
“Is it really that exclusive?”
“Usually, the regular players who manage to get these seats are the most hardcore fans. They'd rather watch the match themselves than sell it for cash. The quantity is so small that even professional scalpers can't get their hands on them.”
“...”
Chairman Yoo's shoulders slumped. Tae-hyun's rebuttal was so precise it felt as though the boy had read his mind.
'Is there another way...? If I make a request to MBS... No, no. That's going too far.'
Chairman Yoo hesitated to pull strings through Yuseong Group. Even for him, that felt a bit too shameless!
Of course, if the mighty Yuseong Group officially requested a ticket, MBS would immediately bow and scrape, saying, 'Oh, of course! We'll get you the best seats right away!' But doing so would inevitably trigger gossip within the conglomerate.
Chairman Yoo was still far too embarrassed to openly admit his passion for the game.
In the end, Chairman Yoo gave up. There would surely be general admission tickets, so he could just sneak in there...
Tap.
The one who came to his rescue was Lee Da-bi.
“Give this gentleman a ticket too, please.”
“Huh? But the Elder said he wasn't interested.”
“Still, it'd be nice to watch together! It's your match, Tae-hyun. Even if he isn't interested, he should still watch, right?”
“Really? I don't care if people watch or not. You don't have to watch either if you're not interested.”
“Then can I sell—”
“No selling.”
“Hmph...”
Chairman Yoo cleared his throat loudly and chimed in. “A-Ahem. Well, if it is your match, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to grace it with my presence...”
“I told you, you don't have to. Here you go.”
Receiving the ticket from Tae-hyun, Chairman Yoo was deeply moved. However, he fought desperately to maintain his poker face—a skill honed over decades as a titan of the business world!
Lee Da-bi whispered softly, “I'm glad it worked out. But next time, it's better to just ask him directly. If you act like that, Tae-hyun will genuinely believe you don't want it and won't give you anything.”
“...!!!”
Chairman Yoo stared at Lee Da-bi with eyes full of profound gratitude. To think such a kind, considerate soul existed in this world!
“Come to think of it, isn't MBS doing something before the main tournament matches?”
“Ah, right. I think they're gathering the qualifying teams to introduce them and do some brief interviews.”
“In person?!”
“Yeah, in person.”
“...Then isn't that incredibly important?!”
“Is it?”
Faced with Tae-hyun's utterly indifferent attitude, both Lee Da-bi and Chairman Yoo stared at him in sheer disbelief.
Tae-hyun let out a bored yawn.
He was currently sitting in the makeup room inside SI Entertainment's headquarters.
'Man, this is so boring.'
He had to show his face at MBS by five o'clock today for the broadcast introducing the finalists of the Prica Arena tournament.
Normally, Tae-hyun would have just played games until thirty minutes before the show and then casually strolled into the station. But things were different now. Having signed an official contract with SI Entertainment, he had received strict instructions to prepare thoroughly beforehand.
“Hello, Manager Kim.”
“Tae-hyun, how have you been?”
“I've been fine. When is this going to end?”
“The stylist will be here shortly. Things are running a bit behind schedule right now. As soon as you're done, I'll drive you to the station myself.”
Manager Kim was a warm, affable man.
“What is Lee Se-yeon doing?”
“Se-yeon has another schedule today... She'll head straight to the station once she's finished there.”
“Ah, I see. I was wondering why she wasn't here.”
“Ah, Se-yeon has her own personal styling team, so you'd rarely see her in a place like this.”
“...So what you're saying is, this place is for people who don't quite make the cut?”
“N-No, it's not like that...”
Manager Kim stammered. Tae-hyun's words were brutally blunt, but they weren't wrong. Top-tier celebrities like Lee Se-yeon traveled with their own dedicated professional teams. This facility was meant for those who didn't have that luxury. Of course, that didn't mean the facility was subpar. It was fully equipped to a standard that would put most high-end salons to shame.
“Y-You haven't done many broadcasts yet, Tae-hyun, so...”
“I'm just joking. I don't really care anyway. If I actually needed one, I would've just brought the person who works at my house.”
“Pardon?”
For a moment, Manager Kim thought he had misheard. A personal stylist working at his house? How did that make any sense?
“Lee Se-yeon lives a busy life. It's a miracle she even finds time to play games with us.”
“That's what makes her so incredible.”
Manager Kim spoke with genuine admiration. Since Se-yeon was one of SI Entertainment's flagship stars, it was only natural.
While they waited, a text message arrived from Cain.
“...What is this guy even doing?” Tae-hyun muttered.
Cain was practically starring in his own solo sitcom.
Just then, the stylist walked in. Seeing Tae-hyun sitting in the chair, she froze for a moment.
“You're... quite handsome.”
“You are a true professional, ma'am,” Tae-hyun admired.
The ability to praise the client under any circumstance—now that was a true professional.
Sensing the underlying meaning of his words, the stylist let out an awkward laugh.
“Haha... I meant it sincerely. You have very sharp features, but you're definitely not bad-looking.”
“Usually, truly handsome faces don't require such a long, detailed explanation...”
Realizing that continuing the conversation would only lead to more trouble, the stylist immediately got to work. Styling his hair, lightly applying some product to his face—movements she had performed thousands of times. She wrapped up the job with natural, swift efficiency.
Looking in the mirror, Tae-hyun let out a low whistle. His usually sharp, intimidating impression had been softened. That alone made him look like an entirely different person.
Glancing in the mirror's reflection, he saw Manager Kim looking equally stunned. When their eyes met, Manager Kim awkwardly looked away.
“So this is the power of makeup. I think I finally understand why my father is always looking for it...”
“??”
Once again, Manager Kim wondered if his ears were playing tricks on him.
The stylist smiled and said, “You have great features to begin with, so I didn't need to do anything too complicated.”
Hearing that, Tae-hyun thought to himself: 'A true professional, maintaining her stance to the very end!'
“Are you nervous?”
“*Yaaawn...*”
“Y-You have every right to be nervous. It's your first time appearing on a broadcast with your actual face. It's completely different from streaming gameplay footage, after all.”
“*Yaaaaawn...*”
“Many pro gamers make mistakes when they appear on live broadcasts. It's especially true for those who are only used to broadcasting within virtual reality like Pan-On. But I believe you...”
“Manager Kim.”
“Yes?”
“I think you're the one who's nervous...”
Manager Kim's face flushed red. He couldn't deny it. Recently, several famous Pan-On players had appeared on cable television, only to be met with harsh criticism and completely sink their reputations. Real broadcasts were just that difficult. That was why Manager Kim was so worried about Tae-hyun. Could a guy who was only used to gaming streams actually pull this off?
Yet, Tae-hyun didn't show even a speck of anxiety.
“You're really not nervous?”
“Not at all.”
“That's a relief. You must be a natural.”
“I think it's more because I don't have much to lose even if I fail.”
“...”
Tae-hyun casually tossed out a chilling statement as if it were nothing!
“If I talk nonsense on air, the ones whose reputations will suffer are Lee Se-yeon, who recommended me, CEO Lee Dong-pal, who thinks highly of me, and... who was that other guy? Right, that busybody bureau director who kept bothering me.”
“Y-You don't mean Bureau Director Lee Jong-guk, do you?”
“Ah, yes, that guy. Anyway, their faces will be ruined, not mine. It doesn't affect me.”
“This is a nationwide broadcast! What about your own reputation, Tae-hyun?!”
“I don't care about stuff like that. Even if I make a fool of myself on TV, I'm perfectly confident I'll still live a comfortable, wealthy life.”
Tae-hyun's eyes were one hundred percent sincere. He was a man who truly, deeply did not care what others thought of him. Manager Kim looked utterly dumbfounded. He had heard CEO Lee Dong-pal and Lee Se-yeon describe Tae-hyun as an 'extraordinary person' many times, and now he finally understood why. In more ways than one, the guy was truly something else!
“Well, I'll be going in. Oh, there's Cain. Hey, Dong-soo!”
“Call me Cain, you jerk!”