Nostalgia and Misunderstandings
Though the two bickered constantly, their chemistry when it came to work was almost too perfect. Thanks to that, the rest of the staff on set were absolutely thrilled.
"Yes! Just like that! Give me more of that smoldering look!"
"Excellent! A little closer! Put your hand on her shoulder!!!"
No one could help but get excited when they knew the work being created right before their eyes was going to be a masterpiece. As the photographer bellowed at the top of his lungs, Tae-hyun muttered dubiously.
"...Is he casting a game match?"
"H-he's not usually like that."
"I'm also a kind and gentle soul by nature, but for some reason, people who play Pan-On misunderstand me a lot."
"That's definitely not true."
Lee Se-yeon replied without a shred of hesitation!
"Don't glare at each other, look affectionate! Can you link arms?! Ah, perfect! Wonderful! Just like that! No, wait, don't grab each other's collars!"
In a petty rebellion against the photographer, who looked ready to demand they hold a wedding ceremony right then and there, Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon engaged in a minor act of defiance. They grabbed each other by the collar!
"No, wait. That's actually amazing."
"...?!"
"This concept isn't bad at all. It suits them perfectly, doesn't it? Like they've been doing this from the very beginning."
"N-now that you mention it... I love it! Let's go with this!"
"...??!"
Tae-hyun, who was still holding Se-yeon by the collar, asked in bewilderment.
"Is... is this a normal pose in the fashion industry?"
"No. I highly doubt it."
"Great work, everyone!"
Time to go home! With the final shoot wrapped up, Tae-hyun's voice was so sickeningly sweet that it gave Lee Se-yeon goosebumps. If Cain had heard it, he would have shivered and thought, 'Oh god, that's the voice he uses when he's plotting something!'
"Where are you going?"
"What? Aren't we done? I'm going to change out of these clothes."
They said the shoot was over, so wasn't it over? Tae-hyun tilted his head, genuinely confused. Seeing his innocent expression, Lee Se-yeon smiled. Diabolically!
"...Why are you smiling like that?"
"We have one more shoot."
The signature highlight of a Prosdas pictorial. It was... a shoot where they wore their exact in-game outfits from Pan-On!
It had started out as a half-joke. 'Since we have an official contract with Pan-On, isn't there a way to showcase it more?' That was how the concept of replicating and wearing exact in-game gear was born.
The problem was that it had become an absolute sensation. Every time a pictorial was released, people would ask, "Are the game outfits included this time too?" In response, Prosdas decided to officially include these concept shoots in every seasonal pictorial.
"W-wait. Didn't you say reality lies outside the game?"
"Just put on your armor, Kim Tae-hyun. A true professional should be able to pull off any outfit!"
"I'm not a professional, so shouldn't I be exempt?"
"Don't you dare try to run away!"
Tae-hyun, who had been trying to sneak backward, froze.
"Wait, why is this a blacksmith outfit? And... hey, this is my gear from Pan-On 1!"
"Huh? You're right."
Lee Se-yeon blinked, seemingly unaware of this detail. She quickly checked her own outfit.
"Ah, this is the gear I wore back in Pan-On 1."
"Wow... Lee Se-yeon... you're way pettier than I thought..."
"...??"
"Since you can't beat me in Pan-On 2, you're trying to relive your glory days with Pan-On 1 photos?"
"No, I'm not?! What kind of delusion is that?!"
Lee Se-yeon denied it in sheer horror, but Tae-hyun was already looking at her with an expression that said, 'Wow, how can a human being be so shameless?'
"I said it's not like that! Do I really look like that kind of person to you?!"
"They say a person's true colors come out when they keep getting pushed into a corner."
"Who's getting pushed into a corner?! I've never lost to you!"
"My tournament records are better than yours, though..."
"We're on the same team! What's the point of comparing records?!"
"Well, the staff probably prepared this to milk some nostalgia."
Having teased Lee Se-yeon to his heart's content, Tae-hyun instantly shifted his attitude. Watching him, Se-yeon clenched her fists.
"Wait, why are you picking up that staff? That's made of real wood. It's going to hurt if you hit me with it."
"Get over here!"
While the two engaged in a high-speed chase around the edges of the set, the staff and Kim Team Leader were discussing the final shoot.
"...If we go with this direction, it should be fine, right?"
"Yes. But what are those two doing over there?"
"Haha. They must be playing around because they're close. Representative Lee Dong-pal did mention they get along very well. I guess he was telling the truth."
"It looks like they're having a sword fight with a staff and a hammer, though..."
"A little horseplay before the shoot is perfectly normal."
"They... they look dead serious, though?"
"We're sorry..."
"We are very sorry!"
Dressed in their Necromancer and blacksmith gear respectively, the two bowed their heads in apology. In the heat of their battle, they had ended up breaking both the staff and the hammer!
"It's fine, it's fine. We have plenty of spares anyway."
Since the rest of the shoot had gone so smoothly and quickly, the staff weren't particularly angry. They simply offered warm, generous smiles.
One of the designers approached Tae-hyun and struck up a conversation.
"How is it, Player Kim Tae-hyun? It's the exact gear you wore in Pan-On 1, right?"
"Yes. It's amazing. I didn't expect you to replicate it in such meticulous detail."
"I was actually a huge fan of yours back in Pan-On 1. Hehe."
"Ah, really?"
"This was my absolute favorite set! I was so thrilled to get the chance to design it myself..."
"It brings back memories for me too. I think I had to raid about three guilds to assemble this set..."
"..."
The designer pretended not to hear that. He had absolutely no desire to know the dark history behind his favorite nostalgic gear.
Dark history aside, the shoot proceeded swiftly and flawlessly. Tae-hyun, who had already gotten the hang of things during the first shoot, and Lee Se-yeon, who was a seasoned veteran of pictorials, displayed an incredible talent for understanding exactly what the photographer wanted, even with the vaguest directions.
As a result, the entire shoot wrapped up before 10 PM!
"Thank you for your hard work!"
"Great job, everyone!"
After exchanging polite farewells, the two were finally able to leave the studio.
"You did a good job today."
"W-what? What are you plotting?"
"...It was just a genuine compliment, you know?"
Tae-hyun continued to stare at her with deep suspicion, clearly refusing to believe her. Lee Se-yeon glanced around. Unfortunately, there were too many people nearby. Throwing a punch was out of the question.
"Anyway, good work. Go home. Go home quickly. Ideally, I'd prefer it if you vanished the moment I turn my back."
"Reality lies outside the game, Lee Se-yeon. There's no teleportation here."
"I'd love to say 'it was awful working with you, let's never meet again,' but the fact that I can't actually say that is truly tragic. Yep!"
"Huh? Why?"
"Go ask my uncle... I mean, the representative!"
Tae-hyun sensed that something was brewing behind the scenes without his knowledge.
"Wait, don't tell me we have to do another broadcast together?"
"Quick on the uptake, aren't you? Yeah. Probably."
"I don't want to..."
"You think I want to?! Ugh, seriously!"
Finally snapping, Lee Se-yeon swung her bag to initiate a melee attack. Tae-hyun quickly backstepped to stay out of her range.
"Oh, right. There was something I wanted to ask you, but I forgot."
"...To ask me a question after getting on my last nerve like this. Your shamelessness is truly legendary."
"Thanks for the compliment. Anyway, it's nothing major..."
Tae-hyun began to explain.
"So, there's this girl I know. Her birthday is coming up soon, so I tried to fish for ideas on what she wanted. She told me that gifting Pan-On items is all the rage these days."
"????"
Lee Se-yeon stared at him in bewilderment. Was that actually true?
"Well, you're technically the same age as me, so I wanted to double-check. Is that really a trend?"
"Why did you have to add 'technically'? And as for whether it's a trend..."
Lee Se-yeon hesitated. To be honest, she wasn't entirely sure herself. She was a complete workaholic whose life consisted of a relentless cycle of work-game-work-game-work-game!
Since her schedule was even more packed than Tae-hyun's, she had no idea what normal people her age were into. Besides, the people around her were all...
'Everyone around me is a celebrity, so they're not exactly a good reference point... Wait, what did Ha-yeon ask for? Ah, didn't Ha-yeon ask for a Pan-On item too?'
Lee Se-yeon recalled Ha-yeon of Five Girls. Ever since she started playing Pan-On with Cain, her junior had developed a massive interest in the game. She had definitely said, "Unni! Give me a Pan-On item for my birthday! A really good one!"
"...Actually, that might be true."
"Really?!"
Tae-hyun was genuinely taken aback. So it really was a trend?
"Hmm... if even you say so, then it must be true. Trends are truly incomprehensible. What kind of item would be good, then?"
"How about some high-tier gear?"
"True..."
If a manager had been standing next to them, they would have immediately intervened with a frantic, 'No, that is absolutely not it.' Even literally anyone else would have pointed out the flaw in their logic!
But right now, there were only two clueless idiots standing there, and there was no one to set them straight.
"And besides, a gift is great as long as the recipient likes it."
"Ah, she did say it herself, so I guess it's fine."
"Right? Then there's your answer."
Thus, in a place completely unbeknownst to Lee Da-bi, her grave was being dug.
As she listened to his questions, Lee Se-yeon grew curious.
"But who is this person that you're actually putting this much effort into getting a gift for?"
"Ah, she's someone who helps me out with a lot of things. She's been going through some stuff lately... so I figured a gift might cheer her up."
"Y-you actually know how to be considerate of others?!"
Lee Se-yeon was utterly stunned. To think Tae-hyun possessed such a warm, caring heart!
"I told you. I'm a kind and gentle soul by nature, but for some reason, people who play Pan-On misunderstand me a lot."
"..."
Lee Se-yeon decided to just let it slide.
"By the way, I've had a lot of people coming to me for advice lately."
"Huh? Like who?"
"You wouldn't know them even if I told you."
Lee Se-yeon climbed into her car.
"Oh, right. There's going to be an announcement soon."
"What announcement?"
"You'll see when it happens, so look forward to it."
"No, seriously, what announcement?"
"You were so annoying today that I'm not going to tell you. Just wait for the official release."
"...I-I'm not even curious, okay?"
"Ah, yes. Of course you aren't."
Lee Se-yeon waved her hand as her car pulled away, leaving a thoroughly frustrated Tae-hyun behind.
"I've written you a blank check."
"...!"
Lee Se-yeon was utterly stunned. The person sitting right in front of her was someone far beyond her wildest expectations. It was the Chairman of the Yuseong Group!
No matter how sky-high Pan-On's popularity was, and no matter how much the status of professional gamers had risen, she never could have imagined that the chairman of a massive conglomerate would summon her in person. It was completely unprecedented.
"Player Lee Se-yeon. I took a personal interest and looked into your background. It seems your family is quite prominent in the legal profession."
"Ah, yes. Everyone in my family except for me is a licensed professional—lawyers, judges, and the like."
"Well, aren't you a Mage? That ends in 'sa' as well, so technically, you're in a prestigious profession too, aren't you?"
"...???"
"C-cough. Never mind that."
Chairman Yu silently cursed Tae-hyun in his heart. Hanging around the boy had caused him to pick up his terrible habit of making awful jokes.
"A prestigious family, a great personality, outstanding skills..."
"Does a professional gamer's family background really matter all that much?"
"The more good qualities, the better. At any rate, Player Lee Se-yeon, let me get straight to the point. I intend to revive the Yuseong Group Gaming Team. And I want you to be the leader of that team!"
"I am incredibly grateful for the offer, but..."
Lee Se-yeon hesitated. If her parents heard about this, they would probably slap her on the back in sheer delight.
'To form a connection with the Yuseong Group! I knew raising you to be a pro gamer was the right choice!' After all, to those in the legal profession, conglomerates were always the best clients.
"...I actually already have a prior commitment."
"I am well aware! Our representatives have already gone and negotiated with them. The discussions are fully wrapped up. There will be absolutely no issues with you joining us!"
"...?!"
Lee Se-yeon was stunned once again. No matter how top-tier of a player she was in Pan-On, the sheer amount of effort they were putting into recruiting her was absurd. Even for a conglomerate like the Yuseong Group, this level of investment made zero financial sense—unless the Chairman himself was completely obsessed with Pan-On and doing this as a personal hobby!
'But there's no way that's the case, right? What on earth is going on?'