Chapter 100
Chapter 100
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: A Case of Mistaken Identity
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Since the main quest began, Avala Online had been undergoing a dramatic transformation, both inside and outside the game.
Internally, thousands of new quests were being generated daily, while a massive migration of users was taking place.
Externally, news related to Avala Online was heating up various online communities and even being featured on public broadcasts.
[Avala Online's New Main Quest! Is it the Eteun Kingdom This Time?]
[Uncovering the History of the Eteun Kingdom! A Lecture on Avala Online's History with the #1 Ranked Explorer!]
[What Do the Rankers Think About This Main Quest? We Asked Them Directly.]
The ripple effect was enormous.
As a result, its influence wasn't just limited to gamers.
It had become such a hot topic that even people who didn't play Avala Online had heard about it at least once.
The recent growth of the streaming industry played a huge part, as many non-gamers now watched broadcasts without hesitation, giving the topic even more momentum.
Once the barrier of having to play the game yourself was removed, it was no longer a topic only a "small group of gaming enthusiasts" could relate to, but something that could be shared among "broadcast viewers."
The scope had widened considerably.
Thanks to this, conversations like these had become commonplace in daily life.
-Did you see that stream yesterday?
-Of course. Wow, rankers are on a whole other level.
-Who do you think will take first place in the arena this season?
-I think it'll probably be...
It was an atmosphere unimaginable just a decade ago, but not anymore.
In fact, someone completely ignorant of the topic was now considered the unusual one.
It was hard not to be aware of it.
Amid this unprecedented golden age for the gaming industry, where its professionals were screaming with joy, it was recently that Lee Si-eun sensed something was amiss.
* * *
That day was like any other.
Lee Si-eun arrived at work early in the morning.
"Good morning, Si-eun."
She exchanged simple greetings with her senior, Park Mi-seon, whom she met in front of the elevator.
"Yes, good morning, Assistant Manager."
"Did you get home okay yesterday? You seemed to have had a lot to drink."
"Of course. How about you?"
"Me? I got home fine."
Although Lee Si-eun had only recently joined the company, she was already quite well-regarded.
With excellent qualifications, a knack for her work, and an easygoing personality that allowed her to get along with all her colleagues, who could possibly dislike her?
She had already established good relationships with most people.
However.
"...Um. But Si-eun."
"Yes?"
Park Mi-seon, who had been chatting cheerfully, suddenly glanced around.
After confirming no one else was nearby, she hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"About you lately... perhaps..."
"Yes."
"..."
"...Yes?"
"Ah, it's nothing. Good luck with your work today."
"Huh? Ah, yes..."
Park Mi-seon awkwardly trailed off and disappeared.
It was as if she had something to say but was extremely hesitant, perhaps because it was something she couldn't bring herself to say.
Lee Si-eun tilted her head in confusion.
'...What was that?'
Did I do something wrong?
But no matter how much she thought about it, nothing came to mind.
Besides, if she had truly done something wrong, her senior would have said so without hesitation. The fact that she didn't suggested it was a different kind of issue altogether.
'...'
All sorts of thoughts raced through Lee Si-eun's mind.
If this were the first time, she might have dismissed it as just a feeling, but similar incidents had been happening frequently lately, which made her increasingly uneasy.
It wasn't just her senior. Her peers would occasionally look at her with that same expression, or approach her as if to ask something, only to hesitate and leave.
For instance.
'Look, it's similar, right?'
'Definitely...'
'What is? What are you two whispering about, what's similar?'
'Gah!'
'...Gasp!'
'You were right behind us... D-did you hear?'
'...? No? Why, what is it?'
'Are you perhaps...'
'Yes.'
'...Ah, it's nothing.'
'......????'
...Things like that.
Since everyone insisted it was nothing, she had let it slide, but as these incidents repeated, her uneasiness began to turn into anxiety.
Could this be the office ostracism she had only heard about?
But that didn't seem right. She hadn't been bullied or felt excluded from any gatherings...
"..."
Lee Si-eun suffered in silence, but soon, her patience reached its limit.
Finally, she approached the colleague she was closest to and spoke bluntly.
She told her she had a concern.
"Hm? What is it?"
"I don't know if it's just me, but I feel like people at the office have been avoiding me lately..."
"Gasp! No, no. It's not that..."
The reaction was immediate.
Horrified by Si-eun's words, her colleague confessed the truth about the "rumor" circulating within the office.
"Actually, a rumor has been spreading that you're acting like a queen bee in a game..."
"Huh?"
The colleague hesitated even as she spoke.
But contrary to her worries, Si-eun's reaction was that of someone hearing something completely foreign.
"What's that?"
"Eh?"
"Why am I a bee?"
"...Huh?"
* * *
This was the full story.
With Avala Online becoming a massive topic of conversation recently, various anecdotes, memes, and screenshots related to the game had spread widely even among the general public.
And among them, by sheer coincidence, was one related to Lee Shin.
A screenshot of Lee Shin and Jeong Yu-ra walking through a beginner town in Avala Online, taken by chance by someone, had begun circulating online.
-Took this by chance, does anyone know their names? They look like streamers.
The response was explosive.
It was, quite literally, just a picture of two users walking, nothing special...
But because their appearances were so striking, it generated a tremendous amount of buzz.
-Whoa, what's this?
-Where is that? I'm going right now. Give me the location.
└ Eteun Kingdom.
└ Hmph...
└ LOL
└ LOOOOOOL
└ That's hilarious hahaha
The view count skyrocketed.
The post soon spread to various other communities, and naturally, people grew curious about the identities of the two.
-But seriously, who are they? They definitely don't look like regular players.
└ I know, right? Maybe we can find them among lesser-known streamers?
└ I'm looking right now.
└ Me too.
As countless users joined the search, they did find something.
The power of collective intelligence.
However, the information they unearthed was a little, no, a lot different from what they had expected.
-Found it. Isn't this it?
└ Huh?
[Looking for users who have been wronged by the shameless player killer, Lee Si-eun! (Photo attached)]
-Author: Yu Han-seong
They had guessed she was a small-time streamer or a celebrity in disguise, but instead, the post that surfaced was one written by Yu Han-seong after he had been thoroughly backstabbed by Lee Si-eun.
-Damn, the picture matches.
-This person was a player killer...?
└ What the hell.
└ Wow lol, never would have guessed.
└ And the author is Yu Han-seong? I heard his guild isn't one to be trifled with.
└ That's what I heard too. Maybe she's a better player than she looks...?
The users were in shock.
And soon after, an even more shocking fact was revealed.
[Everyone in the Eteun Kingdom, be careful of this person. She is the absolute worst of the worst...]
It was a post, scribbled in anger on a community forum by the leader of the party Lee Shin had leeched off of when he was a beginner.
At the time, it was a post by an unknown user, so it had been buried without a trace, but it resurfaced thanks to the current buzz.
-Wow lololol, so she was a queen bee too?
└ A complete package of toxicity, lol.
└ I can kind of see why, looking at the picture. Who would've thought someone who looks like that would be a player killer and a queen bee...
└ True lol.
For the most part, users found it absurd but fascinating.
No one was seriously angry or critical of Lee Shin's actions.
The problem, however, was the content of the post.
-But what's her name?
└ It's in the post. Lee Si-eun.
└ Is she a streamer?
└ Definitely not lol. I'm a home security guard slash livestream monitor, and I've never heard of her.
└ The basement expert has arrived, damn.
Lee Shin's name (or rather, his alias) and his level at the time had been exposed.
Since he was in disguise, there would be no harm to him as long as he was careful from now on, but the problem ignited in an unexpected place.
'Huh?'
'What?'
'Isn't this Si-eun from our department?'
It was Lee Si-eun's company.
Someone who was usually interested in Avala Online issues happened to see the post about the incident, and the person in the picture bore a striking resemblance to Si-eun.
Her makeup, her attire, her overall impression—everything matched.
'...Now that you mention it, she does look similar.'
'But doesn't she look a bit younger? And taller.'
'You can adjust that with editing, can't you? I heard you can customize your character a little.'
It was only natural, as Lee Si-eun was the person Lee Shin had used as his main reference.
Even their names were the same, making it too much of a coincidence.
Furthermore, something Si-eun had said at the company at the time lent even more credibility to this misunderstanding.
'...Oh, and didn't Si-eun say she bought a capsule with her bonus a while ago?'
'What? I thought she said she bought it for her younger brother.'
'They could be playing together. Looking at this user's level and the time the first post was made, it seems like they started around then...'
'...Gasp.'
As a result, anyone who knew Lee Si-eun and came across this incident would have been forgiven for firmly believing it was her.
* * *
Fortunately, the misunderstanding was cleared up quickly.
'That's not me!'
'But you look so much alike...'
'Really! It's really not me! Besides, you all know I don't play games.'
'Hmm...'
'...Well, that's true.'
Thanks to Si-eun's vehement denial and her pre-existing good reputation, everyone believed her, thinking, "Of course, that makes sense."
'Phew...'
Si-eun let out a sigh of relief.
She wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.
However, the problem wasn't over yet.
The misunderstanding with her coworkers was resolved, but the root cause remained.
Flames erupted in her eyes as she stared at the photo in question.
'I'm sure of it.'
He was in disguise, but there was no way she wouldn't recognize her own brother's face.
Besides, hadn't Lee Shin shown her his makeup-adorned face himself a few months ago?
Thanks to that, she recognized him the moment she saw the picture.
'...What is he doing, running around using someone else's name!?'
* * *
"This is you, isn't it!"
"..."
Lee Shin fell silent at Lee Si-eun's accusation.
He was at a loss for words.
He briefly considered denying it, but that seemed likely to backfire, so he simply nodded his head.
"Yeah, it's me."
"Are you trying to get yourself killed!? Do you have any idea how shocked I was!?"
"...Sorry."
Lee Shin apologized meekly.
Not only did he see no way out of it, but he also knew that Lee Si-eun, given her personality, would usually let things go without holding a grudge in situations like this.
It was better to apologize upfront and get it over with cleanly, rather than making things worse by arguing stubbornly.
"I didn't know it would turn out like this. I'm sorry."
"Hmph..."
"I won't do it again."
As he expected, Lee Si-eun let out a loud sigh, but that was all.
She glared at him for a moment, then settled the matter with a single pinch on his arm.
"Don't do it again."
"Okay."
But even though the score was settled, Lee Si-eun still had one personal question left.
"...? What is it."
Lee Si-eun asked in a suggestive tone.
"But who's that person next to you?"
"What? Who?"
"The one next to you."
"..."
"You told me you don't have any friends, but in the picture, you two look pretty close. Hmm..."
Lee Si-eun made a deliberately theatrical humming sound as she looked at Lee Shin.
The corner of her mouth, which was trying not to curve into a smile, was an added bonus.
"Could it be...?"
"Could it be what."
"Oh? Look at you. I didn't say anything after 'could it be'."
"..."
Her expression alone was already slightly irritating, so Lee Shin gave her this answer.
"He's a guy, too."
"!??!?!?"