The Unyielding Line
While Jihun’s chat was buzzing with excitement, the mood in Akasha’s chat was far from pleasant.
Akasha glanced at the chat and smirked. “Hey, let’s stop talking about that now.”
She said that, but she didn’t feel great. Usually, when people acted like that, they’d send a private message or a DM later, asking to meet privately to keep up their "concept." But Park Jihun had drawn a line with such a casual tone, even adding that there were no exceptions for anyone.
‘So it’s not just a show for the cameras.’
Akasha shook it off and calmly adjusted her mouse. The tournament began, and the early stages were smooth. Battle Around was a game where you dropped onto a large map, scavenged for weapons and gear, and tried to be the last one standing. Her initial landing spot wasn’t bad, and she quickly secured a gun and armor. The team atmosphere was surprisingly cheerful, too. Usik kept the energy up with his signature voice, and the other streamers cracked jokes and laughed.
The problem was that Akasha kept losing focus today. Every time Park Jihun appeared on screen, her eyes drifted toward him. She found herself taking risks she would normally avoid, and she missed several kill opportunities because she engaged too early. Once, she even died first, which was humiliating.
“Oh? Akasha, you’re not having a good day, are you?” a teammate asked with a laugh. Akasha replied with an awkward expression. “Yeah, I guess. I just can’t seem to focus today.”
Akasha glanced at the chat and looked away in silence. It was such a trivial thing. She had just asked for a personal reading and got ignored. But that moment kept replaying in her head.
‘Couldn’t he have at least said he’d do it later out of courtesy?’
It annoyed her that she was even bothered by it. The rest of the game wasn't much different. Akasha rushed more than usual and took unnecessary risks. Every time she did, her judgment was off by a split second. In the final round, she died in a pathetic way because she got greedy instead of playing it safe.
The final round of Battle Around ended just before nine in the evening. Everyone in Discord was laughing and chatting naturally.
“Wow, that was fun today.”
“Let’s do it again sometime.”
“Should we play something else for the after-party?”
“Let’s just hang out and talk.”
That was when Park Jihun spoke up first. “I’ll be heading out now.”
His tone was incredibly indifferent. He didn’t seem interested in the after-party at all.
“You’re leaving already?”
“How can you be the only one to bail, PerpetualJobSeeker?”
But Park Jihun didn’t budge. “Sorry. I have things to do.”
With that, Park Jihun left the Discord. Akasha frowned and muttered to herself, “What a jerk.”
Even after he left, for some reason, she couldn’t stop thinking about him.
Park Jihun had left the Discord, but the chatty atmosphere in the room didn’t change much. If anything, the topic of conversation naturally shifted to PerpetualJobSeeker.
“PerpetualJobSeeker was actually pretty normal, wasn’t he?”
“Yeah. He felt so different from his stream.”
“He was kind of a klutz when we were playing.”
“I heard he was a real shaman, so I thought he’d be some eccentric, scary guy.”
Then, someone tossed out a comment. “But seriously… is he really that good at fortune-telling? How does he know things without even seeing them?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure. I’ve seen a few Shorts, but… it’s not rigged, right?”
“I mean, he just tosses out a few words and claims he got it all right. That’s a bit…”
“Usik, did you force him into the spotlight?”
Usik’s expression stiffened. “Force him? What are you talking about?”
The Discord room went quiet for a moment. Usik chuckled and opened his lips. “You think he’s just good at talking? Go watch his VODs. He predicted a failed confession, he predicted the right time to cut ties, and he caught someone’s life spiraling out of control. He even predicted someone was about to die and sent them to the hospital, saving their life.”
Usik continued, “If it happened once or twice, I would’ve thought it was just luck or psychology. But he keeps getting it right, so even I get chills.”
“...Seriously?”
Akasha stared at the chat without a word. Most of the viewers watching her stream were reacting similarly. Suddenly, the chat window started moving faster.
The Discord room was instantly in an uproar. “Eh? PerpetualJobSeeker is streaming more?”
“Right after the tournament?”
Usik let out a short, dry laugh. “…That guy is really going to do his day job now.”
“Wow, I think I need to go watch.”
“I’m going to turn off my stream and lurk. I was really curious.”
Akasha fell into deep thought. ‘How good is he, really?’ Until just a moment ago, she had thought of him as just an annoying guy. But hearing that he was doing readings made her strangely curious. However, Akasha spoke in a calm, indifferent tone as if it were nothing. “I’m going to head out now.”
Someone asked in a surprised voice, “Akasha, aren’t you curious? To see if it’s real?”
Akasha smiled lightly. “No. I’m not really interested in that kind of thing. See you all later.”
With that, Akasha pressed the end stream button.
Ten in the evening. Park Jihun changed his stream title.
[Doing my day job]
A moment later, when Park Jihun appeared on camera, the chat went wild.
Park Jihun leaned back in his chair and scanned the chat. It was completely different from when he was on Discord earlier. He felt much more comfortable doing readings. Even though he had only just changed the title, the viewer count was climbing much faster than usual. Among the familiar usernames, there were an unusually high number of new ones.
“You guys waited a long time.”
The chat moved even faster.
Park Jihun checked the reservation list and opened his lips. “Next up is dak2114, you’re first.”
“Alright, get in the Discord.”
A moment later, a man’s voice came through with a familiar connection sound. “Uh, can you hear me?”
Park Jihun replied, “Yeah, I hear you.”
The man cleared his throat and said, “Ah, right. Um, I’ve been feeling a bit frustrated lately…”
“Job change.”
The man stopped talking. “...What?”
“You don’t like your current job and want to move, but you’re worried because the market is so brutal, right? You’re afraid that if you switch, you’ll end up with nothing.”
The Discord went silent for a moment. The man stammered, “...Y-yes, that’s right.”
Park Jihun tapped his desk lightly with his fingertips. “You don’t need to worry about the job change. A good opportunity will come soon. But that’s for later.”
After taking a breath, Jihun continued. “Go to your parents’ house right now. Your father is going to collapse soon.”
The man gasped. “What? Suddenly?”
“There’s a problem in his head. A blood clot is forming. If you’re late, it’ll leave a major mark.”
The chat froze for a moment.
The man’s voice trembled. “My father… he’s perfectly fine.”
“Call 911 on your way there.” Park Jihun didn’t hesitate. “What are you doing? Aren’t you running?”
The man couldn’t hesitate any longer. “Ah, yes! Yes! Thank you!”
The connection cut off immediately.
Park Jihun lowered his mouse as if nothing had happened. He checked the second reservation ID and opened his mouth. “Next.”
Akasha couldn’t go to sleep right away after turning off her stream. She sat in front of her desk, fidgeting with her phone for a long time. She pressed a few keys on the keyboard next to her, but she couldn’t calm her mind. ‘Why am I so bothered by this?’
She could have just gone to sleep. There was no reason to watch. Yet, her hands kept moving. In the end, Akasha sighed and logged into PerpetualJobSeeker’s stream on a sub-account.
On screen, Park Jihun was a completely different person from the one she saw on Discord. His voice was cold, and there was no hesitation in his words. The chat was moving like crazy, and he was doing readings as if it were nothing. Then, a chat from dak2114 appeared.
Ripples appeared in Akasha’s eyes. Jihun’s chat was turned upside down.
Akasha stared at the screen without a word. ‘Is he a real shaman?’ A man of a type she had never seen before, one who had cut her off and told her to get in line without exception. But what was happening before her eyes was a completely different matter.
‘How does he know all that?’
Akasha pressed her lips together and fiddled with her mouse button. To donate, she had to log in with her main account, which was identity-verified. But logging in now and throwing money at him felt like a blow to her pride. She had just said she was going to sleep, and now she was going to get in line for a reading?
‘No. Absolutely not.’
That was the moment.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
Chaerin has gifted 500 Water Droplets.
Doyun has gifted 500 Water Droplets.
Croco has gifted 500 Water Droplets.
The chat was turned upside down once again.
Akasha hesitated for a moment, then logged in. She paused for a second, then finally pressed the donate button herself.
Ding.
Akasha has gifted 500 Water Droplets.
At that moment, the chat was instantly covered in question marks.