283. I Mean It
283. I Mean It
***
Wednesday, September 3.
10:00 a.m.
Beep-beep! BaTalk! Beep-beep! BaTalk!
Serin, who had been squirming and frowning at the noisy sound ringing out like a single chord, finally opened her eyes.
Click.
After that, she let out a deep sigh and turned off the alarm, then moved her hand absently.
She brushed the white hair that was clouding her vision out of the way and sighed.
Burning with determination to reach level 66, she had focused so hard on hunting that she ended up streaming longer than her usual hours on Monday, and then again on Tuesday.
As a result, she could feel a sticky fatigue throughout her whole body.
This body, which showed abnormal symptoms several times worse whenever she pushed herself even a little, was now complaining of exhaustion at full volume.
'Does it even make sense to be this tired from just six hours of hunting...?'
Thinking once again what a remarkable body this was, Serin forced herself up from the bedroom.
"Even if I'm tired, I should work out."
Muttering weakly, Serin started her workout.
She had set a goal of making this trash body normal, so she considered building the habit more important than anything else.
Even when she didn't want to, if she just started moving, the answer was there.
People ultimately adapt when they repeat something.
After that, she spent nearly thirty minutes working out, then finished up with a shower.
Gulp, gulp.
Serin, rehydrating by chugging cool water, suddenly had a thought.
"Come to think of it, I have a collab today."
It was the day of her collaboration stream with the celebrity named Seo Eunwoo.
The scheduled collab time was 6:00 p.m., and they had agreed to start the stream around then.
Since the playoff match started at 7:00 p.m., today's stream schedule was to meet an hour early at 6:00, talk, and then cast the match together.
Checking again, there were no particular problems.
Click.
Serin set the cup down and thought about her schedule.
"...I have more free time than I thought."
Normally this would be time spent preparing for a stream, but today there was nothing to prepare.
The collab was the main content, and since she was already fully prepared regarding the celebrity Seo Eunwoo she'd be collaborating with, all she had to do was check before going live.
Because it was a match-casting schedule, she even felt much lighter than usual.
So realistically, she still had over seven hours before she needed to start the stream.
"...How should I kill the time."
The first thing that came to mind was Another World, but she immediately shook her head.
She'd hunted so much over the past two days that she was sick of it and didn't want to do it now.
Swish.
Serin, habitually sweeping her hair back, soon made a decision.
She'd just rest and manage her condition until the stream.
Did she really need to do something to pass the time?
......
Kim Hayoon.
[I prepared a few possible questions for the talk segment. You could pick out a few you like from these, Rin..]
[Talk show questions.txt.]
Park Soyul.
[Ideal type, dating experience, first love, first kiss, Another World tier, even the balance issues between Another World classes... These are what come to mind right away. When I actually thought about what Rin could ask during the talk segment, there were so many, right? And given Rin's image, asking about Another World might be better... Hayoon, seriously, I woke up today and I'm the one getting all excited, you know?]
Kim Hayoon.
[Honestly, I woke up today super excited too. I never imagined the streamer I edit for would collab with the Seo Eunwoo. I mean, how happy must Rin be.]
Serin, who had been lying on the bed and rolling around, checked BaTalk and made an odd expression.
"This Seo Eunwoo person. He really is insanely popular with women."
I definitely never asked them to do anything.
The two editors were even preparing various questions for today's collab, which was, in a sense, surprising.
She'd always thought the two of them worked diligently, but when it came to this person named Seo Eunwoo, she could clearly feel what it meant to act with genuine fangirl energy.
After she'd decided on the collab, she'd only sent a single BaTalk message saying she was curious about Seo Eunwoo, and the two of them had scrambled to prepare materials.
So recently, the editors' group chat had been practically wallpapered with content about Seo Eunwoo, but she didn't stop them.
Ironically, their interest did help.
Which parts of the recently released drama A Thousand Faces were highlights, where Seo Eunwoo had made it big, what awards he'd won—all of it.
No matter how famous someone was, it was strange to see people close to her show this much interest.
"Strange, I mean."
As for the questions I'd thought of, they were a few Another World-related ones, plus some about the recently released drama A Thousand Faces—I'd been thinking of questions that were as safe as possible.
But seeing the editors' heated interest, I also became curious about the things they wanted to know.
Me.
[If either of you editors has anything you're especially curious about or want to know about Seo Eunwoo, let me know. I'll ask what I can on your behalf.]
I sent that message with that intention.
BaTalk! BaTalk! BaTalk!
The two of them reacted explosively.
Looking at BaTalk, I was dumbfounded.
"No, these people, seriously."
From an awkward question about whether he currently had a romantic partner, to an equally weird question about whether he'd ever consider dating a fan.
What could the editors' intention be in sending messages that were obviously going to make things awkward?
"...?"
After that, Serin let out a hollow laugh at the editors' messages, which they sent as if it were all a joke, and looked at the chat as if half-ignoring it.
The messages the two of them were sending out of fangirl enthusiasm didn't look normal.
And aside from those editors' messages.
BaTalk!
Yoo Eunha.
[You'll be cheering for me today, right?]
Her gaze also went to Eunha's message, which radiated confidence.
Since Eunha had put her on the phone with Seoyun last week, the frequency of her messages had noticeably increased, so lately it felt like they'd gotten closer.
Me.
[Of course. I'm only cheering for you, Eunha. Can I expect a 3:0 score today?]
When I sent the message half-jokingly,
BaTalk!
True to form for Eunha, who replied quickly, a response came in less than thirty seconds.
Yoo Eunha.
[You can expect it. Oh, by the way, can I mention you during the winner's interview today?]
And it was utterly absurd.
Thinking about a victory interview before the match even started was one thing, but suddenly mentioning me there—I couldn't understand the intent.
'Wouldn't it be really weird if I came up in the interview?'
"Sometimes Eunha's messages... I can't tell if she's joking or serious."
Her absurd confidence was impressive once again, but since it was Eunha saying it, it made sense.
She was a pro player who hadn't missed a championship in three consecutive years and held an unrivaled position.
So Eunha's confidence might be natural.
Their recent scrims seemed to be going well, and there didn't appear to be any particular issues with her condition right now.
Me.
[Eunha, really... Do you know it's a little scary when you send messages like that, even as a joke?]
As I sent the message, I even wondered whether I could handle it if Eunha actually mentioned me in the interview.
'No matter how I think about it, I probably can't handle it?'
Today's stream was a collab with the celebrity Seo Eunwoo.
The more I learned about that celebrity, the harder it was to guess how many viewers would show up.
And if Eunha's mention was added on top of that...
I shook my head without realizing it.
Even if today's stream blew up, it wouldn't be strange at all.
But contrary to her thoughts.
BaTalk!
The BaTalk that rang was no joke.
Yoo Eunha.
[I mean it]
"......"
Feeling from that message that she really did want to mention her, Serin was at a loss for words.
***
5:50 p.m.
Seo Eunwoo, who had logged into Another World first in preparation for the collab, felt strangely excited.
"Really... why am I excited over something like this."
It was just a light collab.
It was his first time collaborating with a streamer, but honestly, he hadn't thought it would be harder than filming or standing on stage.
But now, once he actually logged into Another World, he felt like that thought was changing.
Like back when he first stood on stage as an idol, tense to the limit.
Or enough to bring back the moment he first matched his acting with a co-star.
He didn't know why he was this excited right now.
Seo Eunwoo, who had logged into his personal house, calmly steadied his breathing and examined his appearance.
Maybe it was because the character, created by projecting his real-world looks, was equipped with mythic gear.
It looked decent enough on the outside.
Swish.
"Is it because I took the mask off? I feel a little strange."
In the game, at least, I had always worn my trademark fox mask to hide who I was in real life.
But in preparation for the collab, he'd taken off the mask and revealed his bare face, and it even felt awkward.
Still, maybe because he'd invested time and money whenever he could despite his busy entertainment schedule, the gear he had equipped was satisfying every time he looked at it.
Even small accessories like earrings were all mythic grade.
All together, the setting had cost an enormous amount—hundreds of millions of won in cash—but he didn't feel it was a waste at all.
Compared to what he earned, it wasn't that burdensome a purchase, and since it was his biggest hobby, he actually felt regret that there was no higher build left to pursue.
He moved his body slightly as if warming up and laughed awkwardly.
"I wonder what it'll actually feel like when I see Rin."
What difference would there be between the way she looked on screen and the way she'd look in Another World?
That was all he was curious about.
The schedule ahead wasn't actually one that allowed for much time, but still, when they met, he was bound to feel something.
Even if it was just a character, a person's nature inevitably showed through in small movements and the look in their eyes.
He briefly thought about the upcoming schedule and collected his thoughts.
The schedule ahead was nothing more than talking with Rin and then casting TSJ's match.
Really, that was all it was.
As he was calming his excited heart like that.
—Ding!
He received an invitation to her personal house.