285. The Strongest Team in History
285. The Strongest Team in History
***
—A viewer has sent in a question. If you had to choose one of two things: never feeling tired for the rest of your life, or never gaining weight no matter how much you eat—which would you choose, Seo Eunwoo?
Along with Serin's gentle voice, the screen soon showed a man other than her.
—Well, I'd say the former is better, wouldn't it? Honestly, when you're tired, even having an appetite comes and goes. It would be really nice not to feel tired. What about you, Rin?
When the man who answered naturally asked back, the screen returned to Serin.
—I think the former would be better for me too. The latter is honestly pretty great as well, but not feeling tired honestly feels like a bit of a cheat code.
Serin, who had been thinking for a moment, smiled softly as she spoke, and the screen filled with a close-up of her.
The moment my gaze unconsciously drifted to her, the screen switched again to show the man, and my brow furrowed before I knew it.
—Right? It seems like Rin and I actually agree on a lot of things, don't we?
After the man's playful smile, I waited for the view to switch back to Serin.
—I guess so? People's thoughts all end up similar in the end.
But even though Serin's voice could be heard, only Seo Eunwoo's face appeared on the screen. Eunha turned her head.
There, Seola was staring at the close-up of the man with her mouth hanging open.
"Seriously, the more I look... he's so handsome. How can someone be this handsome?"
Watching Seola grinning foolishly at the celebrity's face, Eunha spoke indifferently.
"Seola, why do you keep changing the camera angle?"
"Oh, there's this system called Dynamic Angle, so I tried it out. Was it not good?"
When Eunha nodded with a look of displeasure, Seola laughed awkwardly and changed the setting back.
Then the screen returned to a wide shot showing both Serin and Eunwoo.
And just then, Serin opened her mouth.
—Ah, and this is just my personal curiosity... would it be okay if I asked you something?
—Of course. Don't feel pressured, just speak comfortably.
—It's nothing special... it's just... you know... uh... um...
As Eunha and Seola both focused on her uncharacteristically hesitant manner, the chat heated up as well.
[What's this, what's this?]
[What kind of question is she dragging out like this?]
[Rin was talking fine and then suddenly why so nervous lololol]
[What's she trying to ask lololol]
[Ah why is the vibe between these two so sweet seriously lolol]
[Rin pretended not to care but she's actually interested, isn't she?]
[Is this a married-couple angle?]
[What is this chemistry lolol]
Serin, who had kept hesitating to speak, eventually swept her hair back once and laughed awkwardly.
—That... no, never mind. I think it might be a rude question, so I guess I was being thoughtless.
—If that's how you feel, it's fine... but you're more cautious than I expected, Rin?
—It's not that I'm cautious. I just had a bit of a strange thought.
"Aw, what."
As Seola muttered as if disappointed, Eunha didn't say anything, but her expression was subtle.
'Serin. What in the world was she going to say...?'
Maybe it was because this was the first time she'd seen Serin hesitate like that—curiosity welled up strongly.
—Let's move quickly to the next viewer's question. They're curious about what you're most concerned about or interested in these days.
As Serin immediately moved on as if to gloss over the moment, Seo Eunwoo seemed to think for a moment, then spoke with a composed air.
—Hmm... I've been pouring most of my recent break into Another World, so what I'm concerned about or interested in is also game-related. I try not to think about work during breaks. To sum it up, I could say it's Rin? As a fan, the situation of facing you and having a conversation like this is both fascinating and enjoyable.
"Oh my!"
At that playful yet direct answer, Seola made a fuss. But Eunha, on the other hand, opened her eyes faintly and took in the man's face.
His way of speaking was calm and utterly natural.
The way the man talked to Serin seemed very familiar with her.
'Is that really how a fan should act?'
The more she saw that attitude of subtly trying to approach Serin, the less she liked it.
Beneath the mask of a fan, he seemed to be hiding something sly.
—Ah... I'm grateful you put it in a positive way, but if you say it like that, won't your fans dislike me too much, Seo Eunwoo?
When Serin answered with an awkward laugh, Eunwoo smiled faintly and shook his head.
—Still, since we're meeting inside Another World, wouldn't my fans be generous about it? Right now I'm meeting Rin with the heart of a fan.
—Then that's a relief. Ah, and since you keep saying you're my fan, I'll ask—Seo Eunwoo, weren't you a fan of Jeanne d'Arc?
When Serin picked up on part of his words and asked as if it were strange, Eunwoo smiled awkwardly and faltered for a moment.
At that, Seola, who had been watching the stream, looked at Eunha.
"Right. He went around saying he was your fan, Eunha, and now he's saying he's Rin's fan—doesn't that seem a bit off to you too?"
"No, well, I don't care. I didn't even know that guy was my fan."
When Eunha answered calmly that she hadn't known at all, Seola shook her head as if amazed.
'Eunha really doesn't seem human sometimes.'
Even though such a handsome man claimed to be her fan, she simply hadn't known. Showing no interest at all made her seem almost inhuman.
—Couldn't I just say I'm a fan of both of you? And besides, Rin, you seem so close with Jeanne d'Arc. So I think it'd be fine.
—We are acquainted, but... still, if Jeanne d'Arc happens to watch this broadcast later, wouldn't she feel a little hurt?
When Serin spoke as if conscious of her, Eunha let out a reflexive laugh.
'Serin, really. Why would I feel hurt?'
Whether a man named Seo Eunwoo was my fan or not didn't matter at all.
Honestly, I could see he was handsome, but even watching the stream now, he didn't particularly appeal to me.
Suddenly, the current situation felt truly strange.
Here she was, waiting and watching their stream before a match, while they were doing a collaboration stream to commentate the match that would begin soon.
And just as Eunha was letting out that hollow laugh—
"...?"
Seola, who had been watching the stream beside her, tilted her head as she looked at Eunha.
'Was there something for Eunha to laugh at?'
She couldn't understand why Eunha had suddenly laughed.
—If Jeanne d'Arc felt hurt, that would actually be an honor for me. I've been her fan for years now, but she's never shown that kind of reaction.
At Eunwoo's continued words, Eunha slowly wiped the smile from her face.
'I don't like this guy.'
The more she saw him mention her, the more an inexplicable sense of aversion rose.
There was no reason to dislike him, no clear cause, but she simply didn't like him.
And Seola, who had been watching Eunha, also felt puzzled.
At a moment when she thought Eunha should clearly be pleased, Eunha had instead visibly wiped the smile from her face.
'Does Eunha maybe... dislike Seo Eunwoo?'
Considering how Eunha had appeared outwardly so far, that seemed plausible, but Seola felt an even bigger question.
While each of them was lost in different thoughts, time continued to flow.
***
ACK Park, BS team waiting room.
The time was 6:48.
As the stadium entry time of 6:50 approached, the players in the waiting room began standing up one by one and preparing to enter the arena.
And among them, one player who had been checking her reflection in a full-length mirror in a corner of the room wore a strange expression.
"Ah, today... my hair's a bit off, I think."
"Looks the same to me."
The players who had grumbled quietly began walking toward the arena when the time came, and the female player at the front clearly stood out.
Silver hair that reached her shoulders. A face full of tension.
"...Hoo."
The woman letting out a small sigh as she walked was named Seo Yuna.
Her player name was Baekya, and she was the captain of Team BS and a player acknowledged by all as BS's ace.
"Don't be too nervous. If we just do what we prepared, we have a chance."
When a coach walking beside her spoke in a calm voice, Yuna nodded.
"Yes. I know. Once we enter the arena, I'll be fine."
When Yuna answered calmly despite her tense expression, the man smiled softly.
As they walked toward the arena, Yuna saw the opposing team's players walking from the opposite direction.
—TSJ.
The strongest team in history, which had never missed a league championship in the three years since the ACK League was founded, and a team that was still making legends in the present.
And when the figure of a woman walking at the very front came into view, Yuna unconsciously clenched her hand.
The driving force behind three consecutive league championships, a woman evaluated as the greatest player of all time.
'Yoo Eunha.'
She had definitely heard the news of her return, but facing her in the arena like this, she felt her mood sinking.
No matter how much Coach Baek had prepared a strategy against TSJ, Yuna, who had faced her countless times in actual matches, knew better than anyone how strong she was.
As Yuna's gaze naturally drew Eunha's gaze toward her as well, the two women's eyes met.
Eunha's indifferent eyes, and Yuna meeting that gaze with eyes that said this time would be different.
The gazes that met for an instant broke apart before even a few seconds passed.
Swish.
Whether Yuna showed that reaction or not, Eunha walked into the arena with a composed stride.
Flinch.
At the blatant dismissal, Yuna clenched her hand even tighter and likewise entered the arena.