290. Yoo Eunha Interview - (2)
290. Yoo Eunha Interview - (2)
***
With all the matches over, Eunha proceeded to the MVP interview, and the further it went, the more deeply it struck her.
'...This is strange.'
As she had predicted before the match, the result itself was a 3:0 shutout, exactly as expected.
Looking back at the actual content of the games, they had struggled more than expected at first, so it hadn't been easy, but she had still achieved the dazzling feat of being named MVP in all three games, and her teammates were more than satisfied with the result.
But as the interview went on, although she didn't let it show outwardly, standing here felt unfamiliar.
When she turned her head, even looking out at the countless fans filling the seats to near capacity felt distinctly different from before.
Before, even when she looked at fans, she honestly hadn't felt much of anything.
I'd simply thought, I guess my games are entertaining enough for them to watch. Honestly, I'd never deeply felt grateful for the fans' existence itself.
But now, returning as a player after a long time and looking at the fans from this spot, they felt different.
The expectant gazes of countless people looking at her.
The eyes of so many fans, each filled with admiration, goodwill, awe, affection, and every other emotion, were now fixed solely on her.
And in turn, now that she was looking back at them with sincerity, they seemed more vivid and alive than before.
She didn't know why they suddenly felt so different, or how to put it into words, but... one thing was certain: they looked clearly different from before.
Throughout the interview, I found myself looking around this place again without thinking.
'In the end, I can stand here as a player.'
Could I really face all of this again?
Could I stand on the stage with confidence as a player, like before?
Thinking about it now, she even felt foolish for having agonized over it alone.
That hollow feeling that had bound her since the start of the summer season had been an immense source of anguish until just recently.
A sense of emptiness whose cause she couldn't even identify. The despondency and futility had come upon her so suddenly, and no matter how hard she tried to shake off that thing called by many names—lethargy, burnout—she ultimately couldn't.
After that, the more matches I played, the less I felt anything whether I performed well or not, and everything I did felt meaningless.
She had enjoyed Another World, had become a player because she loved it, but at some point even the game itself had begun to feel numb to her.
As the symptoms kept worsening, she finally dropped out mid-season, something unbecoming of a pro player.
Right in the middle of the season. She had left the team dorm, holed up in an officetel, and spent her time alone and meaninglessly, trying to shake off that feeling.
That was who she had been... and it came back to her as vividly as if it were only days ago.
But now, so much had changed.
Because all of it had changed because of a single person.
—Rin.
After she happened to come across her gameplay video, those feelings of emptiness that had filled her heart vanished completely, as if wiped away in an instant.
Serin's play had captivated her at once.
For the first time, she began to question herself, someone she had believed had no equal even among pro players.
'Could I beat her?'
And more than that. The moment she saw it, she felt it instinctively.
That she, too, must carry thoughts similar to her own.
After that, when she happened to meet her, she even felt an interest in another person that she hadn't felt in a long time.
Curiosity, interest, fondness—she learned what emotions felt like, learned that time spent with someone could have meaning, and even that forming a relationship person-to-person was enjoyable.
It was as if she were feeling emotions for the first time.
Before she got to know Serin, she hadn't known that interacting with someone and exchanging messages could be this enjoyable.
And thanks to her, she could now stand on this stage again as a player.
She was answering the interview questions as her countless thoughts drifted along when—
"Ah, from here on I'll be asking a few questions about the match itself, but before that, is there anything else you'd like to say, Jeanne d'Arc?"
The announcer's question reached her.
It was a familiar question she heard at every interview, and normally she would have answered, "No."
I had always answered it indifferently. That I had nothing in particular to say.
But today was different.
"Yes. There is."
She wanted to express at least a little gratitude to Serin, who had changed her.
The reason she had sent a BaTalk message before today's match was also because she thought that if she ended up doing the winner's interview, Serin would see it, and she wanted to convey her feelings at least indirectly.
"Ah, then, Jeanne d'Arc, if you could share your thoughts or anything you'd like to say."
Listening to the announcer, she calmly steadied her breathing and parted her lips.
"The fans who came out to the venue today are truly people I'm grateful for, but beyond them, there are also fans who cheer for me through all sorts of media and in all sorts of ways, right? Since this interview is happening as part of my return match, I'd like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to those other fans as well."
It was something she had thought about well before the match, so the words flowed naturally, and as she spoke, the corners of her lips rose without her realizing.
Had she ever spoken up for someone like this in an official setting?
Had she ever expressed gratitude so sincerely?
'No.'
Even thinking about it briefly, she had only ever offered formal thanks. Nothing like this had ever happened.
"I'd felt that you hadn't expressed it outwardly much until now, but... it seems I can feel how much you care about your fans, Jeanne d'Arc."
She looked at the announcer, who answered with a surprised expression, and continued.
"And today, conversely, I wanted to become a fan myself and express my gratitude to one person."
"...As a fan?"
Over the announcer's deeply surprised expression, Serin—who would be watching this broadcast right now—seemed to overlap.
Surely she must be surprised too.
Feeling her smile deepen further, she continued.
"Yes. Because I, too, am cheering for one person as a fan."
"I'm so curious who that person could be. For Jeanne d'Arc to call herself a fan of someone... who on earth could it be? Is it a famous celebrity, perhaps?"
Looking at the announcer, who spoke as if she had been tipped off, I smiled softly and continued.
"It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that, to me, she's no different from a celebrity. If you're someone who actively plays Another World even now, it's someone you'd all know. She's also very active as a streamer, and on top of that, she's an amazing person who even does scrims with pro teams."
"A streamer...?"
Hearing the announcer's flustered voice, she continued calmly.
"Yes. She's a streamer named Rin. She's also the person who helped me the most during my break."
***
—Yes. She's a streamer named Rin. She's also the person who helped me the most during my break mid-season.
"...Wow."
Eunwoo let out an exclamation at the unexpected interview and immediately turned to look at Serin, who was just blinking blankly.
And the viewers, whose numbers were reaching 130,000 in real time, had never imagined that Rin's name would come out of Jeanne d'Arc's mouth, so the chat window began to blaze with tremendous heat, as if someone had poured lava over it.
[holy shit lmaoooooooo]
[wait is this real did she just straight-up mention Rin in an interview???]
[Rin's class is insane for real...]
[streamer...?]
[Rin gets brought up here?]
["Rin is like a celebrity to me." Jeanne d'Arc drops a bombshell!]
[no way lmaooo I thought Seo Eunwoo was gonna come up lmaooo]
[even the announcer looked like she was thinking Seo Eunwoo and then her face went blank when she heard "streamer" lmaoooooo]
[a streamer getting mentioned in an interview...?]
[what the hell did she do for Jeanne d'Arc to talk about her like that?]
[Rin! Rin! Rin! Rin! Rin! Rin! Rin! Rin!]
[fr what even happened between them?]
The chat window froze completely, as if paralyzed by the blazing messages, and Serin twitched her hands, utterly at a loss for how to react.
'Eunha... what on earth are you thinking?'
Her own stream, which was broadcasting the official tournament, already had well over 100,000 viewers.
The official broadcast itself was maintaining a staggering viewership of close to 300,000.
And yet she had openly mentioned her in an interview being watched by that many people—and had even called herself a fan. Serin couldn't even begin to guess how fierce the fallout would be.
"Rin, you must be so happy. Jeanne d'Arc even mentioned you directly in an interview like that."
Even at the celebrity's repeated exclamations beside me, I could only feel dazed.
"...I'm grateful... I suppose."
As I answered, I wondered if I was supposed to be smiling in this situation.
Honestly, from the moment Eunha first opened her mouth, I'd had a gut feeling that she might mention me.
Between Eunha asking me today whether she could mention me and then saying she was serious about it, I'd already had a feeling.
But I had definitely not replied to that BaTalk message with anything asking Eunha to mention me.
Considering Eunha's stature, it seemed like it would just be a nuisance.
No matter how much the perception of streaming as a profession had improved.
Honestly, I'd thought there was nothing good to be gained from someone of Eunha's standing mentioning me in an interview.
There were still plenty of people who looked unfavorably on streamers, and considering Eunha's nearly flawless image, there was nothing good about her being linked with me.
No matter how much recognition I had now, compared to Eunha, it was nothing more than a firefly shining before the sun.
—And I understand you're still doing a live broadcast right now, so I wanted to take this opportunity all the more to express my thanks to Rin. I'm a fan of Rin's too, and I watch her streams often. As one fan, I wanted to be of help.
Eunha finished speaking with a natural smile. Serin's gaze was drawn to that sight, but her head was a mess.
She could feel the goodwill behind Eunha's words, but all she could do was let out a hollow laugh.
—Streamer Rin... Jeanne d'Arc said she believes you're watching this interview right now, and if you really are, you must be so happy! If Jeanne d'Arc says she's a fan of someone, the reaction must be incredible, right?
The announcer, who had deliberately mentioned me directly, continued the interview with a surprised expression.
But Serin couldn't hear the rest of the interview clearly.
She just let out a hollow laugh and stared blankly at the lagging chat window and the screen.
"Rin, aren't you just overjoyed?"
Eunwoo chuckled at the sight of her and spoke, and Serin looked at him awkwardly.
"I guess so...? I'm supposed to be happy, right...?"
"Of course. So many people would love to be mentioned by Jeanne d'Arc. It's something some people would give anything to hear. Look, your viewer count is climbing sharply right now, isn't it?"
Just as Eunwoo said, the viewer count, which had been gradually declining after the match ended, had begun to surge upward instead.
And watching it, Serin wore a complicated, subtle expression.