291. I'm Curious About Your Underwear Color!
291. I'm Curious About Your Underwear Color!
***
"Seo Eunwoo, thank you so much for all your hard work today. Doing a collaboration stream with such a famous celebrity was actually pretty fun in its own way."
"No, I should be the one saying that. You worked so hard today, Rin. I got to experience streaming for the first time thanks to you. And I could definitely see why you're so popular."
Once the interview ended and the official broadcast came to a close, Serin and Eunwoo exchanged a few words, figuring it was time to wrap up their own stream as well.
But.
[Just a little longer!]
[Rin, can't you do a bit more with Seo Eunwoo? About Another World or anything?]
[You're really just going to end this collab after the broadcast?]
[That's such a shame]
[For real, Jeanne d'Arc mentioned you and the viewers shot up]
[And you're ending it just like that?]
[😭😭😭😭 Can't you stream just a little longer?]
[Seriously, even just some more chatting is fine, please keep going]
The viewers, whose numbers had swelled even further after Eunha mentioned Rin in her interview, voiced their disappointment and refused to accept it.
Serin, who had been about to end the stream right away, couldn't help but hesitate.
'Honestly, I did kind of coast through this stream....'
Her conscience pricked at her for no good reason.
Today's collab had been a talk show with the famous celebrity Seo Eunwoo, followed by the TSJ team match broadcast, and the total stream time was only around three hours, so it did feel a bit lackluster.
As I hesitated, the celebrity smiled politely, his eyes crinkling, and spoke up.
"The viewers have every right to feel disappointed, but I can't think of anything else to do here. Do you happen to have any good ideas, Rin?"
Seo Eunwoo, too, picked up on the mood in chat and gave off the vibe that he'd be fine going a little longer. Serin appreciated the sentiment, but she also felt a bit strange.
'What the hell am I supposed to do here?'
Even though the broadcast was over and it was time to end the stream, the viewer count stayed above 100,000, which only made her feel more pressured.
Eunha had mentioned me for my sake, but the viewers who had suddenly flooded in weren't people who had been watching my stream all along. They were just new arrivals.
Was there any content she could pull out right now to satisfy them?
After mulling it over for a moment, Serin's lips twitched as an idea came to her.
***
—The winner this time is jjokko. Congratulations. You can ask one question or tell us what prize you'd like.
On the huge screen, the streamer Rin and a man named Seo Eunwoo were visible.
Contrary to expectations that the stream would end once the match was over, it continued, and one woman found herself watching it without much thought.
The format they'd adopted was a kind of roulette.
Out of the countless viewers numbering over 100,000, the roulette would spin and select one viewer to receive a benefit, making it essentially a raffle stream.
And the selected viewer could choose one of two things: ask a question they were curious about, or pick a small prize.
Since the subjects were Rin, a hugely popular streamer, and Seo Eunwoo, a famous celebrity, the vast majority of viewers chose to ask a question rather than take the small prize.
When another viewer was selected, a chat log appeared showing the viewer's choice.
—You said we could ask a question for both of you! I'm curious what color underwear you two are wearing today!
At the mischievous viewer's question, Rin on screen frowned for a split second, while the celebrity Seo Eunwoo let out a laugh as if amused.
"...Hmm."
A woman with a bob cut and a prim, aloof impression let out a soft exclamation as she watched the stream with interest.
The woman's name was Han Yujeong.
At twenty-six, she was a freelance composer who had made a name for herself early on, and her Another World nickname was Bloody Night.
She was a ranker currently sitting at 19th place, and she was also the woman who had voluntarily approached Phantom with a commission just a few days ago.
Right now, her gaze was fixed on only one woman—Rin—as if the man named Seo Eunwoo on screen didn't exist at all.
—That's quite a mischievous question. I'm... wearing sky blue.
"Pfft..."
When Rin answered in a tone that made it clear she didn't want to say it, Yujeong unconsciously broke into a bright smile and ran a hand over her lips.
'I wonder what she actually looks like?'
Rin's appearance on screen. The pure white silver hair, that oddly frowning expression, and the lovely voice that didn't match it at all. Every single thing was exactly her type.
Then, just before the roulette spun again, the chat exploded as everyone rushed to participate.
Yujeong casually moved her hand.
Tap-tap. Click.
—7.
She didn't expect anything from the number she typed into chat.
With over 100,000 viewers right now, she didn't think she'd be the one to win.
Ding-a-ling-a-ling!
The roulette on one side of the stream spun rapidly, countless viewer nicknames flashing up and disappearing over and over.
Clap!
When Rin clapped once, the roulette stopped and revealed the winner.
"...Huh?"
At the end of it, Yujeong let out a dumbfounded laugh.
—The winner is Yujeong. Congratulations. You can ask one question or tell us what prize you'd like.
Rin was saying her name directly and telling her she'd won.
Yujeong watched as the nickname "Yujeong" and her chat log appeared on screen, a faint smile on her lips as she ran her tongue over them once.
"What should I go with?"
After a moment of making an odd expression, Yujeong thought for a bit, then began typing.
Tap-tap-tap.
—I'll ask Rin a question. Please tell me your favorite color.
When her chat appeared on screen exactly as she'd typed it, Rin on screen showed a bright expression, unlike before.
That was because most of the previous questions had been mischievous or playful, so she'd asked an easy one in return.
When the reaction came out just as she'd expected, this time Rin looked cute to her.
—My favorite color right now is red. I've been preferring red tones lately.
"Seriously... is even this my type?"
Yujeong spoke playfully, smiling in satisfaction as she brushed a hand over her cheek.
......
After that, as Serin continued the stream, Yujeong's gaze never left her, no matter what she did or said.
Watching her as if spellbound, letting out excited little breaths every so often—to any third party, she clearly looked strange.
The stream eventually came to an end in a bright atmosphere, and the ending message filled the screen.
"...Hoo."
Yujeong, not hiding her disappointment, let out an excited breath and gave a small laugh.
She'd been too busy with real life lately to pay attention to Another World, but this existence called Rin, whom she'd newly discovered over the past few days, was incredibly interesting.
No, "interesting" wasn't enough.
She was so charming that she'd stolen all of her attention at once, and the more she looked, the more mysterious she became, making it hard to tear her eyes away.
"I really am weird."
Yujeong muttered the words flatly, running her hand through her bob repeatedly and shaking her head hard.
Realistically speaking, Rin was ultimately nothing more than a virtual character.
Her real appearance had never been revealed, and the only genuine thing about her was her distinctive voice.
But,
But even so, why was she so drawn to her?
The mysterious appearance was one thing, but the moment she heard Rin's unique voice, she'd fallen for her as if enchanted.
"Her skills are fascinating too... and her looks are fascinating."
Yujeong rested her cheek on her hand and pulled up Rin's past streams again, thinking back over the past few days.
She had voluntarily contacted Phantom, who was looking for an Outlaw for some reason.
Just to create a kind of opportunity.
Yujeong was the type of person who, even when she thought about something, needed a spark—something to push her into actually acting.
Normally, she would've just found it mildly interesting that Phantom, who stood at the peak of the Outlaws, had a contact she could reach, and left it at that. But now was different.
Most famous guilds tended to shun Outlaws, and at some point, party-focused content had come to dominate the game. There were too many aspects of the current environment that made life as an Outlaw difficult.
But the moment she learned that all of it was connected to Rin, everything flipped 180 degrees.
She was consumed by the thought of imprinting her existence onto Rin somehow.
The absurd amount she'd named under the guise of a commission fee had also been a test of Phantom's rumored wealth, and when a huge sum landed in her account not long after she'd sent the message, Yujeong made up her mind.
"...Hmm."
Yujeong let out a small sound and gazed at Rin with a suggestive look in her eyes.
I want her.
I want to make her mine.
Just from watching, those kinds of feelings came through vividly.
"It really is strange."
She muttered the words flatly and found herself thinking back to the past.
......
In the year she became an adult, Yujeong came to a clear realization about her own orientation.
That she was different from other people in some way.
She felt nothing when she looked at men.
The so-called heart-fluttering, the feeling of attraction, the excitement—none of it.
She felt none of the emotions related to romance.
But that didn't mean she felt drawn to women, either.
Even when she saw a woman whose beauty anyone would acknowledge, she felt no interest.
At first, she'd even wondered if something was seriously wrong with her.
She'd received confessions from men fairly often, and she'd always been popular regardless of gender.
She'd tried forcing herself to take an interest in dating, but within a few days, the question of "Why do I have to do this?" only grew stronger, and she stopped.
Along the way, women with unusual tastes had quietly approached her, and she'd allowed a little contact just in case, but she soon distanced herself from them too.
That wasn't it, either.
I'd thought I was normal because I had the same tastes and the same interests as everyone else. But I felt I was very different.
In the end, as time passed, I came to accept it calmly.
So this is what I am. Maybe I'll just end up living alone from now on—that was what she thought.
But looking at Rin, whom she'd encountered by chance, it was hard to deny that she'd developed strange feelings.
'I really am unusual.'
A laugh escaped Yujeong without her realizing it.
Because she'd finally understood why she'd felt like something was wrong with her for not being interested in men or women all this time.
'It's just that none of them met my standards.'
That was the only reason.
***
"Hoo."
When the stream ended and the chat window turned gray, Serin finally felt like it was over.
Using that unusual roulette system to keep the stream going a bit longer at the end had been a pretty good choice.
The viewers all seemed satisfied, and she even felt a little proud, thinking she'd done a good job with the stream.
"Being a streamer really isn't easy, is it?"
When Eunwoo, who still hadn't left, spoke to her, Serin gave a small laugh and shook her head.
"Compared to people who work on-site or celebrities like you, Seo Eunwoo... it's not that big of a deal."
"As fellow entertainers, how could there be a high or low in this work? Running a stream for tens of thousands of viewers is an impressive skill too."
Eunwoo answered leisurely, praising her, and Serin smiled faintly without denying it.
Then she quietly turned her gaze to him.
'Does he have something to say?'
The stream had ended and the scheduled events were over, yet he hadn't left the space.
Eunwoo, aware of her gaze, fidgeted and spoke up.
"Ah. It's nothing, really... Rin, would it be possible to add you as a friend? I know it's embarrassing to bring this up so late, but I really wanted to."
"Sure. That much is fine."
Serin accepted it without much thought.
If he'd been rude or made her uncomfortable throughout the stream, she would've refused outright. But after spending time together like this, he seemed like a decent enough person.
Once the notification that the friend request had been completed popped up, she figured that was the end of it.
Ding.
—Trade request from 'Shambles'.
"...?"
She turned her gaze to the sudden notification. Was he really that happy about adding her as a friend?
"Ah, it's nothing much. It's just that doing this collab is worth commemorating, right? I wanted to give you a small gift, Rin."
The celebrity was smiling brightly as he spoke.