The Goal: A Perfect Ten

They say even the water tastes different in an expensive house, and they weren't lying. When I first heard that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the capsule alone cost over twenty million won, I nearly fell flat on my back. That was easily the price of a decent car. Just how wealthy was Professor Cheon Se-rin? I knew I'd grabbed onto a solid lifeline, but it turned out to be made of solid gold, not ordinary rope.

It was a state-of-the-art capsule, packed with every feature imaginable to maximize user comfort. The cushioning was so incredibly plush it felt like a luxury recliner, and it was even designed so you could sleep inside it. I'd been told you could listen to music and watch movies, making it far more versatile than standard virtual reality devices.

But none of those extra features really interested me. When Professor Cheon Se-rin explained what it could do, I found it mildly intriguing for a second, but that was it. I knew myself too well. In the end, there was only one thing that truly captured my interest, so I was bound to leave the other functions untouched. Even if I did try them, I'd get bored in a heartbeat. Still, the fact that you could actually sleep inside the capsule was pretty neat.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

It was just after dinner, the perfect time. Remembering Professor Cheon Se-rin's permission to use the capsule freely until my 10:00 PM bedtime, I immediately logged into Asteria.

The sensation of logging in was entirely different from the capsule room as well. It felt... smoother, for lack of a better word. It wasn't necessarily a matter of one being strictly superior, but there was a subtle difference in the responsiveness of my physical movements. As I was adjusting to the new device, I noticed a small window in the corner of my vision. It was my friends list, showing the number 1 next to a person icon. It meant one friend was currently online. There was no guessing who that was. Ever since my guest appearance, I'd received countless friend requests, but I only had one person registered on my list.

Come to think of it, she did ask me to come back on her stream. She said the sooner, the better, because everyone was looking for me. Until now, I couldn't even log into the game because I didn't have the spare cash for a capsule room, but things were different now. I decided to shoot her a quick message, asking if she wanted to play a game since I was finally back online.

The reply didn't come immediately. Which made sense. When I checked, she was currently streaming. Now that I thought about it, Han-ah must have her own broadcast schedule, and I'd been too hasty. She might be in the middle of other content and unable to play with me. I shouldn't have rushed to ask her out of the blue like this. Just as I decided to queue up for a solo ranked game instead, messages popped up.

Along with the frantic messages, a game invitation popped up.

It had only been a moment since Han-ah received the message from Geummisa. And now, Geummisa had accepted Han-ah's invitation and entered the lobby. It was an incredibly brief window, but word had already spread, and the viewer count was skyrocketing. Glancing at the rapidly scrolling chat, Han-ah suppressed a grin.

We've already passed a thousand viewers. She had been sitting at just over eight hundred, meaning two hundred people had flooded in within seconds. Once they actually started a game, hitting two thousand would be a breeze. Just like last time. No, maybe even more. The hype surrounding Geummisa had only grown since then; it certainly hadn't diminished.

Han-ah, who rarely browsed the online forums, was utterly baffled by how the rumors had spread to generate this level of enthusiasm. But she could be sure of one thing: "Blonde Beautiful Girl Samurai"—Geummisa—had become a brand in her own right. A guaranteed crowd-pleaser, a hot topic, and an irreplaceable breath of fresh air. That was the girl standing right before her.

She really is gorgeous. Jeong-ah, who had messaged her saying she was logging in after a while, had readily agreed to appear on stream. Now, with a focused expression, she muttered, "Give me just a second," and began tapping her fingers in the air. She seemed to be adjusting her settings, adapting to the new setup. Yet, because her character was so breathtakingly beautiful, even those simple, mundane movements looked like a scene from a painting.

Forgetting for a moment that she was even streaming, Han-ah stared blankly, as if admiring a masterpiece. Then, the masterpiece turned to look at Han-ah and spoke.

"Hello, Hanya."

"Oh, u-uh... Yes. Hello." Han-ah's delayed reaction immediately made her the target of endless teasing from her chat.

"So, what are we doing today?"

Watching Jeong-ah blink in confusion, Han-ah smiled warmly. "First, why don't you say hello to the viewers? They've been asking for you in my chat for days."

"Is this the camera?" Jeong-ah bowed slightly toward the floating black lens. "Hello, everyone. It's been a while."

"So this is how it looks on stream..." Fascinated by the camera, the girl rolled her large eyes in front of it. She waved her hand and tried out a few different poses, turning her head back and forth as if checking her own stream preview to see how she looked.

After staring directly into the lens as if making eye contact with a real person, Jeong-ah asked with a puzzled expression, "What is Geummisa?" Since logging in, she had been keeping an eye on both the stream preview and the chat window. However, there was one word constantly spamming the screen whose meaning she couldn't decipher. Ever since she appeared, nearly half the chat had been flooded with the word "Geummisa."

"Oh, that? It's short for 'Blonde Beautiful Girl Samurai.'"

"Blonde Beautiful Girl Samurai?"

"Ah, right, of course you wouldn't know." Seeing Jeong-ah's reaction, Han-ah explained the origin of the nickname and who it referred to.

"You mean it refers to me?"

"Yep, that's what everyone calls you. I guess they just threw all your traits together and came up with that. It's pretty much set in stone as your nickname now."

"But why, when I have a perfectly fine username—"

The chat immediately fired back before she could even finish her sentence. It seemed everyone had a lot to say about her username. Seeing their reactions, Jeong-ah fell silent. Sensing her slight embarrassment, Han-ah offered some comforting words.

"Well, it's actually a good thing to have a name that everyone agrees on. It means you're recognizable. If you just say, 'I'm Geummisa,' people will immediately go, 'Oh, that person!' If you start streaming later, you can just use it as your channel name."

"Mmm..."

Since Jeong-ah still looked displeased, Han-ah added one more thing. "And nicknames usually change over time anyway. People will call you something else once they get tired of it, so don't sweat it too much." But even as she said it, Han-ah didn't believe it for a second. The name Geummisa had already become synonymous with Jeong-ah's entire identity.

"Anyway, we're going to run today's stream with our special guest, Geummisa!" Han-ah quickly pivoted like the professional streamer she was. "And today's content is..." She paused for dramatic effect. "Our placement matches duo stream!" Han-ah continued, her energy high and excited.

"As everyone watching knows, our Geummisa is a total newbie who hasn't even touched ranked games yet! But just the other day, she finished her five normal games and unlocked her placement matches, and she hasn't played a single ranked game since. She's literally about to start her placements. And wouldn't you know it, I, Hanya, just happen to have an unranked account that hasn't done its placements yet! Wow, what a crazy coincidence, right? This is a match made in heaven for a duo! Am I right, chat?"

"Carried? Please. This is going to be a smurf show by two pros. I'm a Diamond player, you know! Anyone watching the stream right now better avoid queuing up. Otherwise, you're gonna get run over by a truck." Han-ah tilted her chin up and dramatically flipped her hair back.

Is she acting annoying on purpose? Jeong-ah was watching Han-ah in genuine admiration when Han-ah spoke up again. "Now, let's hear from Geummisa herself." Han-ah panned the camera lens, bringing Jeong-ah directly into the frame. The blonde girl's face filled the stream screen. "Do you have a specific goal in mind for your placement matches?"

Jeong-ah recalled Han-ah's behavior just moments ago. Her takeaway was simple: Ah, streaming is all about exaggerating your words and actions, and giving big reactions. It takes two to tango, after all. As a guest on the stream, Jeong-ah decided to match Han-ah's energy. Thus, what came out of her mouth was a bold, incredibly confident statement that some might even call arrogant.

"A clean sweep in my placement matches. That's my goal for now."

Yet, because the girl who uttered those words didn't even bat an eye, speaking as if she were merely stating a simple, undeniable fact, the viewers found themselves momentarily convinced. Without even realizing it, they all thought that a perfect ten-and-zero run for Geummisa was only natural.