It's Not the Clothes That Are Sexy
There is a world-famous statue.
Auguste Rodin's The Thinker. It is a masterpiece that exudes deep anguish from its signature pose of resting a chin on a hand.
And right now, Seul-bi had become The Thinker, lost in profound contemplation.
Her sidelong glances felt pricklingly sharp.
It was a gaze filled with heavy thoughts, carrying a subtle hint of resentment and reproach.
Once again, I had to lower my head as if I were a sinner.
I felt like this had been happening a lot lately.
In any case, a sigh-laden voice escaped Seul-bi's lips.
"Where do I even begin to say the problem lies?"
"Is... is it that bad?"
"Yeah. It's bad enough to make me think you've survived this long purely on your face."
"..."
That wasn't exactly true.
Between being born with a terrible sense of aesthetics or being lazy because I relied on my looks...
I wasn't sure which perception was better.
My in-game avatar was actually the result of my utmost effort.
I had even put in the sincerity to search through online communities and video guides.
I had diligently followed posts like "How to Make a Pretty Avatar for Beginners" or "If You Don't Know What to Do, Just Do This."
I thought I was fairly self-aware.
I never believed I had some grand artistic vision.
But I was good at obediently doing what others told me to do.
My avatar, styled after searching guide after guide, had been called quite pretty by others.
However, Seul-bi seemed to have a very different opinion.
"It's not that you look weird in anything. I mean, you could throw on a literal rag and still look decent."
"Thanks...?"
"Don't thank me. Looking pretty and being well-styled are two completely different things."
"..."
"I don't usually say things like this, okay? But you have absolutely zero talent for styling. You seriously need to bow to your parents and your genes five times a day."
Looking pretty and being well-styled are different.
Those simple words dug deep into my chest.
"You know that, right? A pro gamer's avatar isn't just something you throw together haphazardly."
A pro gamer's avatar was their identity itself.
Infinity Realm wasn't a MOBA game with fixed characters, nor was it a desktop-era MMORPG where you looked down at your character from the sky.
Since player battles were broadcast like movies, the importance of appearance was heavily emphasized.
And bruisers like Seul-bi and me had a particular advantage in that department.
Even in Infinity Realm, there were limits to the avatars you could wear.
It would be problematic if a player visually fluttered around in cloth robes but was systematically calculated as wearing full plate armor.
In the pro scene, where visual clarity was crucial, those restrictions were even stricter.
However, bruisers were inherently a class that bridged the gap between damage dealers and tanks.
If they focused on attack power, they naturally wore cloth or leather. If they focused on defense, they wore heavy armor comparable to a tank's.
With a wide variety of weapons at their disposal, they could showcase the most diverse appearances.
However, a "diverse appearance" wasn't always an advantage.
Paradoxically, the more options there were, the easier it was for one's individuality to become diluted.
Without a properly established image, no matter what you wore, your presence would remain faint.
"Normally, you'd choose after your debut is officially decided, but your name is already out there, right? It doesn't hurt to start building your image in advance."
"Yeah! I get it."
"Let's lock down a concept first. What avatar do you equip when you're in plate armor? Show me."
"I don't have one."
"Huh?"
"I don't have one..."
It wasn't that it was bad; it literally didn't exist.
I hadn't designated a single thing, so if I wore armor, it would show up in its raw, default state.
And like in most games, the default appearance of equipment was so hideous it was hard to look at.
Even a popular game like Infinity Realm couldn't escape this law.
Perhaps because the avatar system was so well-implemented, the developers paid even less attention to the default gear designs.
"Seriously? Not even one?"
"Yeah. Well, in the current meta..."
"You thought defense stats weren't worth much? So you figured you'd never wear it and didn't bother?"
A nod.
When I nodded, Seul-bi massaged her temples.
She looked like she was suffering from a genuine headache.
Then, suddenly, Seul-bi tilted her head.
"So you've never worn armor until now? Not even in solo queue?"
"Yeah..."
"Oh. Wait, that's actually good."
Did something cross her mind?
Lee Seul-bi sprang up from her seat.
Released from her Thinker mode, the girl began to move in earnest.
"I don't think strong, intense colors suit your vibe. Which do you prefer, black or white?"
"W-white?"
"Then white it is. Let's strip away all the useless decorations. I want the outfit itself to look pretty... Hmm. Should we show a bit of skin?"
"Show skin? I'm a bit..."
"As long as it's not excessive. Your body lines are beautiful, so bundling yourself up completely would actually look worse."
Lee Seul-bi's fingers manipulated the interface without hesitation.
Whenever a light blue system message popped up, an avatar would invariably appear in the white space.
I tried them on one by one, undergoing Seul-bi's inspection.
The colors were mostly pure white, as decided at the start.
Rather than eye-catching accessories, she selected outfits focused on lace and frills that blended together softly.
The exposure wasn't as severe as I had feared.
Even the dress-like outfits had hemlines that fell below the knees.
It didn't seem like any embarrassing angles would be shown, even during intense movements.
Of course, that didn't mean there were no issues.
"S-Seul-bi?"
"What? You don't like it? I can change it."
"Well, it's not that I don't like it... but isn't it a bit—no, way too sexy?"
Female pro gamers tended to pay special attention to their appearance.
While skill was important, the charm radiating from their appearance made up a huge portion of their popularity.
And I had seen quite a few pro gamers' avatars.
When it came to femininity, how could provocative physical beauty be left out?
Ever since gaming became a mainstream hobby, the rise in female pro gamers meant there was always a supply and demand for stimulating avatars.
No matter which country's league you looked at, there was always at least one or two players famous for their revealing outfits.
So, exposing just the shoulders wasn't really a big deal.
In fact, compared to pro gamers as a whole, the outfit Lee Seul-bi had put together for me was on the conservative side.
For someone like me who had a visceral aversion to loud, flashy colors... I couldn't think of a better combination.
But exposure was always a relative concept.
"Isn't this... too sexy?"
With most of my body covered by white stockings or translucent lace, there was only one place to look.
People's eyes would inevitably be drawn to the bare skin of my exposed shoulders.
The upper cleavage, clearly revealing soft skin, was no exception.
Even though there were only the two of us here, I felt like I was already being stared at.
A wave of embarrassment washed over me, and I felt my face burning hot.
Furthermore, the chest exposure of this outfit wasn't limited to just the top.
The outfit Seul-bi had chosen was basically a standard dress.
However, there was a slight cutout just beneath the breasts.
Whether viewed from above or below, the cleavage was completely exposed.
It seemed my belief that less exposure meant less sexiness was a mere prejudice.
I looked at Seul-bi with pleading eyes, but what returned was a firm rejection.
"Nabi. I think you're misunderstanding something. It's not the clothes that are sexy."
"Huh?"
"It's not the clothes that are sexy; it's your body. With breasts like those, anything you wear is going to look sexy. But if you're going to look sexy anyway, wouldn't you rather look beautifully sexy?"
"..."
While I stood there speechless,
Lee Seul-bi strode right up behind me.
Reaching from behind, her hands cupped and lifted my breasts from underneath.
"Let's play a few ranked games like this. If the camera catches you from a low angle, your popularity is going to explode!"
I felt like I was going to faint.