The Director's Moment of Shock

The word "shock" (衝擊) combines the characters for "to stab" (衝) and "to strike" (擊), originally referring to a powerful physical impact. In modern usage, its meaning has expanded to include intense psychological blows that rattle a person's emotions or thoughts. Beyond mere physical force, any sudden, unexpected experience that triggers mental turmoil can now be called a shock. And right now, one man was drowning in exactly that kind of shock.

His mouth hung wide open, his eyes bulged, and his nostrils flared as he made all sorts of ridiculous faces. He was so completely out of it that he didn't even realize what an idiot he looked like. Sitting across from him was a woman with a pitiful expression. Her face flushed red, even the sweat trickling down her skin somehow looked charming on this beautiful woman. Her sharp, cold eyes ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gave her the aloof air of a flower blooming on a cliff's edge. The aura she radiated was so captivating that any man would find it hard to endure—

Slurp slurp.

"Ooh, this is delicious!"

"Ah."

Incidentally, psychological shock does have a temporary remedy: hit it with another shock to snap out of it. So it wasn't strange at all that the illusion began to crumble the moment Jeon Gangseop saw Minji enthusiastically gulping down juice while exclaiming, "Ooh… it's so good! Umami!"

In short, Jeon Gangseop had been instantly captivated by Minji's harmful beauty, but the sight of her greedily chugging juice finally brought him back to his senses. It was a bit unfair to Minji, who was simply enjoying a sweet, icy drink on a hot day, but given her personality, she would never care about other people's stares or opinions anyway.

"Ahem… I'm glad it suits your taste."

Thus, Director Jeon Gangseop was revived—dramatically so, after being mentally down for the count.

"Kyah, Director, could I get another refill? It's seriously so good."

"Ah, yes… You must have been quite thirsty. It is… quite hot today, after all. Ah—please wait just a moment."

Unfortunately for Jeon Gangseop, if Minji's appearance were treated as a raid boss, Phase 2 was still waiting. 'No, but why does she have that face while—' The second wave of mental shock came from the thought, 'Why the hell is this woman doing that kind of thing with a face like hers?'

First, she hid behind a helmet, delivering one shock with her unexpectedly harmful beauty. Then, just as he was starting to adjust to that sight, another error occurred when he tried to reconcile the Minji from all her past antics with the beautiful woman right in front of him. It was a truly vicious pattern.

What? A body double? If she was using a double, why bother wearing the helmet at all? And if she had a double, she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠would've revealed her face earlier. So this person really is Seongna? Seriously?

"H-here… it is."

"Oh, thank you!"

Regardless of the chaos in Jeon Gangseop's head, Minji simply smiled brightly while downing the juice. Whoa, this is the life. Seriously, wow. It's so refreshing. Man, I'm alive. Is this juice or a slushie? In reality, the drink was just frozen juice because they hadn't bothered preparing separate ice in winter, but it perfectly matched Minji's tastes, so who cared?

"Ahem… Anyway, the reason I wanted to meet Seongna personally like this is…"

Watching Minji cheerfully finish her second cup, Jeon Gangseop finally regained his composure. He could now be called the third person to overcome Minji's appearance, following Suha and Yongho—the 3rd Clear, so to speak.

"I'd like Seongna to become Ias's official streamer."

Unlike the director, who had struggled to get the words out, Minji's reaction was surprisingly calm.

"Hmm…"

That short, monotone response actually flustered Jeon Gangseop instead. What? Does she not like the idea? Being an official streamer might sound like nothing special, but for a streamer, it was a massive opportunity. It didn't just mean being "a streamer who specializes in Ias"—it meant becoming the official face of the game, recognized by Ias itself. Of course, the value depended on the game's popularity, but right now Ias was riding a clear upward trend after the winter showcase. Even if it couldn't reclaim its old glory as the top K-RPG, it had a real shot at becoming a solid upper-tier title. An official streamer position for a game like that was something anyone would drool over, so why did this person look completely uninterested?

"Um… excuse me, is the offer not to your liking?"

"Huh? No, it's just… could I think about it for a bit?"

"Ah, of course. Take all the time you need."

Truthfully, she wasn't just pretending to be uninterested—she genuinely wasn't. Seongna's channel had a few hundred viewers, which was neither particularly large nor small. Depending on her goals, it might even feel "good enough." While streaming was an unstable job that could collapse overnight, making as much money as possible while you could was the smart move—but unfortunately, Minji's tiny, empty brain had no room for future worries, so Jeon Gangseop's oversight was understandable.

"Ah… if you become an official streamer, we'll provide you with around 100,000 diamonds every month."

"100,000? Every month? Oh…"

"We'll also offer you first pick on various Ias-related advertisements."

"Hmm… I appreciate the offer, but I don't really have any desire to grow my stream further…"

By this point, Jeon Gangseop felt like he'd completely lost control of the conversation. Before meeting Seongna, he'd imagined the flow going like this: she'd hear the benefits, her eyes would sparkle, and she'd beg for the contract. But reality?

"It's just a proposal. If it doesn't appeal to you, you're free to decline."

"Oh, that's nice."

Instead of begging, it felt like he was the one who should be clutching her pants and pleading. If any employee saw this, they might say, "Do we really have to go this far? I mean, Suha maybe, but Seongna isn't at the level where we'd beg like this, right?" Most people would probably agree. Even if a streamer had recently gotten popular, there was no guarantee that popularity would last forever. Jeon Gangseop had thought the same before meeting her. But after seeing her—specifically, after confronting the harmful beauty hidden behind that helmet—his evaluation of Seongna had skyrocketed. This is a coin that's definitely going to moon. If we lock her in as an official streamer now while the price is low, we'll make a huge profit. Even if we can't sign her, we absolutely cannot make an enemy out of her!

Wait, what? Their relationship had already gone from friendly to hostile? Considering Seongnyeo Naise was a victim of the mythic weapon incident, they should be grateful she hadn't started cursing them out yet. So Jeon Gangseop had no choice but to burn with anxiety.

"Hmm… What should I do… take it… or not…"

Whether Jeon Gangseop's insides were burning or not, Minji just rested her chin on her hand and tilted her head back and forth. Anyone watching would have clicked their tongue at how she was tormenting someone while looking so carefree. But since it wasn't really her fault, there was no point in applying moral standards here.

Just as the negotiation was dragging on, Minji finally spoke.

"Okay, sure."

The moment she gave her positive answer, Jeon Gangseop let out a sigh of relief. He hadn't prepared any backup lines in case she refused. Of course, losing one streamer named Seongna wouldn't bankrupt Ias—a game of Ias's scale wouldn't collapse because of a single streamer's influence. But making an enemy out of that crazy woman was a different story. Offering her the official streamer position was also a way of putting a leash on her. There was no guarantee she'd be completely controllable, but it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was still better than nothing.

"You made a wise choice. I'll show you the contract now, so please read it carefully—"

"Ah, actually… there's one thing I'd like to ask?"

"Yes?"

"Could I… get that Ias custom PC in advance…?"

Anyway, it was a meeting that left both Ias and Minji satisfied.

— — — —

Near Jangchung Gymnasium, where the Ias showcase was held, there was a frozen samgyeopsal restaurant. Among the customers who had gathered for dinner, there were some very special guests.

"Yes, three people."

One was a pretty, elegant-looking young lady.

"It's hot…"

Another was a young master insisting he was a man despite wearing a woman's body.

And the last was—

"Ah, I'm starving…!"

A crazy girl whose mind was male but whose body was female and beautiful.

It was quite the special trio they had to welcome.