Chapter 89
Chapter 89
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Not a Self-Deprecating Broadcast
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“What do you mean by that?”
I tilted my head and demanded an explanation from Hwarang.
I couldn’t understand the sudden intent to cast me as an actress.
Maybe he was trying to give a boost to the former Victoria, who had dreamed of becoming an actress, but that didn’t seem likely given his desperately earnest expression.
It looked like my cooperation was necessary to resolve the bug that had just occurred.
“I know it’s an incredibly shameless request. But this is the only solution I can think of right now.”
“Having Victoria play Victoria is the solution?”
“To be precise, the ‘Victoria Chernakoshka from Eastern Battlefield.’ Soon, the NPCs in the full-scale war will mistake you for someone else. At that time, could you please act like it’s not a bug, but an intentional event?”
“Hmm... So you want me to deceive the viewers on my stream?”
“It’s not deception—think of it as collaborative content with Universe. You’re currently streaming with Ttalgwi, aren’t you? With so many eyes on you, Universe won’t be able to deny it’s a bug. Without your cooperation, the bug will spread worldwide.”
“Ah.”
In short, he wanted me to disguise an unexpected bug as planned content.
If this were a typical big corporation, they’d slap me with an access ban without hesitation, but since they weren’t outright rejecting me, they must feel terribly sorry toward the former Victoria.
But the phrase ‘collaborative content with Universe’ rubbed me the wrong way.
No matter how anyone looked at it, I was the one helping them, yet it felt like they wanted me to see them as an equal business partner.
I leaned back in my chair, feigning disinterest.
Of course, I didn’t forget to remind them that the choice was mine.
“What if I refuse? Will you suspend my account?”
“Th-that...”
“I’m not asking you, Hwarang, so don’t worry. I’m asking the five people in front of me.”
“Yes...”
I gave Hwarang a light smile.
It would be tough for him, in the lowest position, to answer.
Then, the men and women excluding Hwarang and Han Jintae began openly exchanging opinions.
They were discussing my treatment right in front of me, but since that was the purpose of the meeting from the start, it didn’t bother me.
“Considering the scale of this update, there’ll be pressure. Universe might weather it, but the investors won’t sit idly by.”
“Total Director! So if Sukka refuses to cooperate, we suspend her account?”
“That’s how it would have to be. In that case, the PR team leader will have a tough job ahead. Can you control the media?”
“Do you think it’s as easy as it sounds? Why do all the bad stuff always get dumped on our team!”
“That’s the PR team’s job.”
“You guys caused this mess! We’ll handle it if ordered, but isn’t this too much?”
Somehow, the conversation was veering toward kicking me out.
It started with talk of investors, leading to money-related issues.
As expected of big corporate employees, they showed no mercy or sympathy when money was involved.
The mood felt like I’d end up as a sitting duck.
But they hadn’t noticed the fatal flaw at all.
To solidify my position further, I quietly spoke up.
“But what if I say I won’t log into the full-scale war?”
“Oh! If you do that, our PR team will take full responsibility for you. So don’t worry about running out of stream content. We’re planning Universe partner streamers right now? If you join as a first-generation streamer, you’ll get plenty of support. You have the visuals to be a flagship streamer, Sukka.”
“Thanks for the compliment. But I was asking about the game side. I’m curious how the full-scale war would play out without me.”
“Uh... The tech director would know that, right?”
With the energetic PR team leader’s response, everyone’s gazes turned to Han Jintae.
Since this incident was deeply tied to Eastern Battlefield, only Han Jintae, the former total director, would know the answer.
Then, the uncle who had been tearing his hair out slowly lifted his head.
His eyes, looking at me, were filled with deep guilt.
“Victoria... Have you also lost the memories of the Eastern Battlefield incident and Mr. Seo Ji-woo?”
But before answering, Han Jintae brought up something else.
It was about ‘Seo Ji-woo,’ who could be called my past life.
However, I had no direct experience meeting Victoria in my past life.
So, saying I didn’t know here would be the right answer.
“I know about the Eastern Battlefield incident. But I don’t remember Mr. Seo Ji-woo.”
“I see...”
“Why? I’m fine, so tell me who he is.”
“No, it’s better if you don’t know. Sorry for bringing it up unnecessarily.”
“Tell me.”
“.......”
I urged him on, showing my displeasure without restraint.
It was hostility intense enough to call killing intent, if exaggerated.
My aura made even the others flinch in surprise.
A hush fell over the conference room, and Han Jintae, letting out a sigh, finally spoke.
“Mr. Seo Ji-woo was the one who tested the character modeled after you. And he was the sole casualty of the Eastern Battlefield incident—while also being the sole survivor.”
“That’s a contradiction. How can a dead person be a survivor?”
“He died in reality, but survived in the game. Among the testers, he’s the only one still playing to this day. There was another tester who lasted a long time, but most logged out within days.”
“You mean logout was possible?”
“If you died in the game, you were forcibly logged out. Even with severe aftereffects, you could save your life. But Mr. Seo Ji-woo, who joined the test first, couldn’t log out. When we heard from other testers and went to check, he had already died in reality. The others had people around who noticed something was wrong, but sadly, Mr. Seo Ji-woo lived alone. Cause of death: dehydration.”
“You should have informed them beforehand that dying in the game meant logout.”
“We never imagined the game would go wrong. Developers could log out anytime during testing. And back then, the tech wasn’t advanced enough for a realistic game. But surviving testers said it felt exactly like reality. Like they were possessed in the game world and only returned to reality upon death. It was so realistic they thought death was the end.”
“Are you dodging responsibility by saying it wasn’t your fault?”
“N-no! I admit my fault! I intend to atone for life! But it was an accident even modern science can’t explain!”
“That must have been unfair for you. But I’m more wronged.”
I turned my head away, signaling I didn’t want to hear more.
Now I knew the truth, but there was no perpetrator left—just the victim.
As expected, the Eastern Battlefield incident couldn’t be explained without divine intervention.
The testers being possessed in the game could be chalked up to Universe’s mistake, but including my return in Victoria’s body made it clearly a prank by the gods.
Even if the perpetrator was a god, it wouldn’t ease my grievance.
It just made me feel like a fool for desperately surviving in the game, unaware I had died in reality.
Then the tester who survived a long time must be Katzenjäger.
To sum it up: Katzenjäger, whom I killed, logged out; the former Victoria, stalked by Katzenjäger, committed suicide; and I returned to the body of the girl whose soul had departed.
It was an utterly incomprehensible, unrealistic situation.
It was so absurd and ridiculous that I couldn’t even get angry.
“Why bring up Seo Ji-woo? From everyone’s reactions, it seems like information only a handful in Universe know.”
“Hiding it now is pointless... I’d have to tell you anyway to explain this update...”
“Don’t tell me the data used in the update came from Seo Ji-woo?”
“Yes... His body died, but data kept transmitting from the VR device. We applied the four years of accumulated data directly to this update...”
I shot Han Jintae a look that questioned his sanity.
While I was risking my life on the Eastern Front, this uncle had been extracting my data.
He even used it without my permission.
If the possession happened again, it would be disastrous, so a harsh scolding burst from my mouth.
“Are you insane? What if using Eastern Battlefield data repeats the incident? Planning to turn Frontline Archive users into another Seo Ji-woo?”
“N-no! We’ve set firm safety measures! After the incident, we developed VR safety devices and closely monitor users with anomalous data! There’ve been no issues in recent years!”
“So you’ve been using Seo Ji-woo’s data for years already. Is Frontline Archive a game built on his sacrifice?”
“Y-yes... The explosive progress in FPS games is all thanks to the data Mr. Seo Ji-woo left...”
If it was safe, I didn’t particularly mind, but it didn’t sit well.
Part of me wanted to yell, ‘I’m Seo Ji-woo!’ and grab him by the collar.
But seeing Han Jintae’s deathly pale face, my resolve weakened.
Even if I told the truth, they wouldn’t believe me, and what was the point of arguing with someone already dead?
So, I decided to hear Universe’s true intentions before deciding my stance.
If they saw me merely as a ‘data-extracting tool,’ I wouldn’t let it slide.
“Why use Seo Ji-woo’s data? A big corporation taking such risks?”
“Because... we wanted to save him... We thought advancing VR tech could rescue him...”
“Save him? Seo Ji-woo?”
“There was no happiness in the data he sent. Only fear and pain. That’s why we used it to develop countless games. To advance VR as fast as possible and transfer him to another game.”
“Hmm... Isn’t it too late to save him now?”
“Yes, far too late... I always feel guilty toward Mr. Seo Ji-woo, who endured over four years...”
“.......”
His answer infuriated me but also moved me.
Since I had already returned to reality, it was too late, but knowing he had worked for my sake made me a bit grateful.
If that was the reason for using my data, I had no choice but to let it slide.
With that thought, I gave a faint smile and asked again.
“What does Universe think of Seo Ji-woo?”
“A benefactor we could never atone enough for in a lifetime. I wasn’t fired after the Eastern Battlefield incident because of orders to care for him. There was a massive purge, so few remain, but Universe’s executives are always grateful and sorry toward him.”
“Really? You think that highly of him?”
“Yes, Universe essentially grew around Mr. Seo Ji-woo. VR games advanced this far thanks to him. This update was the final test to save him...”
“Hmm... For a big corporation, you’re surprisingly sentimental. I’m starting to trust you a little.”
Their support for me lifted my spirits considerably.
It felt like being deified posthumously.
As expected, Universe had only provided the cause—they weren’t the perpetrators.
Moreover, they had even tried to save me, so there was no need for hostility toward them.
But one thing Han Jintae said bothered me.
Even though I had returned to the real world, he spoke as if ‘Seo Ji-woo is still trapped in the game.’
No matter divine intervention, a VR device without a soul shouldn’t transmit data.
Harboring doubts, I asked one final question before cooperating with Universe.
“So where is Seo Ji-woo now?”
“We cremated the body and placed it in a columbarium, but his consciousness seems still trapped in the game.”
“What?”
Seo Ji-woo was still trapped in the game.
Stunned, I widened my eyes and asked again.
“Is that possible? How?”
“If you’re asking about the technical side, I can’t explain well. It’s just speculation from the data the VR device is sending.”
“.......”
It couldn’t be me sending the data now, so someone else must be trapped in the game in my place.
The situation was so beyond common sense that certainty was hard, but one name instinctively came to mind and wouldn’t leave.
The girl who tried to end her life in the VR device. The pitiful girl who passed her body to me and departed.
The frail aspiring actress, Victoria Chernakoshka.
“Blut...”
It seemed one more person needed saving.