A Day's Work
The handwriting is so flawless that even I, who wrote it myself, can't help but admire it. A noble, lofty spirit radiates from every stroke. Only natural, since it's modeled after the calligraphy of a master who once made a name for himself in the world of brush and ink.
"Phew— time to head inside."
After grinding out the cigarette, I head back the way I came. The entrance my sister went through earlier comes into view. It's far quieter than the rowdy opposite side.
At the end of the long corridor, someone sitting behind a chair and table spots me and stands up.
"Hello, are you Han Ga-eul-nim?"
"Neng."
Without asking anything else, the person rummages across the desk and hands me an item. It's a necklace-style name tag with my name written on it. I slip it around my neck and keep walking. Noisy sounds drift toward me.
"Oh."
A massive space, easily thousands of pyeong wide, is packed with booths from every major game company promoting their titles. The air feels warm. Cosplayers in flashy outfits stroll around casually while event booths blast cheerful noise. It's a festival made for gamers who love games. Baek Seol is already bouncing on my shoulder, clearly excited.
"Guys, let's go play!"
Following the viewers' advice, I grab a nearby pamphlet. A map of the booths is printed on it. The main event zone and big corporate booths line the walls and corners, while the indie game zone occupies its own section—fitting for an expo friendly to smaller titles.
"There's a food court upstairs too. We can hit that later when we're hungry."
The company behind Panic Field is naturally here as well. While I'm walking and checking the pamphlet, someone waves and approaches with a friendly smile.
"Host!"
"Huh?"
"Could you take a picture for me?"
"Sure."
Click!
"Thanks!"
"Enjoy yourself."
The person disappears as quickly as they appeared after getting the shot. It's a strange feeling, being recognized everywhere I go.
"Host!"
"Yeah."
The moment one person leaves, another arrives like a baton pass.
"Whoa, the host in real life is insane. You look like a doll someone dressed up."
A fan-looking person hands me a pen and a game console. Most of my viewers are guys, and as expected, they all love games.
"Here."
"Thanks."
After scribbling my signature on the back of the console, they hold out their phone next.
Click!
"Thanks, Host."
"Yeah, have fun."
The fan waves and disappears with the phone.
"My little viewers rushing over, stop right there. I can see you're all watching the stream."
"Guys, come all at once later. If I have time, I'll hug each of my little viewers one by one."
The not-quite-a-threat works. The crowd that had been gathering behind me scatters in all directions.
"Guess a lot of game-loving kids showed up."
"Yeah, I'll do it later, so just enjoy yourselves."
After calming the gathering viewers, I wander around checking out the booths. Baek Seol, still in my arms, starts waving her front paws.
"You want to go over there?"
"Ppongppong-i!"
I head where Baek Seol points. A single arcade machine sits there. It's the kind where you smack a protruding target with a rubber mallet to rack up points. The harder you hit, the higher the score—like a punch machine, but simpler.
"Baek Seol, Ppongppong-i went to America."
"Went?"
I gently rub the top of her head while she tilts it at the mallet. Her ears perk up. She must have really liked Ppongppong-i. Sadly, the poor thing couldn't survive even one swing and got sent straight to Ppongppong Planet. If I get the chance, I should fix it or make a Ppongppong-i mark-two.
I drop a coin into the machine. The board lights up with loud noises. Clunk! The target plate that had been slightly sunken rises. Time to grab the rubber mallet hanging on the side.
"Call."
The current high score on the board is 861. I grip the mallet. The weight feels just right.
"Ah, this cool, heavy sensation. Been a while."
If I swing with full force, the strength-amplification option on my hair tie will turn it into dust. Not just a little stronger—twenty times stronger. I've been keeping it active for strength-control practice, but swinging a blunt weapon like this is asking for trouble. I focus, and the excess power clinging to my body scatters instantly. As gently as possible.
—Kwaaaang!!
Ding-ding-ding!
The scoreboard shoots up, flashes wildly, then goes pitch black.
"Broke it. First one of my little viewers holding a pen and paper, come get a signed apology."
The words barely leave my mouth before someone watching nearby jumps out.
"Host."
"Yeah. Give me the paper."
I write a number and apology note on the paper and slip it in. Feels better now.
"Said I'm sorry and I'll compensate three times over."
"Whatever. I'll take the blame."
I sign for the fan who brought the paper and look around. Next to the mallet game are several arcade machines made for little kids.
"Want to play too, Baek Seol?"
"Yeah!"
Baek Seol, who had been bouncing on my head, slides down into my arms. Colorful butterflies and dragonflies flutter across the screen. No buttons—must be a touch game. I sit on the seat in front of the machine, insert a coin, and a countdown begins.
Beep!
A quick tap on the screen makes the character swing a butterfly net. Catch a butterfly in the net and your score goes up. Simple.
"Baek Seol, catch the butterflies and dragonflies. Want to try?"
"Yeah!"
I set her down in front of the screen. Her tiny front paws immediately start tapping away.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Tok-tok. Tok-tok. Tok-tok. She uses both left and right paws and even chains combos.
Baek Seol's little ears stand straight up as she works her paws. Even when we went for walks in the mountains she used to catch bugs, so maybe she's just built for hunting. While I'm sitting behind her watching blankly, she soon hops back into my arms.
"Did you have fun?"
"Super fun!"
Her small body couldn't reach the butterflies flying at the top of the screen, so the game ended quickly.
"Guys, isn't Eun-a unni streaming right now? Anyone know where she is?"
The connection from when I helped her with that Three Games ad last time still seems to be going strong.
"Let's go right now."
Following the viewers' directions, I arrive at a huge screen showing the game in progress. Typical of a big company—everything is oversized.
"Oh, Ga-eul-ssi?"
"Huh? Director Park Seong-woo, hello."
"Haha, I see you're attending the expo."
"That's what internet streamers do, I guess. But why are you here, Director?"
Director Park Seong-woo glances at the big screen, then looks back at me.
"I came to discuss contract matters with Eun-a-ssi."
"Aha."
He personally handed me the contract when I made my avatar too. He really lives a busy life. I don't know why the director handles contracts himself, but it seems like some kind of superstition for him.
"Would you like to try, Ga-eul-ssi? We brought an early version of the summer event map."
Director Park points at the screen with his finger.
"Oho. I'd love to."
Right on cue, the person sitting there stands up.
【Wow, 22 wins in a row. Overwhelming. Next participant····】
Eun-a unni, holding the mic on stage, stops mid-sentence and her mouth falls open. I raise a finger to my lips.
"Shh."
She nods with a smile, understanding the gesture.
【Now, can the next participant break the 22-win streak?!】
The computers set up facing each other are so far apart that I can only barely see the top of the opponent's head on the other side. Anyone getting 22 wins in a row in an FPS is probably a pro gamer. The seat already has an event account logged in and a custom room open. Looks like a simple 1v1 match.
【Ready participant, please press ready】
The moment Eun-a unni finishes speaking, the opponent presses ready. I move the mouse and press ready too. The screen darkens and the game begins. Instead of starting from a plane like I expected, we spawn straight onto the field. The basic mechanic of scavenging scattered weapons to fight remains the same. The only difference is the summer event map Director Park mentioned—there are also water-gun-looking weapons scattered around.
"These water guns only do 1 damage?"
"Trust me."
In 1v1, the most important thing is a weapon you can click with. Since Panic Field lets you carry up to two main weapons, once I grab a sniper rifle there's still one slot left.
"Might as well just use the sniper anyway."
I pick up a randomly scattered water gun. At the same time, faint footsteps echo through the headset. The opponent is moving while thinking I can't hear them—exactly like someone I know.
I wait behind a wall. A small moving figure appears in the distance.
—Bang!
Blood splatters.
"Wait, I aimed for the legs on purpose."
The sniper's shoulder-up hitbox is an instant kill. Shoulders to head is lethal, but damage halves the lower you go. Since I hit the legs, the opponent probably has about 20 health left.
I toss a smoke grenade. It billows thick white smoke.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Thinking I've pushed in, the opponent sprays bullets into the smoke even though they can't see anything. I tilt my body slightly around the opposite side of the smoke and spot them frantically using a medkit. Medkits restore most health but take three seconds to finish.
Click.
Thanks to the water gun's 1 damage, the opponent freezes and the medkit use gets canceled. Bang! Bang! Because the water gun makes no sound, they can't tell where the shots are coming from and keep firing blindly into the smoke again. I slip back into cover the moment they tilt their body to look this way. It's a simple play—like standing behind a child and spinning around with them whenever they turn to look, pretending you're not there. Most people couldn't pull it off with normal reflexes, but I've been sparring with demons and Namgung-whatever until just before coming here. This level of play is child's play now.
Click. Bang! Bang! Click. Bang! Bang!
When the smoke starts to fade, I toss another and repeat the pattern. Click. Bang! Click. Bang! The opponent is cornered. Every time they try to run the other way, the water gun flies in. They can't exactly charge into the smoke either when they don't even know if I'm still there. Click. Ta-ta-ta-tat! Now they're spraying full auto.
"Two."
I've counted up to nineteen. So the opponent has 1 health left without any recovery. Click. I fire the last water gun. A thud echoes as the game ends.
<Victory!>
"Aaaaaagh!! What the hell kind of game is this?!"
"Bwahahaha."
Crash! The opponent kicks their chair over and stands up, throwing a fit. Thanks to that, I finally see their face.
"Why only me!!"
No wonder the sloppy movement felt so familiar. It was my best friend Radelli, whom I'd never met in person before.
"Whew, almost missed my daily routine."
***
