Chapter 94

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Translator: True Detective

Chapter: 94

Chapter Title: Long-Awaited Broadcast

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1.

"You really prepared this for me."

I smiled faintly as I looked at the capsule beside the bed. It felt oddly welcoming after so long.

"A promise is a promise. You cleared the fifth mission, so we had to deliver."

PD Jeong In-seon let out a deep sigh before speaking.

"Installing this thing was seriously tough. We couldn't trust the staff with it in case of leaks, so our team studied it ourselves."

"Moving it here was hell too. Normally you'd need a crane, but that would've made too much noise."

The two suddenly started venting. It must've been really rough for them.

"Yeah, I get it."

They'd worked hard amid their busy schedules, so I decided to empathize first.

"So we gathered the team members who knew Kang Yerin was Carrier and carried it by hand!"

"You should've just told me. I could've helped."

"We couldn't ask that of you, Yerin. You're already exhausted from the missions."

The two smiled brightly, but dark circles shadowed their eyes.

"So what are your plans now? Grand Chef Korea Episode 3 airs soon."

Writer Seo Na-hyun checked her watch and said.

"I'm thinking of starting my stream right before Episode 3 airs."

"...You're serious?"

"Yeah. You've already stopped watching in the hall anyway."

"The mood tanked with so many fewer contestants. Those scenes didn't fit for broadcast. We filmed reactions for Episodes 1 and 2, but we're scrapping them entirely."

PD Jeong In-seon had already informed all the contestants about this.

"Since it's come to this, might as well sync it perfectly with Grand Chef Korea airtime. I'm curious about viewer reactions too."

"That'll definitely pull some serious aggro. I've always thought you have a natural knack for this stuff, Hayul."

PD Jeong In-seon said admiringly.

"This isn't talent—it's experience. What kind of life have you lived to have these skills already?"

"Who knows."

I gave an enigmatic smile and dodged the question. I couldn't exactly say I'd honed it in another world.

"Well, as long as the ratings are good, we're golden. Take care of the stream."

"Sure."

The two bowed their heads and quietly left the room. I immediately pressed the button ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠next to the capsule.

Pssshhh-

The lid slowly opened with a hiss of escaping air. As I climbed in and sat down, an indescribable coziness enveloped me.

Pressing the button inside closed the lid as text appeared.

It was a brand-new unit, so there was a registration process. I completed the biometric ID setup and dived into virtual reality.

A familiar phrase flashed before my eyes. A falling sensation pulled me into another space, my body floating weightlessly.

'I panicked the first time.'

The unfamiliar sensation had startled me. Of course, now it was second nature.

Ding-

As I entered my room and sat on the sofa, a notification chimed.

[Yurim: Unnie! We're all watching Grand Chef Korea Episode 3 in the break room. Wanna join?]

[Yurim: Caramel popcorn too!]

[Yurim: (Photo of three people sitting side-by-side on a sofa)]

The message was from Yurim. Unable to watch together in the hall, she wanted to at least do it in the break room.

'Their reactions are all so different.'

Yurim clutched a bowl of caramel popcorn tightly, Iseo-hwa beamed with a V-sign, and Han Chae-yun sat quietly with a blank expression beside them.

From different backgrounds and ages, but bonded over cooking.

'...Should I go?'

I wavered for a moment, but I had important business today. These connections mattered, but so did what I was about to do.

[Me: Nah]

[Me: Too tired today, skipping.]

[Yurim: Got it...]

[Yurim: (Puppy crying emoji)]

I chuckled and left the chat.

'Should I message Noona?'

Not sure if streaming together was wise. I'd slipped up before.

'Just a heads-up then.'

[Me: Streaming now.]

[Noona: ?????]

A reply came instantly. Grand Chef Korea was about to start, so she'd planned to relay community reactions.

[Noona: Streaming now will pull insane aggro???]

[Me: That's the point?]

[Noona: OK; Noted;]

After replying to Noona, I hit the stream start button.

Viewers surged within a minute of starting.

'Time to check the communities.'

It'd take time for viewers to build, so I decided to peek at the forums.

As expected, the Grand Chef Korea gallery had my stream news up immediately. Other communities were the same.

My news spreading across forums made viewers skyrocket.

"Ah, hello everyone."

Time to speak, so I turned on the mic. I didn't forget to enable video feed.

"Grand Chef Korea? What's that?"

I tilted my head innocently.

"No, I'm seriously asking because I don't know. What is Grand Chef Korea? Don't speak in insider lingo—explain it."

"The trending show lately? I didn't know. I've been overseas until recently."

I said flatly.

Since I was committed to playing dumb, some viewers started getting confused. Not a huge number yet.

"I said I was on hiatus for personal challenges and curiosity. That was my overseas trip."

Viewers hammered the chat like they'd caught me out. It must've seemed ridiculous to them.

"To be precise, it was to walk the Santiago Pilgrim's Way. I've always wanted to try it personally."

"Figured you wouldn't believe me, so ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I took photos. Here."

I displayed several photos on stream.

Mostly landscapes, mixed with shots of me making a V-sign or hiding my face.

Illusion magic creations, but the body in them was unmistakably mine.

"Oh, met people from all over there. Learned some greetings—sharing a few with you."

Photos might not convince, so I greeted in various languages. A gift from the gods.

Showing this much started swaying some viewers. Doubters remained, so I pushed further.

"What happened there was..."

With photos up, I spun travel tales from my hero party adventures in the other world.

Reactions split cleanly: believers in my trip, and total skeptics.

"Nah, still places I wanna see."

"Can't say exactly where, but summiting's the goal. That's all."

I used ambiguous terms deliberately. Summit and climb could mean other things.

"You've got my update, so I'll head out. Streaming right after returning—kinda tired."

I stretched exaggeratedly.

Grand Chef Korea was ending soon—perfect time to wrap.

'I've done enough anyway.'

The chat vibe was totally different from the start.

"See you later. I'll stream again after my next trip. Bye."

A message from Noona arrived right after I ended the stream.

[Noona: Wow, Hayul, your acting is pro. Could debut as an actress ㅇㅇ;]

[Me: How'd it go? Think people bought it?]

[Noona: Communities are buzzing already? Want screenshots?]

[Me: Yeah]

Screenshots arrived soon after, capturing community chaos.

'Total mess.'

A resounding success.