Chapter 118
In truth, Seo-yeon already knew that there was an esports club at her school.
However, the reason she hadn’t gone there was simply because she had been busy.
Ding!
Games were an essential part of Seo-yeon’s life.
After all, aren’t characters who are TS-ed generally expected to have some level of gaming skill?
So, of course, Seo-yeon believed she would be good at gaming as well.
At least, until she started filming the variety show, If It’s On, It’s Royale.
“That’s a console game.”
“? Who said that?”
Seo-yeon made her excuses to Ji-yeon in her own way, but Ji-yeon had that oh-well face.
That was a face that showed no recognition of the importance of games at all.
Seo-yeon sulked and quietly stared at Ji-yeon.
Of course, Ji-yeon couldn’t grasp her feelings this time either.
Anyway.
‘If it’s PC games, it’s different.’
Honestly, if there were VR games controlled by physical abilities like those found in typical TS stories or some super-scientific gaming devices, it would have been much better.
If such a thing existed, she would have been confident in her skills.
However, since that obviously didn’t exist, Seo-yeon could only grip her keyboard and mouse.
“Can’t we just play games at home?”
“I can’t.”
When Ji-yeon asked, Seo-yeon shook her head firmly.
“I don’t think your mom and dad would stop you from playing games.”
“That’s true, but…”
Like Ji-yeon said, Suah and Young-bin weren’t the type to prevent their daughter from doing what she wanted.
But.
“Look, daughter. Your skilled play is leaving the foolish players behind.”
“…….”
“This father didn’t raise you to be a kid who can’t even press the R key…”
“…….”
“Ah, Amumu is calling for dad; please tell him I’m right next to you.”
When she played games, it was tough to focus due to her dad’s constant banter beside her.
Sometimes, if she pointed her finger at the framed half-torn outfit hanging on the wall, he would quiet down, but only for a moment.
Because her dad, Young-bin, would inevitably flutter around and watch when Seo-yeon played, she gave up on gaming at home.
“I’ll play after I get a tier higher than dad.”
“……Really. Then why not do it at the agency?”
“That would make it too noticeable.”
The console games were already there at the company.
But even Seo-yeon thought it would be too conspicuous to have a PC set up.
What kind of attention would a female actress receive if she were playing League of Legends at the agency?
That wasn’t good for her image.
‘She’s oddly sensitive about this kind of thing.’
Ji-yeon found Seo-yeon’s attitude intriguing.
Even though her actions suggest she didn’t care about others, it turned out Seo-yeon was actually quite sensitive.
To be precise, she enjoyed the attention.
Maybe she was just someone who liked getting praised by others.
That was just a vague thought.
‘But I’m worried.’
Watching Seo-yeon walk with light steps full of excitement made Ji-yeon feel anxious.
Today, Seo-yeon was heading to the esports club.
It was unexpectedly a rather serious club.
There were even two semi-pro players.
And some players were already competing for the team.
Yeonhwa High School was particularly focused on arts and sports.
As it turned out, the esports club had achieved significant results at Yeonhwa High School, and it received robust support in many ways.
‘Of course, that meant grades fell relatively…’
But who cares about that?
How many people from this school actually take the entrance exam and further their studies?
‘As long as there’s no trouble.’
Originally, Seo-yeon was meant to go to the esports club alone.
Ji-yeon, seeing Seo-yeon happily walking by herself, followed her out of concern.
She had a vague sense of foreboding that something would go wrong if left alone.
“But Ji-yeon, you don’t like games.”
“I do play. I’ve played a lot lately.”
Really?
As that thought crossed Seo-yeon’s mind, she suddenly remembered La-miel, who had recently collaborated with the ‘Wizard Erchebet.’
The two did not specifically play AOS games like League of Legends.
What they had recently played was the FPS game, Valorant.
She vividly recalled how much fun they had while streaming together.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
“It’s nothing.”
Seo-yeon fixed her gaze on Ji-yeon for a moment before turning away.
Anyway, that was how it was.
For a Vtuber, gaming was an essential item.
Even Ji-yeon, who had not shown much interest in games, had no choice but to play in the end.
The problem was.
‘But she was a bit good at it.’
Seo-yeon felt a sense of crisis rise a little.
That day, La-miel’s skill, when she first played the FPS game, was outstanding considering she was just a beginner.
After about 2 hours, she was flying around.
‘Thinking back, La-miel was good at games…’
Seo-yeon was aware of it.
She knew it, but… wasn’t it a bit unreasonable to become that good in just two hours?
Even the Wizard seemed quite surprised by it.
‘Well, if I had the right environment to play games…’
She would be confident.
As mentioned, gaming was a pretty essential item for a Vtuber.
‘It’s different from consoles; different from consoles.’
Confident in her skills, Seo-yeon boldly opened the door to the esports club.
That was the journey that led Seo-yeon to the esports club.
*
The boys in the esports club felt their minds go blank.
Especially Baek Geun-soo, the club president, was incredibly flustered.
‘What? Is it a dream?’
It was an ordinary day.
After class, he thought to play a game or two to warm up his hands before heading to the practice room.
Playing with friends felt completely different from playing with the players.
As he was setting up his PC and loosening his hands…
“Hello.”
Two female students entered through the clubroom door.
Long black hair contrasting with porcelain-white skin.
Eyes with a hint of red.
With those distinctive features, Baek Geun-soo couldn’t help but recognize them.
‘Joo Seo-yeon!’
And that must be Lee Ji-yeon next to her.
Among the most famous people in the school, they were definitely on that list.
Especially for Joo Seo-yeon, who had become increasingly well-known recently; it was inevitable.
‘Wow, I understand what this is now.’
Commonly, hearing ‘daunting’ was the most frequent description when seeing Seo-yeon at school.
That referred not to her personality but her appearance.
Dauntingly beautiful, like so.
Baek Geun-soo hadn’t seen Seo-yeon playing the Yeonhwa Princess during the previously held Looking Back at the Past event.
At the time, he was busy preparing for a tournament in the team’s practice room.
So, this was his first time seeing her in person.
In short, he understood how the word “daunting” perfectly described her looks.
The aura that only an actress could possess.
Plus, that emotionless face that seemed hard to approach.
With her strangely chilly mood and appearance, the boys in the esports club could only swallow their saliva.
Frankly, they didn’t feel much like she was their age.
‘The last announcer I saw in a tournament doesn’t even compare.’
Even a well-known beauty like that announcer couldn’t hold a candle to real actors.
That was true not just for Seo-yeon but Ji-yeon as well.
Ji-yeon also had sharp eyes that uplifted like a cat, giving her an overall fierce impression.
Moreover, she was exceptionally beautiful, making her look even more like a predator to the esports boys.
Why?
Why was that?
Both of them felt like they didn’t belong here.
‘Has the status of esports risen this much lately?’
Recently, he had seen celebrities posting game certification photos on Instagram, too.
He had also seen some who visited in person.
Honestly, he thought it was just for image management, but… maybe that wasn’t it?
“Um.”
Caught in his daydreams, Baek Geun-soo was pulled back to reality by Ji-yeon’s hesitant voice.
“Are we just going to stand here?”
“No, no! Not at all! Not at all!”
As Baek Geun-soo flailed his hands in embarrassment, the other esports club members looked at him with pity.
It was embarrassing to be so clueless about talking to a girl.
“Anyway…”
Remembering what Seo-yeon had just said, Baek Geun-soo gathered his thoughts.
Seo-yeon had greeted them and then said:
“Yes, I want to experience esports. I haven’t joined any club activities yet.”
Her statement created a perplexing atmosphere around them.
‘Don’t actors usually join the theater club?’
Even Ji-yeon, standing next to her, belonged to the theater club.
Although she wasn’t that diligent in her activities, she was still a member of that club.
Usually, club activities earn bonuses for grades, so many students join, even if only half-heartedly.
“So… how much do you know about games?”
“Hold on, why do you speak like I’m older than you?”
Seo-yeon asked curiously about Baek Geun-soo’s hesitant question.
Baek Geun-soo was actually one year older than Seo-yeon.
But his attitude made it seem like he was the junior.
“Cough! Cough! From now on, let’s be direct.”
“Okay.”
“But you do know how to play games, right?”
“Of course.”
Seo-yeon squinted at him, as if questioning why he was asking such a basic question.
Because of that, the attention of the boys all shifted towards Baek Geun-soo.
“No, no! We need to know your actual skill level!”
“But if you were genuinely curious about skill, you wouldn’t phrase it like that.”
“Ugh.”
Baek Geun-soo was left speechless by the jabs from his club members.
Then, why don’t you talk to her instead?
He had to hold back from laughing at how all of them were standing over two meters away.
“Well… I see.”
If we summarize Seo-yeon’s statements, it went like this.
Her preference lay toward esports, particularly League of Legends.
There were so many leagues and interesting things to watch, plus it was widely streamed on the internet.
That seemed to be her reason.
“Shall we… play a game together?”
“Yes!”
Seo-yeon replied with enthusiasm.
Finally, here it comes.
Ding!
‘At home, I couldn’t concentrate because of Dad.’
But here, it would definitely be different.
Honestly, compared to console games, she felt a bit confident about this game.
After all, it was a given that a TS girl would become a master of AOS games.
‘But still, I’m a bit worried…’
Ji-yeon decided not to participate and just watch.
Ji-yeon had some knowledge about League of Legends.
After all, she was active as La-miel, so it was inevitable that she would learn something.
Moreover, she had to match the buzz among viewers, so she had a thorough understanding, even if she didn’t play it herself.
In that sense, Seo-yeon’s pick was rather concerning.
“Top?”
Thus began the five-man queue.
As the game started, Seo-yeon immediately chose a top character.
All eyes turned toward her.
She would go for top here?
Seo-yeon confidently said, “I’m good at this.”
“Oh, really.”
What could they say since she claimed to be good?
Even if it was Irelia.
The character had become easier to play after a recent rework, yet it still wasn’t something a beginner could easily handle…
‘No, since she said she’s good, she must be.’
Thinking such thoughts was a slight against others.
With that in mind, Baek Geun-soo headed mid.
Exactly ten minutes later.
Seo-yeon’s character stood still in front of the turret.
When you pressed the tab key, this showed: [Irelia 0/7/0].
The enemy Teemo typed out.
– Teemo: ? Game’s given up? Why aren’t you moving?
Of course, like Teemo said, Seo-yeon wanted to move.
If only her mouse wasn’t reduced to fragments…
Crack!