New PerG-Day (2)
Late evening.
Lee Gyeongbok and his friends finished dinner and moved on to their second round, drinking at a bar. They ordered soup and sashimi at a raw fish restaurant and clinked their Sozhou glasses together.
"Man, how long has it been since the three of us drank together like this for real?"
Choi Byeonghun emptied his glass lightly, letting out a laugh.
"But we did have a drink each during that company dinner with Geno last ti, right?"
"Hey, that's totally different. It's not the sa as eating comfortably just among ourselves."
"That's true. Has it been almost two months?"
Lee Gyeongbok agreed with Choi Byeonghun. Hadn't they spent the first month after starting the broadcast without a single break?
The three laughed as they emptied their glasses. They talked about all kinds of things, but the conversation soon circled back to the autograph session.
"Wow... Seriously, I was shocked seeing them in person? How is it their heads are all so small?"
"Have you ever thought that maybe your head's just too big?"
"Hey, my head is average! I just look bigger because I put on a little weight, okay?"
Choi Byeonghun feigned outrage at Park Juho's comnt, then let out a laugh.
"I've seen a lot of female strears as an editor, you know? So, I have high standards. But even to my eyes, sweeties were way too pretty."
"Finally, sothing reasonable coming out of your mouth."
Park Juho laughed low and filled his glass.
"But the real charm of Sweeties isn't just their faces. Their music is great and seeing their performance, you can't help but get sucked in. I'll send you a concert video, watch it if you get ti."
Park Juho pushed his friend into becoming a fan. Lee Gyeongbok watched them, chuckling.
"So, how was it for you?"
"Yeah, did you manage to really enjoy the last one?"
They directed the question at Lee Gyeongbok.
"Well, it was definitely a unique experience."
"In what way?"
"When you actually talk to them, you realize idols are just people too."
"Oh, that's so true. I thought celebrities lived in a completely different world, but they treated us so friendly."
"That's another one of Sweeties' strengths."
Choi Byeonghun laughed fondly as if recalling the conversation, while Park Juho nodded with a proud look.
Watching his two friends, Lee Gyeongbok smiled again.
"To be honest, seeing you two is more fun than eting celebrities. Especially you, juho, how did you keep a straight face?"
"Seriously! Just thinking he's probably enjoying this alone at ho gives chills, don't you think?"
"Enjoy? Don't insult my fandom."
The three friends laughed as innocently as if they were back in school.
Good tis always pass quickly. Before they knew it, night had grown deep, and the three stood to leave.
"Thanks for guiding us today."
"No, I had a great ti too. I'll try to look for a strear to recruit."
At Park Juho's words, Lee Gyeongbok waved his hand.
"Co on, not at this hour. Just get so good sleep."
"Yeah. Let's work hard again starting tomorrow."
"Got it. Take care getting ho."
After parting with his friends, Lee Gyeongbok checked his Smart Link on his way ho.
'No notifications.'
The anonymous ssenger he'd installed, 'Disconnector', was completely silent.
Did it an a rejection?
'It'd be nice if she'd at least resolved the doll issue.'
He couldn't be sure what the exact problem was. But his divine energy had detected the malice residing in the doll.
Upon arriving ho, Lee Gyeongbok disconnected the Smart Link and took a shower.
"Oh?"
After finishing getting ready for bed and checking his Smart Link again, there was a notification.
[〉NT: I'll at least listen to what you have to say]
[〉NT: What are you doing?]
[〉NT: Don't tell you asked here and then fell asleep?]
She must have sent those ssages while he was in the shower. He had unintentionally made her wait.
Lee Gyeongbok quickly replied.
[〉P: Sorry, I was in the shower]
[〉P: Are you still there?]
[〉NT: Why are you using honorifics? It's not even a broadcast.]
[〉NT: Just speak comfortably.]
Her reply ca imdiately after he sent his ssage.
She told him to speak comfortably; he had no reason to refuse.
'Could she have been waiting the whole ti?'
Judging by her reply speed, that seed to be the case.
Before Lee Gyeongbok even managed to tap on the hologram keyboard again, more ssages arrived.
[〉NT: This is too frustrating like this]
[〉NT: I'll send you a lounge invite code, so co in with the capsule]
[〉P: Lounge?]
[〉NT: There's a VIP-only private lounge]
[〉NT: Just co in. Let's talk face to face.]
Yoon Nara then left the code and exited the chat. Her unilateral attitude made Lee Gyeongbok smile faintly.
'The fact that she invited instead of just rejecting ans the odds are good.'
It was a clear sign of positivity.
* * *
A high-rise lounge bar with a beautiful night view of the cityscape. The sophisticated interior displayed liquor bottles with nas he'd never even heard before.
This was the private lounge he'd accessed via Yoon Nara's invitation code.
"I didn't know you liked alcohol."
But Yoon Nara, the owner of this place, was dressed in a way that did not suit the environnt at all.
Armored in combat gear, she was just as Lee Gyeongbok rembered NewtonLord.
"I don't drink. I don't really like losing control."
Yoon Nara denied his assumption. Seeing Lee Gyeongbok's puzzled look, she added an explanation.
"This is my first ti using the lounge. The default location happened to be set to here."
Lee Gyeongbok nodded.
Location didn't matter anyway.
"There's not much ti left to choose team mbers. Have you decided? If you refuse, I'll have to find soone else."
"Is that how you ask for a favor?"
"It's not a favor. It's an offer."
Lee Gyeongbok shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. Yoon Nara glared at him for a mont before speaking again.
"I have sothing to ask you first."
"What is it?"
"How did you know there was a cara installed in that doll...?"
At that question, Lee Gyeongbok's eyes twitched.
'I figured there was sothing, but it was a cara?'
He was a bit surprised but didn't show it. Since he couldn't explain about his divine energy, he chose to answer vaguely.
"Sa way you figured it out."
"You could see that tiny cara moving?"
Yoon Nara's voice unintentionally grew louder. He hadn't even touched it, so how could he have noticed?
"You know that guy was sitting next to . He showed off the doll to . That's when I picked up on it."
"Then why didn't you say anything right away?"
"Would you have believed if I did?"
When Lee Gyeongbok shot back, she flinched a little.
"It would have been hard to believe. Even if you did, it would've caused a commotion. And the autograph session...?"
"That..."
"That rare autograph session would have turned into a ss. The fans, the staff, even you and your group would have suffered. I only chose the last slot because I wanted to minimize any impact on the session."
"You chose?"
Yoon Nara's eyes widened. Lee Gyeongbok tilted his head quizzically.
"Yeah. Didn't you realize the person who won the third ticket was ?"
"I didn't know that..."
"Well, anyway, that's why I purposely picked the last slot. If I told you my suggestion, it'd distract you."
He smiled softly as he explained.
"And besides, even if I didn't tell you, I figured you'd notice anyway."
That made Yoon Nara's pupils shake.
'Ugh, why do I like this!'
Her mood improved because of his consideration and complint about her, sparking a battle within herself trying not to admit it.
Luckily, as a celebrity, she was good at controlling her emotions.
"Enough about that. Do you really think it makes sense for to join the team?"
She changed the subject. Lee Gyeongbok answered indifferently.
"Any reason you shouldn't?"
"You think the other team mbers will agree?"
"That's my job to convince the other two. You don't need to worry. Even if there's a problem, since I recruited you, I'll take responsibility."
With Lee Gyeongbok's decisive answer, yoon Nara was actually rendered speechless. Hearing him say he'd "take responsibility" only troubled her more.
"And what about the developers? Will GGG allow this?"
"They might actually welco it. It'd be a big attention grabber."
"... And the viewers? The fans of the strears I criticized won't sit quietly."
This was the first ti Lee Gyeongbok didn't imdiately reply.
'Yeah, that's probably impossible.'
Yoon Nara was about to refuse, thinking it'd be as expected. But Lee Gyeongbok beat her to it.
"Do you think what you've done so far was bad?"
"What?"
"I an it literally."
Yoon Nara looked at him for a mont before shaking her head.
"Of course not! Everyone I criticized deserved it."
She clenched her fist and spoke stiffly.
"They ran people down, saying things like talent and effort don't matter. But in front of anyone stronger, they'd make excuses and try to justify themselves—pitiful, really."
"... Was Geno like that too?"
At Lee Gyeongbok's question, she flinched and shook her head.
"No, he was a bit different. He showed off his talent, but he didn't look down on hard work."
"Then why?"
"I misjudged. At that ti... I couldn't distinguish well between what's for show and what's real during broadcasts."
Yoon Nara said that, then added a slightly resentful remark.
"Call it an excuse, but he was pretty full of himself."
"True. That was the case."
Lee Gyeongbok chuckled in agreent. Still, hadn't Geno completely changed his attitude after facing him?
"Then there's no problem. As long as you're confident in yourself, that's what matters."
"That's okay?"
"Most of NewtonLord's bad reputation cos from those 'Sagwadan' guys, right?"
Sagwadan, a group of attention-seekers claiming to be NewtonLord's followers, had caused trouble, but Yoon Nara herself had nothing to do with them.
"There should be no problem if you firmly draw the line like you did during the Elden Soul broadcast."
She fell silent.
Lee Gyeongbok didn't press her.
Eventually, after sorting out her thoughts, she looked up.
"In exchange for accepting your offer, I want the right to challenge you, and you have to give feedback."
"A challenge and feedback?"
Lee Gyeongbok was puzzled but interested.
"To be honest, with my current skill, it'd be hard to beat you. I acknowledge that you're just that good."
Admission of the difference in ability.
But it didn't an she was conceding defeat. Rather, she showed her fighting spirit.
"That's why I'll win fairly. I have no intention of sabotaging your broadcast."
"So, the challenge is for that."
"Right. It's a win-win, isn't it? We can even turn it into broadcast content."
"That's true."
Lee Gyeongbok laughed and agreed.
"As I said, since there's a condition of 'if possible,' I get to decide the timing, right?"
"Of course."
"Good, let's do it."
Lee Gyeongbok held out his hand. Yoon Nara shook it.
"Welco to Team PerG-Day."
"Only for this ti."
At her reply, Lee Gyeongbok smiled even wider.
"Oh, and since you ntioned a challenge, I just got an idea."
"Idea?"
"Yeah, what do you think of this?"
Lee Gyeongbok started explaining to Yoon Nara with the innocence of a child. As she listened to his explanation, yoon Nara looked at him with a fed-up expression.
"Are you serious?"
"Doesn't it sound fun? Of course, it's only if we win."
"... I don't care. It just gives another chance to challenge sooner."
She said that, looking him up and down.
'He really thinks only about broadcasting, doesn't he.'
* * *
The next day.
Geno's virtual reality studio.
There, Eclipse and Geno were online.
"Whew, what a relief. Purple managed to recruit soone right away."
"Indeed so. Truly, we should call him Sir Purple... To find talent so quickly is impressive."
Since the deadline was today, it was natural for the two to feel relieved at the news that Lee Gyeongbok had secured the fourth mber.
"By the way, do you know who it is?"
"No, he said he'd tell us himself."
"Hmm... I wonder what kind of person it'll be."
"If Purple chose them, they must be extraordinary."
The two chatted like that when—
"Oh, you both got here early."
Lee Gyeongbok greeted them as he logged in. Eclipse and Geno stood up to welco him.
"Hah, thank you so much! I was at a complete loss until you contacted ."
"Truly Sir Purple!"
They imdiately expressed their thanks. Lee Gyeongbok smiled and cald them down.
"No, it's not even finalized yet. We should discuss whether to accept them as a teammate first."
"If it's your choice, sir Purple, I don't even need to think about it."
"Yeah, you wouldn't bring just anyone."
Their trust made Lee Gyeongbok feel lighter. He tossed out his next words casually.
"Yeah? That's good. I recruited NewtonLord."
"Ah, newtonLord."
Geno repeated the na like an answering machine, then blinked. Eclipse's helt tilted 45 degrees.
An awkward silence.
Geno cautiously spoke.
"Is that NewtonLord we know?"
"Yeah."
Lee Gyeongbok nodded with a bright smile. Geno stood frozen, mouth open.
Eclipse was the first to accept reality.
"A knight never questions twice. I trust Sir Purple's judgnt."
"Wait, what?! Eclipse?!"
"To embrace even an adversary... Such boldness is truly Sir Purple's style..."
Geno's pupils shook.
'Was that why he asked yesterday whether Influencer was good enough?'
Recalling their call, he gave Lee Gyeongbok an awkward laugh.
"But will the developers really allow it? It's hard to call NewtonLord an Influencer..."
"They said it's fine."
"... Eh?"
"I asked through the manager. I double-checked everything before talking to you."
Geno smacked his forehead with a slap.
"Well, gGG wouldn't want to turn down an issue like this."
The final mber would be revealed on the day of the event.
'NewtonLord in the event? This unprecedented situation will be a huge attention grabber. Not just GunG fans but players from other gas will watch!'
Considering NewtonLord's sphere of activity, the developer would actively welco this.
Geno's mind turned to a different calculation. Would NewtonLord's joining benefit or hinder Team PerG-Day?
'Surprisingly, it's not bad. Her image has softened a lot since the showdown with Gyeongbok.'
NewtonLord admitted defeat cleanly and even paid a great cost to learn more.
Plus, with her gender revealed, she received even more support(?).
'People must be curious. What is NewtonLord's team play like, since no one's seen it before? And now she's on a team with Purple, geno, and Eclipse? Who could resist that?'
The calculations were clear.
It was a huge event prepared by GGG. There would be a lot of viewers, but also many participating strears.
A total of 100 strears.
Naturally, attention would be divided.
'It's a boon. This is a huge boon.'
NewtonLord's joining could pull all those scattered viewers together. She also had outstanding skill.
Geno now looked at Lee Gyeongbok differently.
'Did he really see all this coming? A strear only two months in?'
One word ca to mind.
Genius.
"... Alright, let's do it!"
Geno agreed to her joining.
Lee Gyeongbok smiled even wider and nodded.
"Great. We should introduce everyone, so I'll invite her now."
"Even sending a separate ssage... Well, makes sense since you recruited her."
Geno was curious how Lee Gyeongbok contacted NewtonLord, but decided not to ask.
That wasn't important for now. Figuring out how to interact with NewtonLord was more urgent.
Soon, newtonLord logged in and approached them. Geno greeted her with an awkward laugh.
"Ahaha, long ti no see, I guess?"
"Not really."
Her altered voice ca out flatly. The awkward mood didn't dissolve.
"Anyway, now that we're on a team, let's get along! Should we do a team cheer?"
Geno raised his hand, trying to set a cooperative atmosphere as team leader.
Eclipse and Lee Gyeongbok followed by raising their own hands. She sighed softly in resignation and put up her hand.
"Our only goal is victory. Don't get in my way."
She swept her eyes over everyone except Lee Gyeongbok and finished.
"If I think you'll help the enemy, I'll take care of you myself."
"What are you talking about?"
Eclipse slyly withdrew his hand as he spoke.
"How could a knight ever turn his sword on an ally in battle? You must always assist your comrades!"
"I'm not a knight. Anyway, we're playing Gunner Ground. Why are we suddenly talking about swords?"
"Don't you understand figurative speech?"
"Whatever. If we win, do you want to finish you off first?"
"What are you talking about now?"
"Didn't Purple tell you yet? Hmmm..."
Even before they began, the atmosphere was tense. Geno started sweating.
"Man, why are you all like this? Let's just do our cheer! Co on!"
He looked to Lee Gyeongbok for help, but his hopes were dashed.
"I think the broadcast already looks like it'll be fun, right, hyung?"
Geno realized at that mont.
Lee Gyeongbok hadn't recruited NewtonLord because of benefits or losses.
'He really only thought about whether the broadcast would be fun.'
Of course, if fun was a benefit, then it was a benefit.
'... I'm dizzy.'
It wasn't just an internet . Geno genuinely felt dizzy.
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