Season 4: Chapter 246. Stars and Campfire (4)
Being a streamer was, strangely enough, a lonely profession. They communicated with countless people, yet none of them truly existed.
— hi hi
— Gi-Chan is here~
— Going live today?
— Don’t do anything else, just do reels lol
— Hi ForeverAlone
It felt a little different from the loneliness in a crowd that celebrities often talked about. The viewers watching had no faces or voices. Well, sometimes they did have voices if they paid.
Ding.
[Gi-Chanism has donated 2000 won.]
[Today too, I pray to the sky that Jung Gi-Chan never gets a girlfriend.]
Sometimes a teasing voice would ring out, slurred on purpose.
Gi-Chan just laughed it off, unbothered. “Why would you even pray for something like that?”
Getting smacked around for a thousand won or two wasn’t exactly new.
‘Still... It’s nice to communicate like this.’
He often thought that being a streamer was a lonely job, which was why it suited him.
‘I... don’t really talk well when I meet people in person.’
For certain people, this strange and lonely job perfectly suited them. Some people froze up when facing others directly. Those who often stayed quiet in groups, laughing along just enough to match the mood. That didn’t mean they lacked charm or that they didn’t deserve applause.
— Jung Gi-Chan! Jung Gi-Chan!
— Chikicha~
— Whoa!
— That was insane lol
— Nice
In the streaming world, even people like that could shine. They could be cheered for and gain confidence.
“Chikicha~!”
— Chikicha~!
— Chikicha!
— Nice!
ForeverAlone’s stream grew day by day. Some even found his weirdness charming.
— Honestly, no one gives off real awkward vibes like this guy
— The textbook definition of awkward
— For real
— I’ve seen all kinds of loser concepts, but nothing beats the original^^
— What the hell lol
‘Should I get mad that they say it’s a concept... or get mad that they say it’s authentic...?’
Even Jung Gi-Chan himself wasn’t sure anymore. Why did people watch his stream? Why did they like this version of him? He didn’t know. People didn’t need reasons to like or dislike something.
“Why do you keep telling me to go out there? I told you I don’t want to.”
In the early days of Cheese Village in Survival Craft, ForeverAlone stayed tucked away in a corner and farmed alone. It felt fun to simply watch his farm grow as his efficiency improved.
— This guy is actually serious
— It’s a people meeting collab lol
— At least try going out
He knew full well that a streamer joint server was about meeting people and wandering around. Even so, he chose not to.
“This is a free content server, guys.”
The core spirit of Cheese Village was to play freely. To him, playing freely meant farming alone.
‘That’s how it was.’
ForeverAlone squeezed his eyes shut. When his sight disappeared, the sounds grew clearer.
Crackle... Pop...
The burning campfire, the people laughing and chatting... ForeverAlone’s heartbeat sped up as a certain warmth spread through his body.
Between those heartbeats, a voice reached him. “Anyone else want to share their thoughts?”
Someone answered, “Uh... me.”
That person prepared to speak about their long journey in Cheese Village.
“I... I have something to say.”
To ForeverAlone’s surprise, that voice sounded painfully familiar. It belonged to himself. At some point, his hand had shot up. He stepped forward, wanting to speak.
ForeverAlone opened his eyes again. Countless avatars looked at him.
— Damn
— Jung Gi-Chan?
— Huh??
— LOL
— Wow lol
— He messed up
— No way lol
— For real??
Off to one side, his chat window flew by at an absurd speed. All his viewers felt shocked and were already clipping the moment, ready to tease him later.
ForeverAlone shrank back for a moment.
‘Damn it.’
Why did he say that he wanted to speak? Even he thought it was insane. Then, he noticed others waving at him. His former knight comrades, Almond, Sweet Potato, and Sweet Radish, cheered him on.
“Wooo! ForeverAlone, let’s go!”
“Our Knight!”
“You got this!”
Everyone cheered him on.
“I... I...!” ForeverAlone gathered his courage. “I think... this is the first time I’ve talked with this many people while playing a game.”
The noisy atmosphere quieted just a little. Everyone continued listening.
“I... I don’t really like meeting people. There wasn’t some big incident or anything. It just kind of... happened....”
That much, even his longtime viewers already knew.
“But I don’t think that was it.”
— ?
— ??
— Huh?
— What?!
ForeverAlone denied something he had always said about himself.
He stared at the campfire for a moment. “I think... I actually like being with people.”
— Aww...
— ... ugh
— Damn it!
“Seeing everyone gathered around a fire like this, singing and chatting... It really feels like we’re family or something.”
In the night, under a sky full of stars, only the crackling fire filled the silence.
“Living together with others, laughing, and building something together... I think that’s a really good thing.”
— Aww...
— Even you, ForeverAlone...
— Don’t become an extrovert!
— Yeah...
“Earning money, studying, and working hard... It almost feels like we do all that just for moments like this. I really enjoyed it. I had fun.”
ForeverAlone expressed his honest feelings. Not a single word had been prepared. He just spilled out whatever he felt.
“If there’s content like this again, I’ll try joining again. Thank you all for making time. And especially... Almond bro, who gave me a chance to join the knight order. Thank you. Chikicha~”
ForeverAlone bowed and stepped back.
Almond shouted back, “Chikicha~!”
Everyone cheered.
“Waaaaaaa!”
Clap, clap...!
Applause rang out.
“Jung Gi-Chan! Jung Gi-Chan!”
They chanted his name. It sounded like teasing, but ForeverAlone smiled brightly.
— Nice
— Is this really the ForeverAlone I know...
— But... honestly, he still feels real...
— I’m moved, Gi-Chan
— Awww
His viewers began to understand his sincerity. After ForeverAlone finished speaking, no one else volunteered. It felt like he had already said what everyone else felt.
Almond muttered, “Thirty minutes left.”
Only then did everyone notice the timer hovering at the edge of their vision.
[Server Shutdown 00:29:57]
— Whoa
— No!!
— It’s really ending.
— Goodbye, Cheese Village...
— Noo...
Treevy City had come to an end beforehand. Now, Cheese Village would disappear. A Survival Craft server often disappeared along with all its records. Preserving them cost a fortune.
Sweet Radish murmured blankly, “It’s really over...”
“Still, we did the afterparty. We said everything we wanted to say. We really did it all, huh?”
Thump.
Sweet Potato rested a hand on his shoulder and grinned.
Lemon chimed in right after, “We even fulfilled your wish, my lord. Fishing, camping, and everything!”
Black Tea’s eyes widened as she nodded. “Oh. You’re right. We did everything.”
“My lord did everything he wanted to do~”
— LOL
— For real lol, he really did it all
— That stubborn bastard lol, he really finished everything
— Nice
— For real!
— The Lord’s final wish fulfilled
Thinking about it, Almond nodded in agreement. “Yeah... you’re right.”
He had died right at the start and lost everything, beginning as a beggar. Then, he became rich and even became king. He’d also fallen to rock bottom through false accusations and went into hiding, drifting between the Knight Order and the underground city.
He’d flown through the sky with Treeana and fought massive monsters. Some branded him a traitor while others hailed him as a hero.
‘In the end, I got to fish and camp.’
Almond’s gaze shifted to the massive fish, now reduced to bones. He looked at the countless villagers gathered around the campfire. The faces of these colleagues on the Cheese platform would continue to appear in the future.
Even as the end neared, they huddled together and chatted away as if they had endless things to say. Countless voices carried countless stories into the night.
A voice slipped through the noise. “Was it fun?”
Almond, startled, turned around. “Treeana.”
Her proportions had reverted to the blocky Survival Craft style. Her hat partly hid her face, but he recognized her immediately.
“Yeah.”
“Did you come today too?”
“It’s the last day.” She carefully sat nearby and looked at the campfire. “I asked if it was fun.”
Almond nodded without hesitation. “Ah. Yeah, it really was.”
He had nothing else to say. How many people had he laughed with during this event? How many people had laughed because of him? Sure... some people had gotten angry too. Looking back, it was all funny now.
The potato illusion, the secret of Fertile Soil, the Knight Order’s dictatorship, and Zelu’s rebellion...
“It was fun. Really.”
Treeana turned away from the fire and looked at him. “Then, if you got another chance like this... Would you do it again?”
Almond stared into space for a moment, then nodded. Wasn’t it obvious?
“Yeah, I think I would.”
His answer would make his doctor weep, but he said it without a second thought.
‘It was fun.’
Because it was fun. Because he wanted to do it. Maybe that was the driving force behind everything.
“Would you do it again too, Saintess?” Almond asked.
Treeana tilted her head, flustered. “Me? I mean... I’m already here.”
She belonged to this place. Being asked if she’d do it again clearly caught her off guard.
“Oh? It’s the Saintess.”
“The Saintess?”
The villagers began to notice her one by one.
“Ohhh, what?”
“Did she come because it’s the last day?”
“She’s blocky again.”
Treeana waved, but looked uncomfortable and turned away with so many eyes on her.
[Server Shutdown 00:03:32]
Around three minutes remained.
Suddenly, Sweet Radish kicked Sweet Potato in the back of the head. “Hey, Potato Servant! What are you doing?! Play us a song!”
Thud.
— LOL
— What was that lol
— LMAO
— He’s Potato Servant again
“Ow! Y-yes! Yes!” Sweet Potato pulled out a guitar from his inventory.
“Ohhh.”
“There’s a guitar?”
“Sweet Potato knows how to play.”
Diri-ring~
He casually plucked the strings. “I did study music a bit, you know?”
It was one of his hidden talents.
— The sheet music makes sense now lol
— LMAO
— Right, he was a music major
— Nice
— Let’s go
“This is an original song. Um... I actually made it to play for this finale.”
“Wooooo!”
Sweet Radish had kicked him because Sweet Potato already prepared this in advance.
“Ahem.”
Di-ri-ring~
The song began with gentle accompaniment. The villagers clapped along to the rhythm. Maybe thanks to Potato Servant’s harsh training, the Knight Order members kept perfect time.
Clap, clap, clap...
“The memories we made, burning red over there, scattering white into smoke.
I’m still not ready. How could I let you go?
Even the marks where I got burned haven’t healed yet.
It’s fine if they stay as scars, as long as the memories remain.
I’m still not ready.
How could I let you go?”
Sweet Potato raised a hand.
“Start the countdown.”
[00:00:11]
Eleven seconds remained until everything ended.
“Ten!”
Everyone shouted together.
“Nine!”
Sweet Potato resumed singing.
“Eight!”
His song climbed toward its peak. The villagers’ voices slowly merged into one.
“Seven!”
Almond shouted along with Treeana.
“Six!”
People began to stand.
“Five!”
They joined hands.
“Four!”
The countdown grew closer to one.
“Three!”
Wishing it wouldn’t end, they shouted even louder.
“Two!”
To remember this moment forever...
“One!”
So it could be kept like a gift in everyone’s memories.
Flash!
Everything burned white.
[Server Shutdown]
[Thank you for loving Cheese Village.]