Chapter 156: Offer (1)
He could only see her back, but recognized who it was because of her long hair and wheelchair.
'It's the girl from earlier.'
It was the girl who asked for his autograph before his assessment. She helped as a fan of Almond. Even when Sang-Hyeon got close to her, she didn't notice him and continued staring far into the mountains.
“Phew.”
A soft breath was followed by the smoke from her cigarette.
'Oh, she was smoking.'
He thought the wheelchair and cigarette made for a strange combination.
"Ma'am, I've brought the person you were talking about," the quiet man pushing Sang-Hyeon's wheelchair told her.
'Ma'am?'
It was unfamiliar to see someone refer to as ma'am.
'It's like in the movies...'
"Ah—"
The girl paused momentarily and quickly put her cigarette in her ashtray.
When she turned around, as expected, it was the girl from earlier. Her faded lips smiled.
"Now you're in the same position as I am!"
She was talking about Sang-Hyeon being in a wheelchair. Unlike her atmosphere, it was a light remark.
"I guess so."
"How's the wheelchair?"
"It's comfortable. Also... thank you. You didn't have to do this."
"The hospital fees are pretty expensive here. It doesn't feel good if you're forced to pay it."
He thought to himself that the money wouldn't matter to her.
"Should I take you?" the girl asked him, pointing at the black van parked ahead.
It looked like a large van that celebrities rode because it had to accommodate her wheelchair. Sang-Hyeon paused for a moment.
'What should I do?'
If he got a ride, his address would be revealed. He wanted to decline, but then he would have to return the wheelchair. Sang-Hyeon had nowhere to go.
"You feel uncomfortable. Pfft."
It seemed like the girl read his mind.
"If we drop you off, you reveal where you live. If we drop you off somewhere far away, it's hard for you to walk. And if you don't follow us, you don't have a wheelchair anymore. You don't know what to do, right?"
She talked as if she read the questions in his mind. Sang-Hyeon nodded.
"Yes."
The girl laughed.
"You're honest, just like in your streams."
Was he being honest? It was a strange standard for Sang-Hyeon.
"Then—"
The girl looked at the man beside her and whispered something to him. The man didn't look like a bodyguard. He was too old to be one. He was probably a butler or secretary. The older man nodded with an unwilling expression. The discussion was over. The girl looked at Sang-Hyeon again.
"Did you eat yet?"
***
The girl and her bodyguards accompanied him to the restaurant.
Bzzt.
Sang-Hyeon was sending a text to Ju-Hyeok on the soft-moving wheelchair.
[Sang-Hyeon: Hey, my fan rescued me. When can you get here? I think I need you to get me back home.]
He replied right away.
[Ju-Hyeok: Hey, that's great news! I'm kind of far right now. Ji-Ah said she'll go instead!]
[Sang-Hyeon: Oh, tyty.]
Ju-Hyeok asked Ji-Ah ahead of time.
"You must be calling for help," the girl asked him without even glancing at his phone.
"Ah, yes. I'm a burden, after all."
"You're not a burden. Do you like dim sum?"
He glanced where the girl was looking. It was a famous expensive restaurant that even he knew about.
"Sure. I'll pay for our meal."
Sang-Hyeon offered to pay as thanks for rescuing him.
"Hmm..."
The girl looked around at the two bodyguards and one older man.
"Normally, I'd accept. However, they have to eat as well. I'll just pay for it with my company card. It's more convenient."
"Ah, of course. I'll get their food as well—"
"I've rarely donated. Please accept this as a donation."
The girl firmly declined. She ordered a course meal for them because Sang-Hyeon had to wait awhile. Conversing with the girl wasn't particularly awkward. Despite how she looked, she was easy to talk to. Since Sang-Hyeon wasn't an awkward talker either, their conversation didn't stop. Above all, the girl was interested in Sang-Hyeon and there was an endless array of topics. She especially showed interest in LIL. Eventually, the topic of Raina's story came up.
"Ah, congratulations. You were the first to clear Raina's story, and you even got to kiss her."
It looked like she intentionally brought it up. Her eyes were full of mischief.
Sang-Hyeon answered slightly embarrassed, "You had to mention that."
"Of course, it's crucial. Kiss."
The girl giggled and kept emphasizing it. Sang-Hyeon continued to put the dim sum in his mouth, hoping his face wouldn't change color. The sensation of the dumplings popping in his mouth felt good.
"How do you feel as the first to achieve it on the Korean server?"
"I feel proud, but I'm not sure. It's actually not that incredible. Most people in our country aren't interested in Raina's story. Thankfully, I'm the first."
"Raina's pretty popular even though she's not very good."
"Even so, her pick rate is the lowest in Korea even compared to other countries. Koreans especially don't like playing story mode."
"But still, a first is first. I'm jealous."
She really seemed obsessed with being first.
"You probably have some coins now. Have you decided on your next champion?"
"I think it'll be Sana, but I'm unsure."
"If you can master Raina, you'll have no difficulty with most ranged characters. Sana is especially on the easier side."
Plop.
A dim sum went into her mouth. Sang-Hyeon was impressed by her ability to eat neatly while continuing to talk. Maybe it was because he knew she was rich, but she had a different aura.
The saying that rich people lived in a different world existed for a reason.
"Are you only going to play ranged characters?"
"It's because I'm good at them."
"But in LIL, being familiar with various characters is good."
"Is that so?"
The girl nodded and put another dim sum into her mouth.
"I recommend the flashy blade, Swift."
Flashy Blade Swift, Almond knew this champion as well.
'It's the one JeonJaPa often used.'
He couldn't help but be familiar with it because he had studied countless videos of JeonJaPa's gameplay. That champion wielded a two-handed sword and could blink toward his blade. The champion's strategy was to throw the sword and move around, confusing the enemy.
"You have great mechanics and quick decision-making. Judging from Raina's story mode, you also look skilled with a blade."
"Ah, thank you. I'll make sure to try it out."
Sang-Hyeon nodded, noting it in his head. It was a reasonable suggestion.
"So, what's your plan moving forward?"
"Plan? I'm not sure."
"Beating JeonJaPa's record?"
He met eyes with the girl's smile. Sang-Hyeon felt a long silence after the question. In reality, it wasn't.
"It'll probably be hard to beat JeonJaPa's record in?LIL, no?"
"If it's you, Almond, it might be possible. Who knows?
Despite what she said, Sang-Hyeon felt satisfied with her response.
'Weird.'
Was she originally a fan of JeonJaPa like Ji-Ah?
Bling.
[Ji-Ah: Almond, I'm coming. Is there anything you need?]
Ji-Ah sent him a message.
Something he needed... there wasn't anything in particular.
[Just need to get here quickly.]
[Ji-Ah: Okey dokey. Can I come with a friend? I don't think I can lift you on my own.]
[Haha yeah, sure, that's fine.]
"Someone must be on their way."
"Ah, yes. My manager is busy, so my editor is coming instead."
"Ah, is she the one... who donated a lot and became the editor?"
She remembered him mentioning Seo Ji-Ah during their conversation.
"Yes, that one."
"It's usually hard to see someone so close to their editor. It's nice to see."
The more he listened, the more he felt that she knew a lot about this industry.
Sang-Hyeon curiously asked her, "Your work must be something in this industry."
"No, I'm jobless."
"Sorry...?"
"Us jobless folk are usually interested in internet streams."
Sang-Hyeon instantly turned toward the bodyguards and butler. The bodyguards kept calm, but the butler couldn't hide his expression. He stared at the girl, confused as to what she was saying.
"You're probably thinking, what kind of family is this girl from? Why's she living in such comfort?"
"No. It's not important what kind of family someone is from. It's who they are that's important."
The two met eyes, and she turned away for the first time since they met. Her proud shoulders shriveled a tiny bit.
"... That's a good mindset."
After an awkward silence, the meal was over in ten minutes. While Sang-Hyeon was enjoying his dessert, Ji-Ah messaged him that she was there. Ji-Ah ran toward him from a distance as he waited in the open field.
"Almond!"
She came with the friend he saw this morning.
"She's here. She's much cuter than I imagined."
The girl put her hand out, showing that she was happy to see him.
"See you next time."
Sang-Hyeon shook hands and thanked her. He got up and returned the wheelchair. The bodyguards placed the wheelchair at the end of the van with ease.
"Almond, are you okay?"
Ji-Ah approached and checked up on him.
"Yeah, thanks to her."
"Is she the fan?"
Ji-Ah went on her tippy toes to see beyond Sang-Hyeon's shoulder, but could only see her own reflection in the van's tinted window.
Bzzt.
As the window came down, Ji-Ah's face disappeared. Instead, another girl's face appeared. She had seductive eyes, washed-out lips, and long black hair. She had a strange atmosphere that seemed dangerous to herself and others around her. It felt like talking to her made the person stand on edge. She was an unforgettable person.
"It was fun."
She waved and left. Ji-Ah stared blankly at the van leaving.
"Ji-Ah, what are you doing?"
"T-That person..."
Ji-Ah muttered something dumbfoundedly, but Sang-Hyeon couldn't hear her.
Heo Yeon-Joo butted in, "Ji-Ah!"
Thud.
She hit Ji-Ah on the back of her head.
"Owch. That hurt."
"What are you doing? Blanked out?! If we stay here, they’ll give us a parking ticket! Let's go quickly!"
"Ah... Alright. Weird..."
Ji-Ah scratched her head and walked toward Yeon-Joo's car while helping Almond get there.
***
Meanwhile, Ju-Hyeok was still with Manager Oh.
He thought to himself,?'Everything he’s told me up until now has been good news.'
They talked for a long time, but it was all about how the Lazy Soldier advertisers were pleased, LIL offered them an interview, etc.
It was all good news. Just like Manager Oh said, he was starting with the good news. Manager Oh called him to ask for a favor and would probably bring it up soon.
'What is the favor?'
.
Why was he taking so long to bring it up?
"Kumph."
Manager Oh drank another sip of the bitter coffee.
"Ju-Hyeok, now we've gotten to the bad news. It's more like... I need to ask for a favor."
He was finally bringing it up.
"Tell me."
"You've probably noticed the entertainment department in Punk has a close relationship with BubbleGum's company."
"Yes."
"BubbleGum is entering a tournament. A streamer tournament."
"... A streamer tournament?"
Ju-Hyeok hadn't heard about it.
"Yes, there's no specific information about it yet. It's just ideas being thrown back and forth, but it'll be hosted by LIL and Treevy. BubbleGum's crew decided to enter together."
"Yes."
"But a streamer on the team can't make it."
"... Ah, okay."
"They're talking about recruiting Almond. They're really desperate."
‘An LIL tournament?’ Ju-Hyeok had a dark expression.?'That guy can't even play ranked yet.'