Season 3: Chapter 143: Dinner Party (1)
The dinner party began at 7 P.M. The venue was a large banquet hall next to the stadium. Ten minutes before the start time, numerous buses began arriving. People dressed casually with messy hair earlier now stepped out one by one in neat tuxedos and dresses.
“Wow!”
Local fans could take photos at the dinner party, so many already gathered at the entrance. Most fans were Japanese given that the event was in Japan. However, big cheers still greeted the players from other countries.
The Korean team arrived around 6:55 P.M.
“Ah, the bus for the Korean team has arrived.”
Players dressed neatly got off one by one. Shutters and flashes went off from every direction. When Almond got off—
“Waaaaaaaah!”
A tremendous cheer erupted from the Korean fans in Japan and his considerable number of Japanese fans.
‘I still don’t get it…’
Sang-Hyeon didn’t know why he was popular in Japan and vaguely waved as he walked toward the banquet hall. Then—
‘Huh?’
He noticed some strange people, but turned away and lost sight of them.
‘Who was it?’
Sang-Hyeon quickly turned back to find them again. One couldn't just glance over these individuals. He quickly found them again.
They made eye contact with him and excitedly shouted, “Kyaaaaaa! Almond oppa~~”
A large man waved both arms and shouted, “Wow! He saw us! Do well! See you in the match!!”
It was Strawberry Shooter and next to him was Miho with her striking pink hair.
“Hey! Almond! Win it!”
“Waaahahaha!”
Bubblegum and Takoyaki also came. All the Balloon Stars members had arrived. They fought in the LIL tournament together and continued to interact quite frequently as streamers. They were perhaps the first connections that Sang-Hyeon made as a streamer.
‘How did they get here?’
Sang-Hyeon stood in shock for a moment. He never imagined that they would come all the way to support him without even telling him.
Pang poked his head out from behind when Sang-Hyeon stopped abruptly.
“Huh? Isn’t that Miho?”
Pang stared for a while dumbfoundedly.
“Wow… she’s stunning in person. Why is she here?”
When Miho raised the sign supporting Almond, Pang cursed and walked off again.
“Whatever.”
Sang-Hyeon smiled and waved multiple times before shouting, “Thank you!”
The fans seemed to think he was speaking directly to them and an enormous cheer followed.
“Waaaaaaah!”
“Almond said thank you to me!”
“Hey! No way! He said it to me!”
“He looked this way!”
“What is this!?”
***
After entering the banquet hall, Sang-Hyeon thought about leaving a message and pulled out his phone.
‘They came all the way to Japan.’
Japan wasn’t on the other side of the world, but Sang-Hyeon knew best how hard it was for streamers to clear their schedules. Coming all the way here to support him was a big decision.
[Sang-Hyeon: Wow, thanks everyone! I was really surprised]
Sang-Hyeon added a peach emoji and expressed his gratitude.
[Takoyaki: We just dropped by while visiting. Don’t get cocky, Almond.]
[Miho: Hehe. We’re here to gather some content and cheer for you~ as a cheerleading squad!]
[Bubblegum: We’ll have fun on our own, so don’t worry and enjoy the party!]
It seemed that they could even turn supporting him into content. After chatting a bit more and promising to meet up during the match, Sang-Hyeon put his phone back in his pocket. Then, he looked around the banquet hall.
‘Wow.’
The venue looked more lavish than he expected. The chandeliers emphasized a traditional splendor with luxurious deep green carpets and golden tableware with crystal champagne glasses. The overall lighting was quite restrained, making the space feel both magnificent and elegant. The dark green carpet and walnut texture made the place feel high-end, yet cozy. It gave anyone entering the impression of being well-treated.
“Wow.”
Pang naturally grabbed a champagne glass from a passing waitress and took a sip while marveling at the scene.
“Coming to the tournament is worth it just for this!”
Attending this event alone made reaching the tournament meaningful. Where else could one see so many players from different countries roam around in dresses and tuxedos in such an opulently decorated space? It was a sight in itself.
“Wow, the women’s dresses are amazing…”
Indeed, the women’s dresses stood out more splendorously than the men’s tuxedos. They wore not only modern dresses, but also many flashy outfits that incorporated their traditional attire.
“If you get selected as the best dressed, you get to choose the map. It’s a total war among the women.”
What? Someone could select the map?
Sang-Hyeon felt surprised while sipping his champagne. Such a reward seemed too directly connected to the game to be a best dressed prize. Was it real? Despite his doubts, it indeed turned out to be true.
“What… didn’t you know? What were you listening to during the briefing?”
Civil Empire included the map selection event to liven up the party. The best dressed individual’s team would receive one first round map selection, a tradition that had continued for quite some time.
“Ah… I knew that.”
“Sure, it doesn’t matter for men. They never get selected anyway.”
“Is it only women this year?”
“Yeah. It’s decided by the organizers. They used to pick one man and one woman, but there was too much controversy over having too many map selection rights.”
“Ah…”
“We didn’t prepare anyone for this, so all we can do is hope our opponents don’t get it.”
“There’s not much to worry about then.”
What were the odds that the best dressed individual out of thirty-two countries would be from the Viking team? That seemed unlikely. Sang-Hyeon didn’t pay much attention to it.
“Alright. Going live now,” a camera crew member for the Fake National Team announced from the back.
“Ah, yes.”
Today, a Fake National Team crew member would follow Almond and broadcast his personal stream. Almond’s stream would go live starting now.
“Almond, please start when you’re ready.”
“Okay.”
[Vlog ep.3: Introvert vs. Party]
— ??
— Dinner party?
— Oooh
— What’s the theme of this? lol
— Introvert taken away…
— It’s mocking those who call themselves introverts but act like extroverts in vlogs~
— Nerd vibes
A lot of viewers rushed in perhaps because of the catchy title. Almond looked at the camera and chatted with the viewers for a moment.
“Hello.”
— Nice
— Cheers
— Streaming food fighter
— Are you going to fight with food again?
— Wow, where is this? Amazing.
“We’re at the dinner party. Let me show you the venue.”
The cameraman panned around to show the surroundings.
— Wow
— Amazing
— Incredible
— So cool!!
— This is the tournament!? This is the tournament!?
Ding.
[IntrovertIdentifier has donated 10,000 won.]
[Uh... You look too much like an extrovert to use the word introvert in your title. The association won't recognize you.]
"Ah, thank you Introvert."
— Introvert lol
— LOL
— What's this? An introvert certification mark?
"But I really am an introvert. This is my first time at a place like this. I don't even know how to start a conversation..."
Just as Almond was explaining this—
"You're Almond, right?" someone passing by casually asked.
He appeared to be an East Asian man. Though short in stature, he had a robust and solid build. He extended a thick hand.
"I'm from Mongolia. My username is Truck because I used to be a truck driver."
— ??
— Why would he need to know how to start a conversation when people approach him first
— Reason he doesn't know how to start conversations: People can't resist talking to him first
— Facts. Real introverts don't know how to start conversations. They only know how to respond.
— This is what it means to be an introvert! … Wait, what?
The Mongolian man’s appearance rendered Almond’s explanation useless.
"Ohhh...?!"
At the same time, Latte suddenly exclaimed from next to Almond, "Mo-Mongolian Truck!"
"Yes, that's correct."
Truck smiled broadly and felt pleased to be recognized. Pang, who had been eyeing the women, also turned and felt taken aback by Truck.
"Oh! A famous figure!"
"...?"
Sang-Hyeon didn't recognize him and started to feel like he should.
"Ah. This guy is a real newbie. Sorry that he doesn’t recognize you," Pang explained on Almond’s behalf. It was unclear if this could even be called an explanation.
"It's okay. I know already. That's why it's interesting, isn't it?"
His tone sounded a bit textbook due to the translation, but it matched his friendly appearance.
"If you don't mind, come over and meet some of the other Mongolian people. We have a lot of interest in Korea."
"Ohhh..."
It turned out that the party venue had different sections for each country. It wasn't explicitly labeled, but some sections offered Mongolian dishes while others served fusion Korean food. The organizers evidently put quite the effort into making this a thoughtful party.
"Ah, this is an appetizer made from our jerky. You'll like it."
This way, players could naturally start conversations while sharing their cuisines.
"Oh, Joseon people."
"Wow, nice to meet you."
Sang-Hyeon attracted considerable attention among the Korean players, likely due to his recent selection as a rookie to watch.
— Is this being an introvert?
— Korea is quite popular
— They said Joseon people, LOL
— Mongolia seems strong
— If Japanese people called them Joseon people, the broadcast would explode
— Team Joseon, nice~
The introvert title seemed meaningless because England, Persia, and more also invited Almond to join them after Mongolia. They showed great interest in Sang-Hyeon, especially due to his background as a former archery athlete.
"Wow. I've never shot a real bow. I'd be no match in real life."
"Isn't Korean archery basically the best in the world? Being an athlete there says it all."
"I enjoyed watching your matches."
— Everyone who shoots a bow is calling him over LOL
— Wow, this is being an introvert! Yesss!
— The title staying the same is really annoying
"Korea is quite popular~"
Amid all this, Sang-Hyeon came face-to-face with an elegantly dressed woman in a sleek yellow gown. He didn't recognize her at first.
"Is the Viking side deliberately not coming?"
— Wow
— Nice
— Cool
— Awesome
Expressions of admiration flooded the chat. However, they didn't seem to recognize her immediately either.
— A Viking?
— An introvert saying, “Why aren't they coming to me?” means they're an introvert?!
— An introvert hiding their power
"Ah... Jessie?"
"Ah, Jessie? Really...?"
Jessie flipped her hair and teased him, "Why? Can't you recognize me?"
Her jewelry sparkled brightly when she smiled and swept back her hair. She looked almost like a different person with makeup and neatly styled hair.
— ???
— Was that Jessie???
— No way
— Wow
— Unbelievable
— I now support Vikings, bye
— Change the title immediately
— I'm no longer Korean. I'm Danish now
Pang also nudged Sang-Hyeon nervously.
"Hey, who is that? Huh?"
"... Hyung, it's Jessie. From the bus."
"What?!"
Pang felt so shocked that he stared at her for a while before nudging Sang-Hyeon again.
"Hey, Jessie... she looks like a spy movie heroine. What do we do?"
"What do you mean what do we do?"
"Damn. She's going to be the best dressed, isn't she?"
Now, it made sense. Jessie was a Viking. If the Vikings received the privilege of choosing the first map, it would be a nightmare for Korea.
"... No way," Sang-Hyeon said with a nervous swallow.
Jessie's appearance was an unexpected twist. She seemed unaware of his thoughts as she cheerfully pulled him closer.
"What are you whispering about? Come over here. I'll introduce you."
She seemed to be leading them toward the Viking players for introductions when—
Pop!
Suddenly, the lights went out.
— Huh?
— What's going on?
— It's a prank! Korea was actually eliminated in the preliminaries~!
— LOL
— A real spy?!
Whirrr.
Screens descended from the walls in the darkness and displayed the National Championship’s emblem.
“Ah! Ah! Sorry for interrupting the party. Are you all enjoying yourselves?”
It was part of the event and not an accident.
“We have something we traditionally show during the dinner party.”
"Ah... it's that time already?"
Knowing what it was, Jessie checked her watch and looked up at the screen.
“We present information that can be helpful in facing each country.”
'What is this now?'
Sang-Hyeon had no idea such a thing existed.
— Completely clueless
— Why is he the only one who doesn’t know? Because he really doesn’t know.
— Where's Carrot?
[Shall we take a look?]
Flash!
The screen displayed the power rankings of each country and organized them in order.
'Power rankings?'
It included many statistics like the country rankings, individual player rankings, and notable players.