Season 4: Chapter 38. The Modeling Club (2)
Bubblegum was a game streamer, but he was terrible at playing games. It was worse than a pro struggling to perform. He was so bad that it made viewers grit their teeth in frustration. He was even worse than an average person who barely played games.
Despite all this, his streams were always top-notch. Why was that? Because he was an interesting person? Because his incompetence was amusing? Those were all true, but they weren’t the main reasons. A nickname followed Bubblegum wherever he went.
“The one chosen by the god of streaming,” Assistant Manager Kim murmured to himself.
The god of streaming had chosen Bubblegum. What did that even mean? It sounded like some constellation fantasy nonsense. Wasn’t that just being delusional?
If anyone asked, Assistant Manager Kim wanted to say to them.
‘Just look at this.’
He would tell them to watch this Ghostwo Busters playthrough. Not just this stream, but all the other countless games Bubblegum had played. With Bubblegum, whatever was needed always happened at the right time. Whether it was cursed misfortune or uncanny luck.
"Ahem. Okay then, what if we just... joined one of these clubs ourselves?"
"But... which one?"
"The Modeling Club."
Bubblegum picked the Modeling Club without a second of hesitation. He was no longer just an ordinary human. Ordinary gamers didn’t move so rashly. They would gather evidence first, see if they even had the freedom to join a club, and deliberate on which club to join.
Only after knowing all that would they decide how to act. Bubblegum’s decision was at the level of being told to find some random Kim in a Seoul neighborhood and just shoving a mic in the faces of hundreds or thousands of Kims.
Most would try to narrow it down first, but Bubblegum just chose. Normally, it would have been a stupid decision.
‘Dammit!’
He hit the mark immediately.
‘What the hell? Is this guy really blessed or something?’
Bubblegum had bypassed the entire process of deduction.
Manager Kim, watching from the side, couldn’t help but comment.
"Wow. This game is pretty well made, huh? Huh? It didn’t seem like there was much freedom, but he’s just sneaking into a club? And the entire school is running in real-time."
It was surprising enough to warrant a remark.
Bubblegum had forced his way in without a single hint. Somehow, the story still proceeded smoothly.
‘Well, that’s because it was all prepared in advance!’
The truth was, it was a prearranged area from the start. Not every area was crafted this carefully, but Assistant Manager Kim had no intention of telling Manager Kim the truth anymore.
"Y-Yeah, they definitely put more effort into Act 2 and onward. Haha..."
It wasn’t worth explaining and would only lead to more stress if he did.
***
‘Is that even possible?’
Almond thought that when he first heard Bubblegum’s idea of sneaking into a club. Given the quality of the game so far, he doubted they had enough freedom for that. Still, Almond trusted Bubblegum when it came to this.
‘He’s been playing games for a long time now. It’ll work.’
He still wasn’t sure if Bubblegum was any good at playing games, but he didn’t doubt Bubblegum’s game sense. If Bubblegum said that level of freedom existed, it was probably true.
"Just wait a sec."
Bubblegum fiddled with the menu for a moment and found something.
"Oh, look at this. Guys, there’s even an in-game time system. It has day and night cycles."
In Act 2 of Ghostwo Busters, time began to flow within the game. Day turned into night as time progressed, and players could choose when to explore. They could wander around the Seongdeok University campus area freely as long as they chose the right time.
This was a significant leap in freedom compared to Act 1. The game had originally been designed to reveal this through an NPC dialogue.
"Wow. This game is pretty impressive."
Bubblegum had figured it out just by glancing through a few menus.
"Let’s head out now."
***
As Bubblegum had predicted, a fully realized campus map greeted them when they left the hospital building.
Dudun.
[Seongdeok University Campus]
They knew they were free to explore after seeing that message pop up.
— Gum’s carrying, damn.
— Wow, everything is flowing so smoothly.
— Is it really that easy?
— Can you really explore the campus?
— Unexpected quality, damn.
— What’s with this freedom?
"Alright. Let’s find the Modeling Club. It’s still lunchtime, yeah?"
"What about Su-Yeon?"
"Hey, Almond, you ever play a game like this before?"
Almond had only ever watched such games in passing. Bubblegum confidently waved him off.
— She’ll show up when the time comes.
Ding.
[BubbleTheater has donated 5000 won.]
[Bubblegum hates Su-Yeon... just hates her.]
— Hahahaha
— He’s treating her like an NPC
— Honestly, understandable~
— Hahahaha but she’ll probably just appear anyway
— Getting soccer-kicked by a college girl at forty would make you hate her too, lol
"Ugh, shut up! She’ll show up when she’s ready, okay?"
Bubblegum snapped back at the donation. He was clearly annoyed, but ignored it. They wandered around the campus, trying to gather information about the Modeling Club.
"Excuse me."
They tried to talk to the students.
“No, I’m not buying anything.”
“Sorry, but I’m not interested~”
Was it their outfits? None of the students would engage with them.
— Hahahaha so realistic
— One guy is wearing a hat with a sword and the other is dressed like a monk, no wonder
— Hahahaha what is this?
— Even the face ID feature won’t save those looks
"Ugh... Should we just check out the Starbucks at the intersection first?"
"Um, actually, it’s MetaBucks."
They decided to head for the suspicious spot by the main gate. Then, they realized why everyone had been avoiding them.
"Join the Travel Club! Find your destiny before the cherry blossoms fall!"
"Come to the Beer Club! Free beer at the festival!"
"Join the Camping Club and learn all the tips! We’ll even give you a starter one-touch tent!"
Of course, the semester had just begun. All the campus clubs were out front recruiting new freshmen. Students thought Bubblegum and Almond were promoting some weird cult or Taoist Club when they walked up in their strange outfits and started asking questions.
— No way, it’s all here, lol.
— They even have a modeling club!
— What kind of nonsense is this? lol
— Time to grind the streamer marathon!
Almond rubbed his forehead like he was in trouble.
‘Dammit.’
If all the club promotions were happening here, then the Modeling Club would be here too. They would have found it ages ago if they’d just come straight here. Almond had already adjusted his posture and prepared to make up for lost time.
"Join the Exorcism Club! Did you see that article about those students who fell into comas? That was us!"
"Uh... what?"
"Oh, no! I don’t mean we put them in comas... well, it’s sort of like that but... uh..."
"Ugh, no way! I’m not joining!"
"Wait, hold on! That’s not it! They were going to die anyway. We put them in a coma to save them! Ah, damn it! Really!"
Su-Yeon was representing the Exorcism Club. She was also here and promoting her club. Just as Bubblegum had said, she showed up on her own.
— Bragging about putting people in comas, lol
— Hahahaha.
— Who promotes their club like that? lol
— Ahahaha
"What!?"
Su-Yeon spotted Almond and Bubblegum. She suddenly sprinted over to them.
"Almond oppa~!"
— Huh?
— What’s she saying?
— What’s with her speech? lol
— Ahahaha.
— She’s like a broken AI, lol
— What kind of bread is that?
She looked happier to see Almond than ever before, grabbing both his hands and shaking them.
"Where were you? Come help us promote our club! You’re a real exorcist, right!?"
Bubblegum stepped in to stop her.
"Uh... Su-Yeon. The problem is that your club actually has a real exorcist in it."
"What? So what? Should we have a fake exorcist instead?"
— Hahahaha.
— Why does she talk so differently to Bubblegum? lol
— Hahaha Bubblegum is so blunt, lol
— Honestly, who joins a real exorcism club? lol
— Who would actually go there for real exorcisms? lol
"We can’t help you promote the club right now."
"What? Why not!"
Almond’s refusal left Su-Yeon looking heartbroken.
"Because we’re still tracking down the ringleader of that incident. We’re trying to join the Modeling Club."
"No way! Traitor!"
"What?"
‘I was never even part of your club.’
"Ahhh! I don’t want to listen to a traitor! If we don’t get any new members this year, our club is going to collapse! Last time, everyone ran away after seeing a ghost!"
Did she really have to shout that so loudly? Almond could only scratch his head, lost for words.
"Y-You... you saw a ghost?"
"Wow, are they actually crazy?"
"Just look at their outfits. They’re out of their minds."
Passing students started whispering and quickly avoided them.
— Hahaha, oh my god, lol
— Their club is doomed, lol
— Might as well rebrand as a cosplay club.
— Exorcism club that’s cursed by exorcisms, lol
Seeing Su-Yeon’s tearful expression, Almond felt a twinge of sympathy.
"Is helping Su-Yeon part of a quest?" he cautiously wondered.
Bubblegum shot that down immediately.
"No. There’s no way."
— Hahaha, he’s so cold to her, lol
— Why’s he so adamant? lol
— Haha what’s with that logic? lol
— Bubblegum just hates Su-Yeon.
— Reason: he just doesn’t like her, lol
"Let’s find the Modeling Club first. Trust me, she’ll show up on her own."
"Is that so?"
The two resumed their search for the Modeling Club. Soon, they spotted a group of tall people holding up signs.
"Come join the Modeling Club!"
"Walking practice and posture correction all for free! Even if you don’t want to model, it’ll help your quality of life!"
They drew all the attention from passing students with their striking appearances. However, no one dared to approach them. Just walking up to them seemed even more intimidating than the Exorcism Club. It looked like their strategy was a bit off too, but two men in completely out-of-place outfits stepped right up.
Dudun.
Two shadows loomed over the table. One tall and thin, and the other round.
The person seated at the table adjusted his stylish horn-rimmed glasses and asked cautiously, "What can I help you with...?"
— Hahaha, no one expected that, lol
— Look at their expressions, lol
— Ahahaha.
— Are they really joining?
"We want to join the club."
The horn-rimmed glasses glinted with suspicion for a moment, but eventually he picked up a pen.
"Ah, ah... really? Haha. Your... fashion sense is... hyperrealistic."
— Hyperrealistic? Lol
— Even he’s mentioning it, haha
— They’re like NPCs in a real-life simulator, lol
Thunk.
He placed a small notebook and a pen in front of them.
"Please write your student number, name, and phone number here. Also, we’ll need to see your student ID."
Bubblegum and Almond met eyes.
‘We don’t have any of that, do we?’
‘What is this?’
Clearly, this wasn’t the right way in.
"Is something wrong? If you don’t have your student ID, you can show it through the app."
"Uh, no. Actually, could we... just talk for a second first?"
"Sure, of course."
Bubblegum quickly pulled Almond away.
"Hey, hey. Do we even have phone numbers?"
"Yeah, we do. But... student numbers... and student IDs..."
They had phone numbers when they checked the menu. Their cell phones were in their pockets, but they didn’t have any student numbers or IDs.
"Ah, shit... this isn’t it?"
"What should we do?"
"Think."
"Huh?"
"Think! Use that deduction of yours, Almondoyle!"
Bubblegum grabbed Almond and shook him.
— Hahaha.
— Almondoyle, lol
— Will he even figure it out? lol
***
"Ah, ahahaha! This is where they get stopped! Ahaha!"
The one laughing like Manager Kim was actually Assistant Manager Kim. Bubblegum and Almond had gotten stuck where he hadn’t anticipated. The sheer absurdity of it made him laugh out loud.
"Oh. So this is how they get stopped! Huh! I thought it was going too smoothly. Of course!"
Manager Kim chuckled too, popping a potato chip into his mouth.
Crunch.
"So what happens now?"
"Originally, you’re supposed to investigate step by step and get a letter of introduction. That NPC creates all your student credentials for you."
"Really? So they just skipped all that. Now they have to go back and do everything?"
"That’s right."
"Ahaha! So it’ll take way longer. Serves them right... Wait, what?"
Manager Kim’s expression turned serious.
"Are they... kidnapping someone?"
Thud!
Bubblegum and Almond tackled someone to the ground and dragged them toward the bathroom.
"Is that... part of the quest too?"
Assistant Manager Kim’s eyes widened in disbelief.
‘Crazy...’
— Wow.
— So this is deduction, huh?
— They’re just going for it, lol
— Hahahaha.
— It’s like a GTA mission, lol
— Why bother studying for college entrance exams when you can just knock someone out and steal their identity? Haha