Once again, it was proven that when it comes to sorting out emotional relationships, nothing beats alcohol.
Bing!
As she opened the cork of the red wine taken from the wine fridge, a rich fragrance filled the room.
She had already finished one bottle, but perhaps due to the sweet atmosphere, no one seemed to have any reservations.
In the now more relaxed atmosphere, the topic that followed was, without a doubt, streaming.
“Do you think I can edit the stream I did this time?”
“That’s not a good idea. It’s best to hire an editor. You have enough money, so you just need to focus on quality.”
Today, Sehee’s first broadcast was a success.
For someone like Hakko, it would have been a stretch to even imagine, but the first broadcast reached 6,000 viewers.
And that was in less than three hours, so it was hard for Dayoung to even guess how many people would join during the weekend live stream.
With this potential shown, they would now need to prepare for explosive growth.
Shorr—rr.
“Oh, it’s red wine. I like sweet ones.”
“It’ll get better the more you drink. Try it.”
She spoke like an aunty encouraging someone to eat, creating a strange imbalance.
With a sly smile, she handed over a glass, which now had a rich color and fragrance.
Taking a sip, she continued the conversation from earlier.
“You know, people like you, who are confirmed to be big-time streamers, usually run things in the form of a competition. There will probably be a lot of applicants.”
Adding a piece of cake into her mouth as though she were adding a bitter aftertaste to the alcohol, she continued.
Her cheeks bulged like a squirrel, but Dayoung had no idea.
She was simply thinking that it was enough to watch slowly in front of her.
“Before you find an editor, should I just take a look at the videos for you?”
“You know how to edit?”
“Since I came back, I’ve been doing everything myself… So I eventually became self-sufficient.”
“Wow.”
As she listened, she realized something: Dayoung was quite a versatile talent.
Blinking her eyes, Dayoung clapped her hands as if she suddenly thought of something.
“By the way, what about the chatroom manager?”
“Why do we need a manager?”
“Well, your stream gets a lot of attention, so you’ll have all sorts of trolls.”
She quickly swallowed her words before saying more about the infamous Pepe.
She decided not to bring it up again, as it was already over and apologized for.
Sehee, however, seemed completely focused on the advice just given.
“Managers are ultimately people you need to trust. What about you, Dayoung? How did you handle it?”
“Usually, you hire someone for this, but it’s more difficult than finding an editor. If you’re not careful, the whole stream can fall apart due to personal connections.”
‘Still with the personal connection problem?’
Well, as long as human nature doesn’t change, it’s a problem that can always come up.
“You can’t just set criteria like with the editor and pick out the good from the bad. You need to set a guideline and keep monitoring them.”
Despite all the precautions, they said things could still go wrong if you’re unlucky.
Well, maybe it’s just a matter of heading straight into the unknown and seeing what happens.
Just as she was about to make that conclusion, something unexpected happened with Sehee and Dayoung.
***
None other than…
“I…”
Pepe, who had only been eating cake, quietly raised his hand and made a shocking announcement.
“I’ll manage the chatroom. Bitchee… Sehee.”
‘Why is she here?’
“You again…!”
“Wait, Dayoung.”
Sehee calmly stopped Dayoung from getting upset and fixed her gaze on Pepe.
There was no sign of any sinister plans.
Instead, there was a strange passion to do something, a kind of unbalanced will shining in the frog’s two eyes.
“I’ll manage everything if the stream time doesn’t overlap with Dayoung or Bitchee Sehee. I don’t need any compensation.”
“Why? There’s no need for you to step in.”
“Well…”
Pepe scratched the back of his head, looking down with a sad expression as she answered.
“I’m also part of the warriors. I should be helping Dayoung, but all I’ve done is drag her down. My family’s falling apart, and society’s falling apart too.”
Pepe.
“I want to make up for it this time.”
Finally, she understood my feelings!
Dayoung, overcome with emotion, was ready to cry, but Pepe scratched the back of his head, giving a shy smile.
“This time, I’ve realized a lot of things. Sorry, Dayoung. Bitchee Sehee too.”
She covered her mouth with both hands to suppress the overwhelming surge of emotions.
Earlier, when Dayoung questioned Pepe about whether he had lost his sense of pride as a warrior.
The words Dayoung said left a deep scar in her heart.
They had fought together, overcoming dangers and trials, opening their hearts as companions.
How deeply those words must have hurt, denying all their past days together.
Toror—rr.
Now that Pepe had regained her pride as a warrior, Dayoung’s eyes glistened with a single tear.
Contrary to Dayoung’s emotional turmoil, Sehee coldly calculated the situation.
Well, it wasn’t like they had a deep emotional exchange like Dayoung had.
And now, Pepe was going to manage the chatroom…
‘Not a bad choice… right?’
Probably?
There was no room for personal connections to ruin the stream, and besides, she would keep an eye on things anyway.
After all, Pepe was a being who couldn’t even form normal human relationships.
Whatever happens, it would be easy to question her and resolve any issues immediately.
She tilted her head slightly but thought, for now, there was no better candidate to recruit.
Leaving the chatroom in a state that felt like the end of the world would also be problematic.
“Alright. Try it.”
“OK. Thank you.”
Hmph.
Somehow, the answer felt unsettling.
Having drunk her third glass, the cold now felt surprisingly cozy.
Leaning against the veranda railing, I looked up at the night sky while sipping wine.
It had a certain charm to it.
It all started with Sehee’s suggestion to drink outside, since staying inside felt a bit stuffy.
I hadn’t expected it, but she did have a veranda with a perfect view.
“Here, cover yourself with this.”
The warmth of the blanket over my shoulders made me instinctively huddle closer.
“I’m fine,” I said.
“You’re still shaking. Drinking wine doesn’t change the fact that it’s cold. You just can’t feel it. And you’ll end up with a numb mouth.”
“You’re one to talk.”
I swallowed the words, but Sehee, already aware, chuckled softly.
“I’m a different kind of warrior, so I’m okay.”
She said that again.
Her warrior pride was getting a little too much.
“What do you mean ‘different kind of warrior’? We both fought the Demon King, right?”
“Ah, that? Well, if you put it in terms of a game, it’s the experience points difference.”
“Sorry, veteran warrior with 2 years of experience here.”
“And I’m a 1-day rookie streamer, so I’m okay.”
Though, the difference is that I’m a natural at this.
As we filled our glasses, the conversation shifted to thoughts on streaming.
“So, what made you start streaming, Dayoung?”
“Well, it’s a pretty old story. I mentioned it before, but I thought it seemed fun.”
***
Looking up at the sky, the weather in Seoul was unbelievably clear for a night.
The stars were shining brightly—a rare sight.
It was the perfect moment to reminisce about the past.
“I was going through a phase where nothing felt exciting. I had no hopes or expectations for the future. I was just wasting time. Then, I randomly watched a famous streamer playing games, and it was so much fun that… before I knew it, I was hooked. I thought, ‘I want to do this too.'”
Finishing my drink in one go, I continued, “It’s kind of funny to give such deep meaning to it, but that’s what it was for me. Once I started, I actually found it fun.”
“That’s pretty serious. I just did it to get attention.”
“Pfft! You’re such an attention-seeker.”
“Right? Totally an attention-seeker.”
‘It’s nice, though.’
It’s been a long time since I’ve had such a normal conversation.
‘Normal conversations… they’re enjoyable.’
It’s funny to think that something so simple could feel so meaningful.
Since my return, all my previous friendships were shattered.
But now, as both a warrior and a streamer, I felt like I was sharing thoughts with someone I couldn’t tell anyone else.
‘Ugh, I’m dizzy.’
I think I’ve drunk more than I did at home earlier.
It’s hitting me hard now.
Maybe it’s time to stop and head back inside.
As I thought about getting up, suddenly my legs gave way.
‘What?’
My body swayed, losing control like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
I was about to fall when Sehee caught me.
“Whoa!”
Thanks to her, I managed to avoid collapsing to the floor in an embarrassing heap.
“My body’s giving out. Let’s rest for a bit.”
Sitting down to catch my breath, my head leaned to one side.
When I rested my face against her warm shoulder, I felt her arm reach around and support me.
It was a comforting feeling—just enough support, but not too much to feel trapped.
It made me feel all warm inside.
“You’d have been the laughing stock if you’d done this in college.”
“Pfft, who would even want me?”
“Why not? You’re pretty. You’d have had a bunch of guys trying to get your attention in college.”
“Heh. Well…”
She seemed to smile at the compliment, but I wasn’t sure if she knew it was one.
It was cute watching her laugh to herself.
In moments like this, I wanted to gently stroke her soft cheeks.
‘Ah…’
As my fingers lightly grazed her face, a small sigh escaped my lips.
I stared blankly ahead when I saw Sehee’s blonde hair brush against my nose.
I gently reached out and ran my fingers through it.
The smoothness and softness made me want to bury my face in it.
Maybe it was the alcohol, but I started to entertain thoughts I usually wouldn’t.
Ah, maybe I was just drunk, but…
I thought that Sehee, with her mix of beauty, charm, and kindness, seemed like the perfect woman, almost too good to be true.
A building owner. A beauty. A warrior. And her personality was so kind.
She treated me well, too.
‘Maybe that would be okay, right?’
‘But she’s a woman.’
Normally, I’d have felt uneasy, but after hearing that Sehee had been a man before, I couldn’t deny that a crack appeared in my mental barrier.
“Unnie.”
I called out to Sehee with a slightly cracked voice.
“Before you were summoned to this world… you said you were a man, right?”
“Yeah, I did. Why?”
“If you were still a man… would you like men or women?”
It was a loaded question, and without hesitation, Sehee answered.
“Women, of course.”
At her response, I looked up, my face completely red.
I met her gaze, the fire in my eyes hidden beneath the intoxication, as I mustered up the courage for a bold question.
Before my mind could lose grip of reality, I spoke.
“If you were still a man… would you…”
I hesitated for a moment before continuing, “Would you still try to hit on me?”
With that, I collapsed, my body giving up.
I guess it was finally too much after drinking so much without stopping.
“Hey, laugh it off!”
As I started to fall backward, Sehee caught me and pulled me into her arms, letting out a hollow laugh.
“You’re a bad one.”
It wasn’t even a prank, yet she’d thrown such an uncomfortable question my way and then fled.
The person left behind in this awkward situation had no way to escape.
It had been an unexpected question at the wrong time, and it almost made my head spin.
But, well, I was probably lucky she didn’t answer.
“Wash your feet and go to bed. Don’t think any funny thoughts.”
I can’t accept your feelings, my pretty little sister.
With Dayoung’s steady breathing beside me, the stars above seemed to twinkle back, as if in reply to my unspoken feelings.
***
A sharp metallic sound rang through the kitchen, as two scissors scraped against each other, their blades clashing.
I didn’t know when he’d come in, but it was Pepe.
“Heh. You idiots are really making a scene.”
He stood at a distance, watching Sehee and Dayoung, his eyes cold with an eerie madness.