Late night.
With the room’s lights turned off, I leaned against the couch cushion, relying on the faint, pitiful glow of the moon and stars.
The absence of light in the room didn’t inspire an unknown fear of the mysterious but instead evoked a dreamy sweetness.
In short, it was the perfect moment for a drink.
-Gulp, gulp.
The smoothness of beer sliding down my throat had never felt so satisfying.
It was a moment of relaxation for both body and mind after a long day at work.
Ah, there were so many events today.
It’s been such a long time since I had this much fun, so it’s no wonder I feel completely drained.
Well, considering how my body changed, it was my first time playing this hard.
“Not bad.”
I muttered to myself, gazing blankly into the void of the empty room.
The comment was brief and straightforward, perfectly matching the mood.
The process of filling a life that once felt utterly hollow was, surprisingly, thrilling.
Today was filled with all sorts of things, ‘but in the end, didn’t I tie everything up neatly?’
My relationships with Dayoung and Eunha—both seemed to have progressed like fitting pieces into a puzzle.
It felt like an engaging experience, piece by piece.
Maybe that’s why I didn’t want to let this feeling of satisfaction fade away.
Wanting to prolong this mood a little more, I suddenly felt the urge to stream and got up from my seat.
Normally, today would’ve been a day off.
My next scheduled stream wasn’t for two more days.
This was a truly spontaneous decision.
As I imagined the surprise reactions of viewers lighting up the chat, I prepared to step into my virtual reality capsule.
***
‘Ah, right.’
I realized something important.
The beer can in my hand, still half-full and heavy, made a sloshing sound as I moved.
‘You can’t drink alcohol in virtual reality.’
Drinking and streaming—those two things were inseparable tonight.
‘Should I just use the computer instead?’ No, I wanted to keep this relaxed vibe.
I didn’t feel like putting on the VR headset just to stream.
Caught in a Bermuda Triangle between the couch, the computer, and the VR capsule, I ended up pacing back and forth in indecision.
If this scene were captured on camera, I’d probably laugh myself silly watching it later.
But right now, I wasn’t laughing.
I was annoyed at my inability to reach a clear conclusion.
Isn’t there always that one situation where you agonize over trivial choices until you feel like you’re going to explode?
After wandering and contemplating for a while, I clicked my tongue in frustration and burrowed back into the couch.
“So annoying.”
The lingering regret echoed in my heart as I muttered quietly to myself.
‘If only I had just done a face reveal, I wouldn’t be agonizing over this right now.’
Initially, I planned to gradually build interest step by step, culminating in a grand face reveal.
But now, I found myself tempted to just throw everything aside and do whatever felt easy.
‘Why bother building up more hype when I’m already famous as a streamer specializing in Soul Warfare?’
“Should I just go for it?”
‘Or not.’
‘Should I? Or not.’
‘Go for it? Or not.’
‘It’d be nice if I at least had some flowers here.’
I absentmindedly shook the mischievous beer can in my hand, listening to the liquid inside slosh louder and louder.
When a few drops splashed onto my face, a wry smile crept onto my lips.
‘What am I even doing?’
“I’ve lost it, haven’t I?”
As beer trickled down my face, past my lips, I instinctively licked it off.
Maybe it was the light makeup I’d done earlier while shopping, but the faint mix of cosmetics and beer created a shocking taste that jolted me awake.
Grumbling about the peculiar way I was sobering up, I threw the now-empty beer can towards the recycling bin.
-Thunk!
-Roll, roll.
The can missed the bin, clattering to the floor and rolling away.
It was as if the can mocked my current state—utterly pathetic yet strangely moving.
I couldn’t even muster the will to pick it up.
‘Whatever. Tomorrow’s me can deal with it.’
The smallest act of rebellion I could manage was dragging my sluggish self into the VR capsule.
“Let’s just stream.”
The dark hours of dawn had passed into a damp and eerie midnight.
The restless ghosts of Switch’s nocturnal crowd, devoid of a routine, roamed the channels with even greater vigor during this time.
The STK tournament had ended several days ago, and with no more juicy drama to chew on, these ghosts were desperate for a new feast.
Having already tasted the large-scale excitement of the tournament, they found it hard to settle for petty streamer drama or meaningless bickering.
At precisely 2 a.m., when the night was at its deepest, a massive bait appeared unexpectedly to satisfy their insatiable hunger.
***
[Friede777’s stream has started.]
A familiar notification sound accompanied by an unexpected message.
The weary ghosts, whose eyelids had begun to droop with the onset of sleep, were suddenly wide awake.
And it wasn’t just the usual ghosts.
Among those who had subscribed to Friede’s channel with notifications enabled, there were viewers who happened to be awake due to studies, work, or hobbies.
What ensued was a massive migration of viewers to Friede’s channel, an unprecedented event for this late hour.
The seemingly boundless gates of Friede’s streaming channel on the internet struggled to keep up with the incoming flood of viewers.
“Hello, everyone. Long time no see. How have you all been?”
The smooth, elegant, and calming voice greeted them, causing a silent cheer to erupt.
[What an honor to see you at such an ungodly hour!]
[Friede! Godde! Queen-de! King-de! Legend-de!]
[The guy above me is so chaotic, lol.]
[I’m Friede’s number one fan from the tournament. I swear it!]
[Stop spamming, you lunatics!]
[I knew it! I didn’t believe the hiatus announcement. I trusted you would return sooner. ã… ã… ]
[This kind of betrayal is actually wonderful. Just this once, though.]
[Friede, please tell us about the dance with Lotus!]
It was chaos at its peak.
This surprise stream, started without any warning or hints, threw everyone into a frenzy.
What appeared on their screens was Friede’s familiar and luxurious MS Room.
However, tonight it exuded a different vibe.
Perhaps some settings had been adjusted beforehand for this surprise event.
The normally dazzling lights of the MS Room were dimmed, replaced by the soft glow of moonlight and starlight streaming through the window.
The scene had a dreamy, ethereal quality.
Standing in the midst of this mystical atmosphere, Friede waved gracefully, clad in stunning armor.
‘Who could possibly resist her charm in such a setting?’
For these viewers, it was like rain pouring onto parched land, and their reactions grew ever more enthusiastic.
***
[Support from ZiegGarterbelt: 100,000 won!
—Congratulations on your victory]
“Thank you, Zieg. I owe it to everyone’s support that I managed to win.”
[Are you going to play Soul Warfare today, Friede?]
[Hey, don’t be clueless! She should talk about the tournament first!]
[Support from MidirEatsFriede: 400,000 won!
—Friede! Please tell us about Lotus and the tournament stories too!]
“Ah, thank you for the support, Midir. To be honest, this stream is pretty spontaneous. I was just bored and couldn’t sleep.”
Friede smiled faintly, her soft red lips reflecting the faint starlight as she spoke.
“Let’s take some time to chat.”
[Whoa, chatting with us? This is rare!]
[Friede, you’re spoiling us. ã… ã… So heartwarming!]
[Start with the tournament stories, please!]
[Support from Kimkkettulakku: 50,000 won!
—Friede, who was the toughest opponent in the tournament?]
The first question was an easy one.
She didn’t have to think deeply about it since the answer was both subjective and objective.
“Lotus was the hardest opponent. It really made me think, ‘This is what sets professional players apart.’”
[And yet, Friede demolished Lotus 3–0. Legendary.]
[Sure, but Lotus wasn’t bad. They just had bad luck with their broken greatsword in the second set, lol.]
The conversation flowed smoothly from there.
Friede talked about her choice of a dual-wielding rapid-fire crossbow as a homage to Forming’s revenge.
She described her feelings when she eliminated Haldir in the qualifiers with a single blow from the Thorn Spear.
***
[Support from yaSergei: 200,000 won!
—Which would you choose: the Radiant Holy Sword or Lantern’s Blade?]
“Personally, I’d go with the Holy Sword. It suits my playstyle better. The Lantern’s Blade is good too, but for one-hit kills, nothing beats the Holy Sword.”
She paused deliberately, letting the chat’s curiosity and impatience build up.
After a minute, she continued.
“My next goal is to climb to Challenger rank 1. And I’ll do it with the Holy Sword.”
[Whoa?! For real?!]
[Big announcement!]
[Are we finally ditching the broken greatsword for a proper weapon?]
“Honestly, it’s nothing more than aesthetics for me. I just think it looks cool.”
Avoiding unnecessary drama about Lotus, she left it at that.
Her declaration to aim for the top stirred excitement in the chat.
***
[Support from SweetGuy: 1,000,000 won!
—Friede, was that you dancing with Lotus in the vlog? Did you reveal your face to Lotus? Please tell us!]
“Wow, SweetGuy, that’s a big donation. I’ll spend it on chicken for everyone.”
[What a guy, SweetGuy!]
[This is why he’s a top supporter, lol.]
“Anyway, about that vlog… yes, that was me. I danced with Lotus, and I did show my face to Lotus during that moment.”
Her simple confession silenced the chat for a moment, freezing it in time.
The normally lively chat became eerily still, a rare sight indeed.
This surprise midnight stream of Friede’s had already burned too brightly and abruptly exploded, leaving only a silent, peaceful aftermath.