Broadcasting ended, and for a while, I just stared at the monitor.
Even though the screen had already turned black, giving off nothing but darkness, it felt as if there was something visible in it.
My eyes must have been completely out of focus.
Revealing my face on stream… If I had to describe how I feel about it? Well, it definitely felt different.
I had thought, ‘What’s the difference? People see my face all the time when I’m out on the streets,’ but there’s a huge gap between being seen outside and being seen on a broadcast.
I can’t help but feel a bit annoyed, as if this might lead to unnecessary trouble.
Now, when I go out, more people might recognize me and start conversations because they know I’m Friede.
But the water’s already spilled, and there’s no scooping it back. ‘So what can I do?’
“Hah.”
As I thought about it, the current situation struck me as so funny that I couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
‘Ah, this is like a celebrity complex.’
The reality of me getting worked up over how people might recognize me outside was hilarious.
‘Keep it simple. So what if they recognize me?’
‘If I had this face as a regular person, not a hero, I might have been uneasy. In the worst-case scenario, I might’ve even developed anxiety or a panic disorder.’
‘But those are just meaningless hypotheticals.’
‘Say my name.’
‘Yeah, I’m Ji Sehee.’
‘A ridiculously strong hero.’
‘In modern Earth, where there’s no one but me who returned from another world, what’s there to fear? Just act with confidence.’
‘Who knows? Maybe one day, I’ll even do a stream where I come out as a hero.’
‘This is… yeah, think of it as a kind of demonstration.’
‘It’s like a practice run for when I reveal myself later, no matter what happens during the broadcast.’
As I thought of this, a fun idea flashed through my mind, and I got excited.
“Ah, just imagining it is hilarious.”
Getting excited over something like this… It feels like an attack on my pride.
But suddenly, another thought came to me.
‘If I do a hero coming-out broadcast, what kind of content would follow it?’
‘A hero—someone wielding extraordinary, almost miraculous power. The clearest activity I could pursue with that strength is…’
‘War. Nothing but war.’
‘What if I designed content where I used my hero’s power to reunify the Korean Peninsula?’
‘Breakfast in Pyongyang, lunch in Sinuiju, dinner in Liaodong… something like that?’
‘There would, of course, be criticism about the casualties caused by war, but I could use my ‘non-lethal mode’ function to subdue enemies.’
‘Maybe I could even temporarily awaken Dayoung and Ajin to handle homeland defense while I charge straight through.’
‘I should consider it if the opportunity arises.’
***
That day, the main Soul Warfare community crashed due to excessive traffic.
Right after Friede’s stream ended, it continued throughout the night, only calming down around 8 a.m. as people started preparing for the new day.
Friede’s face spread not only across Soul Warfare communities but also on unrelated websites and forums.
At first, some people mocked the reaction, saying, “What’s the big deal about a streamer showing their face?”
Those who didn’t know who Friede was were confused, wondering, “Who is this person anyway?”
It was a reasonable reaction.
No matter how famous she was, it was still limited to the Soul Warfare community.
But once Friede’s face was revealed, anyone who saw it would ask:
[Who is this?]
[Where does she stream? What’s her name?]
What followed was a predictable cascade.
A Soul Warfare player, a woman in Challenger tier, with skills surpassing even pro players… the forums were flooded with praise for Friede.
For example:
[She’s so stunning…]
[Is that her bare face?]
[I can’t stop smiling while looking at her. Is it even possible for someone like her to exist in real life?]
[Friede has golden hair… does that mean all her body hair is golden?]
[Screw the haters insulting Friede’s looks. They should just disappear!]
Like this:
[She’s so stunning…]
[Written by: Kim Kkaetoolakku]
—Ah… What’s there to say? As one of the OG fans who supported Friede from the beginning, I’ve never felt this much excitement. My heart was pounding so much I could barely sleep… Is this… love?]
[Bbaebbaejwa: Yeah~ Why not?]
[Zieg Garterbelt: Stay strong. We must protect our queen.]
[Ilgwangsogeom: We’re ready now.]
[Hope5555: (We? Who’s we?)]
[Is that her bare face?]
[Written by: YaSergei
— I take pride in knowing a lot about makeup—heh. Anyway, I watched the stream closely, and Friede didn’t seem to wear makeup. If she did, it was just basic foundation at most. What’s amazing is that she looks like this even without makeup enhancements.]
[Ttkilmohwasan: Sign it! Don’t diss Friede!]
[Loo: I’ll sign it! No one disrespects Friede!]
[Lampadu: This is it… Friede’s stream might surpass major corporations.]
[Theminator: Agreed. With that face, she’s the asymmetrical weapon of streaming. Even if she stood like a mannequin, fans would flock to her.]
[Sesudaeya: I expected her to be pretty, but damn, that’s a cheat-level face.]
[I can’t stop smiling while looking at her. Is it even possible for someone like her to exist in real life?]
[Written by: Zieg Garterbelt
—It’s true that a beautiful face can give people strength. Right now, I’m at work, sneaking looks at the forums and Friede’s photos, and I don’t feel tired at all. Even after my boss chewed me out earlier, seeing Friede immediately lifted my spirits. If someone told me to lick the bald forehead of my 30-something boss with hair loss, I might actually consider doing it for Friede.]
[Bbaebbaejwa: Zieg, dude…]
[Hope5555: Pepe, man…]
“It’s honestly so overpowered.”
[Minator: Her looks are just insane.]
[Midir Who Eats Sisters: Last night, during my defense match, I imagined my wife’s face as Friede’s. Managed six rounds. Totally worth it.]
[ᄂᄋᄋ: You’re insane… really insane…]
[Pepe: Living up to the name, huh.]
[If Friede’s hair is golden, does that mean all her body hair is golden too?]
[Author: 00]
[It’d be great if she plucked out a strand and sent it to subscribers.
She probably has lots of hair… golden treasure. Ooh, yeah.]
[Sensitive Man: This guy has been crossing the line all day.]
[Washbasin: Checked his IP; he used to bash Friede constantly before her face reveal. Hahaha.]
[YaSergei: So there was a jerk obsessed with looks who didn’t care about inner qualities. Typical.]
[Lampadu: Get rid of him. Now.]
[Forming: I’ve archived the post. If Friede decides to sue, I’ll submit it immediately. Let’s have a police meet-up, everyone. ^^]
With fingers pounding furiously on the keyboard, Dayoung saved the evidence into her archive folder and sighed.
The reaction was exactly what she expected.
By now, it didn’t even faze her.
When she first saw Friede’s face, she was shocked—it was unforgettable.
So, she could understand why people were losing their minds over it.
“They’ve all gone crazy, seriously.”
“Weren’t they crossing the line?”
No matter where she looked, every board was filled with Friede, Friede, Friede.
Her face was circulating even in communities unrelated to gaming.
At this point, her personal information was practically shredded to pieces.
“Pfft. Hey, Dayoung. Let’s stream with Sehee already. Doesn’t matter if it’s gaming or just chatting over food; just do something together.”
Pepe coaxed his, voice dripping with mischief.
He wasn’t wrong.
Objectively speaking, Friede—Sehee—was up for grabs, so to speak.
Anyone who collaborated with her during this surge of attention would also ride the wave of popularity.
Though Dayoung wasn’t at Friede’s level, she was often told she was cute and pretty when she put effort into her appearance.
With all the vitality of her 20s, her prime years, she’d never heard anyone call her plain.
And considering that she was the one who had initially convinced Sehee to start streaming…
‘At first, I just wanted to ride her coattails and pick up scraps.’
‘Why did it feel uncomfortable now?’
Using someone precious felt wrong, and her conscience pricked at her.
She doubted Sehee would hate it, but still…
‘No, that’s not the issue here.’
A face reveal for a streamer—especially a female one—tends to have a strong immediate impact.
The problem was that, in Sehee’s case, the impact was astronomically strong.
While it was a major reason for her soaring popularity, it was also why she faced so much trouble.
Dayoung quickly sent a message.
[Forming: Are you okay, unnie?]
[Friede: What’s there to be okay or not okay about? Haha.]
The reply came quickly, its tone calm.
‘Was it really fine?’
Curiosity prompted Dayoung to type again.
[Forming: I just saw your face reveal, unnie. It shocked me.]
[Forming: Why’d you do it all of a sudden? It must be hard for you…]
[Friede: I did it because you looked like you were struggling.]
[Forming: I don’t struggle with things like that.]
[Forming: 🙁 ]
[Friede: I know. Haha.]
‘As if.’
She had just admitted to revealing her face because Dayoung looked burdened.
The obvious contradiction in her words was hard to criticize.
No, perhaps it wasn’t that Dayoung couldn’t criticize—it was that she didn’t want to.
After all, it was proof that Sehee cared about her enough to draw attention away from her.
‘I don’t like this.’
It felt like she was only ever causing trouble, always leaning on Sehee whenever something happened.
A vague sense of self-loathing made her bury her face in her pillow.
At that moment—
Ding.
Her phone, tossed to the side, buzzed with a notification.
Seeing the preview, Pepe grinned slyly.
“Hey, Dayoung, Sehee wants to collab.”
“What?!”
Snatching her phone, Dayoung read the text, plain and direct.
[Friede: Want to collaborate?]
As she stared in disbelief, Pepe whistled, amused at the effortless turn of events.
“Life’s good, huh? Partnering with a top-tier goddess-level streamer after her face reveal? Subscribers and views will pour in like crazy. What a jackpot!”
Thwack!
Before he could finish his self-congratulatory commentary, Dayoung’s hand brought a merciless blow to his head.
Unlike the noisy communities abuzz with Friede’s face reveal, it was just another idle day for them.