[ Stop chasing me!! ]
[ Okay, now I just need to put in the batteries… Wait, wait, wait!! Why are you moving!! ]
[ Ugh… I’m dead again…. ]
The most familiar voice in the world.
At the same time, a voice that makes Da-yeon laugh just by hearing it.
[ Uh, uh…? Don’t come! Don’t come!! Aaaah!! ]
At that moment, I had to quickly mute the microphone at the sight of Diah being eaten by the giant cat plushie again.
It was a scene that didn’t fit with the mature witch Hida, who was laughing as if she was about to choke.
“Ahh, ah…. This is driving me crazy….”
Was it because I kept laughing at Diah, who was being eaten by all sorts of monsters?
Tears of laughter had unknowingly gathered at the corners of Da-yeon’s eyes.
Diah’s persistent use of formal language with Hida also contributed to the humor.
It was striking how Ha Eun, screaming in fear at monsters popping up all over the amusement park, was still trying to maintain some level of courtesy towards Hida.
[ We just need to go on the Viking ride. There’s nowhere we haven’t been except for the Viking ride, right? ]
– No?
– I don’t think we went on the carousel
– Since we don’t really know, shall we check from the beginning?
– There’s an ending up ahead
– Look back!
– Oh, I died again.
[ Um… huh? Why can’t my legs move? ]
-Swift.
– Clap!
[ Ah! Let go of this! ]
“Do you think they understand human speech? Just let yourself be eaten quietly.”
[ Ugh…! It’s not my business…!! ]
Eventually, Diah was swallowed whole by the massive statue.
From then on, Diah became the exclusive snack for the monsters until the final clue for the ending was discovered.
It was only natural for the group to tease Diah in this situation.
After all, the highlight of a horror game broadcast like <Cat Playtime> is the d*ath scenes.
So, it was no surprise that the speed of the chat increased every time Diah met a game over.
“For a while, the monsters won’t have to worry about being hungry~.”
[ I-I didn’t d*e that many times! ]
“Oh, what do you mean by that? There isn’t a monster among them that doesn’t want to taste Diah.”
[ …That’s cruel…. ]
With Hida joining in, their teasing of Diah intensified.
The sight of Diah struggling against his seniors in the fantasy realm never appeared at any moment.
Is that why?
From the start of the joint broadcast, the group cheered fervently for Hida, who seemed to have a gentle madness, as they claimed someone greater than Diah had appeared.
[ This… this is cheating! Someone might think they are the witch’s boyfriends! ]
Diah getting angry at the group only added extra flavor.
The retaliatory comments from the group towards Diah were simply too funny for Da-yeon to hold back her laughter.
– I’ve lived long enough to see Diah getting possessive over me.
– Where in the world can you find a girlfriend like this…
– Crazy girlfriend shooting her boyfriends as a hobby.
– Is everything fine as long as the red medicine looks nice? Wait, now that I think about it, that’s true. Diah is the best.
– Diah doesn’t even support the group!!
So it was that, in the Discord call, Diah faced Hida.
In the broadcast chat, Diah was being beaten verbally and in the chat by the group.
In Da-yeon’s opinion, it couldn’t have been more of an ‘educational’ experience.
Even when they finally reached the ending of <Cat Playtime>, the mood was one of praise for Diah.
However, the majority of the broadcast for the <Cat Playtime> King was about watching Diah roll around among the monsters while eating popcorn.
[ Ugh, now I just need to lower the circuit breaker…! ]
[ Kyaaa!! ]
[ d*e─! You monster cat!! ]
– Gasp
– The cat is pitifulㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– Monsters have lives too;;
– They were just living quietly; is it really okay to call them intruders…?
Finally, the ending credits of <Cat Playtime> appeared on the broadcast screen featuring Diah and Hida.
A little later, the post-game discussion about the horror game between Diah and Hida began.
[ I watched until the end as you commanded, witch. How was it, for me…. ]
Just like that, Diah’s polite speech remained intact.
On the other hand, Hida continued to tease Diah almost every moment with her mature voice.
“They said you were a gaming pro, but was that all just a rumor~?”
[ Well, that’s because I did what the witch said. If I had played freely, I would have died ten times less. ]
“Ugh, excuses.”
[ That’s not an excuse! ]
“Well, fine. Let’s say it’s not an excuse~.”
[ Ughhhh…!! ]
To be precise, I didn’t think the familiar voice on the other end of the headphones was 100 percent genuine.
Hana was likely playing along with the broadcast atmosphere, where they were teasing Diah.
It was just that, it wasn’t often that a moment arose where she could openly tease Hana.
Nonetheless, the underlying tone of the commentary from Hida still mixed with Da-yeon’s genuine feelings.
“Alright, then. Since we’ve baked the game enough, shall we move on to the second part?”
Soon, a karaoke program appeared large in the center of the broadcast screen.
The spark in Diah’s eyes was quite intense.
[ No way… is the second part a singing broadcast? ]
“Yeah.”
[ Um, the thing is…. It’d be a little hard to sing an unpracticed song…. ]
For Ha Eun, Diah’s singing broadcast required separate preparation.
She had to practice not only to sing in Diah’s voice but also to make sure it didn’t sound like Pinocchio’s song.
The anxious voice from Da-yeon over the headphones was due to this reason.
Just a few seconds passed, and she had to silence herself upon encountering the familiar song title.
『Old Staccato』
“Last time, during the premiere, it was live, right? If you could sing like that live, I suppose you wouldn’t need to practice separately?”
[ …Yes…. ]
– For real, there’s nothing she doesn’t know
– Diah is a human counter
– Of course, she’s from the group
– Whatever excuse I make, I can always rebut it~~
– Diah is a true fan, Hida
At that moment, thanks to Hida’s privilege, another live version of “Old Staccato” was about to begin.
“♪──♪♪───♪♪─♬♪”
[ Wait! Prelude, stop! ]
The urgent plea to stop the MR (music recording) of “Old Staccato” came through in a panicked voice.
Then she mentioned that her throat felt a little sore from the scream she let out while playing the previous session of <Cat Playtime>.
[ I’ll go drink some warm water; can you wait just a little? ]
“Hmmm.”
[ Please, my witch. If my throat gets hoarse, I can’t do the broadcast! ]
When had Ha Eun ever heard such a desperate tone from Diah?
Or had there ever been even once?
‘…She’s cute.’
Ultimately, Da-yeon decided to be generous and agreed to Diah’s request.
However, it wasn’t like she could just wait until Diah’s throat was fine.
“So, how about I sing instead? What do you think?”
She turned to the viewers regarding the sudden downtime.
The consensus in the chat was overwhelmingly positive.
– Yes!!!
– Let’s hear the witch sing
– I heard she sings well too; is that true?
– So what are you going to sing?
“Hmm, let me think about what to sing.”
First of all, Hida’s singing skills were good in a different way from Diah’s.
Thanks to her experience portraying a ‘genius girl in vocal music’ during her childhood, Da-yeon also knew how to sing to a degree.
In other words, Hida’s singing broadcasts mostly proceeded with vocal music.
Crucially, vocal music as a genre has a more grandiose feel compared to other genres.
– Ding.
『O Fortuna』
– ?
– What did I just see?
– Is that right, Witch???
– No way, why is this here?
The reactions questioning Hida’s song choice swiftly transformed to rave reviews once the first part of the song began.
This was thanks to the magnificent, soaring high notes coming from Hida’s calm avatar.
“O──♪ Fortuna─♪ vel──♪♪ ut luna────♪”
– What the
– Wowwwwwwwww
– It’s splendid
– What’s with the witch’s form?!
– Why is she so good??
– Mind-blowing, haha
[ …Wow…. ]
In summary, it was a surprise.
Hida, who had been teasing Diah along with everyone until a moment ago, unexpectedly showcased remarkable vocal skills, leaving no one in the group unastonished.
However, because Hida’s “O Fortuna” was so intense,
The response in the chat during Diah’s “Old Staccato,” which was comparatively calmer, was somewhat lukewarm.
Of course, there were no harsh criticisms, and since Ha Eun was also taken aback by Hida’s vocal talent, it wasn’t entirely ununderstandable.
The following song, “Illusion,” did receive a more solid response, though….
[ …Thank you for your efforts…. ]
By the time the joint broadcast was wrapping up, the voice heard was certainly in a downcast tone.
Well, saying downcast might imply it had suddenly quieted down.
“…I have a bad feeling about this.”
Regardless of the situation, Da-yeon had spent over ten years closely alongside Ha Eun.
It didn’t take long to realize that something was off with Ha Eun.
And sure enough.
“Ah, you’ve arrived?”
“………Hi.”
The next day, encountering Ha Eun in the predicted situation was like a storm had settled.
In other words, she was sulking.
Of course, Da-yeon could have asked Ha Eun why she was sulking.
But she couldn’t even claim to know the reason.
‘If she finds out it’s me, she’ll definitely be angry….’
Even though it would be understandable if Ha Eun did get angry, Da-yeon couldn’t imagine her being upset.
After all, Ha Eun had never genuinely been angry even once.
‘…That was a misunderstanding back then.’
In strict terms, there had been moments that were somewhat close to anger.
But those were exceptions, as they merely stemmed from misunderstandings in middle school that only lasted briefly.
‘If that’s what those were heartfelt words, I’d be in serious trouble… but… I guess not.’
Well, regardless of the situation.
Da-yeon didn’t particularly wish for Ha Eun to remain in this sulking state.
– Ding.
[ Hello? Da-yeon? ]
“Uh, Jin-soo oppa. I want to send a coffee truck.”
[ …A coffee truck? Who is it for? Where to? ]
“It’s for Lee Ha-eun. To the Veterans shooting location.”
[ Hmm… Alright. I’ll look into it and call you back~. ]
Da-yeon worked on arranging something to lift Ha Eun’s spirits without letting it slip that it was from Hida.
It was a gift of apology sent in advance for when Hida’s red medicine was revealed someday in the very distant future.
Thus, even when the coffee truck with Da-yeon’s name arrived at the <Veterans> filming location,
Until she sneaked over without informing Ha Eun, surprising her with the unexpected coffee truck, it was all kept a secret.
“Sending a coffee truck to anyone else, you’re the first, Lee Ha-eun.”
“Ah…. …Thank you.”
Da-yeon had no doubt that this would lift Ha Eun’s mood to some extent.
Afterward, when the two shared warm coffee together, Ha Eun was definitely her usual self.
However.
[ @!#!$@#@%@#$!~? ]
“Ah, yes. I’ll… try to talk to her.”
Once Ha Eun shifted her gaze from someone she was on the phone with to Da-yeon,
To be more precise, after unwittingly accepting her ‘cameo’ proposal,
– Jolt.
‘…? The atmosphere feels… different somehow.’
The feeling of the person known as Ha Eun began to shift little by little,
Reaching its peak about an hour later during filming.
“…Assistant Kim, didn’t I say I didn’t like it when I had to say something twice?”
Her eyes were devoid of emotion.
A very clear intent to k*ll was present in her gaze.
A blade glimmered ominously in her hand, revealing the bulging veins.
– Swish….
The chilling blade passed just inches from Da-yeon’s neck.
It was indeed true that as the extra ‘Assistant Kim,’ she had to act terrified.
But at least at this moment, she was not acting scared.
“Was it really that difficult just to do what you were asked to do?”
The gaze still remained fixed on Da-yeon’s carotid artery.
And simultaneously, Da-yeon reached a conclusion.
‘…This girl is seriously angry.’
Ha Eun’s mood was still sour.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t be emanating such palpable killing intent.
