“Um, may I ask your name…?”
Jackie, who had been completely stunned, asked with hazy eyes.
When the expressionless woman momentarily furrowed her brow, Jackie gulped nervously.
However, she entered the room as if nothing had happened, tossing her long hair back.
The hem of her coat fluttered, revealing a pristine white neckline.
As she stepped closer, her eyes became elegantly narrowed.
“I’m Mollu, sorry. I’m quite late, aren’t I?”
Clang-!
The silence that lasted about three seconds was broken by the sound of something dropping.
Ryu-a, flustered, picked up the fork she had dropped, and the people in the room who had been focusing on the stranger regained their composure.
“Mollu?”
“Yes.”
“Oh.”
With Tex, who had been chewing on a steak, concluding his words, the previously quiet room became much more lively than before the door opened.
The noisy chatter was mostly due to Mollu’s presence.
It was understandable. It was an unexpected appearance of an unknown person at an unpredictable moment.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that appearance plays a significant role in human relationships.
While one cannot infer a person’s appearance by their voice alone, most people here were thinking along those lines.
Still, this was something truly unexpected.
In fact, Papijoa had thought that Mollu wouldn’t show up because she was a solo no-cam broadcaster.
While she’d talked about attending the gathering, she assumed that when the time came to reveal her appearance, she’d hesitate to show up.
Therefore, it was presumed if Mollu did show, they’d be able to chat without worrying about her looks and discuss other topics.
It was an unnecessary overstepping and consideration.
The woman before them was likely someone who lived without such worries.
She probably had a life accustomed to people’s affection and consideration.
“Mollu, over here! Here! Please sit here.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Traffic must be bad since it’s the weekend, right? You must have been hungry on your way here. Tex, order some more food.”
Settling in the center of the table, Mollu quickly became the focus of the gathering.
Except for Ryu-a, all the other streamers had substantial broadcasting experience.
As the conversation naturally flowed during the broadcast, information about them was revealed, leaving Mollu as the only one with no information.
Even Ryu-a had the characteristic of being a college student whose face was known, but there was nothing about Mollu.
She was an unidentified newcomer who suddenly appeared in the broadcasting world, and it was no wonder rumors swirled about her possibly being a foreigner or even an alien.
A mysteriously skilled woman at Eo War, disturbingly good.
Anyone with a slight interest in internet broadcasting couldn’t help but be curious about her.
Though it hadn’t been her intention, she had become a broadcaster who upheld mystique.
And that led to the current situation.
“Um, yes… right, yes.”
Mollu, besieged by questions, looked quite embarrassed.
Though people’s attention seemed burdensome, she appeared unable to shake the compulsion to respond to it.
In short, one could describe her as peculiar.
Her haughty demeanor seemed like it could strike someone’s cheek any moment, making the place feel like a film set.
Yet her mismatched behavior was puzzling.
Her discomfort with the special treatment she was receiving felt as out of place as wearing ill-fitting clothes.
The gap intrigued me even more.
Mollu’s Yuksu… Or rather, was this the feeling her fans experienced? The more I learned, the more I wanted to know.
No, I was experiencing more things about this person named Mollu than anyone else.
Feeling a petty sense of superiority for having beaten complete strangers, Papijoa continued to observe Mollu.
Mollu as a broadcaster was an intriguing person.
Her calm voice, which did not match her gaming style, and her occasional unpredictable actions, as well as her manner of skillfully guiding her viewers, made her appealing.
Someone had humorously stated that Mollu was optimized for gathering Yuksu, and even the others agreed.
However, the Mollu who revealed herself was a far more captivating person.
“Um… could I call you unni? I’m born in ’00. Huh? We’re the same age? No way.”
“Is Ryu-a saying that Mollu looks older?”
“No! I didn’t mean it like that… it’s just that she has a mature vibe.”
Ryu-a, her fingers fidgeting and her face turning red.
“Wow, incredible. Mollu, you’re really amazing. Can I ask your real name? Ah, Ji-eun. Ji-eun. What a nice name. By any chance, how old are you…”
“Here, the pasta and steak are all amazing. We’ve ordered more, so please eat some bread. Huh? Wine? Aren’t you on an empty stomach? Eat something… this is a bit strong. Ah, yes, great. Yes.”
Tex, with a sly expression, began an interrogation of Mollu.
Despite Jackie’s jeers calling him a water buffalo, he didn’t mind.
Cheol-woo’s face, a mixture of shock and satisfaction at Mollu’s unexpected demand for wine, showed he was pleased to have a drinking buddy.
Suddenly, a thought surged within Papijoa—a desire to jump into that conversation.
Specifically, a yearning to talk with Mollu.
Yet the distance between her seat and mine was quite far, making it difficult to engage in conversation.
How much louder would I need to speak to penetrate through the bustling room full of people?
Even so, I entertained the ridiculous idea of carrying my chair over to Mollu’s vicinity, but lacked the courage to realize it.
I pondered whether I had always been this introverted, merely sipping on my wine.
It’s dizzying.
“No way, how can we be the same age? Wow, your skin is really nice. I can’t see any pores up close… Should we talk casually? Huh? You want me to go first? Then let’s be friends from now on~~. Why do you keep using formal speech~~ talk to me casually.”
Ryu-a, who had drunk a few glasses of wine, rambled beside me with a flushed face.
“Be honest. How long have you been playing Eo War? One and a half months? Are you some kind of insane talent…? Seeing you play Dragon Lord this time looks surreal. You really don’t have a main account? Be honest.”
Jackie, with an inexplicable friendliness, started a scolding-like inquiry.
“Hehehe. Ahhh!”
Tex was laughing weirdly, looking my way.
“One more drink? You drink well. If it’s too much, you can stop. Don’t feel like you have to drink just to please me. Ah, you’re doing it again. You can drink without turning your head. I’m not a person who cares much about etiquette. How old did you say you were? Twenty-three? You really don’t seem like today’s youngsters.”
From across the table, Cheol-woo chatted and shared drinks.
This side felt relatively comfortable. I guess I can’t help but feel like an old man.
I had no idea how things were before I arrived, but the gathering, which began later for me, seemed to revolve around me.
In the online world, maybe it was fine, but having such attention in reality felt…
As expected, but it didn’t mean it was easy.
There’s a saying that knowing a hit hurts more.
Still, the wine was delicious. Much better than the soju I’d typically drank alone in my apartment.
I knew the reason well.
Rather than just the wine being good, it was a drink meant for sharing with others.
I’d arrived at a point of realizing I undeniably needed to interact with others.
“Should we start the broadcast~? A lot of people wanted to see just a glimpse of our faces.”
About an hour after I arrived.
As the atmosphere gradually cooled and everyone had eaten enough, Ryu-a waved her arms and spoke up.
“I’m fine with it.”
“But Ryu-a, are you okay to appear on broadcast like that?”
“Of course! I’m a real streamer. No pretense, just an honest broadcaster…”
Broadcast, broadcast.
Now that I think of it, I think I heard something like that on Discord.
Let’s just show our faces for a moment and shut it off or something.
Then, as if synchronized, everyone fell silent.
Habitually sipping my wine, I looked up to grasp the situation.
Ah, they’re watching me.
Because I’m no-cam.
But that’s not a problem.
I’ve done half-cam during tournaments and even did a hand-cam not long ago.
The broadcast could proceed in that manner.
“Shall we start it?”
“Are you sure?”
“It’s not like we’re showing our faces or anything.”
Upon expressing my intent, Papijoa nodded and began the broadcast.
The stream titled “Team Gathering” attracted many viewers in just three minutes, having circulated through some rumors.
“Hello~ this is Papijoa. Yes, it’s a team gathering. We’ll just show the team members briefly and then end it, so please don’t flood the chat or hold us back…”
One by one, the streamers greeted and showed their faces.
The chat erupted with laughter as they watched a blushing Ryu-a, whose tongue was all tied up.
Meanwhile, the voice of an electronics woman was searching for one streamer that had yet to appear.
<Our star making alcohol snacks, Mollu donated 10,000 won!>
“Is Mollu here by any chance?”
Starting with a polite inquiry that didn’t match her nickname, the chat quickly filled with questions about Mollu.
Waving my hand towards the camera lens while meeting Papijoa’s eyes.
“Hello, I’m here.”
I was about to say something more to the intensely reacting viewers when suddenly the broadcast cut off.
“Uh… Seems like it crashed because too many people came in suddenly.”
“Wow, it crashed just from a brief appearance.”
“Must be because it’s mobile.”
“Well, we’ve made our greetings. Still.”
Is this the power of Mollu? I forced a smile at the team members praising the situation.
I don’t need this kind of power.
