As Moses raised his staff, the Red Sea was parted.
I wasn’t a devout believer, but I was familiar enough with such biblical verses.
The great Moses, a religious leader and national hero of ancient Israel.
The miracle he performed was happening right here in this party hall.
“An entertainer has arrived…?”
“Who is it?”
“I’ve never seen this face before…”
Whispers among the crowd and gazes converge on one point.
At the same moment, the crowd blocking our way parts effortlessly.
As if the place we were passing through was meant to be a path.
Everyone seems flustered, their eyes directed this way.
Ah, it’s understandable.
The impact when I first saw Mollu.
I had been so stunned I could hardly utter a word.
It was even more shocking since I already knew the beauty stepping in was Mollu.
Now, I wonder how surprised the people peeking out like that would be if they knew the person beside me was Mollu.
However, the person beside me, who could be compared to Moses, who had caused this miracle, seemed unfazed.
“…”
With an air of confidence that suggested such treatment was normal, she strides forward.
Not seeking attention but not shying away either.
Ryu-a felt a twinge of happiness at the sight.
Though they hadn’t known each other long, her friend Ji-eun had a shining appearance and a warm heart, yet for some reason, her self-esteem was low.
At first, she thought it was just a joke.
Surely, she must have grown up receiving overwhelming attention and love—how strange, she thought.
But as they spent more time together, Ryu-a learned the truth.
Mollu, or Ji-eun, genuinely believed she was incredibly, exceedingly, remarkably unattractive compared to others.
She didn’t want to probe into why that was, fearing it might hurt Ji-eun, but Ryu-a hoped that one day she would find a self-image that suited her.
Just like right now.
Everyone in the party hall was focused on Ji-eun.
As if she were the protagonist of the party, she hadn’t done anything except showing up, yet all eyes were on her.
No one else here could be more fitting for the title of “protagonist” than Ji-eun.
Ryu-a thought this and followed Ji-eun.
*
“What’s so complicated?”
I had to admit it.
I lacked spatial awareness significantly.
As I entered the party hall, I was still groaning, searching for Jackie’s team members.
Even then, people’s gazes wouldn’t leave Ryu-a and me.
It seemed Ryu-a was quite a popular streamer.
I felt Ryu-a’s popularity once again.
She herself was grinning like she was enjoying it.
Still, it would be nice if she could just help me find someone.
I couldn’t disturb Ryu-a, who was somewhat enjoying the party.
I headed deeper inside, looking for the table number Cheol-woo had left in our chat.
Finally, I spotted them.
Umm… I mean, I found a green-faced Cheol-woo frowning.
“Oh, you’re here! Right here, this way!”
Tex waved us over, and the team members at the table turned their heads towards Ryu-a and me.
I hesitated for a moment at the familiar yet unfamiliar faces.
What on earth had happened?
“Oh, brother! You scared me with that intimidating look!”
“Well… there are circumstances.”
“Anyway, sit here. Both of you.”
Tex chuckled, and Cheol-woo bowed his head.
As we sat at the seats prepared by Papijoa, the team members’ features were revealed in more detail.
“What… is this? A group cosplay?”
Ryu-a, who sat down late, gasped at Cheol-woo’s face.
Yes, it was cosplay.
All team members except Ryu-a and me were dressed in costumes that seemed familiar.
Using his naturally intimidating appearance, Cheol-woo had painted his face green, probably as…
“Hmm, are you Hulk?”
“It’s Frankenstein.”
“Oh.”
So it was Frankenstein.
Following him, Tex was a vampire, and Papijoa was dressed as a ghost bride.
Both had impressive pale makeup.
And Jackie…
“Why is the director a Pikachu?”
Though he hadn’t done any special makeup, he was wearing an adorable Pikachu onesie.
Still, it seemed embarrassing enough that his ears turned bright red.
“They say he failed to catch the Four Heavenly Kings as Pikachu.”
He had lost a bet with the viewers.
The reasons for the others were similar.
Cheol-woo and Tex had failed a penalty.
They had started the broadcast before Ryu-a and I arrived to prove their cosplay.
Papijoa said she joined in because it looked fun to cosplay together.
It seemed she had a keen interest in cosplay even normally.
They had already completed the cosplay verification before Ryu-a and I showed up.
“If I had known it would be like this, I would have dressed up too, right?”
Ryu-a said this while licking her lips.
She gave me a look of disappointment.
In her mind, there must have been a simulation of various cosplay outfits being put on me.
I tried to ignore that gaze and sipped from the drink resting on the table.
“Hey, look over there.”
“Is that cosplay?”
Among the neatly dressed crowd, it seemed our disheveled look drew glances as people passed by.
When their eyes inevitably met Cheol-woo’s, they quickly looked away in surprise.
What an unexpectedly entertaining scene this was.
“I’m your fan, sir!”
Some came to our table asking for autographs.
Cheol-woo signed with a dumbfounded look on his face.
It must not have been easy to push through like this, but indeed, being a streamer isn’t something just anyone can do.
Our table began to fill with unexpected autograph seekers.
Perhaps the impact of winning the Eo War tournament was greater than expected, as all team members seemed to have their own personal fans.
And anyone familiar with our team composition could probably make a guess about who I was.
“So, is that person Mollu?”
“Given the team composition, that makes sense, but…”
“Why hasn’t she revealed her face with that looks?”
I had no plans to hide my face, and arriving at this occasion, I expected my face would be revealed.
Amidst the chatter, someone suddenly approached.
Extending a paper towards me to request an autograph was a familiar face.
“Please sign this, Mollu…?”
It was Su Ah, who could even be considered the reason I started streaming.
She looked uncertain.
“What should I write?”
As I quietly accepted the paper and pen, Su Ah leaned in closer.
“Is it really you, Mollu? For real?”
I brought my finger to my lips and made a shush gesture, finally calming her excitement.
“Please write, ‘To my beloved number one disciple Su Ah.’”
Speaking of which, Su Ah was indeed my number one disciple in Eo War.
Feeling nostalgic about the past, I quickly signed her requested phrase.
“Wow… Why aren’t you doing webcam streams? You’re so pretty.”
Well, there really wasn’t a reason to do so.
Su Ah asked a question and answered it herself.
If nothing special was occurring while the broadcasts were going well, I likely wouldn’t turn on the webcam.
That was my thought.
“I’ll see you again next time. It’s nice to see your face.”
As the smiling Su Ah left, another familiar face appeared behind her.
“No, no… is this real?”
A man, known for his ‘No,’ Oh Dae-sik.
Dae-sik looked like he had seen something he shouldn’t have and covered his mouth while muttering at my face.
“Hello, Dae-sik.”
“Ugh!”
I found his reaction amusing and casually greeted him, but Dae-sik seemed like he might faint from excitement.
What’s wrong with this guy?
“Did you really torment me so mercilessly with that clueless face of yours?”
He seemed to be referring to the training we did together.
During the broadcasts from Dae-sik’s room, I tried to offer him guidance, thinking it was a real lesson.
To say I tormented him felt rather unfair.
“You wanted it too, didn’t you?”
“What, what do you mean?”
“Was it only me being serious?”
It was Dae-sik who initially suggested we go one-on-one.
I had just responded to his call.
As I said this with a sulky expression, the atmosphere around us stirred.
“Wow, what a piece of trash…”
“The worst man on earth, Oh Dae-sik.”
“Dae-sik was in the wrong.”
They were all streamers who were well-versed in broadcasting.
As such, they all seemed to understand and tease him with the memes surrounding famous streamers.
The atmosphere continued to playfully scold him like in Dae-sik’s chat.
“I’m just joking.”
I smiled at the awkward expression on Dae-sik’s face.
Dae-sik cleared his throat.
“Yes, yes. I understand it’s a joke. I hope you enjoy the party and that we can meet again next time.”
After we shook hands, Dae-sik dashed away.
Turns out he’s more shy than I expected.
“I’m a fan, I’m a fan!”
After that, people claiming to be my fans began flocking to me.
This was supposed to be a party, not a fan signing event.
Was this a request for countless handshakes or what?
I started to sweat, making eye contact with each person one by one.
