Chapter 15: The Taste of Adventure
* * *
“Hooook.”
“Puhah~!”
As I exhaled deeply, a thick smoke burst forth with a fierce intensity. It was like dragon breath.
“Man, that’s too much. I’m feeling dizzy now. Anyway, thanks, Sehee. You really saved me.”
“Don’t bleed too much. You don’t want cancer… Well, as for that….”
Leaning back on the terrace and tilting my head, the night sky naturally reflected in my eyes.
With my long blonde hair maintaining just the right weight, I turned to Jihye with a question.
“Yuri couldn’t go outside because of her curse, so she left, but you’re physically fine, right? Once your identity is restored, what do you want to do first?”
“Um, I don’t know.”
*Sip, puff~.*
Jihye, savoring her smoke, spoke in a slightly subdued voice.
“I’ve been gone for just about a year in this world, but eight years have passed back home… I’m all alone without family anymore. I really don’t know. It’s been so long that I might not even be able to go back to school. Should I take the college entrance exam again now?”
It was hard to offer any comfort to Jihye, who spoke with self-deprecation.
While it’s common for heroes returning to Earth to face difficulties, hers was clearly of a different kind.
At least Yuri, who could meet her family and return to everyday life within a year just by being with me, had it better.
I realized that even if I assisted, there would be limits to restoring her sense of loss. Her life plan of entering a prestigious university and dreaming of a shining future had been completely distorted.
“The world changed too much while I was gone. Virtual reality? What even is that? Back in my day, it was just VR.”
“For real, I’ll give you that.”
Who would have thought that a swordsmanship legend online would actually exist? The goddess set it up, but I was surprised, too, initially.
“Ha~!”
A sigh while gazing at the night scene seemed to carry a subtle regret.
“I still don’t know. Actually, since coming back to Earth these last few days, I’ve been thinking hard about it, and the ‘me’ who was proud of being smart and good at studying just isn’t there anymore.”
Holding the last puff of her cigarette, Jihye’s hand waved around, making the smoke dance in the air.
As I watched closely, I spontaneously reached over and gently took the cigarette from her mouth. Ignoring Jihye’s dumbfounded gaze, I inhaled deeply.
The smoke pierced deep into my lungs, the nicotine rush felt quite intense.
So that’s why people smoke.
“What do you think, Jihye?”
“…….”
With the smoke swirling around, I smiled.
“Does it look good?”
“Puhrp, hehehe, not even close. It looks like you’re just pretending to smoke.”
“Everyone’s first time is just pretending anyway.”
As Jihye coughed, I smiled at her.
“Well, Jihye. I know it’s overwhelming, but this is what I think.”
Our eyes locked. While I wore a smile, her gaze concealed a vague anxiety that couldn’t be hidden.
“When we first stepped into this world, we felt overwhelmed, yet here we are as heroes. Let’s just forget about the Demon King’s curse and think of it as part of our journey. If it gets too tough, just talk to me. I’ll help you out.”
Seeing someone left alone in this world attempt to hide their wounds, I couldn’t just stand by.
“Then let’s head to bed. It’s already this late. The couch is big, so we can just crash there.”
Oh dear, I see Dayoung and Ajin already sprawled out and dozing inside. They’ll all be suffering from hangovers tomorrow. Yuri’s not around, probably off to her room.
Everyone had quite the hectic day, so it’s no wonder they’d crash hard.
“Hey, Sehee.”
“Yeah?”
Turning to Jihye as she called me, I saw her smiling at me.
“Well, if you have any hard times, just let me know. I’ll listen.”
“That’s funny.”
* * *
Everyone converged in Room 501 and then headed to my place.
Rather than go to sleep right away, I felt the urge to check the monitor screen’s light before bed, so I logged onto the channel’s bulletin board.
And….
[Is the host Shivaal! Still gone?!]
[Not quitting the broadcast, right? It’s too cold here, but I believe in you, host!]
[If you got first place, you must have seen the ending, lol! Not doing the broadcast?]
[You’re probably lounging around, enjoying some chicken, huh? Lol!]
[Hey! Chicken? My sister dines elegantly on steak!]
[If it were Friede, she wouldn’t even need to eat or poop for real, lol! If you argue with me, all your points are invalid!]
[Since Friede stopped streaming, this place feels so dull now.]
[I’ve become a body that can’t live without Friede!]
Considering the long break, the crowd’s reaction was quite favorable(?).
I thought there would be all sorts of curses and accusations flying around by now. If such simple complaints are all it is, I could definitely consider them angels.
It’s hard to admit to those eagerly waiting for my broadcasts that I have no intentions of streaming anytime soon. It’s common knowledge that combining broadcasting with drinking doesn’t usually end well.
Wait a minute, I think I’ve done that a few times in the past.
‘Should I stream or not?’
Sitting in front of my computer, I spun my chair around several times. Eventually, with a tinge of guilt over shirking responsibility, I scratched the back of my head and made a firm decision.
“How annoying.”
Maybe it was because there were more heroes to take care of, but I felt a wave of laziness, and my body just wasn’t cooperating today. Plus, I had so much going on today already.
At this point, even if the world criticized me, I think I could forgive myself.
I felt that doing something else might be more productive than streaming right now.
I rummaged through my email inbox for the first time in ages.
I had entrusted Ajin with the broadcasting, chatting, bulletin boards, and editing, but managing my inbox was one of the few tasks I still handled myself.
Why do I do it? Well… even in a life as a forced loner without family or friends, I have my private matters to keep. You might wonder what privacy is left, but even I have secrets I want to keep.
Unlike the bulletin board which Ajin manages, the inbox was a chaotic jumble. Despite having sorted it out several times before, it managed to accumulate this much; it felt like more work than my quota for today.
After scanning the titles, there were no inflammatory messages. Back in the early days of my broadcasts, I had received emails close to harassment.
Most were ads.
Most of these were related to games. If it were decent content, it would have been fine, but honestly, I’d been too deep into games lately to notice that it had slipped down in my priorities.
Emails inviting content creators for collaboration.
If I had planned on joining some streaming organization, I would have gone straight to STK long ago; there’s no other place with such a prestigious name.
Lastly, an invitation to join a professional gaming team.
“I’ve said I’m not becoming a pro gamer.”
The determination in the title felt almost desperate.
Well, I wouldn’t be doing it anyway, so it’s better not to torture myself with false hopes.
As I sent all the emails I had no need for to the trash, one email caught my eye.
At first glance at the title, I thought it was just some simple spam or possibly a mis-sent email from the sender.
“An ad, but still.”
After being reeled in by the clickbait title, I clicked on it and found not just text but several images and attachments with a detailed briefing.
Reading each sentence meticulously, it was unlike any other advertisement; it tugged at my heartstrings. It was filled with elements that felt delightful beyond just income.
So what was it?
“Car camping.”
A review request for a new camping car from a well-known automotive brand.
When I first saw this, I tilted my head in confusion.
“Why would they want me?”
It’s true that I had hit it big as a streamer, but it’s not like I’m in the top 100 influencers or anything like that.
Do they really advertise like this these days? Wait, it’s not a typical vehicle; it’s a camping car, so maybe that makes sense.
As I calmly examined the details, it seemed they planned to upload the review to YouTube.
It felt increasingly reasonable that this wasn’t your typical wholesome TV ad or a fixed platform ad.
The essence of the advertisement was simple. Drive the newly developed product to a designated campsite and enjoy an overnight stay.
Of course, it appeared there would be a kind of script provided to ensure a smooth review video production, but…
There didn’t seem to be any significant problems otherwise. The original footage could be edited on my end for revenue generation.
Moreover, given the scale of the camping car review, I could even bring friends along.
“Up to five people.”
Now, that’s quite a coincidental number.
The people I could consider friends count on one hand.
Dayoung, a fellow streamer and companion.
Ajin, a fellow editor and cameraman.
Yuri, a fellow cook.
The newly joined Jihye, an accomplice and bard(?).
‘This could actually be….’
Fun.
