Former Hero Streamer – Chapter 183

As Sehee and Eunha entered the elevator and vanished, a few heads peeked out from the corner of the first floor.

“Oh, is that the professional gamer?”

“It’s my first time seeing her in person too.”

Just when everyone was curious about Sehee, who excused herself due to an unexpected call from a friend, the conversation flourished.

Who is she, to cause such a reaction? The more I thought about it, the more my curiosity grew, as I didn’t know much about her personal life.

That’s when Ajin stepped up to provide an explanation.

“She’s a professional gamer belonging to the top-tier team, STK.”

“She’s the star of the league, which has officially made Soul Warfare, the game Sehee is focusing on during her streaming activities, its main event.”

Whoa… impressive, isn’t it?

Now here I was, just a hero preparing to go back to school aka living off others, feeling slightly overshadowed by her societal status.

Hence, I was secretly observing from my spot.

“Uh, I haven’t seen her much, but I once played together when I was shopping with my sister.”

Shopping? What’s that all about?

It looked like Jihye found an interesting tidbit and tightly hugged Ajin.

“What’s that about? Can’t you just spill it?”

“Ugh! It’s nothing! I just ran into her while shopping with my sister!”

“Nothing, huh? Our Ajin seems to be lying! You went on a shopping date with Sehee, didn’t you? Leaving your sister behind and rushing ahead, how wicked!”

“I wasn’t even in Korea during that time… Ugh, ugh!”

“Shopping with your sister….”

Yuri, with a pale face that looked lost in thought, felt herself fading away.

Ah, I want to go shopping too. But if I go out like this, I’ll become some rough-looking guy. Is this feeling of anger from a thought I’ve managed to forget just an illusion?

In the midst of the chaos, Ajin finally wriggled her way out of Jihye’s grip.

“Whoo!”

Once Ajin freed herself, she took a step back, glancing at Jihye’s chest while puffing her cheeks.

Not as notable as Sehee, but still, the way it subtly wrapped around her face was quite displeasing.

‘Why am I the only one without any?’

This is oppression! Unfair! Twilight zone!

As the noisy atmosphere began to calm down, Jihye brought up the curiosity she had been harboring.

“So, why did the beloved professional gamer come here?”

Yuri seemed curious too, directing her gaze at Ajin. Both Jihye and Yuri didn’t know much about the professional gamer, Eunha.

However, Ajin was equally clueless. She had only seen her in person for the first time while shopping, so she didn’t know what more to say.

“Uh, well, maybe she has some kind of problem? I noticed she couldn’t relax a moment ago. She can be quite fiery.”

Wait a minute, a problem?

Once Ajin brought that far, her words suddenly stopped. Even she couldn’t believe what she just said.

While I didn’t know Eunha’s specifics, I couldn’t imagine her having any problems on the surface.

If she did have one, it’d probably be related to her professional gaming career, but with her team, there wouldn’t be a need to consult her sister.

“I really don’t know what it is. My sister hasn’t talked much with her on-air like that; perhaps they did in private.”

“Hmm, is it a secret between the two? I guess it’s not my concern.”

Jihye shrugged off her thoughts, deciding to take it easy.

It’s not like a sparrow would worry about a phoenix; if she really needed help, she’d call for it.

Until then, it made more sense to just quietly observe.

Of course, there was another reason too.

“Anyway, whether it’s a professional gamer or anyone else, it doesn’t matter. We have each other.”

Yuri’s voice, calm yet filled with quiet pride and self-importance, resonated. Jihye and Ajin silently nodded in agreement.

No matter how much the regular folks cling to Sehee, we in this room formed a connection with her that no one else could replicate.

A common ground that could not be emulated or shared by anyone else among those staying in this house.

With an impregnable fortress between us, I decided to take it easy.

Just then, I sensed some commotion from behind.

“What’s everyone doing?”

Park Dayoung was approaching, struggling with plastic bags in both hands, staring in disbelief at the bizarre scene in front of her.

* * *

When it comes to calming down, coffee beats juice any day.

Yuri prepared an ice Americano she made before and observed Eunha’s back, which awkwardly shook.

I couldn’t help but be curious about why she came all this way, leaving her team behind.

“Here, drink this.”

“Thanks.”

After taking a sip, Eunha seemed to appreciate the flavor, as she continued to drink, repeatedly refreshing her throat.

Part of it was the pricey beans, but it must also be because of Yuri’s barista skills.

It didn’t have the typical meaningless bitterness associated with coffee; instead, it had a delightful blend of flavors that went down smoothly.

“Okay, what’s got you here?”

“Uh, um… well….”

Her fingers tangled together like a spider’s web as she avoided eye contact.

Well, that situation was understandable. Typically, one wouldn’t share their troubles too easily with others.

I didn’t rush her for an answer, merely watching quietly. Whether she would speak or not was entirely up to Eunha, and she must face the consequences of her decision.

After about ten minutes, a period that felt short yet long…

“I heard… she’s taking a break from Soul Warfare for a while….”

Ah, so she watched the broadcast? Or maybe she got the news elsewhere.

“Yeah, I’m trying out other games. Honestly, I feel like it’s a waste of hardware just sticking to Soul Warfare among virtual reality games.”

There are plenty of games out there, like the zombie route game I mentioned earlier; we could dig into those.

“Oh, I see. Since you’ve reached the peak, it might be getting a bit tedious by now.”

“Hard to deny that.”

To be honest, I’ve played a lot of Soul Warfare.

Reaching rank 1 isn’t something that’s easy by any means. Balancing streams and playing dozens of matches in a day was common.

Including before I became a hero, there was hardly a time I devoted myself to a single game like this.

Aside from the one week I spent sleeplessly on the Haneul Forest mode, I barely recall anything else.

“Still, since it’s pre-season and the official season is starting soon, I was wondering if you could play with me. If not, I’ll try my best to adjust my schedule. Let’s duo up. Yeah?”

“Wait, what? Other than minor balance patches, there shouldn’t be any new content in pre-season.”

She knew this issue well, so why was she playing it up?

It felt strange how fixated she was on Soul Warfare.

This wasn’t the confident Eunha I was used to.

Neither in the game nor outside … she’s not the type to cling to anyone. It’d be one thing if she had quit altogether.

This was like…

‘Obsession?’

It felt like she was begging for me to play Soul Warfare for her sake.

That was such a refreshing sight. A professional gamer, praised as a genius, begging like this not just for victory.

At this point, I couldn’t help but think of the phrase “the King has no rival.”

It meant that the game was hard enough that without me around, she couldn’t endure it.

I could clearly see that Eunha, who was mentally drained, appeared that way.

“Do you have a problem? Is someone bothering you?”

Just say it.

With my Holy Sword that can part the Pacific, I’ll smack them around.

“Is it because of haters?”

“No, I’m fine with haters. Internet warriors are nothing. If it gets bad, my team will handle it. It’s just… without you, I don’t think I can last in Soul Warfare alone. That’s why I asked.”

“You have your teammates. You’ve always won with them.”

Though I spoke with genuine curiosity, that was when Eunha suddenly burst out.

“I thought that at first too! But!”

“…….”

“My teammates are useless! Someone keeps saying stuff! It comes out menacingly! I can only hold on if you’re beside me. I can barely survive then.”

Her body was trembling, and her shoulders shook as she bowed her head deeply.

“Eunha…”

It was a small statement, yet I could tell she was at her limit.

I stepped closer and lightly embraced Eunha’s trembling body.

“It’s okay. I’m here now.”

My comforting words flowed from my lips into her ears like a warm breath.

“You seem to be really struggling. With how difficult this is, I might have to pry more from you.”

“…….”

The trembling in Eunha’s body slowly began to subside, her breathing stabilizing.

Hmm, that’s good. Just as I was pleased, Eunha finally spoke.

“Actually….”

“Yeah, actually?”

“I think I might have a mental illness.”

“…Huh?”

A mental illness? Out of nowhere?

“Since the moment you said you weren’t playing Soul Warfare on your broadcast… that’s when it started. I keep hearing voices in my head. Sometimes my vision disappears, and I get trapped in the dark. And….”

She seemed to be struggling to explain something, biting her lips as if something was blocking her. Finally, she said, as if running away from something:

“So I’m begging you, please play Soul Warfare for me. I feel like I’m gonna die. Please, please, please, please, please….”

Revealing her deep concerns like that was pretty shocking.