Chapter 81

I checked the community.

Since I couldn’t really check it properly during the training camp, there were a lot of backlogged posts.

“Cut those noobs right away lololol”

Something about the difference between pros and amateurs.

Cut right away lolololololol

– The VTuber kids are hyped.

┗???: Guys, team games and solo queue are different. No matter how good an amateur is, they can’t beat us in team games.

┗┗ Lol, poor you.

┗┗┗ Did you get roasted? Lol, get out of here lolololol.

“Wasn’t it just because the old guys messed up the team comp?”

Even Han Yoorim can’t control five characters at the same time.

Even though Han Yoorim actually landed all her skills, the damage wasn’t enough to finish them off.

If it were 2 tanks instead of 3, we would’ve crushed them.

– They lost because they went head-to-head with the standard comp and then tried to dodge.

– They showed what happens if you don’t use that comp in the first set, so go check it out.

V-TV vs. Mirinae. Especially with that flashy performance in the fifth game.

The community has been on fire about this for days.

“If Han Yoorim had been controlling everything from the start, wouldn’t she have just dominated?”

Isn’t it “Han Yoorim Saves the World” instead of “Iron Saves the World”?

– Honestly, Iron did his part. Thanks to him, we won a few sets.

┗ True lol.

There was also a lot of praise for Full Bread and Chaenarin.

This was the positive side of the “Yoorim Olympics.”

A re-evaluation of broadcasters who had relatively fewer viewers.

So, Chaenarin and Full Bread gained quite a few viewers through this tournament.

Whether they can keep them depends on their skills.

“Are they doing an afterparty?”

Are they going to stream?

– There are three VTubers, so they probably won’t stream.

– Bunny Run is from the cam scene, and Han Yoorim has done late-night streams before.

┗ Chaenarin is a VTuber. She probably won’t stream. And VR filters require a lot of setup, so it’s hard to use them in group late-night streams.

Broadcasters’ afterparties usually fall into two categories.

Dinner afterparties and game afterparties. Like this.

Sometimes they do both, sometimes just one, but usually, they do the dinner first.

Because it’s better for the broadcast if they get closer through dinner and then do the game afterparty.

Well, contrary to the viewers’ expectations, we weren’t planning to do a dinner.

We already bonded during the training camp, so there’s no need to bother with a dinner…

[Not doing it?]

“Then, did Pape plan to do it?”

Pape looks dumbfounded at my words. Like someone who heard something unexpected.

[Of course, I planned to. There’s no reason not to.]

“But there’s no merit in doing a dinner now.”

[I don’t know why you’re looking for merit in a dinner, but what merit was there originally?]

“You and Malangmabang wouldn’t look at me and go, ‘Wow, Han Yoorim, your looks?!’ You already know me.”

[What are you talking about? Don’t worry about that.]

“Why?”

I didn’t understand, so I asked.

Is he saying he’ll act for the sake of it?

Sure, WWE is fun, but right now, I want UFC, so that’s not enough.

As if answering my question, Pape quietly opened his mouth.

[Rumen still doesn’t know.]

“Ah.”

Team. “Iron Saves the World.”

Dinner decided!

*

Former <League of Legends> nickname, “I Love Bbangbbang.”

Current <Eternal World> nickname, Rumen looked in the mirror.

In sports, there’s something called “face fans.”

It means fans who like good-looking players, and Rumen had quite a few of these face fans.

With his skills on top of that, it’s no exaggeration to say he had the most fans among current <Eternal World> pros.

‘Not bad.’

A simple and clean style was Rumen’s favorite way to dress.

Honestly, how much would a gamer know about fashion? Naturally, he preferred clothes that didn’t stand out.

This also had a high success rate.

Rumen tidied up his hair one last time and headed to the parking lot.

Beep—. Unlocking the car remotely, Rumen got into his car.

As expected of a young player with a multi-billion won salary, his car was an Italian sports car.

If Han Yoorim had seen it, she would’ve teased, “Bbangbbang has always cared a lot about what others think, huh?” But luckily, Rumen was alone now. He could drive to the meeting place in a good mood.

The meeting place was a fine dining restaurant with a private room.

Why fine dining for a dinner gathering instead of a barbecue place? I wondered, but Han Yoorim answered, “I enjoyed the entertainment show.”

I didn’t get it, but since it was Han Yoorim, I accepted it.

Since the team leader was paying, there were no complaints.

Parking near the restaurant, Rumen checked his appearance one last time in the side mirror.

“What are you doing?”

Then he heard a voice from behind and stood up.

“You here?”

“Why are you all dressed up? Going on a blind date?”

“Do I have to be going on a blind date to dress up? And when did I ever dress up? I just tidied up a bit.”

As he spoke, he turned his head.

Then he saw his friend Pape standing there with a blank expression.

What’s up with him?

“Did Han Yoorim hit you or something?”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“Then why do you look so full of complaints?”

“Do I look full of complaints? That’s ridiculous… What is this?”

“What do you mean? It’s your face.”

When I showed him my smartphone in selfie mode, he reacted like that.

Pape was rarely flustered. He probably didn’t mean to make that face.

Pape sighed softly and continued.

“…I’m just thinking a lot. It’s not that I have complaints.”

“Really?”

He’s always been the type to get lost in thought. Rumen decided not to press further.

Rumen headed to the meeting place with Pape.

“Welcome, guys!”

In front of the restaurant stood Mos and Choco Full Bread.

Rumen and the two…

He walked over and asked,

“What are you doing? Not going in?”

“Just met someone. Was about to go in.”

And just like that, the four guys entered the reserved room under Han Yoorim’s name.

As soon as they sat down, the guys fell silent.

It wasn’t because it was awkward. Quite the opposite, actually. They had talked so much that they had nothing left to say.

It was amazing how close they had become in such a short time.

‘Is it because of Han Yoorim?’

Rumen muttered to himself.

Han Yoorim, sitting next to them, was doing all sorts of weird things, acting as the social lubricant. It was impossible not to get close to each other, even if they didn’t want to.

“She’s on her way,” Mos said.

Rumen nodded and took a sip of water.

As he set the cup down, Rumen took a deep breath.

His connection with Han Yoorim went way back.

To trace their bond, you’d have to go back a whopping nine years.

Middle school days. Back then, Rumen’s dream was to become a pro gamer.

After watching Faker, the living legend and GOAT of *League of Legends*, win yet another championship in 2023, he thought, “I want to be like that someday,” and never looked back.

So, from the very beginning, he started gaming with the goal of becoming a pro.

He pondered the differences between team games and solo rank, and analyzed every single game stat, drilling them into his brain.

He even chose to play support. Because that position had the highest chance of going pro.

Looking back now, his cold, calculated demeanor would’ve suited a mid-laner better, but whatever. That’s how Rumen started gaming, and he quickly climbed to Challenger.

And that’s exactly when he met Han Yoorim.

**VirginUnicornLoveDog:** How about playing as a damage-dealing support?

**Origin:** ?

Anyone who’s played *League of Legends* knows that saying something like that mid-game is basically picking a fight.

Usually, it’s code for, “You’re so bad, just quit.”

So, if Rumen were an average player, he would’ve responded by asking about the other person’s parents. But Rumen was a pro-hopeful. Of course, he was careful with his words and politely replied.

**Origin:** Damage-dealing support doesn’t suit me.

**VirginUnicornLoveDog:** Wow, a tool that talks back. Rare talent these days. I’m adding you as a friend, so accept it.

Looking back, she was a really weird person.

The group chat she invited him to after adding him was even weirder.

**DefeatHeroDefeatComfort:** Who’s this?

**VirginUnicornLoveDog:** I brought him in because I see potential.

**DefeatHeroDefeatComfort:** Potential? His nickname already smells weird.

**VirginUnicornLoveDog:** Sure, the nickname’s not great, but the potential is overflowing.

**Origin:** You guys are really in no position to criticize nicknames.

From the moment their masks slipped, Rumen had countless conversations with the two and quickly became close friends.

So much so that he even matched his nickname to theirs.

**VirginUnicornLoveDog:** Do you like my character?

**Origin:** …Yeah.

**VirginUnicornLoveDog:** Hmmmmmm.

**Origin:** Seriously.

The nickname “BbangbbangLover” was entirely influenced by Pape and Han Yoorim. They talked so much about subculture that he got sucked into it too, and that’s where he drew his inspiration.

**BbangbbangLover:** Wanna meet in real life?

**VirginUnicornLoveDog:** If Bbangbbang’s okay with it, I don’t mind.

**DefeatHeroDefeatComfort:** Before you say you don’t mind, at least accept the voice chat friend request.

Same age, same interests, same skills.

Thanks to the perfect trifecta, the three of us became incredibly close.

Thinking back on those times still makes me laugh.

It felt like those moments would last forever.

But as with all things, there’s no warning when it’s time to end.

**VirginUnicornLoveDog:** I’ve learned everything I can from *League of Legends*. I’m gonna go make games now.

**BbangbbangLover:** Huh?

At first, I didn’t get what she meant.

I already knew Han Yoorim was into game development from our conversations.

So, I thought, “Aren’t you already making games?”

**BbangbbangLover:** Unicorn, this is my voice chat ID: bbangbbang1357#9822. If you see this, add me.

If I had known that meant she was quitting *League of Legends*, cutting off contact, and disappearing like a mirage, I would’ve scrambled to get her personal contact info.

Honestly.

Even now, thinking back, she was always such an unpredictable person.

But still.

What did Han Yoorim even look like?

Rumen’s brain started conjuring up images on its own.

Her mature way of speaking made him think she’d have a noona-style look…

Whoa.

Rumen shook his head. Fantasizing about a friend like this felt disrespectful.

If Han Yoorim had seen him, she would’ve said…

“Bbangbbang, you’re still so naive.”

Rumen’s head snapped up at the sudden voice.

And his eyes met the owner of the voice.

And he froze.

Uh…

Huh?

Han Yoorim spoke.

“Your reaction’s weaker than I expected. This is why I said dinner gatherings have no merit. Oh well. Pape, you’re responsible for hyping me up.”

“You’re the one who showed up in a Thierry cosplay and freaked everyone out. Who told you to wear that in real life?”

“Wait. Huh? Han Yoorim? For real?”

After about nine years, the middle school Challenger trio.

The official meetup begins.