Chapter 97

“It’s the sea!”

“Wowwwww!”

Dreams do come true.

What I longed for so much, to say ‘Umi da!’ at the sea.

Success.

“Unnie! The sea here is so pretty!”

“Wowww!”

“…Yoorim unnie. The water is so cool.”

“Wowww!”

“Han Yoorim, you said on August 24th, around 11 hours and 27 minutes into the broadcast, ‘Arena-nim handles the black energy so amazingly. I should ask her someday.’ Why didn’t you come to ask?”

“Wowww!”

Playing happily, splashing water at each other, I——

Two minutes later. I lay under the parasol on the sandy beach.

You know?

In fact, there were few things in the world more fun than playing <Eternal World> at home.

It’s only natural for someone like me to end up like this.

As proof, look.

“Turtle, come here.”

“…Wow.”

“Stalker, you come here too.”

“I already came first, didn’t I?”

Chaenarin, Bunny Run, and Arena were having a blast playing in the sea.

…Huh.

Is it just me, or is that the norm?

Is playing at home not the most fun thing in the world?

And Bunny Run, you. You kept asking if I had friends or not, but turns out you’re an outdoor type?

This is too much.

“Aren’t you going to play?”

“I already enjoyed the sea when I got the ‘It’s the sea!’ shot.”

“Isn’t it too cost-inefficient to come here just for that one thing?”

“Talking about cost-efficiency. You really have that supporter sensibility, Bbang—.”

I cut off my words mid-sentence and turned my head.

I saw a strange face.

What.

I blankly said.

“Why is Bbangbbang here?”

“I’m also part of the ‘Asegu’ team, so if you don’t call me, what am I supposed to do? I came early.”

“Isn’t it almost time for the full operation?”

“Before the full operation, there’s usually a short break. So, we’ll stay for about two nights and then go back.”

“Then it’s fine.”

As long as Bbangbbang was okay, it didn’t matter.

I was just feeling guilty about leaving Bbangbbang out of this trip.

“Why? Did you miss me?”

“Bbangbbang, you spent a lot of money pulling a character that resembles me, right? So, I thought it’d be sad if you were left out of the payback trip, but I’m glad you’re here.”

“…That’s a misunderstanding.”

“What’s the misunderstanding?”

“I pulled it because I liked its performance.”

Its performance was indeed good.

Of course, with Full Bond Enhancement, any character would perform well.

“You even matched the weapon properly?”

“Do you even watch my broadcasts?”

“These days, just watching shorts gives you a flood of information.”

Besides, there was Bbangbbang, who was flustered because the AI kept recommending slender beautiful girls, and Bbangbbang, who would get hooked and pull gacha if there was even a hint of blonde hair or blue eyes. I saw it all in shorts.

Shorts, truly the latest trend enjoyed by the MZ generation.

“That’s shorts addiction.”

“Anyway. Bbangbbang, go play. I’m fine.”

“As long as you’re not sick.”

At my words, Bbangbbang got up and walked towards Pape and Mos.

Finally alone, I lay down and took out my smartphone.

Looking at my smartphone at a travel destination.

Surprisingly fun. If you haven’t tried it, you should.

“…Unnie. Aren’t you thirsty?”

“Definitely. The weather being what it is, I’m thirsty.”

“Here’s Pocari.”

“Thank you.”

I took a sip of Pocari.

And my eyes widened. It was incredibly refreshing.

I asked.

“Did you put it in the icebox?”

“There’s more. Want some shaved ice?”

“Nothing beats shaved ice at the beach…”

I stopped mid-sentence and turned my head.

Then I muttered softly.

“Inho-ssi?”

“Yes?”

“Why are you here?”

“…I’ve been here from the start.”

From the start?

I briefly recalled the past.

Around the time we first set off on the trip.

““Hello, everyone.”

“…Unnie, too.”

“Wow. Is this Yoorim unnie’s house?”

“…It’s really big.””

Now that I think about it, maybe he was there?

“Are you dreaming of being a ninja? What’s with the stealth?”

“I wasn’t using stealth, I was just awkward and stayed quiet.”

“Did Bunny Run invite you?”

“Min Chaewon-ssi invited me, but didn’t you tell her to invite me too?”

Did I say that?

Hmm… Maybe I did.

‘When will we meet again, Kim Inho-ssi? Won’t you be forgotten?’ could also be interpreted as telling him to join the trip.

Still, I was glad to see him, so I asked about his recent life.

“What have you been up to lately?”

“Same as usual.”

Here, ‘same as usual’ meant nothing special.

Working part-time as usual, developing games as usual, getting teased about cooking as usual.

Kim Inho calmly continued.

“Unnie, you haven’t been coming to the part-time job much lately, so it’s been hard to meet.”

“Now it’s only once a week. By the way, how long until the game you showed me last time is released?”

“…About that. It’s already released.”

“Already released?”

“Yes.”

I had no idea.

It’s because I only get information through shorts these days.

Shorts tend to miss out on such raw, live information.

This won’t do. I need to quit shorts.

Time to go back to direct exploration.

“When was it released?”

“A few weeks ago.”

“How is it?”

“…It’s not bad.”

That meant he was suffering from lack of reviews.

I knew that feeling well.

“Want me to promote it?”

“No, it’s fine for now.”

“Don’t be too modest. Good promotion is important too.”

Sometimes I wonder.

If I had promoted harder, maybe <Infinity Zero> would have sold better.

Honestly, it was fun.

How fun must it have been for me to become a Super Developer?

“…Then, can I ask for just one favor?”

“Of course.”

It’s a game I’ve already played, so doing it again is whatever, but mentioning it on broadcast? No problem.

By the way.

“You said you’d tell me as soon as it was released.”

“You seemed too busy lately, so I missed the timing.”

“That’s not it, right? It’s like when colleagues feel awkward because one is too far ahead.”

“With the gap between us from the start, I don’t think I could feel that way towards you.”

“Really?”

Seems like he genuinely thought I was too busy to talk.

“If you have time, feel free to talk to me anytime.”

“Okay.”

With that, I closed my mouth.

Kim Inho also closed his mouth and looked at his smartphone.

I frowned.

Kim Inho, you…

Dude. You came all the way to the travel spot just to look at your smartphone?

This won’t do. I’ll help you out.

It’s the bond between fellow developers, so don’t overthink it.

I got up from my seat and approached Pape.

“Pape, anything fun to do? Our In-ho here has nothing to do but stare at his phone.”

“Did you forget what you were doing five minutes ago?”

“Five minutes ago? I was watching a short called ‘Pape panicking as Cosmic Origin keeps recommending a psycho beautiful girl.’”

“So you’re also just looking at your phone and now you’re picking on poor Kim In-ho?”

“I’ve never picked on him, though?”

I felt wronged. I’m a super developer who loves all things. How could I ever pick on Kim In-ho?

At my words, Pape let out a hollow laugh.

“That’s exactly what you just did. ‘Wait! In-ho has something to say!’ That’s what you said.”

“Going through such things is what makes a developer mature.”

Pain makes humans stronger.

The brain is such a tiresome thing—it only grows under stress.

But too much stress can break it, almost like a fragile beautiful girl.

“So, I was helping In-ho grow, not picking on him.”

“Bored?”

“Very bored.”

“Rumen, play with her. She’s about to turn someone into a toy.”

“Miss Han Yoorim? Shall we start with beach volleyball?”

“How about watermelon breaking? I’ve always wanted to try it.”

At my words, Bbangbbang headed to the beachside shop to buy a watermelon.

As soon as Bbangbbang left, Pape grabbed Kim In-ho and gave him a safety briefing.

“Mr. In-ho? If you stray from the group, wild animals might attack you. Be careful.”

“I’m sorry. And you seem to be the same age as Yoorim noona, so feel free to speak casually.”

“Is that okay? Anyway, be careful. The wild animals are getting aggressive because they’re bored.”

“Got it.”

Kim In-ho nodded obediently. I nodded along with him.

“Humans are social animals after all. Our brains evolved that way, so it’s tough to live without a group.”

“In-ho, what do you do? Are you also into broadcasting?”

“I develop indie games. It’s a bit embarrassing compared to Yoorim noona, but I recently released one.”

“You released a game? What’s it called? I’ll stream it for you.”

“I’ll try it too!”

As they chatted, Pape, Kim In-ho, Choco Full Bread, and Mos gradually drifted away from me.

I nodded at the sight.

This is good enough.

I’m the dark knight protecting Okinawa from the darkness.

I’m definitely not sulking because the people I wanted to play with are gone.

Really.

Just as I was left alone again and picked up my smartphone…

“Sorry, I’m with a group.”

“Come on, let’s play together. There are five of us, so it’s perfect.”

“I don’t play with strangers.”

Two women and two men passed by, chatting in Japanese.

Japanese people! A pickup attempt!

I’ve seen this in anime.

“Aw, come on.”

Thinking she was playing hard to get, the guy blocked the girl’s path.

The girl frowned and spoke.

“Move.”

“If two girls come to the beach, they’re expecting this kind of thing, right?”

“Definitely. Statistically, if two girls come to the beach alone, they’re probably hoping to meet guys. You must have a lot of big data, huh?”

The girl scoffed at the pickup guy’s words.

“Even if we were hoping for that, it wouldn’t be with you guys. You’re not our type.”

“What? You done?”

“Definitely. Statistically, you two probably don’t make a great first impression. Maybe take out the piercings? Just a tip—women are attracted to bad boys, not delinquents.”

“Just take out the piercings? Do I need to undo the dye too… Who are you?”

“I’m the Dark Knight.”

“More like the Joker.”

I turned around at the voice behind me.

Bbangbbang was looking at me with a disbelieving expression.

Bbangbbang spoke.

“Couldn’t hold back?”

“I’m always good at holding back.”

“Sure you are. Sorry, but do you need something from our group?”

Bbangbbang’s Japanese was smooth, fitting for someone who’s been into otaku culture since childhood.

At Bbangbbang’s appearance, the pickup guy clicked his tongue and left.

A perfect anime pickup guy exit.

What a great experience.

I’ll use this in a game later.

With the situation resolved, I asked Bbangbbang.

“Where’s my watermelon?”

“Here.”

“Wow. Watermelon.”

Bbangbbang proudly held up the watermelon.

It was a sturdy one, perfect for smashing.

“Is the clean mat ready? We need to place the watermelon on it and break it.”

“Got it.”

“Hurry and gather everyone. Breaking a watermelon on a Japanese beach? I must have lived for this moment.”

“…Yoorim?”

A familiar voice called my name, and I blinked.

Turning my head, the girl who was just being hit on was staring at me with wide eyes.

I searched my memory and called out the owner of the voice.

“Akane?”

“It’s really Yoorim?”

Guess I was right.

Wait. Why is her broadcasting voice so different from her normal voice?

If I couldn’t recognize her right away, that’s serious.

“I was a little mad, so it came out harsh. I’m usually not like that.”

“Really?”

“Anyway! Thanks for helping me, Yoorim!”

Akane ran over and linked arms with me.

I muttered softly to myself.

Wow, watermelon.

“Akane? Who’s that?”

Then, Akane’s companion, who had been quiet until now, spoke up.

Akane answered.

“You know, Mai. The developer from Novella working on the <Eternal World> IP game.”

“Yoorim?”

“Yeah.”

At Akane’s words, Mai was shocked.

So shocked that her body jolted slightly.

Which made certain parts of her body shake a little.

Wow, two watermelons.

“So, Miss Han Yoorim? When are we breaking this?”

Wow, three watermelons.