Chapter 121

Anna and Hyeseon were startled by the sudden burst of people barging into the hospital room.

Arang meets many people in Leore, but in reality, she meets very few, so for a moment, she thought some suspicious person had entered, but she quickly realized who they were.

After all, this wasn’t a place where just anyone could come and go as they pleased.

“Arang!”

“Arang, no!!!”

Pinkubelly suddenly rushed into the hospital room, grabbed Arang’s bed, and started crying.

Behind her, Baedeokgae was sobbing, covering her mouth with her hand.

Sunchoo, unable to speak, just muttered, “This can’t be…” as tears streamed down his face.

Palgili and Kang Hangeul clenched their eyes shut, tears falling.

“Uh…?”

Anna and Hyeseon were completely lost, unable to grasp the sudden situation.

They had been smiling while discussing Arang’s healthy check-up results and were about to tidy up the access device and blankets so Arang could rest comfortably when suddenly, her gaming friends burst in, crying uncontrollably.

Anyone watching would think Arang had died.

They wanted to say something, but the situation looked so serious that they couldn’t find the words.

==

The entire Leore community was in an uproar.

Arang’s popularity in Leore was unmatched.

A 15-year-old girl playing a VR MMORPG that even adults struggled with—not just playing, but excelling at a world-class level.

And yet, in reality, she was suffering more than anyone, still managing to smile and play the game.

No one could dislike Arang.

Her last broadcast left everyone in shock.

Her voice, devoid of any strength. Her appearance, lifeless.

Her eyes slowly closing, a peaceful smile on her face as the broadcast ended.

And then, Arang was gone.

Now, even Pinkubelly, the only one who could provide updates on Arang, had disappeared after watching the broadcast. There was no one left to give them news about Arang.

Naturally, everyone who saw the broadcast thought Arang had died. It was only logical.

If it were just any streamer ending a broadcast like that, people might’ve thought they just fell asleep.

But the atmosphere of the broadcast, the title, Arang’s condition, her appearance in reality—everything pointed to one conclusion: Arang was dead.

[Leore Gallery]

“I… I still can’t believe it…”

I still remember the first time I saw the gallery owner…

She was so small, cute, and I just wanted to put her in my pocket…

This can’t be… What did Arang do wrong to suffer so much at such a young age and not even get to live long?

This is too cruel.

[Comments]

Those cyber leeches are posting disgusting videos about the gallery owner right now. It’s so messed up.

– I’m reporting all of them right now.

– Those damn bastards.

Sigh… I feel so bad for our gallery owner.

May she rest in peace.

Starting with the gallery, Reddit, and Arang’s fan cafe, posts mourning Arang began to flood in.

Everyone had thought of her as just a young girl who loved Leore, but they were amazed by her skills and realized how much she had been suffering in reality while still smiling through it.

And now, that Arang had left their side.

But in truth, Arang was just traveling through dreamland on her fluffy bed.

==

It’s noisy around me.

Not just noisy—it sounds like a funeral home with sobbing coming from all directions.

My hospital room is never this loud. It’s not even a space where so many people can fit.

But I can hear many people crying and mourning.

I had a delicious breakfast with Pinkubelly, cleared up yesterday’s misunderstanding during a broadcast, and then drifted off to sleep, feeling at ease.

One of the best things about living as Arang is the freedom.

Sleepy? I can sleep whenever. Hungry? My stomach’s strong enough now that I can eat whatever I want. Want to play games? Just play.

I feel like I’m living in heaven, so happy.

Today, I didn’t resist the drowsiness and fell asleep with a happy smile on my big bed.

But this noise means I’m back in reality.

As my health improved, the doctor unplugged the MDB after I woke up.

She said it was to maintain my senses in reality, but I didn’t really understand and just nodded.

Anyway, the important thing is that I’m in reality now, and the sound of someone crying is waking me up.

In all my time living as Arang, I’ve never had my nap interrupted.

Honestly, I’ve become a bit of a golden child since living as Arang, but I do listen to the doctor and my family!

But I can’t stand having my sleep disturbed.

Whether someone’s playing a video or actually crying, I need my beauty sleep.

“Be… quiet…”

Just as I was about to drift back to sleep.

“Arang!!!”

My body was suddenly lifted, and I was hugged by someone.

==

It was shocking.

The disease that had threatened to take Arang’s limbs and her life was gone, and she was getting healthier.

She had even started menstruating, reclaiming her body as a healthy young woman.

Last night, when Arang suddenly disappeared, I was so worried that I stayed with her until this morning, talking and having breakfast together.

She was healthy then.

She laughed in my arms, ate breakfast, chatted, and even said goodbye with a smile.

But then, Arang’s sudden post made me doubt my eyes.

I know Arang doesn’t go to school or receive proper education, so she often uses words that can be misunderstood.

But the Arang I saw in the broadcast was worrying, even for someone who knew her.

She struggled to speak a few words, then closed her eyes peacefully, and the broadcast ended.

No one could reach her.

Not Anna, not Hyeseon.

I quickly grabbed my phone.

The chat was, of course, filled with talk about Arang. From what I could see, no one seemed to know what was happening with her.

Before I knew it, I was at the building where Arang lived.

Everyone seemed to have the same idea, rushing over to see Arang.

The moment we all entered her hospital room, we saw it.

Hyeseon and Anna, covering Arang with a clean white blanket and tidying up the access device to let her sleep comfortably.

Why?

She was healthy just this morning.

We had breakfast together and said goodbye.

She was supposed to be getting healthier.

Only good things were supposed to happen from now on.

So why is this happening?

By the time I came to my senses, everyone was mourning Arang’s death.

But…

Why do Anna and Hyeseon, who should be the most devastated, look so calm?

Why?

How?

She’s your sister. She’s your patient.

Just as confusion turned to anger.

“Be… quiet…”

The voice I thought I’d never hear again reached my ears, and I pushed past Anna and Hyeseon to lift Arang into my arms.

“Arang!!! Are you okay? Are you okay!? Does anything hurt!?”

“It’s noisy… Ugh… I’m… sleepy…”

I chuckled at Arang’s whining, something I’d never heard before, but that wasn’t important right now.

Arang is alive.

The Arang I thought was dead was now grumbling, burying her face in my chest, and closing her eyes again.

For a moment, I thought she had briefly come back to life only to die again, but holding her now, I could feel it.

Thump. Thump.

The faint but steady beat of Arang’s heart.

She’s alive. Arang is alive.

The others gathered around me.

They all started checking Arang’s condition, confirming she was just asleep, and let out sighs of relief.

“Hey, guys…? What’s going on…?”

As the tension eased, Anna, looking completely bewildered, was the first to speak.

Only then did I realize we had been completely fooled by Arang.

Looking back, we had misunderstood and jumped to conclusions, but this was clearly Arang’s doing.

==

What, what’s going on?

I think I woke up briefly in the middle, but as soon as I fully woke up, all my guild members were in front of me.

Pinku unnie, Sunchoo unnie, Baedeokgae unnie, Palgili ahjussi, and even Kang Hangeul ahjussi were all in my hospital room, looking at me.

But all of them had puffy, swollen eyes.

It wasn’t just the emotional women with swollen eyes—even the men had red eyes.

Meaning, something so sad had happened that even men would cry this much in a room full of beautiful women.

Behind them, Anna unnie and the doctor seemed fine.

Which meant this was a sad event only for the Leore members.

Gasp. Could it be that something terrible happened to one of our guild members…!?