Chapter 312

The day of editor Semaaru starts at 2 PM.

Compared to the days when I woke up at 4 AM, day and night have completely flipped.

Recently, the upload frequency of ‘No Name Official’ has been cut in half. In other words, the workload has doubled.

This is because a significant influx of female viewers in their 20s and 30s has increased demand not only for games but also for Naeme’s vlogs.

Semaaru completed all the editing and thumbnail work that had piled up overnight and welcomed a refreshing day.

He crawled out into the living room and trapped himself in the lazy hell created by the V-Tube algorithm.

The one who freed him from this prison was Seoyuna.

“Oppa, dinner!”

“Did you mean to say lunch?”

“Why not just call it breakfast?”

Time had already reached 7 PM.

On the television, UFC broadcasts were in full swing, barely being watched.

[Numerous requests for handshakes are happening! No Name! Do you remember me? We met during the Academy对抗赛!]

“Uh? No Name?”

Semaaru momentarily thought he had misheard and dropped his phone.

His hearing was perfectly fine.

The girl scribbling autographs for fans in the UFC VIP seats was undoubtedly No Name.

“Why is she over there?”

With his hands frantically searching for his phone, he found Naeme’s name and immediately sent a text.

[Semaaru: Hey, did you go to the UFC live? I mean… did you always like this sort of thing?]

No reply came.

However, even without a response, Naeme’s current situation could be easily understood through the broadcast.

Whether it was due to malicious intent or just eagerness, the cameraman kept showing Naeme’s reactions every time a round ended.

[And that wraps up the first round! Oh, that was truly dangerous! What a fantastic fight!]

[It could have ended in one shot! Did the cheers from young fans reach player Seo Jong-chan? Oh, look at that thumbs up!]

[It seems like No Name is cheering over there! The cameraman is capturing her face! Hahaha, Naeme is sending cheers along with applause! That must be encouraging! Seo Jong-chan, you can do it!]

* * *

During the brief one-minute break, the camera was busy capturing as many scenes as possible.

Fans’ applause and the physical condition of the fighters, among other things.

After the first round ended, Naeme stood up and sent applause above her head.

Fans around her exchanged glances toward her.

After the second round, which had seen a technical struggle between the two fighters, she was caught on screen again.

Naeme had taken off her shoes and climbed onto her chair.

It was a scene that could raise eyebrows, but thankfully, her small stature didn’t obstruct the view of those behind her.

With twin-tailed hair held tightly in both hands, Naeme seemed completely absorbed in the match.

Finally, she yelled at the fighters.

The caster, who was skilled in reading lips, deciphered her words.

“Are you hurt, Outer? Aah, be careful of the calf kick counter! That’s more or less what she is saying?”

“Hahaha, it seems like she’s not new to watching fighting! In the second round, Seo Jong-chan had some great success with calf kicks, but it seems like Zakaev was waiting for a counter opportunity by now. Let’s see how each reacts.”

“And now, the third round is about to begin!”

In the third round, the atmosphere inside the octagon noticeably shifted for everyone in attendance.

Seo Jong-chan and Zakaev were sizing each other up, looking for powerful blows.

Seo Jong-chan’s Brazilian kick had been evaded by Zakaev, but he notably countered the calf kick with a combination.

‘This is it!’

Seo Jong-chan’s sharp eyes sparkled.

Without the luxury of thought, he reasoned that if he used the same technique within such a short time frame, the same response would occur.

He shifted his stance and intentionally closed the distance with a low kick that didn’t carry weight.

Just then, Zakaev’s right shoulder tightened with alarming speed.

‘Now!’

Seo Jong-chan confirmed a punch brushing the tip of his nose with wide eyes and struck Zakaev’s jaw with a right hook.

“Waaaaah!”

As the match reached its climax, the audience’s cheers filled the stadium.

At the same time, Naeme plopped back down in her seat.

It seemed she wasn’t too interested in the match that had already been decided, as her ecstatic expression had transformed back into a calm, emotionless face.

* * *

To some, this might be seen as an exhilarating KO comeback win.

However, enduring Zakaev’s spinning kick in the first round already hinted at Seo Jong-chan’s potential for victory.

Nevertheless, in the harsh world of competition where nothing is ever guaranteed, the thrill of being right about my judgment was beyond words.

I should still manage my expression well now.

I calmly watched the warm interviews of the respectful athletes.

There was no time when my heart felt warmer.

While the athletes passionately embraced their families, I slowly packed my things.

Just before leaving, Zakaev turned and passed by me, throwing a flirtatious wink.

“?”

How should I interpret this?

My thoughts didn’t linger long.

Seo Jong-chan approached me, camera in tow.

Staff gestured for me to come over.

“Me?”

With a questioning expression, I leaned against the railing.

My long hair fell forward.

“Naeme! How did you know to come cheer for me when you’re a fan of No Name?”

“Really? I’m a fan of Seo Jong-chan too…! I really enjoyed today’s match.”

“Really? This is more joyful than compliments from my wife! Wahahahaha! Ugh!”

Seo Jong-chan laughed loudly and then grimaced in pain from where he had taken a body shot in the first round.

“Is this live?”

“Of course, it’s live!”

“Aha…”

Is he really okay?

Even though there was a clause for maintaining dignity in the advertisement contract, I had a brief internal conflict wondering if attending a UFC live match could be considered an acceptable excuse. It’s not illegal; what’s the harm?

“I heard from my coaches. Naeme kept yelling to be careful of calf kick counters.”

“Well, that’s obvious.”

“Did I operate the match too obviously? Hahaha, I’m just joking! Thanks for coming to cheer. To be honest, I seriously considered retiring if I lost this match, but when a young fan like you showed up, I thought, ‘I want to keep going until the end.’ If you get the chance, make sure to visit our gym!”

“Is it for the V-Tube angle?”

“Whoa, how did you know!”

“Why are you already thinking about retirement plans? You’re still full of life; keep working hard for a little longer.”

It was just interesting that the athlete I supported was actually a fan of mine.

Seo Jong-chan is a player who enjoys great love from the public, to the extent that people say “Koreans should cheer for Seo Jong-chan.”

“Well, since you’re not retiring, I can say everything I want, right?”

“Sure! I’m curious what this cute girl wants to say!”

“You burned too much energy trying to seize the initiative from the first round. What if you’d lost just because of overexcitement on home ground? Also, while it was good that you caught Zakaev’s countering habits, if you had rushed in recklessly without a solid groggy fake check, you could have easily lost the match by decision. It would have been much more secure to gauge your reaction speed with a one-two straight and strike only in the gaps of their guard, and then if you could hold on, pound them down with a takedown.”

“Th-That’s enough! You’re making it sound like I lost!”

“Anyhow, I’ll cheer for you until the day you become a champion. I sincerely wish all your efforts yield results.”

“Wow, you really give and take! Ugh, is this the winner of the confrontation? I’m scared, it’s scary…”

The conversation with Seo Jong-chan came to an end here.

It was disappointing that we couldn’t chat more due to the staff urging me.

After all, someone at the top of their field has a different depth to them.

I’m sure an immense amount of effort was put into that brief 15-minute battle.

Paradoxically, humans can use aura, and thus training that excludes aura becomes exponentially more painful.

Because you have to lift a weight that could easily be handled with two hands with just one.

But only those who endure such pain and dare to challenge themselves have the right to experience true happiness in life.

“Then where should I go to find my own happiness?”

That was the day when such hollow and bitter thoughts continuously swirled in my head.

* * *

A day will come when I get to ride in a limousine.

I comfortably reclined on the couch-like seat and watched the highlights from last week’s match.

[V-Tube Clip]

[No Name coaching Seo Jong-chan][Views: 1,605,049]

[Best Comments]

-(Seo Jong-chan TV): You fight like that, No Name? Come over to White Tiger Gym, let’s have a match! (Likes: 3.5k)

└ Bro… that’s too cruel against a kid…

└ Did you really have to be that cheesy after winning against Zakaev?

└ 32 years old vs. 8 years old, my heart is cringingㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Who am I? A UFC viewer just like No Name. (Likes: 4.8k)

└ Wow, how is an 8-year-old girl into UFCㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ It’s hilarious that she’s actually knowledgeable about fightingㅋㅋ

-Naeme’s Santa outfit is red to hide the blood of reindeer. (Likes: 2.6k)

└ Sparring with Rudolf.

└ Sparringㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ Are you trying to turn this kid into a psycho?ㅋㅋㅋ

└ But No Name’s chitchat is just too cute, it’s lethal…

[Zakaev purchased the No Name collaboration skincare set][Views: 639,226]

“I also want to express my apologies to No Name, who came to watch the beautiful match today. Even if it was part of the trash talk, I said words I shouldn’t have to her, and I genuinely worry that the child might have been hurt in the process. And I also like Naeme. So I bought a bunch of No Name collaboration cosmetics at the modern outlet.”

[Best Comments]

-Has this guy lost his mind? (Likes: 2.3k)

└ He’s still in a daze,ㅋㅋㅋ (Likes: 1.8k)

└ Bro from Bear Country please get a gripㅠㅠㅠㅠ

“Ha. Cute.”

“Is manager Eborum really busy? Yesterday, an advertiser contacted me and I thought I’d tell you now.”

Suspiciously rich manager Eborum had been managing my schedule since the very beginning of the broadcasts.

In a year, she would be a senior in high school, yet she didn’t do any studying but instead chose to serve as my assistant.

Is this what it means to have a ‘stolen’ role?

It seems the rich also enjoy this.

“What is it?”

It’s surprising that I received contact in less than a week.

I was somewhat expecting it, but I still wasn’t mentally prepared.

“They said it’s okay to visit UFC live at the modern outlet, but they want you to refrain from any other outrageous behavior. It’s not so much about Naeme’s actions but rather they’re concerned about netizens making strange memes.”

“Well, that’s not my fault. Since it’s not directed at me, there’s no need for me to care.”

“Um… Can that really be interpreted that way?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, and there’s good news too! Nike said their sales have significantly increased and they’re considering giving incentives!”

No matter how similar the actions are, the reactions can vary greatly.

If I can’t satisfy everyone, then I should do what I think is right.

I pulled aside the curtain to check the scenery of downtown Seoul.

The destination is Seo Jong-chan’s White Tiger Gym.

Seo Jong-chan suggested a collaboration right after being discharged from the hospital.

Also, I was swindled into a decent amount under the guise of promoting the gym, so I felt especially responsible for this broadcast.

At first, I rejected it as a passionate fan of his…

However, I had no excuse to turn it down since it would make sense if I were to pay a fair price like this later on.

“Besides, why do you want to take me with you? Is it too boring to go alone?”

“Is the reason I’m bringing Eborum? It’s a new gym, and there are no female sparring partners, so saying I brought you as a substitute wouldn’t be good, right?”

“What… what?”

I had dreams too.

The reason I had to abandon my dream of becoming a magician in my past life and focus on swordsmanship and magic.

It wasn’t just because the world was in chaos, needing ten bodies, but also because I lacked a teacher to teach me martial arts.

In fighting for my life against others, sometimes I can’t use magic, and at times I drop my sword.

If I had even a little knowledge of modern MMA techniques, there certainly would have been moments I could have benefited.

Boxing footwork is similar to swordsmanship, and using your arms isn’t bad, but I was completely unfamiliar with Brazilian jiu-jitsu or wrestling.

So, let’s take this opportunity to learn properly.

“I’ll start the broadcast now.”

“Hey, No Name, what do you mean by that? I’m a regular person! A regular person! Park Shil-jang, turn the car around!”

[No Name]

[Travel & Outdoors – I’m going to focus all my power on attack because I don’t want to get hurt. (Seo Jong-chan White Tiger Gym)]

[Includes Paid Advertisement]

[Broadcast Time – 0:00:01]