Chapter 10: Han Seola (1)
by fnovelpia
Whoosh—
The capsule opened, and Yuhyun sat up.
He stretched, loosening his stiff body.
“Ugh— No matter how much I move in-game, I’m still sore.”
He’d need to exercise in reality too.
Having finally returned to the modern world, he couldn’t afford to waste away.
“Hmm, let’s see.”
Cracking his neck, Yuhyun grabbed his smartphone.
From six viewers on his first stream, he’d jumped to 127 overnight.
New viewers kept trickling in during the broadcast, and by the end, nearly 200 were watching.
And the donations.
“…How much is all this?”
Checking the total, Yuhyun’s eyes widened.
650,000 won in one day.
If he earned this daily, debts would be no issue.
But he quickly tempered his excitement.
‘I can’t expect this every day. Today was lucky.’
A viewer had recorded his tutorial, posted it online, and it went viral.
The Patchwork Golem’s impact was another stroke of luck.
“Speaking of, didn’t they say the clip was posted on the Low-Tier VR Streamer Gallery…?”
Curious about the reactions, Yuhyun was about to visit the site when a notification caught his eye.
“Hm? A new email?”
Sender: HKK Entertainment
Subject: Exclusive Streamer Contract Proposal
“Exclusive streamer?”
Yuhyun raised an eyebrow and opened it.
***
Dear Sir,
Greetings from HKK Entertainment’s Streaming Division.
After closely observing your recent broadcasts, we’d like to offer an exclusive streamer contract.
- Contract Signing Bonus: 20,000,000 KRW (pre-tax)
- Minimum Monthly Streaming Hours: 300 hours
- Revenue Split: 5:5 (Streamer:Company)
- Provided Services: Chat moderation, video editing, management support, advertising sponsorships, etc.
Detailed terms will be discussed in a face-to-face meeting. We look forward to your positive response.
If they’d watched his streams, they were likely among today’s viewers, not the initial six.
But the signing bonus—20 million won—grabbed his attention.
‘…20 million.’
A hefty sum.
It’d cover his monthly rent for half a year.
The listed services—chat management, editing, sponsorships—seemed essential for his future.
The 5:5 revenue split gave him pause, but it implied they’d secure ads and events to grow his income, justifying their cut.
“Is a 5:5 split normal, though?”
He wasn’t sure.
Meeting them to discuss was an option, but Yuhyun wasn’t rushing in.
Contracts could hide traps.
Hadn’t Ball of Light already shown him the dangers of blind agreements?
“Hm, what to do…”
He considered searching online but shook his head.
Finding reliable info was doubtful, and he lacked the eye to judge it.
“Ugh, I wish I had someone to ask about this…”
Then—
Ding—♪
A new email notification popped up.
Sender: FluffyBun
‘FluffyBun…?’
***
Han Seola regretted it.
Egged on by her viewers, she’d donated to that streamer, Tangle Yuhyun.
Honestly, how must it have looked?
Barging into a thriving stream, dropping 300,000 won, and acting like, ‘Hey, I’m this person!’
And that message.
‘Thank you for saving me—what even is that!!!’
It’s not even really her! It sounded like some damsel with a sob story!!!
“Argh! Argh! ARGH—!!!”
Burying her face in a pillow, Han Seola thrashed her legs, her muffled screams echoing.
“No, no, it’s fine, right? I was just thanking him!”
She sat up, convincing herself.
“Right. Escape stressed me out for years. Nightmares, too. A thank-you like that is just human decency!”
As her logic solidified, her expression brightened.
“Yeah! He’ll get my sincerity. No problem!”
She conveniently ignored that Yuhyun had no clue about her Escape-induced stress or nightmares.
But then, the game scene flashed back.
Her in-game self, freaking out over bread in an apocalypse, dropping it, then snatching it up and shoving it in her mouth.
– …It hashn’t been three sheconds, sho it’sh fine. I blew on it.
Mumbling that with bread in her mouth!
“GRAAAH!!!”
She clutched her head, face-planting into the pillow again.
“No, no! That’s the game character, not… not me…!”
But she knew.
That character mirrored her personality, actions, and looks.
In that situation, she’d have done the same.
The stack of empty bread bags on her dresser proved it.
Curling up under her blanket, she groaned.
“Ugh, so embarrassing!!”
She was making a mountain out of a molehill.
‘I’m not usually this dramatic!’
The problem was the ‘guy.’
20 years, single.
All-girls middle school, high school, dropped out of college, now a streamer.
Last time she held a guy’s hand? Kindergarten.
Zero immunity to men, a pure-as-spring-water virgin life.
Then, boom—a jaw-droppingly hot guy gets tangled up with her. No wonder she was flustered.
Haa—
“Might as well apologize. He’s probably startled.”
Sighing, Han Seola grabbed her phone and opened Tangle Yuhyun’s profile.
“Let’s see. Tangle Yuhyun, email… here it is.”
‘What do I write?’
After much hesitation, she typed a long, heartfelt apology.
Explaining she didn’t mean to overstep, just wanted to thank him sincerely.
Eyes shut tight, she hit send!
Thump thump—
‘Ugh, I’m overreacting to something so small…’
Regret hit post-send.
Ding—♪
A reply came almost instantly.
Reading it, her eyes widened.
“…What? He has something to ask, wants my help? And… in person!?”
***
A quiet neighborhood café.
‘…A modern café.’
Yuhyun sat, taking in the ambiance with nostalgia.
‘Didn’t expect FluffyBun to reach out.’
What a coincidence.
Pondering the contract offer, and right on cue, FluffyBun contacted him.
She even lived nearby, recognizing the café address he sent as a place she’d passed by.
He could’ve asked via email, but Yuhyun had a lot of questions.
‘Face-to-face is best. People spill everything in person.’
It was the same in the other world.
Negotiating with the Empire was easier storming in and settling things directly than explaining over a communication orb.
Having ordered two coffees and some bread, he waited.
Jingle—
A woman entered, looking awkward.
He knew instantly.
She was Han Seola from the game, brought to life.
‘They really copied her exactly.’
Differences? A clean, radiant face, no stains. A crisp white blouse, a khaki skirt ending neatly at the knees.
Spotting him, she approached hesitantly.
“Um…”
“Yes, that’s me.”
Han Seola gave an awkward smile and sat across from him.
“Uh, Tan-Tangle—”
“Just call me Baek Yuhyun.”
“Okay, Yuhyun-ssi. Call me Han Seola.”
Her voice was stiff, like she’d rehearsed.
Pfft!
Yuhyun couldn’t help but laugh.
She frowned, as if asking why.
“Sorry. When I met Han Seola in-game, we had this exact conversation.”
“Oh. With Han Seola…”
Her face flushed, recalling something.
“Do games usually use real models like that?”
“…N-No, no! That was a shitty—er, small company thing. Usually, they blend.”
“Blend?”
“Yeah, they mix multiple models to create one NPC. …I got roped in when I didn’t know better. Just got caught.”
“Oh…”
Yuhyun pursed his lips, impressed.
Minutes in, and info was already flowing.
“So! What did you need help with!?”
Eager to change topics, Han Seola jumped to the point.
“Oh, this. I got a contract offer, but I don’t know if it’s good. No one to ask. Could you take a look?”
Yuhyun opened the contract email on his phone and showed her.
Han Seola’s face twisted into a scowl.
“These damn bastards.”
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