Struggle (5)

Ho-eun, the regular caster for the InBull League.

His after-work routine was checking popular posts on gaming communities.

It’s not that the community itself was fun.

He had become a middle-aged man now, and there were many difficulties in trying to mingle with young people.

But to keep track of fan trends, he had to consciously and consistently tour the communities.

There’s no need to look at every post.

Just look for content that should be noted in the pro scene. Or posts with particularly big reactions.

After touring the communities, next was the internet broadcasting world and video platforms.

Especially for broadcasts done by pro players themselves, it was good to at least skim through the highlights.

If there was a noteworthy event, just mentioning it once would bring good reactions.

‘Even if the official broadcast seems to be stubborn, in fact, we’re extremely conscious of the fans.’

In this era, you can only survive by treating fans like your work superiors!

It was Ho-eun’s theory that those who get too close to fans in the e-sports field find it difficult to have a long run.

But conversely, he thought it was also troublesome to distance oneself too much.

In other words, you shouldn’t be completely ignorant of the community.

Because you need to avoid sensitive issues that shouldn’t be mentioned.

You need to catch issues that would be beneficial before it’s too late.

Even if you act all classy in front of fans, you must not stop struggling beneath the surface.

As you swim like that, naturally there were flows that could be seen.

More precisely, you could find something that creates the flow.

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Gawol.

A flame that has never been extinguished since it was ignited in the arena.

There’s rarely a need to mention it in official broadcasts, but now it’s a name that must be known.

In Ho-eun’s case, he was personally interested enough to look up evaluations from before the arena.

Compared to the past when she was close to being mysterious, recently the frequency of her appearances has increased significantly.

The image from the arena also remained clear, so…

– Ring ring, ring ring!

No, who’s calling at this hour.

“Hello, this is Ho-eun speaking.”

– I’m sorry for calling after work, Caster. It’s about Yurang’s schedule, there’s been a problem.

“Pardon?”

– They’re asking if we can replace the guest commentator with someone else.

His brow naturally furrowed, but he was a seasoned office worker.

There wasn’t a trace of wavering in his voice full of feigned kindness.

But he couldn’t be pleased with the content of the words.

With the league semifinals just about a week away.

It’s difficult to take it well when the guest commentator changes so suddenly.

“This suddenly?”

– Seems there are some internal circumstances. It’s probably about that matter.

“I understand, but… What happens to us then? If there’s no guest only for the Sigma match, there will surely be talk.”

– About that… This kind of talk is going around internally.

Having received a call after work, at first there was displeasure.

The emotion that had then turned into bewilderment quickly became interest.

– So, I wanted to ask what you think, Caster.

“It seems fine. But will they accept it on their end?”

– We’re planning to at least make the proposal.

* * *

Hot breaths burst out of my mouth.

“Member, let’s do it one more time!”

“Ugh, aaargh…!”

A feeling of tightness spreads across my lower abdomen.

Heat rises throughout my body, then loses its way and wanders inside.

I exerted all my strength and tensed my abdomen.

“Just a little more, a little more, a little more!”

“Urgh- hnnng!”

“Our member is doing so well! Let’s try one more time!”

This is strange.

It feels like one time never ends.

When I glared resentfully at the trainer, I just got a bright smile in return.

“Shall we really do it one last time? You can do it!”

“Hnnnng─!”

She seemed like such a kind person at first glance.

As if to say you shouldn’t be fooled by a woman’s kindness, she was hiding a terrible devil inside.

She mercilessly worked me to the bone for 60 minutes of class time.

“For the very last time─”

“No, I can’t do anymore!”

“Okay, then we’ll stop here!”

“Haaah…”

Finally, my body reached its limit and collapsed on the floor.

Breath heaving from the aftermath of the ab workout.

My chest repeatedly swelled and shrank with each exhale and inhale.

Sweat is pouring down my back like rain.

No, sweat is flowing from most of my body, soaking my leggings.

It felt a bit sticky, which was slightly annoying.

I didn’t want to wear something that clings like this.

It was a mistake to give in when told that wearing fluttery clothes could damage the skin from friction.

When I was also told that the range of motion would be more visible, I had no choice.

Anyway, I’m only exercising in Sigma’s private gym.

There weren’t enough people walking around to feel embarrassed.

“Well then, good work today. I’ll see you next Monday!”

“Yes…”

“Don’t forget to send me pictures of the food you eat.”

“Ah, okay, okay.”

After the trainer left with a kind smile.

I sprawled on the floor for a long time, catching my breath.

I’m the type to acknowledge what needs to be acknowledged.

As a woman, this body is flawless.

From hair to skin to appearance, there’s nothing that doesn’t invite envy.

Moreover, I had a secret that I couldn’t tell others.

Not a single hair grew on this body, from armpits to private parts to arms and legs.

As if such things weren’t part of the perfection this body pursued, there was only smooth, silky skin.

How about how it endured despite my collapsed lifestyle until now?

It’s a body that easily withstood a shut-in life that even pro players would get sick of.

If only my left leg wasn’t disabled, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a blessed body.

However, there was one problem.

“Muscles just won’t grow…”

It’s not that there are no results from exercising.

Since I started exercising with Sigma’s support, my body has definitely been moving in a good direction.

Whether in terms of stamina or any other aspect, vitality has returned to my body.

However, it’s a matter of direction, you could say.

Rather than muscles growing, it felt like I was becoming more and more feminine.

My body, which used to be soft no matter where you pressed, showed no signs of changing.

I didn’t expect bulky muscles, but I didn’t know it would be to this extent.

Well, since I started exercising for health reasons. Maybe it’s better not to be too picky.

When my breathing returned to normal, I was fiddling with my phone a bit.

[You have received an email: InBull Co…]

“Hiss.”

This time it’s probably just spam mail, right?

Since receiving an email about the connection device issue, I’ve become nervous whenever there’s an email from the game company.

So it took a lot of mental preparation to check the contents.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a simple advertisement email.

But it wasn’t that the security team had something else to say at this point either.

[Subject: Invitation for Guest Commentary at InBull Co. Official League]

Something quite stern has come.

At times like this, my choice is…

Help me, Luche.

“I think it’s fine, isn’t it? Rather, I think you should go unless there’s a special reason not to.”

“R-really?”

“Yes. It’s a good opportunity for you too, Da-eun. There’s no need to block it.”

Across the table, Luche was munching on a salad.

It was a bit different from mine, but we were both eating greens nonetheless.

Maybe because my tastes had changed, even this suited my palate quite well.

“I know what you’re worried about. But just because they’re the same company doesn’t mean everyone thinks the same. The interests of the security team and the league operations team can be different.”

“Even though they’re the same company?”

“Because each team has different purposes. The league operations team probably desperately wants you to play the game.”

Can that be?

I thought everyone in the same company was in cahoots.

Is this a misunderstanding that arose because I’ve never had social experience?

Well, if it’s Luche’s words, I should be able to believe them.

They’re probably much more accurate than my prejudices.

“Then, I’ll accept. Thank you. For giving me advice.”

“No need to thank me. I’m the one who lured you this far, so of course I should help. Ah, but just one thing for a moment.”

The food was probably almost finished.

I was thinking of getting up soon, but Luche held me back for a moment.

“I know you’re working hard now, but I want to speed up your recruitment a bit more.”

“Did something happen?”

“There’s talk that foreign mercenaries will be released from the summer league. Until now, they seemed reluctant due to the general trend, but an event that could light a fire under their feet has occurred.”

“Hmm… Well, I’m fine with it.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Who’s thanking whom?

Whatever it was, it was good for me.

As soon as possible.

Even if it’s just one hour sooner, I want to return to the game.

The stage of the pro scene where I stand proudly on my own feet – it will surely be very beautiful.

A few days later, I set foot in the official studio of the pro league.