Chapter 15: I will serve you

Although it was part of a test broadcast, the one-on-one with Jeong Yoo-hyeok was an excellent opportunity for me.

It was a chance to gauge how much of the Grand Master rank he truly embodied.

‘How well can he do…?’

In Battle of Legends, Grand Master players are among the top 1,000 in Korea.

With approximately six million players in Korea, Jeong Yoo-hyeok is in the top 0.017%.

Of course, a one-on-one and a ranked game are different, but in the end, he’s still a Grand Master.

I believed this duel with Jeong Yoo-hyeok would provide meaningful data for me.

That’s why I made the first move.

“Alright, then, let’s begin.”

Before Jeong Yoo-hyeok’s words even finished, I sharply dropped my stance and planted my feet.

My target was the blind spot on his side.

The moment I spotted a gap between his slightly extended shield, I immediately thrust my dagger forward.

But then again, was it different this time?

As if he had predicted my attack, without a moment’s hesitation, a sharp blade shot towards me at a precise angle.

‘Fast, definitely.’

The moment I recognized the knight’s sword strike, I twisted my body to dodge it, then moved towards another blind spot.

This time, I aimed for his back.

I drove my dagger through the slightly parted gap in his steel armor, piercing through the inside.

The knight’s HP bar blinked and quickly dropped to the left.

The knight, who had left his back vulnerable, immediately reacted once again.

With reflexive precision, he widened the distance between us.

Thud.

The sound of a steel shield smashing into the ground echoed through my VR headset.

The shockwave spread rapidly through the ground and reached my feet in an instant.

It was his area stun technique.

A clear choice between increasing the distance or risking being stunned—his judgment was excellent.

If I stayed too close to the knight and got stunned, who knew what might happen?

I opted to increase the distance.

At the same time, a quiz from Seoyeon popped up in the test broadcast chat.

[Maruru: Capital of Canada, capital of Cuba, capital of Chile]

“Ottawa, Havana, Santiago.”

[Maruru: No]

[Maruru: How do you know that?]

“Some of the hotel guests knew. It’s good to study foreign capitals in advance.”

[Maruru: They won’t be on the SAT!!!]

“It might come up in World History… right? …Or maybe not?”

Whoosh—

While replying to Seoyeon’s chat, the knight’s sword tip traced an elliptical trajectory towards me.

It was smooth.

Before I knew it, the knight had closed the distance and was aggressively pushing forward with his assault.

There were few openings in his front.

‘Maybe I should give a feint.’

In a moment of seeming retreat, I slightly increased the distance, all while feinting a defensive move with my left hand holding the dagger in front of me.

It was simple, but enough to focus the knight’s attention on my front.

Just as the knight’s gaze shifted to my left-hand dagger, I saw his shield slightly drop.

His chest opened just enough.

Switching my right-hand dagger into reverse grip, I brought it down in a swift arc.

Thwack!

With a splash of crimson, the dagger sank deep, causing the knight to stagger.

As he stepped back, his right hand instinctively lifted in response, but I didn’t need to meet him head-on.

I dodged instead, repositioning my dagger.

Seizing the opportunity when his assault broke, I lowered my stance and lunged.

My left-hand dagger traced a sharp arc.

His right arm was lifted, leaving an opening in his right side.

However—

Clang!

‘Oh!’

At the last moment, the shield came up to block my attack, creating a fiery clash.

I was impressed by Jeong Yoo-hyeok’s incredible reflexes, but I wasn’t about to let up.

Regaining my dagger after it bounced off the shield, I immediately pushed into the knight’s vulnerable inner side, relentlessly driving the dagger in.

-Ding.

[Maruru: Full name of PPL]

“Product Placement.”

[Maruru: American Independence Day]

“July 4th, 1776.”

[Maruru: Hunminjeongeum]

“‘The nation’s language, written with characters, so it is not like the Chinese characters.’”

[Maruru: Insane]

[Maruru: 3189532X1924895=]

“Such a nasty viewer. I’m banning you.”

[Maruru has been kicked from the channel.]

As I dealt with Seoyeon’s strange quiz, I continued to chip away at the knight’s HP.

It was noticeably dropping now.

Just one more hit, and it would be over.

The knight spun around, trying to shake me off with a large, sweeping motion.

The heavy armor and swinging sword were threatening.

I stepped back, avoiding the sword’s tip, and sent my dagger flying towards the knight’s chin.

Thud.

The dagger struck cleanly.

The knight’s HP bar—completely black.

It was over.

Perhaps a bit harder than I expected.

[허락보단용서가빠르다(Thief) Days(Electrician)]

The knight avatar collapsed without a sound, turning into ash and fading away. I, too, logged off.

As I removed the VR headset, the cool air brushed through my hair, a stark contrast to the intense battle.

“Seo-Ah,”

“Yes.”

“The Grand Master… that’s your goal, right?”

“Yes.”

“If you keep playing as a thief, you’ll rise quickly. I haven’t seen such a thief even in Grand Master.”

“I prefer being an archer.”

“…of….”

At my simple answer, Jeong Yu-hyeok made an awkward expression.

His eyes also wavered.

But, honestly, an archer is better.

In a 1v1 situation, a thief might be good, but in a 6v6 ranked game, the value of an archer, who can control the entire battlefield, is higher.

Someone at the level of Grand Master should know this.

Maybe I should have a conversation with him.

“Hmm… Yu-hyeok, if you don’t mind…”

“…Wait. It’s faster to forgive than to ask for permission. I saw this somewhere…”

“???”

“One moment, Seo-Ah. I need to check something.”

Trying to avoid talking to me, Jeong Yu-hyeok took out his phone and started searching for something.

I had no choice but to talk to Seo-Yeon, not Jeong Yu-hyeok.

“How was it?”

“…What if you end up beating a Grand Master?”

“It’s better than losing.”

“Sigh….”

Seo-Yeon let out a light sigh and then pulled out a few tissues from a box beside her.

She wiped the sweat on my forehead, rubbing it gently.

“I can’t even see what’s going on. Can you see everything?”

“Half of it.”

“What about the other half?”

“I predict it.”

“…Who even does that….”

“Here I am. This kind of person.”

“Not fun.”

Suddenly, Seo-Yeon pinched my nose.

It seems like she was still holding onto the fact that she couldn’t beat me in the 1v1 earlier.

It hurt a bit.

In a country known for its propriety, pinching someone’s nose like this…

She quickly let go of my nose, though.

Maybe she thought it wasn’t appropriate to do that.

After that, Seo-Yeon, who had been showing a complicated expression, told me she was hungry.

“It’s already 5 PM. We haven’t even had lunch yet.”

“Ah, now that you mention it, I didn’t have breakfast.”

“…Aren’t you hungry? What did you do instead of eating breakfast?”

“I worked. After I got your call, I cleaned up for a bit.”

The conversation continued, and we decided to have dinner at a nearby barbecue restaurant.

It felt a bit wrong to just send Jeong Yu-hyeok, who came to help me, away, so it seemed like a good solution.

Then, as I was about to raise my head to offer Jeong Yu-hyeok a meal, he spoke first.

Jeong Yu-hyeok’s phone screen also appeared and was handed to Seo-Yeon.

“Seo-Ah, have you seen this?”

His voice sounded slightly flustered.

Not knowing what it was about, I just stared at the YouTube video on Jeong Yu-hyeok’s phone screen.

“Hey, it’s Navel?”

“Who?”

“Navel. He’s a super famous streamer. I think he already has over a million subscribers.”

Seo-Yeon, eyes wide open, continued that anyone who plays Battle of Legends would know Navel.

With 1.35 million subscribers, Navel is a huge YouTuber.

He holds the record for ranking #1 and has over 10,000 average viewers.

And a few days ago, he played on the same team as me in a ranked game.

According to Jeong Yu-hyeok’s explanation, Navel’s YouTube video has made my archer stand out.

“See the views here? It’s only been 4 hours, and it’s already over 300,000.”

“Is that high?”

“Oh….”

“Yes, it’s really high. He’s one of the top five streamers in Korea for Battle of Legends.”

For some reason, Jeong Yu-hyeok’s voice sounded a bit excited as he continued.

My in-game nickname is being mentioned in the Battle of Legends community.

Even my special skills are being talked about.

Not many, but there are posts from users who are imitating my playstyle.

“Seo-Ah, you should definitely check it out later. It’s really hard to succeed like this in Battle of Legends streaming.”

“Ah, okay.”

“You’re really lucky, unnie… I want to meet him, but I can’t.”

We continued talking about Navel until we finished our meal and were heading to the nearby barbecue restaurant.

‘Navel… I should look into this later.’

It seems like the Navel I met is even more of a big deal than I thought.

Seo-Yeon wouldn’t look so envious otherwise.

But right now, my stream is the priority.

I asked Seo-Yeon about my first stream.

“Did you say my first stream should be a collab with you?”

“Yeah. But tomorrow, I have a collab with my crew, so I can’t. How about Monday? After you finish work.”

“Monday sounds good.”

After a continued conversation, details about my first stream were finalized.

After I wrapped up making some wraps for Seo-Yeon, I got Jeong Yu-hyeok’s contact info.

He said to contact him anytime if I had questions about the stream.

However, Seo-Yeon’s eyes were a bit strange.

She had a sharp gaze, as if she could see through Jeong Yu-hyeok.

“Ah, no. Don’t misunderstand. I really just want to help, there’s no other meaning.”

“Hmm….”

“Hey, even so, Seo-Yeon, she’s your older sister. How can you flirt with a family member?”

“Jeong Yu-hyeok, Days, scandals and issues…”

“This?”
 
Seo-Yeon and Jeong Yu-hyeok glared at each other, and soon they started bickering.

They get along well, even though they met through streaming.

If you look closely, it seems like Jeong Yu-hyeok is more accepting of Seo-Yeon, but… anyway.

“Thank you so much today. Thanks to you, Yu-hyeok, I was able to finish setting up the stream and even test it out.”

“Ah, no… If you think something is off with the setup, just let me know.”

After the meal, I paid for the food and thanked Jeong Yu-hyeok while watching him take a taxi.

Once the taxi with Jeong Yu-hyeok disappeared, I headed back to the officetel with Seo-Yeon.

Beep beep beep beep.

Ding dong ♪

“Ah… Unnie’s place is really comfortable…”

“If you eat and lie down right away, you’ll become a cow.”

After returning to the officetel, Seoyeon immediately sprawled out on the sofa and started searching for something on her phone.

She seemed very relaxed.

I turned on my laptop and continued working on the overtime tasks for Yeryeo Hotel that I hadn’t finished in the morning.

However, as I was reviewing tasks related to the VIP guests, I suddenly remembered that I needed to ask Seoyeon something.

Sunrise.

The idol Seoyeon likes.

“By the way, Seoyeon.”

I asked without taking my eyes off the laptop.

“What’s the name of the idol you like?”

“Sunrise! Why? Are you interested in Sunrise too? Anyway, my ultimate favorite is Siwoo oppa—”

Seoyeon, who had taken her eyes off her phone, looked at me with sparkling eyes.

She was a true fanatic.

Now that I think about it, didn’t I get scolded by my mom for watching idol dances too much before?

I think she told me to study instead…

“Unni, our oppas are releasing a new album soon, and they’re starting activities. It’s crazy right now! When the fan concert tickets went on sale last time, the site crashed, and it was a total mess.”

It seems like her fan love for Sunrise is greater than her fear of her mom.

The saying that idols are the fans’ idols isn’t just a saying, it’s really true.

…It’s a little scary.

Anyway, I asked Seoyeon for useful information related to Sunrise’s stay.

For example, their allergies or eating habits.

Little habits like that.

“Oppa Chanwoo has a really serious nut allergy! He can’t have peanuts at all, and almonds need to be careful. And coffee should always be iced americano, weak. No extra shots. Oh, and he’s super neat, so he can’t stand even a speck of dust. He has to organize his towels by type to feel comfortable—”

Tap, tap.

I typed all the key points of the information Seoyeon gave me into my personal file.

There were a lot of small details, but surely there’s something useful in there.

“Seoyeon, you’re like a Sunrise expert. If you put this much effort into studying… …No, never mind.”

“I didn’t hear what you just said.”

“Huh?”

“It’s nothing…”

***

The weekend hours passed quickly, like weekdays in fast forward.

Still, the thing I couldn’t get used to was the sadness of being a working adult… or maybe it’s just complicated feelings.

Anyway, on the Monday morning that finally came, I crossed the lobby and took the elevator up to the floor where my familiar department was.

Then, click-click.

Tap, tap.

‘What will the duo broadcast feel like?’

I was thinking about the joint broadcast with Seoyeon after work, while my fingers were tapping on the keyboard.

Yeryeo Hotel’s VIP stays.

Etiquette plans.

Reviewing personal requests, etc.

I still had a lot to do on Monday morning.

I think I’ll need coffee…

While I was concentrating on the monitor, writing documents, I heard footsteps approaching my desk.

Then, when I felt someone’s presence, I looked up, and Manager Park was standing there with a kind expression.

“Yuseora, have you finished the report for this VIP stay?”

“Yes, I’m just finishing the final review now.”

“Fast as always. You’re not like the younger generation, and I like that.”

What does it mean that I’m not like the younger generation?

Does it mean I look old?

But I’ve never heard anything bad about my appearance…

Too many thoughts.

I’ll just let it go.

“I have to report to Executive Director Jeong soon. Yuseora, you should come with me.”

“Me?”

“There are a lot of things I need to explain regarding the foreign branch executives’ stay. I’d like you to help me out.”

“Ah, yes. I understand.”

“Good, good.”

Regardless of the reason, I shouldn’t miss any opportunity to interact with Jeong Hwaryun.

Having more contact with Jeong Hwaryun was a good thing for me.

It was a good thing, but…

“…I’m working here. Would you mind stepping out?”

“There are some people from our Yeryeo Corporation staying at the hotel this time. I thought I could at least give them a brief explanation.”

Why are my brother and sister both here?

Yeryeo Corporation’s office is at least an hour away from Yeryeo Hotel’s headquarters.

“Hwaryun, both of us are people who need to pay special attention to things. Separate work and personal matters.”

Sharp eyes.

A cold atmosphere.

He was very different from when we were younger.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Now, please both take a seat.”

Jeong Doyun’s gaze scanned Manager Park and then me, who was standing behind him.

His eyes briefly lingered on my face.

I met his gaze.

“Let’s begin the report now.”

“…Yuseora.”

“Ah, yes.”

Was it because it was nice to see him again?

Or was it nostalgia?

Was it regret?

Or was it just a feeling of guilt for not properly settling things between us?

“First, regarding the flight and transportation arrangements—”

As I explained the numbers and letters on the A4 paper, my mind was on Jeong Doyun and Jeong Hwaryun.

It had been 24 years since I last saw them together.

Their relationship seemed… bad.

How did I manage to reconcile them in the past?

Oh, right.

If I took them to eat something good, it usually worked out on its own without me needing to intervene.

Of course, now that we’re adults, I don’t know how it would turn out, but it might have a slight effect.

…Should I try it?

***

“By the way, do you have a reservation at a restaurant for lunch, Executive Director?”

“No, I was just thinking of eating somewhere nearby. Why?”

“I found a really great place recently. I’m sure you’ll like it.”

A calm face as usual.

A bold suggestion, quite the opposite.

After finishing the report about Yeryeo Hotel’s VIP stays, a voice was heard.

It was always the same, surprising Jeong Hwaryun.

However, for some reason, I couldn’t refuse.

Was it because he reminded me of someone from my past?

“How about a lunch date? It’s a really good place.”

“Yes, well… since you put it like that, I guess I’d like to check it out.”

In the end, Jeong Hwaryun, too, reluctantly agreed to Yuseora’s lunch date proposal.

The guest sofa on the opposite side didn’t even get a glance from my brother.

However, in a surprising twist,

Yuseora’s lunch date suggestion wasn’t only accepted by Jeong Hwaryun.

“I think Executive Director Jeong Doyun should come too. Would you have time?”

“…Huh? Me?”

“I was taught that delicious things should be shared. Sharing doubles the taste.”

Adding an odd excuse, “It’s our family motto.”

Jeong Hwaryun had no choice but to oppose.

Jeong Doyun couldn’t help but be taken aback, but for some reason, they couldn’t reject Yuseora’s request.

“I’ll come. Let’s go.”

The look in their eyes made it impossible to refuse.

In the end, Jeong Doyun and Jeong Hwaryun followed Yuseora, and the situation was complicated for them in many ways.

Of course, the most complicated person was Manager Park, who was left behind.

It was a strange sight to see a new employee leading two executive directors out, leaving Manager Park speechless.

“She said sharing delicious things is better… but why didn’t she bring me…”

Today, Manager Park missed his daughter, who was studying in the U.S.