Chapter 3 – Double Team #5

“Sprinkler? What’s that?”

Having regained his composure after mentally screaming ‘Help me, Alexei!’ three times, Yuder tilted his head and asked as if he had never heard the word ‘sprinkler’ in his life.

‘Calm down, Yuder. Calm down. Don’t let the situation overwhelm you and make you forget the facts.’

Perhaps because he was on Earth, his own inner voice sounded just like Alexei’s.

Alexei’s words.

Don’t forget the given conditions.

Kang Jin-ho had no evidence for his deduction.

Although he had fiercely struck at the truth, his claim was ultimately a flimsy one built on suspicion.

So, he couldn’t flinch here.

Wincing and denying it would also be a poor move.

‘I just have to pretend I don’t know.’

But feigning complete ignorance was also a bad idea.

After all, he had just told Kang Jin-ho that he had been watching the two of them.

“Ah, are you perhaps talking about that thing that sprayed water from the ceiling? You mentioned an underground parking garage, so that’s the only thing that comes to mind.”

It was a surprising fact, but Yuder was a good actor.

The way he spoke, as if he was just now getting a sense of what was being said, was perfectly convincing.

“Are you saying you really just watched?”

With extremely limited information, Kang Jin-ho had few options.

Therefore, he had no choice but to continue his aggressive approach, while Yuder, with an expression as innocent as when he faced the fairies, said,

“I just watched from a distance. To be honest, it was fun just watching. The 1st and 2nd place players had no idea they were next-door neighbors, and the moment they found out, they instantly became a couple, right?”

At Yuder’s words, Kang Jin-ho lightly bit his lip and composed his expression.

Either way, it was an embarrassing story.

At the same time, he thought.

‘He’s lying.’

His expression was too innocent.

Although he hadn’t known Yuder for long, Kang Jin-ho could tell.

No, he had a gut feeling.

That man is lying through his teeth right now.

That innocent face is the proof.

But in the end, it was all just suspicion.

And Yuder also thought.

‘He’s caught on.’

He realized that Yuder knew he was lying.

But Yuder didn’t panic.

He was Kang Jin-ho, and he could guess what Kang Jin-ho was thinking.

‘He has no proof, so he has no choice but to stop here.’

Because there was no way to confirm he was lying.

Yuder smiled a dark smile inwardly, and Kang Jin-ho, after a moment of silence, opened his mouth.

“So you’re saying that while you were observing us, you saw Natasha appear, and because it seemed like she was hiding something, you observed her separately and ended up solving her problem.”

Yuder flinched inwardly at the interrogation that wasn’t quite an interrogation, but this time too, he showed no sign of agitation.

Instead, as if seizing the opportunity, he brought out the truth.

“That’s what happened. It felt like… I was seeing Maia.”

Maia Tantalot.

Yuder’s Natasha.

A person who was like a sister, a friend, and a mother.

A woman who had been like the entire world to the young Yuder.

Kang Jin-ho knew about Maia.

In Yuder’s story, she was a female character who played a role second only to Cordelia—no, at times, even more important than Cordelia.

He had never told anyone, but Kang Jin-ho had once wiped away tears while watching the event where Maia died in Yuder’s arms.

Was that why?

Or was there something more to it?

Hearing Yuder say he saw Maia in Natasha, Kang Jin-ho felt no desire to question it further.

At the same time, he remembered something far more important.

“Thank you.”

“Huh?”

“For Natasha’s sake. Come to think of it, I should have thanked you first for helping… no, for saving Natasha. I think I’m too late. Please forgive me.”

What would have happened to Natasha if Yuder and Cordelia hadn’t stepped in?

Just imagining it made Kang Jin-ho’s world go dark.

At Kang Jin-ho’s sincere gratitude, Yuder smiled faintly and, after a moment of thought, said,

“Then treat Natasha well. To you, she must be… like Maia.”

“…Yes, I will.”

After exchanging a heartwarming conversation and glances, the two cleared their throats as if suddenly embarrassed and, as if by agreement, took a step forward at the same time.

“A VTuber?”

“Yep, yep, a VTuber.”

It was the work that Hong Yu-hee and Kang Jin-ho did together, with Natasha occasionally helping out.

“What’s a VTuber?”

Is it like a friend of a YouTuber?

As Cordelia tilted her head and asked, Hong Yu-hee let out a gleeful laugh, turned on her laptop, and said,

“It’s a job where you broadcast over the internet. Ah, the internet is…”

“I know what the internet is. And I know about YouTubers who broadcast on the internet. BJs? I know about them too.”

“Oh, then this will be easy to explain. A VTuber is a Virtual YouTuber. To put it simply, you broadcast as a 2D or 3D character. I provide the voice.”

“Uh… like a… cartoon character? Like a voice actor?”

“Yep, yep, you know about cartoons and voice actors too. Ah, this is it. My VTuber character.”

When Hong Yu-hee clicked the mouse a few times, a pretty female character appeared on the laptop screen.

“Hey, is that me?”

“Ehehe… It’s slightly different because of copyright issues, but you’re the model, Unnie.”

Just as Hong Yu-hee said, her appearance was a little different from the Cordelia in Heroic Saga 2, but that difference was that her hair was pink, which made the character look even more like the current Cordelia.

“If I have my phone camera capture my movements, the character follows my movements in real-time, see? That’s how I broadcast.”

“Good heavens.”

The world has advanced enough for this to be possible in just over two years?

Thrilled by Cordelia’s amazed reaction, Hong Yu-hee played her past broadcasts and continued speaking.

“This is how I play games and interact with the viewers… Oppa manages the chatroom. He also handles all the filming and program-related stuff.”

On the screen, the Cordelia character blinked her eyes and tilted her head, and her expressions changed naturally according to the game’s progress. It was truly fascinating.

“Then what about Natasha? Is Natasha a VTuber too?”

At Cordelia’s question, Natasha flinched and her expression stiffened. Hong Yu-hee giggled and said,

“That’s right. She has a ‘feisty unnie’ concept and sometimes appears on my stream. When she does, the viewers go wild. When Natasha Unnie throws out a scolding comment, the donations just pour in, you know?”

“A sc-scolding comment?”

When Cordelia blinked and asked again, Hong Yu-hee nodded excitedly. Natasha looked like she wanted to bury her face in a bowl of water as she bit her lip.

Of course, her face was bright red.

“This is Natasha Unnie’s character.”

“Wow, it looks just like her.”

A beautiful character with blue eyes and platinum blonde hair.

Her figure was great and her eyes were sharp, perfectly reminiscent of Natasha.

“And this is Natasha Unnie’s Scolding Special.”

As Hong Yu-hee played a video with over a million views, Natasha covered her face with both hands, and Cordelia could understand why.

The sight of the Natasha character, face flushed red, stammering out scolding lines was both incredibly cute and embarrassing.

“Natasha Unnie’s trademark is saying she hates it, but she’ll do anything if you donate.”

“Th-they give me money. Money is precious.”

At Natasha’s protest, Hong Yu-hee giggled and said with a pleased expression,

“She’s an excellent employee. You think so too, right, Unnie?”

“Y-yes.”

[Natasha, you’ve been adjusting well to Korea.]

Right after replying to Hong Yu-hee, Cordelia sent a telepathic message with teary eyes, and Natasha’s face turned even redder.

“So, do you stream Heroic Saga with this?”

“We do stream Heroic Saga, but… these days we play other games more often.”

“Huh? Then what about the rankings?”

“Um… about two months ago, Oppa and I both retired from 1st and 2nd place. Now we’re just… named users?”

“R-really?”

When Cordelia asked again in surprise, Hong Yu-hee nodded, then suddenly began to fidget with her fingers and said,

“Now… I don’t think there’s any reason for Oppa and me to fight over 1st and 2nd place anymore. And I’ve won a lot in other areas, too.”

Won a lot in other areas.

What on earth did she win?

In any case, it was quite a shocking story, but also one that made sense.

Cordelia herself still competed with Yuder often, but after winning a few times, her attitude toward competition and her feelings about the results had changed quite a bit.

“Oh, right. Unnie. I also made merch.”

“Merch?”

“VTuber merch. Natasha Unnie’s products sell really well too.”

“P-please, stop.”

The last voice was Natasha’s, and she was already in a dazed state.

But because of that, Hong Yu-hee didn’t properly hear her faint voice and grabbed Cordelia’s hand as if to hurry her along.

“We’re using one of the spare rooms in Natasha Unnie’s house as a warehouse. This way.”

As the door opened, Cordelia blinked with a blank expression at the scene that unfolded beyond it.

It wasn’t because the products were far more professional than she had expected.

Hong Yu-hee’s VTuber character was, for all intents and purposes, Cordelia. Therefore, all the merch laid out before her eyes was essentially Cordelia’s merch.

“Ehehe.”

Hong Yu-hee looked at Cordelia with the expression of a child boasting about her school grades, and Cordelia, despite feeling like she was about to lose her mind, steadfastly examined the goods.

To be honest, things like cups, posters, and even life-size figures didn’t really affect her, as she had already seen plenty of them in the Yudelria Holy Nation.

The things that really hit her were—

“Uh…”

Isn’t that… that thing?

The, uh, breast mouse pad.

“Ah, no! This is, uh, for my personal collection. Not for sale.”

Hong Yu-hee said urgently, but that only raised another question for Cordelia.

No, why would you make something like that?

And the figures.

There was a whole slew of original figures that had never been released.

“Well, uh, once I started making money, there were so many things I wanted… hehehe.”

As Hong Yu-hee squirmed shyly, Cordelia thought she was quite cute, but at the same time, she felt an embarrassment that couldn’t even compare to what she had felt before.

‘Why… why did I like myself so much?’

Seeing Hong Yu-hee, who lived and died for Cordelia, she was suddenly reminded of her past self.

Cordelia.

From Hong Yu-hee’s perspective, her past life.

Kang Jin-ho had enjoyed using Yuder, but he had never shown any particular fan-like devotion.

But Hong Yu-hee was different.

As she was demonstrating now, she was practically at the level of a sasaeng fan.

Why had she been like that?

Is this that thing called narcissism?

Come to think of it, Cordelia herself was finding the current Hong Yu-hee extremely cute.

‘I-is it real?’

Was it really narcissism?

If Yuder found out about this, wouldn’t he tease me like crazy?

It was at that very moment.

Ka-talk!

Startled by the sudden sound, Cordelia and Hong Yu-hee looked at each other, and Hong Yu-hee reflexively pulled out her phone.

And the message that appeared on the phone screen.

[So, are we really having an offline meetup this time?]

It was a message from one of the chatroom members—Cowabunga.

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Translated By: Meher (RaidenTL)

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