Chapter 70 : Reach the Ends of the Sky (7)

〈Seoyeno-nim, it’s your turn—the finale stage of this concert!〉

The voice was clearly excited, a tone higher than usual.

But the meaning didn’t immediately register in my ears.

Like a newly learned foreign word, the sound echoed in my ears but didn’t quite reach my brain.

Finale stage.

The last stage.

In other words, the highlight of the show.

“…Huh?”

A dazed response escaped my lips before I could stop it.

Finale…? 

Me…? 

The last performance…?

Kim Hayun on the other end of the call, seemingly unaware of my confusion, continued cheerfully.

〈Isn’t it insane? The concert finale! It’s the main event!〉

〈It’s the moment everyone looks forward to the most! And you’re the one doing it, Seoyeno-nim!〉

Her voice sounded like she was genuinely celebrating.

And I understood why.

For a streamer, it’s the kind of spot anyone would dream of.

But.

The weight that comes with the word “finale” in a concert is no joke.

It’s the moment that wraps up the entire performance, leaving the strongest and most lasting impression on the audience.

Out of all the performers, it’s the one who receives the most spotlight.

It’s the highlight of highlights, where all attention and expectation are focused.

Normally, it’s reserved for a top-tier guest singer,or the most popular streamer on the server,or someone special who symbolizes the entire event.

And yet.

Such an overwhelming role had just been handed to me, just like that?

It was hard to tell if this was a dream or reality.

Sure, I might’ve stirred up some buzz on the server lately,but I’d only just gotten broadcast approval—and I hadn’t even started my own stream yet.

And now they were putting me in charge of the finale stage of a server-wide concert, watched by hundreds of thousands of viewers?

“Uwaaah…”

Spin. 

My vision went white.

Originally, I had planned to show up in the middle—just blend in.

Even if I made a mistake, it’d be forgotten by the next act.

But the last performance? 

There’s no act after that.

The pressure was on a whole different level.

Suddenly, I was terrified.

“I was just going to blend in… just sing quietly and vanish!”

The only reason I even agreed to join the concert was because I thought I’d be just one among many performers.

This was a scenario I hadn’t expected at all.

What if I made a mistake?

What if I ruined the mood of the entire performance?

A flood of negative thoughts began to rise like black smoke, billowing and clouding my mind.

〈Seoyeno-nim? Um, are you still listening~?〉

Kim Hayun’s urgent voice pierced through my ears again.

In the end, I decided to escape this crisis in the most familiar and effective way I knew.

“…Ah, yes… I’m sorry… I’m going to hang up for now. I’ll contact you again later…”

As soon as I ended the call, I threw my phone onto the bed.

Then, I dove right into the bed myself.

I buried my body deep into the soft blanket, pulling it up over my head.

Wriggle, wriggle.

Like a small rabbit hiding in its burrow from danger.

Perfect darkness and warmth.

My one and only sanctuary that cut me off from all the noise and complications of the world.

Ah… it’s warm.

The anxiety that had been raging wildly just moments ago seemed to slightly, faintly subside behind my tightly closed eyelids.

Finale stage.

I’d think about it later.

Somehow… things would work out.

Yeah. 

It’ll all work out somehow.

Srrr.

I drifted into sleep, an escape from the weight of reality.

***

“…So the day’s finally come…”

I barely opened my eyes, still dazed, and mumbled softly.

Time had flown like a bullet.

Before I knew it—it was concert day.

The “somehow” I had desperately wished for never came true.

No random meteor crashed into the Earth, no alien invasion canceled the concert—Nothing like that happened (obviously).

The day of the Pixel Wars Streamer Server Finale Concert had arrived.

I felt dizzy.

My vision swirled for no reason.

The only bit of relief was that, even while half out of my mind and practically sleepwalking in denial,

I had still managed to finish all the preparations for the stream.

Even though I had nearly gone into panic mode upon hearing the news about the finale stage,I had set up everything I needed for my debut broadcast.

Well, at least I did everything I needed to.

Of course, it’s not like there was that much to prepare.

I didn’t even have a webcam, nor a virtual avatar yet.

It was just my voice going out—nothing more.

All I had to do was configure the mic and check the audio interface.

Even while escaping from reality, I somehow always managed to do the bare minimum when cornered.

Maybe that kind of personality was, in some small way, helpful in times like this.

“First… let’s just log in.”

I turned on my computer as usual and logged into Soopjijik.

Next to my ID, the official [General Streamer] tag was gleaming.

It had taken a long time to earn that.

The clock at the bottom right corner of the monitor showed 6:05 PM.

If everything had gone according to plan, this would’ve been the time to eat dinner and replenish my energy.

But my stomach felt queasy—I couldn’t imagine swallowing anything.

To be honest, I’d lost my appetite a long time ago.

Ignoring the rumbling in my stomach, I hesitated for a moment and picked up my phone.

“Should I… call Hayeon?”

I needed someone who could calm this anxious, unstable heart even just a little.

I found her name in my contacts and pressed the call button.

Ring.

Ring.

It hadn’t even rung a few times before a calm, gentle voice came through.

〈Hello? Seoyeno?〉

It was the voice of Yun Hayeon, the original creator of the song for tonight’s concert.

“Yes… it’s me, Hayeon.”

〈Oh wow, what’s going on? It’s almost time for the concert to start.〉

There was a familiar warmth in Yun Hayeon’s voice, laced with a hint of playful teasing.

〈Don’t tell me… you called because you’re too nervous?〉

Right on the mark.

I couldn’t lie—so I just gave a powerless chuckle and answered honestly.

“Yeah… so much…”

A soft chuckle came from the other side of the line.

〈It’s okay. Don’t worry too much.〉

Then Hayeon offered me a heartfelt reassurance.

〈I believe in your voice, Seoyeno. I really do.〉

〈When I first heard you sing… wow, I got chills all over.〉

〈Your voice is… how do I put it? It has this power that stirs people’s hearts more than any voice I’ve ever heard.〉

〈I’m sure everyone listening today will feel the same way I did.〉

At her sincere praise, I felt my cheeks flush without realizing it.

Embarrassed and flustered, but also—just a little—courage bubbled up inside me.

Then Hayeon paused for a breath, and continued in a lower, more serious tone.

〈And… about the song you’re going to sing today.〉

As her next words followed, I unconsciously held my breath.

The meaning behind this song.

So that’s what it was.

Why, even after her life as a singer had ended, she still held onto this sheet music.

Why she couldn’t let go of this song.

Now, I understood.

Just how special and desperate this song was for Yun Hayeon.

〈Sorry. I didn’t mean to put pressure on you.〉

“I-It’s okay. I’m the type who performs better under pressure, you know.”

At my joke, Hayeon let out a small laugh.

Still, it was true that some of the tension I’d been feeling had eased a bit.

“I can do this.”

If I couldn’t avoid it, I had to face it head-on.

And if I was going to face it anyway—If there was someone waiting for this song.

Then I had to sing it properly, with everything I had.

Hoo.

I let out a short breath to steady myself.

The nervousness in my chest calmed just a little.

〈By the way, I want to watch your stream this time. Could you tell me your nickname?〉

“You’re not going to watch it on Argon’s stream?”

〈Hehe, I kind of want to hear your voice directly.〉

Aagh.

The pressure slightly increased.

〈Is your stream nickname still ‘SilverSilver’? Or did you come up with a new one?〉

Nickname.

In martial arts terms, it was like a title.

Somehow, even if you forgot the name, nicknames like “Heavenly Dragon Emperor” or “Absolute Divine Sword” always stuck with you.

It was the same for streamers. 

In the world of streaming—a kind of online martial arts world—a nickname was more important than a name.

I looked again at the nickname displayed beside my ID.

While many streamers agonized over what name to choose,I didn’t hesitate at all.

The moment I decided to start streaming, I’d already chosen it.

If I was going to do this officially, there was only one nickname for me.

“My nickname is…”

***

[Entering Finale Concert Hall]

After a brief loading screen, the fog cleared from the display.

Before my eyes stretched a breathtaking virtual concert hall.

“Wow…”

I couldn’t help but be impressed at how much effort had gone into this.

It was an incredibly well-designed stage.

The pouring lights, the grand stage, and even the still-empty seats.

The quality was top-tier.

Thinking about how I’d be the one to close out such an elaborate stage made my stomach hurt a little, though.

The concert was scheduled to start at 8 PM.

It was a little before 7 now.

When I opened the waiting room door and stepped inside, a relatively quiet scene greeted me.

Maybe because there was still quite a bit of time left before the concert began,only a few streamer avatars were present in the waiting room.

Since it wasn’t a physical event, there was no real reason to arrive early anyway.

‘I just logged in early because I was nervous.’

Groups of people were gathered here and there, chatting in their elaborately decorated avatars or checking their appearance in front of mirrors.

It looked like the famous guest singers hadn’t arrived yet.

Amidst the bustling yet calm atmosphere, one particularly familiar avatar caught my eye.

“Silver! You’re here early!”

Rydel spotted me and waved her hand enthusiastically.

That’s when it happened.

Her gaze locked onto the nickname floating above my avatar’s head.

The place where my usual, familiar nickname [SilverSilver] should have been.

But instead, three completely different characters were clearly written there.

[Yoo Seoyeno]