Chapter 79: Summer Welcome Co-op Game (1)

As soon as they stepped out of the restaurant, Yoo Seo-ha let out a happy sigh.

“Sis, that was amazing!”

She patted her belly, emphasizing how full she was.

“High-quality Korean beef really is different. So this is what it means when they say it melts in your mouth.”

It must have been really delicious because she couldn’t stop expressing her delight.

Seeing her so happy made Yoo Seo-yeon feel a sense of pride too.

‘It really was good.’

Although Seo-ha seemed mindful of the price and ordered the cheaper cuts of beef,

Yoo Seo-yeon intentionally ordered the more expensive parts, like ribeye and sirloin, and made sure to put plenty on her sister’s plate.

Her wallet hurt a bit.

Actually, it hurt quite a lot.

But it was fine—seeing her younger sister after such a long time made it worth it… probably.

“It’s been years since I’ve had ribeye. Hehe.”

Seo-ha, still savoring the taste of the meat, glanced at her sister, a hint of caution in her eyes.

“But, Sis… you didn’t go overboard, right?”

She had chosen the cheapest beef cuts on purpose earlier, and now Seo-ha couldn’t help but worry.

‘I get why she’s concerned.’

Just a short while ago, she was an unemployed person.

Now, suddenly, she was treating her sister to high-end beef.

Anyone would find it odd.

Although it was expensive, the payment from Raidel and the earnings from the first stream made it manageable.

Her sister enjoyed the meal, and she also found it delicious.

So, it was worth it.

“I’ll treat you again sometime.”

Yoo Seo-yeon whispered quietly.

Seo-ha’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Hehe. Thanks. It was really good. But…”

Even though she looked happy at the mention of another treat, Seo-ha’s tone grew more careful.

“Next time, instead of beef, how about we go to a noodle place? Or maybe Chinese food…”

Seo-ha did like cold noodles, but if given a choice, anyone would pick Korean beef.

It was obvious she was being considerate of her sister’s finances.

“Sure. I got it.”

Yoo Seo-yeon patted her sister’s head.

…Though, since Seo-ha was slightly taller, it looked a bit odd.

“Then, next time, let’s bring the whole family.”

She saw Seo-ha off to the bus stop and then headed back home.

As soon as she entered her cozy apartment, she felt a wave of relaxation wash over her.

‘Phew.’

Being back in her familiar space made all the tension melt away.

Although she initially just wanted to take her sister out for a nice meal—

‘It was really tasty.’

Reflecting on it, the beef truly was delicious. The phrase “melts in your mouth” was spot on.

The rich, savory juice that spread in her mouth was still vivid in her memory.

Of course, the price was nothing to scoff at.

‘But still.’

She remembered Seo-ha’s bright, smiling face waving goodbye.

Seeing her that happy made Yoo Seo-yeon think it was worth every penny.

“Alright.”

She changed into comfortable clothes, ready to flop onto her bed.

Ring—

Her phone suddenly rang.

The screen displayed a familiar name.

‘It’s Ha-yoon?’

Raidel was calling.

‘I was just about to call her, actually.’

She recalled the YTube video she watched at the restaurant.

It was a video about a trending game, recommended by the algorithm.

Since she needed content ideas, she had planned to call Raidel for advice.

It was almost as if Raidel had read her mind.

“Hello?”

〈Seo-yeon! I watched your debut stream!〉

Kim Ha-yoon’s voice came through, sounding a bit more upbeat than usual.

“Oh, you watched the replay.”

She figured Ha-yoon was talking about the latter part of the stream, where she finally checked the chat.

Until that point, she had turned off all notifications and focused solely on the game.

〈Hehe, I didn’t expect Seo-yeon to give in to capitalism like that.〉

Raidel’s playful tone made Yoo Seo-yeon blush slightly.

She must be referring to the moment when Yoo Seo-yeon planned to end the stream but ended up singing because of the 300,000 won donation.

It was a slightly embarrassing memory.

“But… 300,000 won… that’s just… too much to ignore.”

She scratched her cheek as she mumbled an excuse.

Honestly, resisting that amount would’ve been impossible.

〈No, no. It was actually pretty fun!〉

Raidel laughed.

〈The spontaneous singing stream was great! Improvisation is important for streamers, you know. Being able to handle unexpected situations is a skill.〉

“Really?”

〈Of course. And for your first stream, you did really well. You looked a bit nervous, but that just made you cuter.〉

Her face flushed slightly.

〈For a debut stream, it was genuinely good.〉

She thought she had been too tense, but hearing Raidel’s positive feedback made her feel relieved.

Compliments always felt nice.

〈By the way, do you have any plans for your next stream? Any content ideas?〉

“Actually, I was just about to call you about that.”

Thinking the timing was perfect, Yoo Seo-yeon brought up her idea.

“Do you know about a game called ‘Scrap Planet’?”

Scrap Planet.

She had come across it while browsing YTube at the restaurant.

The algorithm had picked it up as a trending game.

〈Ah, that one? Of course, it’s really popular right now.〉

As expected of a game streamer, Raidel was already familiar with it.

“Yeah! It’s a horror game where you explore a ruined planet to collect scrap and sell it. It’s a VR game and allows up to three players.”

It was officially released just a few days before the Pixel Wars server shutdown.

“Would you like to try it with me? I think it could be really fun.”

It felt somewhat similar to the first game she played with Raidel, Chain Roller.

However, unlike Chain Roller, which was an indie trash game, Scrap Planet was a well-funded horror game.

It was considered a highly anticipated title.

On Soopjijik, it had been somewhat overshadowed by the Pixel Wars streamer server, but once that server shut down, professional gaming streamers, who kept up with trends, jumped on it immediately.

〈Ah, y-yeah? That’s not a bad idea. Haha, I was actually thinking about it too…〉

Kim Ha-yoon’s voice seemed a little shaky, but it was probably just her imagination.

Anyway, it seemed like Kim Ha-yoon was also up for playing Scrap Planet together.

But then, a new problem came to mind.

“But what about the third player?”

One of Scrap Planet’s biggest features:

Playing with three people wasn’t just recommended—it was mandatory.

You couldn’t even start the game with less than three players.

You had to form a three-person party to play.

〈Hmm. Since it’s a major game, I think it would be better to play with another streamer rather than a random viewer.〉

Unlike Chain Roller, which was just a lighthearted trash game, Scrap Planet required more focus, so teaming up with a proven streamer was preferable.

Kim Ha-yoon seemed to be deep in thought for a moment.

After a short silence, as if something came to her mind, she spoke.

〈Ah, actually, I know someone who might join…〉

“Really?”

〈Yes. She likes games and… since she’s also a woman, Seo-yeon, you probably wouldn’t feel too awkward. But, um…〉

Kim Ha-yoon’s voice sounded a bit hesitant.

〈…Would it be okay? Hold on a moment.〉

It seemed like Raidel was checking something.

〈Ah, she says she’s available for a voice link right now.〉

Voice Link—an app that connected the voices of people in a group.

Streamers often used it during collaborative streams.

〈Seo-yeon, can you join right now? It would be nice to at least say hello.〉

“Yeah. That’s fine.”

It was sudden, but there was no reason to refuse.

Since they were going to play together, it would be good to get acquainted.

She turned on her computer, opened the Voice Link program, and joined the channel through the link Raidel sent.

Two users were already logged in—Raidel and someone named Siren.

With a small notification sound, Siren’s voice came through.

〈Ahaha! Hello!〉

A lively and clear voice.

Just listening to it made her feel energized.

〈I’m Siren! Seo-yeon, I really enjoyed your performance!〉

Siren? Siren…

Ah, now that she thought about it, there was someone like that.

During the Pixel Wars server’s last day concert—

She vaguely remembered seeing a mint-haired avatar singing.

She couldn’t recall the details, but fragments of her memory flickered.

“A-Ah! Nice to meet you, Siren.”

She couldn’t help but stutter a little while greeting.

“I-I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Actually, it was practically the first time she was hearing the name, but she said it out of courtesy.

Well, maybe she had heard it in passing somewhere.

She vaguely remembered seeing her on the Pixel Wars streamer server, but it wasn’t clear.

‘Come to think of it…’

A thought suddenly crossed her mind.

‘So Ha-yoon has a close streamer friend, huh?’

For some reason, she had always thought of Ha-yoon as someone who played games alone…

More of a solo gamer type.

It was a bit surprising that she found a fellow streamer to play with so quickly.

“Um, so are you two close… friends?”

She carefully asked out of curiosity.

〈Oh no, not really!〉

Siren answered energetically.

〈Actually, I was the one who contacted Raidel first!〉

“Huh?”

〈You two seemed really close, and I thought it would be fun to stream together with Seo-yeon sometime!〉

Siren’s voice grew even more enthusiastic.

〈During the Pixel Wars server finale concert, wow, your singing was amazing! How do you sing with such delicate emotion?〉

“A-Ah… really?”

〈That wistful, slightly melancholic vibe! Your voice was just… wow.〉

Siren seemed genuinely impressed.

〈And are you connected with a famous composer or something? That song you sang, I’d never heard it before, but the melody was so good! It felt like a hidden masterpiece.〉

〈It was a pretty challenging song, but your voice really brought it to life.〉

“A-Ahaha…”

The flood of compliments made Yoo Seo-yeon break into a cold sweat.