Chapter 83
—
To not miss a word, Si-hyun pressed her phone tightly to her ear and focused.
On the other end of the phone, Ji-a, still unable to contain her excitement, said,
-“I kind of felt something back during that Double Dungeon!”
“Yeah, yeah!”
-“So I coordinated with the Management Bureau to come back down to the province, and I really did it! It’s all thanks to you, Si-hyun!”
“No way, it’s because of your hard work! Seriously, congratulations!”
Si-hyun offered her heartfelt congratulations.
An S-rank Hunter!
There are currently fewer than ten of them in all of Korea—truly the pinnacle of the awakened pyramid.
The fact that the name Kim Ji-a would now be added to that list.
It was obvious the news would cause a huge commotion everywhere.
Imagining the upcoming headlines filled with stories about Ji-a, Si-hyun smiled brightly.
“So, when are you coming up to Seoul?”
-“Hmm… There are quite a few dungeons to clear this time. I don’t think I can make it right way.”
“I see… Haha, won’t you be even busier once you get back?”
-“Ahaha! That might be true!”
At Si-hyun’s light-hearted joke, Ji-a laughed brightly.
-“Hmm? Ah, Si-hyun, hang on a sec.”
Someone on Ji-a’s side seemed to have called out to her.
Si-hyun quietly waited, hearing faint voices in the background.
After a moment, Ji-a returned, her tone sounding regretful.
-“The next dungeon is on the verge of overflowing. I have to go quickly…”
The lingering reluctance was clear in her voice.
Si-hyun gave a small, wry smile as she replied.
“That can’t be helped. You’ll let me know when you’re back, right?”
-“Of course! Oh, and could you keep this a secret from Si-yoon for now? I want to tell her myself.”
“Sure, no problem!”
Si-hyun readily accepted Ji-a’s request.
After all, Si-yoon had shut herself in her room to work today.
That made it easier to keep her lips sealed without too much temptation.
Though her sister’s room was usually soundproof, today Si-hyun couldn’t help but wonder if a surprised shout might leak out.
Smiling to herself, Si-hyun finished her call with Ji-a.
***
Leaning back on the sofa, Si-hyun picked up the TV remote.
With a familiar motion, she opened TriTube.
She checked to see that Momobin’s stream hadn’t started yet.
“It’s about to begin.”
After checking the time, Si-hyun casually scrolled through her recommended video list to pass the time.
Her increasingly tailored preferences lured her in.
“Hmm…”
Her eyes lingered briefly on Momobin’s singing Shorts.
There were times before when Momobin did live singing streams, but it hadn’t happened recently.
Si-hyun had never once caught one of Momobin’s live singing streams.
Swallowing her disappointment, she kept scrolling.
Most of the videos were familiar—only the editors were different.
‘…Should I watch this one?’
Si-hyun’s gaze froze.
It was a video of a refined middle-aged man drinking alcohol in Japan.
Recently, she had been growing more interested in alcohol, so she clicked on it with curiosity.
‘I’d love to travel.’
After this semester ends, maybe she could take some time off during the vacation.
It might be fun to ask Ji-a and Si-yoon if they could coordinate their schedules to go together.
Getting a passport would be easy enough.
Si-hyun mentally pieced together her spontaneous travel plan.
…And as she mindlessly spent her time like that,
“…Ah!”
Momobin’s stream must have started by now!
Checking the time, Si-hyun quickly clicked back to Momobin’s broadcast.
The opening was already over, and VTuber Momobin was chatting with her viewers.
《Huh? Why am I playing this game again today? Well, because I want to!》
-LOLOLOL
-Exactly, lol
-If you want to, you should, lol
-So true, lol
Si-hyun skimmed the chat as she checked the stream info.
The game Momobin was playing today looked familiar.
‘Did I see this in an old video?’
Si-hyun searched her memory.
Then, she remembered.
‘Aha! This is the game Si-yoon asked me about a few weeks ago.’
That was the evening when she and Ji-a had dinner together.
The day Si-yoon gave her Momobin merchandise and teased her like she was a doll.
Si-yoon had asked her to teach this game back then.
She said she wanted to play it but was struggling because it was so difficult.
‘I wonder if she’s enjoying it now?’
After teaching her how to clear it, they hadn’t discussed the game again.
《I practiced this one a bit, you know? Today, I’ll definitely clear it.》
-Here we go again, lol
-Practicing doesn’t help, lol
-Practice for what? Your hands can’t keep up, lol
-Clip-worthy moments incoming, lol
When Momobin proudly declared her goal, the viewers burst out laughing.
Si-hyun joined in too. It was unexpected, in a funny way.
-I believe in our Momo!
《See? There’s someone who believes in me! Learn from their attitude, everyone.》
-Do you really think they believe you? lol
-I believe… you’ll fail.
-For real, lol
-LOLOLOL
-Nodding along.
《…Hey, come on, surely you don’t mean it like that? I believe in your innocence, viewers.》
-Innocence? Where?
-Innocence confirmed, lol
-We believe in you too (that you’ll fail).
-So real, lol
-LOLOLOLOLOL
The usual lighthearted banter continued.
Then, suddenly, Momobin spoke.
《Oh, wait a moment. I’m getting a call.》
The stream’s microphone turned off.
Si-hyun stared blankly at the chat window.
At that very moment,
-“Waaaah! Ack.”
A startled shout suddenly came from the room next door!
It cut off abruptly, as if someone had hurriedly clapped a hand over their mouth.
‘…Huh?’
Si-hyun twitched her eyebrows and stared at the door.
She turned her head back to look at the broadcast screen.
A few seconds later, she glanced at the door again.
In that brief moment, countless question marks floated in Si-hyun’s mind.
‘…A coincidence?’
It could be.
The timing might have just been coincidental.
Considering what happened today, it was probably because Si-yoon had heard about Ji-a’s message and cried out in surprise.
And it just so happened that Momobin got a phone call at the same time…
……
‘…Is this really just a coincidence?’
No, no, no. Surely, it must be a coincidence.
If it weren’t a coincidence, wouldn’t that be even stranger?
From the very beginning, Si-yoon had said this when Si-hyun returned to Earth:
[Uh, well… I’m a freelancer! Sometimes it might get noisy in my room, but don’t mind it, okay?]
That’s what she had said.
Not to worry if there was occasional noise coming from her room.
But in reality, there were almost no instances of actual noise.
Si-hyun had assumed the room must have been soundproofed.
Of course, she wasn’t certain because Si-yoon had firmly warned her never to enter the room.
‘…I feel like I’m starting to rationalize this to myself.’
Si-hyun stared at the door, unable to relax her expression.
If a person’s gaze could apply pressure, the door would have shattered already.
Si-hyun’s emotions kept denying the possibility.
When the mind fixates on one thought, it tends to shut out all other possibilities, flowing only in the direction one wants to believe.
However, Si-hyun’s sharp mind stubbornly clung to reason.
Her logic refused to let it go without confirmation.
Caught between her emotions and rationality, Si-hyun wavered like a reed swaying in the wind.
She turned back to the TV screen.
Momobin was still on the phone, and the broadcast had yet to resume.
‘I’m sorry, Si-yoon, but I think I need to test this…’
The reed that was Si-hyun swayed but did not break.
Her sharp mind produced a way to resolve the question that kept nagging at her.
Si-hyun waited patiently.
Like a predator watching its prey, her eyes sharpened as she observed the situation.
Quietly, without a word.
She waited for Momobin’s broadcast to resume.
《Sorry, sorry! That took so long, huh? It was an important call.》
-What kind of call???
-I can’t believe someone important would call Momo, lol.
-LOLOLOLOLOLOL
Momobin’s stream resumed.
She acted as nonchalantly as ever, brushing off the phone call without anyone paying much attention to it.
Naturally, she started chatting with her viewers again before launching today’s game.
Si-hyun continued watching without moving a muscle.
She didn’t even type anything in the chat.
《Alright! Today, I’ll really show you the ending!》
-I believe (you’ll fail).
-Believe? Lol.
-I’ll believe it for now, haha.
《Jeez, why does nobody trust me?》
Momobin kept her usual light-hearted attitude as she continued streaming.
After some idle conversation with her viewers, she finally pressed the “Start” button, beginning the game broadcast in earnest.
‘Not yet, not yet…’
Si-hyun still didn’t act.
She waited for the perfect moment to confirm her suspicion.
‘If it’s a misunderstanding, I’ll just enjoy the stream again. But if it’s not…’
…But what if it isn’t?
Her mind spiraled back into confusion. Still, she had to do what needed to be done.
Si-hyun watched the broadcast with hawk-like eyes.
And then…
‘…Now!’
Just as Momobin started an important in-game battle!
Si-hyun picked up her smartphone and called her sister.
—
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Click here -> https://discord.gg/S8c2kGVr2g
Comment