Chapter 138

“Kana…?”Da-eun’s arm, stretched out reflexively, felt a weight on it. It was light. The face of the limp girl bore a peaceful expression. As if she might open her eyes at any moment. However, the warm touch that had always accompanied the girl was no longer there.

…

For a long time, Da-eun looked down and silently pulled the girl into an embrace. Sёarᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

***

[Joanie: Taking a break from streaming today]

Exactly as the title says.

[Comments]

—Ah, this sucks;

— “Today”? LOL

┗It means she’s taking a break today too~

┗Is she planning to quit streaming?

┗She’s making tons of money; do you think she would quit?

—What’s the reason this time?

┗What else could it be?

┗She said it’s because of work.

┗And you believe that? You’re so naive lol.

┗Who said I believed it? I just said it, okay;

—Probably busy with her new boyfriend.

┗Got the PDF saved, have fun.

┗The troll got caught lol.

┗Does he think using a VPN means he won’t get caught??

[Who cares about Joanie or whatever]

Why come here just to make a fuss? Go back to your own space and talk about your beloved streamer.

[Comments]

—Yeah, we’re not leaving~.

—Don’t like it? You know what to do lol.

┗Ugh, jerks.

[I just don’t get it]

Why cry for days over a dead NPC and even skip streaming? Isn’t that taking immersion too far? Honestly, isn’t it a little off-putting? It makes me think that games really are a problem. �

[Comments]

—This whole “games are a disease” nonsense makes me want to punch someone.

┗Was I wrong?

┗Do you think you were right?

┗Don’t just throw it back at me, give me a logical rebuttal.

┗Lol, posting garbage and then acting logical when you get called out lolol.

—’Loser.’

┗Can’t argue back, so now you resort to calling me a loser lol, sigh.

┗Triggered?

┗You’re the one triggered, idiot.

┗Unlike you, I have a job and friends.

┗Oh, sure, yeah, whatever you say lol.

┗Look at you, getting all worked up.

—It’s clear that you’re not a gamer.

[The real reason Joanie is taking a break.txt]

Anyone who’s been deeply moved by a game, book, comic, drama, or movie will know what I mean. When something you’re truly engrossed in ends, there’s this lingering feeling. Like when a trip ends and you feel like you’ve been left behind, and you realize you can’t watch those characters live their lives anymore, and it feels… empty, like you can’t focus on anything else.

Joanie is probably feeling like that right now. If humans can immerse themselves in even pixelated games, imagine what it’s like with Silia Online, where the line between reality and fiction blurs. Anyone who saw Joanie’s expression when she was with Kana can guess how she felt about Kana. If you’re not utterly clueless and socially inept, you’d know. It wasn’t just any NPC dying in the ultra-realistic world of Silia Online; it was an NPC she’d gone through so much to befriend and cherish. Of course, it’s a huge shock.

Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Joanie quits Silia Online over this.

[Comments]

—True, totally true.

—I get everything, but why bring up being single?

┗Um…

┗I didn’t want to end up like this!!!!!

┗I… I’m sorry…

—Yeah, that’s right. After the ending of The Last of Land, I couldn’t touch another game for a while.

┗LOTL was a masterpiece, no doubt.

┗If only the second game had been better…

┗??? The first game is the only one that matters.

┗This guy’s a time traveler!

—Honestly, most of the people commenting here aren’t serious.

┗Most of them are just trolling or trying to get a rise out of people.

┗Ignoring them is the best answer.

—That’s what we call over-immersion lol. Look at these nerds agreeing.

┗Normal people might feel sad after a sappy movie, but they don’t cry like you guys.

┗Yeah, yeah, you’re right, now can you please leave your room?

[If you don’t understand Joanie]

Maybe you’ve lost all your sensitivity? Of course, it’s sad when a money and viewer-generating machine breaks down. If I were Joanie, I would have cried too. If you don’t cry, you’re either a communist or a psychopath. Either way, watch out if there’s someone like that around you.

[Comments]

—”Wow, what a unique idiot.”

┗”Caught a commie.”

—Where do these people keep crawling out from? No matter how many we catch, there’s no end to them, damn.”

…

The comments under the post titled [Taking a break from streaming today].

Da-eun’s emotionless, dark eyes slowly moved as she scanned through the comments.

Among them, there were quite a few messages wishing her a good rest. However, the ones expressing discontent and harsh reactions to her break were far more prevalent.

It was understandable.

After all, Da-eun had been on a streaming break for four days now. For someone who used to stream every day, taking such a break without providing a detailed explanation was bound to draw complaints. And Da-eun understood their frustration.

‘…I don’t want to do anything.’

Not only streaming, but she also had no interest in doing anything else. She couldn’t even muster the will to eat, and only when her stomach growled from unbearable hunger would she force down a piece of bread.

“…Maybe I should just quit everything.”

She knew the word “death,” but it was her first time experiencing the departure of someone she had been so close to. Da-eun had no idea how to fill the deep sense of loss that lingered in her heart. She just thrashed about in the emptiness, feeling that everything was pointless.

Buzzzz—

Da-eun’s phone vibrated, lightly trembling. Since Kana’s sudden departure, those who knew Da-eun’s situation had reached out with calls and messages expressing their concern. Some shared their own experiences, offering empathy.

It was likely one of those again. Da-eun’s hand hesitated, reaching for her phone.

‘Do I really need to look?’

She had said she was okay every time, but they surely knew she wasn’t. She was tired of hearing the same predictable words. As she debated whether or not to read the new message, Da-eun’s hand…

…

Thunk.

…finally picked up the phone. The brief vibration suggested a text message or an app notification. Da-eun glanced at her phone without any expectation or interest.

As expected, the messenger app glowed with a new message.

“…?”

Da-eun’s eyes suddenly widened.

“…Demoninus?”

If it was Demoninus, wasn’t that the name of the company that developed Silia Online? Da-eun double-checked the message several times, but the name “Demoninus” at the top didn’t disappear.

‘It’s phishing.’

Realizing her eyes weren’t playing tricks, Da-eun thought as much. There was no way Demoninus, known for never bothering with small announcements, would directly message a mere streamer like her.

They should know when to joke around. Normally, she would have just shrugged it off with a “Ha, phishing,” but Da-eun wasn’t in a good mood today.

Her fingers hovered just above the report button when…

“…?”

…she noticed something. The message said they’d also left the same message on her game account, just in case she didn’t believe it. Thinking it was still likely a scam, Da-eun’s body moved sluggishly toward the capsule.

And, sure enough, she found the exact same message in her game account as on her phone.

“Is this… real?”

Da-eun confirmed that the message was sent through the official account of Demoninus and slowly read through it.

Unlike other phishing texts, it didn’t contain any links, requests for calls, or replies. It was formal but simple: an invitation to visit their headquarters if she was interested in their proposal.

“Demoninus has something to offer me?”

The very company that always maintained such an aloof stance?

Da-eun muttered, her face scrunching up in frustration.



“Is this some kind of joke…?”

There’s no way Demoninus didn’t know what had recently happened. They surely knew what Da-eun had gone through, so reaching out to her at this particular time felt like mockery.

“Sigh.”

Da-eun bit her lip and exhaled deeply.

“Am I overreacting…?”

Whether she accepted the offer or not, just the fact that she had received a message from Demoninus would be enough to become a hot topic. If she streamed and shared what had happened, the response would be explosive.

Besides that, as someone who genuinely enjoyed Silia Online, Da-eun didn’t have much reason to refuse… at least, not before her recent loss.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

After a long deliberation, Da-eun made up her mind.

She would go.

She would go and ask.

Stumble.

As Da-eun tried to get ready to go out, her body suddenly lost balance and staggered. It wasn’t surprising, given that she hadn’t eaten or rested properly for days.

Looking into the mirror, Da-eun saw a face streaked with dried tear stains—she was a mess.

“I should eat something first… And take a shower.”

‘But how did Demoninus get my phone number?’

The question briefly crossed Da-eun’s mind.

‘It must’ve been in the personal information I provided when I signed up.’

Not wanting to dwell on it too much at the moment, Da-eun brushed off her curiosity.

***

And so, she arrived at the Demoninus headquarters.

Standing before the familiar building, Da-eun, though still pale but now cleaned up and wearing makeup, entered without hesitation.

She approached what seemed like the reception or customer service desk, and a staff member greeted her with a bright smile.

“What brings you here today?”

“Well, I received a message saying you had a proposal for me—”

“A proposal?”

The staff tilted their head, looking puzzled as if they had never heard of such a thing before. Da-eun began to wonder if it really was a phishing scam.

“Could you tell me your name?”

“…It’s Shin Da-eun. My Silia Online username is Joanie.”

“Oh! Are you perhaps the streamer…?”

Nod.

“Please wait just a moment. I’ll check on that right away!”

After enthusiastically typing on the keyboard, the staff member soon spoke in a positive tone.

“Ah, there it is! I apologize for the inconvenience. This is our first time handling something like this.”

“It’s fine.”

“Please take the elevator over there up to the 10th floor.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ve been watching your streams!”

The staff member hastily added, and Da-eun replied with a forced smile as she stepped into the elevator as instructed.

’10th floor, 10th floor… the CEO’s office?’

Going straight to the CEO’s office? That seemed odd. But Da-eun’s hand had already pressed the button, and the elevator was moving. Since there was no turning back, she crossed her arms and waited for the elevator to reach its destination.

Before long, the elevator stopped with a cheerful chime.

“Welcome.”

As the door opened, a woman with long hair greeted Da-eun. Her hair color wasn’t much different from the typical color of Koreans, but something about it seemed different.

Before Da-eun could fully process her thoughts, a soft sensation pulled her hand.

“…Eh?”

“What are you doing? Hurry up and come in.”

It was a strange experience—being grabbed and pulled by someone she had never seen before—and Da-eun’s mind momentarily froze.

“E-excuse me…! Who are you?”

The woman leading Da-eun looked back with a puzzled expression, as if Da-eun had asked something obvious.

“I’m the CEO, of course, since this is the CEO’s office.”

“The CEO?”

This young-looking woman?

Regardless of Da-eun’s confusion, the woman continued to stride forward, dragging Da-eun deeper into the office.

“Wait a minute—where are you taking me?!”

‘How is she so strong…?!’

Regaining some composure, Da-eun tried to shake off the woman’s grip, but the hand holding her was firm and unyielding.

“You’ll understand when you see.”

She responded nonchalantly, sounding almost bored, as she continued to drag Da-eun along. Da-eun, who had forgotten her lingering emptiness for a moment, felt a surge of fear.

Was she being dragged off to some horrible fate?

Would they lock her up and demand a ransom?

Or perhaps conduct some horrifying experiments?

With her mind spinning with all sorts of terrible scenarios, Da-eun couldn’t free herself from the woman’s grip as she was dragged along.

“We’re here.”

Finally, they stopped in front of a door, and Da-eun was released.

“Go on, open it.”

“…What is this place?”

“You’ll find out. Just open the door.”

“No.”

Having encountered one suspicious situation after another, Da-eun’s guard was at its highest. There was no way she would obediently follow an order to open a door in such a situation. Like a hedgehog facing its predator, Da-eun bristled, eyeing the woman warily. The woman shrugged.

“I dragged you here because you were being slow, not because I planned to force you. If you really don’t want to, you can just leave.”

“Then—”

“But you’ll regret it if you just leave.”

“…Are you threatening me?”

Would they really let her leave in one piece?

Was that a threat? Da-eun asked, but the woman shook her head.

“No, it’s not a threat. It’s a piece of advice.”

“Hard to trust advice from someone who dragged me here against my will.”

“I told you, I dragged you because you were dragging your feet. You looked like you were about to move into the elevator, so I figured it was necessary.”

“…I wasn’t that slow.”

The woman’s lips curled into a smile. She didn’t say anything, but it was clear she didn’t agree with Da-eun’s words.

‘Regret it, huh?’

What a joke.

She had already experienced more than enough regret over the past few days. A little more regret wouldn’t faze her, so there was no reason to feel inclined to enter this suspicious room.

But…

“…”

Hesitating, Da-eun’s feet moved forward.

“Just so you know, it’s not because of what you said.”

Her instincts told her she had to open this door.

It had nothing to do with the woman’s words—absolutely not.

“Of course.”

With a sly smile, the woman’s face irritated Da-eun, who then reached out to the doorknob.

‘Seriously. What could happen?’

Taking a deep breath, Da-eun pulled the door open.

The scene inside the room unfolded before her.

It wasn’t a lab or a cell meant to confine someone, but a typical office.

However, what truly caught Da-eun’s attention was something else entirely.

“…Huh?”

There was an object that clearly didn’t belong in an office.

If this were a game where one had to spot abnormalities, she would have pointed it out immediately—a decently sized bed.

On the luxurious-looking bed, a girl was lying half-reclined against the headboard.

Swish—

The girl’s eyelids slowly lifted.



“…You’re late.”

Her pink eyes, filled with a languid expression, revealed themselves.

—

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