Chapter 12: Not as fan, but as a women.

The day I heard that Cosmo had received an offer to ladvertise a game our company had invested in, I couldn’t

believe

it, so I immediately called Secretary Kim.

• “Yes, Director.”

“Ah, Secretary Kim. I’m sorry to bother you when you’re busy. I heard that a game funded by our company is going to

be released soon, and I was wondering if you knew anything about it.”

• “Ah, of course. From what I hear, even the people in charge are quite excited about the project.”

I vaguely remembered it too. After all, I had personally approved the funds for that project.

However, it hadn’t piqued my interest much at the time, so I had forgotten about it. In contrast, Secretary Kim

seemed to know more details about it.

“Then, do you happen to know if the developers are hiring internet streamers to advertise it?”

• “I’m sorry, I don’t know the details on that part… But from what I understand, the developers entrusted the advertising to trustworthy streamers based on their own criteria. A significant portion of the funds we provided went in that direction.”

“I see… Thanks, and sorry to bother you at this late hour.”

Trying to mask my surprise as much as possible, I nodded and quickly finished the call.

Click.

I lay down on my back, staring at the phone I had tossed beside the pillow. As I gazed at it, I couldn’t help but grin.

“He really achieved it on his own.”

I was overjoyed to realize that the streamer I cherished and admired had earned the advertisement on his own merit,

without any help from me, simply because his skills had been recognized by the people involved.

As that joy grew, so did the desire to see Cosmo again.

Cosmo’s face at the Twin Party flashed in my mind. Just imagining him on the screen, excited like a child with a

bright smile, chattering away, made me feel both proud and affectionate.

Ah, I want to see him.

But I can’t. I had already decided that meeting Cosmo at the Twin Party would be the first and last time.

Anything more would make me seem less like a fan and more like a creepy stalker. Cosmo might feel strange or

suspicious if we met twice in a row.

So, not this time. Unless I had some legitimate reason…

“…Wait?”

A word suddenly popped into my head, and I shot up from the bed like a spring.

Right! Like they say in the movies, you just need a reason! It’s not like I’m going just to see Cosmo. I have an official

reason, and there’s just a chance I might run into him!

“…Yes, I have a responsibility to check on the game our company invested in.”

Muttering to myself as if trying to convince someone, my eyes sparkled.

I knew better than anyone that it was just silly self-justification, but I didn’t care. The hope of seeing Cosmo was enough to ignite my determination.

On the day of the AGP event, Seoul was under a cold wave advisory, but I dressed without concern for such things

and headed for Atex.

It was freezing outside, but the thought of possibly seeing Cosmo made compromising on my outfit impossible.

“Ah…!”

Shivering from the cold seeping through my clothes, I moved forward, and then I saw him—Cosmo, standing in line

in the distance.

I couldn’t call out “Cosmo!” in a crowded place like this, so I forced my frozen legs to move faster.

“Excuse me. Pardon me, please…!”

Thanks to the kindness of people making room for me, I managed to slip into the line, but I was already too late.

Between Cosmo and me were at least ten spectators in line, separating us like a Berlin Wall, leaving me helplessly

staring at the gap between us.

I had hoped to stand in line next to Cosmo.

Even though I couldn’t stand in line with Cosmo, I held onto the hope that we might meet inside, and I steeled

myself to endure the cold for now.

“…Excuse me, pardon me. I’m sorry.”

I heard a familiar voice growing closer, accompanied by the sound of footsteps.

“Co-Cosmo?!”

“Oh? Aren’t you the person I met at the Twin Party?”

The moment I saw Cosmo appear in front of me, my eyes widened in disbelief.

To my surprise, Cosmo remembered my face and confirmed it. I nodded quickly, grinning like an idiot.

But my joy didn’t stop there.

“Weren’t you in line ahead? Why did you come all the way back here…?”

“I heard a familiar voice. I thought I’d check, and here you were.”

I was already thrilled that Cosmo had recognized my voice from a distance, but the fact that he had given up his spot

in line to come find me filled me with gratitude.

What was he planning to do, make me this happy?

“Would it be okay if I called you ‘noona’ instead, if you’re not comfortable giving your name?”

“Wh-What? N-Noona?”

I couldn’t reveal that I was the company president; it would’ve made things awkward. I was also reluctant to reveal

my Twip nickname or my real name, so I hesitated. Cosmo, sensing the hesitation, suggested calling me “noona”

instead.

Noona? Did I hear that right?

When I looked at him, disbelief evident in my eyes, Cosmo awkwardly mentioned the conversation we had at the Twin Party.

Ah, so that’s why.

Back then, in my flustered state, I had blurted out things without thinking. But now, that impulsive moment had

brought me this golden opportunity. Past me, well done!

As Cosmo continued to call me “noona,” I struggled to calm my racing heart, trying to appear as composed as

possible while engaging in small talk.

“Achoo!”

In the middle of our conversation, my body betrayed me, sneezing as if to protest my thin clothes. The moment the

sneeze left my lips, an awkward silence fell between us, and I awkwardly glanced around. Cosmo gave a wry smile

and pulled a hand warmer from his pocket, offering it to me.

I tried refusing it several times, but he insisted, pressing the warmer into my hand with a kind of gentle force that

made me forget he was younger than me.

“Why did you dress so lightly? It’s not like there’s someone here you need to impress.”

“Oh, I just… It’s nice to dress up, you know?”

I couldn’t bring myself to say, “Because I thought I might run into you,” so I waved the hand warmer and pressed it

to my cheek instead.

It was warm, almost like it was mirroring how I felt inside.

Finally, we entered the Atex building, but my hopes for a peaceful event were dashed. We ended up helping a lost

child find their parents, and as a result, we had to wait in line twice to see the Last Destiny booth. By the time we

finished, we were both exhausted.

But even with all that, the day was a huge success for me.

Some might call it sneaky, but I was completely satisfied just to have spent time standing in line and chatting with

Cosmo. More than anything, though, the biggest success was getting to know not just “Cosmo the streamer” but also

“Kang Wooju the person.”

One moment, in particular, stood out. When I asked him why he had gone through all this trouble to attend AGP, his

answer left me a little stunned.

“It’s a win-win for both of us, right? I get paid, and the advertisers get to showcase their game to more people. So I

started thinking about what I could do for this game.”

He said it so casually, but I’d never heard anyone say something like that in my world.

In the business world, it’s always a race to see who can gain more, and the moment someone suffers even a minor

loss, they pounce like sharks.

That’s when I realized that this man, at the very least, always gives his best effort. He doesn’t seek just his own

advantage, but tries to ensure everyone benefits equally.

I think it was from that moment on.

As a fan, no, as a woman, I realized I wanted to know more about this person. Not just as a person, but as someone I

was growing increasingly curious about.

“Waaaah!”

And then, an incident occurred. A child had gotten lost and was desperately crying out for their parents.

Honestly, I was going to stay silent. Someone else would help, I thought. There were staff members passing by, and

surely, one of them would assist the child.

“Noona, I’m sorry, but could you go ahead and enjoy the event? I’ll catch up later.”

“…What?”

“I can’t just leave it. I’ll help find the kid’s parents and then come back.”

But this person was different.

Without hesitation, he gave up his place in line—one he had waited so long for—and approached the crying child. He

calmed them down with a piece of chocolate and eventually reunited them with their parents.

Then he explained, saying that the child reminded him of a trauma he had experienced when he was young, and he

couldn’t just ignore them.

I found it fascinating, and even a bit enviable, that he could so casually speak about his vulnerabilities. Weaknesses

were always something I felt the need to hide.

As each layer of his hidden depths was revealed, I found myself watching him more closely. It was the first time I

wasn’t disappointed as someone’s true nature came to light—in fact, I felt more drawn to him.

This must be what they mean when they say someone has “onion-like” charm. It felt like I was just starting to

understand it for the first time.

What will he show me next? What words will he say? What other parts of his hidden self will he reveal?

As I pondered these questions, the moment of our parting slowly approached. Unlike the time at the party when I

was satisfied with just seeing his face and chatting, I now felt an ache of longing in my chest.

When I realized this was no longer just fan adoration, I resolved to find a way to keep this connection alive.

“Go ahead, ask for anything.”

In the middle of my musings, he came over, offering to repay me for the coffee by asking if there was anything I

wanted.

He had no idea that his innocent suggestion was akin to tossing raw meat into the cage of a starving predator. His

face was so pure and unsuspecting.

On one hand, that expression was a little annoying.

He was probably expecting me to ask for something a fan would want, oblivious to the fact that I no longer saw him

just as a celebrity. If he knew I was seeing him as a man, he would never have made such an offer.

Well, if that’s the case, I’ll just close the gap between us in an instant.

I’ll teach him not to let his guard down, that there are cunning women in the world eager to devour kind and naive

men like him.

“Then… could I have your contact information?”

“…W-What?”

His expression morphed in real-time as he processed my request, and I savored every second of it.

I’d read somewhere that when a man stops looking cool and starts looking adorable, it’s already too late to escape.

That statement felt so true in this moment.

Like I was gazing at the most lovable being in the world, I found myself resting my chin in my hand, my eyes locked

on him from across the table.

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