Chapter 64: The Spotlight on Han Yurim: Talent, Controversy, and Unstoppable Confidence

Gajunsik had done me countless favors.

What kind of favors, you ask?

If I considered how much sales had increased right after he uploaded videos on MeTube, even treating him to omakase ten times wouldn’t be enough.

Of course, Gajunsik and I shared a mutually beneficial relationship, but still, there’s a sense of camaraderie, isn’t there?

Agreeing to appear on his special broadcast wasn’t a difficult decision, so I accepted the invitation right away.

Besides, I enjoyed talking to the users who played my game.

That’s why I had such a great time during the collab stream with Akane last time.

I recalled the conversation I had with Akane in my head.

“This game was made for you, Akane. You’re someone who never gives up, so I adjusted the difficulty to match that.”

“What? No, this is just a teaser. The real treat specially prepared for you will come a little later.”

Akane had loved hearing that. Specifically, her reaction involved her trembling with excitement, as if she couldn’t contain herself.

It clearly meant she was looking forward to it.

“Here’s your BLT sandwich, French omelet, blueberry pancakes, avocado toast, hash browns, bacon set, and mint cookie lemonade.”

After enjoying a light snack at a café, I glanced down at the luxury wristwatch, a gift from one of my part-time colleagues.

It was time.

I got up and headed to the meeting place.

Gajunsik was a major live-streamer, earned revenue befitting his status and owned a studio to match.

Here it was.

Looking up at the building owned by Gajunsik, where his studio was located, I cautiously entered.

“What brings you here?”

The staff member at the lobby greeted me.

His tone was strangely kind, like someone welcoming a lost middle-schooler.

“Hello.”

“Are you looking for someone?”

“I have a meeting with Gajunsik today.”

“…Hold on.”

The staff member eyed me suspiciously before contacting someone upstairs.

“A middle school-aged girl is here claiming to have an appointment. Is that correct?” he said, which left me speechless.

Middle schooler?

I’m clearly an adult.

After finishing the call, the staff member returned with a smile.

“Sorry, but he says he doesn’t recall making such an appointment.”

“I’m Han Yurim.”

“…Pardon?”

“I’m Han Yurim.”

Fearing I’d be kicked out, I urgently revealed my real name.

While this would put me at a disadvantage in battle, there was no helping it.

“…Oh.”

The staff member’s expression shifted strangely.

It seemed he had realized that my real-life appearance was strikingly similar to my avatar.

I could already predict what he was about to say next.

Come on, just say, “Your avatar looks exactly like your real-life appearance!”

One, two… shoot!

“Why are you wearing a school uniform?”

That’s what he said.

His tone was filled with bewilderment.

Huh. That’s odd.

This wasn’t the reaction I was expecting.

“Is that important?”

“I think it might be very important.”

Anyone can wear a school uniform, but no VTuber makes their avatar look identical to their real-life appearance.

Why is he focusing on something as trivial as a school uniform?

Are you trolling me?

“It’s cosplay.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s a cosplay of ‘Han Yurim.’ I’m here today as the producer of Even Repeaters Need Love, so I dressed in the appropriate battle attire.”

“…Understood.”

The staff member quickly ended the conversation and began to guide me.

We took the elevator to the fourth floor, arriving at a spacious studio.

As eyes turned toward me, someone gaped, pointing a finger in my direction.

“‘Han Yurim’ wasn’t inspired by Thierry but by herself?!”

It was Gajunsik.

I nodded.

Now that was the right reaction.

I enjoyed his response immensely.

Gajunsik double-checked the broadcast setup.

Though he’d done collaborations with VTubers before, this was his first time working with one in real life, especially one using AR filters.

Gajunsik wasn’t a VTuber himself, but he had years of streaming experience.

He understood what AR filters were and why they weren’t widely used.

It was a flawed technology.

That’s why he was putting effort into minimizing the chances of any mishaps.

Effort…

…Was it necessary, though?

Gajunsik stole a glance at Han Yurim.

Dressed in a school uniform (remarkably similar to the one in Even Repeaters Need Love), she was sitting in a chair, swinging her legs.

The scene overlapped with the image of “Han Yurim.”

In other words, Han Yurim’s avatar wasn’t inspired by Thierry but by her real-life appearance.

If the AR filter glitched and turned off, viewers would definitely be shocked—though for entirely different reasons.

Gajunsik recalled their earlier conversation.

“At this rate, wouldn’t it be better to just use a webcam?”

“As expected of you, Gajunsik. No one’s asked me that question lately, and I was starting to feel disappointed.”

“…Pardon?”

“If I use a webcam, it limits the content I can create in the future, so that’s not an option.”

After making such a reply and mentioning that revealing her face was her ultimate trump card, it indeed felt like it could be—especially with a face like that. In many ways.

Once everything was perfectly set up, Gajunsik signaled to his staff.

“Then, let’s start the broadcast.”

3, 2, 1.

A bit earlier than the scheduled time, the broadcast went live.

The viewer count skyrocketed at an insane speed.

30,000, 50,000, 70,000…

Although Gajunsik was already well-known in the scene, this far exceeded his expectations.

He had already surpassed the usual viewership numbers he would attract when he went all out.

‘I didn’t expect this much interest.’

He was aware of Han Yurim’s rising popularity lately, but not to this extent.

It seemed a lot had happened while he was stuck playing Retakers Also Need Love for over a month.

The camera turned on.

The split screen showed Gajunsik on the right side.

After casually greeting the viewers, he introduced today’s star guest.

“The game developer behind the global sensation sweeping across Korea and beyond—Han Yurim!”

““This lady is not a game developer but an actress.”

With that, the left side of the screen revealed Han Yurim.

She appeared in her avatar, dressed in a black gothic lolita outfit.

“……01.”

““You’re dazed. Do you think you can make me the greatest actress like that?”

“…”

Gajunsik was at a loss for words.

The king of immersion. The master of immersion. The immersion GOAT, Gajunsik.

This man had been playing Retakers Also Need Love for over a month—averaging 15 hours a day.

His memory of the game, etched deep into his mind, was on a level far beyond that of an average person.

So when someone who looked exactly like the grown version of the character ‘Han Yurim,’ even sounding exactly like her, spoke to him, it was inevitable for his brain to short-circuit.

[Wait, did the one-person production include voice acting too? LOL.]

[He’s losing it just from hearing her voice. How hard did he even grind this game?]

Although viewers teased him in the chat, Gajunsik wanted to protest that it wasn’t just the voice that left him in shock. Instead, he held back and said:

“Wow. You’re very talented.”

“I’m good at everything physical.”

“Well, you’re famous for having incredible physical skills.”

Though now more widely recognized as a game developer, Han Yurim was once best known as a ‘Thierry’ expert.

The widely acknowledged image of her was as a beast who somehow managed to take the top rank with the challenging Thierry.

‘Could it be that she chose Thierry as her main character because it resembles her?’

As he instinctively pieced together the answer, Gajunsik stared at Han Yurim intently.

Han Yurim tilted her head in confusion.

“Is there something on my face?”

“I’m searching for the secret behind your physical skills.”

“Well, the secret lies in my brain.”

[Bro, snap out of it.]

[Your daughter has gone off to Hollywood to become an actress. She’s not here anymore.]

While viewers burst out laughing at Gajunsik’s reactions, a donation popped up.

[Anonymous donated 1,000 won.]

– Do you really handle all aspects of game development by yourself?

“So, what’s your answer to that?”

“If I received help, it wouldn’t be solo development but collaborative development, right?”

“Does that mean you handle everything—composing, coding, drawing—all on your own?”

“Of course.”

“Wow.”

Gajunsik let out a sound of admiration.

Humans love talent.

It’s no wonder that someone who sings well might appear more attractive.

For example, someone who might have been considered ‘average-looking’ could suddenly seem handsome when their exceptional game development skills come to light.

People might even say, “If you fix just your nose and eyes, you’d look exactly like that actor from Slaughterer.”

Talent holds the power to distort human perception.

Now, add beauty to that talent?

You get a black hole for attention.

Our super-developer Han Yurim, absorbing all the world’s attention, proudly declared:

“Especially, my specialties are storytelling and AI. Those are closely tied to what I’ve always wanted to achieve in games.”

“What exactly did you want to achieve?”

“That’s a secret.”

“Too bad. I was curious.”

“The best restaurants never reveal all their recipes.”

As Gajunsik smiled at her reply, his brow furrowed as another donation came in.

[Anonymous donated 1,000 won.]

– Can you give us a quick demonstration of your skills? We’d love to see them in action.

The back-to-back donations felt slightly irritating.

Having been in the broadcasting industry for years, Gajunsik had developed a knack for identifying trolls from the tone and phrasing of their words.

He was well aware of the controversies surrounding Han Yurim.

Her game’s extraordinary quality, considering it was a solo development.

The impossibly fast pace of development.

Or rather, how it seemed almost unbelievable for one person to achieve that speed.

Some even doubted her ability to develop games, dismissing her claims as attention-seeking lies.

And yet—

“Of course, I can.”

Before Gajunsik could even consider deflecting with his usual soft evasive technique, Han Yurim answered first.

She can?!

A slightly surprised Gajunsik asked her, “Do you have something prepared?”

“Just give me a moment.”