Chapter 9: There’s no way I could send you alone!

Finally, after a long wait, we were able to enter the A-Tex building together. When I first came here, I didn’t feel much about the festival, but somehow, just the fact that I was walking around with a woman made me a bit more excited. Maybe it’s just because I’m a guy after all.

“Wow, there’s more than I expected.”

“Right? I heard this year’s event would be bigger, but I didn’t think it’d be this much.”

At her quiet exclamation, as she looked around, I nodded in agreement. Sure enough, as the article had mentioned, there were so many booths that it was hard to take in the whole place. Among them were booths related to anime I had enjoyed and some for mobile games I often played. It seemed like it wasn’t just new anime or games participating.

“Is there anywhere you want to go, noona? You said you came to see more than just Last Destiny.”

While there were some booths I had my eye on, I figured it was only right to ask her opinion first since we were together. It’d be more fun to go to the ones we both wanted to see.

“Me? Oh, no, I don’t really have any specific place in mind…”

Contrary to what she’d said earlier, she seemed uncertain, as if there wasn’t anywhere she particularly wanted to visit. Or maybe there was, but she was too shy to say it out loud.

Hmm, in that case, it might be best to start with the Last Destiny booth we both wanted to see and if we had time afterward, we could check out the other booths at our own pace.

“Then how about we head to the Last Destiny booth first?”

“Yes, that sounds good.”

Luckily, she agreed, nodding her head as she trailed behind me. And I mean literally followed me—like a baby penguin following its mother. Anyone watching might mistake us for exactly that.

Was she uncomfortable? She could walk beside me just fine. Wait, was there something wrong with me? I took a thorough shower this morning, so that can’t be it.

Still, I didn’t have the guts to say, “You can walk beside me,” so I just stuck with this awkward positioning as we searched for the booth. Thanks to the pamphlet we received earlier, it didn’t take long to find.

“Oh, looks like that’s it.”

When we arrived in front of the booth, a large banner with “LAST DESTINY” written in a stylish, old-fashioned font greeted us. As expected, there was a long line of people.

Wow, it was hell just getting into the event, and now we had to queue again here? I knew it was Korea’s first open-world RPG gacha game and all, but I didn’t expect so many excited players.

“The line’s a bit long. It must be a highly anticipated game.”

Noona, also surprised by the situation, muttered with a sheepish laugh.

Maybe suggesting we come here first was a mistake. Now I just felt awkward.

“The trailer went viral, so that’s probably why.”

“Is that so? I don’t know much about games… Seems like you’re pretty knowledgeable, Cosmo.”

She looked at me with curiosity, but for some reason, her words felt like a subtle jab. Like she was really saying, “Of course, you’d know all about this nerd stuff.”

“You’ve seen what I do on stream, right? I’m a total nerd, so I’m all over this stuff.”

I added a bit of self-deprecating humor to my response, to which she blinked in surprise before laughing softly.

It wasn’t a mocking laugh, but more like how you’d smile warmly at a younger brother goofing around.

“Come on, let’s get in line before it gets even longer. Otherwise, you might miss the other booths you’re looking forward to.”

“True enough.”

With a bright smile, she carefully reached out, her hand lightly touching my fingertips before leading me to the end of the long line. I hadn’t held a girl’s hand in so long that it felt a bit surreal, but then I remembered I’d held her hand not too long ago.

Twice now, a pretty woman had initiated holding hands with me? Good thing I became a streamer…

“Couples even come to these kinds of events…”

“Hah, hope they all drop dead…”

“And the girl’s really pretty too… I’m jealous.”

As we stood in line chatting, faint voices buried in the surrounding noise started to become audible. Mostly from guys.

Couples even come to events like this? Whoever they are, I’m jealous. But I also kind of want to strangle the guy.

Honestly, events like this are supposed to be sacred ground for solitary nerds.

Or, at the very least, you should come with friends of the same gender.

“But Cosmo, you must be looking forward to this game quite a bit. You’re willing to wait in such a long line…”

“Well, yeah, kind of. It’s a rare type of game for Korea, after all.”

My nonchalant reply to her question, neither a confirmation nor a denial, made noona tilt her head in confusion.

“So, it’s not a game you’re super excited about?”

“Oh, no, I am. But I wouldn’t say that’s the only reason I came here…”

“…?”

Her reaction showed she didn’t quite understand. Scratching my cheek awkwardly, I cleared my throat and continued.

“To be honest, if I hadn’t been paid for the advertisement, I don’t think I’d be waiting in line like this. I’m not the type to suffer just for the sake of it.”

“Huh? But you said on stream…”

She was probably remembering how I had mentioned on stream that the advertiser had said I didn’t need to attend AGP. In fact, most of the other streamers who had received sponsorships for Last Destiny didn’t attend.

So, noona likely assumed I was waiting because I was genuinely excited about the game. That’s only half true.

“Well, yeah, but since I accepted the sponsorship, I think I should do my part. It might sound a bit mercenary, but once I’ve taken money, I believe I should give the sponsor their money’s worth.”

Sure, just streaming the ad would probably have been enough to meet the sponsor’s expectations. But I couldn’t help but wonder if that was really all there was to it, from the moment I accepted the deal.

“At the end of the day, it’s a win-win situation, right? I get paid, and the sponsor gets to showcase their game to a larger audience. So, I thought about what I could do for this game.”

I could’ve just shown some gacha pulls, a bit of gameplay, appreciated the cutscenes, and said, ‘It was fun!’ and that would’ve been fine. That’s how most streamers handle ads.

But since I received something, I feel the least I can do is give it my best effort. Maybe it’s because this is my first sponsored ad, but I don’t think it’s a stupid move.

“So, I figured if I could experience it firsthand and deliver a unique perspective or enjoyment that others might not be able to, it’d help when promoting the game.”

“Ah…”

A faint exclamation escaped noona’s lips as she looked up at me, her gaze soft and steady. Her stare made me feel a bit self-conscious, and I looked away.

“I feel like I might’ve over-explained a bit, but basically, if I’ve been paid, I should do what I’m supposed to. That way, future sponsors will want to work with me again, right?”

To ease the awkward air, I added a self-deprecating joke about chasing money, flashing a wry smile. Noona’s eyes curved into crescent moons as she watched me.

“Hehe, if I were in charge, I’d definitely want to hire someone like you, Cosmo. It’s rare to find someone in this field who genuinely cares about others’ perspectives.”

“Oh? That sounded like something an insider would say.”

Impressed by her interview-like remark, I blurted out my amazement. Her crescent eyes widened into full moons.

Then she quickly flailed her hands.

“No, no! It’s not like I’m an insider or anything! I just meant I appreciate how earnest you are about everything…”

Clearly flustered, she hurriedly spoke at a speed I hadn’t seen from her before.

Wow, she can talk that fast when she wants to.

“I get it. I’m just grateful that you see me that way.”

I was worried I might’ve come off as too much of a sellout, but at least from her perspective, it wasn’t a bad look. That alone was enough to satisfy me.

“Next, please come in.”

While we had been chatting, the second group ahead of us was finally being allowed in.

Our turn was almost here. Not just for me, but noona had been waiting for a long time, too. I was relieved the line was moving faster.

“It looks like it’s almost our turn now.”

“Y-yeah. Time went by so fast.”

Noona answered with a smile, though there seemed to be a hint of disappointment in her expression. There was no real reason for her to be disappointed in this situation, so maybe it was just my imagination.

“Yes, next group, please come in….”

Just as the person right in front of us was about to enter,

“Waaaaaah!”

A child’s loud crying suddenly echoed from somewhere nearby.

Instinctively, I turned my head toward the sound, and there I saw a young girl, probably kindergarten or early elementary school age, sitting on the ground, crying her heart out.

There’s no way a kid that age came here alone, so she must’ve lost her parents.

“Moooom…!”

Watching her desperately call for her mother brought back bad memories, and my chest tightened.

Our turn to enter had come, and the staff was calling us, but their voice didn’t register properly in my ears.

I glanced at noona standing beside me for a moment, but I couldn’t just ignore it. I stepped out of the line.

“Noona, I’m really sorry, but go on ahead without me. I’ll check it out later.”

“…What?”

“I can’t just leave her like that. I’ll help her find her parents and come back.”

I knew it wasn’t the best idea to leave my companion behind and act on my own like this, but people don’t always make decisions based purely on logic.

Apologizing to noona, I started to head out of the booth when—

Tug.

I felt something grab my wrist, and my body was slightly pulled back.

Surprised, I turned to see Noona staring at me, looking somewhat annoyed.

“There’s no way I’d let you go alone. I’m coming with you…!”

I wondered what kind of expression I had at that moment when she said that.

I genuinely wished there had been a mirror in front of me so I could’ve seen it.