Riri is a fan of Kayak.
To be honest, she couldn’t confess that she had been a fan since the moment they were selected as a team. At that time, her own broadcast was such a handful that she barely had the leisure to watch others.
In layman’s terms, it’s the big companies, the famous streamers who kickstarted her internet broadcasting journey.
Yeah, for example, Taker. Aside from a few like that, Riri didn’t really know much about other streamers.
She had only applied to Taker’s tournament out of sheer desperation after viewers kept pestering her to give it a try. And lo and behold, she got selected as a player!
Being a bit of a timid personality for a streamer, Riri was both happy and worried at the same time. Would she really be able to keep up among other streamers when she hadn’t even collaborated with anyone before?
She also had this insecurity of being the proverbial hole in the community, the “rural type” who couldn’t handle the Abyss, selected for the role of a punching bag, which only added to her worries.
In a way, it was almost predestined. Riri started creaking on the very first day of team practice. Despite squeezing in practice time until the night before, she found herself in the role of the team’s weak link.
This was a big tournament, and the stones thrown by the crowd hurt more than usual. The sharp chats, even the regular viewers couldn’t comfort her. Even though she had braced herself for it, it was almost tear-jerking.
And then it happened. Kayak, a streamer she’d never met before, extended a helping hand.
Truly, genuinely. Her sweet voice matched only by her beautiful heart.
At first, she felt embarrassed for doubting that guidance.
When Kayak suggested a supporter, Riri felt a twinge of disappointment, wondering if Kayak thought of her as just a tool. But that stemmed from the low self-esteem lurking within her.
Kayak truly cared about her, Riri. It wasn’t just a show for the broadcast but genuine mentoring, checking on assignments, complimenting, encouraging, and sometimes giving strict feedback—like a true teacher guiding a student.
At this point, it would’ve been strange not to become a fan.
No, it might be more accurate to say she had become something beyond just a fan. Kayak had given Riri something more valuable than winning the tournament.
Ever since the tournament, her usual broadcasting worries felt much lighter.
“Can you come to the team dinner?” Riri persistently and politely pleaded with Kayak.
After all, wasn’t Kayak a tremendous benefactor in her broadcasting life? Riri wanted to face her and express her gratitude, even if Kayak might feel burdened by such feelings.
“Isn’t this something? Riri wanted to face Camilla and express her gratitude somehow, even if Kayak might feel burdened by such feelings.”
“And so, when a positive response came from Kayak, and Riri finally got an answer that she would attend the gathering…”
“Riri felt happy yet couldn’t help but imagine what her teacher’s face might look like.”
“Everyone has that unique image of a person. While other team members who often stream had their faces out there, Kayak was truly an enigma.”
“Like an older sister who is reliable yet quirky, and also strict but warm…”
“A complex image had formed in Riri’s mind. However, her thoughts weren’t entirely a bed of roses, so she didn’t overly glamorize Kayak’s appearance.”
“Somewhere between having decent black hair, probably long, and giving off a subtly sharp yet resolute vibe.”
“The final sketch of Kayak drawn in Riri’s mind just before their meeting.”
“Quite the detailed montage for an imagination.”
“Uh, Kayak…?”
“Yes.”
“Yet, the reality before her exceeded her expectations.”
“Reality’s Kayak neither had black hair nor that sharp and resolute impression. She couldn’t be described with such simple adjectives.”
“Dreamlike. Riri desperately wanted to pinch her cheek.”
“And then she opened her mouth without even knowing what she was saying.”
“Kayak? Really? Are you the same Kayak who was teaching me about the Abyss…?”
“Even though she knew, she asked again. The voice she heard earlier had already become familiar.”
Nods slightly-
“Why is this person acting like this,” Kayak sent a mildly puzzled look her way.
“Let’s sit.”
With a firm grip on Riri’s stunned wrist, Kayak led her to the center of the room, where all eyes would be on them.
Riri was taken aback by the surprisingly strong pull, following her into the room.
“Hey, Hoon! You’re here! Come pick a course. Opinions are all over the place. Let’s see, what does Kayak like…?”
“I like Course A.”
“Course A? There are plenty of Course As. But who just said—”
“Wow! Camilla! Camilla has appeared!”
“Oh my….”
With wide, astonished eyes and somewhat blank expressions, their reaction was not much different from Riri’s.
Kayak, slightly scratching her cheek at their odd reactions, finally spoke up.
While scratching her cheek, she finally spoke up.
“I’m sorry I’m late. I’ll take care of the wine here…”
She hesitated, almost suggesting to buy the first or second round, but quickly pivoted to wine, considering her financial situation.
The trap was that the wine, being from a fancy restaurant, was quite expensive, but Kayak thought, how pricey could alcohol really be?
It was at that moment the people finally snapped to attention and looked at Kayak.
The room in the restaurant started to get noisy for a different reason than before.
*
Kayak already deserved to be treated as the star of the show.
After all, wasn’t the team name the Kayak Team? It was named somewhat lazily after the team’s leader’s name, but still, the Kayak Team was indeed the Kayak Team.
Thus, Kayak had a significant stake in this team. The absence of Kayak during a team gathering would be like having a red bean bun without the red beans, as LimeTack joked.
Regardless of appearances, she was bound to attract attention, and adding her looks to the mix only amplified that.
It was hardly surprising that Kayak became the center of the room in no time.
“Kayak, you’re super pretty! Are your eyes colored contacts? Oh, they’re natural. How do you take care of your hair? It looks amazing. You must have bleached it several times to get that color. Oh, it’s natural too! Wow… this is unbelievable. Can I just touch it once?”
“No way.”
Hakchu, who had gotten a bit too close out of embarrassment even before having a glass of wine, sulked and backed off.
Now, it was Han Kang’s turn.
“So you’re mixed, huh?”
“I’ll pass on that one.”
“No comment… Hmm, got it. But seriously, you look so much like Camilla—no, you’re prettier than Camilla. Now that I think about it, Camilla resembles you.”
“She’s Camilla incarnate. No wonder you can pull off Camilla so well; a true master pays attention to these little details.”
“If I dye my hair purple like Cassia, will I be able to play Cassia well?”
“Dream on, sis. You’re taking my joke way too seriously.”
Han Kang nodded, accepting it. LimeTack and Hakchu, who had been chiming in, started playfully bickering, with LimeTack muttering something while dealing with Hakchu.
“At this point, the Abyss design team must have modeled Camilla after you, right? Were you perhaps with Abyss back in the day?”
To LimeTack’s conspiracy theory, Kayak smiled awkwardly as Han Kang, who was showing her the menu, nodded along.
“She likes meat, you know. Yes, the A course. The A course… If it’s not enough, just say so. I’ll order more.”
“If you need more, just say so. I’ll get you more.”
“Hey, didn’t you say earlier that you wanted Course B?”
“Me? When did I… what’s this Course B? Honestly, I wanted Course A too. I need to eat meat, not seafood. By the way, you don’t have to buy wine. I was going to treat for the first round. Huh? A late fee? Seriously, what is this—being late for just 10 minutes?”
“Han Kang, your brother makes good money, you know. Just from V-tube earnings alone. Don’t worry.”
“Yeah, yeah. They call him ‘Million Won Han Kang.’ This is the time to cash in, right?”
“Not millions….”
The company dinner was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
Cheonhun, who came in late, was stunned to see Kayak, causing laughter among the people, and even as the flood of questions about Kayak ensued, everyone clinked their wine glasses together.
Kayak wasn’t the chatty type, but she became the center of conversation. Answering questions while sipping wine, she sometimes smiled mysteriously, and for some questions, she would bring her finger to her lips, signaling a secret.
She was an attractive person. Not just in appearance, but every single action was so mysteriously captivating that those around her thought so.
Some even convinced themselves of why Kayak didn’t turn on the camera.
She had the looks for it. If Kayak ever does turn on the camera, the whole Twitch would surely be in an uproar.
It would be a storm far bigger than that day of the online drinking stream.
Thus, after a round of questioning about Kayak passed, there was a lull in the conversation.
People sitting next to her or in front of her chatted quietly while Kayak was sipping wine with a slightly tired expression.
Tap, tap.
She turned her head at the gentle touch tapping her arm.
“Teacher, may I ask just one thing…?”
“Yes.”
“May I ask how old you are…?”
Since it wasn’t such a sensitive question, Kayak replied comfortably.
According to her resident registration, Mun Ah’s age. In other words, it was 8 years younger than her original age when she was a man.
“I’m, I’m twenty-one…?”
Riri’s eyes widened, then she seemed to deflate a little, retreating. A soft murmur, “She’s just a bit younger than me…” could be heard.
Kayak watched her and then glanced at the others, quietly chewing her meat.
With a gentle smile resting on her lips.
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