The touch of our arms was awkward beyond belief.
What word should I use to describe this feeling? Softness? Warmth?
Taker began to hazily understand why adults always said to read more books. Even if he wanted to express his feelings, he was hamstrung by a lack of vocabulary. Of course, it would be hopeless to express it properly anyway; if he did, it might lead to a disaster.
It wasn’t like he had never had a girlfriend, but none of the girls he dated could hold a candle to her.
Taker looked at Kayak, who was holding his wrist with a completely clueless expression on her face. She was a woman with an unfathomable depth.
“…Why are you doing this to me?”
“What?”
“Did I do something wrong to deserve this?”
Look at that innocent face. The term “pure evil” seemed to exist solely for her.
Based on his past experiences, she wasn’t completely oblivious, but she seemed to lack sensitivity in this particular area.
It appeared she had no idea how much of an influential figure she was or what events and misunderstandings could arise from her appearance.
“How strange.”
Surely there had been numerous incidents since school days. Just recently, someone had done something out of spite after a confession had been rejected back in school.
Yet here she was, completely unaware of her looks and the behavior that came with it. It was bizarre.
But that wasn’t what mattered right now. He had to sort out the chaotic broadcast first. Taker showed Kayak the chat window with an expression that seemed to say, “You need to do something about this.”
“We’re live, and you say something like that? Of course, it’s going to be chaos! Look at this.”
[Taker must be investigated]
[Taker should be arrested]
[Kayak is so pretty, damn it]
[What am I supposed to do, I’m so envious]
[Wasn’t Kayak into girls?]
[I heard girls are often bi…]
[What on earth does Taker have that makes them like him so much?]
[He has a lot of money]
[He’s rich but looks like he’s about to die any second]
[So in the end, it’s all about the money for men?]
[Kayak, please take good care of our Gunhee ^^]
[Even though he’s kind of ugly, he’s rich and has a good heart.]
“Even if his face is a bit ugly, he’s kind-hearted and has a lot of money.”
“Gunhee, you seem a bit unfamiliar.”
“Seeing the Broadcast Host being quite popular makes me feel strange.”
“I felt a sense of kinship because he looked similar to the Taker… but now I feel betrayed.”
Kayak blinked her big, blue eyes, as if they contained sapphires, while looking at the chat that the Taker had just thrown out.
“Oh.”
She finally spoke as if realizing something.
“Ah, this is inappropriate behavior during the Broadcast… I’m sorry, Taker. From now on, when the Broadcast is off—”
“No, no, what is this person saying? They’re saying something dangerous. That’s not it. It’s not like that, everyone. I’m innocent! Kayak is slandering me!”
“Off the Broadcast…? So you mean you’ll act like this during the broadcast, huh?”
“It seems like this happened often during the off-broadcast too, hehe.”
“Clearly, the division of work is a Taker thing, lol.”
“??? : Aren’t you supposed to be working, sweetheart?”
“There’s a saying that the Taker during the off-broadcast is the very essence of an Alpha Male; I quite like this story.”
“Thank you for loving Taker’s broadcasts until now.”
“Indeed, viewer deception is a Taker classic, lol.”
Caught in the boiling chat that wasn’t settling down, the Taker felt dizzy.
*
“Hello! Welcome to the first official Twici Ring Fit Challenge! I’m your commentator, Kim Young-jin.”
The official broadcast began with introductions from the commentators.
A man introduced himself as a medical expert and opened his mouth.
“These days, the health of modern people is concerning. The obesity rate has increased beyond comparison to the past, and the incidence of various adult-onset diseases has also risen significantly.”
“That’s right. As a modern person myself, I deal with turtle neck syndrome and high blood pressure. Especially streamers, due to their job of sitting in front of the computer all day, presumably have poorer physical health on average.”
“This Ring Fit Challenge is being held with the intention for both the streaming hosts and the viewers to become healthier together.”
“This event was held with the intention of keeping everyone healthy.”
“Viewers, how about trying to follow along with the movements of your favorite streamer?”
After the usual opening remarks, the participants appeared, lined up tightly.
“Wow, there are really a lot of people here. It must not have been easy to secure this venue.”
“There are a total of 100 participants, but elimination will be swift through the first, second, and third tests. Only 20 will advance to the finals! These 20 will compete until the final champion is decided.”
“Alright, before we start the tournament, let’s warm up a bit. Everyone, please look straight ahead.”
With the host’s words, the screen shifts. An old video plays, and the melody and rhythm are something anyone would have heard at least once.
“Let’s do some national exercises together. It’s funny, this was something we did every day back in my school days, but I hear it’s not popular anymore these days.”
“Yeah, we used to come out to the playground every Monday morning for exercises and morning assembly, but now that assemblies are gone, it seems to have faded away with them.”
“I’ve even heard they don’t do much exercise in gym class anymore.”
“Honestly, I’m more accustomed to calisthenics than the national exercises.”
Bam bam bah bam—
With a grand trumpet sound, the streamers follow the actions on the video. Naturally, the camera turns towards them.
“It’s Han Kang! Maybe it’s because he’s tall, but his movements are really refreshing.”
“Han Kang is also known for his good stamina. He regularly goes to the gym and I’ve heard he even completes half-marathons, so he takes care of his body quite well.”
“It looks like he’s being predicted as a strong candidate for the championship in the chat.”
“By the way, if you click on the pinned notice at the top of the official broadcast, you can guess the champion, runner-up, and third place, and there will be prizes through a lottery, so please participate!”
The next to come into view of the camera was the Taker. He looked a bit tired while performing the movements.
“It’s the Taker! He falls into the older age category among the participants.”
“It seems he’s already showing signs of fatigue. Now, stretching the sides~ Oh look at that face, it’s cringing. I bet his sides are really pulling. It’s that kind of age. Being of the same generation, I understand well. He really needs to work hard during this opportunity. He’s at an age where he needs to take care of himself.”
“I have to exercise. It’s an age that needs management.”
“There are ongoing comments about being a strong candidate for the first-round elimination. Ah… Personally, I also expect that, but I’m rooting for you, Taker player! Show us the might of your age!”
“Well, when you say ‘old’, it’s actually just in the mid-30s. Still a part of MZ. Youth!”
After that, the camera swayed back and forth, capturing various streamers. As the broadcasters noticed the camera was on them, they struck poses, and the hosts continued their comments.
After the national gymnastics ended and before the main game started, there was a short waiting period. The camera finally focused on someone.
“Okay, this time… Wow…”
“Haha… I’m left speechless. Who said it? The official broadcast, the cam of truth.”
“What does cam of truth mean?”
“The official broadcast cam doesn’t get the lighting treatment or any adjustments, so it reveals the true faces of the streamers. Especially for the female streamers, they’re quite sensitive about this, which is why some hesitate to appear in official broadcasts.”
Kayak, with her long hair tied back neatly into a ponytail, wearing a snug t-shirt and training pants.
The outfit wasn’t anything special, but the key point was that the person wearing it was special.
[LOL]
[Wow… Wow… Wow….]
“When I see someone too beautiful, I forget everything, when I see someone too beautiful, I forget everything, when I see someone too beautiful, I forget everything.”
[Kayak’s child will never go hungry….]
[Whoa]
“Is she really a native Korean?”
“There must be some Western blood among her ancestors; there’s no way she could come from pure Korean genes.”
[Older sister ㅠㅠ you’re so pretty ㅠㅠ]
“But it seems like it has no effect on Kayak.”
“The chat is going wild. Just Kayak, coming to dominate the Ring Fit tournament. Yes, Kayak is also a strong candidate for victory.”
“I’ve heard she has the speed of a cheetah, the ferocity of a chimpanzee, the strength of an elephant, and the endurance of a wild horse.”
“What is she, a chimera?”
“In a way, without competing in the women’s division, she’s a contender who could easily match male streamers. It was Kayak!”
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