Chapter 216
Following that, the stream proceeded as planned with the joint streaming.
“Then, shall we all start by watching the preliminaries?”
“Let’s skip that. Most people have already seen it.”
“Yes, let’s watch from the preliminaries~.”
“……”
Un Hyang was in high spirits.
Their review stream rewound back to the preliminaries.
Naturally, the highlight was the footage of Lee Suhyuk climbing the spire alone and facing other contestants single-handedly, creating a mad movie.
“It was impressive, but why did you draw so much attention?”
“… Because the weather was nice.”
“It’s cloudy though?”
“One might like cloudy days too.”
– LOL
– What’s nice about the weather, LOL
– But isn’t lightning stronger when there are storm clouds?
– Isn’t that right? I think Lee Suhyuk mentioned something like that in an old interview.
Of course, Un Hyang knew that the power of the Heart of Lightning strengthened beneath thunderclouds.
Fans who liked Lee Suhyuk from long ago were quite familiar with this information.
Yet, Un Hyang reacted as if she was learning it for the first time.
“Oh my, really? Does the skill really get stronger when there are storm clouds?”
“Yes. It is true.”
“Wow, really, I didn’t know that.”
“You are really bad at acting.”
“Isn’t this how streams are supposed to be done?”
– LOL LOL LOL
– The manager is funnier, LOL
– This lady is charming, LOL
The preliminaries review was swiftly wrapped up.
Many people had already watched the preliminaries on Falcon Eye’s stream. Moreover, what people were waiting for in this stream was the review of the finals.
『Viewers: 239,012』
The viewers had nearly reached 240,000.
There was no time to even look at the chat. The donations kept pouring in, making it difficult to respond to each one.
『’OneMemoryAtATime’ donated 100 points.』
『Forget it, just show the fight with the Heavenly Demon.』
『’WhenMoneyMatters’ donated 1,000 points.』
『Forget all that, manager, tell us about your first love~』
“We will now move directly to the finals review. And, about the manager’s first love…”
“Shouldn’t you first ask if I had one?”
“That’s right.”
As they laughed and chatted, the next video started playing.
“My opponent is…”
“The Heavenly Demon, Jin Hwaryung.”
The Counter-Fight finals.
It replayed the moment when Suhyuk pointed out Jin Hwaryung.
“What were you thinking back then?”
“I thought, let’s lose quickly and go rest.”
Suhyuk shrugged as he added.
“The Heavenly Demon is good material for drawing attention.”
– Crazy dude, OMG
– Using the Heavenly Demon as bait, LOL
– Do you have a death wish? OMG
– Is this guy really Lee Suhyuk?
No one in this world would use the Heavenly Demon to draw attention. Such an act would require more than a hundred lives, not just ten.
Nevertheless, Suhyuk openly admitted in the stream that he had used the Heavenly Demon for attention.
‘They all don’t know the Heavenly Demon.’
Heavenly Demon Jin Hwaryung.
People feared him, but they had no idea who he truly was.
He was an unpredictable calamity, not a petty person who would draw his sword over such matters.
The video now showed the fight between Suhyuk and the Heavenly Demon. Heavenly Demon’s swords flew into the sky, and Suhyuk blocked them with the strikes of the Heart of Lightning.
“You fought pretty well, surprisingly.”
“Did I really fight well?”
Suhyuk shrugged.
“If he intended to kill me, it would have ended quickly. He is the Heavenly Demon after all.”
“Knowing that, you picked a fight over drawing attention?”
“It’s not necessarily like that…”
*Boom!*
Lee Suhyuk continued, watching the Heavenly Demon in the video.
“One day, I must defeat the Heavenly Demon to truly become Lee Suhyuk.”
It had been over 20 years.
The Heavenly Demon was the best player Suhyuk had ever known.
By surpassing him, Suhyuk was recognized as the best. As such, the existence of the Heavenly Demon held a special meaning for Suhyuk as well.
If the time ever came when he surpassed him again, only then could he say he had found his former self.
-Wow…
-Crazy
-He’s really serious, isn’t he?
-I just got goosebumps
-So damn cool, for real
-How can a concept be this cool?
Most of the subsequent review was conducted by Un Hyang.
“He anticipated and reacted in advance here. It was so fast that if he reacted after seeing it, he wouldn’t have dodged it.”
“The Heavenly Demon also seems to be adding swords one at a time, doesn’t he?”
“It feels like there’s a sudden surge in output. Is it a new skill?”
“From here onwards, his movements got a bit sluggish. It seems he was reaching his limits.”
“The Heavenly Demon also noticed that and aimed to end it. Did he want to finish it with his own hands?”
Every single word she spat out was accurate.
Suhyuk had nothing more to add.
Usually, she spoke first, and Suhyuk nodded in agreement.
Thus, the review ended.
“Today was really fun~.”
Un Hyang came closer to the screen and waved her hand.
-Sister, come again!
-Let’s just change the channel owner here
-For real, let’s change it
-How about Suhyuk becomes the manager?
Ignoring the chatter of the viewers who continued to make a fuss, Suhyuk carried on with his closing remarks.
“We’ll post the announcement for the next stream as planned. The beautiful manager, whom you all love, will post it.”
“Then, see you~”
-See you~
-See you~
-See you, sister~
『’Lee Suhyuk’s stream has ended.』
The stream ended with Un Hyang waving her hands for the last time.
Un Hyang, who had been greeting the viewers, suddenly froze as if she had been paused. Her cheerful face quickly turned pale.
“Whew-!”
As if exhaling a long-held breath, Un Hyang collapsed onto the floor, sitting down.
*Thump, thump, thump.*
Feeling her heart pounding rapidly, Un Hyang placed her hand on her chest. Only then did Suhyuk realize that she had been quite tense.
“Well done.”
Instead of asking if she was okay, Suhyuk gave her a thumbs up.
“Really? Did I do well?”
“Yes, you did better than I did.”
It wasn’t an empty compliment.
Although Suhyuk had become more accustomed to it than before, he was still clumsy compared to her, who was clearly talented at streaming.
She spoke well, and her character felt much more vibrant.
Above all, she was beautiful.
This stream was intended to showcase that.
“What do you think the response will be?”
“Let’s wait and see.”
They had done all they could.
Likewise, feeling drained, Suhyuk sat down beside Un Hyang as if collapsing.
* * *
That day, the most searched term on the Players community, the one most used by players, was ‘Genius’.
A few years ago, the player from the Murim World who had climbed the tower at an incredible speed, and the successor to the Divine Dragon Group, had debuted as Lee Suhyuk’s manager on the stream.
– Genius is really charming lol
– Agree, she’s so pretty and speaks well
– She said she just wants to stream, it honestly made me sad ㅠ
– I’m a new fan, subscribed to Lee Suhyuk from today.
– Lena, just wait~
Un Hyang’s popularity was remarkable.
She possessed a beautiful appearance, a harmonious personality, a witty way with words, and the capability to be dubbed a ‘genius’, as she was the successor of the Divine Dragon Group.
Most notably, her emotional appeal, while revealing her past with the Divine Dragon Group, shook the hearts of viewers.
*Step, step.*
Late at night.
Jinwoon walked while watching the video uploaded on Lee Suhyuk’s channel.
“I really enjoy creating streams with Suhyuk. Meeting all of you and enjoying the stream together makes me incredibly happy.”
Un Hyang said in the video.
Even though it was just through a screen, her sincerity was palpable. She genuinely loved and found happiness in what she was doing at that moment.
“I should tell Suhyuk, right?”
On the night she had confessed her lineage as the Heavenly Demon’s descendant, Un Hyang had confided her long-held worries to Jinwoon.
She was probably pondering whether it was right to stay by Suhyuk’s side while hiding such a secret.
“That guy wouldn’t be afraid of something like the Heavenly Demon.”
“Really, do you think so?”
“Didn’t you watch the Counter-Fight? That isn’t something someone afraid of the Heavenly Demon would do.”
Un Hyang laughed at Jinwoon’s words.
However, a shadow soon cast over her laughter. She was still conflicted.
“Take your time to think it over. It seems like he’s keeping things from you too.”
He had no idea what choice she would make eventually.
But regardless of her decision, he had no intention of blaming her. As he had said that night, it was never Un Hyang’s fault for inheriting anyone’s blood.
“You’ve endured a lot.”
Born as the demon’s daughter, subjected to the harsh and cruel training of the Divine Dragon Group, she lived an unwanted life.
But now, Un Hyang, on the screen, was smiling.
By laughing and chatting with the viewers, she was fighting her fears.
‘How can she do that?’
Instead of hating the world, she chose to love it.
She was destined to become another Heavenly Demon, yet she fought against that fate without accepting it.
“Do you still want revenge?”
Jinwoon gazed at the lake and the pavilion in its center.
In the pavilion, a man was waiting.
A man with seductive looks, red-tinged hair, and sharp features like a blade.
“You’ve arrived, I see?”
Un Cheon-guk.
He rose from his seat to greet Jinwoon.
“I’m late.”
“It’s alright. In fact, it calms my mind. You wouldn’t have done anything suspicious if you had come first.”
“Sorry about that. Everyone tends to get suspicious if I arrive first.”
“No problem. However, I was quite surprised by your call. I thought you retired.”
“I did retire. Sit down for now.”
Jinwoon sat across from Un Cheon-guk. As Jinwoon sat, Un Cheon-guk took his seat after a brief pause.
On the pavilion table were two cups and a bottle of liquor emitting a spicy aroma. Un Cheon-guk, who had been drinking alone while looking at the lake, spoke.
“I heard you’ve taken her under your wing.”
The Divine Dragon Group already knew Un Hyang’s whereabouts. Knowing this, Jinwoon didn’t hesitate and nodded.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Is there anything you wanted to say to me?”
“There is, which is why I called you.”
“I expected as much.”
Un Cheon-guk poured a drink into Jinwoon’s cup. Just in case it was poisoned, Jinwoon looked at the cup but did not touch it.
“Are you thinking of letting her go?”
At Jinwoon’s question, Un Cheon-guk lifted his cup.
As if to show there was no poison, he emptied the cup in one go and answered.
“I never expected her to reveal herself to the world like this.”
Through Lee Suhyuk’s stream, Un Hyang unveiled herself to the world.
Her emotional appeal moved people, and countless eyes began watching the Divine Dragon Group.
He truly hadn’t known.
That Un Hyang, who had been hiding from the world’s eyes, would reveal herself before all.
Now, it was no longer possible to drag Un Hyang out publicly.
“Right now, it’s difficult for us to bring her back. Even without your protection, they have protected themselves.”
“Are you giving up?”
“Of course not.”
Un Cheon-guk shook his head.
“I intend to find other means and methods, even if not immediately. Public attention won’t last forever, after all.”
“Is there a particular reason she is necessary?”
“It’s not that I need her.”
Suppressing his thoughts that Un Cheon-guk wasn’t her real father anyway, Jinwoon asked, and Un Cheon-guk shook his head.
“She needs me.”