Streamer Crazy About Slaughter - Chapter 24

The saying that all human lives are the same.

Although Serin didn’t know who said it, she felt it was true.

It was a time that had passed ten years compared to what she knew, but the appearance of the people she saw through the window had not changed much.

Moreover, there was a saying that fashion goes in circles, and that seemed to be true as well. Sitting by the window, sipping her café mocha and watching the people pass by, she noticed that most of their clothes were very similar to what she remembered.

Although she wasn’t particularly interested in fashion, the people within her line of sight seemed to look alike when reflected against her memories of the past.

Nothing particularly outstanding, or eye-catching, in terms of fashion could be seen compared to what she remembered.

Most wore very ordinary clothes, and their hairstyles had not changed drastically either.

The only difference was.

It seemed that the short bob was in trend now, as a majority of the people had hair that reached about their shoulders.

As she walked through the streets, she couldn’t help but wonder why there were so many short hairstyles among the women.

Such thoughts lingered naturally.

“…”

While thinking this, Serin lifted her cup to sip her café mocha, swallowing a sigh inwardly.

She felt she had somewhat fulfilled her purpose of coming outside to be aware of reality.

Moreover, she thought that watching people was probably enough. Such thoughts continued to arise.

‘Shall I go now?’

Had it been about 30 minutes since she sat in the café watching people? The thought of wanting to return crossed her mind.

In truth, she wondered if it was right to be watching the people passing by outside the café now, or if the people inside the café were watching her.

At that moment, she could not even distinguish that clearly.

In a world where short hair was in trend, she had long silver hair that fell to her waist.

Additionally, her black t-shirt, which she wore without much thought, contrasted greatly with her appearance and drew even more attention.

Moreover, while she was looking around, she did not find a single person with silver hair among those passing by.

Then, feeling an excessively intense gaze directed her way, she slowly turned her head.

“…!?”

She saw a woman startled, quickly turning her gaze away after realizing she was being looked at.

The woman appeared to be around 21 or 22 years old. At that moment, her appearance resembled that of a college student, reminiscent of Seoyoon. After looking at so many women with short hair, the long hair was striking.

Her neatly tied black hair in a ponytail, along with her graceful features.

Serin thought of that woman as if she should also experience something, and gazed intently for a moment.

The woman, perhaps conscious of her gaze, fumbled to hold her phone, acting as if she had not looked at Serin, yet her actions felt clumsy compared to her poised appearance.

Waving her hands in the empty air, or shifting her gaze unsteadily around.

‘…I can’t possibly look like that to others, can I?’

She found herself feeling embarrassed, realizing how the woman appeared to be awkwardly fidgeting under Serin’s gaze.

Eventually, she turned her own gaze away first, thinking about what on earth she was doing.

“…”

Focusing her attention, she slowly surveyed the other patrons inside the café.

Most avoided her gaze, pretending not to see her, though some met her eyes.

And at that moment, she realized that those avoiding her gaze were the polite ones.

She unconsciously thought so.

Perhaps it was a dirty gaze. They were looking at her as if scanning her entirely, and just that made her feel nauseous.

So with a sigh meant to be overheard, she rose from her seat.

Staying any longer would only stress her out; it became difficult to remain.

She had come outside to be aware of reality, thinking it was a problem that she was seen living in Another World.

Indeed, her heart had lightened somewhat.

She had almost achieved her primary goal of becoming aware of reality.

Even though she felt awkward or burdened by people’s eyes, it was something she would have to endure eventually.

After all, she couldn’t just stay cooped up at home for a lifetime.

In retrospect, she thought that her behavior in Another World was actually not much of an issue.

‘So what if I appeared to live in a game?’

After all, it was a game.

And in fact, wasn’t it more of a problem to be seen living outside?

As the emotions that had been simmering inside her, stirred by a man who had just looked at her, now reflected in her eyes.

She directed her intense gaze at a man who had been watching her.

Without any words or actions.

She simply gave her attention to that man.

“…Gah!”

She noticed the man suddenly inhale sharply, startled by her gaze. After confirming that, she immediately wiped the intensity from her eyes.

The man, surprised by her sudden attention, began to cough in a panicked manner; she regarded that as karma.

‘Yeah, that’s probably the issue.’

The people in this world were ‘normal people.’

Those who had never gone through what she had experienced… just living an ordinary life.

No matter how weak and frail her body felt now, the experiences she possessed and the life she lived were distinctly different from theirs.

It couldn’t be compared simply. Yes, she was clearly different from them.

While she thought of them as ‘people,’ she also regarded them as ‘normal people’ for that reason.

Now that she thought about it, the time spent in the world of Black Ark might nearly amount to ten years.

Could it suggest that time in this other world passed ten years faster than she thought?

There was no way to verify its truth, but it was just an instinctive thought.

‘Well, is that important?’

And during that time, she had been living, battling monsters and wrestling with all sorts of trash-like creatures almost every day.

Those experiences were of a kind she could not forget even if she tried.

In truth, no matter how someone had ill intentions toward her due to her appearance, she felt no worry.

She believed she could protect her own body with this trashy body.

That thought resembled a kind of conviction, and she felt no doubts about it.

Thus, Serin began to walk slowly out of the café.

***

‘What should I do?’

Sua clutched her phone, continuously pondering.

The distorted YouTube video playing was about a user named Lin. Psychological analysis and such faded into the background for Sua.

She simply wandered her gaze aimlessly, holding the phone.

Her acting had always been perfect.

It would have been.

‘Why all of a sudden?’

She had no idea what the reason was.

From the moment she felt the long-silver-haired woman looking at her intently, it felt like the calmness of her heart had shattered, and every action felt awkward.

And soon, that feeling of her heart showed on the outside.

She was acting in a way she would usually only do at home, fumbling around.

And more than anyone else, Suwa herself was surprised by her reaction.

Then, noticing that the silver-haired woman had turned her gaze away from her, Sua found a sense of peace washing over her unexpectedly.

“…?”

What kind of phenomenon was this?

Noticing the sharp change, Sua blinked blankly, falling into thought.

……

She realized she had been living by always acting like another version of herself outside.

As she grew older, from a certain point, that self could fool even her family.

Living a life of perfect façade while hiding her true self.

That had become her daily routine.

Unbeknownst to her, something had been steadily accumulating inside.

Sticky, dense emotions.

While displaying a smile and engaging in conversations on the outside, dark emotions built up within her bit by bit.

And even in the place that should be the most comfortable, her home was no exception.

That’s why, at some point, Sua began to live independently.

She started working part-time, using that money to live on her own.

Confident in her ability to act perfectly, Sua was able to secure well-paying part-time jobs that others would find challenging, maintaining a relatively comfortable life despite working part-time.

Once she had a space to herself, she felt her heart lighten.

In that place, she could live without acting, in complete comfort.

And with that relaxation, she became interested in ‘virtual reality,’ leading her to discover Another World. Since then, Sua found it increasingly difficult to hide her true self.

The exhilaration she felt upon accessing Another World.

It felt like a liberation, as if her true self was being manifested.

Fulfillment.

Satisfaction.

What term was right to define it, even Sua had difficulty articulating it.

But one thing she felt with certainty was.

Playing Another World.

It simply felt good.

So good it was hard to articulate.

While she was connected to Another World, Sua felt almost blissful.

Was this what it felt like to be alive?

That was her sentiment towards Another World.

Thus, from that point on, she gradually began to cut off her relationships.

Deliberately ignoring those who sought her out, she isolated herself.

Because that was how much she enjoyed Another World.

While indulging in Another World, the time spent working part-time felt like a waste, and she began streaming on the internet using her persona from Another World.

During her broadcasts, Sua played another version of herself in Another World.

Catching onto several success factors from other streamers and acting upon them.

That felt several times easier than acting in reality.

As a result, Sua quickly rose to become a prominent streamer in Twittee, grabbing ‘success.’

With the money gained from that success, she was able to move from her shabby one-room apartment to a much better officetel, further enriching her environment for playing Another World.

So now, Yoon Sua was living a life in Another World, except for the time spent streaming.

She had become a user with an intensely serious immersion.

Accepting all the systematic elements that Another World had ‘restricted’ differently.

That had earned her the nickname ‘crazy girl.’

Just then.

A moment’s sound of someone walking snapped Sua out of her thoughts.

The silver-haired woman was already trying to leave the café.

Had she stared too intently? Feeling a bit bad, she wondered if it was because of that woman leaving.

In the distorted video, a user named Lin appeared, who was strikingly similar to the silver-haired woman.

‘…Could it be?’

Without realizing it, such a thought crossed Sua’s mind.

And with that thought, she also began to rise, following Serin.