Chapter 7

 
11 Hours Ago.

To be precise, right after Yuhyeon logged out.

Pengkun remained alone in the plaza, staring at the chat window.

[ ‘C2C’ has donated 1,000 won. ]

– There’s a way to meet him? I don’t know what it is, but I already feel uneasy.

– The streamer pulls off crazy stunts all the time, so I have no clue, lol.

– But is there actually a realistic way to do this?

“Heh, looks like that’s what everyone’s curious about.”

Pengkun chuckled as he read the viewers’ messages.

It felt like watching people argue over a difficult problem from a distance—just like spectating a fire across the river.

“If you think about it simply, isn’t it actually pretty easy?”

– Hey, how exactly are you planning to meet him? Lol

– If you don’t answer in three seconds, I’m unsubscribing and bombing you with dislikes.

– Season 15,841 unsubscribe countdown: ON.

Why is everyone overcomplicating things? If you really think about it, the solution is ridiculously simple.

“Just wait at the spot where he logged out. He’ll have to come back eventually, right?”

The chat exploded.

– ??

– ?!

– This guy’s insane, lmao.

Waiting indefinitely for someone to log back in, with no idea how long it might take?

Even for someone known for eccentric antics, this answer had completely crossed the line.

– Now that I think about it… kinda makes sense?

– The fact that a normal-sounding plan came from Pengkun is shocking, lol. Respect.

– Wow, I can’t believe such a simple solution existed.

Despite the absurdity of his declaration, the chat quickly settled into an oddly calm atmosphere.

As if saying, Well, that makes sense, they accepted it without much resistance. Some even defended it as a great idea.

It was true what they said—viewers eventually took after their streamers. They had all grown completely desensitized to Pengkun’s antics.

– Alright, let’s turn today into an idle waiting day.

– Might as well change the stream title to ‘Just Chatting’ and chill.

Pengkun grinned.

“Sounds good. Let’s make today an idle waiting day. But if anyone tries sending assassins, it’s an instant ban.”

– Damn, this would be the perfect time to send an assassin, though.

– Lmao, he’s been banning people on the spot lately. If you get caught, it’s at least a three-day suspension.

– Nooo, I can’t get banned! This is the only stream worth watching!

– By the way, what are you planning to do if you actually meet that player?

“Hmm.”

Pengkun stroked his chin—despite not having a beard—as he pondered.

Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t actually planned any content for the meeting.

He couldn’t just say he followed the guy because it seemed fun. Maybe he could pretend it was for an interview.

‘Oh, right. Wasn’t there something about a ceremonial ritual?’

Come to think of it, the reason they were recruiting musicians was for some kind of ritual.

It was an event born from another event, meaning it wasn’t something you could easily see elsewhere.

‘Since this is my first time seeing something like this, I can just say I came to cover it.’

As Pengkun was lost in thought—

– Pengkun, you need to check this out.

A donation message appeared alongside a video on-screen.

[ ‘WingChickenWingChiki’ has donated 5,000 won. ]

– Reaction from bard streamer Se-ah (video).

A clip played from another streamer’s channel, where Se-ah, a bard, was reacting to Yuhyeon’s performance.

[ “This isn’t a skill—it looks like he played it himself. Wow, he can actually play at this level by hand?” ]

Her reaction was almost identical to Pengkun’s.

It didn’t seem like an in-game skill, but if it was played manually, the level was absurd.

She speculated that a performance of this caliber would require at least a royal court musician in the game—or a professional pianist in real life.

But among all her comments, there was one that truly shocked Pengkun.

[ “Come on, why would I go out of my way to meet this person? I can’t even enter the beginner village.” ]

[ “But hey, if anyone happens to run into them in Hemona Village, could you ask if they’d be interested in a guest appearance?” ]

Se-ah was also showing interest in Yuhyeon.

Of course, it wasn’t an overwhelming interest, but it was enough to get under Pengkun’s skin.

The same went for his viewers.

– Pengkun, we cannot let this turn into an NTR situation.

– She doesn’t even wait like we do… And she gets to go??

– We must protect him.

– DEFEND AT ALL COSTS.

Thanks to that video, Pengkun’s resolve began to waver like a reed in the wind.

And with his viewers practically screaming that he couldn’t let this happen, his brain was thrown into complete disarray.

“Tsk. So, there was an intruder.”

With that thought, Pengkun straightened up, ready to make some serious adjustments to his plan.

‘I have to meet him first… And to do that—’

I need to offer an amount that can’t be refused.

A full-on, brute-force cash attack!

*  *  *

Back to the present, at the plaza.

“Musician! I’ve been waiting for you. Could we talk for a moment?”

“I-I’ve been waiting even longer! Player, could you spare a moment to talk with me?”

Yuhyeon stared at the two men frantically calling out to him.

One of them looked familiar. The other, a complete stranger.

“Oh, you’re the judge from the event, right? And this person is…?”

“I-I’m Pengkun, a streamer! I waited exactly 11 hours to meet you!”

“What?”

Yuhyeon’s eyes widened in shock.

He had never heard of a streamer named Pengkun before, and now this guy was saying he had waited for him for 11 hours?

“Who even are you? I was here first!”

“I waited 11 hours. You, on the other hand, kept coming and going, so you barely waited at all!”

“How dare you! I have a scheduled meeting with the musician. You’re the one intruding!”

As the two men bickered, Yuhyeon raised his hands in the middle to calm them down.

“Alright, alright. I’ll hear you both out, so just relax and speak one at a time.”

At his words, they glanced at each other awkwardly, unsure of who should go first.

“……”

“……”

After watching them hesitate for a moment, Yuhyeon took the lead.

“Why don’t you go first, Judge? You already came to speak with me before, after all.”

Since he had met the judge before, it only seemed fair to let him go first.

Charles, stealing a glance at Pengkun, began speaking carefully, “As I mentioned before, this is about the offer for you to join as a musician. If you accept, we will start practice immediately. There’s a rehearsal scheduled in an hour.”

“The ritual ceremony, right?”

“Yes. The ceremony is only a week away, so we’re in a very tight spot. I apologize, but we don’t have much time left.”

“Oh, it’s fine.”

“You’re saying it’s fine…?” Charles hesitated, his tone cautious.

“If I participate, I’ll be playing the piano, right?”

“Yes, yes! We’re currently short on pianists.”

“Then the 50 gold—is that paid after the performance?”

“No, we’ll pay you as soon as the contract is signed. As for the Honorary Devotee Emblem, that will be awarded after the ceremony.”

“Got it. I’ll do it.”

“You will? Really? Thank you!”

For Yuhyeon, there was no reason to hesitate.

What did he need most right now? The ability to hear and play instruments.

‘I can play as much piano as I want—why would I say no?’

Besides, they were offering 50 gold just for participating in the ensemble. There was no reason to turn it down.

He wasn’t sure what that Honorary Emblem thing was, but he wasn’t about to pass up 500,000 won in cash.

“What’s the schedule from here?”

“There’s a cathedral right up ahead. We’re having a rehearsal in an hour, so please come as soon as you’re done here. We’ll handle the contract then as well.”

“Alright, I’ll be there soon.”

Yuhyeon nodded lightly as Charles departed.

“Now then… Pengkun, was it? You had something to say as well?”

“Haha, right! Let me introduce myself first…”

Pengkun began explaining in detail.

Yuhyeon listened attentively before nodding.

“So, you were at the event and heard my performance. But what brings you here…?”

“My main content revolves around covering trending topics. Since you won an event that awarded 50 gold and an Honorary Emblem, I wanted to do an interview.”

Pengkun smoothly crafted an excuse.

“If you’re okay with it, I’d like to follow you around during the event preparations and livestream it. It would be something like an interview or a documentary.”

It wasn’t a lie—he really was interested in following Yuhyeon. He just needed to make it sound more professional.

As he listened, Yuhyeon narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Hmm…”

Basically, this guy wants to broadcast my performances live.

‘I remember something like this happening before at the Queen Elisabeth Competition.’

When I was 15, a sponsorship group had followed me around, recording my performances for a documentary.

Most musicians go through a similar experience at least once.

But I never liked that kind of attention.

‘The offer is tempting, but…’

Being in front of a camera makes me feel awkward. It also adds unnecessary tension to my playing.

‘More importantly, is my performance even worth showing right now?’

That was the biggest issue.

At best, he could match his old skills, but more realistically, he was far worse than before. Was he really okay with broadcasting that?

Compared to his peak, his playing was undeniably lacking.

As the silence stretched, Pengkun watched him closely.

‘He doesn’t like it. I can tell from his expression.’

It makes sense. Strictly speaking, I’m the one who approached him for content.

‘I can’t let this drag out. Time to go all in.’

Rather than letting him hesitate further, it’s better to make a direct offer that he can’t refuse.

Clearing his throat, Pengkun spoke firmly: “I understand that this might be a tough decision. I know it’s a big ask. So, I’d like to make you an offer.”

“An offer?”

“I’ll pay you 100 gold per appearance.”

“100 gold…?”

Yuhyeon’s eyes widened slightly.

That was a million won.

The amount he’d normally earn from two weeks of grinding could be made in one go.

‘It’s a lot of money, but…’

Yuhyeon still felt uneasy.

‘Charles is already paying me 50 gold.’

With that money coming in, I’m not exactly desperate. More than that—

‘It’s my performance that bothers me.’

Is it right to accept money to showcase a performance that isn’t at its best?

It isn’t about pride. It’s about my conscience as a musician.

“Hmm…”

As his hesitation dragged on, the chat in Pengkun’s stream blew up.

– 100 gold is a lot, and he’s still thinking about it?? ㄷㄷ

– Just drop him. He acts like he’s some top-ranked pro.

– Maybe he has a reason he can’t appear?

– What if he’s actually famous and doesn’t want his face out there?

Just as the chat was starting to get chaotic—

[ ‘Hamdin’ has donated 2,000,000 won. ]

– So frustrating. Here, I’ll chip in—just take the deal! ㄱㄱ

A massive donation alert popped up. Pengkun reacted immediately.

“200 gold! I can go up to 200 gold. Any higher, and even I can’t manage it. Do we have a deal?”

“…Huh, 200 gold?”

Yuhyeon let out a long breath.

Pengkun tensed up.

‘A sigh? W-wait, was it not about the money? Did I just offend him by raising the price like this?’

Just as Pengkun panicked, wondering if he’d made a mistake—

“Where do I look?”

“…Huh?”

“The camera. Where is it? Are we starting the recording now?”

Yuhyeon’s attitude shifted in an instant.

“Should I greet the viewers first?”

At this rate, he could cover next month’s rent and still have money left for gaming expenses.

“Should I call you ‘Boss’?”

200 gold was simply too much to refuse.
 

To be continued

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