novelraw Chapter 132 : V-STAR Tour (4)
Chapter 132 : V-STAR Tour (4)
V-STAR Tour (4)
Before the Sweeties' celebration performance.
Lee Gyeongbok and his friends settled into the reserved seats in advance.
"Oh, this is a better spot than I thought!"
"This is amazing......"
Choi Byeonghun and Park Juho immediately voiced their admiration. But among them, Park Juho, a genuine fan of Sweeties, had a noticeably different expression.
He looked on the verge of tears, which would not have been surprising at all.
"Is it really that good?"
When Lee Gyeongbok asked, Park Juho took a deep breath.
"It is, of course it is. I've been to a lot of concerts, but I've never gotten a seat with such a good view before."
"It's your first time?"
"After all that idol fandom?"
Both friends' eyes widened in surprise. Park Juho turned his gaze toward the stage.
"When I was working, I was so swamped that I couldn't even compete properly for tickets. As you know, I even went on business trips on weekends......"
Getting tickets for an idol concert was like catching a star in the sky. These days, tickets sold out in less than one second after reservations opened; it wasn't even newsworthy anymore.
It happened so often they called it 'blood ticketing' because of the fierce competition.
"I even tried taking vacation days to challenge for tickets, but it never worked."
Park Juho, crushed by unreasonable workloads, could hardly break through such fierce competition.
"So I changed my strategy. I'd need to take a day off for the concert anyway, so I decided to target on-site ticket sales instead."
Occasionally, canceled tickets or extra seats were sold at the venue booth. Of course, even those were uncertain and hard to get.
Despite the struggle to get those seats, they didn't tend to be good ones.
Even so, Park Juho had been grateful for whatever he managed, so his current elation was only natural.
"Seriously, thank you so much."
Lee Gyeongbok felt proud at Park Juho's deeply heartfelt gratitude. But soon, he scanned his friend up and down with a slightly overwhelmed expression.
'Now that he's outed himself as a hardcore fan, I guess he doesn't need to hide anymore.'
Hat, T-shirt, handkerchief, light stick, and more—Park Juho was dressed head to toe in Sweeties merch.
Before long, that gaze shifted to the other friend.
'Juho, sure, but what about that guy......?'
Choi Byeonghun was setting up a tripod, fixing a camera on the stage. If there was anything unusual, it was the size of the camera.
'That's the one camera fans use, isn't it?'
It was that commonly called a 'bazooka camera' seen at fan autograph sessions.
Perhaps he sensed the attention.
"Hey, don't get the wrong idea. I brought this because of that guy."
Choi Byeonghun spoke up, looking aggrieved.
"He was about to drop over a million won just to buy video recording software since he couldn't miss this chance."
"Recording software?"
"Yeah, so I said I'd just film it using what I usually use."
Lee Gyeongbok let out a wry chuckle and looked at Park Juho. The friend was usually extremely meticulous about spending Team Perfect funds, so Gyeongbok couldn't imagine him making an 'impulsive purchase.'
"Ahem, I mean...... real camera fans usually spend over four million won on this kind of setup. Compared to that, this is cheap."
Park Juho coughed and tried to explain himself. Lee Gyeongbok and Choi Byeonghun wanted to tease their embarrassed friend even further.
Whuuung—the sudden sound, and the lights abruptly went out.
"Huh?"
"Oh...... Looks like it's starting?"
A hush fell with the darkness. Up until a moment ago, the buzzing fans instantly held their breath.
At the height of everyone's anticipation.
Thump, thump, thump, thump—the sound was followed by four spotlights aligning on the stage.
With all eyes drawn in, flash and dazzling lights exploded behind the stage. As fireworks burst, a Sweeties member appeared in the spotlight.
'That's a production Genome used to do.'
Teleportation.
It was only possible because this was virtual reality.
"Waaaaaaaah!"
The cheers utterly drowned out the fireworks. As the background music began and the Sweeties' first song started, the light sticks lit up and began to ripple like a wave.
'Wow...... so much energy.'
It was Lee Gyeongbok's first time at a concert, and he was genuinely impressed. Looking to the side, Park Juho was utterly immersed with enthusiasm, while Choi Byeonghun focused intently on filming.
He smiled and turned his gaze to the stage. Naturally, his eyes locked onto the center—the leader, yoon Nara.
'So she can smile like that, too.'
Yoon Nara, with her bright smile and cute stage outfit, was completely different from the NewtonLord Lee Gyeongbok knew from the game world.
Who could possibly imagine those two were the same person?
'Though, she's not that different after all.'
Even so, Lee Gyeongbok spotted NewtonLord within Yoon Nara.
Amid the repetitive dance moves, the other members each showed slight variations, but only she moved with no deviation at all.
As if she'd copied and pasted herself, there was not the slightest error.
'She really works hard.'
Just as NewtonLord mechanically targeted wrists and heads in Gunner Ground, idol Yoon Nara's choreography was precise.
It was hard to imagine just how much she must have practiced.
So, the Sweeties finished the first song, and all members moved to the center.
"Making your day sweet! Hello! We are Sweeties!"
The united greeting from the group provoked another round of cheers. They waved like pros, locking eyes with their fans.
Yoon Nara was no different. She looked around before eventually glancing at the reserved seats.
"Oh! Ooooo!"
"Hey, that's all getting recorded on the audio!"
Park Juho was so excited he could barely speak, and Choi Byeonghun admonished him.
Lee Gyeongbok found himself smiling at the sight of his friends and then watched Yoon Nara again.
Their gazes crossed for a moment.
Lee Gyeongbok gave her a subtle thumbs-up. She widened her eyes momentarily and then quickly glanced away.
'What's that about?'
Was he too familiar?
But the Sweeties members soon returned to their marks.
The next song began immediately.
* * *
The Sweeties' performance concluded perfectly, even with an encore.
But only the concert had ended.
There was still more to come.
The lights shifted and seats rose up on stage. As the members took their places, another figure appeared.
"Hello! Did everyone enjoy this special performance with V-STAR and the Sweeties? I'm Jung Soyoon, your MC for this event!"
As Jung-caster Jung Soyoon greeted the audience brightly, applause and cheers filled the stage.
― Jung-caster! Jung-caster! Jung-caster! Jung-caster!
-lol Aunt Soyoon is the king for real
-fr lol, only a group like Sweeties deserves Jung-caster
― She's so smooth at hosting, lol
Viewers of the official V-STAR stream welcomed her too.
"I heard from backstage—the enthusiasm of you fans is just amazing out here tonight. Now, it's time for 'Play With Sweeties' where we'll experience games with our Sweeties members. Is everyone ready to begin?"
Yoon Nara, the leader, replied on behalf of the group.
"Yes! Since it's an online concert, we're not tired at all. We want to spend more time with our BRICKs fans rather than take a break!"
Her answer set off another wave of cheers and light stick waves.
― Is her way with words unreal, or what! Good!
― So kind and sweet...
― So sweet, lololol
― Just juicy
― If it weren't for work, I'd go see unni in person ㅠㅠㅠ
Jung Soyoon nodded in satisfaction with the audience, just like the stream's chat.
"As expected! No wonder Sweeties are so lovable! Now, let me introduce the event before we get started."
With a queue from Jung Soyoon, the giant screen at center stage lit up.
"As the event name suggests, sweeties members and our lucky fans here today will get to try out games featured at this event. For this first half, we'll be playing mobile games."
The screen shifted.
A close-up showed a gacha machine at the center of the stage full of white balls.
"Unfortunately, our time is limited. So, each member will draw one game to try from the machine. Who wants to go first?"
At Jung Soyoon's question, the Sweeties members glanced at one another. The youngest, sehee, shot her hand up.
"I'll go first!"
"Oh! Our Sehee! Always quick, as expected of the youngest!"
As Sehee walked up, laughter spread through the chat.
― Seriously, too cute, lol
-fr, she has the kind of face you can't help but adore
― Wish I had a younger sibling like Sehee......
― All I have at home is a talking monkey
― Talking monkey lol what the heck
She looked down at the gacha machine. The small balls inside shook unpredictably with the wind.
"Now, what will the first game be? When you're ready, please draw one!"
On cue from Jung Soyoon, sehee reached inside. She furrowed her brow a little and then quickly snagged a ball.
"She's got one! What will Sehee try out?!"
Jung Soyoon amped up the excitement as Sehee twisted the ball open. With a pop! sound effect, snack characters spun around her.
"The game Sehee will play is none other than Dev Brothers' 'CakaRun!'
Sehee, have you tried this game before?"
"Yes, yes! I'm pretty good at it!"
"Oooh, such confidence! Classic Sweeties energy! Well, let's get started!"
Preparations were quick.
Sehee, now situated at center stage, challenged the new CakaRun mode, 'Race.'
― Oh? It's first-person?
― Lol, sehee being flustered is cute too
― This is basically a whole new game, lol
― Dev devs, don't bully Sehee!
Sehee faced the challenge with a very serious expression. But despite her bold declaration, things weren't easy.
"Oh! Sehee is flustered! The trap pattern changed suddenly, and her stamina is dropping quickly!"
"W-wait! Oh no! Aaaah!"
With a short scream, her stamina bar was completely depleted. She pursed her lips in dismay.
"Our Sehee! 5 minutes and 11 seconds! She's feeling a bit down! But even that pout is so cute, right?"
Fans at the venue burst out laughing. The same went for the chat.
― True, lolol
― Now I just want to buy her snacks
― If she pouts at you like this? No one could resist, lolol
― Dev devs, apologize right now!
"For a first try, that was a really decent record! Sehee, how did the game feel?"
"Wow...... I'm honestly so upset. I'm actually good at games, you know? How are you supposed to survive for 15 minutes? Is there a rhythm game, by any chance?"
Her playful whining made the audience laugh even more.
― I bet she means it, lol
― If she's mentioning rhythm games, she must be good
― Bar none, absolute pitch cheat code, activated lol
― But really, no one could last 15 minutes anyway, lol
― What? Someone even survived for over 20 minutes
― What are you talking about?
― Someone lasted 20 minutes?!
Soon all attention returned to Jung Soyoon.
"Okay, thank you so much, sehee. Please give her a big hand! Let's move on to our next player. Who's up next......?"
"I will."
Yoon Nara stood and stepped forward.
"Oh! The eldest sister avenging her youngest! Here's Yoon Nara! I can't wait to see what game she'll draw!"
― Nara noonaaa
-lol THIS is Nara!
― Big sis always looks after the youngest, that's right
― So reassuring, lolol
― Our Nara, best Nara ^^
Yoon Nara, visibly nervous, stuck her hand into the machine. She took a short breath and drew out a ball.
"She's got it! What game will Nara get?!"
Yoon Nara twisted open the ball.
A sound rang out.
〈Moooooo!〉
A cow's cry echoed through the venue, followed closely by gunshots and explosions lighting up the surroundings.
Coincidentally, the game she drew was—
"Oh! GGG's mobile blockbuster! 'Gunner Ground–Showdown!'"
A very familiar game.
"Our Nara, famous as the PE idol! Will she win some Korean beef? Let's watch and see!"
Jung Soyoon continued with a bright smile.
* * *
Lee Gyeongbok watched the stage with a soft smile.
'She'll easily power through three or four tournament games.'
If it were any other member, he'd have worried, but with Yoon Nara's skills, it was more than possible. Since the CakaRun round ended early, there should be plenty of time left.
But the situation wasn't what he expected.
"All right, let's start the match! This time, fans can join in too! Who will be the lucky one to game with Nara?!"
With Jung Soyoon's words, a random match began. Lee Gyeongbok was puzzled but quickly caught on.
'I guess there's some wait time, after all.'
Since he'd tried out the game himself, he understood the inconvenience of waiting between tournament rounds.
Judging by her abilities, she'd finish her matches quicker than anyone else, leading to awkward pauses between matches.
'Multiple random matches make for a smoother show than just waiting around.'
They had clearly prioritized smoother proceedings with more fan participation.
Soon enough, a match was found, and as the area was scanned, cover objects appeared.
"All right! The game has started! Nara, you'll need to scavenge for items!"
With Jung Soyoon's comment, the game got underway. But Lee Gyeongbok tilted his head again.
'Why is she so slow?'
Whether searching for items or picking them up, yoon Nara's movements seemed off.
To be precise, she looked as if she was hurrying—but it wasn't the 'NewtonLord' movement Lee Gyeongbok knew.
'Ah, I see.'
He quickly realized the reason.
'This is also for fan service.'
If she showed her full abilities, she would win every match overwhelmingly. Not exactly the best look for an idol.
'She has to keep things at a certain level.'
She should at least give the other side a chance to shoot, after all.
Just as he suspected, once the scavenging ended, combat began.
Yoon Nara quickly took cover upon encountering the opponent.
'It's over now.'
Lee Gyeongbok was sure she would win. With the pull of a trigger, the result screen would pop up.
But, once again, his expectations were subverted.
"Eeeeek!"
A shrill scream burst out.
Lee Gyeongbok's eyes widened in shock.
Yoon Nara recoiled and screamed at some suppressive fire from the opponent.
'What?'
He couldn't understand her behavior at all. Hadn't she shown excellent shooting skills at the fan sign event stream?
But few found the situation odd.
"Who the heck is that?"
Park Juho grimaced and shouted.
"Is the other person a BRICKs fan? Shooting at Nara!?"
"Well, it's a game—they're supposed to shoot, aren't they?"
Choi Byeonghun asked incredulously, and Park Juho glared even harder.
"Still! You should let her shoot first! Nara's really timid, you know!"
"...... Timid?"
Lee Gyeongbok asked in disbelief. 'Timid' was about as far from her as it got.
But Park Juho nodded furiously.
"Nara may seem confident because she's the leader, but she's actually pretty sensitive!"
Sensitive?
Another word that felt at odds. Lee Gyeongbok turned his eyes back to the stage.
Yoon Nara had started to return fire.
"I-I'm going to shoot now!"
Lee Gyeongbok's mouth fell open a little.
It was odd enough that she announced her shooting, but her shot wasn't quite a proper return fire, either.
Yoon Nara awkwardly stuck her gun out from cover and fired without even looking.
Naturally, she didn't aim anywhere near the opponent.
― Hey! Nara nuna's gonna cry!
― At this point, the other side should just surrender, right?
― Whoever it is, they're pretty cold-hearted...
― Don't bully our unniㅠㅠ
― But scaredy-cat mode is kind of cute lol
― It's awakening my protective instincts!
Park Juho, unable to watch, opened the chat.
The viewers' reactions were much the same.
"Aaauugh......! I, I surrender! I give up!"
In the end, yoon Nara announced her surrender.
As the hologram disappeared, she stood up with a downcast face.
"Oh! Nara surrendered! With just a bit more courage, she could have done it—it's a shame!"
Jung Soyoon spoke with disappointment, but quickly and seamlessly continued her remarks as if expecting this.
"Still, it's not easy to stick your head out in the line of fire! That just shows how immersive Gunner Ground Showdown is! Nara, you don't need to feel bad!"
― Our Nara did nothing wrong!
― Honestly, the opponent had no shame......
― Should've left as soon as the shootout began!
― Nice try, unniㅠㅠㅠㅠ
― She's got great physical abilities, she'd do well if she wasn't so scared ㅠㅠ
While everyone comforted her, only Lee Gyeongbok had a different impression.
'No one noticed, did they?'
It was only for a short shootout, but Lee Gyeongbok noticed something.
The marks left by her return fire from behind cover gave it away. If she'd just fired mindlessly, the bullet spacing would have been random.
'But it's all identical. She practiced this.'
He could read her intention in those bullet marks. She had measured the intervals to avoid getting hit in case the opponent did something unexpected.
Even acting clumsy in-game, yoon Nara had finished her performance through practiced effort.
'Impressive in a whole different way.'
Lee Gyeongbok watched Yoon Nara as she returned to her seat. With a sullen face, she glanced sideways—only for her gaze to meet his once again.
At that, yoon Nara quickly averted her eyes and stealthily hid her hand behind her back.
'Huh?'
At the same time, a faint vibration ran up his wrist. A notification appeared on his Smart Link.
Lee Gyeongbok glanced around and checked the alert.
There was a new message on Disconnector.
A brief smile flickered on Lee Gyeongbok's lips as he read it.
[〉NT: Just pretend you didn't see anything]
The embarrassment in her short sentence was unmistakable.
She was likely feeling self-conscious, since they'd have to face each other at the next event.
***
**New terms list:**