Martial Arts Returnee’s Game Broadcast

Chapter 59

After a shopping date where only one person was excited,
Ha Eun-eung ended up with three sets of clothes.
Her outfit, which once seemed like it would never change from her usual plain attire—comprised of her long gown, a peafowl-feathered sash, and a straw hat—was now replaced by something new.
Among the clothes she selected, Jua-Young had strongly recommended the best-looking set,
consisting of a stretchable turtleneck, a loose knit vest, denim pants, and western boots, a complete Jua-Young coordinated set.

“….”
“Stop looking around so much. If you do that, you’re just going to draw more attention.”

Ha Eun-eung, who had been trying to hide her abdomen by constantly pulling up her waist, was now more concerned about the attention she was drawing than her stomach. Despite all efforts to make her feel comfortable with the knit vest as a solution, she couldn’t find any peace.
At this rate, the clothes she bought today would end up sealed in her closet, never to see the light of day again.
So, Jua-Young came up with a little trick.

“If you’re so anxious, why not just wear something?”

With a smile, Ha Eun-eung eagerly pulled out a headpiece from the shopping bag.

“Not that huge sushi-roll-like hat, though.”
“….”

Seeing her sister’s emotional ups and downs today, Jua-Young felt both excited and a little guilty for pushing her so much.
But if she allowed the hat, she knew that within a day, Ha Eun-eung’s old outfit would resurrect—long gown and peafowl sash included.
It wouldn’t matter if it was for combat, but if they went out together, wearing that hat would immediately ruin the fresh new look and make it obvious to everyone.

“How about an umbrella?”

It was a clear night sky, with not a drop of rain, but why must umbrellas only be used when it rains?
Having experienced Ha Eun-eung’s unique fashion sense, Jua-Young had opened her mind to fashion and, without a second thought, found the perfect accessory for her sister.

“It’s good for covering your face instead of a hat, and if it’s a dark color, it’ll shield you from the sun without blinding you. And if it rains, you’ll be covered then too.”

It was an odd suggestion, with the umbrella’s original purpose pushed to the back, but Ha Eun-eung found it quite appealing.

[Where can I buy an umbrella?]

“Hmm... I’ve never heard of an umbrella specialty store. Probably better to buy it online?”

[Then I’ll wear the headpiece today.]

“No way. If you do that, I might as well just give you a convenience store umbrella. Hey, this is perfect. Convenience store umbrellas. With acid rain, they stock up on umbrellas.”

For the dangerous rain that could cause skin rashes after just 10 minutes,
or heavy metals poisoning if you stayed under it for an hour,
all convenience stores made sure to keep a stock of umbrellas.

“Want to go to our convenience store? I just switched shifts with a friend and I’m working the night. It’ll be on the way. You’re not too tired, right?”
Jua-Young playfully poked her sister’s arm with her finger, showing a cute expression.
At her playful act, Ha Eun-eung softened her expression.

[Sure. Since you’ve done so much for me today, let’s go together.]

Jua-Young, pleased that her sister agreed, began to think about which umbrella to get her.
Would it be the bear mascot umbrella or the frog one?
Her mind was racing with a little cheeky mischief.
Her smile didn’t fade. It was a happy dilemma.

"Alright, that’s it for today’s lonely gourmet night broadcast. Everyone, go live your real lives now~"

Where are you living your real life at 10 PM?
Honestly, I wake up and stream, and when the stream ends, I sleep.
Dude, you're so annoying, can I just smack you once?
“Yeah, no. Compared to Mugeon, this is nothing. Anyway, I’m really ending it now?”

With a quick goodbye to the viewers,
the broadcast came to an end.
Afterward, a text message came from his editor.

Wensu: 600k views incoming
Ihaechan: Keep going
Wensu: Okay, I went big, 615k

Was this really a paid editor?
While complaining, Ihaechan thought about buying the specialty products from Myungho-dong, not forgetting to get something for his editor as well.
He was not only a good streamer but also a generous boss.

“So, Mugeon is living in a place like this?”

Although the broadcast had ended, Ihaechan didn’t put down his camcorder.
He was secretly preparing footage for a special recording—Looking for Mugeon.

"Myungho-dong house prices are around 10 billion these days? Whoa. Even with a gate, the Myungho Guild must be pretty powerful for such a small guild."

Thanks to the monster and the gate causing a real estate bubble,
house prices had plummeted to under 100 million in most areas,
but Myungho-dong had held up remarkably well.

“I googled it just now. That person, Lee Myungho, was working under Tae Baek from the Taebaek Guild, one of the top 10 guilds.”

It wasn’t just now.
The line he wanted to use in the broadcast had been researched beforehand,
because knowing the details of the place you’re visiting changes how much you can enjoy it.
In that sense, investigating guilds or famous figures in a travel destination is far more engaging for viewers than old monuments or relics.

[Deposit details]
Myungho Guild ? My account
+1,000,000 won

While explaining the broadcast content, he had casually mentioned promoting Myungho Guild,
and the PR department had generously sent 1 million won in advertising fees.
But in truth, he had to throw a little praise to make sure the financial support wasn’t wasted.
Before he knew it, despite the broadcast ending at 10 PM, it was already 1 AM.

"Ugh, if I knew it’d be like this, I wouldn’t have come alone."

As soon as he straightened up, his back let out a loud crack.
Maybe it was time to ease up on the pre-recorded stuff,
or he might hurt himself.
Shaking his head, he limped toward the convenience store sign,
like a moth to the streetlight.

“Mugeon’s sightings are so incoherent, what’s up with that?”

Getting to Myungho-dong was correct,
but the residents’ testimonies were all over the place.
Some said they’d lived in a practice room for a month with trainee celebrities,
while others claimed they saw Mugeon defeat 13 members of the Myungho Guild with some kind of tennis racket-like instrument.
Some even said he was a guest instructor at a Special Awakener Academy.

“Most ridiculous is that there are witnesses to all of it.”

At least if there were no witnesses, the rumors would be easy to dismiss.
But it seemed like there were witnesses everywhere,
confirming they had seen Mugeon.

"Maybe I really do have a knack for finding people? Like a detective or a reporter?"

Aware of the camcorder, Ihaechan struck a pose, trying to look confident.

"Why is that guy acting like that?"
"He must be drunk. All men act like that when they drink."
"Haha, so funny. Are you like that too?"
"...Nah. I’m not."

A couple passing by late at night laughed loudly.
Ihaechan’s face turned bright red with embarrassment.

"Sigh... Do I really have to record stuff like this at this hour? This is ridiculous."

Of course, successful V-streamers turn even embarrassing moments into broadcast-worthy content.

“Damn, I’m really embarrassed now.”

Once the camcorder was off, the embarrassment was almost unbearable.
Ihaechan was already thinking about kicking off the covers in his bed,
and as he entered the convenience store to calm down,
he heard a cheerful greeting from the cashier.

"Welcome!"

The cashier, with striking beauty, greeted him.

‘The owner must have spent a lot. This place must be doing well.’

As he moved toward the refrigerated drinks section, he slowed down his steps,
distracted by the customer in front of him.

‘Wow. Just from the back, she looks like a model.’

Her body, perfectly accentuated by the turtleneck sweater and wide-hips jeans,
kept drawing his attention, though he knew he shouldn’t.

Clink.

The sound of someone choosing a drink made him raise his gaze.
His eyes followed the slender fingers reaching into the refrigerator,
and his gaze stopped at the bandaged wrist.

‘Bandages? That doesn’t seem like something an ordinary person would do.’

The wrist was carefully wrapped with sports tape, likely to protect it during some sort of physical activity.
What kind of sport was she into?

As he wondered, the woman’s hand paused,
and for a moment, their eyes met through the reflection in the glass.
Even without facing her directly, the intensity of her gaze was clear.

‘Wait. Is it really?’

He tried to dismiss the thought, but everything about her felt familiar,
from the rare eye color to the way she moved.

"Excuse me, are you..."

Before he could finish,

Waa-woo!

A loud siren blared,
and the cashier’s face turned pale as she shouted.

"Monster air raid alert!"

The gate to Myungho 2-dong had exploded.