NOVEL WEB Chapter 158 - Back to Real Life
Chapter 158 – Back to Real Life
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───Clang!
“Ugh…!”
“…That’s truly impressive. This isn’t a weight a person should be able to lift.”
The barbell, with plates densely stacked on either side, moved up and down in the air several times before finally being placed back on the stand with a clang. Multiple 40kg plates were loaded on each side of the bar. I exhaled deeply and raised myself up.
The towel laid under my back was soaked with sweat. Sweat dripped down my body. It was possible because, as long as I didn’t exceed certain limits, my body remained intact no matter how much I moved.
Of course, doing exercises like bench presses and other back exercises required cutting a circular hole for my tail at the bottom, which was a bit of a problem. Fortunately, the gym owner provided various supports in this regard.
There had been some give-and-take, like promotion and such.
“Haah.”
Drinking the ice-cold water made me feel a bit better.
My muscles ached. But as I said before, exercising like this didn’t make my chest suddenly become overly muscular. After all, what grows is muscle.
Instead, women have fat in their breasts. In short, working out diligently results in better volume. It was obvious in a way.
…Though I didn’t want to care much about it, I couldn’t help it. If I had this body in the past, I would have been in awe of the physical lines all over. Seeing it in the mirror, rather than in a phone photo or on my retina, brought about strange feelings.
So, I preferred to wear baggy clothes while exercising. However, there were parts that couldn’t be hidden, especially my chest. Thankfully, everyone’s attention was focused on my tail.
Anyway, that’s it for today.
“Thank you for helping me again today. You’ve worked hard.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. These days, there are so many new members that it’s killing me. I have to start a PT session in ten minutes. But it’s all thanks to you, Yoo Jin. Thanks to you, we’ve brought in new equipment and expanded our facilities. We even remodeled the old equipment.”
“Indeed, a lot has changed since I registered a little over a month ago. The promotion seems to have helped a lot.”
“Haha, of course. Oh, and…”
Then he hesitated.
After moving slightly aside, he tried to say something but stopped, then added in a very quiet voice so no one else could hear.
“…Never mind. By the way, congratulations on becoming number one in the Dark Zone, KSM. It was really fun to watch.”
“Hehe, since my avatar is identical to my real self, there must be many people who recognize me in reality but pretend not to.”
“My mouth is itching to talk about it, but since both the law and you are close by, I can’t say anything. Haha. By the way, are you still not planning to reveal your real appearance?”
“It’ll be naturally revealed when I go to the finals, so I’m thinking of doing it just before then…I’ve been considering it.”
“Aha.”
Of course, I had a similar conversation with Harmony.
The reason I was talking about this with the gym owner was that he already knew my real appearance. Moreover, he met me far more often than Harmony, so it was inevitable in a way.
Of course, it was based on the relationship between a member and a gym owner. Why would I go beyond that?
“Anyway, today’s strength training ends here. I’ll do some light cycling and then leave. Thank you again for coming out so early in the morning to help.”
“Haha, it’s fine. This place operates 24 hours on a rotation basis. Besides, waking up early helps prevent any unexpected accidents. These days, there are a few people coming in the morning just to see you, Yoo Jin, so it naturally wakes me up….”
“Haha, I see. Got it.”
After bowing slightly in thanks, he also headed off to prepare for another member’s PT session.
I got on the cycle with a towel around my neck and started pedaling. With a beep, the time and speed were displayed. After adjusting the resistance, I checked today’s emails on the ICARUS screen linked to my phone.
Since KSM had ended – meaning I had been selected as a national representative — advertising and sponsorship emails were flooding in. Among them were resumes from those who applied through the editor announcement. The urgent ones were those, so I checked the portfolios first.
The channel’s subscriber count had surpassed 200,000. In other words, it had grown too big to be managed by just one editor and one thumbnail creator, so I definitely needed additional help.
Moreover, these days, the revenue from streaming alone was enough to comfortably cover the salaries of the thumbnail creator and the second editor, as well as a uniform salary increase. In other words, I wasn’t even counting the income from channel operations.
It was convenient in many ways, as long as there were no accidents.
[Notification: Switching to bulk advertisement confirmation mode.]
Buzz.
There was no need to check each email individually. With the help of the gear, I confirmed all the products. I checked only the important parts of the attached photos and requirements.
Many of them were items that could be worn in virtual reality. They were easy to advertise because there was no need to send the actual product. So, the first things that caught my eye were all sorts of accessories.
In other words, they were data files asking me to wear them during the broadcast.
“Earrings, necklaces, bracelets, watches…so many.”
How should I put it, there were so many things that wouldn’t look out of place at a social gathering or a ballroom.
Even Bulgari, which I had heard of even as a layperson, asked if I could advertise a snake-shaped watch that matched my avatar concept. I was a bit taken aback when I first saw it.
The watch, which wrapped around the wrist, looked like it could protect my wrist later. Of course, with the ICARUS gear, it was enough for now, so I just kept it for the time being.
Though it seemed like there were only such items, I found that various places had sent various proposals as I looked further.
There were a lot of sportswear items, selling time to meet me, collaborations with cooking-related Yourspace channels, and even terrestrial TV interviews.
Meanwhile, a notification.
[Notification: There’s a proposal from SSM Entertainment.]
Click.
The content was simple. They asked if I was willing to re-sign with them for an amount in the billions, whether I could participate as an SSM representative, or if I could appear in a joint documentary or advertisement for pro gamers that SSM and ICARUS were producing.
Specifically, it was about things like food or snacks, bedding, shoes, and clothing, all with the large SSM logo on the front or on the shoulders.
I decided to keep it for future consideration.
Meanwhile,
“This is nostalgic.”
Vortex, EOTech, Mechanix Wear, 5.11 Tactical, Strike Industries, Monstrum, Nightforce, SIG Sauer, Surefire, OSS…tactical gear manufacturers that I had heard of countless times during past operations.
They wanted me to promote their tactical gear in the Dark Zone.
Moreover, Vortex, EOTech, and Nightforce were specifically targeting me. They probably benefited from the reflex effect of me always using the Vortex Razor Gen 3 or EOTech’s Vudu during the AP matches.
I wondered why Americans would watch Korean matches, but I just accepted it.
Likewise, SWORD International, the maker of the Mk.18 Mjölnir, subtly contacted me through ICARUS. Of course, being a firearms company, real-life sponsorship was impossible.
I was very interested in this part, but unfortunately, I had no chance to use it in reality. I couldn’t shoot, which was quite sad in many ways.
While I was checking all sorts of things,
[Notification: VR-linked call from ‘Dice’.]
“Silent mode.”
The surroundings instantly became quiet.
After blocking external noise through the ICARUS gear, I answered the call. Due to the nature of VR-linked calls, Dice would think I was talking with my avatar’s voice, even though I was using my real voice.
Anyway, that’s beside the point.
“Yoo Jin, are you busy? I just sent an email…oh, you’re at the gym! Sorry! I’ll hang up!”
“It’s okay. I stepped out to take the call. What’s up?”
“Oh, did you see the email I just sent? Our Asia preliminaries pre-briefing date and venue have been set. This Saturday, at the Swiss Grand Hotel Convention Hall, all the national representatives and coaching staff from each team will gather.”
“In reality? That’s unexpected. I thought it would be in virtual reality like the last KSM pre-briefing.”
“Since it’s the Asia preliminaries, it has a more international competition feel. Plus, the finals will be held in the US, so it’s a chance for the players and coaching staff to get to know each other.”
Then…wait a minute.
I realized Dice’s intention for briefing me about something I could easily skim through in the email. Moreover, even if I pretended not to notice, I could hear the excitement in her voice.
And as expected,
“We’ll finally see you in person, Yoo Jin!”
“I knew it.”
“Hehe, you say that, but there’s no turning back now. In just two days, everyone will know what you look like. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Then she continued,
“I’m really curious. Can you tell me a little? Like, are your muscles super impressive? Even more so than the personal trainers you’ve had?”
“You talk a lot. Aren’t you afraid of repercussions?”
“Uh
…I’ll leave that to my future self. Anyway, you’ll be surprised when you see me too! People from other teams who met me last year were all shocked. They couldn’t believe it. My personal details haven’t spread for similar reasons.”
“I have a rough idea. You’re a woman, right?”
“Uh…?”
I could imagine Dice’s dumbfounded expression on the other end.
Of course, last year’s other pro gamers wouldn’t know what Dice was doing since they didn’t spend all day with her like I did…but conversely, I did, and this was the result.
She knew all about shower products and cosmetics — of course, people interested in these fields could know regardless of gender — but staying in the shower for over 40 minutes was another thing.
Also, her mannerisms. It’s not just about playing games together and exchanging voices. We shared small stories about our daily lives, which exposed a lot.
“…H-how did you know…?”
“Why did you think I wouldn’t?”
“Ugh, but there’s still more to reveal. I’m not going to tell you the rest, Yoo Jin.”
“Just don’t be too surprised when you see me on Saturday.”
Considering Harmony almost collapsed when she first saw me, I wondered what reaction Dice would have.
Chatting about this and that, an hour had passed since I started cycling. I was drenched in sweat.
Dice had a lot to say, even while taking the elevator, changing clothes, and showering. It was a mystery how she planned to hide her gender.
It’s time to eat.
───Whirr!
“Oh, what’s that noise?”
“It’s the sound of making a shake with about 2000kcal per cup. I need a lot of calories daily. It’s a mix of a slice of chocolate cake, vanilla ice cream, milk, and chocolate syrup. Do you want to try it later?”
“Ew, if I eat that, I’ll get diabetes and die!”
“Haha.”
But I needed at least 5000 calories a day – and that’s the minimum — and a little exercise would double that. My body had an incredible fuel efficiency rating, but it didn’t seem like that in reality.
Anyway, eating this and a few slices of pizza would roughly add up to 4000kcal. It was fortunate for me that the number of high-calorie foods had exploded in modern society.
“Well, see you the day after tomorrow! They provide lunch there, it’s a buffet. If you have time, do you want to have dinner together? My treat. But, uh…no alcohol. You know what I mean?”
“I don’t drink. Don’t worry.”
“…You really take care of yourself except for eating.”
…Not controlling my diet wouldn’t count as taking care of myself, right?
Anyway, that’s how the call ended. As I put the freshly made shake on the table, I heard a ding from the oven, signaling the end of cooking. This early morning started off very oily.
As I was munching on the bread,
“I should mention this in the broadcast later.”
Viewers would love to hear about this during Just Chatting.
It felt like I was becoming a broadcaster.
[Tricky’s personal community – Yoo Jin]
[Announcement] Saturday’s broadcast might be canceled.
Hello, everyone. This is Yoo Jin.
As you can see from the title, this is because I need to attend the Asia preliminaries pre-briefing. After that, Dice is treating me to dinner. I can’t say for sure when I’ll be home. If possible, I’ll try to start the broadcast around 10 PM.
Of course, there won’t be any outdoor broadcast. What were you expecting? Hehe.
Additionally, there might be more advertisements in future broadcasts. There seem to be a lot of sponsorships coming in. I’ll hold a raffle event later to ensure as many of you as possible benefit.
Since there’s no way I can handle all the stuff I receive…anyway, that’s it. I feel a bit guilty because there’s not much I can give you all.
But come to think of it, it’s Saturday night, so you’ll watch the broadcast even if I start late, right? Please watch diligently if you can.
Then 20000
[All comments][Newest]
=How is this an announcement? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
=She beats people up with such a gentle tone ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
=These days, do announcements come with voiceovers? Why is Yoo Jin’s voice playing in my head while reading this?
ㄴSeriouslyㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴYou too?
ㄴMe too!
=Teacher, did you think I only rest on Saturday nights? I rest every day of the week!
ㄴPlease, go get a job!!!!!!!!
ㄴPreparing for military enlistment…
ㄴAh
ㄴLolㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ[Yoo Jin] I hope you stay safe ( ˘ ³˘） ♡
ㄴWow!!!!!!!!!!!!I’ll cherish this forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ㄴIf I re-enlist, can I get a kiss from Yoo Jin too? Please tell me quickly, I’m in a hurry
ㄴI’m applying for a professional sergeant right now ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
=The comment above is going wild ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
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