I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 163 ­ Makeup

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“Your skin is really good. It’s neither oily nor dry. Just stick to your usual basic skincare routine, and during winter, you only need to add some face oil.”

“Did you put on sunscreen? Hmm… I think you’d use foundation shade 13. Anyway, your base is so good that using blush or shading to enhance your natural look would be perfect. How about this product?”

“Thank you. Do you have a makeup room?”

“It’s inside. Let me guide you.”

…How did I end up like this?

Wasn’t makeup supposed to be about burning enemies? Or maybe getting covered in dust from a collapsed building and gas from exploding powder on my skin? After a mission, having my face covered in white dust wasn’t tactical makeup?

Anyway, thinking about it, it’s a relief that my skin is fine despite being on the battlefield for over four years, unable to take care of it at all.

Meanwhile, Dice and the staff used all sorts of unfamiliar terms, dragging me into the abyss known as the makeup room. Is this the place they call Malebolge? Is it a representation of my karma?

I shuddered in a feeling of helplessness I had never experienced before.

“Ugh…”

“Wow, there’s not much to do. Yoo Jin, you just need to learn a bit of eye and lip makeup, and you’re done…”

“Ah, ah.”

“Oh no, you can’t move!”

This isn’t a dentist’s office, so what on earth is this?

A stick brushed across my cheeks, nose, forehead, and chin, followed by something tapping on my face—utter chaos. All I could do was tremble in fear of what might happen next… Is this makeup?

There are so many things in this world that I don’t know.

Meanwhile, Dice kept complaining fervently.

“Wow, I didn’t do much, but it’s already looking good. With such a small face, shading is… Oh, really. I’m not great at this either. I’ll need some help with the eye makeup later.”

“…You’re incredibly excited for someone who claims not to be good at this.”

“Hehe. Okay, you can open your eyes now.”

I wondered how much time had passed.

I finally managed to open my eyes. The scent of cosmetics was strangely awkward. I looked into the mirror and met my own gaze—how should I describe it? There wasn’t a dramatic change?

I looked closely, trying to find something different, but I could only see slightly more defined contrasts. Investing this much time for such a minimal change seemed inefficient.

I glanced at Dice, who quickly offered an excuse.

“…No, it’s just that there’s little difference with and without makeup. It’s not that I’m bad at it! I did my own makeup following all the guidelines!”

“Hmm…”

“Well, if you think positively, it means your natural features are already great. Like how a diamond is just placed on a ring with a round brilliant cut without extra decorations. It’s similar to that.”

“…Please stop saying such embarrassing things.”

“Eek!”

He always had to add strange comments.

Unfortunately, this makeup ordeal was just beginning. Dice informed me that the base work was done and next was the eye and lip makeup—the interior decoration.

I wasn’t sure if there would be any dramatic changes, but I decided to experience it once. If it became difficult or tiring, I could just stash it away in a corner of the room. If I became interested or had time later, I could learn from someone else.

Anyway, how many minutes had passed?

“─Your skin is fair, so pink eyeshadow with a hint of glitter would─”

“Since your eyeliner is already sharp, you don’t need to exaggerate it with a triangle shape. Just use a brush pen lightly to make it look natural…”

“Curl your lashes slightly, and since your lashes are long, don’t overdo the mascara, like this──”

It was the first time so many unfamiliar words and touches passed over my face. In the past, facial beauty meant either wearing a balaclava or applying urban combat camouflage cream before entering the battlefield.

When we had time during operations, we’d sweep basic cosmetics from stores in Manhattan, using them sparingly. But living in a semi-communal environment meant that team members without conscience often took them for their skincare needs.

I used to discipline them with sparring sessions.

As I reminisced about these pointless memories, Dice, now with a huge pile of eye makeup products, dragged me back into the makeup room. This time, he brought an assistant to help.

I half-listened to their excited chatter, only taking in what I needed to avoid losing my sanity.

How long had it been?

“Now, open your eyes. Wow, you look so pretty. Just enhancing a few points makes a big difference.”

“It suits you very well.”

Hmph…

Looking in the mirror, I could tell that I had indeed “put on makeup.” The light shimmer of the eyeshadow, the neatly drawn eyeliner, the properly applied mascara lifting my lashes—objectively, it did look pretty. The problem was that it wasn’t my eyes but the mirror’s reflection.

…Why am I explaining this? I feel pathetic.

Anyway, just think of it as looking like I’ve done some makeup. Glancing beside the vanity, I noticed various colors of lipsticks and lip glosses.

I would end up doing that too.

I sighed and closed my eyes again.

“─For the lips, like you’ve done now, keep the outer part light and make it darker towards the inside─”

“Here are some pink tones, so apply it all over once, then use a lip brush to darken the inner part and finish the edges…”

“Yes, yes. That would look really pretty.”

Ah.

I felt like I was going to lose my mind.

“Thank you! Please come again!”

“Yes, yes, thank you!”

Today’s yield.

300,000 won worth of color cosmetics to be automatically delivered to my house within the next two days, and Dice, who couldn’t stop smiling.

I thought department stores were either fun places or filled with booby traps as common as stones on the road, but it turns out they can also make a person insanely tired. Thus, this place held a third meaning for me.

A simple conversation followed.

“How does it feel doing it for the first time?”

“The mental fatigue is immense.”

“Hehe. But it looks really pretty. Just enhancing a few points makes it stand out. I didn’t know what that meant before, but now I get it.”

“…From now on, I’ll just stick to basic skincare and sunscreen.”

“Oh, but please do it sometimes. Otherwise, I feel like my effort was wasted.”

“…I can’t guarantee that.”

I meant it.

If I had bought them with my own money, I would’ve stashed them in a corner already. But unfortunately, Dice had spent 300,000 won of his own money, leaving me no excuses.

I just hoped there wouldn’t be any occasions requiring makeup. Otherwise, it’d be better to see a stylist for those public events. How could someone who carried kilograms of metal around do such delicate work?

Feeling mentally exhausted, I craved something sweet.

We made eye contact.

“Yoo Jin.”

“Yes?”

“You’re thinking the same thing I am, aren’t you?”

“Probably not.”

“Oh, come on, after doing your makeup, it’s time for clothes shopping. There’s women’s clothing from the second floor up. Let’s buy just one outfit each. It’s expensive here, so buying too many would drain our prize money quickly. How about it?”

“Oh dear.”

I sighed softly and said,

“So, now I should drag you to a café?”

“Oh, come on, we’re here, let’s shop a bit. I–Whoa, tail around my waist! I’m floating! Floating, I tell you!”

“Let’s talk over something sweet.”

“You just had over 15 kinds of desserts at the buffet–Fine, fine! Just put me down! I give up!”

Tactical kidnap.

Someone in the chat called it that when I carried Harmony during an old game mission. Looking at it now, what I was doing seemed similar. Though ‘kidnap’ usually had different implications, mine included a deep conversation.

Our destination was the café of truth…or rather, just a café. It was time to pay for letting them play with my face for a fee.

Of course, we eventually bought clothes too.

My hate for department stores continues to rise daily.

“Next week, the ad shoot season starts. Come to think of it, Yoo Jin, you have sponsorships but it’s tough to shoot ads in real life, right? What offers did you get?”

“Accessory, sports equipment collaboration…SSM renewal request too. Public TV interviews are a given, and there’s a pro gamer documentary production and so on. Surprisingly, there were many requests for promoting tactical gear too.”

“Wow…that’s really amazing. I expected sports and daily life items, but accessories and tactical gear promotion is new…Hey! Stop squirming!”

“Oh dear.”

What should I say?

Dice had pestered me, so we ended up at a reptile café, but it seemed it would take him a while to get used to real snakes. He was so tense that his body was stiff.

Anyway, it was 5:26 PM. We were at an animal café in Seoul. Since there was some time before dinner, this place was chosen after department store shopping.

In a way, we were following a similar path as with Harmony, though this time focusing on reptiles like snakes, lizards, and turtles.

A yellow ball python slithered around my neck and danced on my shoulders. As I stroked its head, it gently nuzzled my cheek. Maybe it was quite smart?

I wasn’t sure how to describe it, but it felt like, despite having a normal emotional range, I had an innate bond with reptiles, giving me an affinity bonus due to my nickname, Anaconda.

It followed my words well and clung to me affectionately.

“Wow, a snake among snakes. Hehe.”

“Does it suit me that well?”

“Looking at you like this, Yoo Jin, you have a bit of a snake-like face. I don’t mean that in a bad way; it’s just, how should I put it… the seductive quality unique to snakes?”

“Sigh.”

“Ahk!”

I smacked his ankle lightly with my tail.

Of course, I didn’t hit him hard.

“Seems like there’s another snake down below. Maybe it hit you instead.”

“…Sure. Anyway, thanks to you, Yoo Jin, I got to take some free snacks in exchange for a few photos. Thanks for the treat.”

Dice slurped his iced tea.

He was right. Nowadays, animal cafés offer free events for first-time visitors accompanied by manifestors. This café was no different. Of course, the café owner and staff were taken aback when a reptile manifestor walked into a reptile café, but what could they do?

Considering these points, it was a good choice since it allowed us to spend time without spending much money.

The conversation continued along similar lines.

“Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve mentioned interviews much. Did I tell you anything about them?”

“There must be something unique about them if you bring it up like this.”

“That’s right. In essence, they’re scrim interviews. Just because it’s on public TV doesn’t mean they don’t use VR interview functions. Although there are real-life interviews, Yoo Jin, you have certain limitations in that regard, right?”

“That’s true. But it sounds like these interviews are more vivid in a different sense because of the AP national representative status?”

“Exactly.”

Seo Ye-rin, who had been nibbling on the carrot cake that came with her drink, continued speaking slyly.

“The title of national representative doesn’t last long. Maybe a month at best? Even though there are plenty of ads booked, and there will be shoots after the Asian preliminaries, it’s still a temporary status.”

“I see. So, you need to showcase a lot in that limited time, which is why you conduct these special interviews. Are all interviews like that?”

“Not all of them. But as you pointed out, even though one out of ten people in Korea watched KSM, there are still sponsors and advertisers among the remaining nine who didn’t.”

“Aha.”

Capitalist logic, as expected.

Well, the Dark Zone was part of my past, but it was also a game. It’s only natural that it would be closely linked with massive capital flows.

More interesting was her next, very quiet remark to avoid others hearing.

“And even in scrim interviews, there’s not much to see. Even if non-professionals try to scrutinize the details, they won’t perceive the skill differences with foreign players.”

“Haha, so as long as it looks cool, it’s fine.”

“Exactly. Plus, it’s also about regaining the feel that might have dulled in the first week. The larger the audience, the more nervous you get.”

She added with a playful smile.

I saw an employee bringing my snack, honey bread, into view.

“With so many people recognizing you already, Yoo Jin, you must be quite nervous.”

“…What?”

Clatter.

A male employee placed the tray on the table. On the plate of honey bread was a chocolate plate with the words ‘Congratulations on KSM 1st place!’

At the same time, he handed me a sheet of A4 paper and a pen.

With a slightly nervous voice, he spoke.

“Um… Are you streamer Yoo Jin? Congratulations on 1st place in KSM and advancing to the Asian preliminaries. If it’s alright, could I get your autograph…?”

“Uh, I’ve never given an autograph before… Unfortunately, I can’t take a photo with you. Is there any particular message you’d like?”

“Ah, just write anything you want. And is the person next to you also a pro gamer?”

Glance.

After a brief exchange of looks, Seo Ye-rin spoke.

“If you tell anyone, our legal team will find you, so keep that in mind. Anyway, this is pro gamer Dice, who passed KSM in 2nd place. He’s from SSM Entertainment. Nice to meet you.”

“Wow, wow, wow, oh my god…! I’ll be right back with another sheet of A4 paper!”

The employee dashed off.

I wrote a hopeful message on the paper and spoke.

“Same goes for you.”

“…Yeah. This is unexpected.”

As expected.

Dice’s fame was also still ongoing.

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