Ranker’s Return

Hyeonu had a very tired face as he opened the front door.

“What is with that expression? What happened today?” Yeongchan saw Hyeonu’s face and couldn’t bear to say the words he originally planned to say.

‘I wanted to ask if he had a fun date...’

Without even mentioning the date, Hyeonu seemed so out of it that it was doubtful if he had come home sane.

“No, it was just a bit hard. It’s my first time finding out that Seoul is so big.” Hyeonu pushed past Yeongchan and threw himself onto the sofa in the living room. He didn’t even think about taking off the coat he was wearing.

“Hey, take off your clothes before lying down. I don’t have a place to sit,” Yeongchan lightly scolded while taking Hyeonu’s coat off for him. “What the hell did you do?”

“So... she said she wanted to go to Namsan, so we went to Namsan.”

“Then?”

“Then she wanted to see the 63 Building, so we went. And... she wanted to see Gyeongbokgung Palace...”

An endless list of names emerged from Hyeonu’s mouth. They were all popular tourist attractions in Seoul.

“I don’t think it is that hard. Weren’t you in a car?” Yeongchan wondered after hearing Hyeonu’s words. Indeed, the tour wasn’t that hard to do. It would be difficult, but it wasn’t to the extent of being so mentally tiring.

“Yes, that’s right. If we took a car...” Hyeonu replied.

Yeongchan’s eyes moved closer together as he frowned. “Did you take the subway and the bus?”

Hyeonu’s head moved up and down. Yeongchan sighed and shook his head. Then this would be very tiring. He didn’t know precisely, but it would’ve probably taken three or four hours by subway and bus.

“We took public transport on Christmas...”

The biggest cause for Hyeonu’s tiredness was that today was Christmas. Many people used public transport on Christmas, so he was inevitably exhausted.

Yeongchan couldn’t help asking, “Nothing else happened?”

Hyeonu had gone on a date with a beauty like Reina, so it was natural to wonder what had happened. 

“What other things? I was just dragged around as a guide. Still, she seemed to like Seoul quite a bit? Every time we went somewhere, she smiled and took photos,” Hyeonu answered Yeongchan’s question and thought back on the day.

‘Many things happened.’

They went around to a lot of places and saw many things—Namsan, the 63 Building, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul City Hall, and so on. Then when it got late, he took Reina back to the hotel.

‘What did she say at the end?’

The moment the hotel’s elevator doors closed, Reina definitely said something while looking at him.

‘Was it ‘see you again next time’?’

No, it had a similar nuance to that, but it wasn’t that.

‘Then what?’

Hyeonu carefully looked back through his memories. Just then, his eyes widened as he recalled what she said.

‘The next time we meet, she will guide me.’

Of course, Hyeonu thought this would never happen. Reina lived in the United States, and Hyeonu would rarely go there. Even if he went, he wouldn’t go play around aimlessly.

‘What is the use of thinking about things that won’t happen?’

Hyeonu quit thinking about the future possibilities. He was too tired to think about such things. It felt like his mind was being sucked somewhere.

‘Let’s sleep and think about it later.’

***

Hyeonu prepared to present the main scenario in his stream as scheduled.

‘I thought it would take another week or so...’

The guilds related to Hyeonu were ready sooner than he expected. This meant he also needed to make the announcement sooner than expected.

‘The title will be like this...’

[Alley Leader is preparing for a major announcement.]

As always, the focus of the title was fine. It was clear that the audience would come running like bears who found a beehive.

‘It is a good result of sprinkling the bait...’

Everything was the result of all the streams Hyeonu had done previously. The moment Hyeonu set the title for the stream and exposed it on A-World, the viewers flocked in like raging waves.

-Hi hi.

-What is happening today?

-Could it be that he is in a relationship?

-I got information that he wandered around Seoul with Reina on Christmas.

-It isn’t an announcement that he’s leaving the union, right?

The swarming viewers quickly flooded the chat window and asked the same questions like they were of one body. Hyeonu saw the chat messages and shook his head with a sigh. He could do that because the stream screen was still black.

‘Who the hell uploaded it?’

Someone had recognized Hyeonu and Reina, taken a photo, and made it public on social media and the Arena communities with a hot title.

‘Was it… ‘Alley Leader even has the ability to melt ice’?’

It seemed to come from Reina being nicknamed the Ice Princess.

‘By the way, how did someone take them?’

The photos were very well taken. They weren’t taken on a smartphone but a Canon camera worth millions of won. It was hardly believable that this person happened to accidentally discover them.

‘First, I have to explain...’

Hyeonu didn’t know why, but he thought he should do so. He soon appeared on the stream.

“Hello, everyone? I’m Alley Leader. Today, I’ve prepared some very shocking and huge news.”

-So since when did it happen?

-How long have you been dating?

-Is Reina actually that cold?

-Is a long-distance relationship difficult?

The viewers didn’t listen to Hyeonu at all. They just said the things they wanted to say. “No, it is all a misunderstanding. On Christmas, we...”

-No, so did you go on a date or not?

-Are the photos a fabrication or not?

-So you didn’t go to Namsan?

-You didn’t see each other in front of the hotel?

The viewers were constantly rushing like they wanted to break Hyeonu’s spirit. However, Hyeonu was also formidable. He continued talking despite the onslaught of the viewers.

“It is true that I gave Reina a tour of Seoul on Christmas, but it didn’t happen like you are imagining.”

Hyeonu shook his head while speaking. Then the viewers quickly retreated. They hadn’t wanted Hyeonu to admit it anyway. It was just that they’d found something to make fun of him with.

-I think it will be a big deal if they get together later.

-Just do it, really. I won’t stay still.

-We will now back off... Next time, I’ll never let it go.

Hyeonu sighed when he watched the viewers retreat more easily than he’d expected. Then he pulled out what he really wanted to say today. “Now, are you curious about what I’m going to announce today?”

Hyeonu led the atmosphere. The initiative was taken out of the hands of viewers.

-What is it, what?

-What...?

-Tell me quickly!

-I’m going to be dizzy.

The viewers cried out like children. They were very curious. This time, Alley Leader had brought something with him. The viewers were even more curious than usual because every time he brought news, it was always something interesting and magical. He never failed to live up to their expectations.

“The thing I prepared for today... It is amazing news. Anyone would be amazed when they hear it.”

Hyeonu knew this very well, so he delayed the actual announcement. He absolutely wouldn’t give out the information quickly. It was a proper push and pull.

“What do you think when you think of me? What is Alley Leader the best at? It is something unique to Alley Leader.”

-Um... fighting?

-Stealing money?

-Killing people?

-What else is there? Cheating and hitting?

Hyeonu’s head shook from left to right when he saw the chat window. “No, it isn’t that. It is something you can only eat once or twice even when you want to eat it. This is what I’ve been preparing.”

-Want to eat it?

-Don’t tell me...

-The main scenario again...

-Leading the Arena story alone...

The viewers responded to Hyeonu’s words with consternation. The content of the main scenario this time would surprise anyone who heard about it. “Yes, that’s right. The main scenario—I was lucky to start it once again.”

Hyeonu paused for a moment. It was to create a bit of tension. At the same time, he was waiting for questions from the viewers.

-What is the main scenario this time?

-Is it related to the demon world?

-Or maybe it is the East Continent.

-I don’t know...

The messages Hyeonu had been waiting for came up. They were asking for the identity of the main scenario.

“The main scenario is related to the demon world. It features a very big event.”

Hyeonu released the information in a tantalizing manner. At least, this would be the case until more viewers were lured into his stream. He was being patient and waited.

‘Is it now?’

Hyeonu chatted with the viewers and roughly knew who was watching his stream. Certain users had the names of large guilds as their titles. “The main scenario will be played out in the demon world. The subject of the main scenario is the emperor. He told me, ‘Let’s invade the demon world’.” 

-Invade the demon world?

-A war?

-So I think a lot of players are needed, not just one or two.

-Can I join?

The viewers felt their hearts flutter. A war was the representative of large-scale content. Naturally, it was colorful and fun.

-It is interesting just looking at it.

-Was it since the third? I think this is the first war of this scale since the 4th main scenario.

Not only could they directly participate in a war but it was also a pleasure to watch. A large-scale war was enjoyable in many ways.

“There are no restrictions on participation. It doesn’t matter what guild you belong to or don’t belong to as long as you can hunt in the demon world. Anyone can participate. I made it like that,” Hyeonu said with a friendly expression.

Of course, it was true that he made this happen.

It was a fact that couldn’t be denied.

-It is a jackpot.

-Alley Leader is putting out this type of content again.

-By the way, can it be made public like this? That anyone can participate.

-The other guilds should thank him. He readily revealed it.

The viewers didn’t know the essence of Hyeonu’s intentions and praised him. They admired his casual distribution of these large-scale quests. At the same time, he formed public opinion that pressured other large guilds.

‘This is it. This is what I wanted.’

This was why Hyeonu made it public through the stream. Frankly, it was okay to hand over information about the main scenario to other guilds. It took a bit of time compared to the stream release, but it would still take less than an hour. Yet if that happened, he wouldn’t be able to restrain the movements of the large guilds. By releasing it to the public like this, the large guilds would be forced to have a basic sense of shame. This was the condition Hyeonu used to restrain their behavior.

“There is no particular reason for making it public. Shouldn’t we all enjoy good things together?”

A wicked smile appeared on Hyeonu’s face.