I Returned, and Now I See Strange Things-Chapter 22: One Bite
Real-life PvP.
In other words, to put it simply—it’s when someone meets up in person with someone they argued with online... and fights. Or duels. Or—well, there’s no need to phrase it any differently.
Fighting for what one believes in is fundamentally the same.
The only difference is whether your life’s on the line or not.
I didn’t see any reason to stop her if she was going to fight for something she believed in, but Hyesung clearly didn’t agree.
“Hey, are you out of your mind? You don’t know who could show up, and you’re just gonna go meet them like that?”
“...”
Hmm... I guess that is a problem.
Hyesung showed us case after case of incidents posted online to try and stop Hyeyeon.
Listening to the stories one by one, it really did seem like sending Hyeyeon alone wasn’t a good idea.
Ah. So that’s why she wanted me to come along.
“Wouldn’t it be okay if I go with her?”
Read latest chapters at freёweɓnovel.com Only.
When I said that, Hyesung let out a sigh and responded.
“...To be honest, I’d still be worried even if you went, noona. Have you... not looked in a mirror lately?”
“What about me?”
Only amateurs judge someone’s power based on appearance.
People who make the mistake of underestimating their opponent... either don’t live long or end up gaining enlightenment and fixing their attitude.
There’s no way I’d lose to idiots like that.
Seeing my face, Hyesung pressed a hand to his forehead and muttered.
“I get that you’re good at dealing with ghosts, but people are... different, you know...”
“Hmm...”
If anything, I’m more used to people than ghosts—but I had enough sense not to say that out loud here. Instead, I lifted my bowl and drank the rest of the broth.
I could feel his concern.
[Must be nice, having people worry about you.]
...You and I are gonna talk later.
Anyway.
As I went quiet, Hyeyeon didn’t bring it up again either.
Even when we left the restaurant and got in the car, she kept furiously typing on her ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ phone, eyes dark with fury as she rubbed at her tired eyes.
That’s when I finally got curious about what they were even fighting over.
“So what exactly are you fighting about?”
“...They keep saying everything you said was wrong. Even though I saw it with my own eyes.”
“Ah...”
“That’s why I wanted you to come with me.”
It was... kind of a touching reason.
She wanted to fight because she believed what I said was true.
[...You know this is all just drama, right?]
I ignored Ignis, since I couldn’t actually hear her right now anyway.
“Hyesung, is there anything we can do?”
“...I’m driving right now, so let’s talk about it later. Later.”
“Okay.”
Then Hyeyeon showed me her phone.
It was some dreary-looking website with a dark background and an overall grim vibe.
After a closer look, it seemed like a user called “I wanna f** Slender Man”* kept picking fights with her.
...That’s... quite a name.
What even is a Slender Man?
They were provoking Hyeyeon by parroting back the things she’d told me, clearly trying to rile her up.
...Seriously, what a loser.
Just looking at the screen made my eyes feel dry.
“Unni, you must be really tired.”
“...Yeah. A bit. You okay?”
“Yes. I mean... staying up all night is normal for me.”
Now that she mentioned it, her dark circles were always there.
A glance in the rearview showed her eyes were bloodshot.
Catching my gaze, Hyesung spoke in a tired voice.
“We’ll be at the lodging soon, so... try not to fall asleep now. Sleep when we get there...”
“Got it...”
...I hope we don’t crash.
“By the way, noona, do you not have a driver’s license?”
“Uh... I think?”
“You ever planning to get one?”
“Why would I?”
I looked into it. It costs a lot.
And I don’t even have a car. Why would I waste money on a license?
Hyesung looked like he wanted to argue but stayed quiet.
...If you didn’t want to do all the driving, maybe you shouldn’t have gotten your license.
Struggling to keep my eyes open, I finally collapsed into sleep the moment we got to the lodging.
After a solid nap, we hit the highway again before dinner.
Apparently, Hyesung didn’t just shoot content with me, so his schedule wasn’t as free as I thought.
...Not that it mattered, since he still had to drive either way.
As he sipped on a recovery drink behind the wheel, he suddenly spoke.
“About what we talked about earlier...”
“What?”
“...You know, Hyeyeon’s real-life PvP thing.”
“Oh, right. That happened.”
I glanced into the back seat at his words.
Hyeyeon, who’d stayed awake even while we were both sleeping, had knocked out the moment she got into the car and was now lightly snoring in her sleep.
Every time she breathed, the large lump of her belly quivered slightly.
“So?”
He glanced at me and continued.
“Since you were looking at it with her earlier, what did you think?”
Thinking back... there was really only one thing that stood out.
“The username was kinda weird.”
“What was it?”
“Something like ‘I wanna f** Slender Man.’*”
“...That’s 100% a woman.”
“Really?”
That’s wild.
You can tell someone’s gender just from their username?
“Nothing else?”
“Hmm... Let’s see... The background was kinda dark... and they were arguing based on stuff I told her, I guess.”
“Really?”
His face looked just a bit brighter at that.
“Why?”
“In that case, I was thinking... why don’t we invite them onto the show and talk it out? A proper discussion, not a fight.”
“True. It’s not like the goal is to actually beat someone up.”
Hyesung chuckled.
“Good content for me, and Hyeyeon gets to clear her name. Two birds with one stone, right?”
“To me, it just looks like you’re trying to get something for nothing.”
“Hey now, please don’t twist my deep affection for my sister.”
...For someone who seems rational, he really is obsessed with getting a good broadcast angle.
Then again, that’s probably what it takes to make a living off this.
And I am someone who gets paid by that guy, so maybe I shouldn’t talk.
“But doesn’t that mean we have to come all the way back down again?”
He raised an index finger and waved it side to side like we weren’t even close yet.
“Eyes on the road.”
“It’s fine. We’re on the highway.”
Still, the way he placed both hands back on the wheel made me snort.
“No need to come down again. In the end, it all comes down to whether you can actually see ghosts or not.”
“So basically, you’re gonna dump it all on me again?”
“It’s not dumping—it’s your job, isn’t it?”
I pulled out the vitamin drink from my pocket and opened the cap.
“...Well, yeah. As long as I get paid, I don’t really care.”
“Then let’s make that our next content.”
“Do whatever... So what’s the plan?”
“I’ll handle the location and invite with Hyeyeon. You just... work on making it look convincing.”
Convincing...?
“What do you mean, work on it?”
“Like I said before—you can see stuff, but I can’t. The viewers can’t either.”
“...Right.”
I brought the bottle to my lips.
A sticky, sweet-sour scent drifted up.
I took a few gulps. It was sweet.
Kind of felt like it made me healthier.
“Stuff like the gear we used during hide-and-seek, or the salt when we first met—anything that makes it look real, that’s what we need.”
“Look real, huh...”
I rolled the vitamin drink around in my mouth and repeated his words.
What would work...
“No pressure to figure it out now. We’ve got some time, so look into it. If there’s any gear that looks good, just let me know. I’ll buy it for you.”
“Oh...”
He looked... kind of cool just then.
Spending money without hesitation to make good content.
It reminded me of the old days in Entera.
Sometimes, a single piece of good equipment could save your life.
It’s all the same in the end, isn’t it?
Whether it’s broadcasting or life-or-death battles—it’s still about competition and proving yourself.
If I just stay still, I’ll end up obsolete too.
“Okay. I’ll think about it till then.”
He nodded.
After that, we didn’t say much. The night was growing deeper, and we both had things on our minds.
As I stared blankly out the window at the highway, the same rest stop we’d passed earlier came into view.
Hyesung pulled in, obviously planning to take a break.
Hyeyeon stirred awake around then, blinking sleepily.
“...Huh? We’re already here?”
“If you need to pee, go now.”
“Ugh...”
I had stuff to take care of too, so I quickly got out of the car.
There were a few things I missed on the way down that were on my mind.
But first—the bathroom.
I stretched and stepped inside, only to hear a man’s scream.
Had he seen a ghost?
“Hey! Miss, this is the men’s room!”
“Oh.”
Since I didn’t usually go outside, I’d forgotten my body had changed.
I awkwardly apologized and moved to the next one over... where the line was ridiculously long.
Hyeyeon, already in line, waved me over.
I hurried up in little steps and she whispered.
“...Unni, why’d you go in the men’s room?”
“...S-sorry, I was sleepy and slipped up.”
“Geez... be more careful. You could get in real trouble.”
“Y-yeah...”
...This is awkward.
Anyway, I finished my business and headed to the convenience store.
Drawn by the delicious smells, I picked out three things.
A pack of deli-manju that smelled amazing.
A cup of tteokbokki I hadn’t seen in a while.
And... a churro I used to beg for when I was a kid.
Arms full of snacks, I returned to the car, where Hyesung gave me a look of horror.
“Eat the churro before you get in. It sheds crumbs everywhere.”
“Got it.”
Crunchy, chewy, sweet churro.
As I bit into it, cinnamon filled my mouth.
The scent reminded me of a childhood trip to the amusement park.
Begging someone to buy me a churro...
I couldn’t quite remember who anymore.
It had been too long.
The churro was definitely good—but somehow, I felt like this might be the last time I’d ever eat one.
Couldn’t waste it, though, so I kept chewing, when Hyeyeon spoke up.
“Unni, can I have a bite?”
“Uh, sure.”
She took a bite.
“It’s good.”
“...Yeah?”
Watching us, Hyesung swallowed and muttered,
“...So where’s mine, huh?”
“...I forgot.”
“You’re so cruel.”
As we joked and laughed...
I figured maybe it was okay to have another one after all.
Even if someone said I was too fickle... well, I like what I like.
I finished the churro and got back in Hyesung’s car.
Nothing much happened on the way home.
Once they dropped me off near my apartment, and Hyeyeon and Hyesung drove off—
I finally felt like it was all over.
I felt a little wistful.
Anyway.
That was the end of my encounter with the White Tiger.
And the beginning of a new content series.
