Genius Archer’s Streaming - Chapter 156

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

The Genius Archer’s Streaming Season 1 Episode 156
55. A Proposal (1)
All I could see was her back.
Long hair reaching down to her waist and a wheelchair, among other things.
Thanks to her rather uncommon appearance, I could immediately identify who she was.
‘Isn’t that the woman from before?’
The fan who had asked for my autograph before the medical examination.
It seemed she had helped Almond out of fandom.
Even as I drew very close, she remained gazing off into the distant mountains, seemingly unaware of my approach.
Whoosh─
Cigarette smoke curling up along with a soft exhale.
‘She was smoking.’
A wheelchair and cigarettes. They really shouldn’t go together, yet somehow they do.
“Lady. I’ve brought the person you mentioned.”
The man who had been quietly pushing my wheelchair spoke politely.
‘Lady?’
The term wasn’t unfamiliar, but it was rarely used in a situation like this.
‘Only in dramas…’
“Ah─”
The woman paused for a moment, then hastily tapped her cigarette into an ashtray.
Turning around, it was indeed her.
The woman’s faded lips curved into a smile.
“Now our situations are quite similar, aren’t they?”
She was referring to the fact that I was now also sitting in a wheelchair.
Despite the atmosphere she gave off, it was quite a pleasant opening remark.
“Indeed.”
“Is the wheelchair manageable?”
“Yes. It’s comfortable. And… thank you. You didn’t have to go this far.”
“Hospital bills there are expensive. Getting stuck with all that isn’t pleasant.”
I didn’t voice the thought that she didn’t seem like someone who would worry much about expensive things.
“Shall I give you a ride?”
The woman pointed to a black van parked ahead and asked.
Because of the wheelchair, it seemed she traveled in a large van like the ones celebrities use.
I hesitated.
‘What should I do?’
If I accepted a ride, my address would be revealed.
Naturally, I should refuse, but if I did so now, I’d have to return the wheelchair to her.
Then I’d have nowhere to go.
“You’re in a bind.”
Pfft.
The woman seemed to have read Sanghyeon’s true thoughts.
“If I follow you, your residence gets revealed, which isn’t ideal. Getting off somewhere reasonably far and walking also seems difficult. But if I don’t follow you, you won’t know what to do here without a wheelchair, right?”
The words flowed out as smoothly as if she’d known beforehand and was simply asking.
Sanghyeon nodded.
“Yes.”
The woman laughed.
“You’re incredibly straightforward, just like you are on broadcast.”
Was there really something that warranted being called straightforward? For Sanghyeon, it was a difficult standard to understand.
“Then─”
The woman glanced briefly at the man beside her, then murmured something quietly.
That man didn’t appear to be a bodyguard. He seemed too old for that role. He was probably a department manager or secretary of some kind.
The middle-aged man nodded with a reluctant expression.
The consultation appeared to be over. The woman looked back at Sanghyeon.
“Have you eaten?”

* * *
On the way to the restaurant with her, escorted by bodyguards.
Whirrrr.
From atop the smoothly gliding wheelchair, Sanghyeon sent a message to Juhyeok.
[Sanghyeon: Hey. I got picked up by a fan just now. When can you come? I think I need you to get back.]
The reply came quickly.
[Juhyeok: Dude, that’s perfect! I’m pretty far away right now! Jia’s going instead!]
[Sanghyeon: Oh thanks]
It seemed Juhyeok had already asked Jia for the favor.
“Looks like you’re sending out a rescue request.”
The woman didn’t even glance at his phone, yet somehow she asked knowingly.
“Ah, yes. It’s such an imposition, after all.”
“It’s not an imposition. Do you happen to like dim sum?”
Looking in the direction the woman’s gaze was directed, he recognized it as a famous upscale restaurant he knew of.
“I do. Let me buy you dinner as thanks.”
Sanghyeon offered to treat her to a meal in return for her help.
“Hmm….”
The woman glanced around briefly.
More precisely, at the two bodyguards and the middle-aged man.
“I’d like to do that too, but they need to eat as well. For convenience, I’ll charge it to my corporate card.”
“Ah, of course I should─”
“I’ve hardly ever donated. Please accept it as a donation.”
The woman refused firmly.
The meal was chosen as a course served slowly, one dish at a time.
It was clearly a consideration for the situation where they needed to take their time.
Conversation with the woman wasn’t particularly awkward. Despite the atmosphere emanating from her appearance, she had an unexpectedly receptive conversational style.
Sanghyeon wasn’t terrible at talking either, so the conversation flowed without interruption.
Above all, the woman showed considerable interest in Sanghyeon’s activities, so conversation topics were abundant.
She displayed particular interest in the Reel section.
Eventually, the topic turned to Reina’s story mode.
“Ah, congratulations. You cleared Reina for the first time. And you kissed her too.”
She seemed to have brought it up quite deliberately. Her eyes were full of mischief.
Sanghyeon felt a bit embarrassed as he answered.
“You really had to mention that, didn’t you?”
“Yes. It’s important, isn’t it? The kiss.”
The woman continued to mention it with a knowing smile.
Sanghyeon put another dim sum in his mouth, hoping his face wouldn’t change color.
The way the juices burst—pop—felt satisfying.
“How does it feel being the first on the Korean server?”
“It’s gratifying, but… I’m not sure. It’s not really that impressive. I’m only the first because Korean players aren’t interested in Reina’s story mode.”
“Reina’s popular even if her performance isn’t great.”
“Still, the number of playthroughs is significantly lower than other countries. Koreans simply don’t like story mode to begin with.”
“Still, being first is being first. I’m envious.”
She really did seem quite obsessed with being first, just as the saying goes.
“You should have earned some coins by now. Have you decided on your next incarnation?”
“It’ll probably be Sana, but I’m not sure.”
“If you master Reina perfectly, most ranged characters should be easy for you. Sana especially has low difficulty.”
Pop.
A dim sum went into her mouth.
How could she eat without getting a single speck on her lips while talking?
Whether it was because I knew she was wealthy or not, she seemed like a human from an entirely different world in terms of grace itself.
The phrase “that’s how the rich are” exists for a reason.
“Are you only going to play ranged characters?”
“Because I’m good at it.”
“Still, it’s good to know how to handle various characters in Reel.”
“Is that so?”
The woman nodded and popped another dim sum into her mouth.
“I’d recommend the Flash Blade. Swift.”
Flash Blade—Swift.
Almond knew about this incarnation too.
‘Jeon-ja-pa mainly used that one.’
It’s an incarnation you inevitably learn about when studying through Jeon-ja-pa’s videos.
It’s an incarnation that wields dual swords, allowing you to flash to where your blades are and fight.
And when you’re far away, you can recall your blades again.
Thus, the typical playstyle involves repeatedly throwing swords around and flashing to confuse your opponent.
“Your physical abilities are excellent, and your judgment is quite sharp too. When I watched you play through Reina’s story mode, it seemed like you could handle a sword just fine.”
“Ah, thank you. I’ll give it a try.”
Sanghyeon nodded while making a mental note of the suggestion.
It seemed like a reasonably sound recommendation.
“What’s your goal going forward?”
“My goal? Well, I’m not sure.”
“Breaking Jeon-ja-pa’s record?”
I met the woman’s smiling eyes.
At that moment, I felt something strange—a peculiar gap.
It was as if there had been an oddly long silence following that question.
Though in reality, there hadn’t been.
“Breaking Jeon-ja-pa’s record on Reel might not be possible, don’t you think?”
“If it’s you, Almond, it might just be possible.”
That’s what she said.
But I had a strange feeling that she was quite satisfied with my answer.
‘What’s that about.’
Was she originally a fan of Jeon-ja-pa, like Jia?
Ding.
[Jia: Almond. I’m coming over. Do you need anything?]
Just then, I received a message from Jia.
Need anything… there wasn’t really anything specific.
[Just come over quickly.]
[Jia: Roger that. Can I bring a friend along? I can’t carry you by myself lol]
Haha, it’s all good, it’s all good.
“It sounds like she’s coming.”
“Ah, yes. The manager had something urgent come up, so the editor is coming instead.”
“Ah. Is that the person… you mentioned earlier who became an editor after doing a lot of sponsoring?”
I had mentioned Seojia during our earlier conversation. She remembered that well.
“Yes, that’s her.”
“It’s rare to see someone get so close with their editor like that. It’s nice to see.”
Listening to her, the woman seemed to know quite a lot about this industry.
I asked her curiously, probing gently.
“Now that I think about it, it seems like you work in this field.”
“No. I’m just unemployed.”
“Really…?”
“Well, unemployed people tend to be interested in streaming, you know.”
I quickly glanced at the bodyguard eating nearby and the man who looked like a butler.
The bodyguards didn’t show it, but the butler couldn’t hide his expression.
He was looking at the woman with eyes that said, ‘What kind of nonsense is she spouting.’
“You wonder whose daughter she is, given how well she’s being treated.”
“No. It doesn’t matter whose daughter she is. What matters is who she is.”
In that moment, their eyes met.
The woman then averted her gaze for the first time since they’d met.
Her shoulders, which had been confidently squared throughout the meal, tensed ever so slightly.
“…You have a good mindset.”
After an awkward silence.
The meal ended in under ten minutes.
A message arrived for Jia while she was savoring dessert.
Waiting in the vacant lot, Jia came running from afar.
“Almond!”
Her friend from this morning was with her as well.
“You came. You’re even cuter in person than I expected.”
The woman extended her hand, expressing her delight at meeting her.
“See you again.”
Sanghyeon shook her hand and expressed his gratitude once more, then stood up and returned the wheelchair.
The bodyguards skillfully folded the wheelchair and placed it at the back of the van.
“Almond. Are you okay?”
Jia approached and examined Almond’s complexion.
“Yeah. Thanks to her.”
“Is she that fan?”
Jia rose on her tiptoes and craned her neck over Sanghyeon’s shoulder, but the darkly tinted window only reflected her own face.
Zing.
As the window lowered, Jia’s face was sliced away downward.
In its place appeared the woman’s face.
Captivating eyes and faded lips, long black hair cascading down.
A mysterious aura that seemed dangerous to herself and others alike.
Speaking with her felt like walking on a knife’s edge—the kind of person you wouldn’t easily forget.
“It was fun.”
She waved one last time and departed.
Jia stood dazed, watching the van drive away.
“Jia. What are you doing?”
“That person….”
Jia mumbled something incoherently for a moment, but Sanghyeon didn’t hear her.
Yeon-ju Heo cut in.
“Jia!”
Whack.
She struck the back of Jia’s head while she stood dazed.
“Ow. That hurts.”
“What are you doing? Standing there like a statue! If you’re going to stop here, at least get a parking ticket! Let’s go!”
“Ah… okay. That was strange….”
Jia tilted her head and headed toward Yeonju’s car alongside Almond.
Supporting his still-unsteady body as they walked.

* * *
…Meanwhile, Juhyeok was still meeting with Department Manager Oh.
He was thinking.
‘Everything so far has been nothing but good news.’
He’d been listening for quite some time.
All that Department Manager Oh had mentioned was how the Reckless Warrior advertisers were extremely satisfied, how an interview request had come in from Reel, and so on.
All good news.
True to his word, he’d shared the good news first.
Department Manager Oh had definitely said he had a favor to ask.
He was probably about to mention it now.
‘What on earth could it be.’
What kind of favor would warrant all this buildup.
“Ahem.”
Department Manager Oh took another sip of his bitter coffee.
“Juhyeok. Now comes the bad news. Well, not exactly bad news… but rather something I need to ask of you urgently.”
He was finally getting to it.
“Please, go ahead.”
“You’ve probably noticed that our Punk Entertainment has a fairly close relationship with Balloon Gum’s company.”
“Yes.”
“Well, Balloon Gum’s team is entering a competition this time. A streamer competition.”
“…A streamer competition?”
This was completely news to Juhyeok.
“Yes. It hasn’t been publicly announced yet. It’s only being discussed among us. But it’s being organized by Reel and Trevy, and Balloon Gum’s entire crew was supposed to participate.”
“Yes.”
“A problem has come up. Not with our company name, but an actual team member has dropped out.”
“…Ah, I see.”
“They’re now discussing recruiting Almond. It’s rather urgent.”
A Reel competition?
Juhyeok’s expression became quite troubled.
‘He hasn’t even completed his rank yet.’

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————