I looked at Team Leader Han Yeoreum with tense eyes.
Han Yeoreum, who bowed her head to greet us and sat across from us, slowly raised her lowered eyes, her long eyelashes rising to reveal her pupils.
And she met my eyes.
Han Yeoreum’s eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with both hands.
“Kyaah!”
Han Yeoreum let out a shrill, muffled scream.
“Oh my, oh my. You really look exactly like in the game…! Cu… cute!”
She started squealing with dreamy eyes.
Huff, huff.
It looked like steam might come out of her nose.
I couldn’t help but make a dumbfounded expression.
That reaction, it’s similar to the reaction Chris unnie sometimes shows?
Chris pulled me close to her. She started glaring at Team Leader Han Yeoreum with wary eyes.
Han Yeoreum met Chris’s eyes.
“You’re Chris, right? Lee Seulbi’s guardian, senior researcher at Klaus Capsule Corporation.”
“Yes, and?”
Chris answered Han Yeoreum in a sharp tone while holding me tightly in her arms as if protecting me.
“Our youngest is really cute too. I always argue with the second child over the youngest. Do you want to see a picture of our child?”
“…Is that so?”
Chris started squealing together while looking at the photo on the smartphone Han Yeoreum held out.
“Oh my, oh my. Team Leader Han’s youngest is really cute too!”
“Right!? Hehehe, Seulbi is really pretty too!”
“Right? Right? Hihihi!”
Chris quickly hit it off with Han Yeoreum and started giggling.
“…?”
Looking at Chris behaving like that, a strange emotion rose in my chest.
It wasn’t a good feeling.
Why am I feeling this way?
I acted as my emotions dictated.
Swish.
I strongly pulled on Chris’s collar as she was squealing while looking at the smartphone with Han Yeoreum.
“Oh!”
Plop.
Chris was pulled back by my hand and plopped down on the sofa.
I grumbled a little, feeling inexplicably sulky.
“We came here to talk about advertising, didn’t we?”
“Ah, right, that’s true.”
Chris looked at me with slightly puzzled eyes, then suddenly started grinning.
“Rain, …could it be, you don’t like me calling someone else pretty?”
“I-I don’t know.”
“Hihihi! Don’t worry! Unnie only has Rain!”
“…”
I lowered my head deeply.
Chris looked extremely happy for some reason.
Certainly, it seems I don’t like Chris calling someone else cute or pretty besides me.
Why don’t I like that?
I carefully examined the proposal and draft contract Han Yeoreum handed out with Chris.
“Purpose… scope of contract… contract period…”
My head was spinning.
It’s complicated.
Where would I have occasions to shoot advertisements?
“The advertising shooting schedule and dates are important too. The shooting itself will be in designated locations and compositions in-game… Seems like we just need to take videos in Astria Online.”
“Is that so? I guess we don’t have to go somewhere else and enter a capsule there to shoot or anything?”
“Since it’s an advertisement shot in the metaverse world. It’s very convenient conditions.”
These are very favorable conditions for me.
I don’t have to drag my inconvenient body to shoot the advertisement. I can shoot from inside my capsule.
There are parts that need to be newly shot in the Astria continent, but the Green Dragon raid is reusing footage focused on me.
“And, Article 4. Appearance fee and payment conditions.”
This is a very important item.
It’s important how much money they give.
If they give a lot, I should accept the advertisement. To repay the debt I owe Chris.
The amount is 50 million won.
There’s even additional incentives based on achieving advertising purpose metrics.
Is this a lot?
Chris became surprised.
“We could consider our Rain as a celebrity affiliated with Klaus Capsule Corporation, but. For what’s essentially a regular person’s first advertisement shooting, the conditions are extremely good?”
“I’m not a celebrity…”
And since when did I become affiliated with Klaus Capsule Corporation?
“Huhu, Rain is going to become a famous metaverse influencer in the future, so Hana Games is lucky.”
Judging by Chris’s reaction, it seems to be quite good conditions.
I glanced at Team Leader Han Yeoreum.
I couldn’t read any particular signs from her who was just smiling brightly.
I don’t know how much authority she has, but since she’s just the marketing department team leader, she’s probably just doing as she’s told from above.
I wonder why they’re offering me such good conditions?
Is there another purpose?
After pondering for a long time, I nodded.
“I’ll sign the contract.”
There are incentives too, and I might be able to expect additional advertisement shootings in the future.
Anyway, I can do quite a lot with Rain’s body.
To earn money, I’ll use whatever I can, whether it’s my face or anything else.
“If Rain is okay with it, unnie is too.”
“I need to earn money.”
“My money is your money too… Ahem, alright. I’ll go somewhere for a bit. I’ll be right back.”
Chris licked her lips and headed somewhere with a copy of the contract.
Han Yeoreum was also doing some work while projecting a hologram in the air with her smartphone.
I stared at Han Yeoreum and asked.
“What are you doing?”
“Huhu, there are some procedures we need to go through like legal review even after drafting the contract. For now, Seulbi doesn’t have anything more to do today.”
“Aha.”
I guess you don’t just look at the contract and sign it right away if you like it.
Still, I learned a lot this time, so I might be able to handle such contracts alone in the future.
Han Yeoreum and I left in the meeting room.
I looked at her and fell into thought.
Today, Team Leader Han Yeoreum was only faithful to her job.
It seems she really came only for the purpose of the advertising contract.
Doesn’t she have anything to say to me?
If they don’t raise issues about my synchronization rate, this is the end. I can just enjoy the Astria continent as I’ve been doing.
But, I’m curious about something too.
Team Leader Han Yeoreum.
Whether she’s just in charge of marketing, how much authority she has.
How much she knows about ‘Astria Online’.
I don’t know anything.
I have no choice but to bring it up first.
I swallowed hard and asked her a question.
“Team Leader Han Yeoreum. I have something I’m curious about. Can you answer?”
“Yes? Huhu, what is Miss Seulbi curious about?”
She sent me lots of benevolent gazes.
Should I ask if she knows about my abnormal synchronization rate? No. There’s no need to poke the hornet’s nest by taking the initiative.
I need to ask a fundamental question.
The probability that she knows is low, but.
I condensed everything I was curious about into one sentence and conveyed it.
“…Is ‘Astria Online’ a game?”
Silence fell in the meeting room for a moment.
Team Leader Han Yeoreum was still just smiling kindly with her eyes.
And, she opened her mouth.
“It’s a game.”
“Really?”
“Yes. A game, nothing else.”
Of course, it’s a game. I know that.
There are status windows, and there are stats.
Demons have set patterns and welcome users in their respective instance dungeons.
And, my numerous deaths. And resurrections.
Death there is not a complete end.
But I couldn’t consider Astria Online a simple game.
At that moment, Team Leader Han Yeoreum added a postscript.
“…Currently.”
“…!”
My eyes must have widened.
She knows something.
“To overcome the crisis that has come to the Astria continent, adventurers from the stars are active. The history of the Astria continent will be rewritten by their movements. It’s a continent of thrilling adventures and magic.”
As if giving a speech, spreading her hands to both sides.
“There, everyone is the protagonist. Regardless of who saved it in the past, who disappeared, who found that place again, no one bears the mission alone. The mission of saving the world is shared by everyone together.”
“…”
“Isn’t it just fine to enjoy it without thinking about anything? What more is Miss Seulbi curious about?”
I opened my mouth, then closed it.
Behind her kind smile, I strongly felt that she wouldn’t answer any more questions.
Just then, Chris returned.
“Rain?”
Chris looked alternately with puzzled eyes at me glaring at Han Yeoreum and Han Yeoreum smiling brightly.
“Then, I’ll be in your care. Miss Lee Seulbi.”
Han Yeoreum organized the documents and stood up to greet me and Chris.
She stopped briefly as she was about to leave the meeting room and spoke to me.
“By the way Miss Seulbi, you’re always paying attention to your physical condition, right?”
“…Yes.”
“Huhu, don’t overdo it.”
On the way home with Chris, we had a brief conversation.
“Haah, I prepared various answers, but. In the end, your worries about synchronization rate ended up being groundless.”
“Yes. There were no gestures indicating they would take measures.”
“They wouldn’t have overlooked it if they knew, right? Well, how much would someone from the marketing department know about the technical side. Ngh, I feel relieved somehow but also uneasy.”
“…”
I felt uneasy too.
My questions weren’t completely resolved. Today’s meeting with Team Leader Han Yeoreum left several questions at the same time.
But some things have become certain.
Even if no one else does, at least Han Yeoreum herself knows a lot about me.
She knows about my synchronization rate too.
She also left the nuance that she wouldn’t care how I act.
Who could be involved behind this game company? A godlike being in this world?
“Haah.”
My head hurts.
I sighed deeply and decided to think simply.
They won’t impose sanctions or take measures.
This is enough for now.
There are probably things I need to find out through ‘Rain’ in the future too.
Anyway, it’s like I received implicit permission to do as I please.
At the same time, I felt slightly provoked.
A world that many users save together.
Now, there’s no need for a hero bearing the mission alone, is that it?
I’m fine. But.
Suddenly, an interesting thought occurred to me.
If I can do as I please, I should do as I please.
Shall I show what only ‘I’ can do?
First, the next dungeon needs to open though.
“Chris unnie.”
“Hmm?”
“For the next elite dungeon, I’m going to do exactly the same as I’ve been doing.”
“As expected, you’re planning to keep doing it alone. Don’t overdo it.”
“Don’t you think it would be really fun if I broadcast video of me challenging first clear solo?”
Chris’s eyes widened.
For the first time since coming to this world, Lee Seulbi smiled with overflowing confidence.