Virtual Reality (VR).
As the name suggests, Virtual Reality is a technology that allows you to experience a virtual world as though it were real.
VR games, which use VR technology, provide an even more immersive experience compared to regular games.
It feels as though you are physically inside the world of the game.
âMaybe itâs because itâs expensive, but the performance is definitely impressiveâ¦â
Ha-eun, who had just logged into the popular VR game Beat Saber, felt more immersed than she had expected.
She was definitely benefiting from having bought a good VR device.
The VR screen and sound had no noticeable lag, allowing Ha-eun to truly feel the immersion of the virtual world.
However, it was the sponsorship message from Da-yeon about VR horror games that had just arrived that made her rethink things.
VR horror games, this is the real deal.
Looking at the roulette, there arenât any horror games.
Boss, you're done for.
Look at the avatar's pupils shaking, haha.
Ha-eun finally realized that the excellent realism of VR could also work against her in certain situations.
ââ¦Why is she doing this to me?â
Ha-eun truly resented Da-yeon, who was behind the screen.
The virtual world in front of Ha-eun could easily turn into a haunted mansion, with monsters jumping out at her. The thought alone made her shiver.
A horror game with VR that felt even more real than reality?
Ha-eun was certain she could faint while playing.
âThis is definitely going to cause a broadcast accident.â
However, she couldnât directly criticize ekdus7, who had donated.
After all, if she showed any fear of VR horror games, it would only backfire on her.
So, for the moment, Ha-eun chose to ignore Da-yeonâs sponsorship message.
Mentioning the existence of VR horror games wouldnât bring any benefit.
Not long after, Ha-eun started playing Beat Saber instead.
âHmm, I wonder what song would be good?â
Not Beat Saber, horror games (deleted message).
Letâs go with Angelâs Thesis, Diah.
Awaken, letâs go!
When will the avatar mode be installed?
Reneda would be fun, too.
Will you play later with the 3D avatar?
Beat Saber was a rhythm game.
Blocks named "notes" would fly toward the player, and the player would slice them with two lightsabers to score points.
To be honest, it looked fun.
Ha-eun was especially intrigued by the part where you slice the blocks with the lightsabers to score points.
âItâs been a while since Iâve used a sword.â
Perhaps it was because of the memories of wielding a sword like an extension of her body during the filming of The Moonlight That Parts the Clouds.
Even though the music hadnât started, her hands moved instinctively.
In that fleeting moment, a sword dance from Yeong-wol unfolded before her.
The two laser swords in her hands traced smooth arcs as they floated in the air for a brief moment.
Oh, haha.
What was that just now?
The postureâs on point.
The frames are so smooth.
In that unexpected fluid motion, the speed of the chat momentarily sped up.
Swish.
âª
âª
âªâªâª
As the beats of the song started, the map of Beat Saber began to change, shifting to a steep cliffside.
Soon, a wind effect was added around the cliff, making it feel like a scene from a martial arts comic.
The bamboo forest on either side of the cliff only enhanced that feeling.
With a swift motion, Ha-eunâs right-hand sword was lifted, facing forward.
At the same time, she muttered a famous line from a sword master.
âAhh, this chilling and heavy sensation. Itâs been so longâ!â
Hahahahaha.
No way, hahaha.
Sword Master (1st generation).
Diah, youâve seen that comic too?
The blocks Ha-eun had to slice appeared after that.
After cleanly slicing the first block, she moved with even more flair.
What followed were countless sword strikes.
The swords in Ha-eunâs hands whirled around like a violent wind, slicing through colorful blocks.
So flashy!
Such a show-off, haha.
Why is she so good?
Didnât you say itâs your first time??
The dual-wield form is insane, wow.
From above, below, diagonally, and in irregular patterns that changed into curves, Ha-eun sliced through the blocks.
âHinokami Kaguraâ! â¦So fast, cutting!â
You know Demon Slayer?
What do you mean "cutting fast"?
Whatâs with the buffering? You forgot the name of the breath, hahaha.
The sword speed is more like a demon than the demon slayers.
Ha-eun sliced through all sorts of blocks flying from afar.
Perhaps it was because she had deliberately swung her swords in such a dramatic way, but the responses from Noeulis were generally positive.
Finally, the last block appeared.
Ha-eun adjusted her stance slightly and aimed at the red LED block flying toward her.
Swish.
Her sword, briefly lowered toward the ground, contrasted with her avatar, Diah, staring straight ahead.
âKaminari no Koku, Ichino Kataâ.â
What?
Hahahahaha.
Whatâs Kaminari? You geek (deleted message).
Haha, youâre so excited.
ââHeikireki Issen!!â
Whoosh!
With the sound of the wind cutting through the air, the last block split into two pieces.
As expected, the chat was flooded with 'hahaha'.
Not long after, the final score, marked as an A, appeared in the center of the screen.
Diahâs high-pitched voice rang out in victory.
âIf you donât listen, Noeulis, Iâll slice you all with my sword~. Be well-behaved~.â
Hah!
Suddenly, Diahâs laying down the law for Noeulis, haha.
Time to go play a horror game. (deleted message).
Can I say something like âyou pathetic spirit XXâ without getting in trouble?
Always beating up Noeulis whenever thereâs a chance. ã ã ã
The Beat Saber broadcast lasted about an hour after that.
Ha-eun subconsciously realized that playing Beat Saber had a bit of a workout effect.
âWell, haah. See you later~. Bye, thisâ¦!â
Diva.
That was a good stream today.
Look at how out of breath she is.
Bye bye.
Out of breath, Ha-eun ended the broadcast with a beep.
But, just as usual, she didnât leave the broadcast booth immediately after finishing.
After all, the horror game sponsorship message from Da-yeon, which she had seen a few hours ago, still lingered in her mind.@@novelbin@@
ââ¦Iâm definitely going to have to play the horror game.â
If she didnât prepare now, she would definitely suffer when the time came.
She couldnât just wait for Diahâs free-use pass to be used.
And so, Ha-eun eventually logged into the VR horror game community.
She started browsing through the popular posts to figure out which VR horror game was the scariest.
âFor now, Iâll exclude the 19+ ones. Also, exclude the ones that might be awkward for broadcastingâ¦.â
After searching for a while, Ha-eun finally found a zombie apocalypse-themed game, bought it, and made the purchase.
She took a deep breath afterward.
ââ¦Letâs just get a feel for it today.â
With that, she placed the VR headset back on her head, which had been sitting on her broadcast desk.
The eerie menu screen greeted her.
The background music was spine-chilling.
ðððâªððððð
ââ¦Ughâ¦â
However, she knew she had to get used to the atmosphere.
So, for the next few days, Ha-eun focused entirely on practicing VR horror games.
Of course, she spent far more time trembling and ripping the headset off than actually wearing it.
She had to cover her mouth to stifle her screams so Nayeon or Seongyun wouldnât hear her.
What Ha-eun hadnât realized was one small detail.
[Diah]
[Online ð¢]
âOh? Diah is gaming?â
?
Itâs really her.
Whatâs the game?
If youâre playing, turn on the stream. ã ¡ã ¡
People who had added Diah as a friend could see what game she was playing.
Yuna, who was streaming a regular game broadcast, tried to call Diah.
However, the call didnât last long.
It was because Diahâs mental state was literally shattered.
[ â¦Itâs funny, itâs fun, but⦠Iâm scared.]
âUgh, yeah. Hang in there, Diah.â
Since Diah had asked her not to reveal the name of the game she was playing, Ha-eun didnât disclose it.
She just told Yunaâs viewers that Diah was playing something she wanted to on her own.
âEveryone keeps saying âturn on the stream,â but how can I always do that? Sometimes, Diah just wants to play a game to relieve stress.â
Stress?
Her voice was really shaky though.
Are you sure youâre relieving stress? Haha.
Noeulis are freezing to death again today.
While Yuna was covering for Diahâs horror game session,
Ha-eun, who had reached her limits with VR horror games, took off the headset and immediately splashed her face with cold water.
The resentment toward Da-yeon was still fresh in her mind.
Though she would use Diahâs free-use pass for fun,
ââ¦Iâll deal with this later.â
Ha-eun firmly promised herself that she would never let Da-yeonâs actions go unpunished.
If Da-yeon really became an Illusionary Realm 2nd-gen member, Ha-eun would act as a proper senior and give her a hard time.
The reason Ha-eun had prepared a few secret accounts, ones that no one else knew about, was exactly for this purpose.
Just like how Da-yeon had hidden behind the nickname ekdus7 to harass Diah,
Ha-eun also planned to hide behind anonymous nicknames to make Da-yeon flustered.
***
As time passed, it was already mid-February.
The preparations for the live stage of Illusionary Realmâs first generationâs group song, Illusion, and the recruitment process for the second generation of Illusionary Realm were gradually nearing completion.
However, it wasnât just the Illusionary Realm-related tasks that were coming to an end.
âThe sunlight we faced that day was light yet heavy, and the long shadow held onto my ankles until the end.â
âHow is it? The teaser turned out well, right?â
The voice of Director Kwon Jae-hyeop asked for Ha-eunâs opinion on the completed teaser for The Sunshine.
Ha-eun nodded and replied that she thought it was a good teaser.
The long journey of The Sunshine, which had continued for quite some time, was also nearing its end.
Strictly speaking, the filming for the second half hadnât been completed yet, but the key parts were nearly finished.
ââ¦Letâs do well until the end.â
Ha-eun, who had been deeply impressed by The Sunshine, wanted to give her best until the very end.
She started to settle her emotions in preparation for the shoot that would begin in an hour.
However, Ha-eunâs subconscious still carried concerns about Da-yeon.
She was worried about how long she could keep Diahâs red pill secret.
âAlright, get ready. â¦Action!â
Step
â...Tell me, who exactly are you?â
Ha-eun flinched slightly at the question about Kim Jung-hyunâs secret activities as a righteous army, asked by Hwang Tae-seong.
Just like Ha-eun and Da-yeon, Kim Jung-hyun and Hwang Tae-seong had been friends for a long time.
The expressions they wore were also incredibly complicated, which made Ha-eun uneasy.
It felt strangely unsettling to have her secret identity discovered by her closest friend.