In truth, Seoyeon had known for some time that her school had an eSports club. The only reason she hadn’t joined earlier was simply because she was too busy.

“Games!”

Gaming was an essential part of Seoyeon's life. After all, isn’t it a common trope that characters who have undergone a gender swap (TS) typically excel at games? Naturally, Seoyeon assumed she would be great at games too—at least, until she participated in the variety show If You Turn It On, You’re a King.

“That’s just because it was a console game,” Seoyeon tried to explain to Jiyeon, but Jiyeon didn’t seem to care.

Seoyeon pouted as she stared at Jiyeon, who didn’t seem to grasp the significance of gaming at all.

But Seoyeon thought differently this time.

“PC games are a different story.”

In fact, if there had been some sort of advanced VR game or other ultra-scientific gaming devices like those often found in TS stories, Seoyeon would have been confident she could excel. But since nothing like that existed, she had no choice but to settle for a keyboard and mouse.

“Why don’t you just play games at home?” Jiyeon asked.

“I can’t,” Seoyeon replied firmly.

“I don’t think your mom or dad would stop you from playing games,” Jiyeon pointed out.

“That’s true, but…” Seoyeon admitted. As Jiyeon mentioned, Sua and Yeongbin weren’t the type to stop their daughter from doing what she wanted. However…

“Look at this, daughter. The foolish players can’t keep up with your superior skills.”
“…”
“Surely, I didn’t raise you to be someone who can’t even press the R key…”
“…”
“Amumu is looking for his dad. Tell him he’s right here.”

Whenever Seoyeon played games at home, her father would sit beside her, teasing her endlessly, making it difficult to focus. She could sometimes get him to quiet down by pointing at the display case containing the torn, framed protective gear, but that never lasted long.

Because of Yeongbin’s constant presence whenever she tried to game, Seoyeon had given up on playing games at home.

“I’ll start playing again once I surpass Dad’s rank.”

“Then why don’t you play at your agency?” Jiyeon suggested.

“I’d feel too self-conscious.”

The agency already had console games available, but bringing in a PC felt like a bit too much, even for Seoyeon. What kind of image would it project if a female actress were seen clicking away on a keyboard, playing League of Legends at her agency? It wouldn’t look good for her image.

“She’s surprisingly concerned about things like this.”

Jiyeon found Seoyeon’s reasoning intriguing. From the outside, Seoyeon seemed like someone who didn’t care at all about what others thought, but in reality, she was quite mindful of her image.

Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that Seoyeon enjoyed being in the spotlight, which might explain why she cared so much about how others perceived her. Jiyeon could only guess at the reasons.

“But I’m worried.”

Watching Seoyeon walk eagerly toward the eSports club with a light step, Jiyeon felt a twinge of concern. The eSports club was actually quite a serious organization. It had two semi-professional players, and even a member who was already playing for a team.

Yeonhwa High School was known for heavily supporting arts and sports, and the eSports club was no exception. The club had achieved significant success, receiving substantial support from the school.

“Sure, the academic performance might suffer, but…”

Who cared? Hardly anyone at this school planned to take the college entrance exam seriously.

“As long as she doesn’t cause any trouble.”

Originally, Seoyeon was supposed to visit the eSports club alone today. Jiyeon had decided to follow her after seeing her walking so excitedly by herself, thinking that if left alone, Seoyeon would inevitably cause some kind of trouble.

“But you don’t even like games, Jiyeon,” Seoyeon remarked.

“I play them. I’ve been playing a lot lately,” Jiyeon replied.

Really? Seoyeon thought, recalling a recent collaboration between the VTuber Ramiel and the streamer Erchevet the Wizard. They didn’t play games like League of Legends, opting instead for the FPS game Valorant.

She remembered how much fun they seemed to be having during the stream.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Jiyeon asked.

“It’s nothing,” Seoyeon said, turning her gaze away.

The thing was, for VTubers, gaming was essential. Even Jiyeon, who hadn’t been particularly interested in games, found herself having to play them. The problem was…

“She was pretty good at it.”

Seoyeon felt a twinge of unease. Ramiel’s skill at the FPS game had been impressive, especially for a beginner. By the time they had been playing for two hours, Ramiel was practically soaring.

“Come to think of it, Ramiel was always good at games…”

Seoyeon had known this, but to see someone get that good in just two hours felt a bit unfair. Even the wizard had seemed surprised.

“Well, if I had the right environment, I could play well too.”

Seoyeon was confident. For VTubers, gaming was a critical part of the job.

“This isn’t like console games; it’s different.”

With that in mind, Seoyeon confidently opened the door to the eSports club. This was the series of events that led Seoyeon to visit the eSports club.

The boys in the eSports club suddenly understood what it meant to have their minds go blank. Especially Baek Geunsoo, the club president, who was beyond bewildered.

“What is this? Am I dreaming?”

It had started as an ordinary day. After class, Geunsoo planned to warm up with a game before heading to his gaming team’s practice session.

Playing with his friends was a different experience from playing with the pros. Just as he was getting ready, someone opened the clubroom door.

“Hello.”

Two female students walked in. One had long black hair, contrasting sharply with her pale white skin and red-tinted eyes.

There was no mistaking it—this was Ju Seoyeon.

And the other girl was likely Lee Jiyeon. These two were undoubtedly among the most famous students at the school.

Especially Ju Seoyeon, whose name had recently become well-known.

“Wow, I get it now.”

Geunsoo had often heard people say that seeing Seoyeon in person was “intimidating,” and now he understood. It wasn’t a comment on her personality but on her appearance.

She was overwhelmingly beautiful, in a way that made people uncomfortable. Geunsoo hadn’t seen Seoyeon’s performance as the Yeonhwa Princess in Revisiting the Past, because he had been busy preparing for a tournament at the time.

So, this was his first time seeing her in person. And he now fully understood why people said she was “intimidating.” She had that unique aura of an actress, with an impenetrable expression that made her seem unapproachable.

The chilly atmosphere she carried, combined with her striking looks, made the boys in the eSports club swallow nervously. Frankly, she didn’t feel like someone their age.

“That announcer I saw at the tournament doesn’t even compare.”

Even though that announcer was known for her beauty, she couldn’t hold a candle to the real deal like Seoyeon. The same went for Jiyeon, who, with her sharp cat-like eyes, also had an intimidatingly beautiful appearance.

Why?

Why were they here?

They both felt completely out of place in this club.

“Has eSports become this prestigious lately?”

Geunsoo had seen celebrities post about watching eSports matches on Instagram and had even seen some attend games. He had always assumed it was just for image management… but was it more than that?

“Hey.”

Geunsoo was pulled from his thoughts by Jiyeon’s somewhat irritated voice.

“Are we just going to stand here?”

“No, no! Not at all!” Geunsoo quickly waved his hands, flustered, while the other club members watched him with disdain.

It was embarrassing to see him so awkwardly try to talk to the girls, especially since none of them had ever spoken to a girl before.

“So…”

Geunsoo recalled what Seoyeon had said earlier. After greeting them, Seoyeon had explained her intentions.

“Yes, I want to experience eSports. I haven’t joined any clubs yet.”

This statement only deepened the confusion among the club members.

“Wouldn’t most actors join the drama club?”

Even Jiyeon, who was standing right next to Seoyeon, was a member of the drama club. Although she wasn’t particularly active, she was still officially part of it. Most students joined clubs to get extra points for their grades, even if they didn’t participate much.

“So, how much do you know about games… No, I mean, do you know much about games?” Geunsoo stammered.

“Why are you speaking like that to someone older than you?” Seoyeon asked.

Geunsoo was a year older than Seoyeon, but his behavior made it seem like he was her junior.

“Ahem! Then I’ll speak informally.”

“Sure.”

“But you do know how to play games, right?”

“Of course,” Seoyeon replied, frowning slightly as if wondering why he would even ask such a question. The other boys immediately turned their glares toward Geunsoo.

“No, no! I just need to know your skill level.”

“But you wouldn’t normally ask that way if you were really curious,” Seoyeon pointed out.

“Ugh,” Geunsoo muttered, feeling the reproachful gazes of his club members. If they were so keen on talking, why didn’t they try it themselves? He had to resist the urge to laugh at how all of them stood at least two meters away from the conversation.

“Well… okay.”

In summary, Seoyeon’s story was that she preferred eSports, particularly League of Legends. She liked that it had many tournaments and a lot of content to watch, and it was popular on streaming platforms.

“Do you want to play a game with us?” Geunsoo offered.

“Yes!” Seoyeon responded enthusiastically. She had been waiting for this moment.

“I couldn’t concentrate at home because of Dad.”

But here, things would be different. Unlike with console games, Seoyeon felt more confident with this. After all, in the typical TS stories, the protagonist usually becomes a pro at AOS games.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this…”

Jiyeon decided not to participate but to watch instead. She had a basic understanding of League of Legends, thanks to her time as Ramiel.

Given her experience as a VTuber, she had to keep up with popular topics among her audience. Even if she didn’t play the games herself, she made sure to be familiar with them. So, she was a bit uneasy about Seoyeon’s choice.

“Top lane?”

As the game began with a five-man queue, Seoyeon immediately chose a top lane champion.

Everyone’s eyes turned to her.

Top lane? Seoyeon confidently announced, “I’m good at this.”

“Uh, okay.”

What else could they say? She claimed to be good at it. And she picked Irelia. Despite the recent rework that made her easier to play, she was still a difficult champion for beginners.

“Well, she says she’s good, so she must be.”

It would be disrespectful to assume otherwise. Trying to shake off his doubts, Geunsoo headed to mid lane.

Exactly ten minutes later, Seoyeon’s character was standing still in front of the tower.

A quick check of the scoreboard showed [Irelia 0/7/0].

The opposing team’s Teemo typed in the chat:

• Teemo: ? Did she give up? Why isn’t she moving?

 

Of course, Seoyeon wanted to move. If only her mouse hadn’t been shattered into pieces.