"Ugh, I don't want to do anything."

The feeling of total lethargy weighed on Dice, an SSM Entertainment pro gamer who had secured one of the five tickets to the finals. It was mid-to-late October, and he was rapidly becoming one with his bed. Sure, he wasn’t doing "nothing"—he woke up, showered, crawled back into bed, ordered takeout, napped, and indulged in various forms of entertainment. In the evenings, he did some cardio before hopping into VR for practice.

Still, outside of these minimal efforts, Dice had fully embraced laziness. It had been only three days since the Asian preliminaries had ended, but he could already feel his weight slowly creeping up, a few hundred grams at a time.

"I shouldn’t be doing this…"

The word "rest" held a strange magic. Specifically, it acted like a magnet pulling him back to his bed. It felt as if a weak but unbreakable chain was gently tugging him back to the same spot.

But there was another reason for this: burnout.

After grinding through ranked matches, tournament qualifiers, KSM, and the Asian preliminaries—all within a mere two months—his body had hit the brakes. Now, with the finals approaching, he was supposed to ramp up his efforts again over the next two months.

"I thought I’d be ready for this… but maybe not."

As Dice lay in bed, memories from the previous year resurfaced. Last year around this time, he had also been preparing for his first time at the finals, feeling utterly lost and uncertain. But this year was different—he knew he couldn’t just reflect on past experiences.

Rustle.

Having already slept plenty, Dice was now wide awake. His eyes darted to his phone, which he had been using just minutes earlier. Maybe he should reach out to Yu-jin for advice? She might have some answers, or at least be good for a conversation to pass the time.

He hesitated briefly between texting or calling. It was around 4:30 p.m., and Dice had just woken up from his nap, still feeling a bit groggy. Eventually, he opted for the call.

The beeping didn’t last long before a familiar voice picked up.

"Hello?"

"Yu-jin, I’m bored."

"I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to hang up a call so quickly."

Despite Yu-jin’s dry humor, she responded without much surprise.

"So, why is Dice calling out of boredom today?"

"Ah, you know... when have we ever needed a reason to chat? I’m feeling a bit burnt out, so I was wondering how you deal with it. And honestly, I just don’t have much else to do."

"Burnout, huh? Should I give you something to do?"

"Noooo, that’s not what I meant!"

Despite his protests, Dice had to admit that Yu-jin had a unique talent for reminding him of the importance of rest within mere seconds of answering the call. She patiently listened to his complaints, then pondered for a moment before replying.

"Maybe it’s not burnout but the fact that you’ve been cooped up inside for days?"

"Well, that’s true… but I don’t feel like going out either. Even if I did, I wouldn’t know what to do. Maybe I’ll go on a food tour or something. How do you handle it?"

"I don’t really get burned out these days. I’ve been streaming a lot, staying connected with people, so I haven’t had much time to feel that way."

"Streaming, huh…"

The idea intrigued Dice, though it felt unfamiliar. He had guested on Yu-jin’s stream before but never really considered it a proper broadcast. Besides, streaming required a lot of planning, and Dice was a pro gamer. Though some managed to juggle both, he wasn’t particularly interested. Even if he were, he’d need permission from his coach.

So, that idea was out.

"For now, I’ll just stick to being a guest on your streams."

"Haha. Speaking of which, I’m about to go live soon. Want to join?"

"Uh, that’s kind of sudden."

"It’s not like you’re doing anything at the dorm. Come over and get some practice."

"Well…"

Dice quickly ran the calculations. He had been to Yu-jin’s place before. It wasn’t far, but it was still a good 30 minutes away, and heading out now would mean getting caught in rush hour traffic on the way back. Still, the Asian preliminaries were over, and he had already secured a spot in the finals. A night away from the dorm wouldn’t hurt.

"Will you let me crash at your place?"

"Of course."

"Then I guess I’ll finally get to do the house tour I missed during the unboxing stream. If there’s no midnight snack, though, I’ll deduct stars."

"I’ll just make you do bodyweight exercises, so I’m fine with that."

Despite the banter, Dice was already getting ready to leave. He got out of bed, pulled on some clothes, and fixed his hair. The weather had cooled down in mid-October, so he opted for something cozy—a pair of comfortable pants, a shirt, and a cardigan. He wasn’t planning on being outside much, but it was better to be prepared.

After sending a quick message to his coach to let him know he’d be staying at Yu-jin’s, Dice stepped out of his apartment and into the hallway.

"I wish we had a park nearby..."

Having spent some time near Yongsan Park for the Asian preliminaries, the contrast hit hard. Instead of the greenery and serenity of the park, he was now greeted by a cluster of buildings.

He made his way to the subway, taking in the familiar sights of Seoul. Once on the train, Dice gazed out the window as it crossed the Han River, basking in the setting sun. Soon, he arrived in Gangbuk and transferred to Line 3.

Getting off at Hongje Station, Dice retraced his steps from the last visit. Navigating through the apartment complex was easy. Standing before the familiar building, he pressed the intercom button.

"Alright… time to see Yu-jin."

"The subject is entering the apartment complex. Estimated time of contact with Viper: five minutes. Threat level: minimal. No disruption to mission expected."

"Confirmed. The Secretary’s video conference is nearing completion. Keep monitoring."

Meanwhile, in a situation room, two personnel on duty monitored Dice’s movements toward Yu-jin’s apartment.

"...Unfortunately, I can’t give a definitive answer at this time. However, I can assure you, Yu-jin, that you won’t regret coming to the U.S."

Janet, the Secretary of Defense, had changed a lot since the past. She was known as the "Iron Lady" for surviving a bombing that left her with rebar in her body and for personally inspecting dangerous zones afterward. Now, her demeanor was less fiery but still resolute.

Though it was a brief meeting, the fact that Janet had personally made time for a video call, despite being swamped with her duties, spoke volumes.

"She remembers…"

The reality of the situation was still hard to grasp. If the Secretary of Defense was reaching out to Yu-jin, it wasn’t just her making this move. The U.S. government was vast, and for someone at the top to initiate contact meant that many others were already aware.

Yu-jin had little time to ask questions. With her schedule packed tight and responsibilities piling up, she knew she couldn’t afford a trip to the U.S. just yet. There were still too many tasks left to handle.

The small box in her possession rattled when she shook it—a blatant tracking device sent via package. Whoever had sent it clearly didn’t care about hiding their intentions.

Yu-jin wasn’t sure who would come knocking on her door, but whoever it was would have to answer a lot of questions.

For now, though, it was time to focus on work.

Beep!

The classic tone of the intercom rang as the glass door to the apartment opened. Yu-jin had set everything up for Dice's arrival, including the VR gear, and then went to lie down—not fully, as her tail always got in the way, but she managed.

She set the door to open automatically when Dice arrived, sent a final message, and connected to the Dark Zone. Closing her eyes, she pressed a button on her choker, and her vision flickered as the familiar interface came into view. She noticed Harmony and her squad were already online, their status lights glowing green.

Within seconds, an invitation popped up on her screen.

Accepting it, her vision shifted, and—

"Ah, you’re here!"

"Finally! Yu-jin’s here!"

"Long time no see, Yu-jin! Have you been well?"

"Wait, what’s with all the formalities?"

Everyone greeted her with over-the-top politeness, making her chuckle. She checked to make sure no one was streaming, and fortunately, no one was. Today wasn’t an official collaboration, but more of a play-and-evaluate session.

Harmony and her team explained the purpose of their gathering—to practice while getting indirect feedback. Since the game mode was Domination, with 12 players divided into 3 squads, Yu-jin couldn’t directly join Harmony’s team, but she would observe and evaluate their performance.

As the clock ticked closer to 6 p.m., everyone began their pre-game setups. Yu-jin made a few adjustments herself. This stream wasn’t just about her; there was another guest yet to arrive.

She quickly imported the mic settings from her unboxing stream and applied them to the incoming guest, which Harmony noticed.

Harmony was about to comment, but Yu-jin beat her to it.

"I thought it might be too much to manage everything alone today, so I brought another guest to help."

"A guest?"

At that moment, a burst of light flashed next to Yu-jin. Dice stood there, looking bewildered.

Yu-jin smiled, gently wrapping her tail around his hand and pulling him closer.

"Today, we’ll be focusing on analyzing combat from an outside perspective."

"W-wait, what?!"

With Dice looking like he had just been struck by lightning, Yu-jin chuckled softly.

Well, she hadn’t exactly told him what kind of practice it would be, so… technically, he was safe.

Probably.