The doors at the far end of the lobby swung open.
The Daebak Team had arrived.
All at once, heads turned. Conversations died mid-sentence, while some unconsciously stood.
The lobby’s air changed. Daebak had always carried a different kind of prestige. Most actors wanted to get into the company, so they admired those who were a part of it.
“Background music, please,” someone whispered jokingly from the control booth as the footage went live across the official Gear of Guardians channel stream.
– THEY’RE KILLING IT.
– Look at that lineup. Even their walk is in sync.
– Phoenix at the back looks like he owns the building.
– I heard Phoenix actually had professional coaching?
– WHAT?? From who?!
– Apparently, he trained under a legit GoG tournament champ.
– Man, back then, this was just a mobile game. Look at it now.
– Right?? Can’t believe it upgraded to PC. It looks crazy good now.
– The world tournament’s gonna be nuts. This show is a genius promo.
Risa felt pretty shy about all of the attention, especially since she was a complete beginner at the game. She could only breathe properly when they arrived in their seats.
Meanwhile, the MC finally made his entrance with a burst of energetic music.
“Hello, ladies and gentlemen! Gamers and gamers pretending to be gamers!” The man struck a pose as the stage lights caught on his rhinestone-studded mic. “I am your host—MC Tiny!”
– Bro, who named this man?
– MC Tiny
– That’s an unfortunate name.
– He better be 6’5″ with that name.
He continued, “Today begins the legendary, once-in-a-lifetime, totally chaotic but definitely worth-your-click Gear of Guardians: STAR COLLISION!”
The crowd clapped politely. The artists exchanged awkward glances.
Meanwhile, the stream started showing glimpses of the crowd, camera operators slowly panning across the venue. Artists posed for photos, influencers waved at their fans, and groups of stylists and assistants buzzed behind the scenes.
And then, briefly, a man in black was shown.
His cap was pulled low, but his broad shoulders stood out.
The stream cut away.
– WAIT, WHO WAS THAT??
– Rewind rewind.
– YOOOOO. That guy—he looks familiar.
– THAT PHYSIQUE. I SWEAR.
– We didn’t see him come in, did we?
– He didn’t walk on the carpet.
– Nahhhh that was someone.
The camera returned later—another sweeping pan.
He was seated this time, head tilted downward, face still obscured by a shadow and his cap.
– There he is again.
– THE MYSTERIOUS MAN.
– Show us the faceE ON.
– I feel like I know him. But it’s just out of reach.
– It’s gonna drive me crazy.
Behind the scenes, Jace leaned close and nudged Zeno’s arm. “Uh… is it really okay if we didn’t make our presence known?”
Zeno’s eyes followed the reflection of the massive screens up above. His own face hadn’t been shown even once. He exhaled slowly and gave a nod.
“Yeah,” he said. “We blended in with the streamers.”
And that was true.
When they entered, Zeno had intentionally walked behind a large group of gamers, all clad in sleek black jerseys, branded with their channel names. They came in like a pack, laughing and pushing each other playfully. No one questioned the extra body tagging along.
Now, as the stage was set and teams were gathering by their assigned colors, no one quite knew that Zeno was there.
And the stream continued to tease his presence.
One more camera sweep.
– Why am I so intrigued by that man?
– Seriously, he has an aura.
– This is so funny. Every time he lifts his head, the camera pans to another person.
As MC Tiny prepared to relay the instructions, the staff began serving their meals. It was clear Daebak Entertainment wanted this to feel luxurious.
Zeno, however, couldn’t have cared less. They didn’t prepare any root crops.
“I hope everyone’s comfortable,” MC Tiny beamed from the elevated platform. He had switched mics, now holding a small cue card in his hand as he clicked his tongue dramatically. “Now then, let’s talk about what’s going down today.”
He pointed to the cameras.
“You might already know, but this is our prelim livestream! It’s not the main event yet, but you’d better take it seriously!”
“Because it has some bearing for the actual tournament!”
MC Tiny raised a hand. “The Grand Star Collision Tournament will be held… this weekend!”
The gasps were immediate.
Even Phoenix raised his eyebrows.
“It’s too soon!” someone yelled from the back.
– My bias can’t game for shit he’s gonna DIE.
– Wait. This weekend? As in… this coming Saturday??
“And the prize,” Tiny grinned, raising a sleek black envelope from his pocket, “will be an all-expense-paid trip to any destination of choice for every member of the winning team!”
Excited chatter bubbled up.
“AND… a total cash prize of 50,000,000 KRW!”1
The cheers were thunderous.
Cameras panned to artists whispering among themselves, plotting and laughing.
Zeno shook his head and muttered under his breath, “Rich people just want to get richer.”
He picked up a piece of fruit from the tray beside him and bit into it.
MC Tiny clapped again. “Today’s games will determine your team arrangements. Some teams are pre-formed, like the Daebak team—” He gestured. “—and the Moonrise team—”
“But for those who came in incomplete, you’ll be assigned accordingly soon.”
Zeno’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Then, once the teams are fully established, tomorrow we will have our first elimination.” Tiny paused for dramatic effect. “A death match.”
Anxious murmurs filled the room.
“Five teams will be eliminated tomorrow. We’ll use a 1v1 system. One life. No re-dos. If you lose, your entire team is out.”
– A death match straight away?
– Well, this feels more like a tournament now.
– Rooting for Daebak!
– Moonrise all the way.
– The gamers are going to take this home!
Just then, a small yelp broke through the rising tension.
One of the staff—appearing new judging by her frantic eyes and shaky hands—tripped over a bag left on the floor. The silver tray she held wobbled violently, and the glass of water at the edge tilted to spill right onto Zeno’s chest.
His eyes widened slightly as the cold soaked through his pants and jacket. His hoodie absorbed the worst of it, but the shock was enough to make him shoot up from his chair.
The room fell into dead silence as the tray clattered to the floor.
“I’m so sorry,” the server apologized profusely, getting close to Zeno. However, in the motion of jumping back in apology, she accidentally swatted his cap clean off.
The fluorescent lights caught on his face.
The shadows were gone.
And of course, the livestream’s camera caught it in full detail.