I Became a Raid Boss

Da-eun knew she was fairly well-known.

Of course, not on the level of a celebrity who frequently appeared on TV.

Even though times had changed, and many people preferred OTT platforms over terrestrial broadcasts, public recognition was still higher for terrestrial networks.

She wasn’t as popular as a successful celebrity, but she was recognized by people on the streets occasionally.

That was how Da-eun perceived her own level of fame.

Being well-known was a good thing.

She wasn’t an ordinary office worker…

Well, even for an ordinary office worker, being well-known wasn’t a bad thing, as long as it wasn’t for negative reasons.

‘That person is so good at their job.’

‘Ah, Mr./Ms. So-and-So? They’re a reliable person.’

Or even,

‘I can trust you with this task.’

Who wouldn’t like hearing such remarks?

Office workers strive for recognition like that, so for someone like Da-eun, who made her living as an independent streamer, public recognition was practically a lifeline.

So, being recognized and liked by others was good, but―

Just like medicine can become poison if misused, high recognition could also become a curse.

People would nitpick at trivial words or actions, exaggerating their meaning.

Some would envy her popularity and spread baseless rumors.

Strangers would ask for money, or even worse, send photos of their private parts.

By now, she had gotten used to it, but back when she was new to the internet, Da-eun had been stressed and even cried into her pillow at times.

And then, there were stalkers and doxxers―yet another downside of high recognition.

These were people who went beyond wanting to simply befriend their favorite celebrity, idol, or influencer.

Da-eun had heard stories of idol group members being tormented by obsessive fans or having their personal information leaked, causing their families to suffer.

She was always wary of attracting the attention of such problematic individuals.

However, there was something she underestimated.

“Hm?”

The dark night sky was heavy with silence.

A man out on the streets, supposedly on a noble mission to eliminate monsters threatening humanity…

Or, to put it simply, playing an augmented reality game, suddenly looked up.

He heard voices in the distance, faintly drifting through the quiet.

At first, he thought, “Who’s making noise at this hour?”

In reality, it wasn’t that late, nor were the voices particularly loud, but such details didn’t matter to the man.

His mood was already soured after being stood up by a friend he had planned to game with, and what he needed was something to vent his frustration on, not facts.

So, he grumbled about the voices he heard, but the more he listened, the more familiar they seemed.

Something about them nagged at the edges of his memory.

“…Ah!”

With his brows furrowed as much as possible, the man suddenly exclaimed as if he had just discovered a groundbreaking scientific principle, much like Archimedes shouting “Eureka!”

“Isn’t that Joanie?”

Joanie, the name she was more widely known by rather than her real name, was a popular streamer and content creator.

The man wasn’t an ardent fan, but he considered himself a fan nonetheless.

Once that thought crossed his mind, the tone and inflection of the voice sounded even more familiar.

Of course, it wasn’t as though they were personally acquainted.

It was merely a sense of internal familiarity.

Seeing someone he had only ever seen through a screen in real life―

“…Should I ask for a photo? Damn… If I knew this was going to happen, I would’ve brought something for her to sign.”

There was no way to foresee such an encounter, so how could he have prepared for it?

Mumbling to himself, half excited and half amazed, the man started walking toward the figure across the street.

“They really should fix this.”

The man grumbled as he passed under a broken streetlight.

It had been out for who knows how long, yet no one had repaired it.

He vowed to file a complaint about it when he got home.

But first, he was going to brag to his friends about meeting Joanie.

Though the distance between them narrowed, the voices seemed to grow quieter, suggesting that the person was aware of his approach.

‘…That makes it sound kind of weird.’

Normally, when walking at night, he would simply pass by or pretend to be engrossed in his phone, but this time he was deliberately approaching a woman.

‘Does she think I’m dangerous?’

Realizing how odd the situation might appear, he hesitated for a moment.

But then he steeled himself.

While it wasn’t a once-in-a-lifetime chance, it was still a rare opportunity.

Especially for someone like him who had no interest in fan meetings or autograph events, this was an even rarer occasion.

“Huh?”

As he drew closer, something caught his eye.

Something he hadn’t noticed before―a small figure sticking closely to Joanie.

Joanie, who was taller than the average woman in Korea, the darkened street, the thrill of meeting an idol.

These three factors had aligned perfectly to obscure the small figure until now.

‘A man?’

That was the first thought that crossed his mind.

‘Her boyfriend?’

That was the thought that immediately followed.

Though they seemed like close sisters, it was hard to say for sure.

…Wait, sisters?

“…!”

Mumbling to himself, the man suddenly froze as if struck by lightning.

Come to think of it, wasn’t her younger cousin on her stream not too long ago?

Though the stream had been short, and the cousin spoke softly with few words,

The viewers who watched that day were captivated by her calm voice bantering with Da-eun and her small stature contrasted with her sharp, assertive manner.

And what truly sealed the deal was the scene toward the end of the broadcast.

Slumped in her chair, nodding off as she dozed.

Her face was hidden beneath a mask, but that only fueled the viewers’ imaginations.

What started as “a cousin helping her older sister clarify things” quickly became

“a small, frail, yet dependable and adorable cousin helping her older sister clarify things.”

Had they not seen her at all, it might’ve been fine.

But the brief glimpse left the viewers clamoring for more.

From casual questions about how she’d been, to requests for her to appear on stream more often,

And eventually demands for her to take off the mask and show her face.

But all those who raised their voices met the same end:

They were metaphorically decapitated by Joanie’s sharp refusal.

Seeing the proverbial heads displayed in the public square as a warning,

Others refrained from mentioning the cousin,

And gradually, Joanie’s cousin faded from public memory…

Or so it seemed.

While it appeared that way on the surface,n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Beneath the radar―in darker corners―people still gossiped about the cousin.

Though the fervor had cooled due to a lack of new material.

“Could it be…?”

It was a stretch.

Even as he thought that, the man compared the cousin in his memory to the small figure beside Joanie.

And came to a conclusion.

“It’s her, isn’t it?”

He had no solid evidence or data to support this.

But he decided the small girl in front of him was the same one who had appeared on the stream.

In truth, it wasn’t so much a conclusion as it was wishful thinking.

But once the man made up his mind, the two figures before him seemed closer than ever.

“This is it.”

Surely, no one else had seen the elusive cousin in person.

The only thing in his mind was how much attention he’d get if he shared his experience.

The fact that the cousin might be an ordinary person didn’t matter to him at all.

Tap, tap.

The sound of light footsteps mixed with slightly heavier ones.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he spotted a face obscured by sunglasses.

Sunglasses, even though the sun had long set.

It was clear they were trying to hide their identity, but seeing her lower face,

The man became certain it was Joanie.

“Ex―”

The man tried to summon the courage to speak.

To ask if she was Joanie, to tell her he enjoyed her streams.

But his lips refused to move.

Having little experience talking to women,

Let alone famous ones, it wasn’t easy for him to approach her.

As he hesitated awkwardly, the two walking toward him subtly stepped aside.

Even though the sunglasses made it impossible to see her eyes,

He could almost feel her wary gaze.

The woman quickly passed him, as if shielding the child beside her.

By the time they brushed past, taking a few steps further away, the man snapped out of his daze.

“At least a picture…!”

He closed the game he’d been playing and hastily opened his camera.

An action that could easily earn him criticism, if not outright legal trouble.

Just as he zoomed in and prepared to press the shutter―

“….”

The small figure, clinging tightly to the woman’s side, turned its head.

“…!”

In the faint moonlight, violet eyes gleamed.

No, it was dark, so they only looked violet. In brighter light, they’d surely be―

“Ah…!”

Before he could gather his thoughts, the child turned her head back.

The fleeting glance left him disappointed, but only briefly.

“…Let’s hurry.”

He was left staring blankly at the retreating figures.

Their pace was noticeably faster than when they had approached him,

And he was certain it wasn’t just his imagination.

Glance.

Watching their shrinking silhouettes until they disappeared entirely,

The man lowered his gaze.

He tapped his phone, waking it from sleep mode, and its bright screen lit up the darkness.

Brighter than the pale moonlight.

“This is huge….”

On the screen, the pink eyes he had captured stood out vividly.

—

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