Genius Swordsman In Reverse Game

I was in the middle of leading the rest of my struggling party members to move the blue crab's carcass when Shin Se-hee called me aside.

"Ah, Jin Yuha, stop moving for a moment and come talk to me."

I cocked my head and asked, "What's up?"

"I have a special request for you, Jin Yuha," she said.

"A request?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. The swimwear festival was over, and all that was left was to clean up and head home. Was there really more work to be done?

'Or has something else happened?' I wondered as I settled my gaze.

"The people… you need to appease them," Shin Se-hee said, her eyes serious but a smile playing on her lips.

"The people?" I asked. "Who? Why?"

"The people in the audience, of course," she replied. "You don't really expect me to believe that you don't know what I'm talking about, do you?"

I swallowed hard and waited for her to continue.

"Huff, do you really think I didn't notice? You deliberately prolonged the fight, Jin Yuha. I understand the desire to catch as many monsters as possible, but what do you think the audience is feeling after hours of watching the same repetitive battle?"

"Uh…"

I could guess where this was going. At first, the audience had cheered enthusiastically, but as the battle to catch the blue crab turned from a 'hunt' into a one-sided 'task', their cheers had become mechanical, a mere routine.

Who had been orchestrating and soothing the crowd for hours?

I looked at Shin Se-hee with a slightly guilty expression. "Do you really think it's a good idea for the hero who saved the day to slink away in the background? It only looks cool in the movies because it's all captured on screen."

"So, you're saying I should go and appease them?"

"Yes, you have to," she insisted.

Hmm. I had been so focused on catching as many blue crabs as possible just a moment ago that I had forgotten about the audience, whom I had repeatedly asked, no, not asked but demanded, to cheer for me. Going out there to face them now was like asking for a rain of eggs.

"I don't think it's a good idea for me to go and appease them, though…"

"Then who will do it?"

"You…?"

"Me? I can't do that!" Shin Se-hee said, her smile turning into a grin.

Something was odd. Why did she look angry even though she was smiling?

"Well, I mean, until now…"

"Huff, how can I do that? You, Jin Yuha, took charge of the operation without consulting me, the operator of Utopia, leaving me in the dark. All I could do was stand there and smile at the people. I've already reached my limit. People say you're the face of Utopia, but they're wrong. I am the face."

Shin Se-hee spoke clearly and firmly, her smile unwavering.

"So, I'm asking you to take care of the aftermath. You owe me that much."

"What about you?"

"What are you asking me? I'll be helping the other party members with the blue crab loading and unloading. You, on the other hand, can handle the people's emotions."

Shin Se-hee, who had always agreed with whatever I said, was now showing a rare stubbornness. She was genuinely upset with me for making decisions on my own during the operation.

'But I had to do it to avoid the butterfly effect…'

I felt a bit wronged, but I knew better than to show it. Instead, I bowed my head to Shin Se-hee. "I'm sorry!"

"What are you sorry about?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

I didn't make the mistake of saying, "That's it."

"This time, there was a reason I couldn't tell you in advance…"

Shin Se-hee let out a short, derisive laugh. "Are you trying to make me look like a narrow-minded woman who gets upset over such trivial things?"

"Well, you said you weren't mad…"

Shin Se-hee narrowed her eyes and glared at me.

"Oh, sorry. Go on."

"Last time, it would have been nice if you had at least given me a heads-up during the mid-term evaluation. Just giving me a clue about the basic response right before the operation started would have been enough for me to understand. But this time, there were no clues at all. I was just busy trying to keep up with your actions and make predictions on the fly."

Ah.

I realized my mistake. The reason the butterfly effect occurred this time was not because we weren't prepared, but because we changed what was supposed to happen.

When an incident occurs, pushing the party members without any explanation is not teamwork, but my own unilateral decision. And even though I knew that this incident wouldn't lead to serious consequences, I was the only one who knew that.

'Come to think of it, Shin Se-hee looked really serious when she first mentioned the monster wave.'

A monster wave was usually a disaster in itself. From her perspective, responsible for the aftermath, it must have felt like a bolt from the blue. And while the other party members could be excused with the explanation that I didn't know either…

'Shin Se-hee is different. She knows.'

From her perspective, the criteria for the future seemed to become clearer.

I knew a proper apology was necessary.

Once again, I bowed my head to Shin Se-hee. "I'm sorry, I forgot the basics. I didn't mean to ignore you."

"…"

"I got caught up in thinking about things I couldn't say, and I forgot about the things I should have done. I'll be more careful from now on, Se-hee."

I lifted my head and looked straight at her. "Will you accept my apology?"

With her arms crossed, Shin Se-hee turned her head sharply to the side. "Hmm, then, next time… the foot massage you started today… will you finish it…?"

She spoke shyly, and I couldn't help but smile and nod. "Sure, I'll do it soon."

"But you still have to take care of the people here. I'm not budging on that."

"Ah."

Shin Se-hee headed off to help the party members move the blue crabs, and I dragged my feet towards the performance hall.

.

.

.

The scene at the Haeundae Festival performance hall was quite bleak.

Dozens of tents and blankets that Shin Se-hee had urgently procured were spread out.

The lights were on, but no one spoke a word. Everyone wore their exhaustion openly. After hours of shouting at the top of their lungs, they were understandably drained.

Fwoosh─

Tap, tap─

Bonfires blazed in front of each tent, and above them, the giant blue crabs were turning red, roasting like whole crabs.

'…Did Shin Se-hee prepare this too?'

While we were busy catching blue crabs, she must have brought them here.

People gathered in small groups around the blue crabs, their tired faces reflecting the giant crabs roasting before them.

"I mean, Cheonhwa said it's okay to eat, but… I'm still not sure if it's safe."

"But the smell is amazing. I'm so hungry…"

"Yeah…"

I sneaked past the crowd and climbed up to the performance hall.

There, I found a middle-aged woman with short hair and glasses, her chin resting on the table, looking exhausted.

'Seo Ah-yoon?'

She was a Named NPC, well-known in the broadcasting and cultural industries.

In the game, she often appeared on TV as an extra, playing the role of a supporter who helped the protagonist's party behind the scenes.

Having been rescued by Lina in the past, she was friendly towards the player's party.

"Waaah!? W-what? Oh, it's you, Jin Yuha!"

She seemed surprised to see me, as if she hadn't expected my appearance.

"Hello," I said.

"Ahaha… I saw the video of you catching the blue crabs. You were amazing."

She forced a smile despite her fatigue.

"Thank you," I replied.

"No, I should be the one thanking you. Thanks to you, our festival was saved."

She said, glancing at the people waiting for the blue crabs to cook. Then, she cleared her throat.

"They're just tired from all the fun."

"I see."

"So, what brings you here…? Shin Se-hee also left, saying she had something to do…"

"Ah, well, I wanted to thank the people who cheered us on, so I thought I'd come and say hello."

"Oh, is that so?"

She scratched her head for a moment, then stood up abruptly. "Then let me turn on the stage for you. Go ahead."

"Huh?"

The crowd murmured as the blue crabs were almost done cooking.

"Is it really okay to eat this…?"

"Yeah, but monsters are usually not safe to eat because of the mana."

"But Cheonhwa told us not to worry and just eat. Maybe she took some measures?"

"Hmm…"

But the people, exhausted from the long hours of cheering for Jin Yuha, couldn't resist their hunger any longer. They grabbed the roasted blue crabs with their hands.

"Wow, this is delicious!"

"Crazy! It's so good!"

"What is this!? Monster meat tastes this amazing!?"

Fssssssssss─!

Suddenly, the lights in the performance hall turned on, and everyone turned their heads.

What's going on?

I had just intended to walk around and clean up a bit, but somehow, a stage was set for me.

I thought of various excuses.

Hmm, what should I do?

'Should I just confess everything and man up, saying I wanted to catch one more monster…?'

But, to cut to the chase, my worries were useless.

As the lights came on, I found myself standing in front of a standing microphone, beginning my speech.

"Ah─ Hello, I'm Jin Yuha, the leader of the Utopia party. First of all, I want to thank you──."

Just as I began with a cliché line, a woman with a husky voice tore a king crab leg with her teeth and spoke.

"Wow, this place has good side dishes too."

A very loud, husky voice.

'…?'

Suddenly, side dishes?

What did she mean by that?

"I've always been a fan of yours, and I'm glad you're here. Yuha."

"Huh?"

"It's all good, but we're all pretty tired right now. You don't have to say anything, just stand there and look pretty. My throat hurts from all the shouting."

"Huh?"

Hearing this, others joined in.

"Yeah, well said!"

"Jin Yuha! Don't open your mouth and make our ears hurt even more! Just stand there and be a pretty face!"

"Yeah, just be a side dish for now!"

Crunch─ Crunch─

And that day, Jin Yuha gained one more nickname.

[ Side Dish ]

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