READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 225
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As expected, my appearance on Da-eun’s broadcast caused quite a stir.
“Hello? Oh, PD-nim. Thanks for last time. But what’s up…? An interview? Ah… I’m sorry, but right now….”
For the moment, Da-eun was holding onto her phone for dear life.
Interview requests were like clockwork, coming not just from our acquaintances but also from people I barely knew.
Just when I thought we were done with one call, another would come in, and when that call finished, yet another would follow.
It came to the point where I couldn’t set my phone down, with notifications buzzing in the middle of conversations.
And that was just the start of it.
[Meanwhile, the call for an investigation into the game company ‘Demoninus,’ which created ‘Silia Online,’ was raising eyebrows-]
[There’s a sharp divide over the video’s authenticity.]
[It’s becoming a huge sensation not just domestically but also overseas-]
[Some even claim the girl in the video should be arrested for violating sword possession laws.]
No matter the channel I turned on, all they talked about was the show I appeared on.
What I could see was just a fraction of the chaos, but I knew the real commotion was much larger.
“Haa….”
With a thud, Da-eun flopped down on the sofa after finishing yet another call.
Her phone buzzed again, a desperate call searching for its owner.
I gestured towards the wild phone and asked, “Is that another call coming in?”
“What’s the point? It’s gonna be the same old story. I think I’ll just ignore it.”
“Hmm.”
With a tired voice, Da-eun fiddled with her phone and switched it to silent mode, finally ushering in some peace.
“Hehe….”
Suddenly, Da-eun burst into laughter.
Her sinister giggles made me instinctively turn my head.
…Has she lost it from taking too many calls?
Luckily, contrary to my worries, Da-eun’s laughter didn’t last long.
“This is harder than I thought… But I don’t regret it. If I could go back in time, I’d make the same choice.”
While Da-eun sighed deeply, she caught my gaze and waved her hand.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You know? Even when Kana doesn’t say anything, it’s written all over her face what she’s thinking.”
“…That’s a lie.”
“It’s the truth! If you really don’t believe me, should I guess what you’re thinking?”
Da-eun propped her chin in mock thought.
“Kana is… thinking about wanting to eat chocolate…?!”
“See? That’s a lie.”
“So you don’t want it?”
“…Not that I don’t want it.”
With something sweet in my mouth, my earlier annoyance started to fade a bit.
Even though I had prepared myself, watching them chatter about me didn’t feel great, to say the least.
But the realization that something was truly bothering me came down to one particular thing.
[I was the Demon King in my last life, and now I’m a hero?!]
[A sickly maiden hero? That’s just too much to bear!]
[Sickly?]
[Kana is not sickly… she rips people apart…]
[Da-eun’s quote: Kana is a weak child]
[Are you saying the Saint just lied?]
Unlike strict, serious news articles, the community was buzzing with a carefree atmosphere.
Watching strangers talk without knowing their faces or names made me sigh.
‘I may have intended for this to happen…’
A hero, huh.
How can they casually use such an embarrassing term?
Every time I saw it, I couldn’t help but breathe a sigh, bordering on an inexplicable sense of respect.
“I’d rather be called a hero than a saint. What’s with being a saint?”
Da-eun beside me sighed along.
As she vented her frustrations, a soft chuckle escaped me without my realizing it.
“Pfft.”
Oops, correction.
It wasn’t just a sigh, laughter burst out instead.
It was loud enough that Da-eun definitely heard it.
With a narrowed gaze, Da-eun looked at me, pulling her eyebrows up.
“You just laughed, didn’t you?”
“…Hmm. I didn’t laugh.”
“Your lips are still curling up!”
“…Ack.”
I hurriedly lowered my hand that unconsciously reached for my mouth.
It was practically an admission of guilt.
…I fell for it.
“Hero-san. If even you tease me, I’ll be really hurt.”
“…”
“But it’s okay, hero-san. As long as you’re happy, that’s what matters. I’m always on your side. So, please think of me as someone close.”
“…I messed up.”
Isn’t it a bit much to call me hero-san every time I make a joke?
…I thought so, but I was the one who threw the first stone, so I should graciously wave the white flag.
This was also one of the side effects of appearing on Da-eun’s broadcast.
On the show, I mentioned that I came to save the world at the behest of God.
Yet that didn’t clear up all the questions, as I shared several other stories.
Among those tales was the nature of my relationship with Da-eun.
People speculated we were all in cahoots or that Da-eun was also someone from Silia…
Most of it was gossip without solid proof, but it needed to be cleared up nonetheless.
After all, the goal of turning on the broadcast was to prevent rumors from spreading as if they were facts.
How could I build a positive image?
Me, Da-eun, Edel, and Yuki—
The four of us brainstormed a scenario.
‘Where… am I…?’
A girl trembling with anxiety in a strange world.
‘Kana…?’
In the midst of grieving the loss of someone she adored, Da-eun accidentally stumbled upon her outside.
Skeptical, Da-eun spoke to her, confirming she was indeed someone she knew.
And soon after, she decided to help the girl…
‘…Is this a lie?’
A scenario so closely aligned with truth, it made you wonder.
Aside from the part where they ‘met by chance,’ was there anything different?
Despite that confusion, Edel insisted it would be more convincing because of it, and the other two agreed.
Besides, with the exciting news that an NPC from a game appeared in reality, they’d be too busy not to care.
The prediction was surprisingly accurate, but there was one unexpected outcome—
The so-called ‘Da-eun Saint Theory.’
“You came from another dimension to save the world? Then you’re the hero, right?”
“Shouldn’t there be a supporting saint if there’s a hero?”
“Then Da-eun, who helped Kana, would be the saint?”
And so it went.
Though I was the one without a place to go, and nothing to my name, she took me in and cared for me. Surely, calling her the saint wasn’t far off.
Of course, this wouldn’t make it to the news.
Even if it did pop up, it would be something like, ‘Some people are saying that…’
The community was fundamentally a place seeking amusement.
In terms of validity, that came second; they often chatted about whatever was even slightly entertaining.
The hero and saint discussions were no exception.
“…Sigh.”
“Hoo….”
The moment our eyes met, Da-eun and I sighed simultaneously.
We were both in the same boat, so what good was tearing each other down?
“I’d rather some incident happen….”
Da-eun muttered and quickly covered her mouth.
“…That was an inappropriate statement.”
She seemed to think that was too much no matter how she looked at it.
I knew she was just lightly complaining, so I didn’t want to press the issue.
How much had she been through to feel that way?
So, I shrugged and changed the topic.
“What are you planning for today’s broadcast?”
Even if I cleared up some doubts, the fiery flames of gossip didn’t go out.
In fact, it could be argued they were burning brighter than ever.
Typically, I would’ve been at Yuki’s Gymnasium, but here I was stuck at home because of it.
“I’ve been thinking for a bit…”
Da-eun’s voice trailed on.
“Just staying quiet doesn’t seem like the flame will die down anytime soon, right? And we can’t exactly extinguish it.”
With that, she lifted her body, now sitting up straight.
“If it’s okay with Kana, why not show it boldly?”
“…Show what?”
“Oh, I’m not talking about anything big. I just meant showing that we’re having fun and laughing on the broadcast.”
“Hmm….”
I contemplated the benefit of that for a moment.
Da-eun sensed my hesitation and asked in a smaller voice, “…Are you against it?”
“It’s not that I’m against it… “
How should I put it into words?
After mulling it over, an appropriate phrase struck me.
“I’m just not confident.”
“What confidence?”
“The confidence to laugh and chatter.”
Laughing and chatting weren’t things I was familiar with.
Even if I were asked to do one or the other, I wouldn’t feel confident, let alone doing both.
“That’s just a metaphor…. No, more than that, you spoke perfectly well yesterday. And when you played a cousin before, you spoke just fine too.”
“Both then and yesterday, I only did it because it was required.”
I don’t have a knack for spinning mundane stories into something entertaining.
That talent belongs to Da-eun.
However, Da-eun seemed unconvinced by my explanation, tilting her head.
“In my opinion, Kana is perfectly fine. You don’t have to be entertaining. Anyway, this aside—”
Da-eun scooted closer to me.
The first thing I noticed was her refreshing scent, followed by her gentle touch.
She swept the strands of my hair that fell across my chest behind me and spoke.
“When I say we should laugh and chat, I’m just giving a metaphor. I meant just come out, show your face, and say a few words now and then.”
“If it’s just that, I think it’s fine. But why?”
It isn’t a tough task.
If it were before revealing my identity, I would’ve obviously declined. But now, I had no reason to hesitate.
If I could help Da-eun, I would willingly agree… But I couldn’t understand the reason behind her suggestion.
I had thought she would want to keep things secret, not say let’s go out together.
Still petting my head, Da-eun finally answered.
“I want people to feel close to Kana.”
“Close…?”
I knew what she meant by closeness, but—
…She wants people to feel warm and close all of a sudden?
Da-eun’s unexpected remark left me blinking in confusion.
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