Chapter 3
Since I was covering the mic and camera on my phone, Rafe had no idea what was happening.
On the big screen, Rafe, who usually had that cold, sharp look in his eyes, was now giving me puppy eyes, looking eagerly at me.
He said, "Baby, I haven't seen you in forever. Can you turn on your camera?
"I just called you 'Mistress.' Did you like that? If you did, then don't be mad at me, okay? Let's get back together."
I was internally raging, but couldn't even bring myself to cuss him out.
He went on, and started flexing his chest for the camera. "I worked out just for you. Looks good, right?"
Just then, one of his teammates popped into the shot.
The teammate was probably fresh out of the shower because Rafe's screen went dark instantly.
Rafe sounded super anxious. "I'm on video with my girlfriend, dude. Put some clothes on before you come out."
His teammate's voice got fainter as he walked off. "I'm dressed. Just missing a shirt. Is it really such a big deal?"
Rafe retorted, "Dude, you can't just go around shirtless."
His teammate argued, "But you're not wearing one either."
Rafe answered, "Yeah, but I'm only shirtless for my girlfriend."
Right after he said that, the screen came back on, and now it looked like he was in his club bedroom.
He was back to acting all cute, practically wagging his tail for me. He kept calling me "baby" every other sentence.
Even though I didn't respond, he just continued talking away.
"Finally, I get to video call you, baby," he remarked.
The chat was filled with laughter.
[King Rafe is out there protecting his teammate, totally clueless about the situation he is in.]
[Please save him. The mighty King Rafe has lost all his dignity.]
[He said he's only shirtless for his girlfriend, so I guess that means I'm King Rafe's girlfriend too, right?]
I had to move my hand away from the screen and remind him, "Hey, I'm filming a gameshow right now, so maybe put your shirt back on? I'm not the only one watching you."
I panned the camera to show him the giant screen behind me and the crowd in the audience.
Rafe's face went stiff for a second. "Man, you could've given me a heads-up!"
He quickly killed the camera, leaving just the audio on.
The sound of his clothes rustling as he got dressed was oddly soothing.
A minute later, when he turned the camera back on, he was rocking a black T-shirt. He even had a mask on.
The chat was going wild.
[Why's he all wrapped up now? He's being too formal with us.]
[Wow, did my "King Rafe's Girlfriend Experience" just expire or something?]
That was when it hit me. Vivian was still sitting right next to me.
I turned and saw Vivian grinding her teeth, her eyes totally blank.
I felt I was doomed for ticking her off.
Vivian might've won in this gameshow, but her face looked even worse than if she'd lost.
She used to be just another face in the crowd, same agency as me.
She only started getting popular after starring in a game-themed romance drama.
Ever since then, she's been riding the "gamer goddess" wave, showing up on every game-related variety show.
She even streamed games when she had some free time.
But after she got shipped with Rafe on screen, she skyrocketed to superstar status.
A lot of her fans actually came over from Rafe's fanbase.
Right now, though, all those fans were glued to Rafe.
Only a handful of her solo fans were trying to speak up for her, but they were totally drowned out by the flood of comments.
It was like nobody even cared if she lived or died.
Rafe was back to his usual icy self, and just said hey to everyone.
Vivian forced a smile and called out, "Hi, Rafe."
After Rafe greeted everyone, he didn't say a single word to Vivian. Straight-up ignoring her stung way worse than just rejecting her.
The chat was blowing up.
[Rafe and Vivian are over for real.]
[Over? They were never in a relationship.]
Rafe asked when I'd be finished with the gameshow, saying he wanted to come get me.
I told him I had stuff to take care of tonight, and I'd consider tomorrow.
Even with his mask on, one could totally see how bummed he was.
Then he quietly asked the crew if they could delete the video from earlier.
The host was flushed with awkwardness. "We're streaming online. But seriously, you look great."
*****
Because of Rafe, Celebrity Showdown totally blew up.
My follower count skyrocketed from one million to over four million.
This was probably the highest I'd ever had since I entered the industry.
Rafe's Twitter comment section was wild. Everyone, guys and girls alike, were dropping sexual suggestions.
The more one scrolled, the nastier the comments got.
Anyone would probably be gobsmacked by it.
Rafe took advantage of the buzz and finally responded to the whole breakup drama.
He said, "Couples quarrel. It's normal, right? Who would've thought our first public moment would be a breakup? And I didn't tell her to get lost. I said, 'Fine, I'll go.'
"Seriously, do the paparazzi only film half the story? My next line was, 'And now I'm back again.'"
Someone brought up Vivian again. "If you don't even like Vivian, why were you playing on her account?
"You're famous for maining other characters, but you went with a different one to team up with hers. Don't you know those two characters are basically a canon couple in the game?"
Rafe shot back, "The show gave me that account. Besides, is it possible that the promo was all about the character I played, so I had no choice?"