Chapter 133
Chapter 133
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 133
Chapter Title: Laptop
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Korea University's event wasn't just about presenting research results. In a casual atmosphere like this, no one would show up for that alone.
The mood shifted the moment Kwon Soo-yeon's presentation ended.
The presentation table and laptop were cleared away, and the lighting turned vibrant and colorful.
PpF Girls took the stage. Quite a few people recognized them.
"Aren't those girls the group? Nature Gymnastics."
"Yeah. Their songs are pretty good, right?"
PpF Girls sang as well as any popular idol group, looked just as pretty, and danced great too.
But they had one shortcoming. Out of all the songs they'd released, the audience had only heard one before.
They covered that weakness by performing old hit songs that the event attendees would love.
Kwon Soo-yeon stepped off stage and placed a hand on her chest. She was a bit out of breath.
"Haa. That was tough."
She glanced at the stage. Four girls in their late teens to early twenties were energetically jumping around and singing.
She'd done the same at that age. Just a few months ago, stamina hadn't been an issue.
Now she didn't have the strength for it. In mere months, her body had grown so frail.
She'd pretended to be fine during her research presentation to avoid showing weakness, but it had drained her stamina even more.
It wasn't just shortness of breath—the pain had intensified a little too.
She headed to the waiting room and pulled a small painkiller syringe from her pocket.
Her illness made it hard to swallow pills orally. Injections like this were the only way.
After injecting the painkiller into her slender arm, she let out a sigh.
"Hoo."
Kwon Dong-jin hadn't told her yet about Lee Yeon-ji's successful surgery. He wasn't sure if Kwon Soo-yeon could undergo it too.
She sat in a chair, waiting for the medication to kick in. She didn't even have the energy to walk back to the audience seats.
PpF Girls finished their performance. The four soaked up the thunderous cheers and applause as they left the stage.
Na Gang-in spoke to Min Young-hee from the back of the audience.
"We should go check on the girls in the waiting room. Coming along?"
Min Young-hee stood up.
"We came to cheer on our chicks, so of course. Where'd Soon-gi wander off to, though?"
Na Gang-in left the auditorium and headed backstage. He knew the way without Jeon Ji-in's guidance.
Min Young-hee commented.
"I was surprised you said you graduated from here, Master, but you really do know your way around."
"Yeah. Guess I did attend this school."
PpF Girls' maknae, Choi Ji-hye, approached Kwon Soo-yeon and offered her a drink.
"Here, have this."
"Pardon?"
"You look exhausted. Hehe."
"Oh. Thanks."
Kwon Soo-yeon gratefully accepted the drink but couldn't drink it. Her condition was so poor she'd already used three times her usual dose of painkillers. A stimulating beverage like this would be too much.
She stared blankly at the bottle and noticed the marketing text: Non-Sale Promotional Item.
"Oh? Is this...?"
Choi Ji-hye pointed to Shin Eun-ha's photo on the bottle.
"Hehe. I'm kinda close with Unnie Eun-ha. She got a ton from her company since she couldn't drink them all alone and gave a bunch to us."
"Ah, I see. I haven't watched TV much lately, so I'm out of the loop on celebrities. Are you girls famous too?"
Choi Ji-hye waved her hand.
"Nah, no way. We're still a long way off. Ehehhehe. But..."
Her eyes sparkled as she asked,
"You're the PhD candidate who presented on stage before our performance, right?"
Kwon Soo-yeon smiled faintly.
"Not a PhD yet. Still studying."
"You will be someday, though."
"Well..."
To do that, I have to survive first. But her illness had been deemed inoperable. Her good mood soured a bit.
Choi Ji-hye asked,
"I want to come to this school someday too. How do I do it?"
"Hmm... Still in school?"
"High school."
"Then study hard, focus on Korean, English, and math?"
"Ugh, that's it?"
"I don't know much either. When I got in, good grades were enough, but I hear admissions are more complicated now."
Choi Ji-hye plopped down beside her, firing off questions. She was full of curiosity about college life.
Kwon Soo-yeon had plenty to share from her undergrad days. After a few back-and-forths, they dropped formal speech naturally.
Choi Ji-hye asked,
"So, Unnie, did you date a ton in college and stuff?"
"After grad school, I was too busy studying and researching..."
"So you did before that."
"Maybe?"
Kwon Soo-yeon dodged with a wry smile.
Choi Ji-hye shared her dream.
"When I go to college, I'm gonna date a hot guy like Kim Yu-chan."
Kwon Soo-yeon knew who Kim Yu-chan was.
"Isn't Kim Yu-chan a bit out of reach?"
"You think?"
"And colleges don't have guys like that. They're at broadcasting stations. Oh. Can celebrities even date?"
"As long as you don't get caught."
Kwon Soo-yeon gave a bittersweet smile.
"You're smarter than me. If only I'd known not to get caught..."
"Hehe."
"Why this school, though?"
"Well... It looks awesome, for one. And my friend who's top of the school is coming here. it'd be fun to go together."
"Yeah, that sounds nice. But are you good at studying?"
"Nope. Planning to start now."
Kwon Soo-yeon tilted her head.
"Does our school give bonus points to celebrities in any departments? No idea."
Na Gang-in said outside the waiting room.
"Even for a school event, how is there no security?"
Min Young-hee asked,
"Idols have managers, right?"
"It's in Seoul, so they probably came alone. That way, they keep the manager's travel costs as pocket money."
"Whoa. Survival idols for real."
Na Gang-in opened the waiting room door.
Inside, the four PpF Girls were hanging out. And Kwon Soo-yeon was with them.
"Hm?"
The four PpF Girls jumped up to greet him.
"Ah! Teacher! You came to see our show?"
"Just passing by."
Min Young-hee followed in.
"Girls, your unnie's here too?"
"Ah! Bodyguard Unni!"
Kwon Soo-yeon looked shocked as she asked Choi Ji-hye,
"How do you know Gang-in?"
"How? He's our trainer, makeup teacher, and song... Ah! Unni knows Teacher Na Gang-in too?"
"Yeah. Friend."
Choi Ji-hye beamed.
"Whoa! Unni, you're cool!"
"Being friends with him is cool?"
"Obviously!"
Kwon Soo-yeon asked Na Gang-in,
"What exactly have you been up to all this time?"
"This and that?"
"How do you know celebrities?"
"You're chatting casually with Ji-hye right now. It just happened like that."
Na Gang-in sat next to Kwon Soo-yeon.
"Not watching the event? Why're you here?"
Kwon Soo-yeon couldn't tell the truth.
"Just resting."
"Stamina recovery drink? Like a potion? Where do I buy it?"
Jeon Ji-in controlled the AR lens. A list of stamina recovery drinks scrolled up in midair. All dated 2082 standards.
"Damn it. You're showing me stuff I can't even buy to mess with me..."
He noticed the bottle Kwon Soo-yeon held. It was the drink from the CF with Shin Eun-ha and Kim Yu-chan. Na Gang-in had done the action scenes.
He'd received tons from the company and had them stacked at home. He knew their effects.
'Great for post-workout recovery. Maybe get her to drink this? It'd help a little.'
Kwon Soo-yeon hadn't even opened the cap yet.
Na Gang-in reached out.
"Want me to open it? Gonna drink?"
She shook her head slightly.
"No. Saving it for later."
"Hm..."
Na Gang-in had questions for her.
'I want to hear about the me I don't know.'
Internet info was searchable. But there wasn't much on Na Gang-in's past online. No personal SNS at all.
Today, though, someone appeared with a ton of it.
He couldn't just bluntly ask, "Who am I?"
Amnesia wouldn't fly. For two years, he'd claimed to have secluded in the mountains inventing Total Fist Arts, developing gear, and mastering explosives alone.
Amnesia now would contradict all that.
Na Gang-in started with small talk.
"Saw your presentation."
Kwon Soo-yeon smiled faintly.
"I lived pretty intensely these past two years, huh?"
"Yeah. Incredible research."
She asked,
"Surprised when that pyramid sketch you drew popped up on screen?"
Na Gang-in thought inwardly,
'Knew it was me who drew it.'
"Yeah. That pipe pyramid."
"You built one in that empty lot between buildings back then, putting on a show about collecting solar energy. Said nearby structures could act as reflectors, swore it'd work if tested there."
"Uh... Did I? So it was effective..."
Kwon Soo-yeon laughed.
"It did turn your skin beet red. Told you to wear sunscreen, but you insisted on feeling the solar energy raw."
"Ha, haha."
"My research was struggling, then one day I remembered that. Guess you hadn't contacted me in forever, so it came to mind."
She wagged her finger.
"But thinking it over, scale was the issue for big ones, but on the micro level, it wasn't meaningless. Tested hesitantly..."
Kwon Soo-yeon beamed.
"And it worked."
"Did you build it exactly like my sketch?"
She waved lightly.
"Nah. Material's totally different. Size is microscopic—you need a scope to see it. Pretty changed."
Na Gang-in probed.
"Hey, I calculated that pyramid fully before drawing..."
"I saw you scribble it in your notebook with a pen on pure gut feeling, claiming it was the answer. Don't pull that now."
"Just got the idea from it?"
"Yeah. But couldn't contact you to tell you it worked. Frustrating."
She asked curiously,
"How'd you end up here today?"
"Came to watch their performance."
She shot him a mock glare.
"Hurtful. You come for their shows but no contact from you in two years?"
"Told you, lost my phone, all numbers gone."
"Right, yeah. Then why no new phone?"
"Been in the mountains. Came down recently."
"Why the mountains..."
Kwon Soo-yeon's phone rang. She answered.
"Yeah, Dad. No, met a friend in the waiting room, just chatting. Heading there now."
Kwon Soo-yeon stood.
"Gotta go."
Na Gang-in said,
"I'll call."
She smiled.
"You better."
After Kwon Soo-yeon left, the four PpF Girls crowded around.
Maknae Choi Ji-hye's eyes sparkled as she asked,
"Teacher, what's with you and that PhD unnie?"
"College friends. Nice seeing her after so long."
"That's it?"
That was all he remembered. Past was blank.
"Yeah. That's it."
"She's doing PhD work at Korea U, how'd you... Huh?"
Choi Ji-hye blinked.
"No way Teacher went to Korea U too?"
"Yeah."
"Whoa! You're not just brawn? Brains too? How'd you get into a top school? Can't believe it!"
Na Gang-in told Choi Ji-hye,
"This school isn't for just anyone... Wait, no. You mocking me?"
"No, not that! You're an expert in training, makeup, action directing, singing..."
"Your next training's gonna hurt as much as this offends me."
Leader So Ji-young quickly raised her hand.
"I believed you aced studies! For real!"
"I'm hurt."
Kwon Soo-yeon left the waiting room and slowly headed toward the stage. Pretending to be okay earlier had drained her more.
She stepped off the hallway into a quieter stairwell railing and caught her breath.
"Haa. So tiring."
Her body ached, but seeing Na Gang-in after so long felt good.
"His face hasn't changed a bit."
After a short rest, she tried moving again. Then she spotted someone passing in the hallway ahead, carrying a laptop.
"Huh?"
The laptop looked familiar. Same model as hers.
And the one the staff had set up for the event today was identical.
The host-provided laptops held all the presenters' materials. Without it, the event couldn't continue.
The man glanced around for the exit, then locked eyes with Kwon Soo-yeon.
He startled visibly upon seeing her.
"Huh?"
Kwon Soo-yeon checked the laptop again. A sticker on the lid peeked out. The event laptop had a similar one.
A suspicion hit her.
"Wait! That laptop, is it...?"
The man suddenly bolted the other way like he was fleeing. Kwon Soo-yeon reached out, calling after him.
"Hey! Wait!"