Why Are You Here?
Liu Yen couldn't take another step. She'd already called out to him once, but now she couldn't even open her mouth again.
The fortune teller she'd been observing every single day—recording his behavior, speech patterns, personality, everything—suspecting him, investigating him, and still feeling uneasy no matter what she uncovered. The one who always walked around with that relaxed smile, whose thoughts she could never quite read, yet who seemed to understand hers perfectly.
Right now, that same person was clutching his head in anguish.
⋯⋯It was the first time Liu Yen had ever seen him like this.
Why? What does that mean?
The words that guy—Manderick or whatever—had delivered. Liu Yen, who'd been secretly hiding outside the fortune-telling shop, had heard them too. They came from someone who seemed to know Namgung Min well.
As far as I know, Namgung Min didn't have any friends before entering the academy.
Not friends. Not even acquaintances worth mentioning. His parents had died long ago, and he'd lived alone as an only child before coming to this academy. That was why it had always seemed strange to her that he could still go around smiling like that.
There's something⋯⋯ I don't know.
The class Great Wealthy wasn't just for show. The money she'd spent investigating Namgung Min alone had already surpassed tens of billions. She'd hired every detective agency she could find, bribed countless intelligence organizations, and bought off or persuaded numerous people. What she'd obtained in return was a complete record of one person's entire life.
You were smiling even in front of that.
At first she'd been confused, so she'd dug even harder. And eventually, Liu Yen had become certain. It was all an act. No matter how much she investigated, nothing came up. It must have been after that day that she'd deliberately started approaching him.
I cooperated with you on purpose. I talked with you a lot. I got close to you.
Even if it was all an act, there was always the chance it wasn't. So she'd decided that she, Liu Yen herself, would approach him and uncover everything. Her suspicions toward Namgung Min had grown so deep that she had to handle it personally. And separate from whether it was an act or not, his individual abilities surpassed anyone she'd ever seen.
The boldness to step forward when needed. The decisiveness. The eloquence and charm that drew people in. And above all, the confidence he had in himself. He was more than worth approaching.
It was the same on that mountain.
That was when Liu Yen had caught her first real clue. A clue to Namgung Min's fortunes that could easily be called prophecies. He hadn't used any tools. He hadn't even performed the actual act of fortune-telling. He'd simply been sitting there quietly when he'd suddenly realized something.
The fortune-telling was clearly just an excuse. He was obviously using some other method. So she'd pressed him about it.
And I was the one who overturned it all myself.
What on earth had I been thinking? Why did I do that? Why did I stop Namgung Min when he was about to reveal his own secret? Why did I⋯⋯ deliberately try to keep suspecting him?
I know. I'm tired of suspecting people. It's exhausting, annoying, and disgusting. That's why I'd tried to clear away my suspicions about him. That's why I'd tried so hard to get entangled with him.
So why?
⋯⋯Ah. I see.
It was from that moment in the entrance ceremony maze. From the moment I met the real Namgung Min, not the one I'd only known from investigation documents. That's when suspecting him⋯⋯ started to feel fun.
What should have been filled with nothing but irritation and doubt had somehow become enjoyable. It felt good to think that I alone was uncovering his true nature that no one else knew. It felt good to realize that even someone with his extraordinary abilities and personality was still just an ordinary person at heart. And it felt good knowing that I was the only one who knew that side of him.
That's why I'd stopped all the background investigations. I'd decided that only Liu Yen herself would monopolize everything about Namgung Min.
The truth she'd secretly acknowledged but kept trying to look away from—she finally recognized it now.
Liu Yen stopped thinking and turned her gaze. He was still agonizing over something. Suffering for reasons even she didn't know. Uncovering his secrets, the truths he'd hidden—
Ah⋯⋯.
—how enjoyable that would be.
With that realization, she couldn't even call that girl a vicious bitch anymore. Maybe because she'd lived her whole life suspecting everyone, she'd become obsessed with uncovering secrets. Or⋯⋯ maybe it was just because it was Namgung Min.
I don't know.
Liu Yen was alone. Solitary. Her class and personality had made her that way. The overflowing wealth meant she could earn everything by herself without anyone's help, and her paranoia kept others from getting close. Still, there had been a few people like Lucas who'd approached her with genuine goodwill.
So why did she only feel this way toward Namgung Min?
⋯⋯No. Maybe from the very first time I met him—
—This pouch? Hey, can you tell what's inside?
—It's a golden toad, right?
From the moment he'd spoken about the secret she'd wanted to hide more than anything else.
Liu Yen had no choice but to pay attention to Namgung Min.
"Hey, fortune teller bastard."
"⋯⋯Liu... Miss?"
Only now could Liu Yen walk toward him. Because she'd finally become aware of the feelings and desires she held for him.
He's the same as always.
She activated her class skill, Eyes that Chase Wealth. In an instant, every corner of the fortune-telling shop was dyed in golden light. Expensive decorations and wooden tables all proudly displayed their monetary value through the golden glow.
But in that space overflowing with golden light, there was one person who remained completely colorless.
She stared intently at Namgung Min.
"Need help?"
"⋯⋯."
Liu Yen knew this fortune teller possessed abilities that surpassed even hers, that vicious bitch, or the princess. Yet the fact that she still couldn't see any golden light around him⋯⋯ maybe it was because her eyes simply couldn't contain all of his brilliance. The light must be so radiant and bright that it didn't register in her vision, appearing colorless instead. It seemed to symbolize Namgung Min himself—an endless well that no amount of digging could fully uncover.
Liu Yen twisted her lips into a smile.
"Liu Miss, I⋯⋯."
"So, should I help or not?"
"⋯⋯."
She asked for no explanations. She demanded no details. Liu Yen simply reached out her hand. She knew full well that offering help like this was far cheaper and more efficient than prying for answers.
So Namgung Min—
"⋯⋯Yes."
—took her hand.
"Smart choice, you bastard."
Because this decision gave her the certainty that she could slowly uncover more of his secrets. Liu Yen was filled with ecstasy.
To be honest, no matter how much I think about it, I still don't get it.
Why did Ji-soo send her message through Manderick? Why didn't she come find me herself? And how did she even send me into this game in the first place?
Question after question. And more questions following those. After endlessly pondering, Namgung Min finally reached an answer.
He didn't know.
But there's one thing I'm certain about.
My little sister—Namgung Ji-soo—is definitely somewhere inside this Romance Academy, leaving some kind of trace. Even if it's just a single note, the effort to find it wouldn't be meaningless.
"So, should I help or not?"
"⋯⋯Yes."
That's why he'd taken Liu Yen's hand. With her wealth, she'd be an enormous help.
"U-um, Namgung Min-nim⋯⋯."
"Aileen."
"I didn't mean to eavesdrop on purpose...!"
"Help me."
"⋯⋯Of course. Of course I will."
And he'd asked for help from Aileen, who had appeared out of nowhere. Right now was the time to gather as much assistance as possible.
"So, what are we going to do?"
"Could you lend me some money? I'm going to hire people."
"Hey, you haven't forgotten that you already borrowed a billion from me, right? This is all debt, you know? I don't even know what I'm supposed to do with all this money you're piling up."
"It doesn't matter."
"⋯⋯Really? Well, that's fine with me."
Even as the amount she was lending kept growing, Liu Yen smiled with clear delight. Was it just pocket change to her?
"Alright, hiring people is good and all, but what are you going to make them do? Since I'm helping, I should at least know the goal, shouldn't I?"
"We're going to find a room."
"⋯⋯A room?"
"There's a room we absolutely must find."
While Liu Yen fell into momentary confusion at his words—searching for a room instead of people or treasure—Namgung Min was betting on a slim possibility.
Honestly, I don't even know if it exists, but I still have to look.
But this alone wasn't enough. The people he hired with money could operate outside the Romance Academy, but they couldn't enter the academy itself. For that, he would inevitably need the help of academy students.
So how should he—
"Over here! It's this way!"
"This is Namgung Min's fortune-telling shop, right?"
"Everyone, charge! Forward!"
"⋯⋯Haha."
The moment he stepped out of the shop with Liu Yen and Aileen, he saw nearly fifty students. And they were all looking for his fortune-telling shop. Normally, he'd be panicking at a number that far exceeded his expectations, but—
—right now, the situation was a little different.
"I'm getting my fortune told first!"
"The artifact is mine!"
"Hey! Cutting in line is not cool!"
"Everyone, please be quiet."
Namgung Min's soft voice slipped through the chaotic crowd of students. It was so quiet that it was questionable whether any of the surging mass had even heard it, but—
"⋯⋯."
"⋯⋯⋯."
"⋯⋯."
"Good."
As if by some prior agreement, the students fell silent. It was a familiar phrase to them, after all. They remembered Namgung Min from the entrance ceremony—the one who'd led the students and smashed through walls. To the fighter-class students who only recalled that moment, his words carried enough leadership and persuasiveness.
Namgung Min walked through the now-quiet crowd, just like back then.
"I know why all of you have come here."
"He knows?"
"Wasn't it Manderick who told him?"
"That guy's busy writing a reflection essay as punishment right now."
"And I also know what you want."
Clink.
Namgung Min removed the necklace from around his neck, held it in his hand, and raised it high. On the surface it looked like nothing more than an old necklace, but none of the students failed to sense the extraordinary power contained within it.
"That's⋯⋯ an artifact, isn't it?"
"So the rumors were true!"
"Namgung Min really was the start of the treasure hunt."
"Don't you all want an artifact?"
"Of course we do!"
"We need it!"
"If I can have just one, I'll definitely pay you back!"
That's right. For most students—excluding perhaps the Great Wealthy, the Arthur family, or the princess—an artifact was simply too expensive. While they might earn a decent amount by entering gates after graduation, it was still an unimaginable sum while attending the academy. It was that spark of hope that had made the treasure hunt trend so popular among the students.
"I can find artifacts for you through fortune-telling."
The students' eyes widened at Namgung Min's shocking declaration. Many blinked rapidly, wondering if they'd heard wrong. They were usually quick to chime in with their own opinions, but right now they were completely silent. Every thought was focused on his next words.
"Of course, since it's only advice gained through fortune-telling, some of you might not find anything. Is that still acceptable?"
"Of course!"
"There's no way I wouldn't find one!"
"Manderick found one, so obviously I can too!"
"Very well."
The bait had been sufficiently scattered, and the fish were thrashing about. Now it was time to cast the line.
"However, there are many of you here, and not many artifacts. Therefore, I will tell the fortunes first for those who help me with my request fairly."
"Me! I'll help!"
"Leave it to me!"
"No way! I can do it better!"
"My request is simple."
Asking them to find a person would be inefficient. Manderick had only discovered a voice and a note—he hadn't seen Namgung Ji-soo directly. What if she'd changed her appearance? Or if she could disappear in an instant?
Obviously, I can't be certain about anything.
But if Ji-soo had sent that message, she must have predicted that I'd try to find her. In that case, she'd naturally either disguise herself or hide somewhere impossible to find.
Therefore, we'll search for the Developer's Room.
This game was a female-oriented dating sim. And like most games of that genre, after completing the first playthrough, players could view the various CGs and character profiles they'd collected. In Romance Academy, that feature had been presented as the Developer's Room.
I'm certain the setting was that the Developer's Room exists somewhere in the academy.
Of course, he had no idea if that still applied here. Now that this had become reality, it was questionable whether a Developer's Room containing CGs and character information would even exist. But it was the only possibility he had.
"All you need to do is find a secret room within the academy."
"A secret⋯⋯ room?"
"There's something like that?"
There were no hints about the Developer's Room. The setting simply stated that it existed somewhere in the academy. But since it was an important room, it was surely hidden in some way.
"Any information is fine. If it's about the secret room, I'll tell your fortune immediately."
"Oh⋯⋯."
"An artifact⋯⋯!"
I will do everything I can. Money, artifacts, connections—I'll mobilize everything at my disposal.
I'll find you.
No matter how much time and effort it takes.
I'm your brother. Your family. I will definitely find you.
And then I'll grab you by the collar.
As Namgung Min incited the fighter students using artifacts as bait, Liu Yen watched him with an unreadable smile, while Aileen stared at him with trembling eyes.