Chapter 51: The Event (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 51: The Event (4)
The world went dark as she buried her face in her hands.
Ji Nuri parted her fingers just a fraction of an inch, peeking out at the scene before her.
“…”
The person sitting inside the booth was Lee Seung-ho.
And the person next to him...
The girl cosplaying as Arorong was almost certainly the younger sister she’d seen before.
The two of them were currently shrouded in silence, likely stunned by what they had just heard.
“…”
Lee Seung-ho subtly shifted his gaze away.
“...Pardon?” Lee Seung-ah asked, her voice sounding flustered.
‘Oh, crap...! I’m so dead...!’
Ji Nuri looked down, her face crumpling as if she were about to burst into tears. She couldn't even rub her eyes for fear of smudging her makeup.
She should have come up with a better excuse. Denying it so blindly had been a fatal mistake.
“Ah...”
Lee Seung-ah let out a small groan as if she had finally grasped the situation.
‘Should I... should I just bolt right now?’
Nuri’s eyes darted around behind the gaps in her fingers, desperately searching for an escape route.
Ahem—
Just then, a small cough broke the silence.
“There are people waiting behind you. Let’s settle the payment first.”
Lee Seung-ho gestured with his eyes toward the line forming behind her.
“Ah.”
Looking back, Nuri saw a long queue of people waiting. She hurriedly fumbled for her wallet.
“H-here.”
She handed him the cash. Lee Seung-ho took it without a word and handed back her change. He acted as if the situation was perfectly normal, his demeanor no different than any other day.
“Here you go.”
Seung-ho placed the merch into a pretty plastic bag and held it out.
“...Uh, yeah. Thanks.”
Ji Nuri took it, her posture stiff and awkward. She felt a strange mix of emotions, wondering if she was the only one currently dying of embarrassment.
“…”
Ji Nuri clutched the bag and hurried out of the line with quick strides.
Seeing Lee Seung-ho’s incredibly composed reaction, her mind—which had gone completely blank—slowly began to settle.
...Come to think of it, he was right. There was no need to panic.
It wasn't like she’d been caught by some "normal" acquaintance. Both he and she were otaku. Perhaps that was why he was so calm. Maybe Lee Seung-ho had already sensed it deep down.
After all, like recognizes like.
‘Oh, man...’
Still, it was embarrassing. Being caught while actually in cosplay was a different story altogether. Didn't she look like a total otaku in this outfit?
As the thought resurfaced, heat rushed to her face.
“Whew... deep breaths...”
She needed to calm down. Ji Nuri took several deep breaths until she finally regained her composure.
...Or at least, she tried to.
Ji Nuri forced her attention elsewhere—specifically, toward the brand-new merch in her hands.
“Hmm...”
Ji Nuri examined the items. No matter how she looked at it, the art definitely belonged to Author Bebe.
“Whoa...”
An exclamation escaped her lips involuntarily. The fact that Lee Seung-ho’s sister was Author Bebe felt surreal all over again. She wasn't just some acquaintance’s sister; she was the sister of the guy who sat right next to her in class. And she was an author whose work Nuri followed religiously.
How could such a coincidence even happen? The world was truly a small place.
“Excuse me!”
A youthful voice stopped her in her tracks. Turning around, she saw Lee Seung-ah approaching with quick, pattering steps. She had chased after her, panting and covered in sweat.
“Y-yes?” Ji Nuri looked at her, bewildered.
What was going on? Was there something else?
“This is for you.”
Lee Seung-ah held out a paper bag with both hands.
“Huh? What’s... this?”
Ji Nuri carefully took the bag, her shoulders tensing up.
Gulp.
She swallowed hard. She felt strangely nervous being in the presence of a "celebrity."
“It’s a gift from me.”
Lee Seung-ah opened the bag and pointed out the items one by one.
“There’s some merch from my friends, and... this is a cushion that’s already sold out. I’m just giving it to you, so you don’t have to pay.”
“Wait, really? Is it okay to just give me all this?”
“It’s fine. I kept these as extras. Sometimes authors exchange merch with each other, you see.”
Ji Nuri blinked blankly, clutching the paper bag. To be honest, she was stunned. This was a completely unexpected gift. It was also the first time she had ever received something like this.
Besides, merch intended for exchange between authors... that made these items even more valuable than the standard ones.
“…”
The corners of her mouth threatened to twitch upward. Ji Nuri fought with all her might to suppress the grin. If she laughed now, she was certain she’d make a weird face.
Don't laugh.
“I’m sorry about earlier. I didn't realize you were a closet fan...”
“Oh, it’s fine!” Ji Nuri waved her hand dismissively, a silly smile finally leaking out.
She had been worried about what to do when they first ran into each other, but now that things had turned out like this... everything felt okay. No, it was actually great.
Besides.
“Seung-ho is the same way, isn't he?”
Since Lee Seung-ho was an otaku too—even if it wasn't intentional—she felt a sense of kinship.
“Let’s just consider us even.”
Thinking about it that way, the blow wasn't as heavy as she’d expected. It just became a matter of being a little embarrassed about showing a friend her cosplay.
“...?”
Lee Seung-ah tilted her head to the side. Seeing this, Ji Nuri felt a wave of confusion. What was it?
“Ahhh...”
Lee Seung-ah let out a long "ah" as if she suddenly understood.
“Yes, I suppose so,” she nodded, giving a bright smile.
Ji Nuri relaxed along with her, thinking it was no big deal. She decided to take this opportunity to ask something.
“...By any chance,” Ji Nuri started, her face slightly tense. “...If it’s okay, could I get an autograph?”
“......”
Lee Seung-ah’s eyebrows shot up. She looked surprised, as if she hadn't expected to hear those words. Then, an expression of quiet delight spread across her face. She cleared her throat with a few "ahems" and fumbled through her pockets, looking for a marker.
“...I don't just give these out to anyone, but... uh... where should I sign...?”
“Just a second.”
Ji Nuri rummaged through her things. She should have a notebook she brought along.
Ah, here it is.
She opened the notebook and held it out to Lee Seung-ah.
Scratch, scratch—
Lee Seung-ah scribbled her signature quickly. As expected of a pro, even her signing posture was refined.
‘A pro really is different,’ Ji Nuri marveled inwardly.
...In reality, it was the result of intense practice. Ji Nuri had no way of knowing that Lee Seung-ah had practiced her signature dozens of times during her breaks.
“Next time you have time, let’s go to an event together.”
Lee Seung-ah smiled brightly as she handed back the notebook.
“Huh? Really? Is that okay?”
Ji Nuri was startled. She asked back, trying to keep her expectations in check just in case.
“Do you not want to?”
“I’d love to!”
This was it. She jumped at the chance. There was no reason to refuse.
‘An otaku friend...!’
Ji Nuri’s eyes sparkled. Even though Seung-ah was younger, Nuri had finally found someone to go to events with. It was a more meaningful achievement than anything else. She was truly lucky.
*
It was finally over. A "Sold Out" notice was placed in front of the booth.
“Phew...”
I leaned back in my chair and let out a long, exhausted sigh.
“Good job, everyone~”
“Good work.”
“Ugh... I wonder if I’ll even be able to get up tomorrow...”
Lee Seung-ah and the other girls slumped over with tired faces. The problem was that we had to do this all over again tomorrow. My future already felt bleak. Earning money was no easy task.
“Let’s just settle the accounts and head out.”
Seung-ah stood up briskly and began writing numbers into a ledger. Her movements were practiced, showing she had done this more than once or twice. Well, I could probably rest for a bit in the meantime.
“Going to the bathroom.”
“Okay~”
*
On my way back from the restroom, I spotted Ji Nuri. She was lingering near the booth. The pink wig was gone, and she was back in her everyday clothes.
But her aura was different from usual. She had a sharp, expressionless face—a fierce look that seemed to warn others not to approach.
“What, you haven't left yet?”
Since the settlement was going to take a while anyway, I walked slowly toward her.
— [Oh, what? It was just him.]
The Mini-me let out a deep breath, and Nuri's expression softened somewhat.
“I received so much stuff, I wanted to at least say goodbye to Seung-ah before I left.”
Ji Nuri held up the paper bag. It looked heavy even at a glance. She really had received a lot of things, just as she said.
“They’re settling the accounts, so you’ll probably have to wait a bit.”
“Really?”
Ji Nuri relaxed her shoulders.
— [Well, I can just wait a bit then.]
The Mini-me crossed her arms leisurely. I wondered if this was the same person who had been panicking just a moment ago.
“…”
My legs were hurting from standing all day, so I crouched down on the floor and twisted my stiff neck from side to side. This event was more physically taxing than I had anticipated.
“...Your cosplay turned out really well. Honestly, it wasn't your first time, was it?” Ji Nuri asked, leaning her back against the wall.
“It was my first time.”
“Huh? For a first-timer...” Ji Nuri’s eyes scanned me from head to toe. “...It’s incredibly well-done.”
“My sister did it for me. The makeup and everything.”
“Wow... I’m actually a bit jealous.”
Ji Nuri’s eyebrows flattened into a straight line. Her reaction was serious.
“?” I looked up at her, confused. “...Why?”
“I’m the youngest. My older brother and sister constantly pick on me, you know? I think having a younger sibling would be much better.”
Ji Nuri shook her head as if she were fed up.
— [...It’s fine lately since they both moved out, though.]
I didn't know Ji Nuri had siblings. So there were three of them in total? That was a rare household size these days.
“Are you coming tomorrow too?”
“Yeah, I have to work until tomorrow.”
I nodded. Since I had promised Lee Seung-ah to help out for the entire weekend, I was stuck. To be honest, I regretted it a little, but the reward waiting for me was quite lucrative.
“I see.”
Ji Nuri nodded, acknowledging my answer.
— [It’s a shame, but I guess I’ll have to walk around without cosplaying tomorrow.]
The Mini-me gave a small nod. I tilted my head at those inner thoughts.
“...Ji Nuri, are you coming tomorrow too?”
“Uh, yeah.”
Ji Nuri, who had been standing still, nodded.
“...?”
She was coming tomorrow too? From what I knew...
“Don't you have something going on tomorrow? You’ve been busy preparing for a performance.”
At that question, a small gasp escaped Ji Nuri’s lips.
— [Wait...?!]
The Mini-me suddenly froze like a statue.
— [I have to cosplay tomorrow too...?!]
It seemed she had just remembered something she’d forgotten. The Mini-me’s mouth fell wide open, and her eyes trembled. She glanced at me repeatedly before burying her face in her small hands.
— [You’re telling me I have to cosplay in front of him again?!]
“……”
I narrowed my eyes as I watched her.
...Don't tell me that "performance" was happening here?