Chapter 223
She's really meticulous. No matter how much I probe, Ro-ha unnie keeps her lips sealed tight.
"Unnie?"
"......"
I realized that Ro-ha unnie turns red at the ears just like me when she's embarrassed. It was seriously cute, but if I kept teasing her, she might actually get upset for real. With someone like Ro-ha unnie, once she sulks, it could last forever, so I decided to hold back on Itsuki-related talk until we reached Akihabara. It wasn't like I was only curious about her love life or anything.
"So, unnie, when exactly did you get pulled over there?"
Not just our party, but even Yuna unnie—everyone who returned to Earth from Astasia came back the morning after being kidnapped. Whatever principle made time not pass there is something only that world's goddess knows, but looking back now, it was kind of thoughtful. It spared our friends and families three years of worry and missing persons reports.
In the end, though, the key timing isn't the return date—it's when we got kidnapped on Earth.
"...You remember seeing that photo when we started serializing our comic?"
"Yeah, of course."
Itsuki—or QL, as he's known—had been serializing his original novel for quite a while. The light novel version of Lupco Yanglip was a massive hit, propelling QL to stardom. Then, when it leaked that he'd teamed up with the mysterious illustrator Ro-ha unnie for the manga adaptation, it exploded into the mega-hit it is today. That photo played a huge role, no doubt.
But the manga serialization hadn't been going on that long. As far as I remembered, not even three years yet...
"Earth time, it was the day before that. That's when I got kidnapped."
"...Ah, so you two talked after coming back and jumped right into it?"
"Yeah. I had no idea he even wrote at all."
"Well... lots of people keep it secret, right?"
I don't go around telling everyone that I'm Yuki-nyang in real life, either. Depending on personality, some only reveal it after they've made it big.
"I never told anyone either. He knew I drew a bit, but had no clue I was SPICA."
Drawing is a hobby that can win universal appeal, so you can make it a fun topic by sketching friends now and then. But writing novels... no matter how you slice it, the black history potential is way higher than with art.
Even if they're childhood friends—no, especially because they are— she'd probably hate to spill that.
"But honestly, awkwardness flies out the window when you're fighting side by side, right?"
"...What, you could die if you're not careful?"
In the heat of life-or-death battles, who has time for awkwardness? Especially when you're protecting each other's lives—that's how I bonded with Baek Sion, Lee Seo-yeon, and Doyun oppa way faster than normal. It shatters the barriers of regular friendship in an instant.
"So the morning after we got back, we met up, started chatting about this and that, and it came up—what've you been up to?"
"That's when you found out who each other was?"
"...Yeah."
Since I wasn't prying outright, Ro-ha unnie regained her composure and kept talking. Looks like it's best to learn the full story bit by bit like this for now.
"I was surprised, sure, but my heart didn't really race or anything."
"...Classic. Same here."
Even if these two already knew each other, we clubmates snapped back to normal in seconds too. Once you've been to that other world, it takes something huge to faze you. For me, unless I'm running into mage tower lords on Earth...
"He told me magazines and publishers were flooding him with adaptation offers, but he wanted to work with someone he knew if possible, so I ended up as the artist on the spot."
"......"
Three years ago, the original was already exploding in popularity, so the money on the line for a manga would have been insane. Ro-ha unnie was already top-tier illustrator material, so cash probably wasn't the issue, but handing that chance straight to her? And Itsuki suggesting it first...?
"...Isn't that basically a confession?"
Lee Seo-yeon had been quietly listening to avoid shutting Ro-ha unnie down again, but she couldn't hold back this time.
...Honestly, I was thinking the same thing.
"W-what...!"
Ro-ha unnie jumped in surprise, but this time she seemed secretly pleased—no descent into silence mode.
There are tons of manga magazines out there, and landing a hit series means massive gains for whichever one snags it. Publishers and mags would've been in a bidding war, dangling the best deals, top artists with proven track records, max royalties—you name it.
Yet he turned them all down and picked Ro-ha unnie. It worked out spectacularly for the comic, sure, but from Itsuki's side, it was a huge gamble. Illustrators and manga artists are worlds apart professionally.
You can become a star illustrator off one killer piece, but manga demands story savvy, paneling skills, pacing—abilities fine-tuned for comics. Even sacrificing some art polish for flow is often key. I dabble in comics study myself, and the more I learn, the more I admire Ro-ha unnie.
"...W-why does it have to be like that...?"
"Not 100% sure, but back then, he passed on a surefire hit path just to team up with you, right?"
"...But these days, if it's not work stuff, we don't really do much...?"
"If you hadn't done the comic together, you might've gone back to high school awkwardness. Now you stick together all the time, don't you? You even came here as a pair."
"...We see each other every day, but..."
Ro-ha unnie fell quiet at Lee Seo-yeon's confident words. High school must've been pure awkward city for them.
I had something else I'd been dying to ask, though.
"But unnie, how'd that photo end up posted?"
"...T-that one?"
SPICA never shared personal details or even chit-chat after starting her illustrating career.
Ro-ha unnie cleared her throat awkwardly before answering. "I figured dropping my image would hype things up and help the comic take off. We were serializing on our own platform, so we needed eyes early on."
"...Unnie, you're seriously meticulous."
It really shows her personality. Sacrificing her image at peak timing for max hype? Sharp mind plus a low-profile nature—perfect combo. Even the dating rumors probably boosted sales a bit.
But Lee Seo-yeon stared at Ro-ha unnie intently, tilting her head.
"Nothing else?"
"...That's it?"
"...Hmm..."
Lee Seo-yeon hummed suspiciously. She's hopeless with her own romance, but sharp as hell spotting it in others. As Ro-ha unnie squirmed, I started getting doubts too.
"Maybe like... pre-staking your claim?"
"......"
That post has millions of views by now—most folks probably assume they're dating. Even we thought they were living a romcom.
With Ro-ha unnie silent, Lee Seo-yeon grinned mischievously and tossed another question.
"Who suggested posting the photo?"
"...Eek."
It was on Itsuki's account, but Ro-ha unnie's reaction screamed she drove it.
Lee Seo-yeon finally cracked, unable to hold back her laugh. "Definitely meticulous... You've had him off-limits since three years ago."
"...T-time to get off...!"
Ro-ha unnie desperately changed the subject. Too bad—the taxi was pulling up to our stop, just like she'd told the driver earlier. The station was in sight.
...I'm a huge Lupco Yanglip fan, but real life feels even sweeter...
Suddenly, I miss Baek Sion.
"Nagi started it?"
"Yeah. Sorry if it gets annoying, but hype comes first. She didn't even blink."
"......"
Using even the 'couple' label for promo? Cold, calculated—totally matches the Nagi I know. Does that mean she doesn't even see him as a romantic prospect anymore...?
"Doesn't sound easy."
"...You think so too?"
The taxi vibe had dipped a bit, but Doyun hyung chimed in from beside me with a bemused tone.
"...You two really shouldn't take love advice from anyone."
"Hey, why...?"
First time I've seen Doyun hyung this exasperated...
But he's got no ground to stand on. Tsuki hyung and I have dating experience, at least. Doyun hyung? Total newbie.
"Hyung, you're the single one here."
Spot on. Doyun hyung just shut his mouth at Tsuki hyung's retort.