Chapter 100
Chapter 100
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: It's Okay Because I'm a Genius with a Time Limit
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Noon, so sweltering that even short sleeves and shorts left you drenched in sweat.
Geom's demon, Han Su-hyuk, strolled down the Cheonggyecheon used bookstore alley.
Leather jacket over jeans, a cigarette dangling from his lips.
A hazy trail of smoke followed in his wake like footprints, but no one tried to stop him.
The street lay deserted—
Literally empty, save for a lone stray mutt trotting about.
"Tsk tsk. No wonder you can't make any money like this."
Muttering under his breath, Han Su-hyuk soon came to a halt in front of a modestly sized bookstore.
Cheongwol Seorim.
A shop that had opened about two months ago, right when everyone else was shuttering theirs. Its name meant "blue night and forest of books."
He stared silently at the sign for a moment, flicked the ash from his cigarette, and tapped it neatly into his portable ashtray.
Then he pushed open the door.
Ding-a-ling—
The bell chimed.
The musty scent of old books hung in the air—like the smell of time itself.
And suddenly, amid it all, an old connection emerged, her hair now stark white. Han Su-hyuk's lips quirked up in pleasant surprise.
"Long time..."
"Kekeke. So Bong-shik's here."
"Ah, come on."
He twisted his face irritably.
"Kekeke. That temper of yours hasn't changed a bit."
The old woman beckoned him over with a playful grin. Come inside, don't just stand there.
Han Bong-shik—no, Han Su-hyuk—grumbled as he followed her.
"But seriously, used books? Why not something that actually makes money, like a pawnshop, after all that hardship?"
"An old hag about to kick the bucket? Money's the last thing on my mind."
"Hey now. Don't jinx it. The older you get, the more cash you need, right? And you were saying the same 'about to die' line ten years ago, remember?"
They bantered back and forth like they'd met just yesterday and settled at a table tucked in one corner of the shop.
Steam rose invitingly from two cups of tea sitting there, as if she'd known he'd drop by right at this hour today.
"It's hot as hell..."
"What was that?"
"Nothing. I won't be staying long anyway."
Han Su-hyuk subtly pushed his cup aside and cut straight to the chase.
"It's that guy, right?"
The old woman nodded wordlessly.
The owner of locker 905 in row 11.
No matter how much his appearance had changed, the traces of his legacy couldn't be hidden.
"Were you hiding it? Or just no chance to tell me?"
Han Su-hyuk pressed on, his voice laced with dissatisfaction.
"Neither, you fool. It would've come out naturally anyway. Why bother reaching out?"
"Still, you should've at least let me know."
"Kekeke. Would you have come if I had?"
She swept up her teacup with a knowing smile.
Only then did Han Su-hyuk grasp her intentions.
"As expected..."
Sly old fox.
She could've forced it, but instead waited for him to come of his own accord.
It was a form of self-preservation.
At a time when faith in the covenant had faded with the years, this was a bold move by the covenant's guardian to draw in the executors.
Forcing it would've only bred resentment, leading them to reject the covenant outright.
Han Su-hyuk himself would've done the same.
"So what now?"
His expression soured more than before as he spoke.
"What else? We proceed as the prophecy dictates. We've still got eight months left."
"You mean the trial?"
"Exactly. If he's qualified, he'll survive. If not..."
"......?"
"We retrieve and dispose of him."
Her voice dropped low and turned resolute, like it belonged to someone else entirely.
"Getting old, huh? But you're still the same..."
To Han Su-hyuk, though, this was the more familiar side of her.
This was her true face.
Guardian of the covenant and leader of the executors. Libra.
"Which reminds me—I have a favor to ask. Looks like headquarters is cooking up something fun."
She took a sip from her cup to wet her throat, then launched into a lengthy explanation.
* * *
Monday's personal training lecture.
As the month-long video analysis class wrapped up, I sat in my usual fixed spot at the back, pretending to watch the screen.
In truth, I mulled over three words floating slightly above it.
Phone, booster, and Yoo So-young.
What the hell did they have in common?
"Sigh."
But it was just a vague sense of unease—no clear answer jumped out.
No matter how I racked my brain, I couldn't see any connection between them and Yoo So-young.
The Yoo So-young I knew wasn't ruthless enough to derail the original story's progression or run experiments on people just because she'd tasted failure.
So it felt better to swap out that last word.
Phone, booster, and white coat.
If I didn't pin it on Yoo So-young, the unease vanished, and the links became clear.
Of course, whether Yoo So-young was the white coat or not.
I still had to question if projecting past-loop figures onto this loop was even right...
"It's tricky."
Really tricky.
Extracting something concrete from limited info wasn't easy.
Dozens of possibilities, and sifting through each one felt like it was frying my brain cells.
"Park Ha-yul, student."
......Huh?
"Park Ha-yul?!"
Me?
The name called twice snapped me back to reality like a flash.
I dropped my hand from my chin and quickly turned to the professor.
"You know your video analysis report's still unsubmitted? Due tomorrow."
Oh, right. That.
I'd kept forgetting until now.
His glare was sharp, so I mumbled an excuse.
"Almost done. Like 80—no, 70% there."
"I heard a lot about you from Professor Cha Myung-hwan. They say you've got real insight. I'll be expecting great things—don't be late."
"Got it."
Not like I had no way out, so I nodded.
"Why's he getting praised for not doing his homework?"
"'Cause he's Professor Cha's prized pupil."
Lee Dae-ho and Cheon Seo-yun's whispers were cute at this point.
Anyway.
A clue after nearly five months—it was bound to nag at me.
But I decided to call it here. No way was I skimping on vigilance in my own loop, though.
"The next lecture topic is barriers. A barrier is a kind of net woven from mana..."
I pulled out my heavenly silk thread as usual.
"The reason we cover barriers in personal training is that dismantling and creating them is absolutely essential..."
I tied the thread to my pencil.
And began jotting down the professor's words.
Barriers in personal training...
* * *
Class ended, and I stretched languidly.
"Hey, lunch? Call in some pizza?"
Thanks to those pointlessly perky ears, I overheard Cheon Seo-yun's lunch plans as I stuffed my ink-black notebook into my bag.
I was just standing up when—
Bzzz.
Bzzz.
Phones started vibrating all around.
Mine too. I was about to check it when Cheon Seo-yun yelled.
"Hey, we're going to Italy!!"
"What? For pizza?"
"No, the exploration club. Some Verona opera thing. Anyway, they're recruiting for a trip this week—like, right now?"
"Yeah, right. As if."
Lee Dae-ho said that, but after checking his phone, he shrugged.
"What the—it's real. We're going."
I checked my message too.
[Members! Greetings with good news from the Youth Exploration Club. The Verona Opera Festival organizers officially sent invitations yesterday...]
The development I'd been waiting for—I skimmed downward.
Duration matched the original: three days, two nights.
Leaving Friday afternoon, back Sunday evening.
On the surface, invited to the festival. But the real reason for shifting stages was Leina.
She, who called herself the Vatican mourner's stone, would resolve to head to the Imperial Academy after a clash during the festival—that was the episode's main point.
But she'd already enrolled there, sitting right in front of me with perked ears.
She was out, but the clash would still happen regardless.
Maybe because it involved her hometown and opera—her second-favorite thing after bread—Leina couldn't tear herself away and just stood there.
......
Our eyes met.
"Um..."
Leina's lips twitched, like she had something to say.
Same here, so I nodded.
Meant: let's talk for a sec.
* * *
In a park far from the main building.
I was discussing the Italy trip with Leina.
"The Youth Exploration Club, eh. A fine club for officially gallivanting about."
"It's not gallivanting. It's fieldwork."
"What's the difference?"
"......We do submit a report."
"So you keep up appearances. Understood."
"......"
Leina nailed the heart of it better than anyone, so I skipped the excuses.
"I'd like to join as well."
But even for Leina, that was impossible.
Sure, it was a free ride club, but there were advising professors and bylaws—no new members outside enrollment periods.
I explained it to Leina, still unfamiliar with school systems, in terms she'd get.
"And about that tattoo."
I also shared the unrevealed fact: the next survey site was Nice, France.
Couldn't keep hiding it after we'd shaken on it.
She could follow personally if she wanted—I wouldn't stop her—but it wouldn't be easy.
Exchange student status meant Vatican approval, and clashing schedules meant tons of coordination.
"I see."
Leina listened quietly, then nodded like she understood.
"Then I must join all the more."
But how'd she land there?
"No, it's impossible..."
"Do you have the contact's number?"
"I do, but..."
"Give it to me. I'll handle it."
Leina thrust out her hand, ready to bulldoze through.
"Geez."
Couldn't refuse handing it over, so I sent her the club president Kim Hak-hyun's number.
True to her tech ineptitude, Leina fumbled awkwardly with her phone, saved it after some hassle.
Then hit call immediately.
Tsk.
No interest in watching her get rejected live, but couldn't just bail either, so I stuck around.
But then—
──!
A hallelujah chorus pierced my ears.
I'd thought it was some hymn from afar, but Leina, phone to her ear, had her eyes closed in serene calm.
The hallelujah was Kim Hak-hyun's ringtone.
"Hello?"
"Yes, Kim Hak-hyun speaking."
"Greetings. President... no, faithful one. Leina from Class A, year two."
"Who's this?"
"Leina Hildebrandt..."
"Oh my God. Saintess?!"
What the...
I looked up at the sky in sheer disbelief.
Of all people, Kim Hak-hyun turns out to be a devout Catholic.
Utterly absurd—I just stared.
"May paths always appear before your feet, may the winds forever blow at your back..."
The call even included a remote prayer, ending with Leina's blessing.
She lightly crossed herself, then turned to me with an innocently beaming face.
"I've joined."