Chapter 100
Terminally Ill, but It's Okay — Episode 100
The departure date had been set, and each day was passing by busily enough in its own way.
[Limited Lifespan. Are you doing well? Thanks to you, I've been so busy lately I barely have time to lift a spoon. I am hurrying along in my own way....... The businesses these bastards had spread out are no joke. They own three illegal gambling dens, one motel, and even two clubs that are doing well these days.......]
True to his meticulous nature, Viper sent texts from time to time sharing his progress.
[The clubs seem like they'd bring in decent money if we kept running them, so how about taking them over outright? If we add about 400 million won to the cash we already stripped from these bastards, it should be more than enough.......]
He even made an unexpected proposal, so I mulled it over before ultimately agreeing.
I happened to have spare money and had been wondering how to use it, so it worked out well.
Anyway, I planned to leave the operations to Viper and just collect money every month as the nominal owner.
"Anyway......."
The disposal process for the Lightning Faction was proceeding smoothly, so there was nothing in particular to worry about.
Since the assets had been acquired illegally, even Bearded Guy was following along obediently.
Oh, and I wrote up the video analysis report appropriately and submitted it within the deadline.
The method was simple.
I stopped by the library and used Appraisal to study similar types of reports — ones written by experts.
[The Magic Track and the Superhuman Track: A Study of Relative Advantage Between the Two Tracks]
[How a Ranged Track Survives in a One-on-One Duel.]
[Establishing Track-by-Track Combat Patterns in a Single Volume]
.
.
Once I learned the theory, the rest was easy.
I watched the video assigned for the task and roughly pieced things together.
Anyway, duels between tracks have set frameworks almost like formulas, so you could say there's no major difference.
But I should have done this sooner.
Before doing it, it felt like a hassle, but once I actually put it into my head, it turned out to be quite useful.
I'd thought it was just desk-chair debate, but it was like the difference between having read the manual and not having read it.
You really do see as much as you know.
Bzzzz.
And today, Wednesday evening.
A text came from Jeong Ae-ri, who had said she would be in touch soon.
[I delivered the autograph~ Arin absolutely loved it. And for the autograph session schedule, after the semester ends would probably be best, so around mid-August.......]
I was grateful for her consideration in avoiding the busy period, taking into account that I was a student.
I happened to have a favor to ask as well, so I sent a reply.
[Yes, understood. But is the Dodam studio empty on weekday evenings? If it's all right, I'd like to use it for just one day.]
[Hmm~ Why? Don't tell me, art work?]
Jeong Ae-ri asked back the moment she read it.
[No, not that. I just have something simple to draw.]
[Aha, a practice piece....... Are you going to leave it behind when you go?]
[No.]
But what was with this woman? As if she'd pick it up and put it on display.
[It's a joke. A joke.]
It sounded sincere.
[It's completely empty after 9 p.m., so use it whenever you like. It'd be even better if you came every day.]
.......
[Oh, and I heard a rumor that you're going to Verona. You were invited to the opera festival, right? Are you going too?]
True to her reputation as the queen of gossip, Jeong Ae-ri was also well-informed about other clubs' news.
[Yes, I'm going.]
[Hmm~ Got it for now. I'll take care of the rest myself.]
I didn't know what she meant by preparing something, but after ending the text exchange, I left the dormitory.
It was already past 9, and since I'd made up my mind, I decided I might as well get to work.
The subject was the old mansion in Nice that remained in my memory.
I was going to ask Cheol-soo to put out a search request, but this was hard to explain in words.
I was on my way to create a kind of building montage.
* * *
I sat facing a canvas for the first time in a long while. But the pressure was less than usual.
I had completely excluded everything outside the drawing itself — emotion, intent, viewpoint, and the like — and focused solely on expression.
All I had to do was concentrate on rendering it realistically.
First, I closed my eyes and retraced my memories.
As if clearing away impurities, I swept aside and discarded my scattered thoughts one by one, and before long my mind grew clear.
The image in my memory surfaced more vividly.
Its concrete shapes and colors felt so alive I could almost grasp them.
Stage one of the work — the representation — was complete.
From here on, it was my own method.
It was a work process steeped in my own tastes, so I couldn't call it the right way.
First, I prepared a blank sheet of drawing paper beside the image in my mind's eye.
Then I transferred the image onto it.
I positioned it in the appropriate place, considering composition, placement, and purpose.
It was the work of refining it to look more like a proper picture.
Once this stage was complete, my head's job was done.
Now it was the hand's turn to suffer.
I snapped my eyes open. Then I projected the drawing paper from my memory onto the physical canvas.
I naturally picked up a pencil and began sketching.......
Swish. Swish-swish-swish.
It was a frantic race against time.
I had to draw as much as possible while the image remained intact.
I moved my hand almost unconsciously, but I didn't erase.
Once a line was left behind, that was it.
Instead of correcting or refining, I focused on capturing even one more thing.
The more countless lines were etched into the white surface, the more the memory blurred, but it was a natural process — a disappearance that had served its purpose.
When I concentrated like this, at some point my hand would slow, and a moment would come when my head spun as if I were about to get dizzy.
If I came to my senses around then, the sketch was mostly complete.
"Done?"
I rolled my stiff shoulders and checked, comparing.
A low hill. Cypress trees lined in two rows at the entrance like a gateway.
Behind them, a two-story old mansion with an orange roof and ivory-colored brick, settled like a backdrop.
It was still black and white, but once I imagined the colors as well, it was good enough to pass.
A highly satisfying piece — no, a building montage.
"Well, I did draw it that hard."
Enough that all the strength drained from my body.
If this was an occupational disease, then so be it. The kind where you can't draw a single thing carelessly.
I checked the time and saw it was already 11, so I decided to do the coloring really roughly.
Exactly two hours. No, three hours.
No, no matter what, it would need at least four....... And I had to do overpainting on top of that.
"Ah, hell."
Anyway, I planned to finish before daybreak. If it didn't work out, I'd just use mana to dry it quickly.
Because it was fun, after all.
But was it because of Manifestation?
I hadn't used Enhancement, but somehow it felt like I was drawing better than before.
* * *
Friday, 3 p.m.
I left the dormitory in time for the assembly.
If this counted as a trip, then it was a trip, so for once I wore casual clothes instead of my uniform.
On top, I wore my usual black hoodie, but for bottoms I at least dug out a new pair of black track pants from the wardrobe.
What's different, you ask?
It's a fact only I know, but different is different.
The material, the fit. Or not?
Once this episode was over, I'd have to stop by the penthouse.
One of the rooms had been a walk-in closet, so there should be something there.
Honestly, I'm not the type to fuss over my appearance, but that was when I was holed up alone in my studio apartment drawing.
The situation was different now.
I met quite a lot of people, and while I was a 28-year-old geezer on the inside, on the outside I was a fresh-faced 21-year-old college student.
It was summer now too, so there was no small amount of heat.
Anyway, as I walked along with the droning cicada cries for company, I heard a thoroughly excited voice.
"Hey, that actually looks great."
"It passes this time? I just bought whatever the mannequin was wearing as I passed by."
Cheon Seo-yoon, wearing white denim and a green short-sleeved knit, was complimenting Baek Sa-young, who was dressed in a neat beige polo shirt and jeans.
I remembered him getting absolutely roasted before.......
I was thinking it was a tremendous improvement and walking over when—
"There's always one. Track pants."
"Huh..., hm."
When Lee Dae-ho pointed this way with a mischievous face, Cheon Seo-yoon looked at me with a sour expression.
But I was confident.
No, I pretended to be confident.
I was a person who now owned two clubs. No, a person who was about to own them.......
Isn't it true that rich people dress down even more?
"Tch, never mind."
Whether my bluff worked or because I'd been generous a lot lately, Cheon Seo-yoon turned her head without another word.
"Hey, why don't you say anything to Park Ha-yul?"
"...Say what."
Even with Lee Dae-ho pestering her, she held it in, then asked me with a dubious look.
"But did you bring a suit?"
"A suit? What suit."
"It was written in the preparation list. It said you have to dress properly to enter the opera venue."
"Ah."
Come to think of it, the original had been like that too.
They called it the protagonists' rediscovery part, and the original had put considerable effort into describing Cheon Seo-yoon in a dress like a goddess.
"It's not 'Ah,' it's 'Gasp.' You can't get in without one, you know?"
"Then I'll just go buy one."
Fortunately, wasn't Italy the home of fashion?
"Everyone has gathered, yes."
At that moment, club president Kim Hak-hyeon, a somewhat plump faculty advisor for the club, and.......
"Since it's a special day, we've invited one special member. Come on out!"
When Reina appeared in comfortable clothes, the room buzzed.
Applause and cheers followed.
Lee Dae-ho in particular threw both hands up and led the chanting of Reina's name.
The only ones who were lukewarm were me and Cheon Seo-yoon.
Cheon Seo-yoon kicked at a pebble in front of her feet — tap, tap — and muttered.
"She gets special treatment wherever she goes."
Well, it wasn't wrong.
Reina's main character trait was [Specialness], after all.
Conversely, Cheon Seo-yoon's was [Familiarity].
Setting aside all the various circumstances, their innate settings were different, so each envied the disposition the other lacked.
"Please treat me comfortably, just as one member."
After sending Reina back to her spot, Kim Hak-hyeon raised the flag of youth.
"Everyone, enjoy yourselves!"
And with that, departure.
The excited steps of about thirty people headed toward the portal station.
Ah! For reference, Joo A-rin wasn't participating in this episode because it conflicted with a personal matter.
* * *
After passing through three portals in succession, we arrived in Verona.
The current time was around 5 p.m., so it had taken only two hours to travel from Seoul, packed with high-rise buildings, to a quiet, medieval-style small city.
When we stepped out of the portal station, a bus prepared by the event organizers was waiting for us.
Since we had to follow the schedule prepared by the organizers on the first day, there was no freedom.
We ate together, took photos, and listened to explanations about the festival.
A boring stretch of time followed.
For reference, Reina participated in the entire schedule while wearing a hat and mask.
As for me, whether my identity was exposed or not, it didn't matter either way.
But she said that if it got out, all sorts of restrictions would follow for the trip to Nice, and the Vatican might take an interest.
She worked hard at it herself.
As we moved along with the schedule, the surroundings grew dark before we knew it.
When we moved to the hotel, Kim Hak-hyeon held out a lottery box he had prepared, as if he'd been waiting.
"We will now draw for rooms. It's two people per room, and those who draw the same number will be roommates for three days and two nights."
Since it was just like the original, I only half-listened.
If people of the opposite sex drew each other, they drew again. Roommates could absolutely not be changed. Breakfast had to be eaten together, and so on.
I remembered there being quite a lot of missions.
Anyway, it had nothing to do with me.
"But it wouldn't be fun to end it just like this, right? So I've specially added number 0. Without a roommate, freely~ enjoying the hotel's finest suite all by yourself......."
That number 0....... I was going to draw it.
I had to go back and forth between Nice and Verona, and if I had a roommate, I'd have to be mindful of them and come up with excuses.
There were too many things to worry about.
"Whoever wants to draw first, come on up."
The moment Kim Hak-hyeon gestured, I approached first.
As I was about to put my hand into the box, Kim Hak-hyeon, who had switched into emcee mode, asked.
"What number are you hoping for?"
"Number 0."
"Oho, a bold challenge right from the start!"
"Here."
I held out whatever my hand had grabbed.
"Huh?"
Of course, it was number 0.
I could see right through the inside of the box, so it would have been strange not to draw it.