Chapter 46
Terminally Ill, but It's Okay — Episode 46
[Achievement-893: Expansion of Manifestation]
[You have broken the established mold and opened a new possibility.]
[As a reward, 3 days are added.]
[You have acquired 20SP for a development full of anticipation.]
[As a reward, a new function has been added to Manifestation.]
「Manifestation」
Description: A talent originating from Park Ha-yul's hallucination symptoms. Can materialize hallucinations, delusions, and imagined creations. +Can enhance existing objects with Manifestation.
-The direction of Enhancement matches the trait holder's intent.
-A set amount of SP must be paid as the price, and the cost varies depending on the degree of plausibility infringement.
-The degree of Enhancement is proportional to the amount of SP consumed.
[Portrait of a Girl has been enhanced.]
[10SP has been deducted.]
[SP Held: 120]
[Added Effect: Increased aesthetic value (beauty and artistic merit)]
No wonder.
I grinned like a kid who had peeked at the answer sheet.
It really was absurd, though.
A painting, like writing, is supposed to bear the artist's own brushwork and style.
But as if another me had revised it, there was no trace of anyone else anywhere in the work.
"Enhancement, huh."
Anyway, I had received an unexpected gift.
While I was drawing, I had unconsciously activated Manifestation, and that unconscious impulse had resulted in Enhancement.
The SP cost was a drawback, but the ability was good enough to make up for it.
It could enhance not only Armaments but ordinary objects like paintings, making it useful in almost any situation. Calling it overpowered hardly did it justice.
"Is something wrong?"
"No. It's been a while since I've seen it, so it feels different again."
I quickly wiped away the smile that remained.
"May I look a little longer?"
"As much as you like~"
When I asked with a more composed attitude than before, Jeong Ae-ri smiled brightly.
I walked toward Portrait of a Girl, the work Jeong Ae-ri had named—and a name I was quite happy with myself.
It was to closely observe just how much the beauty and artistic merit had improved.
I approached until the texture of the pencil was visible, then stopped.
"Hm."
And once again, I marveled at it.
At this level....... The 10 SP had been well worth it.
With a decent base and Enhancement on top, it was no different from a masterpiece displayed in a museum.
"It's a precious piece. The more you look at it, the more it draws you in......."
Jeong Ae-ri must have felt the same. At some point, she had come up beside me with a fond expression on her face.
"But you know something? A good work also needs someone who recognizes its value if it isn't going to be overlooked. Which brings me to......."
Jeong Ae-ri paused, then pulled out an envelope and held it toward me.
"What is this?"
"A contract. An exclusive artist contract with the art gallery 'Trinity.'"
"Huh?"
"I made sure they offered you the best terms in the industry, so take a look."
No, what the hell?
I was so dumbfounded that my head went blank for a second.
Ah, so that's why.......
Then I understood. Why Jeong Ae-ri had sent me that text.
But best treatment or whatever.
She was asking someone who couldn't even afford to sleep because time was so precious to paint. Besides, I'd already lost any desire to paint.
"Surprised? Well, for a rookie artist, Trinity is practically a dream opportunity."
But Jeong Ae-ri, who had no way of knowing my real situation, seemed to have thoroughly misunderstood.
"I'm sorry, but that's not it......."
I tried to refuse before the misunderstanding grew.
.......
That was when Jeong Ae-ri's potential usefulness occurred to me.
Contract aside, this was a rare connection I had managed to make.
Still....... It would be a waste to let this connection end here.
If I established a proper connection with her, she could be a great help.
I looked back and forth between Portrait of a Girl and Jeong Ae-ri, then quickly—
As if I had intended to propose it from the start, I continued speaking.
"...Ae-ri. Instead of an exclusive contract, how about renting the work?"
* * *
In the original, the Simmi family was all show and no substance.
Still, they were a prestigious family in name, but their amount of screen time was very small.
If I had to compare it, they were like a folding screen set up behind someone's sixtieth birthday party.
Jeong Ae-ri's role was that limited.
She just appeared occasionally to support Joo A-rin in a crisis and then poof— disappeared. That was all.
At best, she would have been a supporting side character.
But.......
As a webtoon artist, I know.
That screen time and the size of one's power are never proportional.
Jeong Ae-ri was the kind of connection who became more useful the closer you were to her.
For one thing, as the next student council president, she wielded considerable influence within Taehak. The exchange run by the Jeong family was also one of the world's largest.
Their main field was art, but that didn't mean they didn't handle other items.
I had already experienced this usefulness once.
After all, it was Jeong Ae-ri who had handled the sale of the Magwang Ore before.
I would often need similar help going forward, and I couldn't rely on Joo A-rin every time.
So I needed to use today's meeting as an opportunity to build a close relationship.
That stepping stone would be the work that had now become a proper masterpiece and caught her eye—that Portrait of a Girl.
To make this plan succeed, I laid out a suitable excuse.
That I had no plans to be active for the time being due to my family's opposition, so I would decline the exclusive contract itself.
"No, why are they opposed? It's not the 80s or something."
Jeong Ae-ri immediately frowned, but soon had no choice but to accept it.
A sorcerer family was still a sorcerer family, after all.
Even if it had lost some momentum, it was still one of the strongest of the Ten Great Families—hardly something I could judge lightly.
"Still, I want to continue my connection with Trinity. That's also why I'd like to lend you Portrait of a Girl."
I mentioned the name and connection that Jeong Ae-ri herself had given, trying to thaw the frozen atmosphere.
That got a reaction.
"Meaning....... if you ever resume your activities, you'll sign with Trinity?"
"Of course. I'm well aware that Trinity is the best in this industry."
After I praised her again, Jeong Ae-ri's stiff expression gradually softened.
Jeong Ae-ri touched her lips as if deliberating for a moment, then finally extended her hand.
"I suppose I have no choice. Company policy is to avoid rentals, but if that's what it takes to keep you with us, I'll make an exception."
"Thank you."
"I'll draw up the contract again later and send it. Is that okay?"
"Huh? I was thinking of lending it to you free of charge."
"I appreciate the offer, but I can't do that. The Jeong family has a principle: we always pay what something is worth."
Really? Then all the better for me.
I didn't know how much I would receive, but judging by Jeong Ae-ri's spending habits, it certainly wouldn't be a small amount.
I also asked her to keep the contract confidential.
"I want that too. I don't want word getting out and attracting competitors."
"......Thank you."
"Next time, let's meet somewhere nice and have a meal together. And if you ever need anything, just ask~"
I smiled as I clasped Jeong Ae-ri's offered hand. Things were moving in a satisfying direction when—
"Let me ask just one last thing."
"Yes?"
"I'm asking because I'm genuinely curious, but why did you join Dodam? You said you had no plans to draw for a while."
......Uh.
This was a truly unexpected question, so I was momentarily at a loss for words.
But then.
"Ah, I'm sorry if that was a rude question. Thanks to you, we got to meet today, so don't worry about it."
"That's......."
"Now, now, orientation is about to start, so head down first. I need to get ready too."
Jeong Ae-ri smiled brightly and pointed at a dress hanging on one side of the club president's office.
Since she said it was fine, it did seem fine.......
It seemed better to slip away quietly than add some unnecessary explanation, so I headed outside.
* * *
Orientation was held in the painting room, right below the club president's office.
As I went down the stairs, the soft strains of classical music reached me.
"Welcome. Nice to meet you."
"You're a new member, right? Just find your name and sign."
As I approached the entrance, two seniors in charge of guidance spoke to me.
After greeting them briefly, I flipped through the sign-in sheet.
Twenty new members in total.
It was in Korean alphabetical order, so I scanned down looking for my name.
When I spotted one more familiar name, my gaze paused for a moment.
The list had Joo A-rin—and also the girl with the straight-cut bangs.
Min Young-ji's name was there too.
Well, that's curious.
Of course, one of the fragments filling the gaps in the setting might have happened to be someone I knew.
But the diagnostic assessment, the occupation battle, and now the club.
There were too many overlaps for me to dismiss the thought that this was an odd connection.
Well, since it had no direct relation to the main episode, there probably wouldn't be any further entanglement.......
Anyway, once I stepped inside, I felt an atmosphere clearly different from other clubs.
The overall interior resembled the lobby of a famous hotel, with expensive-looking refreshments and drinks. There was even low-alcohol wine, adding to the upscale atmosphere.
Taehak's funding alone couldn't have paid for all this. As expected of Jeong Ae-ri.
Her other nickname was the Queen of High Society, after all.
Weren't art and socializing originally inseparable?
I took a glass of wine for a quick drink and sat in the back.
I was sipping my wine while I waited when, before long, I heard a familiar voice.
"For someone who made a reckless choice, you look pretty relaxed?"
When I turned my head, I saw Joo A-rin in a neat black dress.
She had even put on light makeup, so her already striking face shone even more today.
But why was she so composed?
Wasn't it normal for her not to know that I had joined Dodam?
When I looked at her questioningly, Joo A-rin continued.
"I just found out when I ran into Ae-ri. Mind if I sit?"
Then, before I could even answer, she sat down in the seat next to me.
Her expression was lighter than before, perhaps because her worries about Cheon Seo-yoon had subsided a bit.
"But why the casual clothes?"
"Didn't you know? A splendid start is an old Dodam tradition. The dress code was written on the invitation too."
Was it?
Come to think of it, I was the only one in uniform.
Joo A-rin sipped the juice in her hand and continued the earlier topic.
"Anyway, I was surprised. Facing her with a sword instead of sorcery, and all. I didn't know you'd provoke Seo-yoon like that."
"Well, it just sort of happened."
"You did it on purpose, didn't you?"
It seemed like a question with a predetermined answer, so instead of answering, I gave a bitter smile.
"I get what you're trying to do, and it seems to be working, but you should be careful. When she gets angry, she stops caring about consequences. And people are already talking."
"People are talking?"
"Yes. There's a rumor going around that you dragged out someone who's unwell and used them."
Joo A-rin spoke in a distinctly cautious tone.
If rumors were already spreading, it seemed to have become quite the topic.
But whatever.
I had no reason to care what other people thought, so I just smirked.
The conversation paused for a moment when the stage lights illuminated a familiar person.
"Nice to meet you all. I'm Jeong Ae-ri, the president of Dodam."
Jeong Ae-ri, splendidly dressed, came out and announced the start of orientation with a brief greeting.
After that, the event proceeded according to the usual order.
Dodam's long history was expressed through magic, sweeping around like a panorama.
Unlike me, Joo A-rin seemed pretty focused.
In a small voice, she kept letting out exclamations like "Ah." "Oh." "Mm~."
It wasn't like her usual self, but I understood.
Because painting was the one joy and hobby in her bleak life.
The grand but not long event ended, and soon the main stage began.
"We've invited a special instructor: Roberto, an artist with Trinity who will be teaching you for the next month."
When Jeong Ae-ri's introduction ended, cheers poured through the hall.
"Whoa, Roberto—that's that artist, right? The reincarnation of Klimt......."
"No way. He's everyone's first choice to book these days."
When the slick-looking handsome man stepped onto the stage, everyone stood and hurried to pull out their phones.
The only people who remained firmly seated were me and Joo A-rin.
"Everyone's making a fuss."
Joo A-rin unexpectedly maintained a calm attitude.
But only for a moment.
She subtly twisted her body and let out a series of fake coughs, and at a rather crafty moment, a click— sound was heard.
......Apparently, she still wanted a photo.
I just pretended not to see.
Instead, I stayed seated and stared straight at the bastard.
Roberto.
That guy was a Demonkin.
An Exorcism Society executive—the main enemy of this episode—who had infiltrated the club to target Joo A-rin.
Disguised as an artist, he was one of the Nine Demons, the one called the Eighth Demon.