Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: It's Okay Because I'm a Genius Despite My Time Limit
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Fate is like a tangle of threads.
Sometimes they get knotted this way, sometimes that way.
In that sense, Ju Ah-rin and me. Ju Seol-hwa and D.H.
The four of us. Or rather, the three of us share a common thread: we all love art.
Just that alone is enough to weave us together somehow.
"You figured it out?"
"...Yeah, well. There's only one Ju who's close to you, Senior. And you mentioned having a little sister, so it had to be her..."
"Hmm~ I wanted to keep it a secret, but oh well."
I pretended to have just figured it out, even though I already knew. Jeong Ae-ri looked like she was dying of excitement.
But why does this woman change 180 degrees whenever Ju Ah-rin comes up?
The question popped into my head, but asking felt awkward.
I let it slide and turned back to the half-finished autograph.
I'd done them so many times during my exhibition in England that it didn't feel awkward.
The problem was the final phrase to put before my name.
Something ordinary like "Thank you - Have a great day" felt too clichéd.
This was for a kid lying in a hospital bed.
Still, since she'd asked, I needed to put some heart into it. After agonizing, I picked up the pen again.
Someday, I hope we meet.
Vague yet comforting for a child stuck in her room.
In the end, it'd be like the last leaf—an unattainable dream...
In the original story, Ju Seol-hwa suffers from illness up to chapter 532.
That's because her existence is just a tool.
Her role is to be the catalyst for Ju Ah-rin's awakening.
Nothing more, nothing less.
....
With a heavy heart, I finished the autograph and handed it to Jeong Ae-ri.
She stared at it silently before cautiously asking.
"...You really don't know anything about Seol-hwa?"
"Yeah. Is there a problem?"
"No. Don't worry about it. But you're really good at this. Like someone who's done it a ton. You could hold a signing event."
Jeong Ae-ri quickly changed the subject, probably not wanting Ju Ah-rin's personal story leaking from her mouth.
A signing event?
It was probably just a throwaway comment, but that's when a good idea suddenly hit me.
Girl's Portrait.
Having been strengthened so much, it seemed pretty popular...
What if I could convert that attention into SP?
I hated stepping into the spotlight, but SP acquisition paths were diversifying.
Now it was granted when gaining others' favor or interest too, so no way it'd be less than 100 SP...
Probably over 200 easily.
Then hitting 500 SP wouldn't take long.
I could reinforce sporadically without strain.
The thought made it worth trying, so I said to Jeong Ae-ri.
"Senior?"
"Yeah?"
"That signing event thing... Want to actually do it? Of course, I'd like to keep my face hidden."
"...A signing event?"
My unexpected proposal clearly flustered her—I could feel it from here.
I needed some reason, so I made one up.
"I got a nice gift too, so I want to help as much as I can."
Her face lit up as she continued.
"If you do that, it'd be great for us. We could keep the buzz going."
"But my identity has to be fully protected..."
"Don't worry about that. There are authors who wear masks for the mystique, so no one will think it's weird."
"Really?"
[Jeong Ae-ri's favorability has increased.]
[You acquire 1 SP.]
I worried if I'd decided too hastily, but the concern vanished quickly.
For SP, there was nothing I wouldn't do.
Signing autographs and greeting fans wasn't hard.
Now that I knew some of the world's secrets, I needed to act more proactively anyway.
"I came to repay a favor and end up getting a gift instead. I'll let you know the details once our internal meeting wraps up."
"Sure, contact me whenever."
"Alright, I'll head out then. Holding up a busy person isn't polite. Thanks for the autograph. I'll make sure it gets delivered."
Jeong Ae-ri carefully tucked away the autograph with an excited expression.
I quickly finished my coffee in one gulp and prepared to leave.
"Hmm~"
That's when an odd hum came from Jeong Ae-ri.
She froze for a second, glancing between the autograph and my face, then gave me that suspicious smile again.
"So that's why."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing. ...I'll handle the invitation myself. VIP style, so it feels special~"
She muttered cryptic words, then spun around and left the café.
"No way..."
I connected "Someday, I hope we meet" to Ju Seol-hwa, then shook my head.
"...Nah, no chance."
As if I'd come off as some romanticist.
No one would think I'd hold a signing event for someone.
I brushed off the goosebumps from the mere thought and pulled out Jeong Ae-ri's gift.
Now that I knew its function, the watch looked even more exquisite. I activated Appraisal.
Tszzt-
I mastered its use in 3 seconds.
As expected of Iron Blood's Ha family.
A limited edition from one of the Ten Great Families specializing in smithing—it was top-notch.
If I could add drone invisibility, it'd be perfect.
I tried attaching the condition, just in case.
[Required SP: 150]
Too expensive, as expected.
Then make it cheaper.
The goal was just to not look like a drone anyway.
I weighed A against B and chose B.
[Change the miniature drone's appearance to a fly.]
[Required SP: 2]
If anyone notices a fly buzzing around the watch, it might look suspicious...
But whatever.
Practicality matters.
I couldn't waste SP like before anymore.
I even added flight enhancement.
Paying 16 SP total, I finished reinforcing all four drones.
Then I checked the time until my next appointment.
Tch.
I'd planned to meet Cheon Seo-yoon tonight...
It started with a text from yesterday.
[Hey, I actually didn't fully get what you wrote...]
Knew it.
I'd wondered how she glossed over it so easily. Sure enough, she hadn't mastered it.
[I'll teach you directly. Meet at the comprehensive training ground tonight.]
That's how we set it for around 8 PM.
Six hours left—perfect to head there and cycle Samjae-gong.
"Shouldn't have bothered writing it down."
With her sharp senses, direct coaching would make it easy for her to pick up.
I organized my schedule and left the café.
Oh, and A was a mosquito, for reference.
* * *
At the same time, Ju Ah-rin was staring at her watch in surprise.
She'd been up since 7 AM, selecting the first nest for her direct team to tackle, filing applications with the Association, and staying busy nonstop. Before she knew it, it was 2 PM.
Naturally, she'd skipped breakfast and lunch, so she stepped away from her desk.
She pulled out her usual salad and yogurt, sitting at the table.
Simple food—prep done in 1 second.
She poured the yogurt over the salad and took a dainty bite with her fork.
Yum~
Chewing slowly, she picked up her phone.
She needed to check the world's pulse between bites.
Ju Ah-rin opened the news home, scanning key categories one by one: economy, politics, demonic beasts, demons—scraping important articles.
She sorted them diligently, building her portfolio.
"Hm."
But her busy fingers suddenly stopped at the bottom of the news feed, before an ad post.
[Special Day, Special Menu] Park Jong-won's Octopus Abalone Ginseng Chicken Soup Spaghetti.
"...."
Normally she'd ignore it, but maybe because of yesterday's message.
Wrinkling her brow, fiddling her fingers, she finally clicked scrap.
Saved it to her private SNS folder for now.
[Homemade Spaghetti]
Even thinking about it now, it was absurd, but the situation made it hard to refuse.
The help she'd received so far was immense, and this time especially so.
Haerin, her sore spot, had grown, and she'd gotten first place for the first time since enrolling.
With results like that, taking Seol-hwa out wasn't just a pipe dream anymore.
All thanks to Park Ha-yul.
He'd only guided her to Cheongho's lair, but handed over every point from catching the thought body.
So she had to do it anyway.
Tomorrow was Sunday, and her afternoon was free.
And while she's at it.
"Octopus Abalone Ginseng Chicken Soup Spaghetti..."
Might as well go with that.
The name was long, but it seemed good for the body.
Honestly, it wasn't hard.
It was just awkward since it was her first time cooking for someone besides Seol-hwa.
Food had set recipes and ratios—she was confident.
Not delusion; Seol-hwa had already proven it, trembling with delight at the taste every time.
She worried it might be too good, and he'd misread her gratitude as interest.
"Reina..."
That person definitely had feelings for Reina.
She'd once wondered if he liked her(?), but seeing them on their outing during the Vatican visit.
His expression and demeanor were unmistakably different.
Incredibly kind, smiling brighter than ever.
"...Whatever."
Better this way.
Frivolous celebrity-crush feelings didn't suit her. She had no time to waste on that...
As Ju Ah-rin unconsciously nodded to herself.
Viiiing.
Her phone buzzed suddenly.
Seeing Jeong Ae-ri's name, she quickly swallowed her salad and answered.
"Congrats, Ah-rin. First in midterms, right? Amazing, seriously."
Jeong Ae-ri celebrated like it was her own achievement.
"Sis. It's not that."
Ju Ah-rin couldn't hide her discomfort. It wasn't her achievement alone, so she wanted to correct it.
"Got more good news—I met that person."
But that person?
Hearing the oddly excited voice over the phone, Ju Ah-rin tilted her head.
Jeong Ae-ri didn't call just anyone "that person."
"Met D.H. and got an autograph for Seol-hwa."
"The author?"
Her voice rose the moment she realized who.
She'd asked before midterms, and Jeong Ae-ri had moved fast.
"Yeah, hard to meet, but I twisted his arm~"
"Thanks, Sis. Seol-hwa will love it."
Imagining Seol-hwa jumping for joy at the autograph, Ju Ah-rin felt her fatigue melt away.
"I'm the one thankful. Thanks to you, we even got a signing event out of it."
"Huh?"
"Never mind. I'll explain later. When do you want the autograph? Since I'm calling, can you come out now?"
The conversation felt off, but she didn't mind much.
She was just thrilled about the autograph.
A hot new author shrouded in mystery—everyone coveted one.
"Yeah. At the dorm."
"Perfect. Don't hang up—come to the dorm entrance. I'm here."
"Coming right down."
Ju Ah-rin stopped eating and stood.
Always impeccably put-together, nothing to prepare—just head out.
"But hey. Aren't you curious about the author?"
She was about to press the elevator button when Jeong Ae-ri asked.
Ju Ah-rin pondered briefly before speaking.
"How old is he? The depth in his work makes him seem around 40."
Honestly, she was captivated by Girl's Portrait too—just later than Seol-hwa—so she was very interested.
"That person?"
Jeong Ae-ri chuckled silently before speaking in a meaningful tone.
"Not at all. Young and handsome. And only you get to know."
"Know what?"
"He's surprisingly a romanticist."
"...Pardon?"
Why only me? No, how do you know that?
She wanted to ask but stayed silent.
Truth was, that sister...
She often acted weird from work stress.
Ju Ah-rin played it cool like it was nothing.
"But I'm in the elevator now."