Chapter 47

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 47

Chapter Title: Two Rooms Exposed (1)

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MeiMei—that was the nickname—and a foreign user spouting the exact words and emoticons I'd taught her.

In a community accessible only to Awakeners, with so many matching traits, her identity was basically exposed.

She couldn't hide her unique troll vibe, but Lan Mei was exchanging replies with channel users interested in her, managing some decent interaction.

Honestly, half the blame for this lay with me.

'Hm.'

Back when I'd ordered Lan Mei to blindly praise me without asking questions, she'd gotten curious about Yi-rin Shin, so I'd introduced her to various communities where she could get info.

Yi-rin Channel had been one of them, and that was probably how she'd ended up drifting here.

Users taking inner damage from Lan Mei's pure troll power mixed with those spectating in amusement, and the channel buzzed with sudden energy.

I tossed in a casual comment to test the waters, but they had no clue I was High School Dropout Middle Schooler.

So I decided to troll along for fun.

After checking traces left by countless devotees like Mint Soboro Bread, Full-time Farmer, Temu Mountain Sword God, and others, Lan Mei fell right into my bait.

Soon enough, she diligently followed orders, uploading a post exactly as I'd said.

Shortly after, Lan Mei—who'd gone quiet on replies—suddenly switched spots and started messaging me on Clam.

Applying knowledge learned from others straight into practice—this was a highly desirable attitude.

Not using Archive's translation feature either; was she really resolved to learn Korean properly this time?

Growing up in a copy ninja family clearly gave her exceptional zeal for imitation and learning.

'Hm......'

I'd wondered at first, but she seemed to be adapting fine on her own, so I decided not to worry and get back to my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tasks.

The final task to cap off the day: creating my personal signature to pass to Yi-rin Shin as promised.

After nagging Cha Se-ra, I got a photo of her signature—neat, personalized, flawless.

'......'

Top part shaped like cat ears? Didn't expect much, but it had surprising sense and was solid design.

Seeing Cha Se-ra's made my half-baked drafts feel unfinished, so I scrapped and redesigned.

It'd pass through Yi-rin Shin's hands, after all—no room for subpar work.

'Not easy......'

Never had fans in life; always just signed my name. Creating one for others was pretty tough.

But couldn't procrastinate; with a decent mentor found, trial and error would lead to the best.

Pondered drafts intensely, revised endlessly; if no vibe, trash and restart.

Occasionally decent results, but nailing that perfect one wasn't easy.

Seeing me unsatisfied, Cha Se-ra offered advice after thought.

Solid suggestion, so I mulled over ways to use it.

Then inspiration struck.

Scribble, scribble.

Swipe.

Snap.

Base signature with my name, then beside it, small upper body of my character left hand in V-pose.

Thanks to past gold farming art ambitions, few trials; soon first complete signature emerged.

'Hm.'

Not bad.

No, way better than expected.

Showed Cha Se-ra a photo for check; got wildly positive reaction beyond expectations.

Seemed passable, so prepped four special sheets, carefully drew the signatures.

Scribble, swipe.

Scratch.

One for Cha Se-ra, one for Yi-rin Shin, one for J.J. Russell.

Last one for Alain Remir's twelve-year-old daughter as gift; neatly packaged, headed to Cha Se-ra's next morning.

"So, just hand this to Yi-rin as is?"

"Yeah. Yours too, take one."

"Whoa, really?"

Cha Se-ra grinned ear-to-ear at the signature I gave her, pulled out a frame from somewhere, and turned it into decor in seconds.

Wait, why'd she even have that ready......?

"I'll deliver it for sure, no worries. Any message with it?"

"Just pass it on. No need to get tangled."

Fans are most beautiful staying true to form.

I had no plans to break that rule now.

"Meowww."

"Nuri likes me a lot. From visiting a few times?"

"......"

Truth was, Nuri saw me as cat comrade, not human—but kept that secret.

Hung out with Nuri awhile after ages, ate dinner Cha Se-ra made, then strolled home leisurely.

'Hm.'

Evening glow nearly gone, but that made it more contemplative.

Happy with recent life? No clear yes, but not bad.

Heaven compared to before. Yet humans don't define all logically; sometimes nostalgic for old self and routine.

"You're back."

"......"

Life changes in a flash; crises always sudden.

Since I'd pondered this long, reality didn't shock or fluster much.

"Can you contact the lessee? Switching actual residents without consult breaches contract. Gotta know basics to avoid trouble, so please just one call."

"......"

I stared blankly at the cat-like landlady waiting by the house like she'd timed it, gazing at the sunset-less sky.

Thinking tomorrow's morning might greet me differently than usual.