Chapter 301
Chapter 301
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 302
Chapter Title: The Reporter's Suspicion
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"......What the hell is this?"
I blinked at the text message.
"You know about my relationship with Kim Jinwoo?"
It wasn't entirely wrong—the reporter wasn't off-base since there was a connection.
The issue was how much she knew to send a message like that.
Whenever I swapped between Kim Seonwoo and Kim Jinwoo, I'd always been careful not to get tailed.
"Oracle Magic Society Desk, Yoon Seonji......
The name rang a bell somewhere.
Just in case, I hopped online and searched her affiliation and name.
Countless articles popped up at once.
"Jaun's Goal: Reviving Jin Cheonwoo?"
"The Association Is Deceiving Us."
"Taesang Finance Mine Gate Incident—Strong Links to Hanseong Group"
"Secret Ties Between Association and Jaun......Is This All a Rigged Game?"
Skimming through, some hit eerily close to home, making me wonder how she knew, while others were utter nonsense.
"The secret relationship between the Association and Jaun?
Those two can't stand each other."
One thing was clear: this Yoon Seonji wrote articles spinning novels from her own delusions without checking facts.
"Doesn't she get flak for writing like that?"
Curious about reactions, I checked the comments.
[kim****: Still believing Yoon's crap? When are they firing this delusional nutjob? (Agrees: 3,201 Disagrees: 892)]
[yan***: Still on the Yoon hate train? Didn't she predict the Mine Gate incident a year ago? (Agrees: 526 Disagrees: 2,466)]
[UUUA***: Who didn't know about the Mine companies??
Matching what everyone already knew—big whoop (Agrees: 401 Disagrees: 68)]
Somehow, the comments about her outnumbered the article content itself.
She had a small cult following, suggesting some notoriety as a reporter.
Overall reactions, though? Her rep wasn't great. Honestly, 90% were hate comments.
"......Hold up, is this that one reporter?"
Suddenly, a journalist I knew came to mind.
Just to check, I scanned her articles again.
"Yeah, it's her."
I'd thought the name was familiar—it was the reporter from the original story.
Her name had flown by in passing; only her articles got spotlighted, so I'd forgotten for a sec.
Yoon Seonji would later scoop that Lee Seojun was Jin Cheonwoo's son.
No one bought it thanks to her rep, but time proved it true, and she got reevaluated.
That tanked Lee Seojun's image and hit him hard.
"......What a pain."
A reporter like her taking interest wasn't ideal.
Especially sniffing around the Kim Seonwoo–Kim Jinwoo link.
"Should I just ignore it?"
Given her rep, even if she published, it probably wouldn't cause waves.
She'd just get mocked for another wild tale.
"Hmm......"
I mulled it over for about three minutes, then decided to reply.
Her rep aside, I didn't want to let any potential spark grow.
"How should I respond?"
Overthinking it might backfire and raise suspicion.
If I were truly clueless Kim Seonwoo......
That was when it hit.
[Latent Trait, 'Overimmersion,' activates!]
Overimmersion kicked in at an unexpected moment again.
Suddenly, I felt exactly how clueless Kim Seonwoo would reply.
I tapped out a message.
[I've gotten questions like this a lot before, but I'm not related to Wizard Kim Jinwoo at all. I don't even really know who he is.]
"This should do it."
It implied she wasn't the first to suspect, that I'd dealt with this plenty, and everyone eventually dropped it.
Subtle dig: don't act like you uncovered something huge.
"This is the best play."
Message sent.
I waited about three minutes for a reply, but nothing came.
No point sitting around forever, so I set down the smart student planner.
"Ah, but damn, it's hot."
The heatwave hitting right as summer break started.
Even at night, room temp topped 33 degrees. Unbearable, even with heat resistance.
How does Gretel sleep so soundly in this swelter?
Beep.
I cranked the AC and headed into the shower.
At the headquarters of the world-renowned mega-magic media outlet 'Oracle,' Magic Society Desk reporter Yoon Seonji stared at the message on her smartphone.
[I've gotten questions like this a lot before, but I'm not related to Wizard Kim Jinwoo at all. I don't even really know who he is.]
"Not buying it."
It was a message from Kim Seonwoo, hyped alongside Lee Seojun as a rising star.
In probing suspicions about his link to Kim Jinwoo, she'd poked him to gauge reactions.
The reply screamed genuine cluelessness.
Plus that vibe of having been hounded before.
"......Well, yeah, they look so alike—she probably has been."
Yoon Seonji compared the holographic laptop images of Kim Seonwoo and Kim Jinwoo.
Uncannily similar.
Kim Jinwoo's pic was a distant paparazzi snap from some citizen—no official shots—but the face was clear enough for comparison.
"Anyone can see they're identical. No way there's no connection."
Yoon Seonji trusted her instincts.
Especially after nailing the Mine Gate scandal; her confidence was sky-high.
Kim Seonwoo and Kim Jinwoo. Something was hidden there.
Timing of rising fame.
Combat styles.
Spell forms.
Looks, builds.
Endless overlaps.
Names subtly similar too. Beyond coincidence.
Above all, personal info scraped from info guilds at great cost was suspiciously clean.
Non-standard identities, likely.
"You can't fool my eyes. Heh."
What were they?
Association agents?
Jaun spies?
Either way, front-page material.
Next day, Special Task Force lunch.
Mid-meal, I checked online—right on cue, Yoon Seonji's article was up.
"Rising Star Wizard Academy Hope 'A' Lives Secret Double Life......"
I let out a small scoff reading it.
Prospect A.
Smart—no naming Kim Seonwoo or Kim Jinwoo outright.
Checked comments.
[ABC**: Yoon the Loon at it again (Agrees: 381 Disagrees: 57)]
[cal***: Probably talking about 2nd Year Min Ki. Face screams it. (Agrees: 127 Disagrees: 112)]
Seemed no big worry.
Most comments dismissed it outright.
Poor Jeong Min-ki catching random flak for no reason, but not me, so fine.
Reading comments, I couldn't help chuckling at the absurdity.
Truth was, most of the article nailed it.
I did operate under another identity.
But reactions? Pure vitriol at journalists.
Hit me how crucial image management is—felt bad for her, almost.
Wonder if she can keep this gig.
Beside me, Lee Seojun, munching lunch, eyed his smart student planner at the article too.
He glanced my way.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Lee Seojun smirked and resumed eating.
As we ate, Baek Yejin across from us asked her neighbor Jeong Hyunsu.
"But where's Senior Kim Deokhyeon? Haven't seen him all day. Skipping lunch too."
"Probably with the Chairman. Said he had tons to report from yesterday's incident."
"Ah."
Baek Yejin nodded.
"Oh, right. Senior, summer vacation plans?"
"Me? Thinking of just chilling at home."
"Vacation for once and you're holing up? I'm hitting the beach with academy buddies. Heh."
Overhearing as I ate, my planner pinged.
[Senior, what're you doing for summer break?]
Choi Seoyoon. I tapped a reply.
[Undecided]
Said undecided, but planned personal training I'd skipped, plus gathering Mine intel for Hanseong siblings' mess.
[Eh? Senior, wanna travel together?]
[Family owns a villa—ocean out front, training facilities nearby. (Sparkly-eyed squirrel emoticon)]
Villa, huh.
[Who's going?]
Message paused.
[Lee Seojun senior or other seniors.]
"Hmm......"
Yeah, too much on plate—no time for trips.
About to send regrets when Jeong Hyunsu turned my way.
"Oh, right. Heard you got props from above for last time and yesterday's action. Reward incoming."
"Reward?"
Perked up instantly. Association rewards were always killer.
"That hot-ticket travel pass wizards are dying for, money no object. That's the one."
"Travel pass?"
Hoped for magic artifacts—bit disappointing. Could buy travel passes easy.
Then Baek Yejin went wide-eyed, freaking out.
"......Travel pass? W-Wait! You mean that one?!"
"......?"
What's got her hyped?
Jeong Hyunsu chuckled.
"Yeah. Tower of Four Seasons, 18th and 19th floor entry."
Same time, top floor of the Magic Association—Chairman’s office.
Kim Deokhyeon reported yesterday's events to Kim Jincheol. Mostly Kim Seonwoo's feats.
Kim Jincheol roared with laughter.
"Always a fun story. No wonder Seojun feels rivalry."
Kim Deokhyeon stared straight at him.
Hoping for a glimpse into his guessed secret link between Kim Seonwoo and Kim Jincheol.
But Kim Jincheol's vibe treated Kim Seonwoo as mere rival to Lee Seojun.
Kim Deokhyeon wondered if it was acting, then probed casually.
"To me, Kim Seonwoo shares a lot with you, Chairman."
"......With me?"
"Yes. All-rounder wizard, and he uses your signature spell, Rebound Disk, right?"
Kim Jincheol stroked his snowy beard, pondering.
"Can't deny it from my mouth, but types like me are rare. Fair to see resemblance."
He added,
"But isn't that kid's master Ilhyeon?"
"Yes, correct."
"Then it's Ilhyeon's influence. And Ilhyeon got plenty from me."
Not wrong. Choi Ilhyeon taught Kim Seonwoo Rebound Disk, after all.
"Still, mastering it that fast surprised me. Took me three years to perfect."
"In that sense, aren't you greater, Chairman? Inventing unseen spells versus unpacking existing ones—huge gap, right?"
"Wrong. Not inventing unseen—discovering undiscovered ones."
"Same diff."
"No. Anyway, Rebound Disk ain't simple. Kid's special."
Kim Deokhyeon shut up briefly.
Thought there was a link between Kim Seonwoo and Kim Jincheol, but the pure reaction confused him.
'......Bark up wrong tree?'
Would've been simpler if tied to Chairman.
Deeper into Kim Seonwoo, deeper the maze.
"Anyway, show me the vault haul from Taesang Finance."
Kim Deokhyeon pulled a paper envelope from his coat.
Kim Jincheol took it. Complex seals on the flap.
"Sealed tight—couldn't open. Thought better hand to you direct than decode team."
"Good call. I'll handle."
Kim Jincheol infused mana into the flap seal.
It flashed, then lines burned away.
He opened it, pulled docs, and read.
A faint smile.
"Interesting."
"......What's it say?"
"Looks like Mines and Hanseong have deep ties."