Chapter 89
Chapter 89
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: A Smile is Contagious
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It was pure coincidence that Seo-rim saw the document.
It was right after they had finished a major project.
The office was quiet, with most of the staff gone. Having no plans for an overseas trip like her colleagues, she’d come to work only to find Yeon-ho’s computer on.
Thinking he had just stepped away for a moment, she approached his desk to wait, and her eyes inevitably fell upon the screen.
‘A novel?’
That’s what it looked like.
The tightly packed lines of text in the word processor clearly formed a narrative, planting a strange sense of guilt in Seo-rim’s heart.
After all, don’t they say that novels are an expression of one’s deepest self?
A novel that Yeon-ho was secretly writing… The thought crossed her mind that it might contain his hidden desires or innermost thoughts.
If Seo-rim had been the mother of a teenage son, she might have looked away to protect his embarrassing inner world, but alas, that was not the case.
Seo-rim was a young woman of twenty-six, just starting her career.
Click—
Setting aside her guilty conscience, Seo-rim scrolled the mouse wheel.
She had read about six sentences when…
“Seo-rim?”
“Gah!”
Thump! Startled, Seo-rim jumped, causing the desk to lift.
Whipping her head up, Seo-rim, her face flushed with embarrassment and shame, looked toward the source of the voice.
There stood Yeon-ho, blinking as he stared at her.
“S-Senior? When did you…”
“Just now. I went to buy this.”
Yeon-ho was holding a coffee.
Her heart pounding, Seo-rim tried to change the subject.
“O-Oh, really…?”
But there was too much circumstantial evidence for her to get away with it.
“Did you see it?”
“…”
“You saw it, didn’t you?”
What excuse could she make?
Should she claim she’d suddenly gone blind and couldn’t see a thing?
The thought flashed through her mind.
“What do you think?”
“…What?”
Seo-rim was taken aback by his unexpected reaction.
It wasn’t the reaction of someone who’d been caught secretly writing a novel.
She was sure of it.
After all, when her older brother, Han Jin-gyeong, had discovered the romance novel she wrote in middle school, she had sobbed her eyes out and threatened to hang herself.
‘Does he have no sense of shame?’
She peeked at his expression, wondering if he was just pretending to be okay, but… Yeon-ho truly seemed unbothered by being caught.
At that point, Seo-rim began to realize something.
“…Don’t tell me this is for the next project?”
Yeon-ho nodded.
For some reason, Seo-rim felt wronged.
She knew she was the one who had snooped and gotten scared for nothing, but emotions rarely align with rational judgment.
Seo-rim fanned her needlessly flushing cheeks and replied.
“…I didn’t even get to read it properly. You came back too soon.”
“Really? Want to read it then?”
Seo-rim gave him a slight glare before nodding and examining the scenario.
It wasn't very long, so it took less than three minutes.
The text ended right at the moment E-40 met Smile.
Seo-rim rested her chin on her hand and said.
“Hmm…”
“Does it seem okay?”
“There’s not enough to say whether it’s okay or not. It’s too short.”
“You think so?”
“It’s just…”
“Just?”
Seo-rim mumbled for a moment, then looked at Yeon-ho with a newfound sense of surprise.
“You’re a better writer than I expected.”
How should she put it? It wasn’t that it was magnificent or incredible, but he wrote cleanly enough that you could skim through and still understand the content.
Seo-rim had never known Yeon-ho had a talent for writing.
Yeon-ho shrugged and said.
“Most directors can write as well as I do.”
“Really? I thought most companies hire a separate scenario writer.”
“That’s the exception. Only companies with huge capital making AAA titles do that. How many developers get to work on projects that big?”
True enough.
Thinking back to when it was just her and Yeon-ho making Hellic 1, most directors in the world probably had to write their own scenarios and create their own worlds.
As she thought about it, a question suddenly occurred to her.
“Come to think of it, we don’t have a dedicated scenario writer.”
Studio Rewind had grown so much, so why didn’t they have one?
To that, Yeon-ho replied nonchalantly.
“We’re not going to hire one, either. I prefer to write the scenarios myself.”
“Is that okay?”
“Why wouldn’t it be? I’m the president.”
Oh, right.
Seo-rim chuckled.
Meanwhile, Yeon-ho pulled over a chair and sat down next to her.
Only then did Seo-rim speak.
“It’s a dystopian world, isn’t it?”
“Yep, with a totalitarian setting.”
“Reading it reminded me of that old sci-fi movie. The one about controlling emotions.”
“Equilibrium? That’s right. I used it as a reference.”
“I knew it.”
Seo-rim’s shoulders straightened, proud that she knew what he was talking about.
By then, her tongue had loosened as if it had been oiled.
“The setup revealed so far is plausible. I liked how you used a medieval fantasy backdrop and made the faces detachable to improve intuitiveness. I’m guessing those faces are tied to in-game abilities, right? And the story is probably about the protagonist getting revenge on the empire that abandoned him.”
“And here I thought you said it was too short to know anything.”
“…Can’t you just let it slide?”
He just had to pick on her words and make her feel awkward.
The man’s honesty was a problem.
As Seo-rim pouted, Yeon-ho averted his gaze.
Then he added.
“Well, it is medieval fantasy, the faces are detachable, and they are tied to abilities. You’re right about that.”
“…So what about the revenge plot?”
“That’s debatable. A story about getting revenge just because I was abandoned is too dark. It would be a total downer.”
Seo-rim’s head tilted.
‘But the whole world is already digging its way to rock bottom.’
There were times when she just couldn’t understand Yeon-ho’s sensibilities.
Had making so many stories about hell warped his sense of feeling?
She was in the middle of her thoughts.
“We’re going with cartoon rendering this time. The protagonist will be a cute, chibi-style character, about three or four heads tall.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah, if we did this realistically, tearing off a face would be gruesome. It needs to pop off cleanly, like a mask, to reduce the aversion, don’t you think?”
“That’s true, but…”
Seo-rim then had a moment to reflect on her own reading of the scenario.
‘…He's right. I was imagining the face-tearing part like Legos.’
Her brain had naturally processed the text in a non-gory way.
If it were rendered realistically, she felt she would have found it quite repulsive too.
Having come to an understanding, Seo-rim’s curiosity soared as she looked back at the scenario.
The question burst out of her.
“So what does he do next? He’s not just going to start farming in the forest, is he? Or does he start a farm with Smile?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
Yeon-ho tilted his head.
“Smile has to die.”
Seo-rim stared at Yeon-ho, her face a mask of horror.
‘But you just said you hate downers?!’
And yet he was killing off the very first supporting character? Did that make any sense?
Just what in the world was wrong with this man’s sensibilities?
The question rose in her mind once more.
Meanwhile, Yeon-ho was speaking excitedly.
“Well, someone has to die for anything to start, right?”
***
Life below the cliff was tranquil.
As he slowly recovered from his injuries, E-40 recuperated in the dim forest, running errands for ‘Smile.’
The fact that she was a highest-grade criminal still gave him pause, but he could not simply betray the one who had saved his life.
Above all, E-40 no longer had a reason to do so.
He was no longer a knight.
Having lost his purpose, he was mechanical.
He treated Smile with a strictly business-like attitude, and once he finished the tasks she gave him, he would go to sleep.
Sometimes he gathered medicinal herbs in the forest, sometimes he made medicine with the skills Smile taught him, and sometimes he cooked. This life continued for some time.
He thought it would go on like that forever.
It was on a day drenched in sunlight that he realized he was wrong.
Change arrived when he least expected it, much like the day his expressionless face had been confiscated.
—Here, a present.
Smile placed a black veil over E-40’s head.
Through the hazy screen, E-40 looked at Smile.
It was a strange feeling.
Though he knew that hers was a face he should not covet, E-40 found his gaze drawn to Smile’s face.
Like a sunflower following the sun, he watched her unknowingly.
This was probably why only the masters of the empire were allowed to have smiles.
If everyone in the world had a smile, E-40 thought, they would do nothing but gaze at each other’s faces.
Such an allure, a kind of magic, existed in her smile.
—It must feel so empty without a face, right? So I made you a ‘Black Face’!
Giggling, Smile burst into laughter.
E-40’s heart fluttered so much that he couldn’t bear to stay where he was.
He hastily fled the spot, and for a long time afterward, he would take a step back whenever Smile approached.
But Smile was persistent.
—Come here! Your wounds haven’t fully healed yet!
She was as gentle as a mother, as kind as a sister, and as innocent as a child.
Slowly, E-40 opened his heart to her.
The veil covering his empty face was truly useless.
For though it blurred many things, it could not hide the one thing that was her smile.
E-40’s gestures grew increasingly gentle.
He became someone who could express joy with his fingertips.
That day was another such day.
—Check the trap today! I set it up nearby to catch a scary wild boar!
This must be the ‘meat day’ she had been talking about.
E-40 readily set off, imagining the moment he would cook with Smile.
A surprise awaited him.
A wild boar, as large as a person, was caught in the trap!
E-40 hopped up and down with excitement before hoisting the boar onto his back and starting for home.
It was then.
—Seize her! It’s the highest-grade criminal!
At the shout from the distance, E-40 dropped the boar with a thud.
He instantly understood the situation and scrambled toward the hut where he lived with her.
Clang! Clang! As he neared the house, the sharp sound of metal hammered at E-40’s heart.
And so, his anxiety became a foreseen future, casting a shadow before E-40’s eyes.
—I got her! I caught the highest-grade criminal! I am the one truly worthy of being a knight of the empire!
Black armor, and expressionless faces.
Knights of the Oltore Empire stood in the hut, their swords raised high.
And in their midst, in the yard, Smile lay dying.
E-40 felt his heart break.
The grill lying beside her only fueled his sorrow.
And yet, E-40 could not cry out.
The empire had taken his voice.
Steading his trembling body, there was only one thing he could do.
Revenge.
He grabbed a skewer and charged at the knights.
—An enemy! Another enemy!
—Fight back! Look under the veil! He has no face! That one’s a criminal too!
—Waaaaah!!!
There were five knights.
All of them were powerful warriors who had been granted an ‘Expressionless Face.’
As a faceless incompetent, the tide of battle was against E-40.
But he did not lose.
Face Hunter E-40, he was a monster exiled because his combat prowess was so exceptional that he had developed an ‘individuality.’
—Gah!
—Help me!
E-40 ruthlessly defeated his foes.
Then he went to Smile and held her in his arms.
—“…Ah, you’re here.”
Even in a moment like this, Smile was smiling.
Even as life faded from her every breath.
E-40 caressed her cheek.
Smile, in turn, laughed softly and caressed his.
—You poor thing. You don’t know how to express sadness, do you? It must be because it was taken from you.
As she said, E-40 could not cry out loud.
E-40 hated himself for not even being able to mourn her properly.
No, before that, he might even die with her.
His body was battered and broken from fighting five knights.
Smile rested her head on E-40’s chest.
—We’ll both die if this goes on. But there is a way. Here, take my face. With a face, your body will heal quickly.
E-40 shook his head frantically.
But Smile paid him no mind and continued.
—Don’t be sad. I’m okay. So please, go. More knights will be here soon.
Smile embraced E-40.
—Live for tomorrow, not for revenge.
Even as E-40’s body trembled, Smile spoke.
—You must be free. See the wider world and learn many things. No matter what the world calls you, you must become you. We were all born for that purpose.
E-40 buried his face in her embrace.
Smile tore off her own face and gave it to E-40.
—I’m glad. I’m glad that what I can give you is a smile.
The smile was placed upon E-40’s empty face.
She smiled as if satisfied.
Then, with her fading breath, she whispered.
—I’ll tell you a secret. A secret more incredible and hidden than anything else in this world.
The words made no sense at all.
And yet, one thing was clear.
—The truth is, a smile is contagious.
In that moment, E-40 felt a sense of ease wash over his body.
The feeling of something embracing his heart, which had been aching as if it would tear apart, was so foreign and mystical.
Shortly after, she slowly drew her last breath.
Unable to leave right away, E-40 watched over her final moments.
Swoosh—
Rain began to fall.
E-40 laid her under the roof, took one of the knight’s swords, and left.
The black veil covering his smile caught the rain, shedding tears in his stead.
E-40 did not know where to go.
Nor did he know how to relieve the sorrow welling up inside him.
Nevertheless, he walked.
It was because he could not let the knights take the smile she had left him by standing there idly.
Fortunately, he had one signpost.
E-40 placed a hand on his chest.
Warmth.
It reminded him of her last words.
The truth is, a smile is contagious.
He didn’t know what it meant.
And that was why he wanted to find out.
It was the first choice he had ever made for himself.
E-40 decided not to seek revenge, but to see and learn many things, just as she had said.
He held onto the single belief that one day, he would be able to understand the meaning of her words.
And so, after walking for a long time, E-40 left the forest where his memories slept and came upon a meadow.
Remembering