Chapter 38: I Woke Up to a Different World (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 38: I Woke Up to a Different World (3)
Lee Yu-jin’s school.
The students who had come in for summer break supplementary classes were buzzing with excitement.
“Hey, did you see it? Did you?”
“Of course I did.”
“Insane. Seriously insane.”
“She’s just freaking gorgeous.”
“Honestly, with visuals like that, just calling her ‘freaking gorgeous’ feels like an insult to her beauty.”
“I’m telling you, she’s not human.”
“But why is she going to school with us?”
Rumors spread like wildfire among the young.
The fact that Lee Yu-jin had appeared in Hwan’s Torch was already common knowledge among the students. Even those who couldn't binge-watch the whole thing due to time constraints had at least used the skip option to see every scene she was in.
“But is Yu-jin coming today? I don’t think she shows up to supplementary classes much.”
“With a face like that, who cares? Do you think she lives her life worrying about attendance like we do?”
“True, but I hope she comes today. I want to see her.”
“I doubt she wants to see us, though.”
Just then, a wave of jubilation swept through the students.
“Yu-jin’s heeeeeeere!”
“What? Really?”
Everyone rushed to the windows.
Walking across the schoolyard was a tall high school girl who caught everyone’s eye instantly. She was dressed in the quintessential high schooler’s uniform: a school blazer on top and gym sweatpants on the bottom.
“Huh? Did she cut her hair?”
“Why? Her long hair was so pretty. What a waste.”
“Wait, isn’t it still long?”
Her hair, which used to reach her waist, had been trimmed to just past her shoulders.
The students speculated wildly, wondering if appearing in the drama had caused some sort of change of heart.
As Yu-jin neared the classroom, the students hurriedly scrambled back to their seats and tried to act dignified. It was a collective insight they had instinctively developed since the start of the school year.
‘If we make a fuss, Yu-jin will fly away.’
‘We must never, ever annoy Yu-jin. That’s the only way we can keep seeing her for as long as possible.’
The more mature kids had realized early on that if they bothered her, she might just give up on this school without a second thought. Jang Ji-hye’s tireless efforts also played a part in this.
Thus, the students acted with the utmost caution in front of Yu-jin.
Slide.
The moment the door opened and Yu-jin stepped inside, the students gulped in nervous anticipation. Her breathtaking visuals—looking like she belonged to an entirely different species—seemed to tighten their chests even more than usual today.
“Yu-jin, Yu-jin! I’m here.”
“Oh, hey. Good for you.”
“Cold as always. That’s the charm, though.”
“And you’re high-energy as always.”
Jang Ji-hye, sitting in the next seat, giggled and teased her, and Yu-jin chuckled back as they hung out.
The bell rang, and the homeroom teacher entered.
“...”
Standing at the podium with a folder in hand, the teacher remained silent for a long while, staring at Yu-jin with a strangely mournful expression.
From that look, the students instinctively knew.
‘Teacher binged the Reincarnated Elf, too.’
The drama’s original title was Hwan’s Torch, but some fans had taken to calling it The Reincarnated Elf.
“Let’s start class.”
Class began in a perfunctory manner, though the teacher taught with even more passion than usual.
And when the lesson ended...
The teacher, who had been hesitating, squeezed his eyes shut, opened them, and spoke.
“Yu-jin. Lee Yu-jin.”
“Yes, sir? What is it?”
“Could I... get an autograph?”
“Pardon?”
“I just feel like... once break is over, you’ll fly far away and never come back to this classroom again.”
“I have no plans to drop out, sir. But why an autograph? Are you selling water purifiers as a side hustle or something?”
“I enjoyed the drama.”
“...Ah.”
“Think of it as a dying man’s wish, or a favor for someone you’ll never see again. Please, just one autograph.”
The students’ eyes snapped toward her.
From the intensity of their gazes, Yu-jin finally realized that everyone had seen the drama but had been keeping their mouths shut.
Jang Ji-hye jumped to her feet. As her stylist, she had to respond to the fans’ passion.
“Form a line!”
A long line formed in an instant.
Flustered, Yu-jin dealt with it by using a hastily improvised signature.
“Hey, Jang Ji-hye. Something’s wrong. Why isn’t the line getting shorter?”
“Oh, the third-year seniors are all flocking here too.”
“Wait? The Principal? Why is the Principal coming all the way down to this humble first-year classroom...?”
“If you give me an autograph, I will cherish it as a family heirloom for life, Student Lee Yu-jin.”
Yu-jin signed frantically.
And Jang Ji-hye recorded every single moment with her camera.
The students who received autographs were beaming with joy, yet they also looked somewhat somber.
“This feels weird.”
“I have this gut feeling that we won’t see Yu-jin’s face anymore after break ends.”
“We just swiped a massive amount of autographs from her. Would she even want to come back to school after this? I wouldn’t.”
Today might become a scene of youth they could never forget. Everyone could sense those growing pains approaching.
“I bet Yu-jin’s going to transfer to an arts high school before break is over...”
*
[Yu-jin, I’m sorry.]
[Why are you sorry, sir? You just gave a fair evaluation. Honestly, our group did pretty poorly. I admit it.]
[No, no, it’s not that you guys were bad. You did a truly, truly wonderful job. It’s just that the other kids added exactly one extra spoonful of quality compared to you. So don’t lose confidence...]
I heard the group project grades from my homeroom teacher, and our group came in dead last. I’d secretly hoped we might at least be third or fourth from the bottom, but I guess it was obvious we’d just scraped it together.
“Yu-jin, Yu-jin! What’s with the mask? Are you finally starting to care about public attention as an actress?”
“I’ve always worn one.”
“I know, I just wanted to tease you.”
“I’m past the age where I get triggered by stuff like that.”
“Silver hair, silver tier... hair, tier...”
“Hey, Jang Ji-hye!”
“You’re triggered, aren’t you?”
“I can tolerate being teased for being an elf. But I will absolutely not tolerate being treated like a Silver tier. You need to respect the fact that I am a Challenger of Challengers, even praised by the Great Sang-hyun himself...”
Still, since it was a project I participated in, I checked the rankings out of curiosity, and it had hit number one worldwide. And it hasn't even been that long since it aired.
I took a peek at the viewer reviews too...
[ELF ELF ELF ELF ELF ELF ELF ELF ELF!!!]
[This is insane. She’s just freaking gorgeous;; Doesn’t look human;;]
I closed it immediately.
I’m not looking at those ever again.
My phone rang.
[Caller: Writer Jung Yoon-ah]
“Jang Ji-hye, hold on. The writer is calling.”
“Okay.”
“Hello, Writer?”
—Are you fully enjoying the feeling of becoming a star overnight?
“I’m a bit depressed because I got last place on a group project...”
—Oh, sorry, sorry. But isn’t it good to experience coming in last at least once at your age? It’s better to experience failure while you’re young.
Jung Yoon-ah seemed to be in a very good mood, likely due to the show’s success.
—It’s only been out for a short while, but the reaction is already incredibly hot.
“That’s a relief.”
—It’s all thanks to you, Yu-jin. I mean, how did you manage to overshadow all the leads with that amount of screen time? I guess humans really are no match for elves.
“Writer, if you keep this up, I might have to pull a GTA on your Ferrari.”
—If you play the lead in my next rom-com, I’ll just give it to you. How about that?
Is there anyone in the world who can win an argument against this woman?
—But looking at your reaction, I guess you haven't seen the overseas news yet.
“Pardon?”
—The CEO of Netscreen got shot.
“What?”
I was taken aback by the sudden, out-of-context news.
—Apparently, a Texas rancher got way too emotionally invested in your death and went to protest, demanding they bring you back to life. He lost control of his anger and just shot him.
“Is... is he okay?”
—He was wearing a bulletproof shirt, so he just ended up with some bruising. Looking at things like that, aren't you glad guns are banned in our country?
Jang Ji-hye chimed in from beside me.
“Come to think of it, I heard wearing bulletproof gear is the trend among the American elite these days.”
—Wait, was Ji-hye there too? Yu-jin, why didn't you tell me?
“Exactly. I’m a little hurt.”
I really, really don’t understand the hearts of women. Would Eonnyeoni have been like this if it weren't for the war?
—Well, anyway, because of the shooting, Netscreen is taking things pretty seriously. That’s actually why I’m calling.
“Seriously? About what?”
—Viewers are reporting collective depression because of Yeon Si-ho. They’re wailing about why they can’t see Yeon Si-ho being happy. The CEO getting shot was ultimately an extension of that.
I don’t understand that kind of over-investment. It’s because they haven't been to the military.
You only realize how precious peace is after you’ve rolled around in the Hundred Years’ War, had your mental state shattered by being forced into witch hunts during the Crusades, and jumped onto a deck to take down three Japanese pirates after exhausting yourself rowing a Panokseon.
—So, Netscreen is hurriedly preparing a spin-off centered around Yeon Si-ho. Are you interested?
“Pardon?”
It was a shocking proposal. It’s only been a few days since it aired... Oh, right, the CEO got shot.
—It’s not that hard. It’s a simple project—just a two-hour piece to soothe the viewers’ depression, showing her smiling, eating delicious food, and healing in a place with nice scenery.
“But I’ve already achieved my goal for appearing...”
—There you go again, acting like you’ll die if you don’t retire the moment you debut. Didn't you find acting fun? Do you still have an obsession about your face being known?
“It’s more that I haven't seriously thought about this as a career path.”
—They said they’d match the appearance fee to an S-grade actor’s level. Roughly 3,000 shares of Envidium.
“What? 3,000 shares?”
3,000 shares... that’s more than ten times the Envidium stock I’ve spent my whole life painstakingly saving up with my allowance.
—You can always retire next year. So let’s just do one more. Filming will be over in a flash. Don’t think of it as filming a spin-off; think of it as going to mine 3,000 shares of Envidium.
“Uh, well. I’ll talk to my mom. I think she’ll give me permission.”
3,000 shares of Envidium. Who could resist that?
As soon as I ended the call, Jang Ji-hye’s eyes sparkled intensely.
“Whoa, you’re filming a spin-off? Insane, insane! But I guess the Netscreen CEO really did get shot. I looked it up, and oh my god...”
Good heavens, 3,000 shares of Envidium.
That’s roughly 700 million won? Crazy, absolutely crazy.
‘Let’s do it just one more time. For my comfortable retirement. I should be able to make it past twenty in this life, right?’
The stress from the group project—where we came in dead last despite my thorough historical research based on past-life memories—vanished instantly.
*
When I got home, the entryway was packed with shoes.
Judging by the many tiny shoes, it seemed the relatives had flocked over. Could this be...?
“Ah! Yu-jin Noona!”
“She’s not Yu-jin Noona anymore! She’s Elf Noona!”
“Unnie! I cried! I cried when I saw you sleeping! Waaaaah!”
Seeing how many people binged a 16-episode series so quickly, Korea really must be a cultural powerhouse.
“Whoa! Look! Noona’s hair is growing back! It’s totally Silver tier!”
“Lee Jun-su. Do you dare insult me by calling me Silver tier right now? You must respect the fact that I am a Chall-of-Chall...”
“Yu-jin, I enjoyed the drama.”
“You were really beautiful.”
“Your dad and mom really did a great service for the country by giving birth to and raising you, Yu-jin.”
The adults complimented me bashfully, and I felt like I was going to die from the heat rushing to my face.
After a chaotic period, I finally managed to send away my sobbing little cousins who didn't want to leave.
‘Ugh, so hectic.’
Anyway, once things finally quieted down, I told my mom about the spin-off.
“They said filming will be over quickly since it’s like a two-hour movie.”
“That’s wonderful. I really wanted to see our Yeon Si-ho being happy, too.”
Well, if Mom’s happy and I get 3,000 shares of Envidium, it’s a win-win...
[Jang Ji-hye] Yu-jin Yu-jin! Big news!
[Jang Ji-hye] My dad said
[Jang Ji-hye] It’s going to air on MBS too!
[Me] What? This is a Netscreen exclusive production.
[Jang Ji-hye] Apparently the rancher who fired the shot is of Korean descent.
[Jang Ji-hye] The Netscreen executives have finally started to fear Korea!
[Me] ??????????????????
While I was texting, PD Jang Hyun-soo called.
—Yu-jin, you heard from Ji-hye, right?
“Yes, but does this even make sense?”
—It’s not airing immediately; it’ll be a bit later. And it’s only airing once. Actually, Writer Jung dragged them by the collar to persuade them. She wanted the home viewers to see your face as well.
“I feel like I woke up and the world turned upside down.”
—Really? Isn't your life pretty much the same as before you appeared?
“Actually, I do feel like the type of exhaustion has just shifted slightly.”
After finishing the call with PD Jang Hyun-soo, my mom spoke with a serious expression.
“Yu-jin, your grandfather says you need to come over right now. What should we do? I think he saw the drama.”
“Tell him it’s late, so I’ll see him over the weekend...”
“He said he got that limited edition hardcover you asked for before.”
“Let’s go see him right now.”
Books—no, allowances—must be seized the moment they are offered.