Chapter 330

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on March 2, 2025

Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Pinterest Telegram

[Order]

[1. This case is dismissed.]

[2. The plaintiff will bear the litigation costs.]

It wasn’t that the first trial’s judgement was rejected; it received a dismissal ruling.

Dismissal can be understood as being kicked out of the exam room for not bringing an ID or writing utensils, while rejection refers to a situation where one takes the exam normally but fails the assessment.

Adella received a dismissal ruling on the grounds that she did not meet all the requirements for both qualification as a party and eligibility as a subject.

Unlike the second or third trials, in the first trial, an AI judge prepares the ruling document, and a few judges oversee the final review.

“It seems they continue to hold it in the first trial because when it goes to the second trial, it causes them headaches too.”

Lawyer Cheon Jeong-ho comforted me, saying he felt sorry.

Contentious topics always carry a great responsibility.

Especially if you step into politics, past rulings can be questioned in hearings, which is why there’s a general atmosphere of avoidance around socially sensitive lawsuits.

When I delivered the bad news to Adella, she shrugged it off as if it didn’t matter.

“Yeah, it’s okay. When did I ever care about such things… I’m going to get ready for the broadcast now.”

Since Adella complained about discomfort in virtual reality, I started observing her behavior more closely.

What was different than usual?

First of all, she hardly blinked her eyes.

A normal person should blink at least ten times a minute.

I might have missed something in between, but there were times when Adella’s blinking interval extended up to an hour.

Her breathing also seemed unnaturally forced, as if she were consciously expelling air.

Moreover, generally, sneezing is rare when connected to virtual reality, but I could deduce that Adella sneezed once a day.

So far, these were all trivial matters.

However, even the presence of uncertain signs was something to be wary of.

“Ugh! This is tough, tough.”

I stretched my body, hoping for even a slight increase in height.

In the living room, I threw off my clothes and changed into outerwear.

Professor Cheon was away on a business trip for a week attending the completion ceremony of the Gunsan Power Plant, so I was the only one at home.

I layered black leggings made of warm fleece and a layered shirt on myself.

Then I grabbed a white padded jacket and, wanting to clear my head, went for a walk for the first time in a while.

“Lately, I feel like I’m getting more sluggish since I haven’t moved much.”

I stepped on the white snowfield with my brown UGG boots.

The bodies of young children are fascinating.

Just walking normally, if they jump up and land gracefully on a pile of snow, a natural smile appears instinctively.

“What am I doing?”

I looked around and hurried my steps again.

I headed to Guryong Village.

“Lara, let’s go.”

“Ugh, it’s cold outside…”

“I’ll keep you warm.”

“Okay, I’ll be out soon!”

I called out to Lara, who was a year younger than me, and we climbed up the back mountain of the neighborhood together.

The white puffball on her furry hat bobbed back and forth.

Despite the quite chilly winter, there weren’t too few hikers ascending the mountain.

Well, at this height, people would likely consider it a walk rather than a climb.

Two young girls, holding hands tightly as they climbed the mountain, caught the attention of some elderly folks who commented.

“Did two kids come here? What about your parents?”

“We came for a walk together.”

“Oh really? Be careful as the ground is frozen! Here, have a chocolate!”

“Yes, thank you!”

I took off my gloves, unwrapped the ABC chocolate from the plastic bag, and popped it into Lara’s mouth.

“Mmm, it’s tasty!”

Lara shivered with excitement.

Amidst this, she sniffled, so I took out a tissue from my pocket to wipe her nose.

“Lara, extend your hands.”

“Like this?”

[Skill: Heat Transfer – Conduction]

I can rapidly spin the Aura to generate heat on my own, but Lara can’t, so I shared some of my warmth with her.

“Warm, right? Shall we head back?”

“Yeah!”

“Let’s go just a bit further before we turn back.”

The mountain wasn’t high, but we didn’t ascend to the peak.

If I were alone, it would be different, but I was with Lara now.

We sat at a pavilion halfway up the mountain and took out the snacks I had packed.

While Lara gulped down water, I removed my hat and wiped the sweat off my brow.

Although we couldn’t see an open view, the snow that was piled up beautifully on the trees sparkled like a galaxy.

“I thought the reason people hike is to reach the summit. There wouldn’t be any other reason to climb a mountain.”

I spoke as if to let out something I didn’t tell anyone else.

After all, she wouldn’t take it all that seriously.

“Working out or dieting, or seeing beautiful scenery—those secondary reasons are all replaceable.”

While that could be an advantage of hiking, it could never be the goal.

The purpose is to conquer the mountain and return, and that in itself holds significance.

If you reach the peak, it’s a success; if you don’t, it’s a failure, just like that.

“But going together with Lara makes all of that irrelevant. Hiking with someone is just more fun.”

“Hmm? Isn’t there another reason?”

Lara asked while munching on a chocolate cookie.

“What reason?”

“After hiking and coming back to eat, the food tastes even better!”

I was left speechless by her pure and insightful response.

“You’re right. So what do you want for lunch today?”

“Get me beef head soup!”

“Beef head soup…? Can you eat that?”

Did kids like such things?

I didn’t necessarily hate the dish since I had lived on rice soup two years ago.

Thus, our lunch menu was set.

The descent was faster than the ascent.

We took a different route than the one we had passed quickly like squirrels.

“Whaaa!”

On the way down, the path was icy, and Lara almost rolled off the hiking trail.

Fortunately, I grabbed a branch to stabilize myself, allowing her to hold my hand and climb back up.

“Is your ankle okay? Are you hurt?”

“Yeah, I’m fine! But is this a real path people walk on? It seems too rough here.”

“This way is faster.”

“Ah, NaeMe, your clothes are torn.”

“Where? Oh, right…”

Both of us were completely covered in dirt.

My padded jacket had snagged on a branch, tearing diagonally with the stuffing fluffing out.

The butt area of my leggings also felt damp after sitting in the snow.

“Let’s quickly eat, pay, and head back home to wash up.”

“Okay!”

Though I chose what I thought was a shortcut, Lara came down slower than expected, so the time saved in the descent wasn’t as dramatic.

We stopped at the rice soup restaurant at the entrance and ordered one beef head soup and one blood sausage soup.

Since we were a bit past lunch hour, there were vacant seats inside except for one table.

We settled near the electrically heated fan and draped the padded jacket over the chair.

I opened a wet wipe to clean Lara’s muddy face.

“Lara, get your face closer.”

Across from us, three elderly men were leisurely watching television.

[Breaking news. Among minors under the age of 12, the highest-valued ‘stock rich kid’ was found to be a teenage sibling pair holding stocks worth approximately 100 billion won.]

“Oh my! What child has a billion? They’re rich, rich.”

“A 4-year-old with 500 million? Lucky to have good parents.”

“None of that matters! When you die, you’ll leave it all behind anyway.”

The elderly men picked at their teeth with toothpicks and offered their remarks on the lives of the affluent.

In the meantime, the restaurant lady brought us two steaming bowls of rice soup.

“We didn’t order fried dumplings?”

“That’s a service from me. Enjoy your meal, kids!”

“Yes, thank you!”

Cheerful Lara bowed her head and took a fried dumpling.

“Wow, you eat heartily!”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, don’t mind us! Just eat up! Did you come with your younger sibling? Where are your mom and dad?”

While telling us not to mind, was she expected to answer?

As I was lost in thought, Lara jumped in first.

“I only have my mom, and my sister has just my dad!”

“Hey, Aurora…!”

“Hm? Isn’t that right?”

“Uhh… Yes, it is?”

The expressions of the elderly men instantly stiffened.

One of them seemed to redden in disbelief, suggesting they might be misunderstanding something, so I quickly corrected myself.

“We don’t live in an orphanage. It’s not a reconstituted family either. We’re both living well in our own homes.”

“Oh, I see. The world can be harsh and tough, right…? Make sure to eat well and rest here.”

“Yes…”

I don’t know.

[Next news. Johnson & Johnson has announced the acquisition of the domestic startup ‘BioAcoustic’, which developed a treatment for multiple sclerosis, for 870 billion won. This is an unprecedented scale for a startup under a year old, and, as a result, domestic venture investors will see profits of several hundreds of billions.]

“Wow, 870 billion? How much is that?”

“That’s a billion bowls of rice soup.”

[Meanwhile, the co-founder of BioAcoustic, Gur, is estimated to earn a massive profit of 348 billion won with a 40% stake. As the youngest billionaire in South Korea at the age of 8, Gur is attracting fervent reactions online.]

“Isn’t that the genius girl?”

“Yeah, it is! Wow, so she really is a genius!”

“Wow, sister is on television! I really wish I could be on TV, really!”

“…?”

Lara hummed a song and pointed at my identification photo showing on the television.

A strange silence fell over the restaurant.

I held my twin tails with both hands, covering my mouth, and looked around nervously.

“Uh? Uh-oh?”

One of the elderly men tilted his head, looking puzzled, and alternated his gaze between the TV and me.

“Child, is that you?”

“Yes?”

“Really! What is this! Ma’am! Come here and take a look!”