Chapter 428

NaMe’s refusal of 11.5 billion won might have been within the government’s expectations.

What South Korea needs right now is not the government’s response, but a change in the perception of the citizens.

It was judged that if her good deeds were widely spread in articles, forming a favorable public opinion, NaMe could change her mind.

However, NaMe striking first with public relations was beyond expectations.

[NoNaMe_11]

[Is there anyone who asks, ‘What are you sorry for?’]

– No, NaMe, the adults are all sorry!

– Oh no, something happened againㅠㅠㅠㅠ

– The person who made you say such things in the first place is at fault!

– In my experience, if one feels the sincerity in an apology, there’s no need to say such things.

– From the beginning of the story, my heart hurts too muchㅠㅠㅠㅠ

– Our poor NaMe, only suffering from unjust criticismㅠㅠ

– NaMe, cheer up. Please don’t forget that our fans are always cheering for you.

The media play strategy fell apart.

There’s a saying that one shouldn’t even re-tie their shoelaces in a cantaloupe field.

One couldn’t simply frustrate the government officials in the budget office to dig a hole with the allocated budget.

From the beginning, this government had taken the motto of doing nothing if they didn’t know what to do, so it was nothing new.

Thus, the next arrows of criticism were directed at the bullies who had initially caused NaMe to reflect on herself.

[If you hadn’t been there, this wouldn’t have happened!]

Usually, events that would lose interest in a month were continuously fanned into flames.

The police chief candidate was taken into custody for obstruction of public duty by hierarchy.

The bullies, who had firmly planted a bad image due to the ‘hospital live broadcast’, could no longer recklessly venture outside under the watch of the entire nation.

Then one day, it was leaked to the public that Kim Se-bin, the daughter of police chief candidate Kim Soon-yeol, had been admitted to a psychiatric hospital.

She was the one who had burned the victim’s body with a lighter and stabbed it with a cutter knife.

All the guardians of patients in the same ward rose up in unison to protest her expulsion.

Like NaMe had walked, she too ended up in a situation with nowhere to go.

Kim Se-bin was transferred to another hospital and her whereabouts became unknown thereafter.

Occasional updates about NaMe came from voices of Koreans living in the United States.

NaMe jogged every morning with her sister and shopped at the supermarket with her family.

From photos taken with fans, NaMe’s current situation could be seen, and she always wore a white square beanie.

The protruding corners resembled a cute baby polar bear.

As square beanies started to appear in fashion shows in the U.S. and Europe, they eventually became the final trend of winter 2052.

Meanwhile, a challenge emerged in communities to follow the traces NaMe had left in Korea.

In end-of-century RPGs, a top Asteria who lost her parents was rampant, and in MMORPGs, healers in armor bravely rushed into enemy territory.

Tired users began leaving the games one by one, opting to spend time with their families.

The temperature, oscillating between feeling cold and warm, continued until one day, pure white snow fell, like tears from soldiers.

It was Christmas Eve.

* * *

Fwooosh—

In this era, bonfires were adequately simulated with sophisticated holograms.

We gathered around a stove shaped like a bonfire.

Saetbyeol, with a face akin to someone who ate something sour, fanned out the Trump cards like a fan.

As she lightly flicked her hand over the cards, Saetbyeol’s expression crinkled slightly.

“You have the Joker.”

“…! No, do it again!”

“Too late.”

I drew my card.

7 of hearts.

The card in my hand was the 7 of clovers.

I discarded my last remaining cards onto the floor and shook my hands before standing up.

“Alright, today’s dishwashing winner is Ms. Saetbyeol. I’m counting on you.”

“Thank you, Saetbyeol.”

“Geez, it’s me again… I can’t do that!”

After losing in the game of Capture the Thief, Saetbyeol rolled up her sleeves and put on rubber gloves.

How could she not know that if she got close to the Joker, her butt would wiggle?

Meanwhile, Dad pulled an orange from a box and peeled it.

It was too much for just one person to eat.

After having had a lot of turkey for dinner.

I quickly ran over to Saetbyeol, who was diligently washing dishes, and fed her a piece at a time.

“Yawn.”

“Ugh… stop sucking your fingers.”

“Why are you freaking out! My saliva isn’t dirty, you know?”

I shoved a whole piece of orange, with three segments stuck together, into her mouth and walked back to Dad.

“2022 is almost over.”

Professor Cheon gazed out the window as he murmured.

“Indeed. Time flies. It’s bittersweet.”

“Do you remember what we were doing last year?”

“I was playing an otome game.”

“An otome game…?”

Chuckling softly, I leaned against Dad.

I gently closed my eyes and reminisced about the year.

In the pitch-black darkness, a small light unfolded like a scroll.

If I had to choose the busiest days of the year, early January would probably be among the top three.

I solved Mephistopheles’s enigma and found the entity of Adella’s consciousness with the help of the Katsuhuta School.

Adella was officially declared not merely an ASI but a human, and the lawsuit was still ongoing.

I held my first fan meeting and created unforgettable memories with various people, including Cannon King.

In February, I sold Biotech Acquisitions to Johnson & Johnson for 870 billion won and used all of my share to summon cats.

The National Tax Service conducted a tax investigation on me, and I struggled for a while, but I managed to get through, even shaking hands with President Lee Jo-won.

While Saetbyeol got a new identity and attended school diligently, I realized I still had childlike innocence while enjoying field day events.

During summer vacation, I trained together with Emika, shaking off my regrets as a mentor.

Thinking of the countless fans who celebrated my birthday both online and offline still warms my heart.

On my journey to becoming a high-ranking mage, I met Ban So Wol and flowed into Japan.

Thanks to this, I even witnessed Emika win at the National Exchange Championships with my own eyes.

Upon returning to Korea, I established the Jansol Clan and planned various educational activities.

It seemed that the true identity of Adella was about to be exposed, but it was just a false alarm, and it became an opportunity for me to get even closer to her.

In autumn, I sparked a craze for glow swords in Korea and went out for commentary at the Academy Championship, realizing the joy of conversation.

In October, a treatment for multiple sclerosis hit the market, and I collected donations from the entire nation.

I witnessed school bullying that I could not personally forgive and punished the bullies.

People who witnessed my cruelty who surfaced during that process were disappointed in me.

I made a self-reflection on the broadcast, and I dropped out of the academy.

I was inexperienced in apologies.

So, timidly, I used initials from my papers to seek forgiveness from the public.

Feeling the growing distance from my friends, I ended up leaving Korea and flowing all the way to America.

I ask myself.

Am I living well now?

“Probably.”

It’s far from the ordinary life I longed for in my previous life, but so what.

If an extraordinary person cannot live ordinarily, I should seek a form of happiness that is extraordinary.

“When does the winter semester start, NaMe?”

At Professor Cheon’s question, I awoke from my thoughts and absorbed the cozy atmosphere of the living room.

“It’s on January 6th. As far as I know, classes are for 12 weeks until the end of March.”

Phillips Academy operated on a three-semester system.

“What classes?”

“Advanced Theory of Aura Class, Mage Duel Practice, and I’m also taking Open World Engineering for the pleasure of it. I’m trying not to be greedy because too much might impede my research.”

“Good thinking. Don’t forget, if it gets too hard, you can quit any time.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

“Woohoo, the dishwashing is done!”

Having finished cleaning up, we went to our respective rooms.

Saetbyeol, forced to be a morning person, collapsed on her bed as soon as she lay down.

I had planned to chat if she wasn’t sleeping.

The changing sleeping arrangements didn’t hinder her need for sleep.

Saetbyeol kicked the blanket off while sleep-talking.

I covered her up to her neck and quietly returned to my room.

Sitting at my desk, I opened my notebook and picked up a pen after a long time.

In the brutal winter when all the insects had vanished.

An antique fountain pen scratched against the yellow paper.

“Jealousy: Shardenfroide

Hunger: Erisiton

Sloth: Medusa

Anger: Sekhmet

Lust: Astarte

Greed: Barithia

Pride: Hibirisu”

I wrote about the remnants of erosion within the imaginary world that constructs my memories in the imperial language.

The imaginary world is a type of illusion that manifests when an individual’s Aura Heart synchronizes strongly with mana branches.

Thus, when a human dies, the imaginary world within them, including ‘Glakis Imago’, cannot be observed by any means.

“If this is the typical orthodox view… then we should also consider the possibility that it might be wrong.”

After all, I remember my past life.

Then, I could hypothesize that the character ‘NoNaMe’ accidentally connected with the imaginary world of ‘Esteria’ and the memories within it flowed into me entirely.

Instead, the fact that I had my first life ‘U-nakwon,’ where mana didn’t exist at all, became another hindrance.

This is why many people throughout history might believe in the existence of God.

Just like how a doctor says it’s ‘stress-induced’ when he doesn’t know the cause of the illness, we can just say it’s ‘divine.’

Both are just as stressful.

Let’s reorganize the situation.

Currently, I am a figure who mentally inherited Shardenfroide.

Since I never recognized any part of myself other than Shardenfroide, I sealed other memories forever.

Instead, the knowledge they possessed is still being used effectively.

What purified Iharu’s eyes with my aura before came from the knowledge of Astarte, who was the saint of the Alphenheim Kingdom.

I have never learned such methods in my life.

Yet I know it with my mind, so I can use it naturally.

Considering the backgrounds of each character like this makes it easy to deduce from whom the knowledge originates.

I had contemplated in the chair for almost an hour but returned to square one again.

Lying on the wide bed, I blinked and stared at the ceiling.

The shadows of branches reflected by the moonlight entered the house.

The cold north wind knocked at the window, singing a lullaby.

I snuggled under the fluffy blanket and closed my eyes.

Instead of herding the bleating sheep, I conjured the connections from my past life one by one to overcome the hurdles.

In my imagination, Niobe, with her short legs, fell over.

Suddenly, I thought of wanting to meet them in reality as well.

“How about making it into a game?”