Chapter 430

[No Name Rejects 11.5 Billion Won. Willing to Donate Entire Amount for Child Welfare.]

[Has No Name’s Heart Departed for Korea… ‘Rumors of Immigration to the U.S.’ No Name Declines Meeting with Government Officials.]

[Was 11.5 Billion Won Really the Ultimate Card? BBC: “Considering No Name’s Market Value, It’s Not Even 1%.”]

No Name, the star magician more difficult to meet than ordinary celebrities.

After achieving unimaginable feats, she departed for America and appeared on a random chatting app.

Viewers, including Ted Kim, were left in shock by the sudden appearance of such a significant figure.

[How is it in Korea right now? Is it good?]

[Interpretation: How does Korea feel with me gone? Is it good without me?]

Of course, it wouldn’t be good.

A world-famous star magician doesn’t emerge overnight.

It’s hard to gain notoriety in a country unless you have hundreds of years of family tradition like in China or Japan, royal lineage like in Europe, or invest massive capital like in America.

Among those star magicians, No Name is a truly unique presence.

And she has turned her back resolutely.

A three-tier snowman of the West, the symbol of America, the bald eagle.

Isn’t it an obvious hint toward immigration to the U.S.?

Currently, she is referred to as No Name in news worldwide.

However, Koreans couldn’t actively refute their ignorant remarks.

They were on the verge of truly becoming No Name.

-Come back! Partner! Come back! Partner! Come back! Partner!

-NaeMe has left, and my sister’s heart hurtsㅠ

-Wow, how can No Name just show up here?

-I thought spring only came after the flowers wilted…

-Please don’t be the first in America. NaeMe, don’t abandon Koreaㅠㅠㅠ

-The government should give No Name a fully loaded Equus, Gangnam apartments, lifetime free passes to Everland, unlimited bread from Seongsimdang, and lifetime subway passes!

Ted Kim perfectly represented the viewers’ feelings.

“There’s no way it can be good. Everyone is anxiously waiting for NaeMe to arrive. You must be really angry with us, right?”

Then NaeMe frowned.

We were discussing the weather; what kind of off-topic nonsense was that?

[No, I’m asking how the weather in Korea is right now. There was a snowstorm all day in America yesterday.]

[Interpretation: I really dislike the atmosphere returning to Korea. I had a low mood all day until yesterday.]

NaeMe never speaks unpleasant words directly to others.

The viewers who have known NaeMe’s personality for a long time all sighed.

“Is American food to your taste?”

[Oh, yes, I like it. These days, drone delivery service makes ordering food easy.]

“Are the neighbors kind?”

[The neighbor next door raises turkeys, and they shared some meat with us yesterday.]

“Oh, that’s nice. I’m glad.”

-It’s hard to communicate even with a 9-year-old.

-She seems really upsetㅠㅠㅠ

-Political power 100 scale No Name.

-The culture of sharing food in Korea disappeared 50 years ago.

Ted Kim attempted to calm the overheated chat and initiated a conversation with her.

Today was his greatest opportunity in broadcasting history and at the same time his greatest crisis.

Would he become the hero who captured NaeMe, or the villain who squandered the last opportunity?

“Honestly, I think if I were you, I wouldn’t want to stay in Korea either. I can’t bear it if millions of strangers insult me behind a screen.”

Ted Kim attempted a direct approach.

Viewers’ comments rained down in the chat like a storm.

“No Name started from the absolute bottom, or even lower, and has now become a magician envied by people worldwide.”

[Not to that extent.]

“No, I coincidentally heard your speech at the White House on VTube. I was amazed. Wow, that’s really impressive. How can someone be so deep? Most people, including me, probably never think like that.”

[Thank you for your kind words.]

“I also dislike Korea. It’s highly collectivistic and selfish, and since childhood, there are so many things forced upon you until old age and death…”

[Now that I think about it, people start studying a lot from a young age.]

“But oddly enough, I feel a certain attachment to Korea. It’s interesting that when an issue arises in our society, we can share joy or anger with strangers. I also like the dynamic atmosphere of busking in the early morning and the quickness of deliveries and administrative work.”

[It’s super fast.]

“So, I think it’s a love-hate relationship. You can hate it but can’t fully hate it.”

[Love-hate, huh…]

“I think Koreans do have a bit of a pot mentality, but if you put it another way, it means they apologize quickly, right? Is that reading too much into it? Anyway, I see it as a tremendous advantage. Why do you think there’s a saying about fixing fences after losing cattle? Because Korea is the best at fixing fences.”

[Haha. Is that so?]

“Of course, it lacks many things compared to America… Normally when playing civilization games for fun, you often choose weaker nations. The choice is ultimately up to NaeMe, but at least if you come back, many people will welcome you for sure. I’m certain.”

Ted Kim’s lengthy persuasion came to an end.

Perhaps the turn in his sharp speech from random chatting had an effect.

Knowing that any petty lie would be immediately caught by NaeMe, Ted Kim spoke only the truth with all his heart.

His persuasion wasn’t dressed up in flowery language.

Yet, the viewers nodded their heads as if they empathized with his stance a hundred times.

All that remained was NaeMe’s response.

After confirming there was no more hot chocolate left, NaeMe slowly set the cup down.

Eventually, a mischievous smile spread across NaeMe’s expressionless face.

[You might be misunderstanding something, but I don’t dislike Korea that much. During the national exchange competition, I promise to participate in a match solely for, by, and about Korea. It was enjoyable talking with you.]

[Interpretation: I will give you a grace period until August.]

[The connection with the other party has been lost.]

Ted Kim, looking bewildered, asked the viewers.

“Did I succeed?”

-Kyaaaaah!

-Ted Kim has gone insane, hahaha!

-That’s right, this is it. No Name still has feelings left!

-For real, added a lifetime achievement.

-Today’s broadcast was legendary.

-Is it because he holds a high position as a magician? No Name’s aura seems truly unbeatable.

-If she comes back, she could be a lifelong hero.

-Wow… This will be on the news immediately tomorrow.

-No Name has such beauty; looks like a model.

-It was a broadcast that will live long on VTube.

-No Name’s face turned red from the cold; so cute…

Eventually, those who painted the child’s face with a vibrant smile held a celebration late into the night.

* * *

A week spent with family passed in the blink of an eye.

During that time, the calendar turned over, and the Year of the Black Rooster, heralding dawn and the arrival of light, arrived.

In the morning, I swept the snow in the yard with Saetbyeol.

Sometimes I exchanged greetings with passing neighbors while appreciating the moon still floating in the bright blue sky.

At lunchtime, I often cooked new dishes with my dad using recipes from ‘The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.’

In the afternoon, I discussed the problems of 8-circle magic with theoretical magicians from Harvard University.

The venue was our living room.

Currently, the only 8-circle magic ‘Horizon’ created by America has a significant issue.

That is, the magic itself has a difficult ‘specificity’ to achieve.

Since the scale occurs at a picometer level, it’s hard to distinguish whether the phenomenon is caused by a mere change of magic or manipulation of the magic itself.

We proceeded with research keeping both plans in mind: either developing more precise pulse flight time sensors or inventing an entirely new 8-circle magic.

As I debated with the old white-haired uncles and aunts, the sun quickly sank below the horizon.

After sending the guests away, Saetbyeol emerged from the room as if she had been waiting.

I couldn’t let her constantly play tricks on me.

So, in return, I made her aura-tail into two or turned her cat ears into dog ears, teasing her in various ways.

“Give me back my body, you demon!”

I ran away with all my might from the approaching Saetbyeol.

Knock knock—

The sound of knocking at the entrance door echoed right at that moment.

“Finally caught you, you clever little brat…!”

“Saetbyeol, there are guests. Come out.”

“Ahhh!”

I pinched Saetbyeol’s belly and quickly stood up.

I hurriedly tidied up my tousled hair and opened the door.

“Who is it?”

I poked my face out and asked in Korean.

The young man standing in front of me looked like a native Korean.

“Hello. Is this No Name’s residence?”

“Did you come here knowing who I am?”

“Yes.”

“So, what brings you here? If you’re a stalker, I will call the police.”

He looked like someone who had lived an exemplary life since birth, so I gave him a chance to explain.

He took out glasses from his pocket and put them on his face.

His already small eyes seemed to become even more pronounced.

I glanced at the thick brown envelope he was holding under his arm.

“Nice to meet you. I am Um Jun-yong, Vice Chairman of the Balpurgis Special Investigation Committee.”

“Ah… Didn’t you have bleached hair before?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

I think I vaguely saw a news report from the hospital about him before.

He confirmed Saetbyeol rolling around inside and signaled that he had something urgent to say.

Just the two of us.

“I’ll step out to the front yard for a moment.”

Since I couldn’t chase out Saetbyeol, I hurriedly put on my ugg boots without even wearing socks.

The sound of crunching echoed with every step I took.

“To the point, I hate being interrupted.”

“Then let me be brief, No Name High Magician.”

He opened the envelope and handed me a document.

It was a yellowed A4 paper that was decades old.

[Medical Report]

It was a document to prove the health status of the patient.

And upon seeing the text below, my heart began to pound dangerously.

[Patient Name: Sulah]

[Diagnosis Date: 2030. 6. 28.]

[Diagnosis: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis]

“I found this material at the orphanage. I know it’s illegal to access someone else’s medical records, but I thought I needed to show it to you as soon as possible, so I came to see you directly.”

“Yes… but.”

“Your mother was born in 2022, right?”

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

A terminal illness with a 50% mortality rate within five years and a 90% mortality rate within ten years.

She was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease at the age of 8.

“She graduated from Yuhwa Middle School and Yuhwa High School.”

“Yes, that’s correct…”

But she definitely lived ‘well’ until age 23 before her life ended inside the capsule.

How could that be?