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There’s something in America.

There’s a new magic in America.

That fact made Jinseong quite pleased.

But the timing wasn’t just right.

When the time and place don’t match, nothing goes smoothly.

Isn’t that something they say often in American movies and dramas?

『You were in the wrong place at the wrong time.』

Thus, Jinseong had no choice but to postpone going to America.

Going now would surely mean being shadowed by the relentless surveillance of the American government.

Considering that he was involved with a shaman and that ‘Lucas,’ who was monitored by the government, was in the picture, it was likely he’d be under their watchful eyes… Leaving the country only to re-enter America for some reason?

And that for a trip, not even a business excuse?

From the American government’s perspective, it would be hard not to become suspicious.

And on top of that, the issue of the mysterious shaman posed a problem.

Jinseong was aware of the mysterious shaman, but that shaman was also aware of Jinseong.

The fact that their eyes met carried that very implication.

Seeing the eyeball meticulously drawn in Jinseong’s blood, it seemed he had severed the connection while enduring the damage… If that were the case, they would certainly react extremely sensitively to Jinseong. He would likely be thwarted by all sorts of methods the moment he set foot in America.

‘They might utilize connections or spend money.’

They might scheme to prevent Jinseong from entering America, or even if he were to enter, they could arrange for him to suffer an accident that would hamper his movements.

Or perhaps…

‘Bribe beggars to start a shootout, hire criminals to plant drugs or explosives in his luggage to frame him, set traps along his route, lay down magic or infect others with it to approach and attack him…’

The possibilities were endless.

Both socially and physically.

With the right spices and condiments, it wouldn’t just be restraining him, but outright expelling him from America.

And there’s no way the opponent wouldn’t think of what Jinseong could also think.

Is there any greater arrogance than thinking others are inferior to oneself?

Jinseong wasn’t that kind of person.

Especially not towards a shaman who might be acquiring unknown magic.

‘Stepping into the home ground without a thought is the dumbest thing. Yeah, that’s true…’

So, it was wise to prepare carefully related to America.

A time would surely come.

The crazies in America would slowly start to show.

The moment they cause chaos in society, and the government struggles with them, that moment would definitely come.

At that point, Jinseong could enter America in some way.

In some way…

Thus he waited.

He waited.

He endured.

It wouldn’t be long.

—

America is something that should be put off for now.

But conversely, there were matters that needed to be checked as quickly as possible.

That involved Iarin.

Just like before, Jinseong went to see Iarin.

“Yo~ welcome, big bro. It’s been a while since you’ve been home, hasn’t it?”

She welcomed Park Jinseong warmly as he entered and led him to her room…

“Hmmm. It seems messier than usual. Is it just my imagination?”

“Oh~ that? My relative is gone, you see. So I’m living freely.”

Surprisingly, her room was transforming into a dump or a pigsty.

The servants working at the mansion were trying hard to clean up, but there were no traces of trash or snack crumbs. However, textbooks titled ‘Elementary Magic’ and ‘Advanced Magic Tactics – 2’ lay scattered across the floor, and unopened snacks were roughly hidden all around.

It was as if, like some silly creature claiming “I’m perfectly hidden” by just burying its head in the ground, a mere portion was covered while most of its body boldly displayed its presence.

That wasn’t all.

Various desserts she bought as snacks were left to decay at room temperature, her bag looked as if it had been thrown in the corner, and her bed was crumpled into a ball, with something that used to be a hugging doll twisted as if it was doing yoga…

It was absolute chaos.

It looked like chaos had descended upon the room.

“Why are you nagging so much? People need to live a little more freely, you know? Don’t you agree?”

But Iarin wasn’t embarrassed by the state of her room.

She stood tall, puffing her chest out, even taking pride in it.

“Isn’t Iserin just like that? Not at all like a hamster or a squirrel. When I see her room, I sometimes think of horror games, you know? It’s definitely a typical horror game background, but the house is a total puzzle. I went to the room on the second floor, and there was a lock on the door asking for a password, and everything needed a key to open. Even puzzle pieces had to be assembled, or paintings needed to be placed correctly to open the door. What kind of house is that?”

She even passionately criticized Iserin.

“When you see her room, it’s just like that horror game house. Want to do something? You’ll need a key. Want to do anything? Solve a puzzle. Looking for something? It’s definitely hidden away, so good luck to you… Ugh. With powers and all kinds of strange devices, it’s hidden compounded upon hidden… her room is sometimes amazing, but other times I can’t stand even looking at it. It’s like she’s using an escape room café as her room! It’s always been a bit like that, but lately, it seems to have gotten worse.”

Grumbling.

Iarin seemed displeased with the changes in her relative, pouting her lips.

She then grinned, as if to say she was different from her.

“But look! My room! There’s nothing hidden, right? Whether it’s a person or an item, something intuitive like this is good, don’t you think? Just looking at it, you can tell, and it’s so trustworthy. I can genuinely feel that I’m hiding nothing. Right? Don’t you think so too, big bro? Doesn’t it fill you with trust?”

“Hmmm. Trust, huh… However, just throwing your clothes like that doesn’t look good to me.”

“Eh? Clothes?”

Iarin tilted her head at Jinseong’s words.

She then noticed the clothes she had carelessly thrown off like a snake shedding its skin…

“…Ah.”

With an expression of obvious embarrassment, she moved her hands.

Towards Jinseong.

Whoosh.

With a skilled movement infused with the principle of softness overcoming hardness she learned at school, she turned Jinseong’s body away, and as soon as she did, she stuffed her workout clothes and school uniform that were carelessly tossed under the bed.

Then, with a deft movement, she returned to her original place, turned Jinseong back to his previous position as if nothing happened, and resumed her posture as if everything was the same as before.

“Hahaha. Even if the people who work here take them, you shouldn’t leave them in such plain sight. Plus, giving them more work to do is…”

“Oh come on!”

But things that happened can’t be erased, can they?

Jinseong began to scold Iarin nonchalantly.

He told her to stop tossing her clothes carelessly like that and put them properly in the laundry basket, and not to make life harder for the servants.

Iarin, disliking Jinseong’s nagging, screamed back.

“Oh, you were like that in the past, but nowadays you’re acting like a grandpa! This big bro has really taken on a strange concept!”

She felt a vibe not unlike Lee Yang-hoon’s from Jinseong, shaking her head and running towards the bed as if she no longer wanted to hear his nagging.

Flop—

As she threw herself, the expensive bed readily embraced her body.

“Ah~”

As soon as Iarin lay down, she wriggled like she had become one with the bed.

It resembled the stance of a warrior who has reached the state of unity with their sword.

If a sloth were to be one with the bed, perhaps it would look something like that.

Unity of object and self.

In terms of ‘comfortable rest,’ it was truly reaching an unparalleled level.

Jinseong chuckled at that sight, pulled out a camping chair from the wall, and sat down.

Then, looking down at Iarin sprawled on the bed, he asked.

“So, what’s been stressing you out so much lately?”

He was asking what was causing her all the stress.

“Of course, big bro can see right through me.”

And at that question, Iarin smiled.

She shifted positions, moving her arms and loosening her hair tie, before adjusting back to look up at the ceiling. After appearing a bit uncomfortable, she dragged over the bundle of blankets lying in a corner and used it as a pillow, gazing back at the ceiling.

“Ah~ there have been so many things on my mind lately~”

 

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