The event’s proceedings began with a thank-you and New Year greeting from the entire orphanage, followed by a congratulatory speech from a representative of the sponsors, a children’s choir performance, talent shows, and an exhibition and introduction of the artworks created by the children over the past year. Our Ara’s performance was somewhere in the middle of the program.
“You’re late,” Jeong So-yeon remarked as she checked her watch. Just as she mentioned, Guild Master Han Seok-jun and Hanul had been away for quite a while.
“Other guild masters are also nowhere to be seen. Maybe they’re together discussing business matters or something.”
“Hmm, that could be, but our guild master is not one to talk business in such a place.”
As Ara’s turn approached, right on cue, Guild Master and Hanul returned. Alongside them were the familiar face of the Iron-Blooded Baek and Johann Rothschild of Terror, whom I was seeing in person for the first time.
‘Wow, even seeing them here doesn’t feel real.’
These were individuals who could be said to influence Korea’s political and business circles. Of course, it would be more accurate to say their influence was enormous rather than directly moving things.
As a result, flashes from the press gathered in the hall showered upon them. The impressive assembly of influential figures made it an irresistible photo opportunity.
In the midst of the event, which had slightly paused, Hanul sat next to me.
“This is troublesome, very troublesome.”
“Did something happen?”
“Ryu Cheon is here.”
“…Excuse me?”
For a moment, I thought I misheard and asked again. Jeong So-yeon also shook her head, thinking Hanul was joking.
“What a joke.”
“It’s not a joke. Just keep it to yourselves.”
“Is it true?”
With such a serious tone, even Jeong So-yeon couldn’t help but ask again. Hanul responded with a big nod, looking slightly annoyed.
“But the appointment was for tomorrow. Why…”
As Jeong So-yeon was speaking, she suddenly paused and looked at me. Then, having a similar thought, I looked at Seon-ah.
Seon-ah was busy watching the famous awakened ones.
“Seon-ah.”
“Huh? Yeah?”
“Did you happen to announce somewhere that Ara would be performing?”
“Yes, I posted it on YouTube.”
“Oh, I see.”
If Hanul’s words were true, then Ryu Cheon most likely came to see Ara. Even I was surprised by how much of an ardent fan she was of Ara. Since she was planning to come to Korea anyway, arriving a day or two early shouldn’t be a problem.
… It shouldn’t be a problem, right?
Thud.
“Huh?”
Someone came and sat down next to me with a chair. Surprised by the sudden action, I looked to see who it was…
“K, Kim Tae-yang!”
“Hello, Kyu-seong. Nice to meet you?”
“Oh, I, I apologize. Nice to meet you.”
How could this be? Why was Kim Tae-yang here…
Looking around to find some common ground, I saw others also staring in surprise.
“Whoa.”
Seon-ah was completely frozen, even holding her breath.
At that moment, Hanul frowned and spoke up.
“Well, this junior is quite rude, isn’t he?”
“Why are you like that, senior? Can’t you even welcome a cute junior properly?”
“An adorable junior? How can you possibly be called adorable?”
“My face?”
Seeing him smile shamelessly at the stern Hanul, he seemed very confident.
Despite his cute appearance, he was an awakened one known as “Bloodborne,” notorious for his fierce nature.
“Awakened one, Kim Tae-yang?”
“Oh, Representative Baek.”
Baek Tae-seop approached, his eyes glinting in warning.
Even the rambunctious Kim Tae-yang couldn’t ignore Representative Baek, so he stood up slightly.
“My apologies, Mr. Kyu-seong.”
“It’s alright.”
“Our awakened Kim Tae-yang has been eager to meet you, but it seems he was too hasty and caused you discomfort.”
Even as Baek Tae-seop spoke, Kim Tae-yang looked at me with an intrigued expression.
“Hmm, a talent even the Skyscraper Guild has an eye on! I’m a bit jealous since you seem more popular than I am. Haha.”
“……”
It seemed these people had been absent because they had gone to meet Ryu Cheon.
But it looked like they had misunderstood something.
‘I’m sure they came to see Ara, not me.’
As I scratched my head, the delayed event resumed.
It was almost time for Ara to come on stage.
No matter how remarkable the people gathered here were, honestly, I didn’t care much.
I had to see Ara’s dance!
-Now, it’s time for our little angels to show off the dance skills they’ve been honing for a long time!
“Oh! It’s Ara’s turn!”
I raised my voice in excitement without realizing it, attracting some attention.
I awkwardly laughed and bowed slightly in apology.
“Ara?”
Another person responded to my shout.
The voice sounded oddly familiar.
Turning my gaze, I saw a woman near the stage.
She wore a suspicious hat, mask, and sunglasses—clearly, it was Ryu Cheon.
“……”
Surely, she didn’t think that was a proper disguise.
No way.
There’s no way the Skyscraper Guild would send her here so poorly disguised.
At that moment, children ran onto the stage.
Among them was Ara, her expression awkwardly stiff.
“I-I’ll be right back.”
With an urgent voice, Seon-ah grabbed her camera and ran, positioning herself right next to Ryu Cheon.
Ryu Cheon, not caring about revealing her identity once Ara appeared, had already removed her sunglasses.
Seeing Seon-ah prioritize photographing Ara over the famous awakened ones she loved showed her genuine affection.
Ara’s cuteness was becoming almost scary, even changing my awakened enthusiast sister’s preferences.
Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!
With clapping matching the beat, the music started.
The children on stage began to dance, or rather, perform a rhythmic movement to the song.
“Oh, how cute.”
“Isn’t that the kid who was active during the Yongsan incident?”
“No way. Or is it?”
As I watched Ara dance, I noticed she was slightly offbeat.
The funny part was that she knew it and tried hard to keep up.
“Ara! Don’t worry and go slowly! You’re already cute enough!”
Seon-ah’s voice rang out over the music.
I stood up and joined Seon-ah and Ryu Cheon.
“Our Ara is doing great!”
Ara, who had been busy copying the other children’s moves, saw Seon-ah and me and gave a big smile.
She seemed like she wanted to say something, but she was too focused on following the dance to speak.
Her dance was still awkward.
But instead of looking out of place, it just made her even more adorable.
Was it because she was my child?
No matter how much I looked, Ara was the cutest.
No matter if I was seen as overly proud, it was true. How could she not be the cutest?
Fortunately, she didn’t mess up her steps and managed to follow along well even if she was half a beat slow. Finally, the song ended and the dance routine concluded.
Clap, clap, clap, clap.
“Wow.”
“Well done, everyone!”
The children bowed amidst the cheers from the audience. Ara, not realizing it was over, continued dancing until she awkwardly joined in the bowing.
“She’s so adorable…”
Ryu Cheon mumbled, unable to close her mouth. She then tried to wave and get Ara’s attention.
“Uh, miss, your hat…”
“I need to get her autograph.”
“No, I mean, your hat is about to fall off, miss!”
Ryu Cheon turned her head with a confused look. As
Yu Bihong said, her hat fell off, and her white hair cascaded down like a waterfall.
“Huh?”
“Wow, who is she? Is she a celebrity?”
“…Is that?”
A moment of silence.
The journalists here specialized in covering awakened individuals. They immediately recognized who Ryu Cheon was.
“Ryu-Ryu Cheon?!!”
“It’s Ryu Cheon!!”
Oh boy.
The orphanage turned into chaos in an instant.
* * *
[Breaking News! Skyscraper Guild in Korea?!]
[World’s youngest 8th-level awakened, Ryu Cheon, ‘I admire someone in Korea…’ Surprise visit!]
“Hah, really.”
Baek Tae-seop shook his head as he checked the news.
Then he asked Kim Tae-yang, who was beside him.
“What do you think?”
“About what?”
“Both.”
At Baek Tae-seop’s words, Kim Tae-yang swirled his drink and downed it in one go. He then let out a low groan of satisfaction and spoke.
“You said you got this from Ara Hongryeon? Is this also Lee Kyu-seong’s work?”
“Most likely.”
“Wow, we shouldn’t underestimate him. No wonder our Seung-hyun, a unique awakened one, improved under his care.”
Kim Tae-yang, an aficionado of nearly every drink in the world, found the liquor he received through Kang Hanul to be a unique experience.
“If he gives me a bottle, I’d even work as a mercenary in a dungeon.”
“That’s what makes Kyu-seong so formidable. He possesses unique abilities that others don’t. And his abilities will continue to grow, expanding his influence in this manner.”
As Baek Tae-seop spoke, he checked a document. It detailed the reasons behind Skyscraper’s visit to Korea.
“You knew Ryu Cheon was unwell, right?”
“Yes.”
“There’s a prediction that Kyu-seong could cure her.”
“Oh, she wouldn’t have come personally if it weren’t something of that magnitude. Our princess is incredibly busy and unwell.”
“So, what did you think of the other person?”
“I think I can beat her.”
Kim Tae-yang smirked slightly. It suited him perfectly.
“Not all level 8 are the same.”
“Hm? What do you mean by level 8?”
“…Weren’t you asking about my impression of Ryu Cheon?”
The two, realizing they were talking past each other, stared blankly at each other. Eventually, Kim Tae-yang moved first, pouring himself another drink.
“Drink it sparingly. It’s precious stuff.”
“Come on, Representative. I’m Bloodborn. Should I transfer to another place instead?”
“You still have eight years left on your contract.”
“Yeah, but I can leave if I pay the penalty.”
After a brief playful argument over the drink, they returned to the main topic.
“So, Representative, if not Ryu Cheon, who were you asking about?”
“Of course, Miss Ara.”
“…Miss Ara? Who is that?”
“Didn’t you see the dance? Thanks to her, Ryu Cheon’s identity was revealed.”
“Representative, are you being serious right now?”
“Absolutely.”
Kim Tae-yang, at a loss for words, swirled his drink, savoring the subtle aroma as he gathered his thoughts. He then asked with a rather somber expression.
“I know you’re at an age where you might want to see your grandchildren, but you should ask Seung-hyun for that. How did our representative come to this?”
“Haha, I’m not joking.”
“Even if you ask me what I thought, I couldn’t really tell. You should have given me a heads-up.”
Ara? She was the kid with the animal ears. He knew she was also the one who had resolved the Yongsan incident.
‘I thought she was Lee Kyu-seong’s familiar…’
There wasn’t anything particularly special about her. If anything, she was clumsy. How she managed to defeat a physically oriented awakened one was beyond him.
“Do you really have no idea why I asked?”
“What on earth? I really don’t get it.”
“Awakened Kim Tae-yang, are you saying you truly have no idea, even though you’ll be joining Iron-Blood Guild’s board next month?”
“Eh?”
Kim Tae-yang rarely sounded surprised.
“Wasn’t that just a nominal position? Am I actually going to be involved in management and oversight?”
“What else?”
“I, uh…”
Wait a minute. Setting that aside, what does Lee Kyu-seong’s familiar have to do with this?
“Director Kim Tae-yang?”
“I’m not a director yet.”
“Nowadays, awakened ones are practically celebrities. You, with your popularity and filming experience, understand this better than anyone.”
“That’s true.”
“Then, consider this: if awakened ones are in the spotlight, why shouldn’t familiars also make an appearance?”
“Huh?”
Thinking about it, that made sense. While awakened ones had appeared on TV and in various media, familiars hadn’t yet made their debut.
“Take a look at this.”
Baek Tae-seop showed something on his phone.
Kim Tae-yang glanced over and saw a video featuring the child named Ara he had seen before.
“YouTube?”
“She has 700,000 subscribers. Though it’s modest compared to your social media followers, it’s impressive growth considering the channel’s age.”
“Hmm.”
Checking the video, it wasn’t just Ara; cute teddy bear and peaceful-looking slimes appeared frequently. Such adorable familiars certainly had competitive potential.
“The popularity of awakened ones is proportional to their power. But look at the familiars. Even if they’re not strong, they’re marketable if they’re cute, like pets.”
“You’re quite the strategist. When did you come up with this plan?”
“Since I learned about Ara. And it’s not because I was jealous that my familiars look scary.”
“You were jealous.”
Though spoken jokingly, the business potential was clear. And the current situation seemed perfect for taking the first step.
“Is the YouTube channel owned by Lee Kyu-seong?”
“I believe it’s run by his sister.”
“I’ll get in touch then, aiming for a contract.”
“Oh, are you interested now?”
“I have to be, to earn more of this drink.”
Kim Tae-yang eyed the bottle on Baek Tae-seop’s table lazily.
“But first, starting next month. I’m not a director yet.”
“It’s a done deal.”
“I don’t care. I want to rest more. I’ll be leaving now~!”
With that, he quickly poured himself another drink and dashed off.
“Hah, I told you it’s precious!”
No joke.
Baek Tae-seop genuinely valued Kyu-seong’s drink.
Cliche Novel 