Fortunately, there were no reporters inside the guild.
Inside the building, there were only our guild members, so everyone was just surprised, and that was all.
At first, they looked very shocked, but it was as if they were thinking, “I could totally see that happening.”
As I watched people gradually regain their composure, I couldn’t help but scratch my head.
‘Am I really that impressive?’
As I was lost in thought, Katrina approached me with a smile, as if she had made an awkward mistake.
“I accidentally said something silly.”
“It’s fine.”
“Hmmm……”
Katrina stared at me intently.
Wasn’t she here to see the artwork? Why does she seem so interested in me?
As I subtly stepped back from her intense gaze, Ara took my place.
“I am Ara!”
“Huh?”
“Hello!”
Ara greeted in a dignified manner.
Behind her, Cheong timidly followed and greeted in a small voice.
“Hello, I’m Cheong.”
“So you’re the familiars of Lee Kyu-seong. I’ve heard about you. You’re even cuter in person.”
Now that I looked closely, it seemed like she knew quite a bit about me.
At this point, it seemed like coming to see me was part of the reason she came to Korea.
“Do you know me?”
“Of course. There’s almost nothing I don’t know.”
“Oh! So you’re a know-it-all!”
“A know-it-all? What’s that?”
Are they doing a skit or something?
As I watched this conversation that made my brain feel a little mushy, the guild leader stepped forward.
“Welcome to our guild, Katrina. I’m the guild leader, Han Seok-jun.”
“Ah, I’m sorry. I’m Katrina Smith. Thank you so much for allowing me to visit today.”
I’d been sensing it for a while, but her attitude was odd.
It felt rude, yet she still maintained a sense of politeness when speaking.
It was like she was trying too hard to be polite, but it felt awkward.
She was definitely a unique person.
“Hmmm, but what about the people outside? Will they just be left standing there?”
“People outside…?”
“The reporters. They all seem eager to take our pictures.”
At Katrina’s words, everyone in the guild seemed flustered.
However, the guild leader gently intervened.
“People outside cannot enter the guild building freely. Guests are allowed, but the people outside are probably reporters, so there are many complications.”
“Isn’t there any way to let them in as guests?”
“No. It’s not possible.”
The guild leader smiled brightly and spoke firmly.
For a moment, I almost admired him.
“Hmph, that’s a shame. I understand.”
“Katrina, are you hungry? If you’re okay with it, we can have a meal first and then enjoy the artwork.”
“I’ll look at the artwork first. I’ve already made a dinner reservation at a restaurant.”
With that, Katrina took the lead and walked ahead, as if she knew exactly where the exhibition hall was.
I quickly followed behind, thinking how unpredictable she was.
The guild leader, myself, and Katrina.
With Ara and Cheong, only five of us went up to the exhibition hall.
Even in the elevator, Katrina sent strange glances my way.
At this point, I wondered if she wanted something from me.
Ding!
The elevator arrived, and the exhibition hall finally came into view. The well-decorated exhibition space was waiting, and the curator we had seen earlier was there.
“Oh, this isn’t bad.”
“Thank you.”
As Katrina glanced around the exhibition hall, the guild leader bowed his head in response.
Soon, Katrina dashed toward the artwork with quick steps.
The curator, based on the materials I had provided earlier, began explaining the pieces.
‘Thank goodness. I thought I would have to do it.’
I sighed in relief inside and listened to the explanation.
Indeed, Mammon’s artwork looked different when viewed with context.
At first, it seemed like just an unusual shape, but after learning the story behind it, I started to understand why it was made with such structure, angle, and form.
“Hmmm.”
“Mm.”
Katrina and the guild leader observed the artwork with serious expressions.
Next to them, Ara was also stroking her chin and squinting, focusing intently.
Ara, why are you even here?
“Shall we move on to the next piece?”
We went through all 33 works created by Mammon, one by one.
Each time I visited the guild, I would deliver a piece, and now, there were so many.
‘This is quite draining.’
The tension I had been feeling around Katrina gradually disappeared.
Instead, simply admiring all 33 works became quite exhausting.
The biggest reason was that I couldn’t control the time spent on appreciating the works.
As Katrina and the guild leader took longer to admire the pieces, I had to watch along with them.
Before long, Ara lost her initial focus, and her eyes were now unfocused, barely open.
She really didn’t need to go that far, but Ara is as stubborn as ever.
“Hm, it was good. The way the works were arranged in a circular structure was quite impressive.”
Finally, we finished appreciating the last piece.
Katrina seemed very satisfied, but she went off on her own to examine the works again.
She needed some alone time, apparently.
In the meantime, I patted Ara, who seemed exhausted, while Cheong, who had fallen asleep, was on my back.
“Thank you for your hard work, Kyu-seong.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Would it be possible to get the artist’s permission to hold an exhibition of these works?”
“Oh, I’ll ask. I’m sure they’ll like it.”
The exhibition hall created in the guild was difficult for regular visitors to access.
Of course, I could open the guild to the public, but since this place also serves as a company, there could be concerns about leaks of confidential information or disruptions to work.
“By the way, it’s already been 3 hours. Are you hungry?”
“A bit. I’m not sure about the kids, though. I feel bad for making them watch for so long.”
“It’s fine. Well, my kids can eat as much as they want from now on.”
When the subject of food came up, Ara, who had been spaced out, suddenly jumped up.
She puffed out her cheeks and made a victory gesture.
“Food!”
“Yeah, yeah. We’ll eat soon. I’ll call Jae-seong and tell him to prepare more food for Ara.”
“Okay!”
I immediately contacted Jae-seong, telling him that we’d be heading down soon and asking him to prepare enough food for Ara to eat her fill.
Just as the call ended, Katrina approached and said,
“I’ll buy all the works marked here.”
“Got it. Thank you.”
“The shipping should go here… Hmm. Would it be possible to talk to the artist?”
At that, all eyes turned toward me.
I gave Katrina an apologetic look and spoke.
“The artist doesn’t meet with anyone personally. I’m sorry.”
“Oh, are you the one in contact with the artist, Kyu-seong?”
“Yes.”
“Ah, so that’s why you were together.”
Now that I think about it, I hadn’t explained.
From Katrina’s perspective, she might have wondered why we were viewing the exhibition together.
Once the artwork appreciation was over and it seemed like the business was finished, Katrina moved back toward the elevator.
There was something hard to pin down about her.
“Katrina, I heard you already made a reservation for dinner, but if you have time, would you like to just try a little of it?”
When I asked in the elevator, Katrina stared at me intently again.
What’s going on? Why does she keep staring at me like that?
As her response was delayed, Ara, now back to her usual energetic self, stepped in.
“Are you not going to eat?”
“Huh?”
“Jae-seong’s cooking is really delicious. Can’t we eat together?”
Ara said with a face full of regret, and Katrina, with an unreadable expression, continued staring at her.
Ara didn’t back down and looked up at Katrina, her eyes shining, until Katrina finally spoke.
“If you really want to eat together, I’ll join you for a moment. But I’ll leave quickly.”
It felt like her response was saying, “If you really want it, I’ll give in just this once.”
But I could completely understand it.
She was not only a representative awakened being from the U.S. but also one of only seven Level 9 awakened beings in the world.
Considering the hardships she must have faced from all sides, such a reaction seemed completely natural.
The elevator arrived, and we headed to the restaurant.
Thanks to the call I made earlier, a delicious smell was wafting through the air.
I didn’t expect the viewing to take this long, so I felt a bit guilty.
They must have been waiting until now.
As we got closer to the restaurant, the smell became even stronger.
Because of that, I could feel Cheong, who had been sleeping on my back, start to rub his eyes and wake up.
“Is it food?”
“Cheong, you’re awake. That’s right. You’ve been waiting a long time, haven’t you? Let’s eat well.”
“Yeah, I’m so hungry.”
I heard Cheong’s cute response as we entered the restaurant. To my surprise, I saw that some people were already eating.
“Huh? It’s a buffet?”
I had expected a plated meal, but it was a buffet.
It seemed like something had been miscommunicated.
I discreetly glanced at Katrina, but surprisingly, she seemed unbothered.
“We’ll bring our food separately.”
The guild leader said that, but Katrina shook her head.
“No, it’s fine. Let’s just eat like this. I don’t want to be treated specially. And besides, I have a reservation at another restaurant, so I’ll leave after a little while.”
She was really unpredictable.
This time, the woman who enjoys being in the spotlight and becoming famous wanted to eat a regular meal with others?
Of course, it wasn’t a regular meal.
Even though it was a buffet, the taste wouldn’t change since the ingredients were from Jae-seong and me.
‘Well, maybe she’s just trying to be considerate, planning to only try a little?’
I didn’t know Katrina well, but she didn’t seem like the considerate type…
Anyway, we grabbed our plates to start serving ourselves.
“The Great Witch!”
“Katrina Smith! Wow, amazing.”
“Are we eating together?”
“Even if she’s the Great Witch, won’t she fall in love once she tastes this?”
I could hear people murmuring around us.
In the meantime, Ara suddenly grabbed Katrina’s hand.
“Follow me!”
“Huh?”
Katrina looked visibly flustered.
I was surprised and tried to stop her, but she obediently followed Ara.
“This and this. And you should try this too!”
“Did you say Ara? I actually have a reservation at another restaurant, so I can’t eat too much.”
“Hm? Is this a lot? Just try a little!”
I could see Katrina struggling.
Wow, Ara turned out to be Katrina’s rival after all.
And the aroma from the food was so irresistible that I couldn’t help but feel drawn in.
To just leave without eating this?
If she did that, I’d personally recognize her as having immense willpower.
Ara filled her plate with food, and then continued to bring over other dishes, piling them up on the table.
Katrina, on the other hand, carefully transferred a little bit of each dish to a single plate, and her pace was almost the same as Ara’s.
In the end, both of them brought their plates with all the food and started eating together.
‘What a unique combination.’
I watched them eat while attending to Cheong at the side table.
“Bon appetit!”
Ara was soon eating enthusiastically.
And Katrina was eating politely, putting food into her mouth.
“Mmm!! As expected, it’s Jae-seong’s cooking!”
“!!!?”
As always, Ara was eating happily.
And Katrina…
Chew, chew.
Swallow.
Chew, chew.
Nom, nom.
Swallow.
Suddenly, she became quiet and her hands moved faster as she kept shoveling food into her mouth.
Her plate was quickly emptied.
Since she had taken only a little, it was only natural.
“You can eat mine too!”
Ara said as she watched Katrina, then Katrina hesitated for a moment before carefully taking some food from Ara’s plate.
“But Katrina!”
“Huh?”
“Didn’t you say you were leaving soon? Is it okay to eat so much?”
“…”
Ara asked with genuine concern.
At Ara’s words, Katrina’s face turned red.
Cliche Novel 