We returned once again to Eun Miyeon’s villa.
We had told Eun Seol-ah that she could return to her family first, but she insisted on coming with us, so we all went back together.
Before investigating the diary, we asked Eun Seol-ah for permission to look through Eun Miyeon’s journal.
Although she looked a bit puzzled at first, she soon nodded and said it was fine.
“…But where did I leave the diary?”
Lee Seo-jun looked around.
I picked up the diary that had fallen on the floor and spoke to him.
“Here it is.”
“Oh, right. Thanks.”
Lee Seo-jun smiled as he took the diary.
“But why are you investigating my mother’s diary?”
Eun Seol-ah asked us with a curious look. After a brief moment of hesitation, Lee Seo-jun answered.
“There’s something bothering me.”
“Something bothering you?”
“I’m tracking the traces of Jin Cheonwoo.”
“…What?”
“Jaun’s been active again lately, right? I figured something might turn up if I followed the trail this way.”
Lee Seo-jun didn’t bother explaining his relationship with Jin Cheonwoo.
Maybe he didn’t feel the need to, since we hadn’t known about it for long.
“…Ah.”
Eun Seol-ah looked like she still had questions but didn’t press further.
So we resumed reading the diary.
After the entries about Jin Cheonwoo and the Mystics Research Society, the diary returned to recounting ordinary daily life.
There were entries about achievements in exams and about struggling with a sudden condition called the “Mystic Fever.”
There were also notes about Eun Seol-ah’s late father.
When she read those parts, Eun Seol-ah gave a faint smile.
Then, as we continued flipping through the pages, one entry again caught both mine and Lee Seo-jun’s attention.
[The “Mystics Research Society” discovered that immortality is possible through Mysteries. And so our goal was decided—to find the Spell of Immortality. Senior Jin Cheonwoo always said he wanted to go beyond human limits.]
“…The Spell of Immortality.”
Lee Seo-jun murmured in a dazed voice. Then he turned to me.
“That ghost island last time also mentioned the Spell of Immortality, right?”
I nodded.
“Yeah.”
“Could Jaun be gathering mysteries for the same reason—to become immortal?”
“…Who knows.”
We turned the page again. The diary shifted back to everyday events.
Here and there, more entries about the Mystics Research Society appeared.
There was a mention of Jin Cheonwoo providing a special painkiller that eased the symptoms of Mystic Fever.
Another told of how Jin Cheonwoo visited the Eunwol family in search of a mystery and defeated a demon hiding within the clan.
There were many tales of Jin Cheonwoo’s heroics.
[Even thinking back on it now, it was truly dangerous. If not for Senior Jin Cheonwoo, our family’s treasures and secret techniques could’ve been stolen by the infiltrating demon. The demon had even cast mental magic on several of our disciples. I myself nearly ended up in danger.]
[Mother considered Senior Jin Cheonwoo a saviour of the family and passed on our family’s secret techniques to him. She also allowed him to build the Mystics Research Society’s hideout behind the mage academy, setting up an illusion barrier made from those very techniques. It became our secret space.]
“This hideout mentioned here—it’s the one I found before, right?”
In response to Lee Seo-jun’s question, I nodded.
“Yeah. I think so.”
[We spent a year searching for the Spell of Immortality and obtained five mysteries. I was happy, but also scared. I felt like I was being drawn in by the mysteries seductive power without even realizing it.]
[We learned that resisting the mysteries charm requires strong mental strength. But unlike the other seniors, I didn’t have that kind of willpower. In the end, I left the Mystics Research Society at Senior Jin Cheonwoo’s suggestion.]
“…There’s no mention of Jin Cheonwoo after this.”
Lee Seo-jun quickly flipped through the pages.
“There’s less here than I expected.”
“Yeah. So I guess we should investigate the hideout they mentioned?”
Just then—
Grrrgle.
We heard a stomach growl from somewhere.
I chuckled and turned toward Lee Seo-jun.
He looked at me blankly and shook his head.
“Not me.”
“…Huh?”
I looked at Eun Seol-ah. Her face had turned bright red as she quietly raised her hand.
“I-It was me…”
The culprit shyly confessed.
She bowed her head so deeply, she must’ve been really embarrassed.
Now that I thought about it, we had gone past dinnertime.
“Should we order something? I’m getting hungry too.”
“Delivery? Sounds good. But do they deliver out here?”
“Of course they do.”
At that moment, Eun Seol-ah reacted with wide eyes.
“Delivery food?”
“Yeah. Why? You don’t like it?”
“No, it’s just… I’ve never had delivery food before. Because of my grandmother.”
Eun Seol-ah looked at me with sparkling eyes.
Never had delivery food before? That’s a tragic way to live.
“You should try it now, then. Is there anything you want to eat?”
“Uh… um…”
Her expression turned serious as she fell into deep thought. I was already curious to hear what dish she’d pick.
“…What kind of food can you order with delivery?”
“Ah.”
So we’re starting from there, huh.
After finishing dinner and tidying up here and there, it was already 9 p.m.
I went up to the rooftop to get some fresh air and relax.
“Hoo.”
The cool night breeze cleared my head.
Leaning against the railing, I gazed out at the view.
Rows of small, tightly packed buildings came into sight.
It reminded me of the poor hillside neighborhoods from my real life. It made me feel oddly nostalgic.
That’s when it happened.
There was a vibration from the inside pocket of my jacket. Not from my pants pocket—so it had to be my smartphone.
I immediately used the outsider’s privilege to check the source of the vibration.
[What are you up to, Jinwoo?]
It was Han Se-yeon.
Since it was already 9 p.m., I guess it was time for her to reach out.
I chuckled for no reason and sent a reply.
[Just getting some air.]
[ㅋㅋ Can I call you?] *ㅋㅋ means haha.
Phone call?
I glanced around cautiously.
“…Hmm. I guess it’s fine.”
Instead of replying to the message, I called Han Se-yeon. It wasn’t through a smartphone—it was a feature available to outsiders.
Ring ring…
[Hello?]
Han Se-yeon’s excited voice rang in my ears. I couldn’t help but smile faintly.
“Miss Han Se-yeon.”
[Wow. It’s been a while since I heard your voice.]
“It has. It’s been a while for me too.”
[What have you been up to lately? You used to show up in the news a lot, but I haven’t seen much of you lately.]
News articles, huh.
Come to think of it, I had been laying low recently.
I’d just been too busy with school and other matters.
“I’ve just been busy. What about you, Miss Han?”
[Me? Same as always. You know how it is.]
Her sigh-laced words made me smile.
We went on to talk about the everyday things we hadn’t shared recently.
What had happened at her company, how the new drug development was going.
Also about her father, Han Dae-hyeon’s health.
Back when I had only read the original story, I hadn’t realized how chatty Han Se-yeon could be.
Maybe that meant she felt comfortable with me.
[Oh right, hasn’t it been way too long since we saw each other?]
“It has been a while.”
It had been at least a month or two since we last met.
[Uh… then how about tomorrow evening?]
Tomorrow? I had things lined up with the Eunwol family tomorrow.
“Uh… tomorrow might be a bit tough.”
[Ah, I see. Sounds like you’re really busy.]
Her disappointed voice came through the speaker.
[How about next weekend, then?]
Next weekend… hard to say. The Eunwol family’s schedule might extend into next week, and I still needed to resolve the barrier issue.
Still…
If I managed my time well, I could probably make it work.
And anyway, I was planning to return to the dorm after finishing the Eunwol schedule tomorrow.
“If it’s okay with you, I think I can meet for a bit tomorrow night. After 9 p.m.”
[Oh? Really? Then let’s meet tomorrow. I’ll clear my schedule too. How about a drink to catch up?]
Her voice grew lively again. The swing in her emotions made me chuckle without realizing it.
“A drink sounds great.”
[Alright then. Let’s meet tomorrow. I’ll tell you the location in the morning.]
“Sure.”
[Hehe. Well, it’s late, so get some rest. I’ll hang up now.]
“Yeah.”
Click.
The call ended.
Silence returned, and with it came a faint sense of loneliness.
Phew.
Still, for just a moment, a small sense of peace settled in my heart.
I’m looking forward to tomorrow.
That’s when it happened—
[5,562 people are placing strong expectations on you.]
[You have gained 20,000 points as a reward.]
“…Huh?”
What the—?
I suddenly received 20,000 points. As I was wondering what it was about, a message popped up on the Smart Student Notebook.
[News screenshot]
[Senior, I heard you took down a demon?]
It was Choi Seo-yoon.
I blinked and opened the attached news article.
My face was splashed across the headline.
“Promising Talent of Korea’s Mage Academy, Kim Sunwoo. Defeats an A-Rank Demon in the City at Around 1 P.M. Today…”
“So the article’s already out, huh.”
Even so, to gain 20,000 points just for a demon subjugation…
The point scale was on a completely different level from when I was Kim Jinwoo.
Probably because people had higher expectations for student Kim Sunwoo than for the professional mage Kim Jinwoo.
After all, the emotions people felt toward me directly affected my points.
[I didn’t even know an article was published]
[According to it, you were with Lee Seo-jun? What were you two doing today?]
[Just… had to investigate something.]
[Investigate? Investigate what? (curious cat emoji)]
The cat emoji tilted its head adorably with a curious expression.
I stared blankly at it.
That soft brown colour really reminded me of Choi Seo-yoon.
[You don’t need to know.]
The next morning.
We returned to the Eunwol household by the portal gate.
As we entered, Eun Hye-soo greeted us with unusually cheerful steps.
“Seol-ah!”
“Grandma!”
Eun Seol-ah rushed over to Eun Hye-soo.
She hugged her tightly and said,
“I’m completely better now.”
At her words, Eun Hye-soo’s eyes widened as she grabbed Seol-ah’s cheeks with both hands. She squeezed them so tightly her face looked silly.
“Is that really true?!”
“Yesh. I know my own body.”
Seol-ah replied in a muffled voice thanks to Hye-soo’s grip.
Eun Hye-soo released her and turned to look at me.
Unlike yesterday, her eyes were full of surprise.
“…I can’t believe you really pulled it off. I heard you defeated the demon yesterday, but still…”
With a trembling voice, she turned her gaze to me.
“Was your name Kim Sunwoo?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Truly, thank you.”
Eun Hye-soo grasped my hand tightly and spoke with a voice filled with emotion.
“As promised, I’ll let you learn the family’s secret magic along with Lee Seo-jun.”
I nodded.
With this, I could get even more deeply involved in the main storyline.
After all, Jin Cheonwoo had used the Eunwol family’s illusion barrier to hide several mechanisms.
“And one more thing.”
Eun Hye-soo looked me straight in the eyes as she continued.
“The Eunwol family sees you as a benefactor to our house. From now on, we will fully support you in everything you do.”
At the same time, a message popped up before my eyes.
[You have achieved the ‘Benefactor of the Eunwol Family’ achievement.]
[You have gained 5,000 points as a reward.]
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