Chapter 191 – Singer (1)
[Chapter 11 – Section 1] My Ankles Are Caught
There was nothing separate for me to do.
Valentine had already submitted applications for all the Olympic events, so all I had to do was show up and compete.
The problem was basic sports knowledge.
I didn’t know the rules for skating, skiing, sledding, hockey, dodgeball, volleyball, equestrian, weightlifting, kendo, shooting, or archery at all!
Excluding Chivalry—which I was originally scheduled to participate in for the Winter Olympics—I was basically a blank slate.
“Ugh! There’s no time.”
Apparently, in preparation for the possibility that I might never return, Valentine had already memorized the rules for every event.
But someone like me who knew absolutely nothing had to start from scratch, one by one…
“Moon-soo-ya~!”
“It’s really been a long time, Coach-nim.”
Jang Seo-yeon Coach-nim—also the mother of my girlfriend Song Sun-young!
“You can call me ‘Mother-in-law’ in private settings.”
“M-Mother-in-law…?”
The ‘mother-in-law’ I know is the term used for a wife’s mother…?
“Why? Don’t like it?”
“It’s not that, but…”
Coach Jang Seo-yeon had occasionally referred to herself as ‘Mother-in-law.’
But back then I hadn’t thought deeply about it and just took it as a joke.
I did plan to stay with Song Sun-young for the long haul, but the word “marriage” still felt way too distant for me.
“Your mother is an incredible beauty. I was shocked when I met her.”
“I was shocked too.”
I’d heard talk of generational throwback, but the difference in appearance was so extreme that I’d believe it if someone said she was picked me up from under a bridge.
“Starting today, for the next two days, you’ll cram the rules for the eleven events, then we’ll head to the training facilities for actual practice. Until two days before the Olympic opening ceremony.”
“Huh…”
The schedule was insanely tight.
“I want to help, but this is outside my area of expertise…”
“Hm?”
What did that mean?
If even the national team coach for the Olympics was saying it was outside her domain, then what exactly was in her domain?
“Moon-soo-ya. Let’s meet at the airport later.”
“Uh… ah, yes.”
Having gone out of her way to visit all the way to the Army Command residence (house), Coach Jang Seo-yeon (?) rose from the sofa.
“Huh? Mom. You’re leaving already?”
Oh my God!
Song Sun-young, fresh out of the shower and not even properly dressed, came out into the living room.
I was the one who suggested we live together, but because I immediately got sucked into the dream world, she had become far more accustomed to this house.
Now I felt like the guest?
Just looking at the way her mature underwear was casually tossed around the bedroom and bathroom told the story.
“The nuisance is leaving~”
“Take care.”
“Your dad said to come to the hospital when you have time.”
“If he wants to meet, he can just call.”
“He’s shy.”
“Shy, my ass… He probably just wants another hospital model shoot.”
What a heartwarming family conversation!
“I’m really going now!”
“Bye!”
“Take care.”
Vrooom~
Using the armored vehicle always on standby at the residence, Coach Jang Seo-yeon departed.
“……”
It felt like I was being treated like royalty, but in the sense that I was worrying about things normal people never had to worry about, it was far from pleasant.
You never know when or where a sniper might aim for my head.
At least I could predict and dodge incoming bullets, but Song Sun-young and Coach Jang Seo-yeon had no such ability.
“Why?”
Song Sun-young—still in her lax state of dress—asked.
“Hmm… It might sound a bit clichéd and philosophical, but I’ve come to realize the preciousness of an ordinary life where you don’t attract everyone’s attention.”
“That’s the common complaint you always hear from broadcasters who make a ton of money.”
“Really?”
“They want to earn big money but hate having their private lives invaded. Not long ago, there was a girl at the broadcasting station crying her eyes out.”
“Why?”
“She was pretty and super talented, won the rookie award, but the very next day a middle school classmate exposed her past and she crashed and burned.”
“Ah…”
It’s a common story.
The moment a singer or actor succeeds and gains fame, they’re revealed as a school bully and fall from grace.
Broadcasters sell their faces for a living—once a prejudice (that isn’t really prejudice) sticks, there’s no shaking it off.
A mistake from an immature time?
If the victim says they’re still suffering trauma to this day, no excuse in the world works.
“Her name is Lee Na-yeon.”
“Hm?”
“Right after Jung Yong-sang-ssi woke up, he kept repeating apologies to his family and died shortly after. Then Lee Na-yeon fell asleep.”
“Ah…”
“She’s currently hospitalized at Elmolance University Hospital.”
“But why bring her up all of a sudden…”
It might have been the first time Song Sun-young had ever told me about a girl around our age.
She’s the type who once tried to fight a princess out of panic just because I got close to another woman.
“There isn’t much time left until the Olympics.”
“And?”
“If you enter Lee Na-yeon’s dream, you can solve this problem. She’s extremely healthy, so time flows very slowly there.”
“……”
It seemed Mother had taught Song Sun-young all sorts of things.
“What do you think?”
“…Just hearing the story, I get it. A dream where the past mistakes that became obstacles to her success are erased as if they never happened.”
“Correct.”
The setting is modern. Naturally, the Winter Olympics are also being held, and the rules will be exactly the same as in reality.
“Hmm…”
“I’m fine with it.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Really.”
From Song Sun-young—who used to get irritated just seeing me glance at another woman’s legs—I now felt composure and generosity.
What kind of change was this?
Song Sun-young, unusually avoiding my gaze, spoke in a small voice.
“There’s something I want from you.”
“What is it?”
What could someone with so much money possibly want from me?
“A proposal.”
“……”
Thump!
A heavy blow landed squarely in my heart.
“I’d like you to propose during the post-P-medal interview, when you’re giving your victory speech.”
“Uh… that’s extremely specific.”
“That way, you can’t take it back later. Mother said it was a great idea.”
“……”
While I was asleep, my fate was being decided.
If I’d really been trapped in the dream for ten years because of the Wing Demons’ scheme, it would’ve been a disaster.
Song Sun-young pressed me.
“Don’t you want to?”
“…I’ll do it. Though I’m not sure if I can actually win the P-medal.”
“That’s enough.”
When she turned to face me again, Song Sun-young was crying.
“Are you hurt somewhere?”
“You idiot. I’m crying because I’m happy.”
“……”
I felt sorry for not having been reliable all this time.
And honestly, I really hadn’t been that reliable!
“The tears just keep coming.”
“Sun-young-ah.”
“What? Sniff.”
“I noticed there’s alcohol and fruit in the fridge that weren’t there before.”
“Mother brought them from her hometown.”
“Want to drink?”
“Just me?”
“Of course I’ll drink too.”
I don’t drink alcohol.
Having suffered too much from drunk customers during my convenience store part-time job, I developed something close to disgust and rejection toward it.
The thought of getting drunk like them and causing trouble for strangers I don’t even know makes alcohol impossible to swallow.
“…Okay.”
After a brief hesitation, Song Sun-young agreed, and my heart started pounding wildly.
“I’ll get it.”
“No, I’ll prepare the drinks and snacks. You go wash up.”
“…Alright.”
When I woke up in the morning, the most beautiful girl in the world was sleeping beside me.
***
After slowly getting ready, I headed to Elmolance University Hospital.
Last night, I realized the meaning and reason for being born into this world, and my heart was overflowing with gratitude toward the parents who gave me life.
“Welcome.”
“Hello, Director-nim.”
Ever since it was revealed(?) that I was a member of the Holy Roman Empire’s imperial family, Director Seo Hye-joo had once again been bumped up to top priority.
Is it really okay for a person to be this faithful to power and prestige?
Yet seeing how quickly she’d been promoted, I couldn’t help but understand.
“Your expression looks good.”
“Mine?”
“Until now, there was always a kind of anxiousness—like a job seeker in panic mode. But today, there’s the composure that only someone who has won at life can show.”
“Haha!”
“There really is something, isn’t there?”
“It’s a secret.”
Song Sun-young, who had originally planned to come to the hospital with me, canceled all her shooting schedules and was resting at home.
I might have gone a bit too far.
Alcohol strips away a person’s self-restraint.
In exchange, it injects courage and bold action that they would never normally have…
Turning them into beasts.
“A secret, huh… The kind of secret a twenty-something living with their romantic partner thinks of is obvious, but I won’t pry. Did you hear a bit about it from Sun-young?”
“Yes. About Lee Na-yeon-ssi.”
“That’s right. Follow me.”
We headed toward the hospital room where the most recently comatose Ranuvel patient was.
“Son~ Come here~”
Mother was sitting in the corridor outside the hospital room, reading a book.
“As expected… I knew you’d be here.”
“Oh my! Why did you think that?”
“Because Song Sun-young already knew about the dream of a patient who hasn’t even entered yet.”
“You’re sharp, aren’t you? That’s right.”
As a bonus, she was also using the mass hypnosis technique—originally one of Ranuvela’s specialties—to avoid drawing unnecessary attention.
Of course, the moment I spoke to her, the hypnosis wore off.
“Wow…”
“Woooow…”
Passing men couldn’t tear their eyes away from Mother.
“Urk?!”
Eventually, one patient even collapsed from the strain on his heart.
“…Let’s talk inside.”
“Yes~”
Director Seo Hye-joo took the guardians outside for security reasons.
Family, manager, doctors, nurses…
“Sob sob!”
“……”
The mother—who had believed her daughter was destined for dazzling success—was frantically wiping tears with a handkerchief.
The father clenched his lips tightly, swallowing his rage.
“…The parents are part of the problem too.”
School violence can never be excused—no matter what justifications you bring up about puberty or mental illness.
In the end, it’s the fault of parents who neglected their daughter’s character education and school years.
They have no right to act so wronged.
“Mom is incredibly grateful that her son grew up so upright.”
“I’ve become quite violent since becoming a shaman, though…”
“Then Mom is also incredibly grateful to So Un-hyeon-ssi, who straightened out her son who grew up crooked without parents around.”
“Sniff.”
I had nothing to say.
Every time I got drunk on power and went out of control, Senior reined me in. And when things really got tough, he helped.
“She’s a pretty girl.”
“Well… yeah, she’s pretty.”
Her aptitude is that of a broadcaster who makes a living with her face—if she weren’t pretty, that would be stranger.
Actors need diverse looks depending on the role, so acting ability is highly valued.
But for the singer aptitude, if either appearance or vocal talent is lacking, you can’t make it.
An ugly but talented singer?
That only worked in the old days.
“Lee Na-yeon has been steadily retracing her problematic school years.”
“Regression, huh.”
“Since she already knows her aptitude, she barely studies and spends most of her time practicing alone in karaoke rooms.”
“She’s not doing stocks or real estate?”
“If you’re not interested, you don’t know anything about that world. And even if she did know, at that age she has no money—and her parents aren’t the type to invest just because their young daughter says so.”
“Well…”
“And from Mom’s experience: when someone whose aptitude isn’t stocks regresses and starts investing in stocks or real estate, they almost always end up ruined. If they take a moderate profit and get out quickly, it’s fine—but most don’t.”
“Huh? Why?”
That part I didn’t quite understand.
“Because the future of stocks changes because of the patient. A non-expert who blindly believes in their own information becomes a perfect toy for investors.”
“……”
Father didn’t blindly believe, but he still became their perfect toy.
“Shall we get started?”
“You’re coming in too, Mom?”
“Of course. There are so many techniques I want to teach my son. But unlike you, I won’t enter the dream directly. I’ll do it indirectly, like a proper witch.”
“Is there a big difference?”
“Very big. Indirect means I can barely use any power inside the dream. In exchange, it doesn’t interfere with real-life activities, and I can protect my own body.”
“Hmm… that won’t work for me.”
If I want to keep diligently slicing Sword Demons, I can’t afford to have my power reduced.
“I’ll start now.”
“Son, wait a second. Timing is important when entering.”
“……”
“Let’s see… quite a bit of time has passed. She’s in her third year of high school now… Oh my! She’s approaching you?”
“Me…?”
What is she talking about now?
“It’s a world exactly like reality, so naturally Kang Moon-soo exists there too.”
“……”
“It’s the future, but you’re an Olympic national team member and a member of the Holy Roman Empire’s imperial family. Basically a white-horse-riding prince with amnesia, right?”
“What an ugly prince.”
“Oh my! What’s wrong with my son? Even the princess said you were handsome.”
“That princess?”
“Yes. For real.”
“…Hard to believe.”
“Oh? If you don’t go in soon, your chastity might be in danger~”
“Eek!”
In a panic, I quickly touched Lee Na-yeon’s hand and entered the dream.
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