Chapter 98: I’m aiming for women, but my competitors are all women

It was a few weeks after the final paper results were announced that Hyo-in finally got in touch with Jina.

[Wow… This unnie, finally picked up the phone.]

“Uh, umm. It’s really been a while, Hyo-in.”

[No, seriously, are you so busy you don’t even have time for a quick call? You seem to be living more frantically than a graduate student.]

“Well… I was handling several things at once. It was hectic. And one of them was a pretty big deal.”

Jina let out a light breath and looked at the work window on her monitor.

“Preparing for the concert, it’s surprisingly a lot of work.”

[…A concert? Unnie, are you actually singing too?]

‘This unnie, she watches so many VTuber streams!’

‘She finally debuted as a VTuber herself and started producing her own content!’

At Hyo-in’s surprised voice, Jina let out a chuckle.

“No way. It’s just ordinary stage direction work.”

[…What. You surprised me.]

The sigh she let out seemed tinged with disappointment… Or was that just her imagination?

“Anyway, you said your paper got accepted, right? I saw the message. Congratulations.”

[Still, you didn’t completely ignore the messages I sent. More importantly, congratulations to you too, unnie. When did you write another paper separately?]

“Well, it just kind of happened.”

[If you were going to write a paper, you should have told me. I would have made time to help with the chores.]

“Haha…”

She really hadn’t expected it.

After creating a masterpiece that wasn’t quite a failure, she had been so engrossed in her work with a heated head that the paper just sort of came out.

[Really, just wondering, you do know your own paper got accepted, right?]

“I did see it passed the first review result.”

She just forgot for a moment because work piled up afterwards, Jina offered an excuse that wasn’t really an excuse.

[Seeing it pass without any revision requests, the paper must have come out really well.]

‘Well, if it’s Jina unnie, it’s only natural.’

At Hyo-in’s assertive words, Jina just let out an awkward laugh.

[Anyway~ This means you’ll have no choice but to go present the paper~]

Hyo-in’s voice was thoroughly excited.

‘An overseas trip with her favorite senior? This, I can’t resist.’

“Um… I’ll put your name on the paper I wrote too, so how about you go and present my paper along with yours?”

[Do you think that even makes sense?!]

“Haha. Just kidding, just kidding. I do have to go.”

Jina laughed awkwardly.

Half of it was a joke, but half was serious.

She submitted the paper swept up by inertia, and it unexpectedly got accepted… but thinking about it now, she wonders why she did that back then.

[…Is it perhaps because of identity issues? Like your passport.]

Her questioning voice was cautious.

Understandably so, as Hyo-in was one of the few people who knew Jina was originally male and had become female overnight.

“That problem is mostly resolved. I actually got a new ID card and other things issued last month.”

Thanks to the hospital writing a very good medical certificate, the administrative processing finished faster than expected, she added, and Hyo-in asked again in a worried voice.

[What did the hospital say? Don’t tell me it’s an incurable disease or something…?]

“The professor in charge of me says he doesn’t know the cause either. He said if Nana and the psychiatrist who introduced me hadn’t told him separately, he would have thought I was female from the beginning.”

She still visits the hospital periodically.

Lately, what Jina hears most often are nagging remarks that they don’t care if she was male, but her liver enzymes are high, so she should quit drinking and live a regular life.

[That’s right, unnie. I won’t tell you to reduce drinking, but please reduce your work. After your birthday this year, aren’t you technically Baskin-Robbins age (31)?]

…Wait. This one stings a bit.

“Hey, you’ll be in your 30s soon too.”

[Well, still, it’s a relief it’s not serious. Anyway, going on an overseas trip won’t be a problem, right?]

‘Hyo-in, Hyo-in-ah… An overseas trip…’

“I’m going for work, not on a trip.”

[It’s the same thing~ Ah! Plane tickets and hotel, should I book yours too, unnie? By sneaking some research funds!]

“Hey, that’s embezzlement of research funds…”

[What does it matter? The professor travels overseas with research funds and uses them for his living expenses just fine.]

“…That is true.”

When going overseas, registering for a suitable nearby conference and getting a free business class ticket.

Buying personal items and getting separate receipts, then fabricating meeting minutes that never happened.

It was an open secret that the professor misappropriated public funds.

“Just kidding, just kidding. Would I really do that? In the first place, it’s something that would get caught at the professor’s level.”

She didn’t bother to point out that his voice just now was full of sincerity.

“…Anyway, I’ll get the hotel or plane tickets myself.”

The Jina who used to grovel to her juniors for money to buy alcohol at the convenience store is no more.

Money comes in from many places, but she has no time to spend it, so her balance just keeps accumulating.

‘If not now, when would I flex?’

[Let me know when you book. So I can get the same hotel.]

At Hyo-in’s words, Jina unknowingly flinched.

“Um, what was it… From the lab, are you coming alone?”

[Probably just me and Ye-rin, just the two of us.]

“Ah, that parachute?”

[She’s a parachute, but a dark-evolved parachute.]

“Huh?”

[She’s already badmouthing the professor, it’s crazy. She’s become totally likable.]

“That sounds less like dark evolution and more like normal evolution… Anyway, so the professor and the other kids aren’t coming, right?”

[Probably? After all, we’re ‘women’, aren’t we?]

If people of the opposite s*x go overseas together, the room cost doubles right from the start.

Although he might be lavish with his own spending, it was something the professor, who was extremely stingy with money spent on lab students, would never tolerate.

“Just one of them, well, that’s somewhat better.”

[Why? Are the lab people uncomfortable?]

“Somewhat… Honestly, I didn’t really want to tell you either.”

[Well, if I were unnie, I’d probably feel the same.]

“Well, I’ll get caught someday, but I have to hide it as much as possible. Especially if that Byeong-jae bastard finds out… Hah…”

‘That bastard, he’ll definitely tease me.’

Frustration mixed with the sigh she let out along with the monologue.

[But if you present the paper this time, won’t you get caught? Unnie’s paper, it’s not a poster, but an oral presentation.]

“Well, there are ways for that.”

Saying so, Jina looked at the monitor screen.

In the middle of Jina’s studio apartment space captured by the webcam.

The short-haired, tall avatar, JINA, and the long-haired, short avatar, MINA, were roaming around freely, as if visiting a friend’s house.

---

“The conference Jina is presenting her paper at… is this it?”

Winter, no, Seo-ah.

Had finally managed to find Jina’s new paper on the conference’s official webpage.

The fact that she’s presenting a paper overseas next month and Jina’s English name.

This was more than enough information.

Seo-ah had found Jina’s first paper just with the ID ‘jinha_na’ in the first place.

“Waaah… Not even one paper, but two? As expected of Jina…!”

Seo-ah carefully looked at the list of papers on the screen, then slightly furrowed her brow.

One only had Jina’s name.

But the other one had quite a few names next to it.

“The last one must be Jina’s supervising professor’s name… and the other two are Hyo-in and Ye-rin…”

The fortunate thing was that, excluding the person presumed to be the professor, the other two authors had female names.

What if there had been a male name?

Winter’s unicorn horn would have not just turned black, but almost broken.

Letting out a sigh of relief inwardly, her thoughts suddenly became complicated again.

“Wait. Isn’t being female actually more of a problem…?”

Looking closely, even though Jina is a woman, she unusually charms other women often.

First of all, Seo-ah herself had fallen head over heels for Jina. An undeniable fact.

Adding to that, all her Seasons peers also have a crush on Jina.

Especially Summer, who openly declares Jina is hers.

Saying things like she would have f*cked her long ago if she were a man, or honestly, even if she’s a woman, as long as she tastes good, it’s fine(?), spouting nonsense.

Looking outside Cosmo Live, there’s Jina’s first daughter and most powerful rival, Han Ari.

This unnie, who seemed to have a timid personality, is now openly flirting with Jina.

Not only did she get her number, but she even sang a love confession song. This is undeniable, case closed.

Is that all? Recently, Kamishiro Rei, who is practically the face of Nise Live KR, has been openly appealing to Jina.

It’s presumed that two unidentified rivals(?) have been added to this.

Also, due to the nature of freelance work, it’s unknown how many more people will get entangled with Jina in the future.

Indeed, Mama is something to be won.

Seo-ah, having firmed her resolve, immediately called the Cosmo Live corporate phone.

[Yes, Winter. What can I do for you?]

“Manager, is Sacho busy right now? It’s a bit urgent.”

Not just a bit, actually, very urgent.

[Please wait a moment. She just finished her broadcast and came out.]

Not long after, a light voice answered the phone.

[Yeah~ WinterWinter-ah~ What’s up?]

Seo-ah cleared her throat hmm hmm-, then spoke in a solemn voice.

“Sacho, by any chance, does our Cosmo Live have any plans for business trips for new technology analysis?”