Chapter 101: Why do I always have this ominous feeling…

Seo-ah’s fingertips, extending the business card, were elegant and sophisticated.

The dignity of a working professional was evident in every finger.

Hyo-in, with a flustered face, unconsciously accepted the business card.

The noise of the airport seemed to recede into the distance.

Only the neatly printed name on the business card came into focus.

It’s sudden, but this business card is a fake one Youngjun personally made.

‘Since you’re going anyway, fight(?), win(?), and conquer(?) before returning,’ he said, creating a plausible job title for her.

“Ah… Yes, hello.”

She replied reflexively, but Hyo-in’s mind was complicated.

There were many things she was curious about.

But the biggest question was, of course, why this person was here.

“Huh? Cosmo Live, you mean…!”

Ye-rin, who had received the business card along with Hyo-in, her eyes widened.

A hint of excitement and surprise mixed in her voice that escaped unknowingly.

“It seems you know about our company. Do you watch internet broadcasts often?”

“No, I don’t get to watch broadcasts much. I’m busy with lab work… Instead, I listen to songs often!”

Ye-rin waved her hands, embarrassed.

“Um, especially, I often listen to Mary and Winter’s cover songs. Please tell them I’m a really big fan!”

For a moment, the corner of Seo-ah’s mouth twitched subtly.

“Puht! Really? Should I give you an autograph?”

“Yes?”

“No, I mean… Should I get you an autograph?”

“Really? Thank you!”

Seo-ah bit her lip hard, barely suppressing a burst of laughter.

The feeling of standing before a fan while hiding her identity was quite strange.

“Yes, I’ll definitely tell them.”

Jina, on the other hand, finally turned her head and began to quietly chuckle kkeuk kkeuk.

Teetering on the edge with the red pill in hand perfectly matched Jina’s sense of humor.

She barely endured the first stack, but with the second stack piling up, it was getting hard to hold back.

‘Later, when Winter does a storytelling content, she’ll definitely talk about today’s events,’ she thought.

“…”

Unlike the three laughing, Hyo-in couldn’t just laugh.

Seo-ah’s appearance bothered her greatly, making her feel uneasy.

“Seo-ah, if it’s not rude, may I ask what brings you to the conference?”

Hyo-in, unable to hold back any longer, quietly opened her mouth.

“It seems VTuber companies also conduct separate paper reviews these days.”

A small thorn was mixed in Hyo-in’s words.

But Seo-ah replied with a smile, as if unfazed.

“I don’t know about other places, but our Cosmo Live tries to quickly follow the latest research.”

‘That’s why we were able to quickly contact someone like Jina,’ she subtly added, moving closer beside her.

“And… Jina is a very important partner of our Cosmo Live. So this time, I, being the ‘closest associate’, ended up accompanying her, also serving as a manager.”

“Is that so? I’ve known Jina unnie for a long time too, but I’ve never heard of Seo-ah.”

Though politely phrased, to put it bluntly, it was this:

‘Who are you to be Jina unnie’s closest associate?’

Seo-ah’s eyes slightly narrowed for a moment, then she smiled gently again and said.

“Oh my, is that so? Well, it’s a private matter after all. It’s not something one would tell a former work colleague.”

To summarize with a slight fabrication, ‘Ex-girlfriend(?), please step aside.’

Sparks naturally flew between the two’s gazes.

“Um… F-first of all… shall we move…?

Ye-rin, caught awkwardly between the two, became distressed.

“Right. Rather than being late, it’s better to look around the duty-free shops inside.”

However, Jina, who provided the cause of the conflict, seemed to have no particular thoughts.

---

After completing the departure procedures, in front of the boarding gate.

Seo-ah excused herself for a moment, saying she had an urgent work call.

Ye-rin, feeling sick from too much nervousness, hurriedly went to the restroom.

Meaning, only Jina and Hyo-in were here.

“Um… Jina unnie.”

Taking advantage of being alone, Hyo-in cautiously began to speak.

“Seo-ah-ssi, what kind of person is she exactly?”

At Hyo-in’s tense question, Jina let out a light sigh inwardly.

She had already anticipated Hyo-in would ask about Winter, about Seo-ah.

But she couldn’t easily think of what to answer.

She couldn’t tell her about Seo-ah’s other self.

Even if she were to reveal it, it should be Seo-ah herself who does so.

If Seo-ah decided to hide the fact that she is Winter, Jina had to play along.

Jina revealing that fact would be disrespectful to a VTuber.

“It’s as Seo-ah said earlier. She came in a role similar to my manager.”

Therefore, Jina had no choice but to smile as naturally as possible and prevaricate.

But Hyo-in’s face looked somewhat unconvinced.

“Is she really a manager? To just be a manager…”

‘The two of them seemed too comfortable.’

To confront her so openly seemed too jealous.

And considering Seo-ah’s words, she and Jina were just former lab seniors and juniors, nothing more, nothing less.

Hyo-in forced herself to swallow her words.

Instead, she changed the subject and asked a more important question.

“That aside, does Seo-ah-ssi also know? That Jina unnie was originally a man.”

“Of course… she doesn’t.”

At those words, Hyo-in’s face brightened ever so slightly.

“So she’s ultimately just a business relationship too.”

‘What? A very close associate? Without even knowing the most private secret!’

A sense of secret superiority made her shoulders unknowingly straighten.

“I’ve said it before, but just in case…”

“I know. In the first place, no one would believe me even if I told them, and I’m being especially careful in the lab… But I’ll have to tell Ye-rin eventually anyway.”

“Well, we’ll have to see when the opportunity arises for that.”

Suddenly, Jina thought her situation was no different from a VTuber’s.

‘In the end, I’m also living while hiding my red pill…’

Just as VTubers hide their real selves and stand behind perfectly created virtual avatars.

Jina too was living reality in a form no different from an ‘avatar’.

‘Then I… what on earth am I?’

A sudden feeling of buoyancy.

As if completely detached from reality.

The surrounding scenery began to look like an internet broadcast.

The sense of reality…

Gradually… disappearing…

“…Unnie? Jina unnie!”

“U-uhm?”

“Is something wrong?”

“Uh… huh?”

“You suddenly look like you have a lot on your mind…”

Jina blinked blankly, then let out a pik- laugh and muttered.

“Just, you know, I felt like I’m no different from a VTuber.”

Hyo-in mulled over Jina’s words for a moment.

Come to think of it, it really was like that.

Perhaps, in reality, she was living the life of an avatar.

But Hyo-in soon smiled gently and said.

“Still, Jina unnie, there’s a crucial difference between a VTuber and you.”

“…Hmm?”

“A VTuber is a presence beyond the screen, but unnie is here in reality, right beside me, isn’t she? And…”

Hyo-in hugged Jina’s arm tightly and continued with a smile.

“Regardless of gender, regardless of appearance, Jina unnie is Jina unnie.”

At Hyo-in’s words, Jina burst out laughing, “Puhat-“.

“Right. Man or woman, I am me.”

Only now does a bit of reality return.

The scenery that was blurry at 144p resolution comes into sharp focus at 1080p Full HD.

Her body, which felt like it was about to collapse as if the body tracking connection had been severed, regained its place.

“Oh! Still, you have to draw the ‘line’ properly, okay?”

“Huh? Line, you say?”

“With Seo-ah-ssi or other women, you’re not, like, getting too close and clingy, right…?”

Hyo-in asked, narrowing her eyes, in a prim and questioning tone.

“…Of course. I’m being careful in my own way too.”

Jina sighed as if slightly wronged and said.

She didn’t know why she had to make such an explanation.

Come to think of it, wasn’t it Hyo-in who didn’t draw the line by suddenly coming into the clothing store fitting room with her?

…She didn’t bother to say that out loud.

Instead, she added one more excuse that wasn’t really an excuse.

“Actually, this time, I booked a separate room from Seo-ah for the accommodation.”

“Really?”

Only then did Hyo-in’s expression soften a little.

“Yeah, really.”

“Jina unnie, you do have some conscience, don’t you?”

Hyo-in chuckled playfully, then changed the subject.

“Oh! By the way, the hotel, how did you find such a good place? The price is a bit steep, but it’s close to the conference venue, and the reviews are very good.”

She thought Jina would just pick anywhere randomly.

‘Surprisingly good sense,’ Hyo-in praised Jina.

For a moment, Jina’s expression became strange.

Scratching her head with an awkward expression, she slowly opened her mouth.

“Ah, about that… Actually, I didn’t book it.”

“…Yes?”

Hyo-in’s expression hardened.

A sense of ominous foreboding flashed through her mind.

Hesitating for a moment, Jina finally confessed honestly.

“The hotel and the plane tickets, Seo-ah booked everything.”

‘Isn’t that what a manager’s role is?’ Jina thought, smiling with an awkward expression.

“…What did you say?”

Hyo-in’s eyes began to tremble again.

But before she could question further, a bright voice was heard from afar.

“You two, what interesting things were you talking about?”

It was Seo-ah. Her timing for returning was impeccable.

Ye-rin was with her too.

“Just, you know, talking about this and that… Ahaha…”

Hyo-in quickly put on a smile, but it was difficult to hide her awkwardness.

A corner of her heart felt uneasy.

It felt like something bad was about to happen.

No, it felt like it had already happened.

---

The ominous premonition.

Why is it never wrong?

“The room… is only booked for one?”

Behind Jina and Seo-ah, who were making bewildered expressions in front of the front desk.

Hyo-in clutched her throbbing forehead.