Chapter 42: Happy New Year!

“What, what happened?”

“Sister, what is it?”

Byeongjae and the male student simultaneously ran to the back of Hyoin.

“Byeongjae, is the professor in his office now?”

Hyoin said in an excited voice, pasting the just-output graph into the PPT material.

“Well, he’s there. Why? Are you going to brief the experiment results?”

“Yes. I need to get it checked quickly and start writing the paper right away.”

“How… how about bringing it in a few days? The professor doesn’t seem to be in a good mood these days.”

Byeongjae trailed off, looking troubled.

“These days, the professor keeps getting calls related to Jina and is in a really bad mood. You might get yelled at if you touch him wrong.”

“But if I don’t get it checked right now, I won’t be able to meet the Siggraph submission deadline. Even if I get scolded, I have to bring it.”

Hyoin said, sending the file to the professor’s email address.

“Wow… She’s really changed a lot since Jina left.”

Byeongjae stuck out his tongue, watching Hyoin push the chair back and leave her seat.

If it were Hyoin before, she would have been cautious, watching the professor’s mood.

But now, she has a lot of guts.

The reason Hyoin is obsessed with this research is none other than.

Because this is not her research, but Jina’s research.

Because it’s research to repay the person who has given her a lot throughout her graduate school life.

The motivation was clear, so the drive was properly applied.

After leaving the student lab, Hyoin headed straight to the professor’s office at the end of the corridor.

The door is half open.

Before knocking, Hyoin glanced at the professor’s expression through the crack in the door.

“Yes, yes… Ah! You’re bringing your granddaughter that day too? Haha, then I’ll make a reservation at a nearby restaurant in advance.”

Seeing the professor smiling and talking on the phone, Hyoin clenched her fist, shouting ‘Yes!’ in her heart. The experiment went well, the professor’s mood is good, something’s going well today.

“It’s been a while since I saw my mentor… Yes, then I’ll contact you again.”

As soon as the professor hung up the phone, Hyoin knocked on the door.

“Professor, do you have a moment?”

“Oh- Hyoin, you came at a good time. I was just about to call you.”

…You were going to call me?

Why? What for?

Hyoin felt a strange chill in the professor’s pleasant expression.

“So, what did you come for, Hyoin?”

Hyoin hesitated for a moment and then spoke carefully.

“I just sent you an email, Professor. I summarized the content of the paper to be submitted to Siggraph next year, the experimental data, and the PPT.”

“Really? Let’s see.”

The professor immediately opened the email and checked the materials Hyoin sent.

He scrolled through the PPT roughly, and said briefly with a smile, “Good, proceed as it is.”

Hyoin’s lips trembled bitterly.

Normally, he would have pointed out even minor equations, but today, an unexpected and indifferent compliment came back.

‘More than that, when Jina brought this, he didn’t even check it properly…’

Hyoin barely suppressed her surging emotions and bowed her head.

“Thank you…”

When Hyoin trailed off, the professor raised his head again.

“Yes, and keep your schedule open next Monday evening.”

“Yes, I understand. But… may I ask what it’s for?”

“Yes, you know my mentor? Professor Jang. I’m going to have dinner with him next Monday, and he said his granddaughter is coming too.”

“Ah, yes…”

“She’s going to start working in our lab next week? Meet her in advance, and since you’re both women, take care of her. Help her adjust well to graduate school life. And teach her research well.”

“…Yes, I understand.”

“Ah, and add her name to the paper you’re going to write.”

“…!”

“I heard she’s a smart kid. Hyoin, wouldn’t it be good for you to get some help when you’re finishing up your paper?”

The professor smiled and turned his gaze back to the computer screen.

Then the phone rang loudly, and the professor picked up the receiver with an annoyed face.

“Hello? Yes, yes. Yes… What? Jina? No… I told you many times that there is no such student in our lab! Hang up!”

Seeing the professor’s crumpled expression, Hyoin stepped back slightly.

Hyoin quietly left the professor’s office and walked down the hallway, not going straight back to the student lab.

“No wonder he easily allowed me to write a paper…”

Hyoin muttered in a hollow voice, pacing in front of the elevator.

“Should I… ask Jina to have a drink with me…?”

She missed Jina unusually today.

‘But she seems to be very busy these days… She even borrowed a suit a while ago… I wonder if I can call her…’

Just then, Hyoin’s smartphone vibrated.

The moment she checked the name that appeared on the screen, Hyoin’s sullen face brightened as if it had never happened.

[Jina ♥: Drinks today?]

They’re on the same wavelength, Hyoin laughed.

[Can I go right now?]

It took less than 2 seconds to send a reply. Her two thumbs were working hard like a true Millennial for once.

Before long, a reply came back from Jina.

[Jina ♥: You haven’t finished work yet.]

[Ah- I don’t care. I’m just going to leave early today.]

[Jina ♥: It will take me a while to get to Sinchon, so you finish your schedule today and come slowly.]

[Jina ♥: By the way, is the professor not there today?]

Hyoin glanced at the hallway where the professor’s office was, and then chuckled and tapped on her smartphone.

[The professor didn’t come to the lab today! So start as soon as you come back!]

“Everyone, Happy New Year~”

Four avatars in neat hanbok, gathered in the studio, shouted in unison and waved their hands.

From left to right.

Spring with green hair and a cherry blossom hairpin.

Summer with wavy red bobbed hair like the sea.

Fall shaking her bright yellow twin tails.

And Winter, a proud young lady with black hair and black eyes.

Today was Seasons’ New Year’s joint broadcast day.

-Happy New Year to Seasons too~

-The hanbok is also really well made…

-This is also Mama’s grace…

-Happy New Year~

-Wow~ Seeing the four of them together is a feast for the eyes!

-Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, let’s fly even higher in the New Year!

The chat window was also quickly filled with New Year’s greetings.

“Wow~ Isn’t today the first time the four of us have gathered in one place since our debut joint broadcast?! It feels like it’s been a really long time!”

“I know. It feels like it’s been over a month, right, Fall?”

“It’s already been that long? Wow~ Time seems to be going by really fast!!”

“Certainly, last year was unusually fast~ Why, we were very busy preparing for our debut, right?”

When Spring spoke in an excited voice, Summer cleared her throat.

“What do you mean there were a lot of things last year? We were all unemployed until October.”

At Summer’s sharp words, the chat window was filled with laughing emoticons.

There are also occasional resolutions to escape unemployment in the New Year.

“That’s true~ But in the end, it got busy from the end of the year, right? It’s hard to see each other these days.”

“That’s right… Especially Winter! When I ask her to do something together, she always says she has a schedule!”

“I know! That’s what I’m saying! Winter, don’t just have fun alone, play with us too! Boo~”

When Spring and Summer complained, Winter opened her mouth with a faint smile.

“This year, let’s spend a lot of time together.”

“Again! Just words again!”

At that time, a donation notification window flashed on one side of the broadcast screen.

[jinha_na donated 100,000 won]

[Seasons, Happy New Year.]

“Wow?!”

Fall shouted in surprise.

Summer was excited, saying, “Who donated this much?!”, and Fall jumped up and down on the studio floor, making a fuss.

Since it’s an official joint broadcast, small donations are lightly overlooked, but it’s hard to ignore 100,000 won.

“…Wait a minute.”

While other members were repeatedly expressing their gratitude.

Winter, who was carefully looking at the donation window, said in a surprised voice.

“This ID ‘jinha_na’… Isn’t it Jina Mama?”

“Huh? It really is?!”

Spring opened her eyes wide and nodded.

“Amazing. It’s New Year’s money! Hooray!!”

“Wow! Wow!! Happy New Year, Mama~”

The chat window also exploded all at once.

-Mama’s New Year’s money… This is precious.

-Mama’s New Year’s greeting

Recently, someone captured and uploaded the thesis containing Han Ari’s avatar to the community, and many people became interested in Jina.

But Jina didn’t appear on broadcasts or in the community, so everyone was curious.

So.

She appeared on her daughters'(?) broadcast.

It was natural, if it was natural, for the viewers to be excited.

“Come to think of it, Summer said last time that it would be good to set a goal or pledge and do content that keeps it.”

When the atmosphere of the joint broadcast was ripe.

Spring brought up a new topic.

“Since it’s New Year’s, how about each of us saying our goals for this year on the broadcast?”

“Saying the goal, and receiving a penalty if you can’t achieve it?”

Summer’s eyes sparkled.

Like a natural born broadcaster whose brain is soaked in dopamine, she immediately suggested impromptu content.

“Do, do we really need to set a penalty?!”

“Why~ There should be a penalty to create tension and make it fun~”

At that time, Winter, who was glancing at the chat window, smiled and suggested.

“Then, if you can’t keep your New Year’s goal, you’ll do penalty content, but if you keep it, you’ll receive a reward. How about that?”

“Reward? What reward?”

“For example, Jina does something for the member who keeps their goal?”
Well…

As soon as Winter finished speaking, the donation window flashed again.

[jinha_na donated 10,000 won]

[Each member sets a goal that can be achieved within 100 days]

[jinha_na donated 10,000 won]

[Tell me what penalty content you’ll do if you don’t keep it, and what you want me to do if you keep it, and I’ll listen and say okay.]

It’s new, but Jina is also a person whose brain is soaked in dopamine.

This kind of big fun content? She never misses it.