Chapter 97: Completion of overseas travel build-up

About two months before Jina appeared on Han Ari’s 1st-anniversary broadcast, on a late spring afternoon.

That day, a strange tension, more than usual, filled the old lab Jina had belonged to.

Understandably so, as today was the day the final paper results for SIGGRAPH, the most prestigious conference in the field of computer graphics, were to be announced.

The students sitting in front of their monitors were checking their inboxes from time to time while working.

It was a matter that, on a small scale, concerned individual achievements, and on a larger scale, graduation from the lab, so it was only natural they anxiously awaited the results.

“Seniors~ Juniors~ The professor says to report immediately upon receiving the final decision email~”

Even the professor, who usually showed little interest in the students’ research, was waiting for the results, which said it all.

“Wow… Professor, you didn’t help us at all when we were doing research.”

“Haha… Right.”

Glancing at Ye-rin, who was grumbling beside her, Hyo-in managed an awkward smile.

‘Isn’t the speed of dark evolution too fast…?’

She was slightly worried that a freshman, not even having completed her first semester, had already started badmouthing the professor.

Of course, inwardly, she strongly empathized with Ye-rin’s words.

At the same time, Hyo-in’s honest feelings about Ye-rin flashed through her mind.

‘At first, I just thought she was a simple parachute junior.’

Her first impression of the freshman, Jang Ye-rin, was the worst.

She entered the lab with the title of being the granddaughter of the professor’s mentor. It was impossible to view her favorably.

But Ye-rin was a much more diligent junior than expected.

Although still lacking in work sense, she helped with Hyo-in’s research as if it were her own.

Over the past few months, enduring the professor’s ridiculous demands together, Hyo-in was simply grateful for this young junior.

‘At this rate, I would have put her name on Jina’s and my paper even without the professor’s near-commanding request,’ Hyo-in thought with a gentle smile.

Just then, Jae-min, who was the lab leader this semester, casually approached Ye-rin’s side and made a joke.

“Wow~ Ye-rin, you, seeing you badmouth the professor, you’ve become a full-fledged graduate student.”

Ye-rin smiled awkwardly and slightly bowed her head.

She still had a distant relationship with the other lab seniors, except for Hyo-in.

Embarrassed at being caught badmouthing the professor by someone she wasn’t close to, her cheeks reddened without her realizing it.

“More importantly, Jae-min, haven’t you received your final decision email yet?”

Hyo-in hurriedly changed the subject to clear the air.

Continuing to talk about the professor seemed like it would become very tiring if it reached his ears.

“Not yet. Looking at the archive, it seems they’ve started sending out emails…”

“Then it’ll be soon.”

“But well, honestly, I don’t think there’s much hope.”

Unlike his resigned voice, Jae-min was repeatedly pressing the refresh button on his smartphone screen.

He still couldn’t let go of the last shred of hope.

“Still, you weren’t rejected right from the initial decision, were you?”

At Hyo-in’s words, Jae-min sighed, pressing the refresh button again.

“It was a major revision… but honestly, looking at the reviewers’ comments, it was less about revision and more like rewriting the entire paper from scratch.”

‘Honestly, it’s going to be difficult this time,’ Jae-min thought, sighing as if the ground would collapse, and continued.

“Really, Hyo-in nuna is our lab’s hope.”

“Huh?”

“If it weren’t for nuna, our lab would have been completely wiped out, right? If there’s one more person, it would be Byeong-jae hyung at best?”

“Well, we won’t know until the results come out…”

She meant that anyone could unexpectedly pass, and conversely, she herself could also fail, but Jae-min’s thoughts were firm.

“Hey~ Hyo-in nuna, in my opinion, it’s a definite. The reviewers’ reactions were good too. It’s practically an accept, isn’t it?”

“That’s right, Hyo-in unnie! You worked really hard, preparing through the night, didn’t you? It’s bound to happen!”

Watching Ye-rin speak emphatically beside Jae-min, Hyo-in smiled faintly.

“Well, Ye-rin helped a lot with the additional experiments and revisions, so it seems likely.”

At Hyo-in’s praise, Ye-rin’s face flushed.

Jae-min, watching this, casually recalled the past and said.

“Looking at this, it reminds me of when Jina sunbae was here.”

“Jina… sunbae?”

“There is. A truly monstrous senior who left the lab almost a year ago.”

Ye-rin’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Although she had never seen her face, Ye-rin had considerable interest in the person named Jina.

Not only was her name listed as a co-first author on the paper Hyo-in wrote this time.

But most of the infrequent calls to the lab were looking for Jina.

Even when she asked Hyo-in what kind of person Jina was, the answer was always the same.

‘Just, a person so grateful and thankful that words can’t express it.’

Saying so with a wistful expression made her even more curious.

Just when she thought it was a good opportunity and was about to ask Jae-min about Jina.

An urgent voice echoed from somewhere in the lab.

“The result email is here!!”

At that moment, everyone stopped breathing and turned their heads towards their monitors.

“Oh, I got it too!”

“What? I haven’t gotten mine yet?”

Jae-min hurriedly ran back to his seat.

Hyo-in and Ye-rin also held their breath and leaned closer to their monitors.

“It hasn’t arrived yet, right…?”

“It’ll come soon.”

While Hyo-in waited for the email, short, heavy sighs erupted from various places in the lab.

It seemed the results weren’t good for most. Some immediately turned off their screens upon opening their inboxes, while others bowed their heads and let out long sighs.

Amidst that, uwaaaak- a sorrowful scream also echoed.

It was none other than Byeong-jae.

“Keuk… I thought I made it this time… If it was going to be like this, they shouldn’t have given me false hope!!”

Byeong-jae covered his face with both hands and slumped back in his chair.

At that sight, Ye-rin unknowingly swallowed dryly.

Even Byeong-jae, who was considered to have a chance, was frustrated, her hands unnecessarily started to sweat.

“It’s here, the email.”

However, Hyo-in, the person in question, looked unfazed.

Checking the email subject.

Taking a short breath.

The moment she carefully clicked.

“…!”

Only then did Hyo-in’s eyes widen significantly.

[Congratulations!]

The first line of the email alone was enough to confirm the result.

“It really… happened?”

Honestly, she knew it would.

Because this was Jina’s research.

For Hyo-in, who believed in Jina even more than herself, it was a paper that was bound to be accepted.

Still, actually facing the result screen.

She was so dazed that it didn’t feel real.

What pulled Hyo-in back to reality was none other than Ye-rin.

“Kyaaa! Unnie! You did it, you really did it!!”

From beside her, Ye-rin shot up from her seat and hugged Hyo-in tightly.

Following that, applause erupted in the lab, and only then did it begin to feel a little real.

“Congratulations, nuna!”

“What did I tell you! I said nuna was a definite!”

Hyo-in smiled awkwardly and replied thank you, but her inner thoughts were complicated.

‘Jina unnie…’

Although she did all the experiments and wrote it up, the foundational work was a topic Jina had finished.

If Jina hadn’t been there, this paper wouldn’t even exist.

‘…I miss her.’

The fact that Jina wasn’t beside her now felt deeply regrettable.

For now, she had to be content with their names being listed side-by-side as first authors on the paper.

“Doesn’t the final acceptance rate seem really low this time?”

“I know, right? The number of submitted papers was the highest ever, but the number accepted is around 200, same as usual.”

“Looks like the reviewers’ standards went up significantly. Anyway, the list, is it up?”

“Yes, yes. It was posted on the official homepage. I need to organize it and report to the professor.”

Words mixed with disappointment and surprise were heard from here and there.

Hyo-in came to her senses at the surrounding noise and checked the conference’s official website.

Among the list of numerous papers that finally passed, a familiar title and name caught her eye.

From the far right.

The professor, Ye-rin.

And Hyo-in and Jina.

Seeing their names written side by side, a smile finally appeared on Hyo-in’s lips.

“Aren’t almost all the names Chinese or Western? Are we the only Koreans?”

Ye-rin, who was looking at the list beside her, said with a bright smile.

“Probably not? Right here, this paper’s author is also a Korean name… Huh?”

Hyo-in’s eyes suddenly widened.

The paper title was unfamiliar.

But the single name written below it was incredibly familiar.

[Author: Jinha Na]

“…???”

‘This person, what on earth?’

‘Didn’t she say she was busy with freelance work?’

‘Besides, she said she’s no longer interested in research.’

‘When on earth did she write a paper?’

So surprised, Hyo-in unknowingly called Jina.

[Cannot be connected…]

As expected, she doesn’t answer.

It’s obvious. She’s probably sitting in front of her monitor again, blankly tapping her keyboard.

‘Wait. Jina unnie published a paper as a sole author…!’

‘Doesn’t that mean Jina also has to go present the paper ‘unavoidably’?’

‘Jina unnie and… an overseas trip!!’

Of course, it’s to present at a conference, but it’s okay to look around tourist spots for a day or two, right?

Eat together while we’re at it.

At night, in the hotel…

“Huhu, uhuhuhu…”

“…Hyo, Hyo-in unnie? I-is something wrong?”

A smile brighter than when her paper was accepted was on Hyo-in’s face.