Chapter 299

Chiral (1)

After school, Kang Shin-hyuk was fully tired of people calling him 'Puppeteer' and 'instructor' as he headed for the workshop. In the past, he felt a little uncomfortable to be with Lee Na-hee for hours in that narrow room, but nowadays (because she was afraid of Claire), Lee Na-hee was refraining from being a nuisance. Moreover, it had been a long time since he had a chance to work with her, given how busy things had been since the incident.

"Junior, look at this. More than 1 million followers on your social media!"

But when he opened the door and entered, Lee Na-hee had her phone out to him unexpectedly.

"SNS...do you enjoy doing that?"

"Yes!"

Kang Shin-hyuk gave her a thumbs-up as Lee Na-hee smiled brightly, still pushing the phone screen towards him.

"Yeah, do your best, Senior Na-hee. Senior is number one."

"Don't go overboard like that. Eli is still at 970,000. My lead is overwhelming...!"

"Eli is doing social media too?! No, it's not that overwhelming of a difference?"

"But I'm not number one."

Today, Lee Na-hee's expressions were really worth seeing. It was like adjusting the brightness on a TV with how quickly her face shifted from bright to dark and back. She was excited to have alone time with Kang Shin-hyuk after a while, but he didn't try to understand her feelings.

"Who's your target? You're not trying to compete with Bridget, right? She was a Hollywood actress."

"You crazy? Bridget unnie has more than 200 million followers."

"200 million..."

Though he knew she was a world-class celebrity, he wasn't interested in the entertainment industry by nature, so Kang Shin-hyuk just considered Bridget an annoying older noona who kept hitting on everyone. However, when he heard that her number of followers was that many, he was forced to realize it. That's why Shinyoung's name had risen drastically in value among not only superhumans but regular people. Although he felt a bit resentful, he had to admit that Bridget's presence was a tremendous help.

"Huh? Then who is it? Not Eli... Is it Claire?"

"Claire isn't doing social media. She did it before... I think it stopped when she met you- Uh..."

The atmosphere became a little strange. Kang Shin-hyuk took care to search for a way to switch the topic, but Lee Na-hee answered first.

"Vita unnie."

"Vita?!"

The Masked Bacchus members who didn't know she was an android just treated her normally. Vita would often tell them not to call her unnie or noona, but they couldn't dare counter the mature mood she exuded. Kang Shin-hyuk took the phone from Lee Na-hee and checked Vita's SNS account. It really was Vita herself! Her shyly blushing face was immediately recognizable, and she already had more than 5 million followers. Shinyoung was originally an institution that received worldwide attention, and Vita occupied a very special position as an acquaintance of Kang Shin-hyuk and Claire, so it made sense on further thought.

"I heard that the café is exploding in popularity."

"Not that much. When I go to the café, there's no idol concert."

Vita started operating a café on the first floor of the Unyu hall. It was one of the conditions proposed by Kang Shin-hyuk and Claire while working at Shinyoung. Since they couldn't separate from Vita, it was a brilliant job that was just right for Vita, who was originally a bartender in Cy Xenon, so she accepted it with great joy. And the pictures she posted were...

"...It's just latte art."

"There are also many cocktail drinks."

"Oh, yes."

When Vita took over as the manager, the café was renovated and expanded significantly, now selling cocktails as well as coffee and tea. Of course, they were strictly non-alcoholic cocktails that students could drink. The non-alcoholic cocktails were put in cheer packs (a container that was easy to carry) and sold in large quantities. However, there were also potions essential for combat being sold. Despite having a fairly high cost, they were being sold like hotcakes. In fact, if Claire wanted to, she could've dealt directly with Shinyoung under the Alchemist's name, but she instead pushed for selling potions in the café. Mainly because she thought it was a fun RPG-like scene as the students searched the suburban dungeons and bought potions sold by the school.

"And other than that, portrait photography."

"Yes, no matter how much I look at it, that is it."

In addition to Vita's shy selfies, there were photos of Claire and Kang Shin-hyuk, and there was explosive interest in those photos in particular. It wouldn't be wrong to say that Vita's account actually reflected the interest in Kang Shin-hyuk and Claire. Plus, she was rapidly gaining more and more followers, so it wouldn't be strange for her to eventually hit the 10 million mark.

"Junior, take a picture with me."

"I know why."

"Huh? Really?"

Lee Na-hee looked in disbelief after asking. Kang Shin-hyuk smiled.

"You're also Masked Bacchus. You're afraid you need to show off that you're close to me."

"Then, should you kiss my cheek while we're doing it?"

"That's not possible."

"A real man of the Joseon dynasty..."

Kang Shin-hyuk took a selfie with Lee Na-hee, who managed to hide her timidity. Sure enough, it was cute to see her so restless, but she was quick to upload once the picture was taken.

"Oh, as soon as I uploaded it, Eli commented. I'm scared where she is now, so I'll take care of it."

"Yes, please."

After Lee Na-hee put away her phone, the two started working. The object they made to exhibit at the World Prize was none other than a shield.

"Since the shield has a wide panel, it's easy to use runes."

"You're writing with all your might."

"I'm trying to show off."

"Yes, as a result, it would be nice to settle into the SS+ rank."

Lee Na-hee looked stunned at his words. Considering that the highest rating among the artifacts that won the Prize before was the SS-rank artifact Lee Manwoo created, his remark was indeed arrogant. However, Lee Na-hee knew of his true abilities. His words that he would be able to complete it with SS+ rank wasn't a bluff.

"Hey, you know, if that's the case."

"What?"

"Can I make one separately?"

Kang Shin-hyuk's eyes opened wider as he took out the email that had been prepared in advance by Lee Manwoo.

"You mean you want to make something and submit it yourself?"

"Yes. You know that I used to create accessory-type artifacts by myself."

"I know."

"So if you make the shape... I want to do all the rest. No?"

Kang Shin-hyuk pondered it for a moment. He knew well of Lee Na-hee's desire to create artifacts, born from the wish to follow her parents. However, because she didn't have the talent of a blacksmith...

'It's already been more than half a year since her trait evolved. Then, I think we can try to take the next step.'

This might be a great opportunity to develop her skills. If she could create a great artifact on her own...Kang Shin-hyuk happily agreed.

"So, let's do that. One as a team, and one under your name."

"No, you can enter up to two entries per team, so let's go with the team name. Besides, even if you only make the shape, your ability will enter it a lot... You don't have to remove your name. Because we're a team."

"Oh, yes."

"I'll say it now, but since I've decided to go with you all my life, I don't intend to sell artifacts under my name. All of our works go under the K&L brand, okay?"

Lee Na-hee emphasized the team very much because of the mood. Kang Shin-hyuk sighed, thinking about the meaning she put in that name. Gradually, he felt like he was sliding into a pit, but he hoped it was just an illusion.

***

Despite his initial worries, Kang Shin-hyuk was able to adapt to his changed position at Shinyoung quickly. Thinking about it, it had been the same last year. How quickly did those around him change when he awakened his spiritual power? Now that he was revealed to be the world's No. 1, the students quickly accepted Kang Shin-hyuk as their instructor. And, something he didn't expect was that the fact he was in a relationship with Claire produced even better results. His popularity exploded in Shinyoung now, given his close ties with her. How shallow was human perception? Kang Shin-hyuk felt like he gained a new understanding of humans.

"You said it's going to start in a few days?"

"Three. I'm sorry, we can't go together. Staying here must be frustrating."

After ten o'clock in the afternoon, right after finishing work with Lee Na-hee, Kang Shin-hyuk was talking with Vita in the closed café. Unlike Claire, who shared a room with Kang Shin-hyuk, Vita usually stayed in the dorm attached to the Unyu hall. So, today he had come to talk to her.

"No, dad. I like this place."

Vita seemed to be telling the truth as she smiled with sincerity. For Vita, who was born in a perished world and had only been able to talk to a handful of people, having the chance to talk with countless people every day was a great help.

"Here... It feels similar to that place. That's why I'm sad sometimes, but, should I say, I've become more familiar..."

"It's similar?"

"Yeah."

Vita muttered as she swept the counter with one hand. When Kang Shin-hyuk frowned and asked, she nodded.

"Supporting people leaving for the battlefield and serving drinks... Waiting for them to return safely."

"Ah, um... Yes, maybe it is."

Kang Shin-hyuk's expression twisted slightly as he observed Vita's bitter expression. Vita put her hand on his.

"Dad, will you come back safely?"

"Of course. I'm going to get an award."

"Woohoo, I'll be waiting then."

After Kang Shin-hyuk's trusty response, Vita approached him carefully and touched her cheeks and lips. When Kang Shin-hyuk's eyes widened slightly, she looked dissatisfied.

"I want a kiss, but my mother says you can't."

"Yes, I see."

"We're father and daughter."

"Yes... I still can't."

"Cheh."

Seeing Vita pretend to be spiteful, Kang Shin-hyuk felt like it was the right decision to bring her here. As a bonus, he decided to ask Claire about her strict mandates.

She decided that perhaps it would be fine to kiss with supervision.