Kwon Jia drank the water without hesitation, feeling refreshed from the spectatorâs perspective.
Yu-hyun examined Kwon Jiaâs condition after she finished drinking the water of memory.
Contrary to his expectation that something dramatic would happen as soon as she drank it, there seemed to be no change in Kwon Jia.
âJia? Are you okay?â
âHmm.â
Kwon Jia also looked down at herself, wondering if there was anything different.
âI donât think anything comes to mindâŠâ
She stopped mid-sentence and froze like a broken robot.
Her pupils shrank, and her body began to tremble like a pine tree.
Kwon Jiaâs body slowly tilted forward.
âJia? Jia!â
Yu-hyun quickly supported her.
He looked closely at Kwon Jiaâs condition and saw that she was not moving with her eyes closed.
She was not dead.
Judging by her steady breathing, she had just fainted.
[What the hell is going on?]
âI donât know. We canât leave her like this, so letâs move her to a safe place.â
Yu-hyun carried Kwon Jia in his arms and walked to the room where she lived.
He checked her condition while moving her, but contrary to his worry, she was fine without any injuries.
Did she fall asleep?
Yu-hyun muttered to himself as he reached the door of Kwon Jiaâs room.
The door lock of Kwon Jiaâs room allowed Yu-hyunâs entry without any password.
A familiar déjà vu.
It was the same with Kang Hye-rim and Kwon Jia.
Both of them did not set any password for their door locks.
Yu-hyun vowed to scold these two ladies later for their careless security measures and entered Kwon Jiaâs house and laid her on the bed.
[WowâŠ]
Baekryeon exclaimed as if he had seen something he shouldnât have.
Yu-hyun felt the same way.
He just didnât show it.
Kwon Jiaâs room was surprisingly beautifully decorated, unlike what he had expected it to be bleak.
The bookshelf that occupied one wall and the books that filled it were nothing.
The important thing was that the interior wallpaper was all pink, and near her bed were small and cute dolls.
âIt seems like the opposite of Hye-rim?â
Kang Hye-rim, who seemed most likely to reveal such things, had a rather barren room, while Kwon Jia, who seemed least likely to do so, had these miscellaneous things.
He was confused by this fact.
Yu-hyun did not know, but the reason why Kwon Jia had recently decorated her room so prettily was because of her own small hobby that she had gained after meeting Yu-hyun.
The fact that she decorated this room itself was evidence that Kwon Jia had regained the leisure that she had forgotten and neglected.
[She seems to have fainted suddenly, but nothing serious, right?]
âProbably.â
She reacted shortly after drinking the water of memory.
That meant that Kwon Jiaâs forgotten memory might be more vast than he had thought.
Maybe the reason why Kwon Jia was lying down like dead was also a process of regaining her lost memory.
She didnât seem to wake up anytime soon.
Yu-hyun watched over Kwon Jia for about an hour and then quietly left her room.
Since he couldnât do anything right now, he decided to check the rewards and points he had earned from clearing this Mental Realm.
Ding dong.
The bell at the entrance of White Flower Management rang.
Since most of them were out of their seats right now, Yu-hyun decided to go down himself.
âYes. Who is it?â
He opened the door and asked, and his eyes widened at the sight of the guest.
âYou areâŠâ
***
Seo Sumin stared blankly out the window during break time. Kang Yura, who should have been next to her, was not there.
She hadnât fully recovered yet, so Seo Sumin was alone now.
And Seo Sumin being alone was an opportunity for the other students who had been watching her closely.
At least for this moment, it was easier for them to approach her.
However, the students still couldnât approach Seo Sumin.
She was still in a distant position that was hard to reach, but also because she had been blatantly giving off a vibe that told them not to come near since Kang Yura got hurt.
An invisible iron wall.
The only ones who could cross this were A-rank students who were considered equal to her.
âHey.â
And indeed, an A-rank student approached Seo Sumin and spoke to her.
Red hair with swirling energy and cat-like eyes.
It was Gu Seo-yoon.
âWow. What is Gu Seo-yoon doing?â
âIs she talking to Seo Sumin? Could it be a recruitment offer?â
The students around them whispered and speculated among themselves, but Gu Seo-yoon ignored their words and focused on Seo Sumin.
Seo Sumin, who had been staring blankly out the window, sensed her approach and turned her head to face Gu Seo-yoon.
âWhat do you want?â
Mysterious white hair and somewhat languid eyes, but the emotion in them was clear annoyance.
Gu Seo-yoonâs pride was hurt by that, but she held it in since the other person was much stronger than her.
âFirst of all, Iâm sorry about your friend Yura. It was a tragic accident. So donât worry too much about it.â
âIs that all you want to say?â
âNo. Thereâs something else.â
Unable to hide it, Gu Seo-yoon whispered in a low voice that only Seo Sumin could hear.
âSeo Sumin. Youâre affiliated with White Flower Management, right?â
âNot officially yet. But, I guess it will be soon.â
She was still a minor and was bound by a provisional contract with White Flower Management.
She would become a full-fledged collector under White Flower Management only after she got the permission to enter the World of Ideas.
âBut, why do you ask?â
âWellâŠâ
Gu Seo-yoon hesitated on what to say.
How could she tell her that she wanted to meet him just because she thought she saw him in her dream?
She would be lucky if he didnât laugh at her.
But, she couldnât just ignore that dream either.
She felt uneasy about it. She thought that if she met him in person, this feeling would subside somehow.
âWell, you know, thatâŠâ
âSigh. Never mind. I donât need to pry into your reasons.â
âThen?â
âIâll arrange a meeting for you. Itâs not like itâs a matter of national security. You donât need to ask me for permission.â
âOh.â
Gu Seo-yoon realized that she was being too stiff and her face turned slightly red.
But, the students who were watching them from afar misunderstood that Gu Seo-yoon was angry and blushed.
Were they fighting?
They had just enrolled and Gu Seo-yoon was already challenging the first place?
Was there going to be a second match after the entrance test?
The studentsâ imaginations ran wild.
If they knew that the conversation between the two was so ordinary and trivial, how would they react?
But neither Seo Sumin nor Gu Seo-yoon felt the need to correct the third partiesâ misunderstandings.
***
It was time to leave the academy. Gu Seo-yoon followed Seo Sumin to White Flower Management.
âWhat? A bus? Donât you have a car or something?â
âWhy would I need that?â
Gu Seo-yoon felt a culture shock at Seo Suminâs puzzled look.
She always rode an expensive car with a chauffeur from her home whenever she went to school.
She took it for granted and didnât think that Seo Sumin, who was stronger than her, would do less than that.
But when it was time to go home, Seo Suminâs appearance was so casual and carefree that it had nothing to do with the charisma she showed at the academy.
âWhat? You donât have a transportation card?â
âWhatâs that?â
âSigh. Iâll pay for you this time. Just pay me back later.â
ââŠâ
Beep. Student.
Hearing that sound, Gu Seo-yoon failed to control her expression and widened her eyes as she followed Seo Sumin.
There was such a function on the bus.
The two found empty seats and sat down.
The two students wearing academy uniforms were enough to attract all the attention on the bus. Gu Seo-yoon felt uneasy and asked Seo Sumin cautiously.
âIs this okay?â
âWhat is?â
âWhat if it suddenly explodes or something?â
ââŠâ
Seo Sumin frowned at Gu Seo-yoonâs absurd question.
She felt pity and contempt for Gu Seo-yoon, who had less common sense than herself who lived in the martial world in her previous life.
Thatâs when Seo Suminâs characteristic behavior of talking like a babysitter kicked in.
âWhen you want to get off the bus, you press that bell over there. Then the bus will stop at the next station.â
âOh.â
âAnd if you have a transportation card, you can also transfer to another bus. Itâs useful to have one, so keep that in mind.â
The distance between the academy and White Flower Management was not far, so the two arrived soon.
âFollow me.â
âOkay. Hmm. This place is pretty big, huh?â
âI just moved here recently. I donât know much either, but thatâs what they say. Come on, letâs go in.â
âEx, excuse me.â
Gu Seo-yoon entered the White Flower Management building with a lot of nervousness.
She already knew about White Flower Management.
It was the agency that had the legendary eccentric teller Kang Yu-hyun and the two tellers he personally picked and trained: the Black Fox Kang Hye-rim and the Mad Wolf Kwon Jia.
They only had three tellers in total, but they had enough power to make any large agency look ridiculous.
This place, which had a reputation comparable to the elite Nemesis Clan, was also a place of envy among the academy students who wanted to join it someday.
She felt moved by the fact that she was stepping into such a place, and her actions became even more careful.
âIâm here.â
Seo Sumin said as she entered. But there was no answer.
âHuh? Is everyone out?â
âAre there usually a lot of people?â
âIt depends on the situation. I heard that Hye-rim unni and Seo-ryeon unni went out because they had something to do today.â
âSeo-ryeon unni?â
âOur agencyâs president. Didnât you know?â
âOh.â
Gu Seo-yoon nodded her head as if she remembered that name.
Baek Seo-ryeon, the president of the agency, would have cried if she heard that reaction.
Hoot.
As they entered the hall, they heard an owl hooting from somewhere.
Gu Seo-yoon looked up in surprise and saw a white owl sitting quietly on the railing of the stairs leading to the upper floor. It was staring at them with a mysterious aura.
âItâs cute, but what is that?â
âOh. Baek-hyo? Itâs an owl that Teller Kang Yu-hyun raises. Baek-hyo, say hello. This is my academy friend Seo Sumin.â
Hoot.
Baek-hyo hooted in response to Seo Suminâs words.
Gu Seo-yoon widened her eyes at the sight.
âWhat? Does it understand human speech?â
âYeah. Itâs not an ordinary owl. Baek-hyo is very smart.â
Hoot.
As if to agree with that, Baek-hyo flapped its wings once and answered.
Seo Sumin stroked Baek-hyoâs head once and went up the stairs.
Gu Seo-yoon followed her with a curious gaze.
âThe guest reception area is on the second floor. Just wait there for now. Iâll call you.â
âUh, okay.â
When they arrived on the second floor, Seo Sumin realized that there was already a guest there, unlike what she had expected. Gu Seo-yoon felt the same way.
âDid you know? You should have told me if you did.â
On the guest sofa, Yu-hyun was sitting and across from him was someone he hadnât seen before.
Who is that?
Seo Sumin examined the other personâs appearance carefully.
It was someone wearing a turban.
And whether they were trying to hide their identity or not, they also covered everything except their eyes with a turban. The skin that was visible was brownish, and they seemed to be female.
Yu-hyun was sitting quietly facing her.
âOh. Did you arrive?â
âJust now. But who are you?â
Seeing that there was a guest, Seo Sumin consciously used honorifics to Yu-hyun instead of her usual tone.
âShe said she came to see me.â
âA guest? Do you know each other?â
âI donât know. But more importantly, you brought a guest too?â
Yu-hyun noticed Gu Seo-yoon standing behind Seo Sumin and asked her.
Gu Seo-yoon was startled and bowed her head at a 90-degree angle.
âNi, nice to meet you! Iâm Gu Seo-yoon! Iâm sorry for coming without notice!â
Yu-hyun wondered how to react to this behavior that was so different from what he had seen before.
Then, the woman who was sitting across from Yu-hyun looked at Gu Seo-yoon and her eyes lit up.
She took off the turban that covered her face.
The black hair that had been hidden by the turban fell down to her shoulders.
Gu Seo-yoon lifted her head and finally got a good look at her face.
âHuh?â
She uttered that sound when she saw the guest who had arrived first, Jamila.
âShe is definitelyâŠâ
The girl who had been with him in his dream.
Jamila also seemed to have the same thought as she looked at Gu Seo-yoon with an unreadable expression.
Yu-hyun felt something strange about the two people who recognized each other and frowned.
âWhatâs going on?â
Only Seo Sumin questioned this bizarre situation.