“Could it be that I was brought here on purpose?”

Was it because of Yong Jegun, the torturer here, that I was brought along?

Since this was a Stalemate special exhibition, as an outsider, I really had no business stepping in, but the atmosphere strangely shifted.

Suddenly, I found myself seated in a chair prepared by Stalemate and ended up doing commentary together.

They had a script ready in advance, so all I had to do was comment on a few moves, but while I was speaking, suddenly a crowd gathered, forcing a reshuffle of the seats.

“Then, let’s listen to the commentary on the second match! Shall we start from the opening?”

I was trying to sit quietly, fading into the background, but the Stalemate members actively engaged me in conversation and asked for my opinion.

If I responded passively or didn’t answer properly here, the whole explanation ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) session could have fallen apart, so I answered sincerely.

“There were many occasions to comment on moves before. Even then, only the commentators or a few panel members understood what I said, and most people were just curious chess prodigies who came to watch...”

The audience gathered here were basically people who knew chess since they were already at the Stalemate booth, where I wasn’t expected to be.

Judging by their reactions and clothing, it was hard to believe, but quite a few of them were actually my fans.

When I explained about the moves, they nodded as if they understood, reacted well to whatever I said, and sent enthusiastic positive responses.

It was embarrassing, but also a little pleasing.

“Yeah, Yi-shin, you look good. Your hands aren’t that cold either. Different from before.”

After the short explanation session where I played the surprise guest role, Yong Jegun checked my hand and said that.

Among everyone who observed me closely after I started playing chess again in this world, aside from my opponent, Yong Jegun was the closest.

Though I was in a somewhat better state now, knowing I wasn’t doing well, it was very like Yong Jegun to summon me to this event anyway.

Also, due to our outfits, Yong Jegun and I were asked for photos many times, so there were quite a few pictures taken with him.

Regardless of how I felt about him, the photos turned out well, so I asked Stalemate to save some of them.

“Now it’s time for our class’s tea house to operate the final concept.”

The last concept was a café combined with music.

Since several kids in our class were connected to music, we wanted to set up proper sound equipment and build a stage, but quality equipment usually takes up a lot of space, making it hard to coordinate the interior and furniture placement with other concepts.

Also, considering the atmosphere, it was better to place a stage with a performance like that at the very end.

The performers were Kwon Rena and Dokgo Miro, but because the latter was very well-known, a long line formed.

Some people, thinking it would be hard to get in, gave up and settled down on the gym floor nearby, which we were using.

But besides the entrance, there was another place where many people gathered.

“Let’s sneak in to check it out.”

We quietly entered through the staff entrance and checked the nature of the line.

Kim Yuri answered on behalf of the group.

“Oh, that? It’s a photo card vending machine. Since so many people kept asking for photo shoots and there were a lot of people, we tried to reduce it a bit.”

The so-called vending machine was just a very simple device connecting a terminal to a high-speed printer loaded with photo paper matching the size.

Among our classmates, Dokgo Miro, In Seon-oh, Jin Jeongmuk, Mingrin—who got a lot of photo requests—and also Guseulbi and Ong Gildong, who voluntarily participated though they didn’t get many requests, plus my data were input.

“Oh, come to think of it, I did get a message asking if they could sell my photos while we were moving.”

The data entered were photos taken wearing the tea house outfits, and considering printing costs and donations, the usage fee was set at a fairly acceptable price.

It wasn’t cheap, and I wondered if people would use it instead of actual physical photos, but unexpectedly, the response was hot.

“Can you buy up to ten per person? Who’s going to stick all that?”

“Please install more photo card vending machines...”

“No, there weren’t any when I came earlier! Damn, look at the line!”

Voices of complaints could be heard outside.

Still, as the crowd shifted partially elsewhere, the entrance line was decreasing more peacefully than expected.

But this was not part of our plan; it must have been added suddenly.

I wondered who came up with the idea.

“Who came up with this idea?”

“Daeseok!”

Looking toward where Mingrin pointed, Song Daeseok was setting up a printer with a troubled face.

Even without hearing the story, I guessed what happened.

Fans clinging to Mingrin to take pictures annoyed her, but she couldn’t chase them away, so she came up with a clever plan.

And so, she took charge and ended up doing this work.

Originally, there was only one photo card vending machine, but they borrowed more printers from elsewhere and planned to increase to ten soon.

“Looks like White Tiger dealt with another troublemaker.”

“Wow, again? Should I go help?”

“No, just leave it all to White Tiger.”

Currently, White Tiger was outside chasing away troublemakers.

People who had already visited our class’s booth rushed in late to get photo cards, but among those with enough persistence to visit several times, the proportion of troublemakers was high.

Someone from the graduated Class 0 alumni association tried repeatedly to push checks and spam Dokgo Miro’s name but was kicked out once; someone else claiming to be my fan did the same with my name and was kicked out again.

“Did you change your clothes, vice president? Is that outfit right?”

“Yeah, it is.”

The theme for our class’s tea house outfit this time was “Future Me.”

It sounded grand but was just a chance to wear outfits matching our future aspirations.

There were people in the class well over five thousand years old, awkward to call adults, but everyone shamelessly agreed.

So I had no choice but to think about my future aspiration too.

After pondering, I simply chose an office suit that a regular worker might wear.

“...Would it have been better to wear something else? But I don’t really have anything I want to be.”

When I was young, my dream was to be a chess player.

But after I couldn’t play chess anymore, becoming an office worker became my goal.

And now my only dream was to stop the mastermind and see a happy ending.

I basically had no future aspirations, but I couldn’t say that, so I chose a safe suit.

In fact, chess players usually wear suits for important matches, and at one point, I almost became an office worker, so it wasn’t a look too far from my dreams.

“People affiliated with the Player Association usually wear suits, right? Isn’t that what it is?”

“That’s right! Since we wore flashy clothes today, this kind of look is nice too, isn’t it?”

Song Daeseok, dressed in a researcher’s lab coat, and Sawol Seyum, wearing goggles and a vest like an adventurer, interpreted my outfit reasonably.

I didn’t know what my dream was, but standing near the flashy Guseulbi, Ong Gildong, the obviously fighter-like Maeng Hyo-don, the master Mok U-ram, and the artist Mingrin, my attire seemed even more eye-catching.

Among the visitors to the tea house, many stared at my suit.

Fortunately, I wasn’t the only one in a suit.

In Seon-oh was too.

“Let’s go take photos. They said this outfit will also be updated in the photo card vending machine.”

“This outfit too? It’s ordinary compared to others; is there demand?”

“There will be plenty of demand. Let’s go.”

In Seon-oh was confident there would be demand for the suit outfit as well.

Even when taking photos, I was hesitant, but apparently, it was true, and people started lining up to get photo cards of the suit outfit.

“But I don’t think In Seon-oh’s future aspiration is to work for the association or a regular company. Maybe she just picked it like me because she has no particular plan?”

Since it wasn’t a topic to bring up during the festival, I didn’t ask.

The time for the stage to start soon approached. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

The first act was Kwon Rena.

Wearing a violinist’s dress reminiscent of Kwon Je-in’s stage outfit, Kwon Rena stepped on stage with her ability violin.

When the performance was about to start, everyone glanced over but no one showed much interest.

A few people who were interested in the ability violin and the Eternal Lake team mixed among the audience stared at Kwon Rena intently, but that was all.

“The first piece is ‘for LENA’...!”

When Kwon Rena spoke in a trembling voice, applause briefly sounded then stopped.

The polite applause was mixed with murmurs.

Though it could have been bitter, Kwon Rena didn’t care and began playing.

As the gentle tone reminiscent of a lake filled the hall, the murmurs gradually quieted.

She didn’t use flashy abilities or production to attract attention.

Kwon Rena succeeded in capturing people’s interest with only the sound of the violin.

Clap clap clap clap!

When the performance ended, cheers mixed with whistles and loud applause filled the room.

Mok U-ram twisted his face severely, barely holding back tears, and Jared Lee, who had hidden in a corner wearing a hat, openly cried.

Two pieces were planned, so the next piece started immediately.

“The Wall of the Sea...”

It was the piece Kwon Je-in performed standing before a giant wave to stop the mastermind who attacked the youth retreat on Seokmodo.

Technically, it wasn’t difficult, but it was considered impossible to replicate Kwon Je-in’s delicate emotions; now Kwon Rena was expressing her own interpretation.

Instead of imitating Kwon Je-in, she was recreating what she had seen and heard with her own eyes and ears that day when Kwon Je-in fought the Wall of the Sea.

It was terrifying, but the feelings of continuing support and absolute trust shone through.

“The performance has gotten much better!”

I had heard it several times during rehearsal, but it was much more beautiful live.

As Kwon Rena began the part where she harmonized, a spotlight shone a blue light into a dark corner where Kwon Je-in was already standing ready to perform.

This was a special stage where Kwon Je-in and Kwon Rena swapped their usual parts.

“Today, Kwon Je-in will add harmonies.”

When the audience spotted Kwon Je-in, they tried to scream but covered their mouths; a soundproof barrier was immediately deployed around those who accidentally made noise.

As Kwon Je-in harmonized for his beloved niece and disciple, the tone grew richer, and Kwon Rena’s performance gained strength.

Waaaah!

When the performance ended, applause and cheers filled the tea house.

Kwon Rena smiled brightly after finishing the stage without a single mistake, and the moment it ended, Kwon Je-in ran up and hugged her.

Guseulbi and Ong Gildong, who acted as hosts, handed microphones to the two, and Kwon Je-in spoke first.

“Thank you. It is an honor to appear as a guest on the stage of my first disciple, Rena.”

At his words, it went completely quiet as if the sound had vanished.

At that moment, Kwon Je-in’s blue eyes shone with emotion and joy.