The Novel's Extra-Chapter ss53: Side Story 53 – Chae Nayun (8)

[Jin Sahyuk’s gender has been changed according to the change in Kim Suho’s storyline.]

[Jin Sahyuk’s special ego was not fully changed by ?? and a part of it remains.]

I thought Jin Sahyuk would be a guy since he was a male in my original story. Nevertheless, this wasn’t completely out of my expectations. Jin Sahyuk’s story setting directly correlated with Kim Suho’s, so the co-author could’ve changed his gender.

“Our best selling medicinal plant is the hope plant, but… is there anything specific you’re looking for? We sell most known medicinal plants,” the owner asked Chae Nayun.

On the other hand, I kept my focus on Jin Sahyuk. She continued to smirk with her legs crossed.

“Oh, you’re right. It has most things except for what I’m looking for. I’m looking for information regarding the Tears of Heaven,” Chae Nayun replied.

She sounded quite experienced while dealing with the apothecary owner. The way she stood in front of the counter without showing any emotions also made her look like a veteran.

However, I felt like walking on thin ice with cracks forming underneath me.

“Ah, Tears of Heaven? Something like that doesn’t exist.”

“Doesn’t exist?”

“Yes, that was only created because a coincidence happened on top of a coincidence on top of another coincidence. It was nothing less than a miracle. I mean, logically, who would be able to create such a thing? It was probably made naturally and humans just found it.”

“…”

Chae Nayun didn’t show any emotion on her face. Not even a hint of disappointment could be seen. I found it quite surprising since the Chae Nayun I knew would probably have already lashed out with something like, ‘How does that make any sense?!’

“Tears of Heaven, eh? I know about it quite well,” Jin Sahyuk interjected.

She didn’t lower her hood, but her figure became slightly visible when she stood up and the robe partly opened. She wore a tight leather suit of all things…

“Who are you?” Chae Nayun asked.

Jin Sahyuk shrugged and nonchalantly replied, “I was there when the Tears of Heaven was auctioned.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, the Rukr Auction House. I thought about killing the guy who bought it, but decided otherwise since it would be too troublesome,” Jin Sahyuk replied before glancing at me. No, she blatantly looked at me.

“Hmm… This is quite strange…” Jin Sahyuk muttered while tilting her head in confusion. She had a perplexed look on her face. Her face appeared inches away from mine and she asked, “Why do you seem so familiar?”

“…”

“Hey, have we met before?”

I wanted to retort with, ‘What in the world are you talking about?’ However, my mouth wouldn’t move because I knew very well that Jin Sahyuk could kill everyone here with a wave of her hand.

Chae Nayun suddenly stepped in front of Jin Sahyuk and growled, “What are you trying to do here?” She glared at her in a threatening manner.

However, Jin Sahyuk didn’t back down. In fact, she flat-out ignored Chae Nayun and kept her gaze on me.

“You,” she extended her smartwatch towards me.

Then an alert rang on my smartwatch.

[Unidentified Smartwatch E013 has sent you a friend request.]

“Accept it. I’ll kill you if you don’t,” she added.

It was a very straightforward and efficient way to ask someone to do something in my opinion.

“What? Hey, ignore it,” Chae Nayun told me with a scoff.

However, I knew very well that Jin Sahyuk wasn’t the type to make empty threats. I immediately pressed [Yes] and accepted the friend request.

“I accepted it,” I said.

“Huh? Hey, why did you accept that?” Chae Nayun protested.

Jin Sahyuk checked her smartwatch and nodded in satisfaction, “Alright, I checked it. Ah, don’t be mistaken. I’m not considering you a friend or anything just because I added you.”

“Let’s go,” I dragged Chae Nayun and Yoo Yeonha out of the shop with Jin Sahyuk’s gaze still on the back of my head.

I had no idea why or how, but she seemed to know who I was.

***

“What was that just now? Why did you suddenly add him as a contact?” the owner asked in disbelief.

Jin Sahyuk didn’t bother to respond and sat back in her chair. She felt strange since a while ago. The guy’s face looked familiar for some reason. No, familiar was an understatement.

She felt her heart oddly resonate with him and had never felt this foreign feeling before.

“I don’t know,” she muttered.

“You don’t know?”

“Hmm… Okay, listen…” she explained how she felt to the owner.

The owner intently listened until she finished and said, “That… isn’t that love at first sight?”

“…”

Jin Sahyuk suppressed her urge to kill the apothecary owner. She may have fallen in status, but she wouldn’t fall for a loser like that guy. However, she couldn’t deny that she felt confused after pondering. She never felt this way before, so she decided to spare the apothecary owner.

“Can you find out more about that guy?” she asked.

“Hmm? Well, I heard he’s a Cube cadet.”

“Cube?”

“Yes.”

Jin Sahyuk rubbed her chin. That guy was also at Cube right now.

“Is there a way for me to infiltrate that place?”

“I think South Korea will be quite tricky. Things have recently gotten strict due to a bunch of lunatics causing a scene there,” the owner shook his head and replied.

His information network rivaled Pandemonium executives, but it would still be difficult.

“I see… Okay, get things ready for me then.”

However, Jin Sahyuk didn’t give a fuck about what he said. It had been a long time since she felt such a surge of emotion in her mundane life. It felt like a strong wave suddenly rose out of nowhere and crashed into the hull of her ship. She couldn’t simply let go of this exhilarating excitement.

“Huh?”

“A week should be enough, right?”

The owner became flabbergasted at the sudden turn of events, but Jin Sahyuk didn’t care and immediately left after making her request.

***

Chae Nayun felt bothered by what happened. Who was that person just now? She would’ve immediately known if she rummaged through her memories before regressing, but that person covered their face too well and she never got a glimpse.

In the end, she decided to ask Kim Hajin instead, “Was that someone you knew? Hey, I asked you a question. Who was that? Don’t tell me… Your ex-girlfriend? No… that can’t be… Hey, Kim Hajin! You better answer me right now.”

She went on a tirade, but Kim Hajin simply sighed and picked his ear. This went on for a while until they reached the city outskirts.

“Hold up. That’s a cave, right?” Kim Hajin said after spotting a cave. This discovery meant his luck would trigger again.

“That isn’t important right now. Who was that? Did you even know who that was before accepting their friend request?”

“Hmm… I’m curious now too. Who was that? What kind of relationship do you have with that person?” Yoo Yeonha chimed in.

“Ah, you guys are too noisy. Just be quiet and follow me,” Kim Hajin grumbled and dragged them into the cave to change the topic.

“Ha… Why you little…” Chae Nayun gritted her teeth in anger.

They ventured for five minutes before the limestone in the cave ceiling brightly shone red. The ray of light slithered to the ground like a snake. It was truly a rare natural phenomenon.

“Wow… what is this place? That’s freaking awesome…” Chae Nayun muttered in awe at the sight.

Kim Hajin smirked while looking at her, ‘Is she a carp or something? What’s with that face?’

“Hmm…”

On the other hand, Yoo Yeonha thought about what happened a while ago as she intently observed the phenomenon.

The hooded person from before seemed quite strong, but such a person somehow knew Kim Hajin. Could Kim Hajin have come to this place before? But he was only seventeen years old?

If that was true, then what in the world was this guy? His size and face couldn’t be any plainer than a passerby on the street, but what he had accomplished so far alone was…

Yoo Yeonha couldn’t help but feel more intrigued and fearful as she dug deeper into Kim Hajin’s identity. She got the chills as she learned more about him.

“Follow me.”

She flinched at Kim Hajin’s sudden words.

He walked somewhere without a hint of hesitation in his steps. The darkness only grew as they ventured further inside, but he didn’t seem bothered.

“Hey, walk slowly. I can’t see anything,” Chae Nayun whined.

Kim Hajin grabbed her hand and led her. That seemed to do the trick and shut her up.

“…”

Yoo Yeonha confirmed once again that this guy also liked Chae Nayun.

“It’s over there…” Kim Hajin said while pointing into the distance.

They looked at where he was pointing and spotted a source of light in the darkness. It looked like an orb or a jewel on the ground and gave off a gentle glow.

“What is that?” Yoo Yeonha asked while staring at the orb in a daze.

Kim Hajin smiled and picked up the orb that actually turned out to be a bundle of grass.

“We’re quite lucky,” he said. “It’s a hope plant.”

[Hope Plant] [Rare]

A rare plant that grows in extremely dark environments. Its roots contain a dense concentration of mana that allows it to glow brightly. This plant is also known to be a superior material that possesses the spirit property.

Information regarding the plant appeared in front of his eyes.

Chae Nayun stared dumbfoundedly at the plant.

“What do you think? This is quite a rare plant,” Kim Hajin said with a smug smile.

The plant lit up his face as he held it near his chin and he looked quite funny from that angle.

“Pfft…”

She couldn’t help but snicker at how he looked. Not a single part of him looked good, but she found him adorable nonetheless. In fact, he even looked handsome to her now. This emotion blossomed within her seven years ago and she still couldn’t understand it.

‘What did I like so much about this guy?’ she wondered.

Whatever the reason, she knew that some feelings didn’t require any justifications. The desire to be with him all the time simply overcame her and she couldn’t suppress it.

“Let’s go,” Kim Hajin said after foraging the hope plant.

Chae Nayun continued to daydream with her cheeks flushed pink. She stood up after him and asked, “That’s something valuable, right?”

“Yeah, it could become even more valuable once we use it to make an elixir or the Tears of Heaven.”

The hope plant in Kim Hajin’s hand glowed even brighter as if accepting him as its rightful owner.

The plant’s sudden glow mesmerized Yoo Yeonha and Chae Nayun.

“This is probably needed to make both of those.”

This plant would be their first required ingredient.

Boom!

A tremor shook the ground and they all flinched before turning towards the source. A silhouette of something big moved in the dark.

Yoo Yeonha recognized it first, “It’s a bear with a crescent on its chest.”

The crescent moon bear wasn’t a monster, but an apex predator among normal animals. Its bright red eyes glared at them.

“Hey, Kim Hajin. Support me with cover fire,” Chae Nayun whispered as she unsheathed her sword.

“A sword?”

“Yeah, I’ve been practicing.”

“Hey, a few weeks of practice won’t—”

“Just shut up and watch me.”

Kim Hajin expressed his skepticism, but Chae Nayun seemed confident.

In the end, Kim Hajin and Yoo Yeonha had no choice but to take out their weapons and support Chae Nayun.

“Krwuuaaaah!”

The apex predator shook the cave with its roar, but Chae Nayun didn’t even bat an eye as she infused mana into her sword.

Both of them clashed head-on.

“Here I go!”

***

That was how we also managed to obtain bear bile. We finally returned to Cube on Sunday.

The Pharmacy Club members stored the items from their New Alliance trip in the club storeroom. However, President Chae seemed dissatisfied with it and ordered a custom [Manatech Mobile Greenhouse] to store all the items and medicinal plants.

The club members returned to their daily lives after that. Chae Nayun left first and said she had somewhere to go. Kim Suho and Yi Yeonghan went to train and Shin Jonghak returned to his penthouse.

Then there was me…

[Pharmacy Club]

I went back to the dormitory, changed my clothes, and returned to the club room. I wanted to expose my almond (Evandel) to the mana in the expensive manatech greenhouse.

Drrrk—

I was caught by surprise after opening the door to the club room, but the person inside seemed even more shocked.

“What do you want?” Yoo Yeonha asked while staring at me with a devastated look. Cup ramyeon, potato chips, choco chips, etc. littered the table.

It seemed like she ate all of it alone.

Yoo Yeonha continued staring at me for a while before stuttering, “T-Thief…”

“Thief?”

“I… h-heard there was a thief, so… I came to look…”

“…”

I looked around the club room and muttered under my breath, “Ah… So a thief came in to eat potato chips and cup ramyeon? Without even touching that expensive greenhouse and everything inside?”

Who would ever believe a thief ignored that mobile greenhouse the size of a piano and the hope plant inside for snacks in the club room instead?

“Y-Yes… there’s no way I ate all of this, right?”

“Then we should report this immediately.”

“Ack!”

Yoo Yeonha screamed when I began tapping on my smartwatch.

“Ack! Ack!”

“Geez… You’re too loud. What is it this time?”

“Ehem ehem…” She cleared her throat and brazenly changed the subject, “Have you seen the notice?”

“What? What notice?”

“The specialization class notice.”

I checked my smartwatch, but didn’t see any notice no matter how much I scrolled through my messages.

[Heyyyyyy u wa the hzcek eh you ahwhw]

Only a strange indecipherable message came from Jin Sahyuk. She probably didn’t know how to use a smartwatch or didn’t know how to type since she came from a planet with no electronics. Rather than that, how did she even manage to send a friend request at that time?

“You probably didn’t receive it yet since my father sent it to me in advance,” Yoo Yeonha said.

“Then why did you even bother asking…” I replied in disbelief.

Yoo Yeonha scoffed in response and cleared the table, “I feel bad for the thief, so I’ll let them off this time. Imagine how hungry they must’ve been to eat this trashy food. Also, why would you report them to the police? Are you really that petty? Haven’t you read Le Miresable?”

“It’s Le Misérable, not Le Miresable.”

“Anyways, why did you come here?”

I hid my almond (Evandel) in my pocket.

“I came to check on the medicinal plant,” I replied before sitting on the couch.

The hope plant’s luster shone through the glass greenhouse. Increasing the security around it would be a good idea.

“When did you start liking her?” Yoo Yeonha asked another random question out of nowhere.

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about Nayun.”

“What?” I furrowed my brows and grumbled in response.

What bullshit was she spouting this time?

She totally misunderstood my reaction and continued in a serious tone, “There’s nothing to be so surprised about. There are a lot of guys who like Nayun. I think half of the boys in her previous school had a thing for her or something…”

She sounded tired while reminiscing.

“I have no idea where you got that idea or who told you, but I don’t have a thing for her.”

“That’s good then. Nayun has no interest in you whatsoever.”

“Hey…”

I almost retorted back, but decided to just shut my mouth.

Yoo Yeonha glanced at me before adding, “Oh right, Nayun probably went to see her brother.”

“I didn’t ask.”

Yoo Yeonha went on a childish tirade of mocking me for a while before moving on to the next topic, “Enough about that. You seem to have gone to that neutral state a few times judging from how you bumped into someone familiar.”

“No, that was… Ah, never mind. Think whatever you want.”

I couldn’t make up any excuses since even I had no idea how Jin Sahyuk knew me. The co-author probably pulled some stunt, but I had no idea what those plans were.

“Did you lie about your age by any chance? Or maybe your birth was registered late?” Yoo Yeonha took a jab at me.

Her sharp question stung me because I technically did lie about my age. Yoo Yeonha picked up on my reaction and nodded in satisfaction.

“No, I didn’t lie about my age.”

“Is that so?”

Yoo Yeonha didn’t say much after that, but her last three words carried some weight. It seemed like she was imagining all sorts of scenarios in her head.

“The specialization class will start tomorrow. Don’t be surprised if cameras suddenly appear,” Yoo Yeonha said while stretching her arms.

“Cameras?”

“Yes, they said they’re filming a documentary.”

Another troublesome thing had occurred.

“They’re calling us the golden generation these days,” Yoo Yeonha grumbled and sighed in resignation.

The people’s reaction was understandable. Forget about Kim Suho, Shin Jonghak, Chae Nayun, Rachel, and Yoo Yeonha. Even other cadets in this batch like Yi Jiyoon, Yi Yeonghan, Kim Horak, etc. would all be amazing heroes in the future.

Well, only if I managed to survive in this world until then.

“The Cube executives are trying to recover their public image because of the last midterm exam. I wanted to oppose this decision, but Daehyun, I mean Nayun’s side has already agreed to it so… We just have to endure even if it’s annoying,” Yoo Yeonha said as she stood from her seat.

“I’m going now,” she patted my back before leaving.

That girl acted exactly like her set character. No, she became more than what I set her to be.

I sighed with a mixture of awe, frustration, and relief before opening the greenhouse door.

“Let me know if the hope plant bothers you or if you don’t like it here. I’ll take you out immediately…” I placed the squirming almond (Evandel) into the greenhouse.

Thankfully, the almond (Evandel) seemed to like her new environment and happily squirmed a few times before burying itself in the soil.