Chapter 163
Chapter 163
I Don't Know About That
Unless you were directly involved, no—even then, it was something you couldn't possibly know. In that instant, one word flashed through Neria's mind.
Stalker.
As the thought crossed her mind that the woman standing before her might be that very person, Neria's shoulders stiffened on their own.
"Don't shrink away like that. I only want to give you some advice. I don't have any other motive, really."
"And you expect me to believe that?"
"What if you don't?"
Her bewitching eyes glimmered beneath the streetlight. As the corners of her lips curved upward, her entire impression changed.
From a fox to a snake.
"Your idol career barely got started after years of nothing but disappointment, and now it's on the verge of ending. Wouldn't it be okay to ask even someone you happened to meet on the street?"
The words pierced straight into her heart, and Neria fell silent.
She wasn't wrong.
She had spent over ten years as a trainee. She had failed audition after audition, drifted from place to place, and only after joining Mystic had she finally begun to establish herself.
"Our poor Neria. You should become successful and show those parents who opposed you what you're capable of."
"Ugh."
Neria Tallin.
She had been born into the Tallin family, a prestigious legal dynasty. Generation after generation, they had produced assemblymen and Supreme Court justices. Every relative was a leading figure supporting the legal world, making the family's prosperity beyond question.
In that household, Neria's devotion to singing and dancing made her the odd one out.
Her parents had been ashamed of her as well, and their relationship had now reached a point that was practically no different from severed ties.
Needless to say, she had to achieve something if she wanted to earn their recognition.
This wasn't simply a matter of personal success—it was for the peace of her family.
Naturally, she had never told anyone.
Hiding the surname Tallin had been part of that as well.
Only a handful of people even knew—
"Did my father send you?"
"You could say that... or you could say he didn't."
Right. Now she understood.
The way the woman had been gradually probing her meant she was someone connected to the family. They had always sent messengers every year as though it were some annual event.
"Even if you reach out now, I'm not going back."
"Of course, of course. Once you've drawn your sword, you ought to cut something with it."
Swish—
Closing the distance between them in an instant, the woman wrapped an arm around Neria's shoulder.
"That girl named Sakuya is your obstacle, isn't she?"
"No."
"What do you mean, 'No'? Even if Mystic reaches the top at this rate, there won't be a place for you. I believe your father has always criticized you for exactly that. You always claimed you could do anything to achieve your goals, and yet..."
After a brief pause, the woman leisurely continued,
"...you never actually do anything."
"What do you want from me?"
"You already know. You're the protagonist of your own world, but you're not the protagonist of the group. Not unless you make a decision. Remember this: tragedy lasts only a moment, but fame lasts forever."
It was a maxim even the members of Mystic had never dared to utter aloud.
Yet Neria felt as though she were being drawn in.
"..."
The woman leaned close and whispered into her ear.
"Well? Even you should be capable of something like that."
"No... I..."
Every emotion in Neria's heart was written plainly across her face.
Seeing that, the woman smiled brightly.
Imprinting wasn't a direct supernatural ability. Nor was it something whose power could be artificially amplified. The only way to determine whether it had taken hold was by observing the target's reaction.
The mere fact that Neria was agonizing over it meant her objective had already been achieved.
"Then think it over carefully."
Leaving Neria behind, the woman walked away.
She looked like an impregnable fortress with no room for anyone to break through, but in truth, Neria was more innocent than anyone else.
Perhaps she was the very definition of someone who appeared strong on the outside but soft within.
Painting ink onto a blank white canvas was always exhilarating, and that made the woman's sense of satisfaction all the greater.
You could even say her talent and her nature were perfectly matched.
Humming to herself as she turned into an alley—
"Your tastes are still as twisted as ever, Raphaela. But I approve. A human who doesn't wear a mask is more beautiful than anything else."
A voice stopped her in her tracks.
The woman, Raphaela, was greatly startled when she saw the approaching man's shadow.
He wasn't supposed to be here.
Unless something extraordinary had happened, he should always have been by 'her' side.
So how—
"You...?"
***
[Just like I said, I got the list of everyone who was following Mystic around before the Bauer brothers incident.]
Late at night.
As Ga-on reviewed the information Dobby had investigated, he found one person whose appearance matched Jin Geon's description exactly.
A woman who had run Garden Orphanage and raised countless Peter Pans.
And the Meta-human who had worked with Nick in an attempt to bury him.
Her name was—
'Raphaela Karl.'
It was someone he had never even considered.
Yet at the same time, her motive was so obvious that he wondered why she had never crossed his mind.
After all, it was entirely because of Ga-on that she had become a wanderer.
If it was Raphaela, it also explained why she had approached things in such a covert manner.
Her supernatural ability was Imprinting.
It allowed her to manipulate her target's actions however she wished.
The reason everyone captivated by Sakuya had shown such radical behavior was probably because they had all passed through Raphaela's hands.
The strange part was why she had chosen Sakuya in the first place—
"Does she want to make me suffer the same pain?"
The Emergency Disaster Response Unit had only become aware of Raphaela's existence because of Baek Gi's confession.
Considering that was the only information they had obtained, the two had most likely been closely connected from the very beginning.
'A woman's resentment is truly frightening.'
But precisely because of that, it seemed there was a way forward.
Wasn't this a situation he had seen before?
Amal Kam and Ga-on.
Sunmudo and Arhat.
Raphaela and Sakuya.
Imprinting and Forced Command.
Compared to one another, the abilities were so similar that there was no way to tell which was which. What obscured the truth was not reality itself, but the person who had realized what was genuine.
In any case, there was no need to prove anything.
As long as people were left with the suspicion that it had happened, they would draw their own conclusions.
That said, there was still one variable.
Jin Geon might have discovered it while investigating the Bauer brothers.
Pointing at Raphaela's profile, Ga-on drew an X with his index finger.
"Dobby, can you completely erase this person's trail?"
[As long as I have enough time and funding, nothing's impossible. Besides, I learned quite a bit while tracking that stalker.]
Seeing Dobby's elusive skills, it seemed he had improved yet another level. Ga-on felt a weight lift from his shoulders at the reassuring answer. If Dobby had said it couldn't be done, there would've been nothing Ga-on himself could do.
Then as now, Ga-on could never get along with electronic devices.
Suddenly, something Dylan had once said came back to him.
"So visible bombs don't explode?"
Yeah...
He thought he finally understood.
***
Stern Stadium, located in District 24.
Its perfectly hemispherical dome was its signature architectural feature, but that was only a trivial point of pride. What truly deserved attention was its capacity.
A hologram had been hovering above the stadium, which could accommodate 110,000 people, for several Solweeks now.
[Iris 20th Debut Anniversary Special Concert]
The dazzling words could be seen from anywhere in District 24.
It was an unprecedented scale and a commemorative privilege, but a concert by the diva who represented the current era naturally demanded that level of preparation.
After all, one small mistake could instantly lead to a major disaster.
As proof, despite it still being early morning, the area in front of the stadium was already packed with fans.
Even though there were still six hours left, the excitement was so intense that it seemed to drive away the chilly temperature. In virtual reality, the number of people waiting was more than twice as large.
Once so much attention had gathered in one place, it wasn't easily dispersed. Instead, it only continued to grow.
Naturally, the pressure on Mystic, who had entered early as surprise guests, continued to mount.
It was obvious just by looking at their faces.
Glancing over at Sakuya, Ga-on spoke quietly.
"Is there something you want to say?"
"No."
Despite her answer, it was clear she had countless questions.
She was probably holding herself back because of what she had heard from Neria.
Even if she tried to hide it, she couldn't conceal how dispirited she was. Her fidgeting index finger stood out all the more.
"Do your best. I'll be cheering for you."
"Okay."
He had brushed it off as a kind of training, but why wouldn't Ga-on know this was asking too much of her?
If it were up to him, he would have replaced only Sakuya with a hologram.
But that would have been a terrible move.
Now that she had caught the attention of the Emergency Disaster Response Unit, avoiding the situation was out of the question.
There was no telling where Jin Geon might uncover a clue.
For the sake of the future, the best course was to clear away every suspicion cleanly.
Resting a hand lightly on Sakuya's shoulder, Ga-on whispered,
"If it feels like your supernatural ability is about to activate?"
"...Pretend I'm nervous and fall over."
"Right. Just remember that."
She would be sharing the stage with a senior whose status was so far above hers it was almost unfathomable.
A rookie who had just debuted making a mistake wasn't an unusual sight.
If anything, it would seem perfectly natural.
The staff might not look upon her favorably afterward, but surviving came first.
As he finished going over the final plan, the waiting room suddenly became bustling.
Since this performance would determine Mystic's future, he assumed everyone was moving around in heightened alertness.
But when he turned around—
He immediately realized that wasn't the case.
"Nice to meet you."
An unexpected visitor silenced the entire room.
Silky pink hair.
Features that embodied the golden ratio.
Her gemstone-crafted artificial eyes glowed softly.
A star sculpted by modern technology.
Anyone with even the slightest appreciation for beauty, regardless of age or gender, would praise her appearance.
Her name was Iris Fendel.
The face of the current entertainment industry.
And a former idol.
In some ways, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her Sakuya's complete opposite.
Sakuya was entirely natural, without a single alteration.
Iris, on the other hand, was an enhanced human who had undergone every enhancement imaginable.
Displaying her long legs without reservation, Iris strode confidently toward Sakuya and extended her hand.
"You're Miss Sakuya, right? I'm Iris. It's an honor to finally meet you. I was cheering for you in Mystic Hundred."
"No, the honor is mine."
"I hope we both do our very best today so we won't have any regrets after the concert."
"Y-Yes."
Hesitating.
Fidgeting.
Sakuya's body seemed to sway along with Iris's gaze like a kite.
Yet no one found the sight ridiculous.
Simply seeing the two of them together had already become a hot topic.
Perhaps it was the union of the old generation and the new.
If Iris represented the current state of the industry, then Sakuya was the arrow pointing toward its future.
For the agency, it was a combination too valuable to miss—and one they absolutely couldn't afford to lose.
There was a reason they had chosen Mystic.
Not long afterward, Iris left.
Even though they had exchanged only a few words, Sakuya stared dreamily at the palm she had shaken.
"You look happy."
"Of course. She's someone I've admired ever since I was little."
Then she brought her hand to her nose and sniffed it.
For a moment, Ga-on couldn't process what had just happened and stared blankly.
"Rom Martandes Burnt Eau de Parfum. As expected, when it comes to floral fragrances, this perfume is the best."
"Uh... right?"
Because Sakuya was completely natural, she paid particular attention to her body scent.
That was why she had spent much of her earnings on perfume.
After carefully trying countless options, she had built up quite the collection.
But—
"It's exactly the same one I use. What kind of revelation could this be?"
"I don't know about that."
But I can tell you've had a complete change of heart.