Chapter 70

"Introduce yourselves. This is Seiren, and this is Choi Ye-Seo."

I gestured between the two with my fingers.

“…This is why you suddenly insisted we meet?!”

Choi Ye-Seo turned to me, her face a mixture of disbelief and annoyance.

“How is it? Cool and refreshing, right?”

Seiren, seemingly pleased to have company, smiled warmly as she spoke.

“Uh… it’s a bit scary, though.”

“Haha! Don’t worry. As long as you stay on the rock, you’ll be safe.”

I avoided Choi Ye-Seo’s meaningful gaze, which seemed to say, What exactly have you gotten me into this time?

Trust me, I want to change this environment too.

Seiren, now animated, began peppering Choi Ye-Seo with questions.

As I watched them, my thoughts drifted back to earlier, replaying the events that led up to this moment.

***

[What? Right now? You want me to come out now?!]

Choi Ye-Seo’s flustered voice rang out over the phone.

“Are you busy? If you are, we can do it later. We’ve got time.”

[N-No! I’m coming now!]

There was a loud commotion on her end, but I chose to ignore it and hung up the call.

“Haha. You two must be close,” Lee Ji-Cheol commented with a smirk.

“We are, but it’s not exactly a normal friendship,” I replied.

“Oh, interesting.”

Lee Ji-Cheol chuckled again, clearly amused.

We were in his private studio.

Despite granting me access to [Seiren], he had insisted on attaching several conditions, saying he felt uneasy just handing it over.

One of those conditions was working alongside him here.

“Don’t you have anything else to do, Chairman?” I asked.

“There’s a saying. While others leave their games on auto-battle to work, I let my work run on auto-pilot so I can play my games directly.”

“That’s… incredibly cool.”

Success in life is subjective, but this seemed like the epitome of it.

“Haha. Didn’t you say it yourself? Time is a luxury we fully own. I’m the same.”

“Most people in high positions are always claiming they’re busy, though.”

“Of course, but it’s often a lie.”

We exchanged lighthearted banter as we waited for Choi Ye-Seo to arrive.

Meanwhile, Lee Ji-Cheol gently stroked the large painting of [Seiren] resting on the table.

“I may not be able to see it anymore with my own eyes, but I can still feel it with my hands.”

“Is that so?”

Being young, I couldn’t fully grasp the sentiment behind his words.

…Well, maybe I could, if I added the years from my previous life.

‘But let’s leave those out for now. Gotta stay honest.’

“As someone who’s dedicated their entire life to art, it’s only natural.”

Lee Ji-Cheol chuckled softly, then let out a sigh.

“I’ll give you the key to the old school building.”

“Huh? Just like that? Out of the blue?”

“Haha. I’ve always intended to give it to you—ever since you won the prize.”

So it wasn’t too long ago.

It was just as Ms. Lee Ah-Reum had mentioned, though something about it still felt unsettling.

Handing me a set of keys, he asked, “Why the face? Need to use the restroom?”

“No, it’s not that. Just… there aren’t any ghosts or anything in the old building, are there?”

“Hmm? Pfft! Hahaha!”

At my question, Lee Ji-Cheol burst into laughter, so hard he had to wipe tears from his eyes.

“That’s a good joke.”

“Yeah, I’m embarrassed too. So please stop laughing.”

I knew how ridiculous it sounded. But if ghosts were to appear through the illusion of a masterpiece, that’d be terrifying.

‘…How did they stabilize the spatial coordinates for these things?’

I wasn’t even sure it was possible, given that this was all an illusion.

‘When I go, I’m definitely bringing Ms. Lee with me. No way I’m dying alone.’

“But seriously, what’s in the old building that’s so heavily guarded?”

“Wu Hua left instructions for it to be passed on to their next student. I don’t even know what’s in there.”

“My mentor… came to this school?”

“Probably back when they were invited as a guest lecturer.”

That damned mentor of mine. They always had more layers to peel back.

If they were an onion, they’d be the size of a watermelon.

“It was a long time ago.”

With those final words, the studio door creaked open.

“Excuse me… Oh! Eun-ah!”

Choi Ye-Seo hesitated as she stepped in, but her face lit up when she spotted me.

“You come barging into my studio without a second thought, but here you’re acting all shy.”

“This is totally different from your studio! Ah, hello!”

Choi Ye-Seo quickly bowed as she noticed Lee Ji-Cheol.

“Haha. No need to be so formal. It’s nice to see such a good relationship between you two.”

“Good relationship… hehe.”

She seemed pleased. Well, no point delaying things now that she was here.

“Alright, let’s get going then.”

“Have a good time,” Lee Ji-Cheol said with a slight bow as I took Choi Ye-Seo’s hand.

“Huh? Where are we going now?”

“To a refreshing seaside destination. Well, more like the middle of the ocean?”

“What are you even—”

***

And that brings us to now.

“Eun-ah, is this really a virtual world? It’s way too realistic…”

Choi Ye-Seo, who had been chatting with Seiren, turned to me with a questioning look.

“Our bodies are perfectly safe outside, so don’t worry. Though… if you stay too long, you might feel a bit dizzy.”

“It’s fine. Most people can stay up to 12 hours without any problems,” Seiren chimed in, resting her arms on the rock to back me up.

“Should I even trust this…?”

“Honestly, you’ll probably learn a lot more from her than you would from any company training program.”

I wasn’t an expert on singing, but from what I knew, there wasn’t anyone—or anything—better at it than Seiren.

“Phew… fine.”

Choi Ye-Seo exhaled, and the worried look on her face disappeared.

It felt strange, knowing she was putting so much trust in me.

“Alright, I’ll come back to pick you up later.”

“Huh? You’re not staying here with me?”

“It’s dangerous for me to stay here too long.”

Accepting my explanation, Choi Ye-Seo gave a small nod.

There was no time difference between this illusionary world and the real one. Time moved at the same pace in both.

However, since it was hard to keep track of time here, someone had to monitor it from outside.

Besides, I had things to take care of myself.

Waving goodbye, I closed my eyes.

***

"And what’s your next move?"

At Lee Ji-Cheol’s question, I simply shrugged.

"Touching up is easier than starting from scratch."

"And the one inside?"

"No issues. Neither Choi Ye-Seo nor Seiren will be in any danger."

"Your understanding of masterpieces is astounding."

Lee Ji-Cheol let out a low hum of admiration as he settled into a chair he had prepared.

Nearby, Choi Ye-Seo sat upright with her eyes closed, completely still.

I, too, sat down in front of [Seiren], the painting before me.

"All masterpieces already have their own established worlds," I began.

Changing those worlds means modifying the painting itself—but only in ways that don’t disrupt the existing world.

As I mentioned earlier, it’s more about layering additional colors.

Most masterpieces are the result of such layers being added over time.

Of course, this is something the masterpieces themselves aren’t aware of.

"Then it’s surprisingly simple, isn’t it?"

"Well… simplicity is subjective, but for me, it’s no easy task."

Take [Seiren], for instance—it’s a world built entirely from my own jealousy.

Just imagine the mental effort it took to create that.

This was bound to take some time.

‘Even with just layering, it’ll probably take about three months.’

"I didn’t expect you to grant permission so easily," I said, lifting my brush and preparing myself.

"Call it a whim. Besides, didn’t I set a number of conditions?"

"Still, with all your wealth, why charge a rental fee?"

"Haha, without it, I’d feel like I was losing out."

"Have you considered that I might mess this up? I’m only 17."

"Not a chance. As Wu Hua’s disciple, mistakes shouldn’t be in your vocabulary."

The wisdom of age, I suppose. Sometimes I wonder if it’s just a scam to have such a good eye for people.

Once I was fully prepared, I finally picked up the brush.

All masterpieces were created with brushes. Not that they were exclusively used, but they were essential tools.

[Seiren] was an oil painting.

"Seiren incorporates all the techniques of oil painting," I explained.

Impasto, wet-on-dry, wet-on-wet, glazing, knife painting, blending, pointillism, and marbling.

It utilized all eight techniques.

"This will take a while. Let’s start with impasto today."

Impasto involves applying thick layers of paint, typically with a brush, knife, or even one’s hands.

In my case, I’d be using a brush.

Artists like Vincent van Gogh and Diego Velázquez had used this technique, as had others like Raine or Byun Wol-Ryong.

Impasto emphasizes specific areas, and today, I’d focus on refining the rock.

The jagged edges needed smoothing, and parts exposed to waves required small walls for added stability.

Of course, I had to be careful not to make it too smooth—slippery surfaces could lead to falls.

Finishing all the impasto work in one day was impossible.

"Let’s call it a day. Six hours have already passed."

A cool sensation on my cheek helped me catch my breath.@@novelbin@@

"That exhausting?"

"If you spent six hours in this body, you’d understand. Plus, fixing a masterpiece takes a ridiculous amount of mental energy."

I cracked open the can of soda he handed me and downed it in one go.

"Phew… I feel alive again."

"Isn’t it time to fetch that young lady?"

"Right. It’s almost dinner, so we should wrap this up."

Lee Ji-Cheol offered to treat us to dinner, but I initially declined.

"Even if it’s wagyu omakase?"

"Let’s go."

…Sometimes, you just have to let whims guide you.

Focusing once again on [Seiren], I closed my eyes.

When I opened them, I was back in the ocean world.

On the rock, Seiren and Choi Ye-Seo were laughing together, clearly enjoying themselves.

"Ye-Seo. Time’s up. Let’s go grab dinner."

“Ah! You scared me—oh, Eun-ah. Okay, got it.”

Reluctantly, Choi Ye-Seo glanced at Seiren.

"I’ll come back soon!"

"Sure, take care," Seiren replied with a warm smile, waving goodbye.

Soon, Choi Ye-Seo’s form disappeared, leaving only me and Seiren.

"That was fun."

"I could tell."

A brief silence fell between us.

"You really changed the rock. Ye-Seo doesn’t seem to have noticed, though."

"I put in a lot of effort. It’s tiring just to change one rock."

"Hehe. Good work, Eun-ah."

"Alright, I’m off too. I’ll be back in two days, at most."

"I’ll wait for you."

With a light farewell, I closed my eyes again.

When I opened them, I let out a deep breath.

Sweat clung to my body, drenching me.

"Ugh. Shower first. I can’t go anywhere like this."

At my words, both of them nodded in agreement.

Man, there’s just way too much to do these days.