Translator: Wan ED/PR: novio&Personal Ghost
20. Flapping of butterfly’s wings (2)
‘Why are you here?’
As if sensing that I recognized him at one glance, the eyes of Hwang-ho’s 30-year-old version twinkled as he grinned.
‘I guess he has no intention to hide.’
Thanks to neatly pulled back and organized hair, his face was clearly exposed.
Was it because of several different alter-egos in different age groups? 30-year-old Hwang-ho’s version’s expression was mature.
There was not even a bit of mischievousness on his face that always appeared on Hwang Jiho’s face.
Their impressions were so different that for people who didn’t know, they would just look like relatives that resembled each other a lot.
‘But his shining eyes are exactly the same as his teen version’s.’
The group that surrounded Hwang-ho and was conversing while walking, closed their mouths after they entered my hearing range.
I guess they were talking about something difficult for others to hear.
“He knows. It’s okay.”
I may know, but I don’t know about it being okay.
The group in suits glanced towards me and at my necklace-type staff name tag.
“One-day staff, Jo Uisin.”
“Jo Uisin…”
Reading my name tag out loud, the four men and women in suits made surprised expressions.
“Ah, this student…”
“He really is a human.”
“It’s the Person who had rescued Eunho-nim’s descendants.” [1]
Hearing their words, I guess these four are the Ho tribe members.
‘It seems that my name spread among the Ho tribe.’
The criminal[2] who had spread my name among the Ho tribe would be Hwang Jiho.
Because there is no way that Baek Ho-gun, Jeok-ho or Kim Sinrok would talk around.
“I thought You might have been a Jin or a descendant.”
“No matter how I look, You are human.”
“Amazing…!”
The four left Hwang-ho behind and started talking to me.
After exchanging device codes, looking at the business cards the Ho tribe members handed to me, they were employees of the Hwang Myeong Group.
“I have something to talk about with him. You go.”
30 years old Hwang-ho’s version gestured with his chin towards the four as he spoke.
“Yes?”
“Are we truly allowed to go, Hwangho-nim?”
“Really?”
“Is it true?”
The four Ho didn’t hide their disbelief.
‘No way, they are not wary of leaving the two of us, Hwang-ho and me, alone, right?’
Weren’t they talking some nonsense about Eun-ho’s descendants’ benefactor moments ago?
“Hwangho-nim, when we enter now, we will use the tickets to sit down straight away.”
“Hwangho-nim, you won’t steal tickets, right? We have truly a lot of expectations for Kwon Jane-yang’s[3] performance in Korea. You came just because, right? Are we really allowed to go there?”
“Hwangho-nim…! You can’t change your mind.”
“We worked hard for this day of rest.”
“Even though it’s from fellow Ho tribe members, when you get hit by Taehokwon, it deeply hurts! We had endured even when it hurt and fought!”
I guess they were like that because of the whimsical Ho tribe’s head.
He said that they would cry if he stole their tickets, but looking at their expressions now, it seemed they would really fall on the floor and cry if he stole them now.
“I wanted to go to the independent concert at the Manchester Arena by all means… but my passport came out late!”
“At that time the Diplomacy Department and Other Worlds Department were fighting over the work division for the problem of Jin people’s immigrations, so it was late…”
“Then fishy entrance exams of the kids of both ministers exploded at the same time, so weren’t they both fired?”
“I think the Yong guys were trembling over nonsense that they can’t go on an overseas trip as a group for a vacation with their descendant and dug into their backgrounds.”
“Ah, our secretary team should have helped with that. But even though those bastards ended up fired, we didn’t get to go to the concert.”
Hearing the conversation, it looked like the Diplomacy Department and Other Worlds Department were fighting over the work division for Jin people’s immigration cases to secure connections with Jin people and then both of them were robbed.
It wasn’t covered in the game, but it seemed that Ho tribe and Yong tribe had unexpectedly a common corner.
“Anyway, if you’re gonna snatch a ticket, you’re going to snatch it with Taehokwon… but I can’t win against Hwangho-nim.”
“We continue the will of our Cheongho-nim. Don’t make a weak sound before the fight! … Though we’re going to lose.”
“We, the best among the best of the Taehokwon’s originator and founder, Cheongho-nim’s pupils, are going to fight back with all our might!”
“Hwangho-nim, please watch out for us!”
I guess the founder of Taehokwon was Cheong-ho.
And those four are Cheong-ho’s disciples.
30 years old Hwang-ho, who was expressionlessly observing the four Ho making a fuss, opened his mouth.
“… Get out before I change my mind.”
Secretly… No, he was openly saying he would snatched it earlier, so he truly wasn’t going to steal a ticket now.
The Ho tribe’s head showed mercy.
“Yes, we’re getting out!”
“Thank you, Hwangho-nim. We’re getting out immediately, now, straight away!”
“Then see you next time, Hwangho-nim. Please absolutely don’t look for us until the concert ends.”
“Descendants’ benefactor, bye, see you next time!”
The four Ho quickly got away from me and 30 years old Hwang-ho.
Walking as if they were taking part in a walking race beyond human running speed, they disappeared inside the Hoyeon Building.
Watching their backs, 30 years old Hwang-ho pressed his temples.
“If they weren’t the only guys Cheong-ho left behind, I would give them a true lesson of Taehokwon.”
“… Those Ho tribe members, who are Cheong-ho’s disciples, look to be avid fans of Kwon Jane.”
“Yeah. Just like Cheong-ho, those disciples bastards are very much madmen for the ‘sound’. If Cheong-ho was here, she would die for that Kwon Jane’s music.”
One of the other Mythological category Ho which appeared in the Gaecheon Myth, Cheong-ho.
She was a sacred tiger that made a wish to Heavenly God to always serve Sinin and never made an appearance in the game.
She even left her best disciples at Hwang-ho’s side, so where did she go?
‘Is Cheong-ho by Sinin’s side even now?’
“Cheong-ho’s whereabouts are completely unknown.”
“Eh?”
“You had a curious face, so I gave you an answer. Cheong-ho left behind the words ‘I want to grant Sinin’s wish’ and then disappeared without any warning or regrets.”
Cheong-ho disappeared just like that?
For Sinin’s wish?
I had no idea what a wish Heavenly God’s son could have.
“This Eungwang School is in our Ho tribe’s divine realm and Eungwang School overflows with wonderful sounds. Cheong-ho is sure to come to Eungwang School.”
Hwang-ho’s voice was filled with faint longing.
‘Was Hwang-ho thinking like this…?’
Generous support for the art clubs.
Eungwang School’s class bell system.
Endless performance invitations at the Third Sacred Terrestrial Branch Building.
‘It wasn’t simply to improve student welfare, huh?’
Seems like he showed off all this work while waiting for his old friend, Cheong-ho, who had disappeared.
“But that bastard said the best sound is Sinin’s voice, so it would be quicker to catch Sinin first.”
Both Sinin and Cheong-ho were missing.
Same with no clues.
The atmosphere became much heavier than when Cheong-ho’s disciples were fooling around and then got out.
It was the best time to change the topic of conversation.
“You have something to talk with me about.”
“Ah, I want to talk with you about the reason I came here. Kwon Jane made contact with our Ho tribe’s side. She said she wants to talk with someone related to the Ho tribe. So I came.”
That was a very big change of topic.
‘Kwon Jane contacted the Ho tribe? Why?’
There was no such development in the game.
There was also no description of Kwon Jane coming to Korea at this time or approaching the Ho tribe.
However, there was also a possibility that it just wasn’t mentioned in the game.
‘Among the incidents which have happened until now, what could change Kwon Jane’s action pattern?’
One of the phenomena discussed by the Chaos Theory was the Butterfly Effect, which said that the flapping of butterfly wings can call upon a tornado. There was a big chance that this situation was the result of my actions.
When I was looking back at the incidents that broke out since I came to this world one after one.
30 years old Hwang-ho continued his words to the conclusion.
“If it was like usual, I would send some other guy, but this talk is concerning.”
“What?”
“Because Kwon Jane suddenly came to Korea on the request of Yong Jegeon.”
The reason is Yong Jegeon?
The name I couldn’t expect came out.
“They not only sent tickets for Hwang Myeong-ho, but they also sent one more ticket for the Ho tribe’s spokesperson. Thanks to that, it’s possible for me to enter the concert. But I didn’t tell Cheong-ho’s disciples bastards that.”
He took out an invitation from his suit’s inner pocket.
“In fact, if it had been different, I planned to steal one of their tickets. They’re lucky.”
When he said that, 30 years old Hwang-ho had the same playful face as teen Hwang Jiho.
Fortunately, nothing happened to make Cheong-ho’s disciples cry.
***
I put all the posters in the designated locations and then returned to the concert venue.
Just as I came back after being gone for a while, the atmosphere changed.
People stopped their work and looked at the stage.
In the center of everyone’s gazes, stood Kwon Jane holding a violin.
‘The real one overflows with more energy, huh?’
The violinist, wearing a shining blue indigo off-shoulder dress, gracefully stood on stage.
After Kwon Jane nodded her head once towards the sound staff, she put the violin’s chin rest to her neck.
When Kwon Jane quietly closed her blue like lakes eyes, it seemed that the entire world went quiet.
Her bow hit the strings and the concert hall was filled with sound again.
“Whoa…!”
“To play such sounds even during tuning…!”
Kwon Jane was tuning the violin.
It was only going one note higher while adjusting the sound with a pegbox, but bursts of admiration exploded everywhere.
“Amazing. For a second, I had the illusion that the superpower wave flowed out. To evoke such an outstanding sound with just tuning.”
30 years old Hwang-ho’s eyes shined as he looked at Kwon Jane.
‘In the game, in the scenes with Kwon Jane’s performances, the musical score was imputed into a digital synthesizer and out-putted as background music, so I had no idea it was this excellent.’
While I imagined what an actual performance would be like.
Kwon Jane, who had finished tuning, put down the violin and started to give signals to the sound staff.
Kim Yuri and Lee Lena, who had almost lost their souls while watching her, realized that I had come in the meantime.
“Ah, Uisin. You came?”
“Ah, you had to put up all the posters, sorry…!”
“No, it’s okay.”
I couldn’t win the ticketing war, but I could go put up the posters no matter how many times.
“Then I’ll see you later, Jo Uisin.”
After the two came closer, 30 years old Hwang-ho turned his back around as he spoke.
If Kim Yuri and Lee Lena noticed, the conversation would get complicated, so it was a good choice.
“This person somewhat resembled Jiho.”
“Uh? Is that so… They seem to be two very different people. I don’t know.”
It seems that Lee Lena had sharp eyes.
Lee Lena also differentiated between me and Yeom Junyeol the previous time.
I was worrying over how to change the topic, but the need for the worry disappeared in the instant.
“Hi.”
A calm voice rang in my ears.
Thinking ‘no way!’, the three of us turned our heads and stared with surprised eyes.
It was Kwon Jane.
“Hello.”
“Ah, hello!”
“Wow, whoaa….!”
Kim Yuri and I reflexively greeted her, but Lee Lena didn’t know what to do and covered her mouth.
Kwon Jane looked at each of us in turn with her serene eyes.
At last, her gaze ended on the staff name tag hanging from Lee Lena’s neck.
“… One-day staff? You’re doing a part time job?”
Kwon Jane’s voice was a bit stiff.
Was that unexpected?
It would be unusual for the Eungwang School student who can conquer otherworlds to have no money and work part-time jobs.
Lee Lena who had frozen under her gaze, fumbled with her words as she spoke:
“That, that… because I wanted to see senior Kwon Jane-nim concert up close…!”
At Lee Lena’s words, Kwon Jane made a relieved expression.
I guess she was concerned about Eungwang School juniors.
“… Okay, is that so, huh. I’m honored.”
Kwon Jane possessed a unique sense of art and was said to be a whimsical person, but now she looked like a school senior who was very considerate.
As if thinking the same, Kim Yuri hesitated and then plucked up the courage to ask:
“Senior-nim, that, there is something I’m curious about… May I ask a question?”
“Speak.”
“I heard that it is possible to use the Third Sacred Branch Hall today. For what reason did you choose Hoyeon Building?”
I was also a bit curious about it.
If it was Third Sacred Branch Hall, even ticketing would be a bit more relaxed.
“Because the Hoyeon Building is pretty.”
At the reply, Kim Yuri was at a loss and had a dumbfounded expression.
It seemed that the senses of the world-famous artist were truly special.
“Then, can I also ask you one question?”
“Yes? Yes, please speak!”
As if she didn’t expect the question to come back to her, Kim Yuri answered with a surprised voice.
Kwon Jane asked the nervous her.
Kwon Jane was staring at the butterfly imaging beaded hairpin Kim Yuri was wearing.
“The butterflies, do you like them?”
It was a hairpin that was said to be bought previously at the handmade accessories shop at the school’s eastern gates.
Kim Yuri relaxed and replied brightly:
“Yes, I quite like them! Do you like butterflies, senior-nim?”
“No, I don’t like them.”
At this answer, even Kim Yuri, who had maxed out social skills, tilted her head.
You don’t like butterflies, so why do you trouble yourself asking if she likes them or not?
I had no idea what Kwon Jane was thinking.
She added one more thing.
“Even so, I came to Korea looking for the Butterfly.”
*~*~*
[1] Cheong-ho’s disciples’ tone towards Jo Uisin – they use polite/formal tone the entire time (okay, maybe besides the last goodbyes). They also use the highly polite ‘This Person’, which I translate as a capitalized pronoun.
[2] criminal – it feels like a pun because 범인 could also be understood as a ‘human tiger’/ ‘tiger person’.
[3] yang – a honorific used to refer to a younger female, similar to ‘gun’ which is used for men.
Translator’s Note: … Huh? Why does that Manchester Arena and minister getting fired case looks suspiciously like something which Jo Uisin would do to cover up for something else??
Did you see a mistake? 🐞
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