translation by mourningmoor
Jung Yoobin. Why is this bastard here?
“Nice to see you?”
At my words, Jung Yoobin grinned and nodded with a sly smile.
“Nice to see you too, Ichan-ah.”
At this point, an explanation might be necessary. Just as I was thinking that, Kim Jeongsoo chimed in.
“Ichan, I invited him. He’s the hero who saved our genius composer from a crisis. We should at least treat him to a meal.”
So, the genius composer here is me, and the hero is Jung Yoobin? He said he’d treat me to a meal out of gratitude, and ended up inviting him here?
Anyway, Jeongsoo’s meddling is on a Pacific Ocean level.
I suppressed the irritation rising within me.
Actually, maybe this turned out for the best.
“Thanks, hyung.”
I gave Jeongsoo a slight smile and then stared straight at Jung Yoobin.
“I was actually planning to treat you to a meal, but hyung set this up for us.”
It was a half-hearted remark, but it also carried a lot of hidden meaning.
It reminded me of my master’s teachings from long ago.
[When a mage reaches the 9th Circle, the highest level, they receive divine authority from the gods. Just like how you received three authorities today.]
There are nine divine authorities in total, and a mage who reaches the 9th Circle is granted at least one of them.
[In the long history of Armania, no mage has ever received three divine authorities. Even the great Archmage Bartholomew only received two.]
My great master, Yondran, only received one.
It was the greatest shield, the ‘Shield of Blood.’
[Among them, the authority of ‘Heart’s Resonance’ means that the gods have chosen you as the Archmage.]
Yes. All the Archmages of Armania were bearers of the ‘Heart’s Resonance’ authority. The reason the Archmage position remained vacant for 21 years was because no mage had received this authority.
[The gods wish for the Archmage to maintain the peace of this world using that authority. Reading the hearts of each faction and ensuring that the balance doesn’t tip in any direction—that is the role of the Archmage.]
That’s why the Tower of Parapara was also called the ‘Gray Tower’ or the ‘Fair Scales.’
The color that is neither black nor white—gray.
The scales that don’t tip to either side.
The Archmage was granted the authority to see through everything in order to fulfill the role of the tower.
And another intention of the gods in granting the ‘Heart’s Resonance’ to the Archmage was to stand against the ‘Demon King.’
The only weapon that could counter the Demon King’s ‘Mental Domination’ was the ‘Heart’s Resonance.’
[Occasionally, there may be those whose hearts cannot be read. Such individuals are said to have had their souls taken by the Demon King.]
[If I encounter such a person, should I eliminate them?]
[If necessary, yes. But there are times when you can’t.]
[When would that be?]
[When you need to uncover a secret from them. When you need to extract information. When the person holds an important position on our side and must be kept alive for now…]
There were more cases than I had thought.
[If the Heart’s Resonance doesn’t work on them, how do I uncover their secrets or extract information?]
[Use the people around them. You must infer their motives, how they came into contact with the Demon King, by reading the hearts of those they interact with.]
[Then I should keep such people close.]
[No, you shouldn’t get too close either. Maintain an appropriate distance, but always keep them within your sight.]
Within the range of my sight.
Then the ‘Loots’ are perfect.
Kim Jeongsoo feeds me information day and night.
I can figure out how he obtained that information through the other guys.
Then I’ll be able to figure out what this guy is up to.
Just like how I found out through Kim Wooyoung’s Heart’s Resonance that Jung Yoobin was behind the lighting accident.
“Jeongsoo hyung.”
At my call, Jeongsoo, who was eating sushi, turned to look at me.
“Yeah?”
“Can’t we bring Jung Yoobin into the Loots?”
“Into the Loots?”
At that, Kangyu from Colpis shook his head.
“The name ‘Loots’ itself implies it’s a gathering of leaders, but he hasn’t even debuted yet.”
“He has debuted. He was a member of MuteSeven.”
I smiled slightly as I looked at Jung Yoobin.
His lips stiffened slightly.
“Originally, Jung Yoobin should have been the leader of Mute Seven. He just humbly handed it over to Kim Wooyoung.”
For a moment, Yoobin’s small eyes narrowed even further.
Was he trying to gauge if I was serious or not?
But Kangyu from Colpis wasn’t easily swayed either.
“But there are principles…”
“Can’t we make an exception?”
At that moment, I activated the 5th level of Heart’s Resonance.
No matter how much of a principled person Kangyu is, he’ll feel that everything I say is right.
“Isn’t Jung Yoobin a victim? According to the press conference, he’s a perfect victim. He’s responsible, has a conscience, and the courage to stand against injustice. In many ways, he seems like a good fit for the Loots, don’t you think?”
I looked at each member of the Loots in turn, and finally at Jung Yoobin.
“Yoobin, if it weren’t for you, we might have ended up in a big lawsuit. There was a tip that my laptop was in someone’s studio at your company.”
“…A tip?”
A cold shadow fell over Yoobin’s face.
“Yeah. There’s even a photo. It’s blurry, but not so much that you can’t make it out.”
Yoobin, who had been maintaining a poker face, faltered slightly.
“Th-that must be Director Kim Chanyeong’s studio. I-I saw it there.”
“Exactly.”
I nodded and played along with Yoobin’s words.
“Thanks to you, we got out of it without a scratch. Director Kim Chanyoung left the company, right? I asked several times to get my laptop back, but he didn’t even listen.”
At this point, the wariness in his eyes finally eased a bit.
“It’s all thanks to you.”
Then, I put on the brightest smile I could and continued.
“Seniors, can’t we let Jung Yoobin join the group? Please? It feels like we should.”
No logic or persuasion was needed. This was the 5th level of Heart’s Resonance, after all.
The rest of the members all nodded.
Then, they even shouted in unison.
“If Ichan wants it, then sure. Why not?”
“Yoobin, today’s your first day.”
“Welcome, Yoobin.”
Jung Yoobin was now within my radar.
* * *
11 a.m.
We arrived at Gimpo Airport.
PD Pyo Cheonhee and Director Gong Seokho left for Japan a day ahead of us, and we were scheduled to depart with the rest of the staff.
But it seemed our departure schedule had been leaked.
The airport was packed with what looked like entertainment reporters and Filaments.
Jaewon had been singing about ‘airport looks’ since morning, and now I understood why.
As Jaewon, Roa, and Siu got out of the car ahead of us, chaos erupted outside.
Gyuhyung watched the scene with a satisfied expression.
“The kids have really grown up. They look so mature and cool. Hey.”
“We just need you to be mature, hyung.”
I patted Gyuhyung’s shoulder and opened the van door wide.
“KYAAAHHHH!”
Screams and the sound of camera shutters filled the air.
We got out of the car, lined up, waved at the cameras, and then started walking.
We deliberately walked slowly to give the Filaments time to take pictures. In the meantime, I absorbed the dense mana they were sending my way.
My physical condition has improved a lot recently.
It’s because I stopped wasting mana on unnecessary things and focused on building my foundation.
It’s a simple logic—you need a good storage for mana to use bigger spells.
It wasn’t bad.
I might be able to reach the 4th Circle soon.
“The 4th is right around the corner.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
I must have spoken my thoughts out loud.
Siu, standing next to me, looked at me with surprised eyes.
“Our first anniversary is right around the corner. Our debut date was May 3rd, right?”
“No, it was the 4th. This time, the release date for ‘Cotton Candy’ was March 14th, the same day as your accident.”
This guy is surprisingly meticulous.
He even remembers the exact date of my accident and our debut.
“Today is March 30th, so there’s a month and five days left until our first anniversary.”
Then, he smiled brightly and asked.
“Do you have any plans?”
His eyes were full of expectation.
I hadn’t really thought about it.
Then, Roa chimed in.
“Hyungnim, how about we hold a fan meeting for our first anniversary?”
“A fan meeting?”
“Yes. It’s a mix between a concert and a fan signing.”
During the last L.I.T activity meeting, there was a brief discussion about concerts, but it was concluded that we didn’t have enough songs yet to hold a concert.
“The fans want a concert, but we’re still growing.”
“So a fan meeting would be perfect, right?”
“Yes.”
It made sense.
Then, Hanjoon added.
“You handle the stage planning, right? Like last time.”
This guy seems to have completely fallen for the ‘In the Dream’ stage.
“Why just me? Everyone should contribute ideas.”
“Right. I want to contribute too. I might not be as good as Ichan, but I still want to help.”
Siu, his face slightly flushed, said with sparkling eyes.
He used to be so timid, but he’s changed a lot.
“Then let’s talk to PD Pyo first…”
“Ah, geez. I’m going crazy because of you hyungs.”
Jaewon, who was standing ahead, frowned and turned around.
“Why are you talking about this here?”
Now that he mentioned it, he was right.
“Look. This is a duty-free shop, I’m picking out makeup for my mom, and the staff here can’t even recommend products because you hyungs are being so loud. And fan meeting schedules are supposed to be confidential, you know?”
He was right.
Before boarding the plane, we wandered aimlessly around the duty-free shop, watching Jaewon pick out gifts.
Ugh.
Hanging out with these kids is making me feel like I’m becoming more and more insignificant. To think I’d be scolded by the youngest like this.
“Um…”
At that moment, the duty-free shop staff spoke up.
“Since it’s confidential, I’ll keep it a secret.”
“Huh?”
“About the L.I.T fan meeting. In exchange, just one autograph…”
Then, she pulled out a piece of white paper—I don’t know when she got it.
Soon, people holding papers lined up everywhere.
Have we… reached this level of recognition?
50 minutes before departing for Japan.
An impromptu fan signing session took place at the cosmetics counter of Gimpo Airport’s duty-free shop.