"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 et?!”
Choi Ye-Seo turned to , 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 aningful gaze, which seed to say, What exactly have you gotten into this ti?
Trust , I want to change this environnt 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 mont.
***
[What? Right now? You want to co 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 ti.”
[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 comnted 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 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 gas on auto-battle to work, I let my work run on auto-pilot so I can play my gas directly.”
“That’s… incredibly cool.”
Success in life is subjective, but this seed like the epito of it.
“Haha. Didn’t you say it yourself? Ti is a luxury we fully own. I’m the sa.”
“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.
anwhile, 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 sentint 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 soone 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 ntioned, though sothing about it still felt unsettling.
Handing 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 . 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 ntor… ca to this school?”
“Probably back when they were invited as a guest lecturer.”
That damned ntor of mine. They always had more layers to peel back.
If they were an onion, they’d be the size of a waterlon.
“It was a long ti ago.”
With those final words, the studio door creaked open.
“Excuse … Oh! Eun-ah!”
Choi Ye-Seo hesitated as she stepped in, but her face lit up when she spotted .
“You co 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 seed pleased. Well, no point delaying things now that she was here.
“Alright, let’s get going then.”
“Have a good ti,” 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 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 chid in, resting her arms on the rock to back 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 .
“Alright, I’ll co back to pick you up later.”
“Huh? You’re not staying here with ?”
“It’s dangerous for to stay here too long.”
Accepting my explanation, Choi Ye-Seo gave a small nod.
There was no ti difference between this illusionary world and the real one. Ti moved at the sa pace in both.
However, since it was hard to keep track of ti here, soone 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 .
"All masterpieces already have their own established worlds," I began.
Changing those worlds ans modifying the painting itself—but only in ways that don’t disrupt the existing world.
As I ntioned earlier, it’s more about layering additional colors.
Most masterpieces are the result of such layers being added over ti.
Of course, this is sothing the masterpieces themselves aren’t aware of.
"Then it’s surprisingly simple, isn’t it?"
"Well… simplicity is subjective, but for , it’s no easy task."
Take [Seiren], for instance—it’s a world built entirely from my own jealousy.
Just imagine the ntal effort it took to create that.
This was bound to take so ti.
‘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 ss 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. Sotis 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 catch my breath.
"That exhausting?"
"If you spent six hours in this body, you’d understand. Plus, fixing a masterpiece takes a ridiculous amount of ntal energy."
I cracked open the can of soda he handed and downed it in one go.
"Phew… I feel alive again."
"Isn’t it ti 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."
…Sotis, 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. Ti’s up. Let’s go grab dinner."
“Ah! You scared —oh, Eun-ah. Okay, got it.”
Reluctantly, Choi Ye-Seo glanced at Seiren.
"I’ll co back soon!"
"Sure, take care," Seiren replied with a warm smile, waving goodbye.
Soon, Choi Ye-Seo’s form disappeared, leaving only 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 .
"Ugh. Shower first. I can’t go anywhere like this."
At my words, both of them nodded in agreent.
Man, there’s just way too much to do these days.
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