Cannon King is an outstanding host.
He had a knack for combining the words that guests let slip and transforming them into laughter.
While Na-me was busy communicating with the fans, it was time to slowly wrap up Part 1.
He quietly called Professor Cheon, who was watching from behind the curtain, onto the stage.
“Abeonim, let’s imagine your daughter brought a boyfriend or a love interest home. Would you be willing to allow her relationship?”
Even though it was just a hypothetical situation, an unpleasant look appeared on Professor Cheon’s face.
The crease on his forehead deepened, and he showed his disapproval.
“That terrible thing must absolutely never happen.”
This is something any father raising a daughter could sympathize with.
Whether it was serious or a joke, all the fans supported his opinion with applause.
“Hahahaha! Then let’s ask Na-me next. You said your dream is to become the strongest in the world, right? If the day comes when you have to fight your father to protect your love, do you think you can win?”
Both Professor Cheon and Na-me’s fans leaned in, eager for her answer.
“Well, even if it’s not because of love, I think I could win in a few years.”
Na-me gave an evasive answer.
“Ahem.”
But hearing that she wouldn’t back down from a fight, Professor Cheon cleared his throat and adjusted his collar.
A subtle spark flew between the father and daughter.
“Na-me, you truly possess ridiculous combat skills. A few months ago, you defeated all the academy seniors.”
“That’s rather easy for me.”
“But I also know that you’re a truly outstanding wizard in Korea, Abeonim. Specifically, how many years do you expect it would take to win?”
How old do you think you’d start winning fights?
Na-me looked up at the ceiling, counting her fingers one by one.
“I’d say at most four years?”
“Four years! Abeonim, please keep this in mind. NoName’s adolescence will start in four years. As someone who has raised children, I know that adolescence is no joke…!”
Though said in a whisper, her last words echoed through the mic.
“Ah… I will remember that.”
“Great! For the next four years, I hope you will have a peaceful family life. In a harmonious atmosphere, we will return for Part 2!”
– What’s there to like, nothing is goodㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Na-me’s adolescence starts in sixth grade ㄷㄷ
– Seriously thinking NoName is so cuteㅎㅎ
*
With Cannon King as the host, the fan meeting felt more like a talk show.
The flowing atmosphere made time fly by quickly.
Lee Bo-reum occasionally brought me strange items to put on, and each was a bizarre object.
For instance, a bunny ear headband or a pink magic wand.
“Could you wave this around for me?”
“How?”
“Um… like using a wand?”
“That’s too vague. But I got it for now.”
Holding up the magical girl’s wand, I moved it loosely along the route of the light circuit spell.
Click click-
And what came back was an unending barrage of camera flashes from the fans.
“Ow, my eyes!”
Without even infusing mana, the light burst out on its own. It really was no different from a magical wand.
As I prepared for the upcoming signing event, I picked up a 500ml water bottle to quench my thirst.
“Wait, Na-me, I prepared a straw!”
“I don’t need a straw if I’m drinking alone.”
“No, you have to drink with a straw during fan meetings!”
“Why?”
“I don’t know why either!”
Surely, there must be some profound reason why that has become a tradition?
Kindly, Lee Bo-reum even punctured a hole in the punch drink’s lid for me.
“Here.”
“Thanks.”
They’re treating me like a baby. I wouldn’t even baby a five-year-old this much.
And then I figured out why drinking with a straw was important.
Isn’t it so that lipstick doesn’t smudge? It’s not an issue for me at all.
Now that it was too late to turn back, I bit down on the straw.
Slurp-
“…?”
Click click click click click-!
“Pfft. Cough!”
I burst out laughing at the overwhelming shutter sound of the cameras.
I almost choked.
“Isn’t it a bit too much to take so many photos at once?”
“Na-me is cute!”
“Drinking water is cute too!”
I never expected to hear such flattery in person.
I shook my head and grabbed the mic to announce the start of the fan signing.
“Please come up one by one.”
To meet 112 people in two hours, I had to spend only a minute on each.
For the fans, even the time spent signing would feel too precious.
But if I treated the signatures like a stamp, it would seem lacking in sincerity.
So, this was my plan.
“Hello.”
“I’m first! Oh, could I please have a signature on this paper?”
[Cast: Coordinate Synchronization]
First, I synchronized the marker’s tip and the magic circle’s coordinates.
As I controlled the magic circle with my fingers and sprinkled mana on the paper, the black ink absorbed into the paper along the thread made of mana.
Hands can be faster than the eye, but they can’t beat the brain.
In just one second, my cat signature was completed.
“Wow, what is this? Is it magic? Na-me’s signature is so cute!”
“Yes, I modified the coordinate synchronization spell a bit.”
“You’re so versatile! Oh, I actually bought a gift for you, Na-me! Ta-da, a red ginseng set!”
“Red ginseng?”
“If you’re going to be broadcasting a lot, you need to be healthy first!”
“Thank you so much! I’ll enjoy it!”
The gift avalanche didn’t stop there.
“Isn’t this a luxury item? In a few years, it’ll be too small for me to wear…”
“Wait? I thought Na-me would never grow!”
“How can you say such a curse…? And no matter what, luxury items like this…”
“They say every little brush with someone feels like fate! Think of it as a million won donation and accept it, okay?”
Some people gifted T-shirts with big luxury logos emblazoned on them, while others…
“Compared to everyone else’s gifts, this is really nothing, but I hope you’ll accept it…!”
“Did you knit this yourself? Wow, it’s amazing. I’ll use it well every winter.”
“Yes! Oh, and… um, can I hug you… when we were at Falling Guys…”
“A sniper?”
“Yup.”
“We made a promise, so come here for a hug.”
I also got a pair of warm-looking knitted gloves that reminded me of a cozy bonfire.
However, the most memorable fan was the last person in line.
An elderly lady who looked at least twenty years older than Professor Cheon approached.
You could feel the passage of time in her slightly hunched back and the cane in her hand.
I politely ushered her to a chair.
“Hello, grandma. If you didn’t bring anything else, would it be okay if I signed on the paper we prepared?”
“Oh my, you’re so sweet. Thank you, Na-me dear.”
[Cast: Coordinate Synchronization]
“What’s your name?”
“Not mine.”
“Excuse me?”
“I came to get this for my grandson, Kwon Jun-woo. Our Jun-woo really loves Na-me’s broadcasts.”
“Ah, so you came on behalf of him. Please tell him I’m grateful for watching my broadcasts. Here is your signature.”
The grandmother fell into momentary silence as she gently stroked the paper.
“Our Jun-woo has been a bit sick since he was little.”
“I see. What’s been wrong?”
“The doctor said leukemia. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia.”
“Ah…”
The grandmother clearly recited her grandson’s exact diagnosis.
How many times must she have heard it from the doctor for her to recite it without a hitch?
It’s such a sad truth that when someone in the family is sick, one becomes an expert on that illness.
“Because of this relapse, Jun-woo had to be hospitalized again last year. His parents are too busy working late and taking care of his younger siblings, so I thought I should be there for him. It’s regrettable he couldn’t experience middle school properly and graduated.”
“Both you and your grandson must have had a tough time…”
“But last year, after watching your broadcast, he felt a lot better. He was a kid without any feelings, but after watching one episode, he cried a lot one day and laughed like crazy another day, rolling around on his bed like a crazy person. Meeting you, Na-me, has become his bucket list.”
“I’ll make sure to hold a big fan meeting, maybe in a stadium, so everyone can participate.”
“That’s so lovely to hear… My grandson wishes you to do well. He believes that if you have suffered, you should be happy, that you should prove that by being happy all your life. Anyway, thank you so much for being a strength to our Jun-woo. I just wanted to say that, but I’ve talked too long, haven’t I?”
“No, I’m the one who is grateful…”
I placed my hand over hers gently.
It felt like a moment that would lead to many thoughts in different ways.
A warm emotion rising from deep within my heart felt strange.
I took a deep breath and spoke before the grandmother left.
“After the fan meeting, would it be okay if I video called your grandson?”
*
The resplendent hues of the sunset covered the road, turning it a deep red.
The scenery seen through the hospital window was as beautiful as a fairy tale, but on the other hand, the sunset looked like a matchstick fading away, which made me feel melancholic.
Knock. Knock-
The interrupted knocking sound came from the grandmother.
Kwon Jun-woo adjusted the angle of the bed to sit up.
“Welcome back, grandma!”
“When are you going to get better, Jun-woo? It makes me suffer at this age.”
“Did you get a signature? What did Na-me say? Did you tell her I saw her at the hospital a long time ago?”
“Huh? When did you say that, Jun-woo?”
“Grandma, I told you yesterday!”
“I don’t remember that. Here, this child is so pretty and sweet.”
“Na-me is a genius, a genius. Who knows if this signature will be worth millions or even tens of millions one day? Of course, I’ll never sell it.”
“I’ll be leaving now, dear. Make sure you answer the phone if it rings.”
“Eh, it’s a signature hehehe! Wait? What phone call?”
Seeing the unusually indifferent attitude of his grandma today, Jun-woo tilted his head in confusion.
He wondered if it was such a difficult request for him to ask to accept the signature on behalf of someone else.
Before long, the sun went down, leaving him alone in the hospital room.
♪♫♪♬~
In this eerie hour, he suddenly received a call from an unknown number.
[010-XXXX-XXXX]
“It’s not spam, is it? What’s this?”
And it was a video call.
Kwon Jun-woo didn’t have friends close enough to make video calls with.
His thumb fumbled aimlessly for a while until he recalled a word his grandmother said and pressed the accept button.
“Gasp!”
Jun-woo gasped as he saw the person on the screen and dropped his phone.
‘No way, is this a new type of voice phishing? That can’t be!’
Lifting his phone gently from the white blanket, Jun-woo confirmed that he wasn’t mistaken.
[Hello, Kwon Jun-woo.]
With a slightly languid voice, sparkling cat-like eyes, and most importantly, the same outfit worn during the fan meeting.
“No… how…?”
The person who initiated the video call was none other than the idol he adored so much.
[It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am NoName, known for broadcasting from Twish, but my real name is Na-me.]
“Ah…”
The reason why night and dawn come is to greet a new morning.
At this moment, another sun rose high in Kwon Jun-woo’s heart.
