Chapter: The Case Dismissed
1. This case is dismissed by the honorable court.
2. The plaintiff shall bear the litigation costs.
It’s not that the first instance’s verdict was dismissed; it was a dismissal ruling.
Dismissal is like failing an exam you took normally, while this dismissal is like being kicked out of the testing room for not bringing your ID or writing utensils.
Adella received a dismissal ruling because she did not meet all the necessary criteria for both standing and party qualification.
Unlike the second and third instances, in the first instance, an AI judge writes the ruling, and a few judges handle the final review.
“It seems they keep it at the first instance because it’s too troublesome to escalate to the second.”
Lawyer Cheon Jeong-ho comforted me, apologizing for this situation.
Controversial topics always come with great responsibility.
Especially in politics, past rulings can be questioned at hearings, so there’s a general atmosphere of avoidance for socially sensitive lawsuits.
When I conveyed the bad news to Adella, she brushed it off as if it were nothing.
“Yeah, it’s fine. When did I ever care about that? I’m going to prepare for the broadcast now.”
Since Adella complained about discomfort in virtual reality, my observation time of her increased.
What’s different from usual?
First, she doesn’t blink often.
A normal person should blink at least ten times in a minute.
I might have missed it in between, but there were times when Adella’s blinking interval extended up to one hour.
Her breathing seemed unnaturally labored and conscious.
Moreover, when normally accessing virtual reality, sneezing is almost nonexistent, but Adella could be seen sneezing about once a day.
So far, all of this amounted to trivial matters.
However, just having uncertain signs was enough to warrant caution.
Hoooyh! It’s tough, so tough.
I stretched out, wishing to grow even a little taller.
I carelessly tossed my clothes off in the living room and changed into my going-out outfit.
Professor Cheon was on a business trip for the commencement ceremony of the Gunsan Magic Power Plant, so I was home alone.
I layered up with warm, black fleece leggings and a layered shirt.
Then, grabbing a white padded jacket, I went out for a walk to clear my head.
Lately, I felt my body getting sluggish since I hadn’t been moving around much.
I crunched through the white snowfield in my brown UGG boots.
The bodies of young children are amazing.
Just strolling along, if you jump and land perfectly on a pile of snow, a reflexive bright smile appears.
What am I doing?
I looked around and casually quickened my steps.
I headed towards Guryong Village.
“Laura, let’s go.”
“Aww, it’s cold outside…”
“I’ll keep you warm.”
“Okay, I’ll be out soon!”
Calling Laura, who was a year younger than me, we climbed the back mountain of the neighborhood together.
The white ball on her fur hat swayed back and forth.
Even though it was a quite chilly winter, there were still plenty of hikers ascending the mountain.
Well, at this height, it wouldn’t really count as hiking to some people; they’d probably call it a stroll.
Seeing two young girls holding hands going up the hill brought smiles from the elderly nearby.
“Did your parents let you out, little ones?”
“We came out for a walk!”
“Oh really? Be careful, the ground is icy! Here, have a chocolate!”
“Yes, thank you!”
The cheerful Laura bowed her head and took the chocolate.
Chomp! Yummm!
Laura shivered with delight at the taste.
In the meantime, she sniffled, so I pulled out a tissue from my pocket to wipe her nose.
“Laura, show me your hands.”
“Like this?”
Spell cast: Heat Transfer – Conduction
I spun my aura quickly, generating heat, but Laura couldn’t do that.
So, I shared some of my warmth with her.
“Isn’t that warm? Should we head back?”
“Yes!”
“Let’s just go over there and then head back down.”
The mountain wasn’t particularly high, but we hadn’t reached the summit.
If I were alone, it wouldn’t matter, but I was with Laura now.
We sat down on a pavilion halfway up the mountain and took out the snacks I had packed.
As Laura gulped down her water, I took off my hat to wipe the sweat from my brow.
Though we couldn’t see a wide-open view, the snow piling on the branches sparkled like a galaxy, making it beautiful.
“I used to think people hike to reach the summit. I figured there wouldn’t be a reason to climb otherwise.”
I shared the thoughts I could tell to no one else with Laura.
After all, I didn’t expect her to be too serious about it.
“For health or dieting, or to see great scenery—those secondary reasons could be substituted easily.”
While they could be advantages of hiking, they could never be the purpose.
The purpose was to conquer the mountain and come back down. That, I believed, was meaningful in itself.
Reaching the peak means success; not reaching it means failure—like that.
“But when I’m with Laura, none of that matters. Just hiking with someone is fun.”
“Isn’t there another reason?”
Laura asked, munching on her chocolate cookie.
“What reason?”
“When you come down after hiking, the food tastes better!”
Her innocent and insightful reply left me speechless.
“You’re right. So, what do you want for lunch today?”
“Get me beef head soup!”
“Beef head soup…? Can you eat that?”
Did kids like stuff like that?
I wasn’t against it considering I had survived on soup for the last two years.
So, our lunch menu was decided.
The descent was quicker than the ascent.
We came down a different path from the one we had climbed earlier, moving like squirrels.
Huahhh!
Halfway down, the path was icy, and Laura nearly slipped off the hiking trail.
Fortunately, because I grabbed a branch to stabilize her, she held my hand and crawled back up.
“Is your ankle okay? Did you twist it?”
“Yeah, I’m fine! But is this the path people use? It seems too rough here.”
“This way is faster.”
“Oops, Na-me, your clothes are torn.”
“Where? Oh right…”
We both ended up covered in dirt.
My padded jacket had snagged on a branch and was torn at an angle, with stuffing poking out.
The back of my leggings was damp from sitting on the snowy ground.
“Let’s eat quickly and then go home to shower.”
“Okay!”
Even though we took what seemed like a shortcut, Laura was slower than expected, and our descent didn’t dramatically shorten the time.
We stopped at a restaurant at the entrance and ordered one beef head soup and one sundae soup.
Since it was slightly past lunchtime, the place was mostly empty except for one table.
Settling near an electric heater, I draped my padded jacket over my chair.
I tore open some wipes to clean Laura’s dirty face.
“Laura, come closer.”
On the opposite side, three grandpas were leisurely watching television.
Next news: Among minors under 12 years old, the ‘stock rich kid’ with the highest valuation holds stocks worth over 100 billion won and is identified as a teenage sibling.
“Oh my, a child is worth a billion? Must be rich.”
“A four-year-old has 500 billion? They’re really blessed to have good parents.”
“That’s all pointless! When you die, you leave it all behind anyway.”
The grandpas picked at their teeth with toothpicks and commented on the lives of the upper class.
Meanwhile, the restaurant lady brought over two steaming bowls of soup.
“We didn’t order dumplings?”
“This is a complimentary service. Enjoy your meal, kids!”
“Yes, thank you!”
Cheerful Laura bowed her head and munching on a dumpling.
“Oh dear, they sure eat joyfully!”
“Excuse me?”
“Oh no, no, don’t mind us! Just eat up, you two—there alone with your sibling? What about your mom and dad?”
If they’re telling us not to mind them, do we still have to answer?
While I pondered that, Laura jumped in.
“I just have my mom, and my sister has only her dad!”
“Hey, Aurora…!”
“Huh? Isn’t that right?”
“Uh, yeah?”
Their expressions rapidly turned rigid.
One of the grandpas looked like he was about to tear up, thinking something shocking, so I quickly clarified.
“We’re not living in an orphanage. It’s not a remarriage situation or anything. We’re both living well in our homes.”
“Oh, I see. The world is really rough and hard, huh…? Just eat well and rest here.”
“Yup…”
I don’t know…
Next news: Johnson & Johnson has decided to acquire the domestic startup ‘Bio-Akashic’ that developed a treatment for multiple sclerosis for 870 billion won. This is unprecedented in startups under one year old, generating hundreds of billion won profits for domestic venture investors.
“Wow, 870 billion? How much is that?”
“That’s a billion cups of soup!”
Meanwhile, the co-founder of Bio-Akashic, NoName, is estimated to earn total profits of 348 billion won with a 40% stake. At just 8 years old, NoName has become the youngest rich person in the Republic of Korea, stirring heated reactions among netizens. Let’s take a look.
“Isn’t that that genius girl?”
“Yeah! She really is a genius!”
“Wow, my sister is on TV! I really wish to be on TV!”
…
Laura hummed a tune while pointing at my picture on TV.
A strange silence fell over the restaurant.
I grabbed my twin-tailed hair with both hands, covering my mouth and glancing around.
“Uh? Uh uh?”
One of the grandpas tilted his head in confusion, looking back and forth between the TV and me.
“Hey kid, is that you?”
“Yes?”
“Really! What’s this? Hey lady! Come here!”
“Oh my…! A rich person is eating soup here? What a sight!”
The grandpas hurriedly pulled chairs next to me, causing a commotion.
I hadn’t even finished half my soup yet…
I shot a resentful glance at Aurora, but she didn’t think to look over.
“Hey kid, how do you become rich?”
“Why are you talking about that when they say it’s all useless in the afterlife?”
“Well, it’s the 100-year era now! You’re far from going to the afterlife!”
“Wow, it seems we’re meeting a real talent here! Don’t mind us! Just eat!”
“Why all this fuss! No, really…! Why are you bothering the kids while they are eating!”
“Hey lady, shouldn’t I get Na-me’s signature? Our national star!”
“Na-me? Oh goodness! It’s really her?”
Clatter
The restaurant lady dropped her tray.
I quietly asked Laura in a whisper.
“Shall we leave once you finish?”
“Not yet!”
“Okay…”
I thought I’d gotten used to fan meetings, but this raw level of attention was still overwhelming.
