The after-party went off without a hitch.
It was nice for a moment to gather with like-minded classmates to eat, drink, and have fun freely.
But as the designated event time approached, scattered students began to trickle in to the first floor of the banquet hall.
It was around that time that I returned to the banquet hall after a walk.
As soon as I walked in, eyes flew toward me, so I hurriedly took a seat at the side table.
The students who were approaching me reluctantly dispersed, and I let out a sigh of relief. I almost fell into the trap again.
A short while later, the main event started.
Although it was announced as an event, there wasn’t anything special about it.
It was just a talent show you’d see on a school trip or a university retreat.
I’ve never actually been on a school trip or to university, so I was relying on information I gathered from the internet…
Either way, the format was similar.
The host entertained everyone with witty remarks, and a few students went up on stage to show off their talents and stir up applause.
The difference this time was in the performance of the student on stage.
I’ve never been there myself, but in the real world, talent shows would usually just involve singing, dancing, or magic tricks.
As she stepped onto the stage, a female student began to dance after saying a few words. Maybe it was because she was a superhuman, but her dancing skills were incredible.
She flawlessly executed an incredibly dynamic and fast-paced dance without any stumbling.
While I was impressed, there was nothing particularly outrageous—at least within the realm of what one might expect.
– Whoosh!
That’s when things started to break the laws of common sense from my previous world.
Flames erupted from the fingertips of the student. A regular person would have jumped back and freaked out, but the student didn’t bat an eye and kept moving her hands.
The flames wriggled and danced in red trails, undulating in sync with her smooth yet passionate movements.
The fire wasn’t just sitting still either. It moved as if it had a will of its own, swirling around the student’s attention.
It was a scene reminiscent of a dancer in a myth, dancing with flames.
‘……’
In many ways, it was a bizarre spectacle.
What she did came into my spatial perception—an unexpected feeling of gaining experience as I analyzed each of her actions.
The unusual talent show continued.
One student manipulated water hovering in midair, expertly mimicking various characters and structures, while another used telekinesis to control a puppet, putting on a one-man play.
These were sights you wouldn’t see in the previous world at all.
Additionally, they provided an abundance of experience points. I had so much to learn by meticulously analyzing those talents through spatial perception.
I could feel the flow of magical energy, along with the changes in their bodies and the process of their unique abilities manifesting—it was deliciously sweet experience points.
Therefore, I pushed aside thoughts of going back and sat down calmly to observe the talent show.
At one point, a student from the after-party randomly called out numbers given earlier and summoned them to the stage for a short song.
Except for the weird atmosphere that arose when I got picked, everything continued smoothly.
.
.
.
Thus, the after-party successfully concluded. There were no incidents, and most students enjoyed the feast satisfactorily.
While my welcome party ended on a weird note because I fainted, this time everything went rather well from start to finish.
After the event was over, the students who had enjoyed themselves went home, while those with energy left stayed in the banquet hall, partying until dawn.
The day after the after-party.
I sat at the edge of my bed, looking through the group chat on my smartwatch, nodding my head.
The real-time updates of the students suffering from a hangover were pouring in. I just couldn’t understand why they’d drink so much while feeling this miserable.
It was a Sunday morning, which is traditionally a time to sleep in.
I had to force myself to rise from bed, but today, for some reason, I automatically woke up with a clear mind.
I had been in this state since yesterday. More specifically, since I heard from Baek Ahrin about Hong Yeon-hwa’s condition.
‘I wonder if she’s okay.’
I learned she hadn’t joined the after-party due to Gop-hwa’s side effects.
The seemingly healthy and always vibrant Hong Yeon-hwa was unwell and couldn’t attend.
It was hard to believe that the well-known party girl, Hong Yeon-hwa, skipped a big alcohol event…
My thoughts kept drifting in that direction.
The changes from Gop-hwa—an ongoing issue that always seems to arise for Hong Yeon-hwa, yet she always managed to brush off its side effects.
So, I didn’t think much of it.
Even in the timeline of the original story, she would be back to her lively self within a day or two.
But hearing that Hong Yeon-hwa was sick and missed the event put a weight in my chest.
I couldn’t shake the image of her looking out of sorts on the last day of the entrance ceremony from my mind. My thoughts were becoming turbulent.
Just when I tried to focus, I found myself going off on a tangent.
‘……’
After hearing the news from Baek Ahrin… I mean, after Baek Ahrin sent me what seemed like a verification photo, I reached out to Hong Yeon-hwa.
I think it was around 9 PM?
I hesitated for a while, wondering if it was too late to contact her, or if it would be a nuisance, but I eventually sent a text.
It was just to ask if she was feeling okay.
After sending the message, the incessant ringing of Baek Ahrin’s smartwatch stopped, and a reply came in at the same time.
▶Hong Yeon-hwa: Thank you for your concern. I’m okay (Yesterday 20:57)
▶Hong Yeon-hwa: It’s something most Gop-hwa bearers go through. I’ll be fine in a few days, so don’t worry (Yesterday 20:58)
▶Hong Yeon-hwa: By the way, did Ahrin do something crazy just now…? (Yesterday 21:01)
She reassured me that she was okay. I felt a warmth in my chest, even though it was a standard reply.
Though I didn’t understand the question about whether she was getting into trouble, there was an overall sense that she was worried about me, despite her being the one unwell.
After skimming through the message history, I nodded my head and stood up.
For the first time in my life, I thought about visiting someone in the hospital.
Visiting someone in the hospital.
Going to see someone who is hospitalized, checking on their condition, and offering comfort.
I had never been to visit anyone in the hospital before.
To be precise, someone had come to visit me, but I had never visited anyone else.
Thanks to the incredibly limited human relationships I had in my previous world, which were essentially nonexistent.
I had no friends to get hurt. So of course, there was no reason to visit anyone in the hospital.
The only connection I had was just one internet friend.
‘I wonder how they’re doing…’
As I was getting dressed to visit the hospital, I suddenly recalled a friendship from my previous world.
An internet friend I went by the username “Agaphanidus.”
Whenever I would start a chat out of boredom, I’d instantly get a sharp reply—an equally dedicated recluse.
Most of my communication skills today came from those interactions with Agaphanidus.
Also, unless I was aiming for a return to my original world, it was likely I wouldn’t meet this person again.
‘…I hope they’re doing well.’
From what I gathered, they seemed to be doing just fine financially. I had no reason to worry about their well-being, so they must be living well now.
They were a person who lived online 24/7. I guess they wouldn’t be lonely with plenty of other internet friends.
My thoughts drifted off for a moment. I pulled myself back together and finished dressing.
Unlike in the past, I now had several meaningful relationships.
I felt that I had a relatively closer bond with Hong Yeon-hwa.
…Although it was mostly me being the one receiving help.
I heard that Hong Yeon-hwa was sick. My heart was uneasy, and I wanted to check up on her in person.
Of course, I didn’t want to head there immediately.
Even though I had no experience in visiting someone in the hospital, I knew enough not to just show up unannounced.
That’s why I slid in a question about a hospital visit in my message yesterday.
▶Me: If it’s okay, may I come visit you tomorrow…? (Yesterday 21:06:11)
▶Hong Yeon-hwa: Sure (Yesterday 21:06:12)
I received a positive response. Since I had her permission, there was no reason to hesitate.
‘…I should be good to go, right?’
As I was all dressed and about to leave the dorm, I suddenly stopped, thinking about whether I misread her polite response.
But I thought Hong Yeon-hwa and I were close enough that a hospital visit wouldn’t be awkward…? It wouldn’t be just me thinking we were friends, right?
After a moment of hesitation, I shook off the anxious thoughts.
Staying home was only going to lead me down that road of thinking over and over.
I quickly finished getting dressed and came out to the living room, grabbing the gift I had prepared in advance.
I bought wrapping paper on the way back yesterday.
I read online that bringing a gift for a hospital visit is recommended, and I felt it would be rude to show up empty-handed.
Of course, Hong Yeon-hwa would probably think it was a trivial gift… but it’s the thought that counts, right?
After checking on the gift once more, I opened the door and stepped outside.
*
[Player Correction System: Affection Level]
Lee Ha-yul → Hong Yeon-hwa
●●●●●●●●○○(83/100)
‘?’ ‘Guilt’ ‘Sorry’ ‘Thank you’ ‘Worry’
[Conditions for lifting the “Curse of Silence” have not been met.]
[Conditions for lifting the “Curse of Loneliness” have not been met.]
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
