Chapter 109

“What in the world is this?”

It was Sua’s brief internal monologue.

An unbelievable event had occurred, yet it couldn’t be outright denied since the scene remained unchanged no matter how many times she blinked.

[Seo Yeon-joo ─ Yeoncheon-kyung liberation: Impossible.]

[Dullard Determination.]

“Does it make any sense that Sister Yeon-joo is a dullard?”

Yeoncheon-kyung (演天境).

It was said to be a pinnacle reached when an actor embodied and expressed their deepest yearning through their body upon touching the heavens. Which is why it was so perplexing.

It was difficult to grasp with common sense.

“Isn’t Sister Yeon-joo’s skill the most outstanding there is?”

So far, she had observed that Yeon-joo’s skills were excellent.

In fact, she was extraordinary and had much to teach; that was Seo Yeon-joo. But for some reason, the Special Talent deemed Seo Yeon-joo a dullard.

Suddenly, Kim Sun-il came to mind.

His Yeoncheon-kyung: Harmony.

Thanks to that, Sua had successfully filmed the climax scene of Special Mobile Unit 808.

But it became even stranger. Seo Yeon-joo and Kim Sun-il’s skills were equally excellent?

“Could it be that we’re not discussing acting skills? Is there an issue with another aspect? Is there some other condition required?”

As she continued to ponder,

Sua felt a bubbling sensation in her head.

“I hope things work out well for Sister Yeon-joo.”

Seo Yeon-joo was like an older sister to her.

To Sua, who had no family, she was the one who had shown her kindness. She had always been unfailingly good to Sua, without ever revealing worldly desires. To the extent that she easily agreed to support the short film ‘Sword.’

“Fifth grade? Moreover, Yeoncheon-kyung liberation: Impossible…”

It’s all full of bad factors. What should I do about this?

How can I solve this?

That was when it happened.

Peng─!

“!”

Startled, Sua jumped up from her seat.

A thunderous explosion had sounded within her mind—no exaggeration, it was genuine.

But looking around, nothing seemed amiss.

Only Kim I-seo was gazing at her, seemingly asking if she was alright. It seemed the sound had only resonated in Sua’s head.

“Sua, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“Yes. I’m fine.”

Sua said while pressing her forehead.

She wasn’t feeling any pain, but what was this? Ah, that’s right. Where was I in my thoughts? It’s hard to recall.

Just then, the Special Talent came to mind.

[…Error occurred…]

[…Searching for cause…]

[…Searching for solution…]

“An error? What sudden error?”

[Root cause identified.]

[Excessive strain on the brain.]

“What?”

Sua’s eyebrows twitched.

“No, seriously, how much thinking could possibly cause an overload?”

It was utterly baffling.

How long had she been straining her mind?

Since stamping ‘Tomorrow Starts Crescendo,’ finishing group chats with her friends, and devising a marketing strategy to distinguish herself from Su-an by her own strength…

Was that all? Excuse me?

[Root Cause: Unripe Development]

“Wait, hold on a second. Isn’t this a bit unfair?”

[Reflect on your life.]

[A life that seriously contemplates things.]

[Sua has never led such a life.]

“…”

Sua was lost for words.

It was true. Before unlocking the Special Talent, she had lived without a care, and even after unlocking it, she had simply gone about swinging her Sua style recklessly.

No! But still, it wasn’t fair!

“I’ve been trying hard recently! Desperately!”

[One cannot transcend simply by changing one’s mindset.]

[Otherwise, the world would be overflowing with geniuses.]

Subsequently, a metallic cube hologram appeared before Sua’s eyes.

At a glance, it was not ordinary metal. It gave off an impression of being incredibly durable—like a virtual alloy of some kind.

“Suddenly, what’s with the hologram? What are you trying to show me?”

[Example.]

[This is Sua’s brain.]

“…?”

Then this time, a nail and a hammer appeared in the air.

[Example.]

[The nail is the Special Talent.]

[The hammer is Sua’s efforts.]

The nail and hammer began striking the metal.

Kang─! Kang─! Kang─!

But it was futile. With each strike, both the nail and hammer shattered simultaneously, showing just how durable the metal was.

Kang─! Kang─! Kang─!

[The reason: it’s too solid.]

[Extremely difficult to reform.]

Kang─! Kang─! Kang─!

How much time had passed?

When about a thousand hammers had broken, and nails bent into the shape of a ‘K’ stacked up to mountain heights, the metal began to soften slightly.

‘…’

Sua felt a pang in her chest.

[To soften it:]

[Many hours, much effort required.]

“…”

Sua had to embrace despair once more.

She had expected rapid results, performing right after experiencing the script, but unlike other abilities, intelligence couldn’t be absorbed quickly. Even the cause stemmed from innate intellect…

With such minimal effort resulting in overload, she was asked to invest tremendous time moving forward? It felt like hitting an insurmountable wall.

“Just live unintelligently then.”

The moment that thought crossed Sua’s mind,

[Compromise Recommended.]

“With who? What kind of compromise?”

The slightly cynical tone had already crept into her voice.

[Abandon the pursuit of becoming smarter.]

[Live in consultation with the Sua Guild.]

[After all, Sua’s brain:]

[(Shaking head)]

“…Hey.”

The talent then spoke in a somewhat consoling tone.

[The very reason for the existence of the Sua Guild.]

[To journey together with them to find answers.]

[To coexist, grow together.]

“…”

Could this be considered fortunate?

─In that case, if what I heard is correct…

Wi Ji-hye’s voice was heard then.

─Sua’s brain is the dullard’s dullard, beast-level, so even stepping onto the level of a common person causes overload? What sins have I committed to be trapped in such a body…

Sua pretended not to hear. Her face slightly reddened simultaneously.

Since the conversation with the Special Talent could certainly be heard by all of Sua’s alternate selves, what must they think of her, the mastermind? It was embarrassing.

Then Kim Yu-han interjected.

─Sua senior, there’s no need to be overly despondent. We’ve managed to avoid the worst scenario, hasn’t it been a good thing? After all, Sua senior has the Sua Guild within.

“…Is that so?”

─Indeed. We, after all, are a shared destiny, so we must do our utmost to assist Sua senior. If that wasn’t the case, imagine this—right about now Sua senior would be…

Kim Yu-han left the sentence hanging, gesturing sideways instead.

Then someone approached close to Kim Yu-han, munching on bread, with a vacant expression—none other than Kim So-hee.

─Like Kim Soo-hee, right?

─Eating bread here, hehe.

─Right, Soo-hee?

─Ahhh! Waaaah!

“…”

Sua fell silent. Best left unsaid.

Nonetheless, it was true that she should be grateful for the current situation.

There’s nothing else to do. Becoming a genius immediately is out of the question. Whenever she gets curious about something, she’ll consult with the Sua Guild.

“Phew.”

Once the talent was dismissed, Sua looked at Kim I-seo. Kim I-seo, meanwhile, was already looking up at her, concern evident on her face.

“Director. Regarding this piece that Yeon-ju signed onto, have they completed all the casting already?”

It was regrettable that her intelligence was inadequate, but the urgent priority was finding a way to save Seo Yeon-joo, someone precious to Sua.

Fortunately, Kim I-seo shook her head.

“Yeon-joo loved the script so much she jumped in right away, so there’s no one else cast except for Yeon-joo. But, they’ll gather soon—given Yeon-joo’s reputation.”

“Then…”

Sua took another look at the script.

[Lies, Lies, Lies.]

▶Sufficient material for manifestation.

▶Grade 5.

001 ─ Park Si-yeon (Seo Yeon-joo)

002 ─ Lim Soo-hee (Sua)

The text marked as Grade 5 wavered like a candle in the wind, as if it depended on Sua’s participation.

Therefore.

“I’ll consider joining too. Please don’t rush things.”

“This?”

“Yes.”

Kim I-seo blinked.

“To think about it, Yeon-joo jumped into ‘Sword’ because she saw Sua’s performance. This reverse situation isn’t so strange after all.”

“Yes. Then I’d appreciate it if you could handle it that way.”

Right then.

“Director! Director Kim I-seo!”

Someone approached in a rush, a familiar face—it was the staff member responsible for receiving visitors.

Not only that, the urgency was palpable. It seemed they might collapse from lack of breath right there.

“Director! You need to come!”

“What’s going on? Is something not going well?”

Kim I-seo frowned as if already expecting a headache, but the staff member negated that with a head shake.

“No issue with the business. However…”

“However?”

“There’s someone urgently looking for you…”

“I’m sorry, but no.”

Kim I-seo firmly cut the staff member off.

With a sharp wave of her hand.

“Please convey that it’s not possible. We have only an hour left until the airing of Special Mobile Unit 808. If it’s an ordinary visitor, please ask them to come another day. If they seem significant, offer my business card.”

As she said that, Kim I-seo patted Sua’s shoulder.

“Sua, start getting ready. Let’s go.”

However.

As Kim I-seo began her confident stride, she soon had to stop.

Because the identity of the visitor was unexpected.

“あ、待ってました！”

(Ah, I’ve been waiting!)

It was a figure Sua immediately recognized.

A face resembling a traditional mask of the exorcism dance. Director Yusaku.

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