## Chapter 161 – Idol Hypnosis (1)
[You have completed a hidden quest.]
[Write an exposé on the Viper gang]
[Write an exposé on the conglomerate, Nobody]
[Write an exposé on both]
The cascade of quest completion messages poured in, but I only read them several days after returning to the original world.
“Ugh…”
I stretched, my body screaming as my bones cracked.
Thanks to Hornet’s surprisingly useful performance, I managed to acquire both ledgers, but writing the articles proved challenging.
I usually only read articles, but when I tried to write one myself, my mind went blank. Only with Cyan’s help could I produce something resembling an article.
Cyan’s expression was strange when she helped me write an exposé about the company she worked for.
Perhaps she felt entitled to some compensation after losing sleep for several nights.
After returning to the original world, I spent the entire day sleeping.
Only then did I realize that spending money on a bed and furniture was a good investment.
There was a reason why they were so expensive.
The bed, in particular, held me captive for days, making me neglect even eating.
Still, this quest was fruitful.
I got a glimpse of the future, acquired several skills, and managed to get the item I wanted.
I took out the body enhancement suit from my inventory.
It was still blue.
Of course.
“…The design is a bit much, but…”
It was an item that synergized well with me.
A sword made from materials from a fantasy world and armor made with future technology.
It was worth traveling to different worlds.
I gained a total of three skills.
The Hypnosis skill increased to level 3, and the Mana skill also rose to level 3.
Surprisingly, just raising the Mana skill slightly increased the power of mana-based healing and ice magic.
And finally, my Inner Force Mastery, which had reached level 10, combined with my Inner Force skill to create the Sword Qi skill.
Since I could already use Sword Qi, I thought it was a useless skill, but I was wrong.
“This is real Sword Qi.”
I could feel that what I had done before was just imitation as soon as I used it.
Before, it felt like I was just mindlessly pouring inner force into the sword to heat it up, but now I could create Sword Qi that could produce sparks with almost no inner force.
It used less inner force and was much more powerful.
I couldn’t test the Hypnosis skill.
There was no target.
“…Come to think of it.”
Hanna was supposed to come over for a housewarming party with a younger acquaintance.
I checked the date, and it was the very next day.
I had been lazing around at home for days after returning to the original world, so I hadn’t realized how much time had passed.
Fortunately, I had almost completely recovered from my fatigue.
“Hanna will be really impressed.”
Hanna knew the one-room apartment I used to live in.
Now that I think about it, this house was like a palace compared to that one-room apartment.
The kitchen in this house was probably about the same size as the entire previous apartment.
It felt strange to think about all the things Hanna and I did in that cramped space.
“Hanna was mostly expressionless back then.”
Hanna’s transformation was even greater than the change in my house.
Seeing Hanna, who used to be expressionless due to her lack of sensation, now acting cute through calls and texts made the change in the house seem insignificant.
I was already looking forward to tomorrow.
Thinking that, I turned on social media and read various posts as usual.
At first, I downloaded social media simply to see Hanna.
Now, I was addicted to the stimulating content, and I would stare blankly at it after returning to the original world.
Of course, I looked at Hanna’s posts the most.
“…Hmm…”
The most recent video caught my eye.
It was an unfamiliar song with unfamiliar choreography, but the video, featuring Hanna and a woman next to her, was so beautiful that I couldn’t help but stare.
Apparently, this song was the new release from the idol group the woman belonged to.
“She’s an idol.”
That explained her looks and dancing skills.
I used to know the names and faces of all the famous idols, but not anymore.
At best, I would hear a song and get the impression that I had heard it somewhere before.
“Ah, this song is by this idol?”
Surprisingly, it was the same this time.
I looked up a few songs by the group the idol dancing next to Hanna belonged to, and there were a few familiar songs.
If I knew them, they must be a famous idol group.
“Mei, is she a foreign member?”
She had a slightly unique name.
I wondered if it was a stage name or her real name.
These days, Korean idol groups usually had one or two foreign members.
I searched a little more about Mei, who kept catching my eye, and then fell asleep.
***
I was outside early this morning.
I hated going outside due to the hot and humid weather lately, but today I had no choice.
It was the day Hanna was coming for the housewarming party.
My place was in an area where people who were visiting for the first time were likely to get lost, so I decided to come out in front of the house in advance.
Just then, the text message I had been waiting for arrived, so I immediately took out my phone and read it.
[I think I’ll be there soon!]
I read the text and looked straight ahead, and I saw the large black car that I had been told about in advance.
It wasn’t Hanna’s car.
It was the car that the close acquaintance who was coming with Hanna drove.
“…Is she a celebrity?”
Seeing the large car, I suddenly had that thought.
I had heard somewhere that celebrities mainly drove those kinds of large cars.
Also, since Hanna had recently become famous and was mainly filming with celebrities, I had this thought.
When I talked to her on the phone last time, it seemed like she had been contacted while filming something.
As I was staring, the car slowly stopped, and a woman got out.
The woman slowly approached and stopped in front of me.
It was a familiar face.
“I’m here.”
“Welcome.”
Hanna smiled shyly.
It was the first time I had seen Hanna’s face in a very long time.
I smiled and greeted her with joy.
And then, another person got out of the car.
“…Huh?”
It was a face as familiar as Hanna’s.
It was the first time I had seen her in person, but it was a face I had seen so much yesterday.
She was hiding her appearance appropriately with a hat and glasses, but the original was not going anywhere.
Surely her name was—
“Mei?”
I called out her name without realizing it, and the woman whose name was called looked up at me and answered.
“Oh? Do you know me?”
Mei’s expression brightened, and Hanna looked at my face as if surprised.
“…I saw the video uploaded to Hanna’s account yesterday….”
“Ah… you saw that.”
Hanna’s expression became calm as if nothing had happened when I said that.
I’m glad it was easy to understand.
I glanced at Mei again.
It was the first time I had seen an idol in person.
I thought it was impossible for me to have an idol within arm’s reach in my life.
‘…She’s different.’
Perhaps it was thanks to the systematic management.
Her skin, body, and even the nail art on her fingernails were flawless.
She was so perfect that it was difficult to approach her.
And that was just in casual clothes.
If she was like this even with her original appearance hidden by glasses and a hat, what would she be like on stage with makeup and proper attire?
I thought that you had to be this good to be an idol who captivated fans.
“What is it?”
“…Nothing.”
I made eye contact with Mei and turned my head away.
I didn’t really need to turn my head since I was just looking, but her appearance was so overwhelming that I felt uncomfortable continuing to look.
And a new fact suddenly came to mind.
‘An idol is coming to my house for a housewarming party?’
I let out a hollow laugh at the unbelievable fact.
I was already bewildered by Hanna, who had become a famous model, but now it was an idol.
It was truly an excessive relationship.
“Follow me this way.”
I led the two people, and they looked around and made small ‘ooh’ sounds.
“I come to Hongdae often, but it’s my first time coming to this area.”
Mei said, looking around.
Actually, it was the same for me at first.
I had been around this area quite a bit, but I had never been to this neighborhood.
It was a secluded place that I probably wouldn’t have visited if I hadn’t found out about it through a real estate agent.
Still, it was the perfect place to live.
The transportation was more convenient than I thought, it had everything I needed nearby, and most of all, it was quiet.
The house was also big.
Beep beep.
The door lock opened when I lightly touched the card.
And the two people entered my house.
The scenery of the large and clean house began to appear.
“”Wow…””
The two people exclaimed at the same time as if they had planned it.
Seeing their reaction, the corners of my mouth slightly lifted.
My shoulders probably went up too.
“Come on in.”
“Thank you for having us.”
“Wow, amazing…”
I led the way and greeted the two people.
After guiding the two people to the sofa in the living room, I prepared coffee and some light snacks that I had prepared in advance.
Every time I glanced at the living room while preparing, I couldn’t believe it.
If I took a picture of this scene and posted it on social media, I might become a social media star.
I approached the two people who were lounging on the sofa, seemingly liking it, and handed them coffee.
