Chapter 142
Like a typical Japanese high school girl these days, Yastora Kaede loved Korea.
Not just K-pop, but Korean food and Korean culture.
She loved all of it and considered going to Korea her dream.
And if possible, she wanted to become an idol singer.
Like Jennie, whom she adored.
Or like Miyabi of Aces, who had recently become famous.
She wanted to become a cool idol.
Of course, it wasn't as though she was simply fantasizing without any skill.
Her dancing was good enough to earn recognition, and she was pretty, too.
Her singing was a little shaky, but she'd even gained popularity when a school performance was posted on Starstar.
Based on that, she contacted Korean entertainment agencies several times, but unfortunately, no one ever replied.
But Kaede did not give up.
Someday, I'll become an idol.
I'll become an amazing K-pop star.
Hadn't her favorite YouTuber, Kang Noah, always said the same?
The future can change.
The future can change as much as your efforts allow, so never give up trying.
So she worked hard.
She devoted herself to school, and never stopped honing her dancing, singing, and charm.
And her efforts bore fruit.
A Korean entertainment agency contacted her.
It was Taehyun, no less, one of Korea's Big Three agencies.
A man who introduced himself as Taehyun's head of scouting said bluntly,
He acknowledged her talent.
But she couldn't debut right away.
She would have to work as a trainee.
However, since she was exceptionally talented, if she provided a little money to grease the wheels, he would put her straight into the debut lineup without making her train.
The price was about five million yen.
She was torn.
Becoming an idol was her dream.
But five million yen was by no means a small amount of money.
Besides, she couldn't trust a single phone call, could she?
That's why she begged her mother to take her to Korea, where she saw it for herself.
She even saw him enter Taehyun Entertainment and show her around the practice rooms.
Even the business card he had shown her.
Everything indicated that he was Taehyun Entertainment's head of scouting.
Unable to talk properly because the conference room was full, he took Kaede to a café and got straight to the point.
Would she do it or not.
Her mother agonized over it and eventually handed over the five million yen she had saved over the years, then received the contract.
Now it would finally happen.
She would become the idol she had dreamed of.
But that dream soon came crashing down.
She learned that the man was not the head of scouting, but merely an ordinary manager.
And because the man lost all the money he had received from her mother in cryptocurrency, he went to prison.
Kaede felt wronged, despaired, and regretted everything.
Her mother had suffered a huge loss because of her.
Her mother was frugal to the last penny, yet never skimped on her daughter.
Her mother worked at a mart in the afternoons and always made sure to give her daughter spending money.
She had so pointlessly squandered the money her mother had carefully saved.
Because of her.
Because of one measly dream of becoming an idol, she had wasted all of her mother's hard work.
Because of that.
Kaede ultimately lost her dream.
***
I smiled at the high school girl staring blankly at me.
"So you recognized me. Ha. This popularity of mine can't be ignored."
"Wow! Wow! Hyung! Hyung!"
Kaede's friends beside her were bewildered.
But Kaede was so happy she didn't know what to do and shouted,
"It's Hyung Noah! Hyung Noah!"
"They're asking who that is."
Hong Si-yeon translated for them.
But among the high school girls, some merely tilted their heads, while others only exclaimed, "Ah."
"Hyung!! What an amazing coincidence...!! Hyung! Please give me an autograph!! A picture, please!"
"Sure. Sure."
I took a picture with the delighted high school girl and gave her an autograph.
"Since this, too, is fate, I shall read your fortune."
"O-ohhhhhhh!!"
I held out a card to the girl, who was practically beside herself with excitement.
Kaede carefully turned the card over.
As she waited expectantly, I got straight to the point.
"You'll be scammed by someone who promises to make you an idol."
"......"
.
.
.
I told her I'd explain everything in detail after we returned from the event.
She must have had a lot on her mind, but I couldn't ignore the event.
"That girl says she's going to karaoke later, but she's already sung all her songs."
"She must have a lot to think about. And she's meeting her mother tonight."
What could be the harm?
Smiling, I arrived at the venue with Hong Si-yeon, Mr. Cheolhon, and Rachel.
The Japanese staff saw us and beamed.
"Irasshaimase~! **********"
I'd heard quite a lot of Japanese, but I couldn't understand anything beyond the initial greeting.
"Thank you for coming. This is the world of Dunsa. Those who don't know Dunsa can't receive a gift. But apparently, if one representative of the group gets everything right, we can all receive them."
"Ha. Don't worry."
I was Kang Noah.
I was a veteran who had played Dunsa from its open beta until now—so seasoned I was practically rotten.
Ask me anything.
"Who are you?" he says. Apparently, I need to give my game ID.
"MushroomerIsMushroomMushroom."
"They've confirmed it. There are three difficulty levels—high, medium, and low. Which would you like to try?"
"Any is fine."
"Then the first question is medium difficulty. You are a level-80 Dao Berserker. When you encounter the Ruler of the Kerum Dungeon, which skill should you use first?"
Was this a question about a raid dungeon?
The Kerum Dungeon was so stacked with shields that it was known as the Berserkers' graveyard.
And they were asking what a Berserker should do there.
Heh. This question was right up my alley.
"That depends on your build. What skill tree are you using?"
The staff member who had been asking questions with a smile looked flustered.
"Uh. He doesn't know that, apparently."
This guy had violated the rule that if he was going to ask questions, he had to know the answers himself.
"Aaaaaah~!"
In the end, the staff member was pulled away, and another staff member approached.
He was a thin man with sharp eyes and glasses.
I knew it.
This man was a hardcore veteran too.
"I'm terribly sorry. A true expert should face a true expert. You are a Dao Berserker currently using the Rampage tree."
"In that case, you should use Gale Flurry Slash first."
"Why?"
"Because the Berserker's Blood debuff on Gale Flurry Slash can break the Ruler's protective shield."
"....That's correct. Next question. Eselaties of the Celestial Realm..."
The questions were excellent.
And I answered every one of them.
Of course, I hadn't read this man's future to answer them.
Any hardcore veteran who loved Dunsa should naturally know its lore.
"This is the final question. What are the options on the level-30 female Priest epic weapon, Cross of Mercy?"
"Before +10, all skill levels +1, 10% additional Dark-attribute attack, and when attacking, a low chance of granting the party and yourself a Holy-attribute enchantment. After that, each additional enhancement level adds 5% additional Dark-attribute attack."
-Clap clap clap!
In the end, the male staff member smiled with satisfaction.
I had answered every question he asked.
Phew. That was a good fight.
"Impressive. You answered every question correctly. Since you also answered all the questions for your companions, you may choose ten pieces of merchandise."
He brought out the merchandise he had prepared.
I checked the contents right there.
"Oh."
A few duplicates were mixed in.
If I'd been allowed to choose, there wouldn't have been any duplicates, but... that was part of the fun, too.
"Mr. Cheolhon, pick one, too."
"I'll take this."
"You're going to take a duplicate? Don't worry about what anyone thinks."
"No. It's my character."
He grinned and took the male fighter merchandise.
Come to think of it, Mr. Cheolhon had been using the male fighter.
"If anyone else wants one..."
"I'm fine."
"Me too."
Hong Si-yeon's bodyguards shook their heads, apparently not particularly interested.
Then Si-yeon...
"I'll take this!"
A red-haired female swordswoman.
After receiving the Female Sword Emperor, she grinned.
"Overall, it looks like they copied me. Silky red hair, captivating eyes, a slender figure, large breasts. Sharp eyes and a dangerously defined jawline, too..."
"...No, where on earth did you get that template?"
Hong Si-yeon laughed heartily.
Then she put the Female Sword Emperor in her bag.
"It's lucky it was a duplicate."
"For you, Ms. Si-yeon, I could give you one that isn't a duplicate."
"...Oh my. How delightful."
Hong Si-yeon beamed and linked her arm through mine.
"Let's go. This is the event you wanted to come to so badly. Enjoy yourself as much as you like."
.
.
.
It was an extremely satisfying event.
I would have skipped it if not for this matter, but I still received plenty of coupons and picked up some merchandise.
What I liked best were the keyboard and the extended mouse pad.
"Satisfied?"
"Yes."
"Hehe. Then I'm glad."
"Next time, let's go somewhere you'd like, Ms. Si-yeon. Is there anywhere you'd like to go?"
"Hmm... A Ferris wheel? Somewhere the two of us can be alone."
Her eyes were razor-sharp and full of allure.
A Ferris wheel, huh? Why not?
"Shall we go after we meet Kaede? I think we'll have time."
"Oh my? Will that be all right?"
"Yes. It'll be over quickly."
We headed straight to the place where I was supposed to meet Kaede.
It was a small café.
When we entered, the high school girl I'd seen earlier, Kaede, and a middle-aged woman were sitting there.
Kaede's mother.
"...Hello."
She greeted me nervously.
Then she spoke in a voice filled with anxiety.
"My daughter says you're an extraordinarily talented fortune-teller. But what exactly do you mean by saying my daughter will be scammed...?"
There was nothing to hide, so I told her about the future I had seen.
Only then did she squeeze her eyes shut.
"...If that's really true... thank you. The money I'd saved was meant for when Kaede went to college."
"M-Mom..."
The future changes.
A future in which Kaede avoided being scammed because I had intervened.
And...
"Hmm."
"What's wrong?"
"No, hey, Kaede."
"Uh, wh-what? H-hyung. Why?"
A future in which Kaede's talent shone brightly and she truly became a Korean idol.
There was only one thing.
It was just a shame she hadn't started a little sooner.
If she had...
"Have you really never considered trying to become an idol?"