REINCARNATED IN "THE NOVEL´S EXTRA-REMAKE"

...

"Atchin!"

I scratched the tip of my nose.

'Huh! Who's talking about me now? I hope it's good stuff at least.'

The sneeze came out of nowhere, causing me to shake my head quickly as I held the spoon with some ice cream halfway to my mouth.

Sitting in a padded chair in one of the brightest corners of the ice cream parlor, Nayun and I were enjoying a rare moment of peace. The atmosphere was quiet, with the soft sound of ambient music mixing with the low buzz of the other Cube customers.

In front of us, a parfait divided perfectly in half, one half with the vibrant green of mint and the other with the rich brown of chocolate. An unexpected balance, but somehow it worked. And so did we.

Just to be clear: the mint half, with its almost radioactive color and elegant toothpaste taste, was Nayun's choice. I would never choose mint of my own volition... But seeing her satisfied smile as she ate it, I couldn't complain.

"You'll see that mint is better than chocolate after today." 

She said with a smug little smile, sinking her spoon into her portion as if proving an important point of philosophy.

"I doubt that very much." 

I retorted, taking a piece of the chocolate part into my mouth. 

"But nice try."

She laughed, and the sound was light, sincere, the kind that made it seem like the world outside could wait a little longer.

"Speaking of which." 

She poked my leg with her knee under the table. 

"Why did you sneeze? Thinking about Rachel again?"

I nearly choked on my ice cream. She looked at me with an arched eyebrow and a mischievous smile growing at the corner of her mouth.

"I'm not saying yes... But I'm not saying no either..." 

I joked, shifting my gaze to the dessert case as if that was suddenly more interesting than the subject.

Nayun slapped me lightly on the arm, but the smile didn't disappear.

"Just be careful, Theo. A split parfait is still just a parfait. You don't want to mix the flavors too much, you don't want everything to turn into a mess, do you?"

And even with the teasing, there was something else in his voice, perhaps a warning? Perhaps a little affection?

Or maybe, just maybe... A touch of jealousy.

"...Cof! Don't worry, I have no thoughts of becoming a Pokémon trainer."

I said with a half-smile, taking another spoonful of ice cream into my mouth while avoiding Nayun's sharp gaze for a moment. The truth was that I myself didn't know how many of them might be by my side at the end of it all.

But I was almost certain of one thing: the number wouldn't be more than ten. Probably...

"Humn! I'll believe it for now."

She replied, narrowing her eyes, but her tone was lighter, as if she were giving me a vote of confidence, albeit provisional.

There was a brief pause. The ambient sound of the ice cream parlor filled the space between us with the voices and laughter of other cadets, all in uniform, all carrying the same typical tiredness after a hard day at the Cube.

I took the opportunity to change the subject, diverting the focus of the conversation.

"Changing the subject... That announcement party. Does it have a date yet?"

She paused for a second, spoon hanging in the air.

"Are you talking about... the party about my brother?"

I nodded.

"Yes. The official announcement. His return, I'm sure his family must be preparing a lot."

Nayun leaned back in her chair, her eyes focused on the window for a moment. The reflection of the glass showed the movement of the cadets outside, but her thoughts seemed elsewhere.

Hmm

"It's going to be Saturday now." 

She said, in an undertone. 

"My grandfather wants to do something 'worthy of the Chae family'... Full of important guests, political allies, the press... Even guild representatives."

"It sounds more like a chess game than a celebration."

"That's exactly it, even Dad didn't like it one bit."

She confirmed with a weary sigh.

 "If it were up to him, I'd just have a small announcement and that would be it. No cameras, no huge speeches... Just what's necessary..."

She swirled her spoon around in her glass, distracted, as if trying to find an answer in the spirals of ice cream that she didn't have yet.

"But Grandpa never misses a chance to reinforce the family image. Especially now, with my brother back."

It was strange to hear that. To know that Chae Joochul wanted to put Jinyoon back in the spotlight, as if he were an important member of the family.

'After all, just like in the original story, Chae Jinyoon still has his magical core destroyed.'

A wasted talent. A broken hero.

And according to Boss's thoughts, Chae Joochul would be happy for someone to sever any connection Chae Jinyoon had with his family. He could even bear gratitude to the one who killed his grandson.

'Of course... That was just Boss's assumption.'

Even though that old man had no sympathy for his grandson, he still considered him a part of his blood, and those who tampered with his blood should not remain alive.

Until then, it was almost impossible for anyone to discover the true identity of the person who killed Chae Jinyoon.

However, thanks to Jain's betrayal... A lot got complicated for Kim Hajin after that...

'But that's over now. There's no point in dwelling on it now.'

What mattered was the present. And what the hell was that old sociopath planning by organizing such a flashy party?

"Uh... Theo?"

Nayun's soft voice interrupted my thoughts, bringing me back to the ice-cream parlor, to the smell of mint and chocolate and the faint gleam of her eyes under the artificial light.

"Are you coming with me to the party?"

"No problem for me." 

I replied, resting my chin on my hand, watching her carefully. 

"But... is everything all right with you?"

If I appeared next to her, if we saw each other in front of so many watchful eyes, politicians, reporters, influential figures in Korea... it would be almost impossible to keep our relationship a secret. 

At the very least, rumors would spread.

Nayun swirled the spoon slowly in the already almost empty glass, then stopped, his eyes locked on the melted mixture as if it were a reflection of his own thoughts.

"Actually..." 

She murmured, before facing me directly. 

"I'm planning to announce our relationship there."

A slight blush colored her cheeks as she said these words, but her eyes didn't waver.

"If you're going to take a step... Let it be for real, right? I don't want to risk another woman taking my first place."

She said this with a slight smile. But her eyes weren't lying. There was a hidden gleam in them that mixed firmness with a certain fear.

Afraid that another girl might take first place not only in my heart, but in "actions" too, she was afraid that if she continued to be afraid of announcing our relationship, another girl would pass by and do it before her.

So that's what you were thinking.

I sighed softly, letting a slight smile slip out.

"You don't have to worry about that, Nayun."

She raised an eyebrow, as if she doubted it.

"It's serious." 

I continued, looking straight into her eyes. 

"You don't have to rush to mark me out as territory. My love for you won't change... Even if I have ten girlfriends."

She widened her eyes for a second, totally taken aback.

"Tsk! You idiot! Why do you have to break the mood like that?"

But even as she said it, she was laughing, that indignant, somewhat forced laugh, but it didn't hide how hard she was trying not to smile.

"Puff!"

I laughed too, I couldn't help it.

...

Author: 'I'll try to post another chapter later today...

I've just left work, and I've already got to get ready for university. Exam week sucks...'