Chapter 26: Echoes of the Past and New Beginnings

Kim In-ho’s Eternal White Mirage wasn’t bad.

There were many lacking parts, but the most important interaction with the heroine was quite satisfying.

At this level, it was a successful first work to showcase his talent.

“But this character looks more and more like a silver-haired Thierry, doesn’t it?”

No matter how I thought about it, the mysterious senior character was just Thierry with a different hair color.

In response to my comment, Kim In-ho put down the mouse and replied,

“I showed a picture of you to the freelance writer, and that’s how it came out.”

“When did I give you a photo?”

“You did give it to me.”

The Thierry from Eternal World looked like me. But it wasn’t an exact match. If I had to say, I was a much higher version.

Maybe that’s why, when I was referenced, characters similar to Thierry often popped up.

Even when I was referenced, it was hard to implement, so a character resembling Han Yurim unfairly came out, and that was oddly similar to Thierry.

All the female characters in Excel Busters were thought to be Thierry. It’s so unfair.

[I’m sorry… I’m sorry.]

The character—Bunny… Imina—confessed her past sins, and the protagonist forgave her.

In the secret base we created as kids, we shared a deep kiss.

After seeing one ending, I took off the VR headset and said,

“Are there other heroine routes?”

“If there weren’t, I wouldn’t have asked you to test it.”

I glanced at the clock.

I had definitely come in the morning, but it was already lunchtime.

“I’ll step out for a bit to grab some food. My stamina isn’t great.”

“If that’s the case, I—”

Knock, knock.

At the sound of a knock, Kim In-ho answered softly.

“Mom, why?”

“In-ho, can I come in?”

“Come on in.”

The door opened, and Kim In-ho’s mother walked in. She smiled and said,

“In-ho, I thought you might be getting hungry, so how about I make lunch?”

The one who responded wasn’t Kim In-ho, but me.

“Is that okay?”

“Of course.”

The thought of having homemade food after a long time made me feel good, but I asked out of politeness,

“Isn’t that a bother?”

“Not at all.”

“Then I won’t decline.”

“Go ahead and sit at the table. I’ll have it ready soon.”

I hurried to the kitchen as instructed.

A small voice came from behind.

“Mom, you really don’t have to.”

“Come on. What kind of house would it be that doesn’t serve lunch to a guest? Do you think this is Sweden?”

As I sat in a chair, Kim In-ho soon came into the kitchen.

I spoke up.

“The culture of not serving meals in Sweden actually came from consideration for others’ families. Swedish people value family meals, and if they serve food to their child’s friend, it takes away valuable time from that friend’s family, right?”

“…Well, let’s eat.”

For lunch, there was galbi jjim along with various side dishes.

I was amazed by the table that reminded me of a festive holiday. The effort put into this was impressive.

Sweden was wrong. Korea was the best.

“It’s delicious.”

“Really?”

“Really delicious.”

The galbi jjim melted in my mouth. I was so surprised by how tender it was.

The rolled omelette was also delicious. The perfect softness and seasoning showed the skill of a pro.

I asked to confirm,

“Are you a chef?”

“I used to be.”

As expected. My palate was not mistaken. The best gourmet, Han Yurim. Solving another case today.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”

“Anyone eats like this when they find delicious food.”

“Your words are so beautiful. You’re not just pretty in face.”

“Mom.”

As I sipped the broth, I thought to myself.

Homemade food is the best!

“Are you going to do the other routes?”

“Of course.”

After finishing the meal, I answered while eating fruit in Kim In-ho’s room.

“If you don’t clear all the routes, you can’t say you’ve played a visual novel.”

“It’ll take quite a while.”

“That’s why I came early. If it takes too long, I can just sleep over.”

“…Let’s try to finish as quickly as possible.”

With a mouthful of melon, I put on the VR headset.

“Shall we start by pursuing this character first?”

What caught my eye was a fellow aspiring actor who was similar to the protagonist.

The protagonist aspired to be a screenplay writer. As a result, he entered the film department, but due to the limitations of Korean club activities, he had never had a proper writing experience.

“It feels oddly realistic here. Won’t it be hard to do something with the heroine?”

If the game reflects the reality of Korea, he’d just end up studying, making it difficult to get involved with anyone except for the studying-head girl heroine.

“I added a variation. They’re doing outdoor activities.”

“Uh-huh.”

It wasn’t just that the protagonist wasn’t making a fuss about wanting to date a girlfriend; it was also the fact that they were reflecting certain aspects of Korean reality.

Kim In-ho seemed to prefer maintaining a certain dignity more than I expected.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

There are always pros and cons to everything.

If Kim In-ho aimed for sophistication, then the current direction was correct.

If this outfit didn’t fit, they could always fix it later.

It wasn’t a big deal.

I continued with the game.

[Do you like movies? You too?]

[That’s why I joined the film club.]

[Really?]

Perhaps thinking they had found a kindred spirit, aspiring actress So Hyo-rin opened her mouth with a bright expression.

[I can’t believe that <Fish, Lantern, Ramune> is one of the better movies that has come out recently. The Korean film industry is doomed.]

[<Fish Lantern Ramune> wasn’t great.]

[It was surprising that Chae Soo-ryeong could act in different ways, but in the end, it was just surprising. It wasn’t outstanding. They should just have Chae Soo-ryeong do sad roles because she has a tragic past. Other than that, she doesn’t know how to do anything. But honestly, I don’t understand that kind of acting either. Is it true that Chae Soo-ryeong is good at playing sad characters? Her acting feels a bit off. Maybe it’s because her actual past isn’t that sad, unlike what she boasts about. To be coldly realistic, Chae Soo-ryeong abandoned her child and ran away.]

[…But don’t you think there’s a bit of hope for the future? It wasn’t the worst.]

[Not really. If they were going to show it, they should have done it earlier.]

It was a harshly serious conversation for such a bright expression.

Aspiring actors can be scary.

By the way,

“Is the protagonist’s mother Chae Soo-ryeong?”

“How did you know?”

“The reaction was subtle. You used the narrative trick pretty well.”

“You guessed it right away!”

“Well, mystery novels are meant to be guessed.”

I continued the game with considerable interest.

While the route with Im Mina had the feel of a typical romantic comedy, this one had the vibe of a coming-of-age story.

It was fascinating to blend two atmospheres into one game.

The protagonist aspired to be a screenplay writer, and their mother abandoned them to become an actress.

In this situation, an aspiring actress as a heroine?

Usually, this type would be the true heroine, but hmm.

[Yu Seong-gun, is your screenplay writing going well?]

Why is the true heroine speaking in such a strange manner?

I guess I’ll find out when I try.

[I don’t have any talent for it. Unlike you. How long are you going to pretend you don’t know!]

In the latter part, they resolve the conflict and kiss while watching the ending credits of the movie they made.

I applauded.

“This is it. This is what a visual novel is.”

“Is it okay?”

“Honestly, there are some shortcomings, but this youthful sentiment is really to my taste.”

So far, two heroines had passed the mark.

This made me curious about the other heroines as well.

[I’m going abroad to study.]

[Yu Seong-gun. If you keep being quiet like that, you might never see me again?]

A sweet romance with the silver spoon heroine was also nice.

[Yu Seong, I can’t.]

[Everyone has their own pain, Yu Seong-gun.]

A healing story with a damaged heroine who had an unfortunate past was also good.

[I’m going to become a doctor. So I can heal the sick.]

[You’re weak in math, aren’t you, Yu Seong-gun? I’ll teach you.]

A study story with the class president heroine who lost her younger brother to illness when they were young was also…

“In-ho.”

“Yes?”

“Why does this senior keep butting into all the routes? It’s really suspicious.”

“That’s intentional, but what do you think? Isn’t it mysterious?”

“It feels like a scam. Especially the way she speaks.”

“As I said before, that’s how my sister talks.”

So my speech really is like that.

It’s a bit shocking.

[Yu Seong-gun is always the same. You look happy.]

[You always save people, Yu Seong-gun.]

[Maybe you’re the protagonist of this world, Yu Seong-gun? I’m just a pitiful heroine.]

“She even makes meta comments.”

“I used my sister as a reference.”

What kind of story must she have to say things like this?

It’s a setting that she remembers all the routes she’s played by traveling through parallel worlds, but I was curious about the details.

Usually, the details matter more than the setting.

Now, the only heroine I haven’t pursued is the senior.

It’s time to finally see the long-awaited true ending.

But before that.

“Whew.”

I took off the VR headset and sighed.

It was already getting dark outside.

Even though I skipped the common routes, it was still like this. Visual novels really are time-eating monsters.

“Is the true heroine route short?”

“It’s three times longer than the other routes.”

“The romance is insane.”

Developers like Kim In-ho, who try to be stylish, need to take care of romance too.

Sophistication comes from romance.

“Well, there’s nothing I can do about that.”

“…Are you really going to stay over?”

Kim In-ho asked in a small voice.

I blinked and replied.

“Me? Do you want to have a pajama party with me?”

“You said you would stay over!”

“I was joking. I can’t sleep at someone else’s house.”

For some reason, Kim In-ho let out a low sigh.

I wonder why. Did I do something wrong?

I stood up and said,

“I’ll just do the rest at home. Or this time, In-ho, why don’t you come to my house?”

“I’ll pass.”

By the way, the true heroine route I tried at home was underwhelming.

In-ho, you suit romantic comedies and coming-of-age stories.

Let’s keep the serious stuff to a minimum.