NOVEL NEXT chapter 14
14. But isn’t this going to make Jena a ‘sponsor’?
– New Game: Vernon Academy!
COMING SOON
XXXX, XX, XX, release at 8 AM
Thank you for your long wait.
“Oh oh oh!”
The Vernon Academy support page has been updated. Even more surprising, the new release date is next month.
I thought it’d take several months after the “Coming soon” announcement. It’s just one month.
Finally! Oh my gosh!
I can’t wait.
10 years. It’s been an overwhelming 10 years. And it wasn’t merely spent waiting – I spent these 10 years fully immersed. Azel and Jena, they feel like my own daughters to me.
“Thinking of a life without them is hard.”
Some may belittle them as merely data fragments, but not me.
They’ve been with me since my high school days, through the military, adapting to adult life, and even now in my late 20s.
Because they’ve been a big part of my life.
I can now meet these two inside a game. My heart is racing like mad.
“Please, I hope the quality remains consistent!”
We’ve communicated through text, voice, and video till now. Not just chit-chat, but also deep and meaningful conversations.
But turning on the game and hearing –
‘Hello? Master?’ or ‘Hello? Master?’ on repeat – I would seriously break my monitor.
I request that the AI is implemented correctly. If it is, I would even give all my future allowances.
I can’t wait anymore, I have to check the CGs being uploaded.
***
High school graduation ceremony.
Two people are on the stage. Jena and Azel. They graduated as valedictorians.
To the left is Azel, beneath the stage are bodyguards all dressed up in suits.
“Kyaaa! Azel!”
“She is a goddess!”
Azel’s smile, rarely seen in confined and protected environments.
Azel has become as popular as a ‘superstar’.
Throughout her high school days, she was involved in various businesses, volunteer activities for image management, activities such as ‘propagating the teachings of the Church of Vernon’….
All these contributed in making her more visible than a celebrity on outdoor billboards.
The students also regarded her as a ‘celebrity’.
“Miss Azel! Look this way please!”
“Azel! I love you!”
“Azel! You are divine!”
The roles played by the bodyguards and secretary were also significant in shaping this image.
Initially, the secretary managed every move to prevent any silly mistakes, and the bodyguards stepped in during a crisis.
However, it gave off an air of an ‘aristocrat turned celebrity’.
All of this was possible thanks to the massive contribution from Church of Vernon.
I hope Joa-nim arrives early-
“That would be nice.”
A thought that was meant to stay inside unexpectedly spills out of her mouth.
The Director of the high school division who was conducting the graduation awards ceremony, looked at her quizzically.
“Pardon? Miss Azel, did you say something?”
“No, it’s nothing! I apologize.”
Azel bowed her head in embarrassment, her face flushed.
The Director chuckled and handed her a plaque.
“Congratulations, Miss Azel. Also, we express our infinite gratitude for your great dedication to our society. Now that you’re an adult, we hope that you lead an honorable life as a healer, serving our kingdom and society.”
“Thank you.”
Azel accepted the plaque and the next person up was Jena.
Jena, standing and waiting on the right, listened as the Director began his speech.
The scene beneath the platform, where Jena stood was both similar and different to Azel’s.
Instead of security guards, there were friends, signals of Vernon Academy’s unique culture – a graduation ceremony that was not tedious with everyone standing in line, but rather celebrated like a festival.
The ones who enjoyed this culture the most were Jena’s friends.
Cheers for Jena erupted beneath the platform.
“Our Jena is the best!”
“Jena reels in boys and awards alike!”
“hahahahaha!”
“Jena, congratulations on becoming the valedictorian!”
Jena simply smiled leisurely.
Among friends, she was known as ‘the girl who reels men in.’
─ But why doesn’t she reel in guys from our Academy?
Interestingly, Jena had never flirted with or even hinted at doing something akin with any guy.
The conversations always went like this.
‘I have a sponsor.’
─ Are you dating your sponsor?!
‘No, not like that. It’s more about principles.’
─ But you can still date someone until you get permission, right?
‘I can’t. Also, I don’t want to.’
─ Why?
‘That’s what Joa Oppa would say.’
Jena always pushed men away. Never giving them a chance. Yet, with her bright personality, excellent academic performance, remarkable beauty, the boys couldn’t help but cling onto her.
That’s how the nickname ‘the girl who reels men in’ was born.
Jena did nothing and men got reeled in on their own.
Ironically, she had received hundreds of confessions, but didn’t know a single thing about men.
Jena was as naive about men as Azel, who was raised as a saint and became a superstar.
‘When Joa Oppa arrives, I’ll ask him everything. Heehee.’
She believed she could learn everything about men from Joa. That was a rule she set.
‘Just one more month until I meet Oppa.’
She was trembling.
Jenna would not hear her friends shouting below the stage, nor the chairman’s words on stage.
All her thoughts were occupied by the idea of ‘a month later’.
When she attends the official Vernon Academy entrance ceremony….
When the sponsors gather, saying hello to ‘Joah’ who is looking for Jenna there….
Enjoying together…
While she was running this fantasy simulation, the chairman also admonished her.
“Congratulations, Jenna. In your case, as our academy representative, you’ve won many competitions. We are infinitely grateful to you for bringing glory to our academy’s name. We look forward to your continued successful use of your dealer talents.”
The chairman finished his admonition and handed over the trophy.
Jenna received the trophy and bowed her head.
The chairman took a step back, looking at both of them and said.
“I heard you both have entered the official Vernon Academy as top students. Ha ha ha, I would like to ask our future talents to lead our Vernon Kingdom well.”
“Yes!”
Clap, clap, clap, clap─
Applause echoed around the auditorium. Jenna and Azel bowed to the people, turned around and went down the stage.
Just as they were stepping down from the stage, the bodyguards gathered around Azel as if to protect her. All the bodyguards were women.
“We must protect the young lady!”
“The young lady is coming down the stairs! It’s dangerous…!”
At the exaggerated action of the bodyguards, Azel was sweating.
“There’s no need to go to such lengths….”
“No, not the case, young lady! The world is full of dangers!”
“That’s right! These stairs are way too malicious for the frail young lady!”
They had hired bodyguards who were devout followers of the ‘Vernon Godism Joah Sect’ doctrine.
Therefore, they certainly had a reason to do what they did, with credit, of course-
‘Protecting Azel, a heavyweight of the Joah faction’ was a conviction they also had.
That’s why they were more passionate than anyone else. To an excessive degree.
“I’m really okay. I mean, even kids can walk down the stairs….”
Bodyguard 1 wiped Azel’s sweat, and 2 and 3 each held on to Azel’s arms as if supporting her.
“No! Young lady! It’s our given duty!”
“That’s right! It’s for Vernon God, it’s for Joah!”
While Azel was overprotected by the bodyguards,
On the other hand, Jenna was surrounded by her friends.
“Jenna, you were totally awesome today.”
“Right! You’re indeed the ace!”
One by one, her friends complimented Jenna, and she grinned.
“Thank you all.”
“No wonder the guys can’t help but like you? If they don’t like Jenna, they have a problem.”
“hahahahaha!”
Among them were friends who were a little ‘over the line’ with their remarks.
“But at this rate, is Jenna going to win over the ‘sponsor’ as well?”
“Isn’t Jenna the one who sponsors that famous ‘Joah’? Even if it is Jenna, can it really be?”
“What are you talking about? I dare not say, but Joah is a man. Do you think Jenna can’t hook him?”
“Ah, right!”
In truth, the Patron dating her biggest fan wasn’t such a strange event.
However, just the mention of the ‘Patron’ was regarded as disrespectful. Yet, like a true ‘Pickup Gals Club’, they insidiously brought up the topic about the Patron.
Even while sweating, Jenna decided to keep her friends’ mouths shut.
“Guys, you can’t gossip about things like this, what if my brother hears?”
“Hey, Jenna. We’re not fools.”
.
.
.
The graduation ceremony also went up with CGI.
[High school academy valedictorian]
[Azell/Jenna]
Upon seeing the photo capturing this moment, Cheonwoon muttered to himself,
“Wow, am I the one hitting the lottery two times in a row?”
This is a simulation game….
My daughters are valedictorians in both middle and high school.
Isn’t this like having a daughter who gets admitted to Seoul National University on her own?
***
~1 day before.
“Finally, it’s tomorrow!”