NOVEL WEB I ultimately couldn’t decide on the name for the party to join me with the Solar Scepter.
I really liked “Metaverse Hero Party,” but due to the viewers’ fierce opposition, I had to give up.
“I’ll figure out the name later. For now, I’ll be leaving. If you have any good ideas, please share them in the next broadcast.”
After ending the broadcast, I immediately called Seo-yoon. There was something we needed to discuss, just the two of us.
“How’s the document review going?”
“I’ve looked through all of them, but…”
Seo-yoon chuckled for a moment, then pulled out her smartphone to show me the screen.
[Inbox 999+]
“…Is this all applicants?”
“Yep. A total of 1,339 people applied.”
When I first heard that more people than I expected applied, I thought it would only be around a hundred. The reaction during the announcement on the broadcast wasn’t that enthusiastic.
Besides, I had vague information about the salary, so I thought there wouldn’t be much interest.
Yet, way more people showed up than I expected. How could this be? Even I didn’t find it that appealing.
“Could it be… because of me?”
Suddenly, the reason came to mind. It was because of my looks. That was the most reasonable explanation.
It would definitely be appealing. It’s not every day you get to work under a superior with exceptional beauty.
“I shouldn’t let personal feelings mix with the Order’s tasks…”
The idea was to pick candidates who’d serve as a buffer, but if they were enchanted by my appearance, that would be problematic. I’d have to eliminate anyone who compliments my face during interviews.
But then what if everyone gets eliminated? Things got awkward. Being too beautiful can be a problem.
“It is because of you, oppa.”
Seo-yoon quickly agreed with my statement. She seemed to think that applicants flocked because of my looks.
“If you’re next to a Returnee, you’ll have many opportunities to make money, so they’d just apply without thinking. Even those who don’t watch the broadcast probably signed up!”
“…Ah.”
Looks like it was just my misunderstanding.
“People who are only after money don’t believe in the Goddess, but thought you’d weed them out, right?”
“Of course!”
Since Seo-yoon’s reasoning was much more plausible, I decided to go with her opinion. The Pope always has to make rational judgments.
“Did you have all this in mind from the start? The Pope really is different.”
“……”
I didn’t say anything due to my conscience. I just kept a calm expression, as if it was nothing.
Then I seized the opportunity to change the subject smoothly.
“By the way, is my naming skill that poor? Honestly, something like ‘Cyber Hero Party’ is quite decent, isn’t it?”
“Nope, it’s really not.”
Seo-yoon shook her head resolutely, providing negative feedback. It was the exact same reaction as the viewers.
With that, the last glimmer of hope vanished. Then a sudden thought struck me.
“Has my sense truly gone stale?”
Lately, I’ve been increasingly feeling out of touch with the times. Surely at 36 years old, I should still be considered relatively young, so how did it turn out like this?
I momentarily reflected on the past years: the two decades in that world and my days lived as Park Si-woo.
As I slowly reminisced, I suddenly remembered something I had overlooked all this time.
“My real age isn’t 36, is it?”
I had reincarnated at the age of 16.
However, since my personality and memories merged with the original Clitia, I had been considering myself as one and the same, thus viewing myself as 36. I thought that was a logical calculation.
But now, upon reconsideration, I realized my math was wrong. I needed to add the time I spent living as Park Si-woo to get my actual age.
And my age before I reincarnated was…
“…Let’s just say I’m 36.”
I figured dwelling on it further would only cause unnecessary heartache, so I decided to stop thinking about it. I should avoid such mental self-harm.
I shook my head vigorously to rid myself of these thoughts. Then I patted Seo-yoon’s shoulder.
“Keep up the good work. The Goddess is watching.”
Now was the time to focus on practical issues that mattered more than age.
While thinking this, a wave of anxiety bubbled up. I might be told I’m out of step with the times going forward.
Although it had nothing to do with my goal of gaining fame, my image would become ridiculous. It was something difficult to accept as the Pope.
“This won’t do.”
I decided I needed to undergo some special training. To lead the Order well, it was necessary to become a Pope who stays ahead of the times.
I immediately shot a message to my latest cultural mentor.
[Eluke: Agent, do you have time?]
As always, the reply came almost instantly.
[Hainha: Sure.]
[Eluke: Then please help me.]
[Hainha: What do you need? Let me hear it so I can judge.]
[Eluke: It’s a simple matter.]
It might be difficult for me, but it would be easy for Hainha.
[Eluke: Just let me know about 100 trendy phrases or expressions I need to be aware of. I want to become a stylish person.]
If I don’t understand, I might as well memorize it. Like a student cramming English vocabulary.
“It won’t help.”
Seo-yoon, who was watching my conversation with Hainha, chuckled quietly.
“Why won’t it help?”
“The problem is that you don’t know the reasons.”
I didn’t understand what she meant, and while I blinked in confusion, Hainha sent a message.
[Hainha: Are you trying to memorize? I honestly wouldn’t recommend it.]
Seo-yoon had the same opinion. I asked for the reason, and the response that arrived was quite the spectacle.
[Hainha: Do you know what happens if an older lady uses trendy phrases? She becomes an older lady using trendy phrases.]
[Eluke: ??? Isn’t that obvious?]
[Hainha: I thought you didn’t know, but you actually do…]
“……”
I stared at the chat window for a moment without speaking before moving my fingers.
[Eluke: Do you want to die?]
Even without using Haemaki, my typing style remained unchanged.
[Hainha: Calm down.]
[Eluke: (Angry dog emoji)]
[Hainha: I have a plan for you.]
Soon enough, Hainha laid out a strategy for me. An enticing scheme that made me ponder whether to send repeated ‘ㅗ’ emojis.
[Hainha: If you want to become stylish, you should invest in your appearance from now on.]
*
[I’ve delivered the package to your front door.]
I received a message stating that the package I ordered via the mobile shopping app had arrived, so I went out and brought it in. It was all clothes.
These clothes were the tools to execute the strategy Hainha was talking about. I was planning to wear modern casual clothes on the broadcast, where I had always worn the Pope’s robes.
A clever move to show how trendy I could be through fashion. It would be a secret weapon to make the viewers, who were only looking to poke fun, have their hearts race.
“I should’ve done this sooner.”
I felt wronged for trying to use the trendy phrases and being treated like an old person. It was extremely unfair.
It seemed like I had been trying too hard to keep up with recent trends. From now on, I’ve decided to let go of that greed.
Instead, I would focus on improving my appearance. To become someone deserving of the Pope’s dignity while also looking sharp like a modern person.
“This is the way.”
My looks were still outstanding, and there wasn’t much difference from ten years ago, so there’s no doubt I look young. I certainly didn’t have a face to be called an old lady.
So, as long as I’m careful with my words, I believe I can slowly shed the outdated image tagged to me.
“Mom, what’s that?”
As I was organizing my thoughts, Erina came running up and asked. I smiled at my eldest and said,
“Erina, just watch.”
I immediately tried on the new clothes one by one.
First, I tried on the pair of jeans that had the most reviews on the shopping app. The jeans Seo-yoon lent me before were too tight, but these were made from stretchy material, so they were comfortable.
“How do I look?”
I gathered the family and asked their opinions, and I got varying reactions.
“Pretty!”
“Blue doesn’t suit you.”
Erina cheered while Ibailla had a negative response. They were the contrasting personalities of twins.
“Oh.”
Next, Liam, holding Rohan, gave me a thumbs-up while scanning me up and down.
“Great figure.”
“…Look at the clothes, not my body.”
“I don’t care about the clothes.”
That didn’t help at all. But judging by his disinterested expression, it seemed he wasn’t too impressed.
Of course, Liam’s opinion didn’t matter. After all, how the people from this world viewed me was far more important than those from the previous one.
With plenty of reviews, the jeans should be fine. Thinking that, I moved on to the next outfit.
Next up was a white blouse, which happened to be the top-selling item when I sorted by ‘ranking.’
I asked the same question about how it looked, but the girls gavesimilar responses as before. And Liam was still Liam.
“Oh, great figure.”
“……”
Again, I couldn’t get a satisfactory response. But I didn’t let that discourage me and moved on to the next outfit.
“Please evaluate this as well.”
This outfit was a bright dress. Honestly, it was a bit overwhelming, but I boldly bought it.
“Wow!”
“Too short.”
Erina and Ibailla’s reactions remained contrasted. However, the second twin, who was usually indifferent to the previous two outfits, slightly scrunched her face.
“Ibailla, what do you mean when you say it’s short?”
“The skirt length.”
“Oh, is that what you mean?”
It was indeed a short dress. The hem sat above the knee. By that standard, it was practically a miniskirt by the former world’s standards.
Which meant it was enough to change the former hero’s perspective.
“That’s the one.”
Liam slowly nodded his head. His expression seemed quite pleased, mixed with some mischief.
Feeling a bit uncomfortable under his gaze, I quickly decided to move on to the next outfit.
The final outfit was sportswear recommended by Hainha. They were leggings that awkwardly accentuated my lower body.
I heard that people wear these out, but… there’s no way I could do that. Isn’t that basically exhibitionism?
“What do you think of this?”
Ignoring the useless Liam, I turned to the girls.
“This is it!”
But then, Liam stepped forward, beaming with a bright smile. He was shaking Roan’s body as well, enjoying the moment.
“Do you like this?”
“Is clothing like this common here?”
“It seems so. According to Agent Hainha, they even wear this while hiking.”
Upon hearing that, the villainous one smiled even wider.
“This really is a wonderful world!”
“……”
That was the most lively voice I had heard since coming to this world.