Chapter 4

“Hello.”

“Bonjour.”

“Hello.”

A brilliant light suddenly burst across the pitch-black surface, as though sunlight had been poured over it.

Countless unfamiliar characters flashed by before finally settling into a language Isabella recognized—the Empire’s common tongue.

[Hello.]

[Swipe up to unlock.]

“…Swipe what up?”

Isabella cautiously moved the finger resting on the smooth glass surface.

The screen shifted beneath her touch.

Startled, she immediately pulled her hand back.

Among all the magic-powered tools she had ever seen, nothing like this existed.

Staring at the screen that moved on its own, Isabella turned the small object over in her hands.

“This is incredible.”

Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.

At the Academy, she had been especially gifted in linguistic and magical research, and her thirst for knowledge was stronger than most.

Recalling the phrase Swipe up to unlock, she placed her finger on the screen again.

Slowly, she dragged it upward.

With a soft motion, the lock screen disappeared.

“Gallery, Camera, Settings… What do these even mean?”

She tapped the icon labeled Gallery, the first item on the screen.

At that moment, exactly as the mysterious man had promised, a completely new world unfolded before her eyes.

Among the tiny portraits displayed on the screen, she selected one.

The person inside the portrait suddenly began to move.

“We are Venus! Hello, I’m Haeyoon, the leader of Venus!”

Midnight-blue hair darker than the night sky.

Mysterious ash-gray eyes.

Skin as flawless as white jade.

A tall frame and a beautifully sculpted physique.

And beyond that—

A style of music she had never heard before.

Performances so captivating they delighted the eyes.

Vocals powerful enough to stir the heart.

“What kind of person is this…? How can someone be so perfect?”

One video led to another.

Before she knew it, Isabella had spent the entire night watching clips featuring Han Haeyoon, the top idol of South Korea’s superstar group, Venus.

Stretching her sore shoulders, she gazed blankly out the window.

By the time she reached the final video in the gallery, the once-dark sky had begun to brighten with dawn.

Even now, the excitement from the concert footage hadn’t faded.

Her heart was still pounding violently in her chest.

Unconsciously, she pressed a hand over it.

Because the videos were spoken in Korean—a language she had never encountered before—Isabella couldn’t understand a single word Haeyoon was saying.

What was he talking about?

What did the lyrics of his songs mean?

The questions filled her mind.

“It would be even better if I could understand the lyrics. But I don’t know a single thing about South Korea’s language…”

She was wondering if there might be some solution when a notification suddenly appeared on the screen.

[Would you like to use the one-week trial version of the Translation System?]

Accept / Decline

“So… this translates what Haeyoon is saying?”

The text itself was displayed in Imperial language, making it easy enough to read.

However, terms like system and trial version were completely unfamiliar.

After hesitating for a moment, her finger moved toward the left option.

The instant she pressed Accept, subtitles in Imperial language began appearing beneath the video.

Although she could only access the photos and videos stored in the gallery, even that was more than enough.

The more time she spent replaying the videos, the more accustomed she became to Korean.

Who would have thought her talent for linguistics—the field in which she had excelled at the Academy—would become so useful?

“How can someone be this adorable? No, adorable and cool at the same time!”

She would eat, return to her room, and spend hours replaying videos over and over.

Before she knew it, dawn would arrive once again.

She had become so absorbed that she couldn’t even remember how many days she had spent shut inside her room.

Isabella was completely captivated by the idol Han Haeyoon.

Over the past week, she had watched the videos countless times.

As a result, she learned Korean so quickly that she no longer needed to extend the trial subscription.

There were still a few expressions she struggled with, but she had become proficient enough to understand most spoken Korean and even write it herself.

“Wow…”

Stretching her stiff shoulders, Isabella stared out the window.

The emptiness that had always filled her days was gone.

In its place was a joy so overwhelming that her heart felt full.

She had become so engrossed in her new obsession that she barely even thought about Ikanuel anymore.

The pain of heartbreak still lingered.

Yet now she possessed something she had never had before—

Someone she admired.

Someone she looked up to.

Her eyes shone brighter than ever.

“I want to visit South Korea.”

She wanted to see her favorite idol with her own eyes.

To experience a concert in person.

To stand in that moment herself.

When she closed the gallery and returned to the home screen, she noticed a new application that seemed almost as if it had been prepared specifically for her.

<System User Guide for Beginner Players>

“If it’s a user guide, I should probably read it.”

With movements that had grown more familiar, she tapped the application.

A new screen immediately appeared.

[Congratulations on registering, Player Isabella! If you wish to use the Dimensional System, please press the ‘Next’ button~!]

As if enchanted, Isabella pressed Next.

A translucent window suddenly appeared.

[Recording Player Information.]

Player Name: Isabella Lerdia

Information: Female, 20 years old, Dimensional Traveler Candidate

Unique Player Trait: Unmeasured

“What exactly is this? I understand the information part, but what is a Unique Player Trait supposed to mean…?”

As she examined the various entries, one glowing option immediately caught her attention.

“Dimensional Travel System?”

The moment she muttered the words, another window appeared as if responding to her voice.

[Dimensional Travel System]

Complete assigned missions and prepare a small dimensional travel fee, and you too can travel to the new dimension: South Korea!

Accept / Decline

Can I really go to South Korea… where Haeyoon is?

Half doubtful and half hopeful, she stared at the acceptance button for a long time.

Then, finally making up her mind, she pressed it.

[Before proceeding with missions, Player Isabella’s unregistered unique trait will now be measured.]

How long could measuring a trait possibly take?

As the loading circle continued spinning, suspicion gradually crept into Isabella’s gaze.

While watching the rotating icon, she turned the smartphone over in her hand.

It was undeniably different from ordinary magical artifacts.

Inside this tiny box, things were happening that felt almost miraculous.

“That man wasn’t lying. It really did open up a whole new world…”

Her parents were too busy governing their territory to visit the capital.

Her younger brother would join the knight order as soon as he graduated from the Academy.

And Ikanuel would become a stranger once their engagement was officially dissolved.

Ever since her grandfather Ferguson—the man who had loved her more than anyone—passed away, Isabella had spent countless lonely days by herself.

She couldn’t worry her parents.

She was the fiancée of the prestigious House Laselles.

So she had always comforted herself and endured her loneliness alone.

“If I go to the dimension called South Korea… there’ll be even more amazing things like this, won’t there?”

A lonely girl who spent her days alone in a mansion had suddenly been offered the chance to enter a completely new world filled with excitement and wonder.

In that case…

Why refuse?

As her fingers lightly tapped against the desk, her gaze drifted downward.

She noticed old ink stains and deep pen marks etched into the wooden surface.

Memories resurfaced.

Countless nights spent studying without rest.

Endless hours at this very desk, striving to enter the Academy.

Why am I like this?

If only I were a little smarter, I could solve problems like this easily…

The perfect fiancée.

Just what had she been chasing?

Why had she cried so much?

Why had she pushed herself until permanent scars remained on the desk itself?

The bitter memories she had briefly forgotten while watching Haeyoon came flooding back.

Biting her lip, Isabella rubbed at the old ink stains with her fingers as though trying to erase the past itself.

“That’s it.”

Her eyes hardened with determination.

“I’m going to South Korea.”

She would go there.

And she would see the idol she adored—the adorable, cool, utterly perfect Han Haeyoon—with her own eyes.

At that exact moment, a notification sound rang out.

The measurement was complete.

Isabella raised her head and looked at the screen.

As she read the trait the system had assigned her, her mouth slowly fell open.

[Unique Player Trait Measurement Complete.]

<Whether it’s people or objects, all stains and grime disappear completely~! Lv. 1>

“W-What kind of trait is THAT?!”

Could it be because she had been trying to clean the stain on the table while the measurement was taking place?

Looking back and forth between the ink stain and the trait window, Isabella stared in disbelief.

“No way…”

She grabbed a tissue from beside her and slowly wiped the stain.

A faint glow emerged.

Then the deeply soaked ink stain vanished completely without leaving a trace.

[Your level has increased through use of your unique trait!]

<Whether it’s people or objects, all stains and grime disappear completely~! Lv. 2>

“It’s real…? This is actually my trait?”

As if responding to her bewildered muttering, a brilliant white light flashed across the screen.

A new window appeared.

[Mission Generated!]

<Use your unique trait to earn money!>

Use your unique trait at Princess Elena’s birthday party!

Mission Reward: Discount Coupon for Dimensional Travel Fees

“…Wait.”

Isabella stared at the screen.

“…Are you seriously telling me to go clean the Imperial Palace?”

And thus began Isabella’s very first mission on her journey toward South Korea.