The Spoon Villain Is Obsessed with the Hero Again Today - Chapter 62



Broken Spoon (3)

The next day, as planned, I visited the Technical Corps building to repair the spoon. The place where Yoo Jiwoo belonged was the 4th Research Hall of the Technical Corps.

─Alright! Alright!

Although it was called a research hall, it was actually more like a maintenance shop. Huge trucks were coming in and out of the garage, and students were carrying mechanical parts in the workshop.

Everyone was so focused on their work that they had black grease stains on their overalls.

“Excuse me, how do I get to the private lab?”

“Huh?”

I stopped a passing Technical Corps student to ask for directions.

They were clearly a fellow student, but I couldn’t help but speak politely. It was all because of their intimidating appearance.

They looked like they had weathered the storms of time through hard work. A skinny frame, a sunburned face, and a forehead full of wrinkles. Who would believe they were in their twenties? They could easily be mistaken for an instructor.

The Technical Corps student put down the sack they were carrying and opened their mouth.

“Private lab, you say? Who are you here to see? Yoo Jiwoo, perhaps?”

They immediately recognized that I was looking for Yoo Jiwoo. It seemed Yoo Jiwoo was quite well-known among the students here.

I nodded to confirm.

“That blue sign building over there. The room at the far right end of the 4th-floor hallway.”

With a grunt, the Technical Corps student hoisted the sack back onto their shoulder and started walking again. They left after saying only what was necessary.

I didn’t even have a chance to thank them.

Anyway.

I headed to the building with the blue sign as directed.

Unlike the outside, the inside of the building was very quiet. It finally felt like a research lab. The outside was completely like a construction site.

Room 403: Maseok Energy Conversion and Catalysis Laboratory

───

In front of Yoo Ji-woo’s lab where I finally arrived. Fortunately, Yoo Ji-woo was inside the lab. I knocked on the door.

Knock, knock.

“….”

But there was no response from inside. Maybe he went to the bathroom for a moment? I knocked again.

Knock, knock, knock.

“….”

Still, there was no response. The sign clearly indicated that he was present. Did he forget to change the sign when he left?

Creak─

At that moment, the lab door slowly began to open.

“Ugh… Who is it in the middle of the day….”

What appeared was a very small female student. She was so short that the white lab coat she was wearing dragged on the floor. I thought she was an elementary school student.

“Yawn….”

The girl yawned widely with her mouth open. It seemed like staying up all night was a routine for her, as dark circles were deeply set under her drowsy eyes.

Moreover, her long hair, which reached down to her waist, was unkempt and sticking out in all directions.

Just by looking at her appearance, it was obvious.

This kid is a real nerd.

“Are you Yoo Ji-woo?”

“Yeah… So what…?”

Still not fully awake, Yoo Ji-woo was busy rubbing her eyes. She could hardly make eye contact with me.

“I came to request a repair.”

“Repair?”

Only then did Yoo Ji-woo stop rubbing her eyes and start staring at my face.

“….”

There was no emotion on Yoo Ji-woo’s face as she looked at me. She had an indifferent expression, as if she were looking at a tree planted by the roadside.

In that state, Yoo Ji-woo nodded her head.

“Do you want to come in for now?”

Following Yoo Ji-woo’s guidance, I entered the lab.

“Ugh….”

As soon as I entered, I felt suffocated. The air was heavy. The smell of oil, gunpowder, and all sorts of unpleasant odors assaulted my nose.

My head was spinning.

“I can’t even tell you to just sit anywhere…”

Who knows when the last cleaning was done, the lab was in a state of complete disarray. Delivery food containers and unidentifiable trash were everywhere. There wasn’t even a place to sit, let alone a spot to step on.

To think someone could sleep in a place like this. That guy must be something else.

Well, honestly, I don’t care what the lab looks like. As long as he fixes the spoon, there’s no big problem.

“First, take this.”

Before getting into the main conversation, I handed a plastic bag to Yu Ji-woo.

“What is this?”

“A gift.”

At the word “gift,” Yu Ji-woo quickly checked the contents of the plastic bag.

A soda can popped out.

“Oh, it’s Sol’s Eye.”

“If you look closely, there’s also Deja Tea and Ceylon Tea.”

“You picked all the things I like. How did you know?”

Well, it’s not that hard. Everyone has the same taste. Who doesn’t like Sol’s Eye?

Kim Han-bit, who frowned after drinking it yesterday, was the strange one.

“Alright. I’ll give you a special discount. You’re the first customer to bring me a gift.”

Ssshh─!

Yu Ji-woo, seemingly in a good mood, opened the Sol’s Eye right there and drank it.

Puhah─!

He emptied the can in one go. It seems he wasn’t lying about liking it. He knew how to enjoy it properly.

“So, what do you want me to fix?”

“Can you take a look at this?”

It was time to get to the main point. I took out a spoon from my pocket. Of course, it was just a piece of metal now, not a spoon.

“Hmm….”

Yu Ji-woo narrowed his eyes and stared at the spoon. He was quickly estimating the cost just by looking at it.

And then….

“I can’t fix that.”

The response was that it was beyond repair.

Why? They said they could easily fix that complicated artifact, so why can’t they fix a single spoon?

I decided to ask for the reason.

“Why is that?”

“Because it’s completely broken.”

“To the point where it can’t be repaired?”

“Yes.”

In other words, it was in a state where it couldn’t be fixed, like a car that needed to be scrapped immediately.

I had to say goodbye to the spoon.

“How about making a new one instead?”

“What?”

Yu Ji-woo suggested a new idea. He proposed to boldly discard the already broken spoon and make a new one.

Now that I think about it, why was I so fixated on repairing it? There was also the option of making a new one.

I threw the metal piece I was holding far away and asked Yu Ji-woo.

“Can you make a new one?”

“It’s not impossible. As long as we have enough materials.”

Yu Ji-woo started typing something diligently on his tablet. Then, he handed me the tablet screen.

It was a list of necessary materials. He had already finished the estimate.

“Most of the materials are in this lab. There’s just one thing missing.”

Yu Ji-woo glanced at me. It was implied that I had to get the last material.

It didn’t matter. If I could make the spoon again, I was ready to get any material.

“So, what is the necessary material?”

“That, the artifact?”

Yu Ji-woo pointed to the spoon that was thrown far away. In a way, the spoon was also an artifact. It was an object powered by magic.

“We need the core that will be the center of the artifact. In other words, we need an engine.”

“And what is that engine?”

“Exactly, a magic stone.”

Magic stone. I was startled to hear that word. Coincidentally, I had the magic stone of Marco Sius with me. I brought it just in case.

“If it’s a magic stone, do you mean this?”

I carefully took out the magic stone. It was a stone with a dark red glow.

“Uh…”

Yoo Ji-woo’s drowsy eyelids suddenly widened. Yoo Ji-woo dragged his lab coat as he approached the magic stone.

“Where did you get this…?”

It was the magic stone he received from Ryu Jung-min, the guild leader of Yeonwol, last time. He never imagined he would use it so soon.

“Such a high-grade magic stone can’t even be found in the market…”

Yoo Ji-woo couldn’t take his eyes off the magic stone, recognizing its value. His eyes sparkled with interest.

“What do you think? Is this magic stone enough to make a new spoon?”

“Heh.”

At my question, Yoo Ji-woo snorted as if it was absurd.

“Are you kidding? You could probably make an even more amazing weapon than the one you used before.”

*

Hanyul Academy Hospital. Choi So-eun headed to the station to check the daily work log.

“Excuse me… I’m here to apply for a visit.”

In the meantime, a familiar face caught her eye.

With her sparkling blonde hair and explosive chest that Choi So-eun didn’t have, Arna visited the hospital. Arna was in the middle of a conversation with a junior.

Choi So-eun quickly entered the station.

“Wait a moment. I’ll take care of this.”

“Huh…? Oh, yes, yes…”

She pushed aside the junior who was dealing with Arna and took her place.

Choi So-eun asked Arna.

“What brings you here?”

“Uh… I came to apply for a visit…”

“Who?”

Even without asking, Choi So-eun could roughly guess. She probably came to see Shin Yoon-seong.

But Choi So-eun pretended not to know and confirmed the fact with Arna. Who did she come to see at this hospital?

“Well…”

At that question, Arna hesitated for a moment, then slowly began to speak.

“Second-year combat department… Shin Yoon-seong…”

“Shin Yoon-seong?”

As expected. However, she had no intention of making it easy for her. Choi So-eun sat in front of the computer at the station and pretended to type on the keyboard.

Afterwards, he spoke to Arna.

“Uh, what should we do? Shin Yunseong has gone out for a while.”

“Oh, really? Do you know when he might be back?”

“Well, I’m not sure about that either.”

There was no lie in these words. It was true that Shin Yunseong had gone out. It was also true that no one knew when he would return.

Choi Soeun conveyed only the truth.

“I’m sorry, but maybe you should come back tomorrow…”

“Hmm? Who is this? Isn’t it the breast monster?”

Just as she was inwardly rejoicing at the thought of having driven Arna away, Shin Yunseong appeared in the distance. He had just returned from his outing.

“…”

“…”

The sudden appearance of Shin Yunseong left both women speechless, their mouths agape.

He had appeared at a truly perfect timing. Both from Choi Soeun’s perspective and Arna’s.

“What brings you here? Could it be that you were worried about me and came to visit?”

“N-no, I wasn’t really worried…!”

Shin Yunseong and Arna, facing each other, began to converse. Soon, they naturally left the room.

Leaving Choi Soeun alone.

“…”

Choi Soeun pouted as she watched the two of them leave. She clenched her fist tightly under the computer desk.

This is my home ground…

And yet, it was taken away again.