Ch.278273 – Secret

In the rehearsal matches between the top students of each grade, the elementary division had a dismal record of 2 wins and 3 losses, the middle school division went 0-3, and the high school division managed 1-1.

The elementary division’s surprisingly strong showing was at least some consolation for Cephiron Academy.

Meanwhile, Yoon Si-hoo became an overnight sensation, appearing in numerous internet articles.

“The Wind Prince who conquered Cephiron, even the eagle’s wings were helpless before the typhoon. Hah, Si-hoo, people are calling you the Wind Prince.”

How do journalists come up with such cringeworthy yet catchy headlines?

The sensibilities of today’s era truly baffle me.

I sprawled across the large hotel bed, checking the news one by one.

“Stop teasing me…!”

“Huh? Isn’t being called a prince a good thing? I’d love it if people called me a princess someday.”

Seo Yu-na, bouncing excitedly right next to me, expressed her thoughts without filter.

To Yu-na, who was in the terminal stages of princess syndrome, it probably just seemed like a cool nickname.

Given Yu-na’s perspective, Yoon Si-hoo couldn’t even open his mouth to protest.

“Any other interesting news?”

At Yu-na’s question, I scrolled down to check other articles.

“Apparently that middle school senior wasn’t taken away because of food poisoning.”

The day before yesterday, when a student complained of abdominal pain and was taken away by ambulance, a series of articles criticizing Altair Academy’s cafeteria management had poured out.

“Then what happened?”

“He ate 30 ice creams from the vending machine in one day and got sick.”

“Eek! 30 of them?”

“That’s why you guys shouldn’t eat things like ice cream before the competition.”

“We didn’t eat any. You’re always the one sneaking down to the basement to get some, NoName.”

“…Anyway! Just be careful.”

“Okay, I’ll be careful.”

I tossed my phone aside carelessly and stretched out my arms and legs, feeling the cool sensation of the bed sheets across my entire body.

“Oh? I see an opening! Take this, NoName!”

Suddenly Seo Yu-na dove on top of me.

Apart from Yu-na’s recent obsession with wrestling techniques and her constant attempts to put me in holds, I was living a generally peaceful daily life.

“Ahh! I’m sorry! I surrender! I surrender! I won’t fight back, I surrenderrrrgh!”

This level of assassination attempt was actually quite cute.

As I was making her pay dearly with a guillotine choke, Si-hoo slid over next to us and asked:

“NoName. Didn’t you only have one father?”

“Suddenly attacking my family? Do you want to die too?”

Had he lost his mind after winning just one rehearsal match?

“No, that’s not what I meant…! That’s just what the headline says.”

“What is it? Let me see.”

Si-hoo politely held out both hands.

I quickly snatched the phone resting on them and checked the article.

[Man claiming to be genius girl ‘NoName’s’ biological father: “Adoption should be invalidated”]

* * *

People feel catharsis from stories of individuals overcoming unfortunate backgrounds.

They’re captivated by tales of a beggar from New York streets appearing on a talent show and achieving success, or a boy born in an underdeveloped African village becoming an Olympic athlete.

But when it crosses a certain threshold, some people inevitably begin to view it with distaste.

Simply put, it’s the “I didn’t want you to be THIS happy” mentality.

Everyone could accept that Name was beloved at Korea University and earned millions of won daily from her streams.

They might even smile fondly at the fact that she became the major shareholder of some unknown startup, thinking it was rather admirable without giving it much further thought.

But the turning point came when news broke that this startup had suddenly received sponsorship from Katsuhata Financial Group, with record-breaking investment plans in the works, catching the attention of economic experts.

[Bio-Akashic. The company that’s causing a stir because of its major shareholder’s age, right? It’s a biotech venture developing innovative treatments for intractable diseases. Recently, this treatment entered the final stages of Phase 1 clinical trials. It might be too early to jump to conclusions since it’s only Phase 1, but considering the scale of investment, I can’t help but think they must be internally confident of success.]

[So it’s because of the unprecedented investment scale.]

[It’s truly exceptional, especially considering the recent slump in Series A investment markets. By simple calculation, investors must be valuing the company at a minimum of 500 billion won.]

When the expert’s words were taken out of context and the rumor that “the company is worth 500 billion won” spread online, groups of people began to envy her.

[Reminds me of when Ham Cho-rong once briefly entered the SL Communications building and their stock jumped 20%. Is using fame to attract investment being a businessperson? It’s gambling or being a scammer.]

-lol remember that crazy era when billions changed hands just because someone used a bathroom

-This is why children should be banned from TV appearances until they’re adults… isn’t Bio-Akashic just another scam?

-For real, just looking at the CEO’s background gives major cult vibes

-If they run off with the money it would be legendary lol

[What’s this rumor about a DuWorld executive <- being NoName’s biological father?]

-A paparazzi caught photos of NoName meeting with a DuWorld executive at a cafe.

-Whoa damn

-Come to think of it, she only mentioned her mother passing away, never anything about her father.

-(attached video.gif)

└ Wow he’s even bowing his head, must be legit lol

└ Expected dialogue: “I didn’t have the courage to meet you until now. Please accept me!”

└ lol is this a drama?

-That was all revealed to be gossip. It was just an investor with no connection to NoName.

└ Ah, I should have known lol

-But what happens if NoName’s real father does show up?

└ He’d swallow up that 500 billion, damn

└ That won’t happen since she’s already been adopted.

Where money gathers, flies swarm.

After rumors spread that a man in a suit might be Name’s biological father, people with their eyes on Name’s fortune started barging into the Altair Academy administration building.

“I’m NoName’s father, No Seol-ah’s husband! My wife was born on February 21, 2022! When we were young, we used to dig up potatoes together in the mountains of Gangwon-do—”

“Just a moment.”

The man, who had thoroughly researched even her birthday, pounded his chest and shouted.

Already tired of these predictable routines, Jacqueline Carroll narrowed her eyes and said:

“Excuse me, but how old are you?”

“Let’s see… I’m forty-five this year…”

“So the age difference is sixteen years?”

“Is that too much? Thirty-five…?”

“Please leave. If you cause any more disturbance, I’ll call the police.”

Jacqueline Carroll was tasked with distributing visitor badges to parents who came to watch the academy competition.

She let out a deep sigh, having never dreamed she’d have to deal with such troublemakers.

“That’s the sixth one today. You’re working hard, Teacher.”

A young voice emerged from under the desk.

Name was using small scissors that fit perfectly in her hand to round off the corners of the badges.

It was to prevent visitors from getting pricked by sharp edges.

“Isn’t it uncomfortable crouching down there?”

“No. It’s dark and cozy. If I stay in the classroom, the kids torment me too much.”

“Haha, is that so?”

If Name had mentioned being bullied by her classmates at the beginning of the semester, Jacqueline would have convened a school violence committee without hesitation.

With her tiny frame, even smaller than the first-years, and being a transfer student on top of that, she could have been ostracized.

But after learning how she had physically dominated the class, Jacqueline realized her worries were unfounded.

“Name.”

“Yes?”

“Will you make one promise to your teacher?”

“What kind of promise?”

Name stopped cutting and looked up at Jacqueline Carroll.

She was still at an age more suited for paper crafts than fistfights.

“Your participation in the middle school division matches is just for experience, not to win. So even if it comes to your turn, you absolutely must not overexert yourself. You understand what I’m saying, right?”

Jacqueline had always known that Name was a child with exceptional competitive spirit.

She worried that Name might get hurt by recklessly challenging opponents 7 years older than her.

“But actually, holding back is much harder than going all out…”

“Name!”

“If you insist… I understand. I’ll fight carefully so I don’t hurt myself.”

“Good. I trust you. My class and I will be cheering hard for you.”

“Ah, someone else is coming. I’ll hide for a bit.”

Name ducked her head back under the desk.

While Jacqueline guided the visitors, Name quietly continued cutting.

Though she didn’t show it, Jacqueline could guess why she was here.

The eternal question for children adopted without knowing their parents’ faces.

“Hey… are you curious about your biological father?”

Name didn’t hastily open her mouth.

So Jacqueline Carroll added one more thing:

“Because I was kind of curious about mine.”

“…?”

Name turned her head.

Their expressions held complex emotions as they looked at each other.

“I was also adopted as a newborn by my current parents in America.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“The 2020s were economically difficult in Korea, right? So I guess that’s why I was abandoned at an orphanage. But a few years ago when I came to Korea, I had a chance to meet them.”

“Did you meet them?”

“Yes. We just had coffee at a cafe, didn’t exchange phone numbers, and parted ways. Not much to it, right?”

“Really not much at all.”

“I realized that the years spent together are much more important than the title of ‘biological parent.’ Those people and I were just passing acquaintances, nothing more, nothing less.”

“They’re basically complete strangers.”

“Yes, exactly. So be good to your father too. You know he worries about you a lot, right?”

“Professor Cheon has always been a caring person…”

“I don’t think so. He probably treats you specially. Think about it again.”

Jacqueline let out an involuntary smile as she watched Name furrowing her brow in deep thought, finding her expression adorable.

“Actually, I’m not curious about my father at this point. How old do you think I am?”

“Hahaha! Right, Name is 8 years old, so you’re all grown up now!”

“Since you shared a secret with me, I’ll share one with you in return.”

Name handed over the badges with neatly cut corners to Jacqueline.

Seeing the meticulous cutting, Jacqueline stroked Name’s head as a form of praise.

“Mine wasn’t really a secret. But I am curious about yours.”

“Well, I don’t have any grand secrets worth hiding from anyone. Actually, thinking about it, it’s not even my secret. Let me correct myself.”

Name tried to crawl out from under the desk.

Jacqueline pulled her chair back to help her up.

Name dusted off the hem of her skirt and whispered in her ear:

“Our house cat weighs over 50kg.”