Chapter 57 An Older Brother Popular with Girls [EPISODE – 4]

After stopping by the hair salon, I headed straight to Si-eun’s school and now I’ve arrived.

In front of my eyes is the ordinary girls’ high school that Si-eun attends.
I’m here now for the parent observation class and parent-teacher meeting, but I feel somewhat nervous as a single adult male entering a girls’ high school.

It’s like feeling like a criminal.

Or should I say it feels blasphemous?

I can’t deny that I slightly feel such emotions.

“It brings back memories…”

But what I feel most strongly is a bit of nostalgia.

Although the school Si-eun attends now is vastly different from the school I attended, seeing a school naturally reminds me of when I attended Hunter High School.

After all, I’m entering a school for the first time in 7 years.

‘Though it’s not that I miss it…’

I led a somewhat ordinary yet slightly remarkable life at Hunter High School.

I had talent for being a hunter, but it wasn’t an exceptionally outstanding talent.

Always ranking 10th in the school, but never able to go beyond that.

I was exactly that kind of person.

And I was quite satisfied with myself.

I was the type of person who felt somewhat special, but not so arrogant about it.

So wherever I went, I just wanted to live and spend an ordinary life.

And I thought I would live such a life.

Just an ordinary and quiet life.

But.

While attending Hunter High School, my parents suddenly passed away due to a gate, and Si-eun suddenly suffered from a rare disease, and a series of misfortunes occurred.

For me, who wanted an ordinary life, disasters beyond what I could handle occurred.

And amid these disasters, there was no one to help me. We had no relatives to take care of us, and no one to pay for Si-eun’s medicine.

Just pitiful children you’d hear about on the news—that was Si-eun and me.

For someone else, it’s just news, but for me, it was a disaster and misfortune.

Still, shouldn’t we somehow live on?

Therefore, I had no choice but to drop out of school because I needed money so desperately.

Because I couldn’t let Si-eun, my only blood relative, die, I stepped into the hunter profession at a young age.

After that, I went through a lot.

Because it was so difficult at that time, I somehow wanted to rely on my childhood friend whom I had been with all along.

So with those feelings, I even confessed to my childhood friend, whom I thought was the only one on my side, and got soundly rejected.

After cleanly dropping out, I joined my first party and worked.

Things didn’t go well in that party, so I eventually left and despaired, but I couldn’t give up, so I somehow stubbornly climbed up.

Then I dated a girlfriend named Yoo Eun-ha, lived happily in my own way, and even became an executive at a large company.

Then I got absurdly dumped

and so on.

Even after that, there were so many more things that happened.

And not just this, I have a feeling that there will be many more things to come.

‘Anyway, things worked out well.’

Looking back, it was tough, but I think I endured really well on my own.

I’m living quite happily now.

And perhaps because of experiencing such happiness?

I don’t want to lose anything I have again.

‘Just… living ordinarily…’

I don’t ask for much.

Having lost too much too early, I just want to protect what I have.

Parents, first love, lover, etc. I no longer have lingering attachments to the things I’ve lost.

I will just live to protect the last precious things that remain.

‘I got unnecessarily sentimental.’

A moment of silence.

I was briefly immersed in afterthoughts because entering a school at the age of 24 brought up some strange emotions.

But they were really unnecessary emotions.

I smiled slightly and entered the school.

And upon entering, I met a really, really unexpected person.

“Huh…? Si-woo?”

“Hm? Na-ri. Long time no see. What brings you here?”

My childhood friend and currently active as an S-class Rank 4, Lee Na-ri,

A beautiful childhood friend with flowing golden hair and a pretty appearance.

She was standing in front of the high school gates I was about to enter.

“Uh…? I… I… it’s because of guild work.”

“Ah. Is that so? What business does the Sword Saint Society have at a high school like this?”

“I don’t know exactly either. I’m just stationed here according to the orders of my unn… I mean, Guild Master. I heard it’s for scouting.”

“I see.”

Na-ri is not from this Jae-ah Girls’ High School.

She’s from Hunter High School, like me. I was surprised to see her standing here, but it seems she has some circumstances.

By the way, scouting—coming to scout at a regular girls’ high school rather than a hunter high school?

And at that, the Sword Saint Society guild, the major guild that Na-ri belongs to?

There were quite a few strange points no matter how I looked at it.

I honestly had more than a few doubts that bothered me.

But I had no right to ask those questions, not being a Sword Saint Society guild member, nor was I particularly interested.

I just let it be.

“Si-woo. Then why are you at this girls’ high school…?

“I’m here for Si-eun’s observation class and parent-teacher meeting.”

“Ah… I see. How is Si-eun these days? Is she doing well?”

“She’s doing well, same as before.”

When my question ended, Na-ri asked with curiosity why I was at a girls’ high school, but I also told her the reason.

Like that, though it was really coincidental, I was able to have a bit of conversation with my childhood friend after a long time.

“Oh! The time… I’m sorry, Na-ri. I have to go now. It’s getting a bit late. See you next time.”

“Okay. Take care.”

I wanted to talk more, but now wasn’t the time to chat.

Since the observation class was about to start.

I passed by Na-ri and entered the school, and Na-ri greeted me.

As we were about to part like that.

“Um… Si-woo. You know…”

Na-ri looking at me sent a somewhat hesitant look.

As if she had something to say.

“Hm? What is it?”

“… Nothing.”

“How tasteless.”

But it seems it was my mistake.

I headed to Si-eun’s classroom, leaving behind Na-ri who hung her head low.

It was just about time for the observation class to begin.

“Hello.”

I greeted the teachers, parents, and Si-eun’s classmates.

‘Was it right to invite oppa…?’

Lee Si-eun.

Si-eun knows very well objectively what her brother Lee Si-woo’s appearance is like.

Even when Si-eun was young, there were many women who approached her, claiming to be acquaintances of her brother. Si-eun also objectively knows how handsome Si-woo is.

Si-woo had been known as a very recognizable handsome guy in the neighborhood since he was young.

And recently, Si-woo has become even more handsome.

Is that why?

‘Was it a mistake to invite him…?’

So Si-eun couldn’t help but be a bit worried about the current situation.

For the parent observation class and career counseling, naturally, since the Si-eun and Si-woo siblings have no parents, Si-woo is the legal guardian, and Si-woo had to come.

That’s a very natural thing, but what makes this natural thing problematic is the fact that it’s a girls’ high school and her brother’s celebrity-level handsome appearance.

Si-eun had a feeling.

Surely, bringing her brother to school would definitely make him very popular.

So Si-eun prepared herself.

That it was unavoidable, even if she was somewhat worried.

Despite such preparation…

“Excuse me. Are you Lee Si-eun’s brother? I’m Ye-eun’s mother. By the way, Si-woo, you’re really tall and handsome, aren’t you?”

“Hahaha… You’re very beautiful too, ma’am.”

“Si-eun had such a handsome brother? Wow…! What’s your hobby, oppa?”

“Hmm. Just watching YouTube?”

“Kyah~ I love watching YouTube so much too.”

That popularity was far beyond what she had imagined.

Throughout the observation class, female teachers, her classmates, and even the parents who came for the observation class were all looking at Si-woo.

In the end, the class proceeded half-heartedly, and as soon as the class ended, women naturally flocked around Si-woo.

“Haah…”

Seeing that sight, Si-eun couldn’t help but sigh.

She had fully expected this, but the popularity was too much even so.

Seeing that scene made her head throb.

‘Why did he dress up so much…’

Moreover, for some reason, she could see her brother properly dressed up.

Wearing a suit, having gone to a hair salon, he seemed to have put in a lot of effort.

Her brother was already handsome, so with him coming dressed up like that, it was impossible for him not to be popular.

‘Ugh…’

Honestly, it wasn’t that bad for Si-eun that her brother was popular…

But that’s only if he’s moderately handsome and popular, which would be good for her.

No matter what, this situation was too burdensome for Si-eun.

“Si-eun. Is your brother some kind of celebrity? Why is he so handsome?”

“Si-eun, I’m experiencing my first love right now.”

“He’s mine, crazy. Si-eun. What does your brother like? Please tell me.”

Sure enough, her classmates started asking her all sorts of questions while squealing.

“Haah…”

Si-eun had a feeling that she would be troubled by her classmates for a while because of this.