episode_0025

After all classes are over.

Finally, after-school time arrived. It meant that we no longer had to study. It was definitely a time when all students would be happy. In my case, I was especially happier than other students because I often had trouble understanding the class content.

Because there were many times when I felt like I was wasting my time.

As I tried to move my body, I felt a strange, dull sensation. It wasn’t that painful, but it was enough to make me feel uncomfortable.

“Oh my.”

Today was really tiring. I didn’t do anything, but I felt dizzy for no reason. More than anything, it was more difficult because of the original characters. During lunch, Seo Jae-hyeok tried to get Lee Ji-hye’s autograph without noticing, and Yoo Seo-ra got extremely jealous and annoyed when she saw that.

Since it was a will, she tried to hide it, so her expression became even more fierce.

So I had a bit of a hard time.

Because I kept thinking that I might be the one getting hurt.

So I tried to get out of the situation somehow.

I tried to keep those two away from Lee Ji-hye as much as possible, and put Seo Jae-hyeok next to Yoo Seo-ra. Then I lied to the teacher that Yoo Seo-ra had gone to the infirmary and wouldn’t be able to attend class this time, so that she would be with Seo Jae-hyeok the whole time.

The teacher seemed a little incredulous, but since it was a will, I think he just handed it over.

So Seo Jae-hyuk made me skip class semi-forcibly, but I didn’t really care. It was because of him that it happened anyway.

Anyway, it was really tiring.

Other than that, nothing particularly special happened. Contrary to what Yoo Seo-ra had warned me during the first period break, Park Ye-hee didn’t follow me around either, so I was able to stay quiet.

There wasn’t a single thing that was provocative.

It was truly an extroverted life.

I stood still, leaning against the wall in an empty classroom. I honestly had no reason to do so, but I still found myself lost in thought. For some reason, I felt like my mind worked better that way.

Let’s summarize the situation.

‘You clearly said you could go out on the weekend.’

Tomorrow is Saturday.

That means it’s the weekend.

It is definitely possible to go out.

It would be better to go out right away when you can. If you wait and keep putting it off until later, you might not be able to go out. You might get caught by Yoo Seora and get involved in something like that when you go to capture the demon cult.

Since I had nothing to do anyway, the only thought that came to my mind was that I had to go.

“What are you doing standing there?”

I stopped worrying at the sound of Lee Ji-hye’s voice. I turned my head and looked at her.

She was looking at me with a not-so-good expression.

“I was organizing my thoughts.”

I told the truth. Then I continued to talk to further the conversation.

“So, do you think you know what I’m doing now?”

The reason Lee Ji-hye kept watching me was because she wanted to know what kind of person I was. She wanted to see how much of a person the guy Yoo Soo-ho was interested in was.

So since we were together all the time, I asked her. Then, Lee Ji-hye’s expression hardened and she opened her mouth.

“Honestly, I don’t know.”

I can’t help but not know.

Yoo Soo-ho definitely didn’t know me either.

“You didn’t communicate with anyone. You didn’t have a proper conversation, and you were always alone.”

Yes, that’s right.

I was still alone today. Of course, I occasionally talked to Yoo Seo-ra and Seo Jae-hyeok, but I couldn’t call it a proper exchange. No matter how you look at it, it was nothing special, so I think Lee Ji-hye’s head is quite confused right now.

You might wonder why a kid like this is getting Yoo Soo-ho’s attention.

I could feel that the situation was somehow funny, so I felt a little more relaxed.

Lee Ji-hye said with a slightly dark expression.

“I don’t know because I only saw you doing nothing.”

When I heard that, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Of course. How would you know about me if you don’t meet me?”

He told me the simple truth.

They say that the most important thing to know about a person is conversation, but how can you know me if you don’t do that? Especially for someone like Lee Ji-hye who doesn’t interact with people as much as I do, it would be even harder for her to understand me.

“There won’t be much difference even if you watch more.”

“Sure, I guess so.”

Watching more won’t be that hard for Lee Ji-hye, but it won’t be that she has much free time. No matter how much she wants to know about me, if there’s no gain like this, Lee Ji-hye has no choice but to give up.

Because I can’t afford to waste precious time.

This will be especially true if you feel certain that nothing will change even if it continues.

“So, does that mean that watching my life ends today?”

“Okay. I was only planning to do it until today, so you don’t have to worry anymore.”

“Thank goodness.”

Finally, freedom has come to me again.

In the end, I just kept wasting my time today. If it weren’t for Lee Ji-hye, I would have definitely met the main characters properly.

Since tomorrow is the weekend, I have to wait until Monday to meet her, unless I risk the awkwardness of approaching her in person. It was inevitable.

If that happens, I’ll have two free days. A weekend where I have nothing to do and am truly free.

So, no matter what happens on the weekend, you have to go out. Otherwise, you’ll end up wasting time like today. You have to go out to make the most of your time.

I said to Lee Ji-hye lightly.

“Then, I would like you to listen to my request.”

Lee Ji-hye tilted her head as if to ask what I meant. Her expression was as if she didn’t know anything.

That kid?

It’s like you don’t remember anything.

“You clearly said that instead of watching me this morning, you would do me a favor.”

“Oh, I see.”

I guess I forgot.

But the good thing is that he just forgot, and I think he’s going to grant my request. If not, I’ll make sure to do something about it.

Even if it means using Yoo Soo-ho.

“Okay. Then tell me what it is.”

I cleared my throat for a moment. I was afraid that my voice might have been filled with air. That would have made a bad impression.

I opened my mouth, feeling as calm as I could.

“Can we go somewhere together tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yes, please.”

I bowed and asked with all my heart. Even if it was something I had done out of the blue because we had done business together, it was good to be polite. That’s why I was as polite as I could be.

Lee Ji-hye looks at me like that. Her face doesn’t look that troubled.

“Okay, I understand. Since we already made a deal, I’ll listen.”

Lee Ji-hye said she would do the favor even though she didn’t know where she was going. If it went this far, she would definitely do it.

There’s no way I would suddenly change my mind.

“Thank you.”

I said my thanks with all my heart.

“And I would like you to keep my request a secret from everyone else.”

“Secret?”

“Yes.”

It would be best for me to hide my actions as much as possible. Of course, I should keep it a secret from Yoo Seora, and it would also be best to hide it from Yoo Sooho if possible.

“Okay, I see.”

“Then I will let you know the place and time to meet.”

I’m really looking forward to tomorrow morning. I feel a bit anxious, but at least I’ll be safe as long as Lee Ji-hye is here. Suddenly, it seemed like a lot of information was passing through my head.

I thought I could do it, but I still felt anxious.

*

The next day.

It was the weekend, so I could finally leave the academy. Rather than feeling free, I just felt like my surroundings had expanded. After all, it was a natural feeling since the world I was in was different from the one I had been in.

The surrounding area is a street.

It’s not a particularly great place, nor is it a famous place. It’s just a remote place where not many people go, but the reason I chose this place is none other than Lee Ji-hye. If I meet Lee Ji-hye for no reason, I might catch people’s eyes.

If I do that, I might get involved in troublesome things. That’s why I chose this place.

I thought there would be less risk of being caught if it was a place where no one went.

“Where.”

I checked my watch.

Lee Ji-hye hasn’t arrived yet because it’s not the appointed time. But she seems to be arriving soon. So I check to see if I’ve prepared properly.

First, I checked again to see if I had brought the gun. Fortunately, I could see that it was in good condition. Next, I checked if the magazine was loose. It would be inconvenient to carry too many, so I needed to bring only the appropriate amount. Thanks to that, I could see a small number of magazines, enough to make me think that I should use them sparingly.

I also checked the clothes I was wearing.

I could confirm that it was a properly prepared uniform from the academy. It was a uniform with some defense capabilities that was nothing special.

There wasn’t much to prepare, so there was no need to worry too much. It was even more out of the question to take care of one’s appearance or anything like that.

Soon, more time passed and I could see Lee Ji-hye walking slowly. I waved my hand to say hello, but when I saw her condition, I couldn’t help but wonder.

I’m sure I asked her to do something, but she came across differently.

“Didn’t I tell you to wear your hunter gear properly?”

Yesterday, I told her to wear hunter gear because I was going to a dangerous place. Not only that, I even told her to get some gear that I could use and lend it to me if possible. But now, anyone could tell that Lee Ji-hye was wearing casual clothes.

The only thing that’s missing is a weapon that looks like a dagger on his waist.

“If you do that, you’ll get caught.”

Lee Ji-hye spoke lightly with a monotonous expression.

I guess this is because I asked you to keep it a secret as much as possible. Or maybe you needed to hide the fact that I asked you to do this.

In the end, it was my fault for coming out like this without any equipment. So, to be honest, I felt a bit sorry.

Since you are the one granting my request anyway, what more is there to say?

Still, I couldn’t say that I had to equip it.

“Okay, then let’s get started.”

“But wait.”

The moment I was about to move, Lee Ji-hye grabbed me. When I looked at her, she had an expression on her face as if she needed an explanation.

I guess he’s curious about what I’m trying to do

“What are you trying to do?”

And actually, Lee Ji-hye asked me a question.

I think he asked because he didn’t know what he was doing, but he felt like he couldn’t not know what he was going to do.

I was able to open my mouth right away because I felt like I needed to explain anyway.

“From now on, you will be moving to a hidden gate.”

“Hidden Gate?”

Yes, that’s right.

A hidden gate. You will enter through it, which no one in this world currently knows about.

From now on, the place I’m going to is the hidden piece location from the original work. Since it’s a place that even Yoo Seora doesn’t know about, it was a very safe way to only take advantage of myself. If I took the hidden piece that Yoo Seora was going to take, I might be suspected.

I took a moment to catch my breath and then continued.

“You may not believe me, but if you follow me, you will understand. Following me is not a big deal, right?”

Lee Ji-hye nodded to my words and slowly approached me as if she understood.

“Then, please follow me.”

I walked while watching Lee Ji-hye follow me.

*

I was tired because I had to go around and around a bit. I became even more careful, especially considering that the place I was going to was illegal.

As I continued walking, I gathered my thoughts and began to have some doubts about whether I was going in the right direction.

And soon the opportunity arose to arrive.