episode_0026

Cheongsong Academy is vast. Extremely vast.

Naturally, almost everything one could expect to find within the campus grounds was there.

This included not only various restaurants, but also karaoke rooms, bowling alleys, equipment crafting and maintenance facilities for Awakened individuals, and residences for such artisans, among other things.

As a bonus, there was even a multi-complex shopping mall for students, though it wasn’t particularly large.

Because of this, there wasn’t really a need to go out to the university street below the campus.

Yet, there was only one clear reason for venturing outside, despite the considerable bother.

‘Because I don’t want to be seen moving around with Ryu Seeun.’

I feel like I’ve mentioned it several times already, but even so, I’m the second-ranked student in my second year, and this girl next to me is currently the new student representative.

And if the two of us were caught having a meal together just one day after ‘that’ confession incident at the freshman welcoming party…?

‘I don’t even want to think about it.’

Just how much of a commotion would it cause? Even without that, this place was inherently an academy where many young students gathered.

Meaning, people who loved gossip were everywhere.

In that sense, the university street outside the campus offered a much more comfortable environment.

While I couldn’t completely ignore the gazes of my classmates, it meant it was quite easy to move around discreetly.

Fortunately, Ryu Seeun, who had committed the rather cruel act(?) of a public confession, was quite obedient to my requests.

Judging by her demeanor, it seemed even she was uncomfortable with the excessive attention.

‘Why would someone like that do something like that yesterday…’

I felt a peculiar sense of frustration. Thinking about how I was needlessly jabbed about it everywhere made my displeasure surge even more.

I glanced at Ryu Seeun, who was following a little behind me, diagonally.

Her expression was calm and composed, her eyes sparkling. Her brisk steps made her look exactly like a freshman chick.

How did I ever get caught in this person’s machinations? I couldn’t help but sigh.

Naturally, I didn’t entertain the slightest possibility that she had truly fallen for me and couldn’t control her impulse to blurt out a confession.

Right now, wasn’t I setting up this meeting precisely to hear the real reason?

Once I heard that damned reason, I intended to get up immediately, whether I understood it or not.

With my mind firmly made up, I crossed the crosswalk as soon as the traffic light changed.

Then I moved through various alleys. Since we were out anyway, I thought I should at least treat her to something delicious.

So, what exactly was the identity of that ‘delicious menu’?

It was none other than this.

*Ding-a-ling-*

“Ah, welcome.”

“I’ll order two servings of tteokbokki and one eomuk-tang.”

I opened the door and entered, accompanied by the familiar sound of a bell that could be heard anywhere, and ordered without much thought.

“…Whoa…”

Ryu Seeun, who followed behind, stood stiffly, openly showing a disgusted reaction.

Hmm. This place gets a pretty good reaction too.

I chuckled inwardly, but controlled my facial muscles to not show it.

Ryu Seeun, who sat down across from me, followed my lead and glared at me with dead eyes.

“Sunbae.”

“What.”

“Is this right? Even I have some conscience, so while I don’t expect a fancy place, I think you should at least take me somewhere decent.”

“No, no. This place is perfect for you.”

I answered immediately, as if it was no big deal, and Ryu Seeun’s expression twisted sharply, as if she sensed something from my nonchalant tone.

Lowering her posture slightly, she growled.

“You’re subtly insulting me, aren’t you?”

“Oh, you actually caught on right away this time.”

“No, damn it, are you serious?”

Ryu Seeun’s eyes blazed as she glared at me, but what could she do? What *could* she do?

I shrugged, unconcerned.

“…No, *sigh*.”

Ryu Seeun then groaned, pressing her forehead as if she had a headache.

Her expression, as she furtively glanced at me, softened, seeming even more abashed.

A brief staring contest.

“…*Sigh*, fine. I admit it.”

Ryu Seeun eventually waved the white flag first.

“Yesterday, I was a bit rude. But I couldn’t help it, as I thought that was the most effective strategy.”

Brushing her bangs aside, she grumbled in a small voice, ‘Even so, you didn’t have to bring me to a snack bar…’

Haha, if you wanted good treatment, you shouldn’t have launched a confession attack. Don’t you agree?

I inwardly grinned, thinking I had delivered a satisfying blow. Inwardly, of course.

Around that time, the dishes I had ordered right after entering began to be served quickly.

Tteokbokki coated in a vibrant red glaze, and eomuk-tang with hot steam rising gently from it.

Even Ryu Seeun, who had been grumbling earlier, swallowed her saliva without a word.

Whether fortunate or unfortunate, it seemed she wasn’t the type to complain about commoner food. I had thought it might be different for a Grand Wizard’s disciple.

Well, at least this was better than her frowning intensely because she disliked it.

…Of course, that would have its own charm, too. Let’s just not show that I felt a tiny bit of regret.

I let out a light laugh and picked up an eomuk skewer. Even though it looked quite hot, it wasn’t inedible. I wasn’t Cheon Soyul, after all.

I dipped it lightly in soy sauce and took a bite. Chewing, I gave a slight nod toward Ryu Seeun.

“Now, shall we start talking?”

“…Hmm.”

“Just why did you pull such an annoying stunt, you audacious junior?”

Displeasure clearly dripped from my tone. Ryu Seeun, sensing it, tried hard to avoid my sharp gaze.

But she couldn’t avoid it forever, could she? In the end, she surrendered.

“…You’re right.”

“…”

“An annoying stunt, huh. Yes, Sunbae, you’re right. I certainly overstepped.”

She poked the tteokbokki with her fork, her shoulders slumping slightly as if resigned.

Then she popped it into her mouth, chewed with puffed cheeks, and rolled her eyes, seemingly organizing her thoughts.

I waited patiently.

Soon, Ryu Seeun continued.

“…That was clearly when I was still young, a mere fifteen-year-old girl…”

“Just the gist, briefly. Summarize it concisely.”

“…”

At my interruption, Ryu Seeun clamped her lips shut. Then she scanned me up and down with a hint of displeasure. Again, what could she do?

When I glared back, it was Ryu Seeun who whimpered and backed down.

“Actually, I’m the daughter of Grand Wizard Ryu Jinseong…”

Only then did she begin to get to the main point.

I nodded, my arms crossed.

“I figured as much.”

It was certainly something I had somewhat anticipated. To call her a mere disciple, the fact that their surnames were the same had been bothering me.

“Ah, I’m an adopted daughter.”

“…Hmm.”

But that, I hadn’t expected.

How would I know something like that?

At the sudden shocking revelation(?), I was slightly pushed back in momentum.

Ryu Seeun, gaining momentum, began to continue her story without my interruption.

“My father, he’s, well, a good person. He has a bit of a quirky personality, but he treats his subordinates in the Border Defense Force well…”

“He even embraced me with love since I was young, though I’m not his biological daughter.”

“But, you know, that’s just how it is, right? How can a person only have good sides? My father also has some unfortunate aspects.”

I listened quietly, and at that point, Ryu Seeun paused and swallowed some cold water.

She then met my eyes, but quickly averted her gaze again.

“That unfortunate aspect is, well, an inferiority complex towards Seol Hayeon-ssi, I guess you could say…?”

“…What?”

Finally, she uttered those words.

“*Ahem, ahem*.”

Startled, I frowned instantly, and Ryu Seeun let out an awkward cough again.

Then, dramatically, she spread her arms wide, a tired chuckle escaping her.

“Actually, in his younger days, my father once confessed his affections to your Master-nim.”

“?”

“At that time, my father was deeply hurt by her sharp words…”

And the bombshell revelations continued without end. A huge question mark floated above my head.

Head junior, what did you just say?

“Wait, just a moment. I think I just heard something my brain can’t quite process.”

“…I understand. It’s completely reasonable. I don’t know how dumbfounded I was when I heard this story directly from my father’s mouth.”

“You, you know how old our Master-nim is, right?”

“Huh? Of course. Isn’t the Ice Empress Seol Hayeon twenty-five this year?”

Ryu Seeun immediately replied to my urgent question.

Twenty-five. That was the correct answer.

My Master-nim was exactly twenty when she found me and kidnapped me to her mansion.

She only earned the moniker ‘Grand Wizard,’ one of only three in the country, at the tender age of twenty-two.

But Black Heaven Ryu Jinseong confessed his affections to such a young woman. Affections. Affections.

‘…Ha, haha.’

No, seriously. Is this old man crazy?

How dare he try something with *my* Master.

“Now, wait. Sunbae, I think you’re making a mistake too.”

It was around the time I was idly wondering if I should seriously report him to the police, and if police forces could even apprehend a Grand Wizard.

Ryu Seeun, observing my expression and seemingly realizing something, waved her hands frantically.

“No, it’s not like that. Seriously, it’s not. It’s a common misconception, but my father is only twenty-nine years old, you know?”

“What…?”

And I had to let out another gasp of astonishment, for the umpteenth time today.

There was another monster in his twenties who earned the moniker Grand Wizard, besides my Master-nim?

Somehow, my head felt dizzy. I didn’t know you could get motion sickness even while sitting in a chair.

“…Uh, well. In conclusion, that incident led to all of this.”

That’s when Ryu Seeun delved into the deeper main point. She fanned herself with her hand, seemingly embarrassed, and sighed.

Her violet eyes, subtly looking up at me, began to hold a faint warmth.

“Alright, I’ll tell you just the core of it, as you wish, Lee Hyunjin Sunbae.”

“…”

At her rather serious voice, I felt a sense of tension and pressed my lips together.

Soon after, Ryu Seeun lowered her voice as if discussing a terrifying secret.

“My father, you see. He’s actually planning a childish revenge against Seol Hayeon-ssi by conscripting you to Cheorwon.”

“…”

“…*Ahem*. It’s like, what do you call it, Operation ‘Your Disciple is Awesome,’ something like that, hmm. Yes. Hmm.”

I was utterly speechless.

If I had my way, I’d lose my mind along with it.

Ryu Seeun in front of me was adding things like, ‘A-and filling up the wizard forces at the same time,’ but it didn’t quite register in my ears.

I had certainly heard rumors that the Border Defense Force in the Cheorwon area was always understaffed.

But that and the intention to conscript *me* were entirely separate matters, weren’t they?

Especially if the justification itself was a petty and timid revenge.

‘No, what the… Even so, he’s a Grand Wizard, after all…’

…How could that, that Grand Wizard, be so petty?

So he was rejected by a woman and now wants to NTR her disciple out of spite?

And by using his adopted daughter for a political marriage?

‘Wow, damn it.’

Is he crazy?

Paradoxically, my chest began to swell with awe.

*This* is the level of one of Korea’s three Grand Wizards…?

“…”

My head began to ache.

I pressed my temples firmly, glaring fiercely at Ryu Seeun, who was avoiding my gaze.

In any case, it was clear that she hadn’t launched her confession attack because she had fallen for me.

That also meant I had even less reason to treat her kindly.

…I had no intention of playing along with the unwanted Grand Wizard’s nonsense.

It was the moment I was about to retort sharply to Ryu Seeun.

“…Could you, perhaps, give me just one chance?”

For the first time, she showed hesitation, fidgeting with both hands.

I paused for a moment, then made a bewildered expression.

“What did you say?”

“No, I mean. Even though I made a public confession. I didn’t actually think it would truly work, you know? I knew well that the best I could do was to make you a little bothered.”

Before I could ask back, Ryu Seeun scratched her cheek with an awkward expression.

“…Well, there was a slight hint of a threat. Like, the moment you refuse my offer, I’ll persistently bother you on campus until you graduate, something like that…?”

“Are you crazy?”

I held back, but my mouth couldn’t. A harsh curse word slipped out reflexively.

Ryu Seeun’s eyes widened for a moment, then she burst into laughter.

“*Pfft*…! Wow, that’s truly the first time I’ve heard such vulgar language.”

So what?

“Heh, congratulations. Sunbae, you’ve taken my first.”

“Oh, for crying out loud…”

Unable to bear it again, I pressed at my eyes with a deep sigh, and Ryu Seeun giggled as if it was endlessly amusing.

Then, slowly wiping the smile from her face, she reached across the table.

“Please, Sunbae.”

Just like at the freshman welcoming party, she once again grabbed my wrist, and this time, she asked me in a rather soft tone.

“Just give me a chance to try and win you over. Even if it looks like this, I really want to take you to Cheorwon, to my father.”

“…”

She said she wanted to drag a man in his twenties to the front lines with such nonchalance.

Although the damned conscription system was abolished in this parallel world’s Korea, still.

…Somehow, I couldn’t just brush her hand away, because there was an inexplicable earnestness in Ryu Seeun’s expression as she spoke.

The meaning behind her gaze was simple.

-I want to repay him, even like this.

‘A deficit, perhaps?’

I wasn’t a professional psychologist, so I couldn’t confidently say anything, but it still bothered me.

…However, what could be inferred from the keyword ‘adopted daughter’ was, primarily, the fact that she had lost her biological parents at some point.

Furthermore, I suspected it might be somewhat connected to the rampaging of the Jörmungandr and other monsters that occurred about a decade ago.

That worldwide state of emergency which would surely still be ongoing if it weren’t for the principal of Cheongsong Academy, Hero Yang Chan-ho.

Did Black Heaven Ryu Jinseong take Ryu Seeun in at that time?

It was the most plausible guess in terms of timing.

And from this point on, it was a bit of speculation, but Ryu Seeun seemed to want to repay her adoptive father who raised her, no matter what.

For now, probably? As I said, it’s speculation.

Is that why she accepted the order to bring me to Cheorwon without much resistance?

Considering how she glared at me on the first day, it’s unlikely she’s particularly fond of me.

Nevertheless, she seemed intent on following her adoptive father’s wishes. Merely for the sake of repayment.

…Hmm, she was indeed an adopted daughter with remarkable loyalty (?).

Even setting aside whether the Grand Wizard on the front lines was truly such a petty and unpleasant man…

‘*Tsk*.’

More importantly, the most crucial and incredibly awkward problem was something else entirely.

I, for one, can’t easily refuse such requests.

If she had been completely brazen from the start, I would have just pushed her away and ended it.

But when someone swallows their pride and humbles themselves like this, how can I outright reject them?

This is what they call a problem of one’s nature.

…And how troublesome it was.

“Sunbae.”

“…Why.”

“Next Saturday, will you go on a one-day date with me? I’m brimming with confidence.”

“…”

I let out a long sigh, sensing that things had just gotten more troublesome, while Ryu Seeun smiled bashfully with an awkward expression.

Hmm.

I’ll confess a little of my true feelings.

To be honest, yes. This feeling of a pretty girl surprisingly making advances toward me.

‘It might not be as bad as I thought…?’

Indeed, there was a surprisingly satisfying feeling.

It felt like a strange desire was being fulfilled. Yahoo.

*****

“But what if, after that one-day date or whatever it is, I flat-out refuse to go to Cheorwon? Which I probably will.”

“…”

“Is there no other plan?”

“…”

“Hey.”

“…W-well, if it still doesn’t work out then, I’ll use my female body to seduce you, even if I have to…!”

“Stop. That’s enough. Don’t say any more.”

I stared blankly at Ryu Seeun with a cold, disgusted gaze. Steadily, as if looking at a pathetic fool.

She was about to grab her collar and pull it down sharply, but she flinched for a moment and put her hand back in place.

‘That thing on your neck must surely be just for decoration…’

It seemed this new student representative was a girl with a flawed way of thinking, more so than I’d imagined.

The memory of her glaring at me fiercely, as if she wanted to devour me at the freshman welcoming party, was slowly fading…