episode_0036

It had been a few days since returning to school.

Yujin relatively quickly adapted to school life.

Of course, the stigma of being a nerd remained unchanged,

but he managed to attend school somewhat normally.

Recently, Lime’s timely advice had lifted his spirits.

“I hope I can make more friends like this.”

With that thought in mind, he leaned back on the car seat.

He had grown quite accustomed to the filthy expensive-looking car that was awkward at first.

Indeed, humans were creatures of growth.

As he relaxed for the first time in a while, Secretary Park brought up a topic.

“Young Master, how would you like to handle Kim Cheolsu’s situation?”

“Cheolsu?”

“He’s still hospitalized, but he should be discharged in a few days.”

Yujin blinked for a moment.

Cheolsu was hospitalized?

Oh, where did he get into trouble this time?

The world can be so unfair.

Why would anyone hit a kind kid like Cheolsu?

“I thought he went somewhere to train like me. Did he get involved in a fight somewhere?”

Well, Cheolsu was fundamentally kind and diligent.

He must have suffered some injustice somewhere,

or had a reason not to fight.

Perhaps he stood up against an unbeatable enemy to save a friend.

If it were Cheolsu, he could have done that easily.

Anyway, it was not something to overlook when a friend got hurt.

Surely Secretary Park brought this up with that in mind.

“Then we’ll take care of the hospital bills.”

“Hospital bills?”

“Yes, maybe he’d feel sorry if he knew, so let’s do it anonymously.”

“Haha! Understood.”

Cheolsu had a subtle sense of pride.

That’s why he would refuse help even when offered.

But helping anonymously should be fine.

Yujin nodded proudly at his idea.

“Now, what about the orphanage donation?”

“Orphanage donation?”

What’s that again?

I’ve never done such a noble thing.

“Well, the next date is approaching. Of course, you can stop if you want.”

Yujin blinked for a moment, then showed a touched expression.

Kim Yujin, you turned out to be a good guy after all.

Did you secretly support friends like Cheolsu and Yeonghee from behind?

You sneaky brat. You have a subtly admirable side.

Yujin nodded in agreement.

It’s money wasted if not used anyway.

Might as well put it to good use.

“Let’s double the donation.”

“Double?”

“Yes, and if there are orphanages still in need of help, we’ll assist them further.”

Hmm, is this enough?

No, if you’re going to do it, do it decisively.

“And get Cheolsu a good sword or equipment.”

“To Kim Cheolsu…?”

“Yes, something that won’t get him hurt even if he fights. He handles a sword well, so just that much should suffice. Oh, this too, anonymously.”

Secretary Park looked at Yujin with a mysterious gaze through the rearview mirror.

Yujin always thought three steps ahead of others.

To understand his intentions and act accordingly, he needed to catch up with that thinking.

Fortunately, Secretary Park was also an elite.

In an instant, he understood Yujin’s calculations.

“Indeed! He’s pretending to support Kim Cheolsu to divert the attention of the higher-ups!”

Lately, the looks Yujin received in Heukcheon were not pleasant.

In a way, it was understandable.

A successor of an organization becoming a disciple of an enemy,

and even begging for knowledge.

There might be those among the higher-ups genuinely trying to bring Yujin down.

“But even they won’t recklessly intervene. They will surely try to target those around the Young Master first.”

Despite this and that, Yujin was the successor of Heukcheon.

Open attack on him would make it difficult to receive only cheers.

However, the story is different if you are one of Yujin’s subordinates.

Before attacking the general, start with words.

If there are officers skilled in stratagems, they will aim for Yujin’s surroundings.

“What if we support Kim Chul-soo? Yujin might think we’re helping Kim Chul-soo grow.”

In that case, officers will target and attack Kim Chul-soo.

Of course, Kim Chul-soo, who has recently grown rapidly.

He won’t easily fall and will surely chip away at the officers’ power.

Even if Kim Chul-soo falls, it doesn’t matter.

To Yujin, Kim Chul-soo is just a disposable piece.

Whichever side wins, Yujin can only benefit from the situation!

“Disguise yourself as an ally to enemies. Meanwhile, gain benefits without lifting a finger.”

Did he come up with all this in such a short time?

Or perhaps not dealing with Kim Chul-soo and letting him grow was part of the plan from the beginning.

Either way, it’s an unreliable strategy.

Even the officers of Heukcheon wouldn’t have thought this far.

“Indeed, there’s no one more fitting to be Heukcheon’s successor than Yujin.”

Thinking this way, Secretary Park realized the importance of the mission entrusted to him.

It’s groundwork to restrain Heukcheon’s officers.

Secretary Park resolved to support Kim Chul-soo to the best of his abilities.

****

An urgent situation arose in Heukcheon.

The sudden summoning of the leader, Lee Seol-hwa.

The shocking agenda that came out of it.

It was enough to unsettle the officers.

“…Could it be that Heukcheon’s sole successor was struggling in the enemy’s grip?”

“Haha! With that petite body, she managed to entangle a man quite well.”

“Who knows. Maybe our successor had such tastes.”

Everyone gathered here is an officer.

Among them, there were those who were particularly dissatisfied with the current situation.

Those who never liked Kim Yujin in the first place.

Those who aimed to pull Yujin down and take his place.

And even those who were not pleased with Yujin’s recent actions.

Regardless, they all shared the commonality of not recognizing him as the successor.

“Even if the predecessors recognized him as the successor, we cannot leave things as they are.”

Other officers nodded in agreement with one person’s words.

It’s an organization that operates based on Heukcheon’s logic of power.

The reason they bow to the current leader is one.

Because Lee Seol-hwa displays overwhelming power and charisma.

On the flip side, if one doesn’t demonstrate equivalent strength, they won’t be acknowledged as the rightful successor.

“There have been many doubts about whether Kim Yujin was suitable as the successor from the beginning. We couldn’t act before, but we can’t ignore Kim Tae-jin’s incident.”

“But hasn’t he been active recently, capturing demon groups and such?”

“That alone may not suffice to address the current issue.”

If Kim Yujin had become someone else’s disciple, there wouldn’t have been a big problem.

But the fact that the opponent is Kim Tae-jin is the issue.

She has been openly challenging Heukcheon since long ago.

After the ‘incident,’ when things seemed quiet,

she suddenly barged in with a declaration of war.

Her arrogance was nerve-wracking.

“This is nothing short of betrayal against Heukcheon.”

“Y-yes. Please calm down. This isn’t the place to discuss reasons. The issue is how to handle that successor.”

Yes, coming here in the first place was a decision regarding Kim Yujin’s treatment.

Now is the time to discuss more specific methods.

“Is there anyone here willing to step forward themselves?”

The officers, who were excited moments ago, fell into silence.

In a sense, it was expected.

They were discussing pulling down the organization’s successor.

Even for officers, it was not a light burden.

“And moreover, Lady Seol-hwa has taken a somewhat neutral stance.”

When this matter was brought up, the officers split into two factions.

The factions advocating for an immediate change in successors and those opting to observe.

The reason they dared to do so in front of the successor’s mother and leader was due to Yi Seolhwa’s ruthless nature.

However, Yi Seolhwa took an ambiguous stance during the meeting, saying, “Do as you wish.”

Not exactly in favor of pulling Kim Yujin down,

but seemingly not making it an issue either.

“In the world of the Black Heaven, their abilities and charisma are crucial. Without understanding that, one cannot recklessly step forward.”

Moreover, isn’t there talk circulating recently that Secretary Park has completely sided with Kim Yujin?

Secretary Park even rose to the position of the right-hand man of the former leader.

Turning such a man against them was also a significant challenge.

It was a moment when everyone was cautiously watching without rushing into action.

“Well then, I will go and check it out.”

Someone raised their hand and spoke.

He was a man wearing a doctor’s gown and glasses.

His name is Jekyll. His nickname is ‘Assistant, Jekyll.’

It was a nickname given due to his perverted nature that could turn even a person with a strong spirit into a slave.

Despite his personality, he was a remarkable man who had climbed to a high position at a young age by being recognized for his abilities.

“Jekyll, are you volunteering?”

“Yes, personally, after gathering information, I found out that the young master has made some friends. I think it’s a good opportunity to experiment with them.”

“Hmm, are you planning to strike not only at the young master but those around him as well?”

It was not a bad strategy.

The reason Kim Yujin insisted on attending the academy was probably to attract young talents who would support him.

Although Kim Yujin deliberately pretended to be incompetent,

there was no officer who couldn’t see through it.

Even if successful in dealing with Kim Yujin,

even if failing midway, it would still reduce his influence to some extent.

It wasn’t a bad plan to try.

“Well, then I’ll leave this task to you for now.”

“Thank you for trusting me, despite my lack of experience.”

Jekyll nodded respectfully.

“I’ve already confirmed that Kim Yujin is close to geniuses who are also gaining attention at the academy. There have even been movements to support them by investing heavily.”

“Oh, you’ve already investigated that far?”

“I’ll first touch them to gauge the young master’s reaction. If you’re the successor of the Black Heaven, you shouldn’t be swayed by trivial matters, right?”

“Hmm, whether that’s true or not!”

Amidst the officers’ agreement, Jekyll smiled slyly.

“I don’t care how the Black Heaven ends up, unlike you.”

He thought that humans reveal their true selves in despicable emotions like betrayal and regret.

Indeed, what kind of reaction would the successor of the Black Heaven show upon seeing someone dear getting hurt?

He couldn’t wait for that moment; the anticipation was unbearable.

“Can you remain indifferent even when your lover falls from grace before your eyes?”

The Black Heaven officer Jekyll took out a photo from his bosom.

In it, there was a picture of Yeonghee smiling widely, nestled in Yujin’s arms.