episode_0063

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I moved my steps slowly in sync with the signal.

Now that I think about it, was there really a need to give a signal at all?

The principal, who had been holding the mic earlier, was already raising his voice about me, declaring that starting with this year’s freshmen, they could implement much more intense training.

So, it means they can heal us. Not that I want to see such a grotesque spectacle.

Still, since it’s just training, it’s not like anyone will get seriously hurt, right?

Step by step, as I climbed the stairs, I began hearing everything—from essential information like the location of the infirmary to completely unnecessary, gilded praises about how “strikingly handsome” I was, all accompanied by boisterous laughter.

Stop it.

Please, just stop.

For some reason, my cheeks began burning. I wiped them with my palm and stepped onto the stage.

“…….”

Countless eyes bore into me.

From the freshmen on my left,

From the somewhat famous heroes sitting on my right, striking poses,

I could almost hear their thoughts—”Not that striking, is he?”—as their gazes poured over me.

The same uniform as the freshmen, barely concealed by a white coat, fluttered lightly among them.

After a brief walk,

By the time the fluttering had stopped—

“…Ah, um.”

First impressions are as important as the first words spoken.

Having slightly botched mine, I locked eyes with Yozora, who was diligently managing her expression at the very front.

Her face, usually busy stifling giggles, was now clumsily masked with hatred.

…Seems like she’s trying her best to act tough. I should just leave her be.

And beside Yozora—

A woman with bright brown hair, loosely tied and carelessly draped, resembling a lion.

Staring at what seemed to be an oddly excited childhood version of “Han Sua,” I cautiously spoke up.

“…Nice to meet you. I’m Seo Woojin, the new… health committee member. I look forward to working with you all.”

Ignoring the outdated guide in my hand.

63

“I got a boyfriend.”

Class 2-A, where Lee Hayun belonged.

Specifically, the very back corner seat, where long-lost friends were busy catching up.

A sudden bombshell dropped.

“…Huh?”

“Didn’t you have one? I thought you did.”

But the reactions were far from dramatic.

It wasn’t entirely unheard of for a quiet friend to come back after break with a completely new image, after all.

Most responses were along the lines of “Oh… okay… and?”

“…….”

Of course, Lee Hayun, who had been listening right beside her, was no exception.

Sitting next to the friend who had just declared her new relationship, Hayun quietly sipped on the Picnic drink she’d just bought.

Normally, she’d be pestering her for details—”Where’d you meet him?” “Show me a picture!”—acting like an overexcited puppy. But today, Hayun was unusually subdued.

She had been waiting for the right moment to casually mention her own relationship with Woojin to her close friends, but…

Seems like her friend had the same idea.

Oh well. She’d just have to find another chance to bring up Woojin later.

As Hayun pressed her lips together, a large chest suddenly brushed past her.

“What’s he like? From the same academy?”

“…A forbidden love.”

Forbidden love.

Come to think of it, wasn’t her relationship with Seo Woojin also technically between a teacher and a student?

Sure, Woojin was a year younger, but still.

In a way, this could also count as the kind of forbidden love often seen in stories.

As the apple flavor rolled over her tongue, random thoughts drifted through her mind.

“Forbidden love? He’s not a minor, is he?”

“Yeah, he is. A high school boy I saved during fieldwork.”

…Psycho.

“Psycho.”

“What’s psycho about it? A 21-year-old can totally fall for a 19-year-old.”

“…Hm. Fair.”

“Right?”

“Honestly, every time a younger guy calls me ‘noona,’ it kinda gets me. And when he smiles? Ugh.”

“I’m into the opposite, though… Am I the only one?”

“…….”

Two psychos.

No, three.

Four.

As the group of psychos began listing their preferences,

Hayun, caught in the middle, viciously squeezed her innocent Picnic drink like she was torturing it.

Just then—

The classroom door at the front slid open.

“Good morning, everyone. Did you all have a good break?”

A tone oddly reminiscent of a kindergarten teacher.

One by one, students responded along the edges of the room.

This teacher felt less like a homeroom teacher and more like a “counselor.”

Or maybe a “homeroom manager”?

Someone who pointed out where you were lacking compared to others,

What kind of training would suit you best,

Which heroes you could reference—

A manager who meticulously guided you through it all.

“I have one announcement, so listen up for a sec.”

Friends shuffled back to their seats.

Hayun, now seated properly, chewed on her straw and met the teacher’s gaze.

“A healing-type transcendent has joined the academy as a health officer. Students like Hayun, who get injured often, or those who push their bodies hard, should take note…”

The most crucial condition for being a spy?

“How smart you are.”

And so—

“…….”

Alone in the student council room, Miren Academy’s student council president, Baek Seoyeon, clutched her head in frustration.

Not that Yozora was completely brainless.

Rumors said that back in Japan, she had attended fairly prestigious schools—

You know, the kind filled with model students.

Plus, hadn’t she picked up Korean scarily fast? In just a year, apparently.

But that was back when Yozora was a high schooler being chased by Japanese heroes.

Both Seoyeon and Yozora were 22 now, so that was about five years ago.

The current Yozora was an alcoholic idiot who drank every day, called out of the blue to spout nonsense about “the red string of fate,” and other things no one cared about…

Just a drunken fool…

“Why the hell is that idiot…”

Life would’ve been easier if she’d never met Yozora.

Why did I have to know her?

Seoyeon, wiping her face dry, picked up her phone instead of signing the documents in front of her.

She dialed the number of Kwon Namho, the CEO of “the company.”

The dial tone echoed through the room as her sleek blue-white hair swayed.

“…Hello?”

“It’s me. You changed your number.”

“Ah. Baek Seoyeon.”

“I told you not to act so familiar… Anyway, that’s not the point…”

Ugh. Leaning back in her chair, Seoyeon’s voice trailed off.

She’d called in a hurry, but now that she thought about it, the student council room was far too open for confidential talks.

Unlike private spaces where every entrance and window was secured, here, there could be bugs. Or someone might walk in.

…At least she hadn’t slipped up yet.

With no choice, Seoyeon began carefully selecting her words.

“That girl. She’s among the freshmen, right?”

“Yeah. Didn’t I mention it? The Most Wanted team should’ve known.”

“Guess they didn’t pass it along to me. Ugh…”

“They’re busy prepping for something in Busan, so cut them some slack.”

“Whatever. Anyway, what were you thinking, sending her?”

Seoyeon had no criminal record, so it didn’t matter for her. But Yozora, an undocumented immigrant without even her own ID, must’ve entered using forged documents.

The question was—did Yozora even remember all the details of her fake identity?

Would she just giggle and introduce herself as “Yozora” to the freshmen?

The thought alone made Seoyeon’s blood run cold.

“She said she only wanted this job. What was I supposed to do? Guess she wanted to try wearing a Korean school uniform.”

“You’re the CEO, damn it…!”

“CEO my ass. I’ve basically been playing dad to Yozora for years now, goddammit…”

“Ugh… I know, but…”

Seoyeon sighed deeply, mirroring Namho on the other end.

As she finished signing the vending machine documents, Namho continued.

“Anyway, we got a request related to this year’s freshmen.”

“Freshmen?”

“Yeah. Someone wants a freshman ruined so they can’t graduate. Pay’s insane, and Yozora’s strong enough to handle it.”

“…Who is it? The freshman.”

“Han Sua. You know her?”

Seoyeon nodded slowly at the name.

“…I’ve heard of her. No other freshman this year is richer than her.”

Though, despite her fame, the freshman representative spot had gone to someone else.

Lee Jiyoon, was it?

Both had perfect practical scores, but Jiyoon had crushed her in written exams.

But Seoyeon didn’t bother adding that. She just rubbed her stiff shoulders.

Can Yozora even complete this mission properly?

What if I get exposed because of her and end up in trouble?

As these worries swirled in her mind—

“…….”

Another question popped up.

“She’s the only one who joined, right? This year.”

“Yeah. Just Yozora. Why?”

“…No reason. Just checking. I’ll hang up now.”

“Take care of our Yozor—”

Weird.

Then who was that brown-haired girl laughing and chatting with Yozora before the entrance ceremony even started?

A friend she made before school?

…Someone she met while drinking?

Who is she?

…I get that you’re excited about starting school,

But could you shut up already?

“She’s 20? I looked her up—she’s there.”

“If she fakes sick, will she know?”

“Probably? Maybe?”

“Teacher, my heart hurts because of you… What if I say that?”

“She’s the health officer, not a teacher.”

“What’s the difference?”

“…Dunno?”

“Anyway, if I get even slightly hurt, I’m going straight to—”

It wasn’t the chatter about Seo Woojin that bothered her.

She’d expected this level of reaction the moment whispers started during the entrance ceremony.

The person Lee Jiyoon, face planted on her desk, desperately wanted to shut up was someone else.

Right in front of Jiyoon’s cozy corner seat by the window—

“Sorry… Koreanmaru, I’m still not used to it.”

Two people loud enough to be heard through earbuds.

Two people whose uniform buttons screamed for mercy.

They were the problem.