Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
50. Set piece (8)
In front of Silver Light (Eunhwi) Building.
After Jeok-ho and Heuk-ma exchanged the device codes, they lastly said goodbyes.
“I left the air shuttle waiting for You. As there may be ‘Eyes’ in front of the main gates, I’ll send You off here.”
“Okay, on the surface I pretended that my visit was to deliver Hyodon a thank-you gift. If I’m sent off by the head’s closest aide from the main gates, it would look strange.”
But while she was delivering the thank-you gift, it seemed that Heuk-ma enjoyed watching Maeng Hyodon embarrassed by the enormous value of the gifts.
Even while Jeok-ho was politely sending Heuk-ma off, he judged coldly.
“Think a bit about forming a limited alliance with us. It seems You’re[1] thinking of it positively, so please persuade Hwang-ho.”
“The final decision is Hwang-ho’s.”
“The Ho tribe members’ relationship is good. Even though Hwang-ho makes the final decision, there is no way he will ignore Your opinion.”
“You must know about the sin I committed against the Ho tribe in the past.”
“Regardless of what you have done, I think the fact You’re by Hwang-ho’s side just like before proves Your influence.”
Instead of getting into the designated air shuttle, Heuk-ma looked at Jeok-ho, while saying:
“Speaking from the head’s standpoint, no matter what circumstances, I would kill a Jin, who committed such a thing, as an example.”
Jeok-ho agreed with those words.
His close friends showed him extreme mercy.
Of course, Jeok-ho considered washing away his sin with death.
But before he made that choice, he ended up making a contract with Hwang-ho and Jeok-ho was tied to the rack.
Because he had no plans of explaining all those circumstances, Jeok-ho calmly changed the topic.
“… When that happened, Hwang-ho wasn’t the head.”
“Isn’t Hwang-ho the head now? If something happens, contact me. I’ll even let You consult me if I’m not busy.”
Heuk-ma left such words and got into the air shuttle.
Jeok-ho fell into thoughts while heading towards the chairman office.
First to come to his mind, before the conversation with Heuk-ma or the influence of the Demons’ Eyes, was Hwang-ho.
‘Why was Hwang-ho like his? He had a similar atmosphere to when hearing that Cheong-ho and Sinin reincarnated as humans.’
Around the time when Hwang-ho and Heuk-ma finished their conversation, Hwang-ho’s words dramatically decreased.
Hwang-ho had no problems when he was informed that the priest of Avaritia lost their sight, and even after that he continued the conversation with Heuk-ma, there was no topic worthy paying attention to.
Before he opened the door to the chairman’s office, Hwang-ho’s secretary politely spoke:
“Jeokho-nim, Hwangho-nim left.”
“Where did he go?” [2]
“He said He would be returning home a bit earlier.”
Jeok-ho made a dubious face.
It was a short moment, not even a few minutes, when he went to send off Heuk-ma and conversed for a while.
Jeok-ho, who expected they would naturally discuss countermeasures against the ‘Eyes’ from the before, worried and headed to Hwang Myeong-ho’s great mansion.
‘Are you planning to talk in the mansion instead of the Silver Light (Eunhwi) Building?’
Eun-ho’s descendants mentioned Hwang-ho’s whereabouts.
“Hwangho-nim headed to the 5th floor!”
“The young Hwangho-nim, even younger Hwangho-nim, the old Hwangho-nim… anyhow, many of Them went.”
“It seems He erased His alter-egos for a moment and is resting.”
It seemed that Hwang-ho summoned all his alter-egos that could take a break at the current moment.
Summoning alter-egos was unexpected.
And the word ‘5th floor’ bothered him even more.
“You said 5th floor?”
“Yes!”
When inviting his old close friends to the mansion, Hwang-ho permitted them to freely walk anywhere, but it was restricted to the area excluding the 5th floor.
Usually, even if taking a break, Hwang-ho would place the weakest alter-ego on the 1st floor, so it was strange that all alter-egos were on the 5th floor.
‘Why is Hwang-ho, who has even morning tea on the 1st floor, like this?’
The fact he shut himself in on the 5th floor, which no one was permitted to enter, meant to leave him alone.
Very anxiously, Jeok-ho looked between the stairs and the elevator installed in the mansion, and then spoke to Baek-ho, who just returned from a walk with the Divine Beast.
Jeok-ho, who briefly conveyed the fact that Hwang-ho shut himself in on the 5th floor, asked:
“Baek-ho, didn’t you hear anything from Hwang-ho?”
“…”
Baek-ho didn’t reply.
Instead, his gaze turned to the living room’s corner.
‘Why are you suddenly turning your gaze?’
The place Baek-ho’s gaze headed was the thank-you gifts Eun-ho’s descendants made with their clumsy skills and the tiger souvenirs Hwang-ho made on the Ju-Oh Island.
Above the souvenirs was a holographic calendar and a schedule marking when each of them wasn’t in the mansion.
‘What is Baek-ho looking at? He probably isn’t suddenly looking at the thank-you gifts and souvenirs… are you checking the calendar and the schedule?’
At some point Baek-ho turned his gaze to Jeok-ho again and replied:
“Hwang-ho didn’t say anything to me.”
Baek-ho sat down on the living room sofa and seemed to also offer Jeok-ho a seat.
Jeok-ho hesitated and then sat down.
After Jeok-ho sat down, Eun-ho descendants quickly sat down around Jeok-ho.
As Jeok-ho was absent from the mansion more often than Baek-ho, it seemed that they had stories piled up to tell.
While Eun-ho’s descendants were worrying if they should order the automatic maid to make snacks, or to make them themselves, Baek-ho said a word to Jeok-ho.
“I think it would be better to leave Hwang-ho alone right now.”
Looking at that, Jeok-ho had a vague doubt ‘Doesn’t Baek-ho know something?’.
‘No, Baek-ho was in the Silver Shadow (Eunyeong) Building a moment ago, so… he would know even less than me, probably.’
While drinking a drink which he didn’t know if it was tea or vinegar[3] water, said to be an attempt by Eun-ho’s descendants, he erased his doubts.
* * *
Next day.
Even today, the entire school was talking about the exchange with Military School.
During yesterday’s American football match, the Military School, which was almost certain to lose, succeeded in two Hail Mary passes and dragged the match out until the sudden death overtime.
At the end of the fierce match spanning 30 minutes, the Military School’s quarterback personally took the ball and crossed the field to the touchdown and making a great reversal. It became a hot topic.
The Military School’s quarterback was chosen as an MVP, and even though the Eungwang School lost, everyone was talking about that quarterback.
Our class was the same.
“Because they succeeded in completing the long passes two times, I was naturally expecting them to attack through the pass even in the last stage.”
“You think they would run 30 yards in a situation where the game ends if they lose the ball? Isn’t that crazy?”
Maeng Hyodon and Song Daeseok, who went to see an American football match, under the reason it was the most violent body fight among the games, were chatting happily.
To us listening, it seemed like they were talking about the same exact story of Eungwang School’s defeat, but each time they spoke, it seemed new.
Today’s afternoon, another American football match was planned, and Maeng Hyodon didn’t understand the rules just like before, but Song Daeseok and Min Geurin at his side were diligently giving an explanation and Maeng Hyodon was also doing his best.
Looking at his full of anticipation appearance, it seemed like he completely forgot about the gift Heuk-ma gave him.
‘I guess he is more concerned with the matches held today rather than a gift given by the head of the highly reputable Jin tribe, huh?’
Besides the three, who were going to see the American football match, the children, who planned to see soccer and basketball matches, also looked very excited.
Kim Yuri, Han Yi and Sawol Seeum, who were going to see soccer, planned to prepare snacks to share, but finally they decided to go by together, one each, and were checking the stores reservations and routes.
I planned to see all basketball matches Yu Sang-hun was participating in, and besides me, in the group going to see basketball was Kwon Lena and Mok Uram.
Besides me and the two, there was one more person, who planned to go to see the basketball match, but he still didn’t come to school.
‘Why aren’t you coming?’
Even after the start-of-day meeting started, Hwang Jiho’s seat was empty.
“Hwang Jiho contacted us today and said he would be absent for personal reasons.”
Teacher Ham Geunhyeong-nim, who came to carry out the start-of-day meeting, hammered a nail down with the words that Hwang Jiho would be absent.
I thought he was just late, but it seemed that Hwang Jiho planned to be absent.
Kim Yuri asked as a class president.
“Is Jiho absent because he is sick?”
“He submitted a report of absence, but didn’t submit a diagnosis or prescription. He only wrote ‘personal reasons’ in the cause.”
If he roughly wrote down such a cause, it wouldn’t be treated as an absence without leave or absence without attendance?
The attendance didn’t have a crazy influence in the Eungwang School, but there existed a full attendance reward.
Acknowledged absence was treated as attendance, and the number of students who diligently wrote their reports of absence so they could receive an attendance reward wasn’t small.
It seemed certain that Hwang Jiho wasn’t interested in the attendance reward.
“It doesn’t seem like Jiho is sick, so did something happen…?” [4]
“Isn’t he just playing somewhere? But it’s a bit strange to go without a word.”
“Is it His first time when He is absent?” [5]
“There was a time when Jiho suddenly ran out before classes during the April Fool’s Day, but he came out during the start-of-day meeting.”
Among the class children, there were some occasional worried voices mixed in.
But did Hwang Jiho that bastard run out of the classroom laughing after tracking my location on the April Fool’s Day?
“That lunatic fucker also has his circumstances… He is from the Hwang Myeong Group’s house, remember? Isn’t that a house matter?”
“Um… If he doesn’t come tomorrow, I’ll ask!”
On the other side, Song Daeseok and Kim Yuri tried to change the topic.
My smart Playable Characters might have guessed Hwang Jiho’s identity.
‘It wouldn’t be particularly good if I called, right?’
I worried if I should ask how was he doing, but decided not to.
Looking how he submitted the report of absence that he would just not come to school, it didn’t seem like he cut off communication with the outside, so if I called, he probably would pick up.
However, if I sent him a message right now, he would think I’m urging him to answer to Pungbaek, Usa and Unsa’s case and the countermeasures against them.
As I usually always contacted him for work, if I contacted him right now, there was a high chance it was because of work.
‘Should I go visit him directly…?’
In the meantime, as the morning general classes ended and the lunchtime passed, the time for the first basketball match team-up between the Military School and Eungwang School grew closer.
I was worried, but I decided to go see the basketball.
I promised Yu Sang-hun that I would go see the basketball match and I couldn’t leave Kwon Lena, who was mentally unstable recently, and Mok Uram, who was just openly unstable, alone.
After we arrived at the gym where the basketball match was being held, Kwon Lena suggested eating fishcake bars[6], but we had to stop Mok Uram from trying to buy fishcake bars using all the little money he earned through the part time work.
“Uram-ah… One fishcake bar is enough…’
“However there are several kinds of flavors! Lena-nim, aren’t You interested in all those flavors?”
“There is a fishcake store around the school, so I tried almost all of them. The one with cheese is delicious, but…”
As result, Mok Uram got two fishcake bars, and I and Kwon Lena got one fishcake bar each.
Around 30 minutes before the match.
As we grabbed our seats, I saw Yu Sang-hun, wearing jersey over a uniform, warming up.
The gym was almost full, but I saw Yu Sang-hun found my location as soon as I grabbed my seat and waved his hand.
Yu Sang-hun finished the hand greeting and joined the team straight away, and as Yu Sang-hun, who was a bit shorter than me, mixed among the basketball team representatives, his short height particularly stood out.
Judging from how he didn’t match the body build criteria to be selected as a representative, it seemed like Yu Sang-hun’s abilities were really outstanding.
I strongly waved my hand to Yu Sang-hun with the meaning of support.
“Is that Person Your friend?”
“Ye, we were in the same practical exam group.”
“There is even a 1st year Person among the representative athletes, eh?”
“I’ll show you him on the Eungwang School Basketball representative team introduction list.”
I pointed out the row ‘SG Yu Sang-hun (1st year)’, while I briefly introduced Yu Sang-hun.
Everyone was surprised that Yu Sang-hun was the only 1st year that got into the Eungwang School basketball representative team, and also that Yu Sang-hun was a starting member.
When I explained to Mok Uram and Kwon Lena Yu Sang-hun’s shooting position, Mok Uram pointed to the other side of the field, and said:
“It seems that a Person from Military School is greeting vice president.”
“Uisin, do you know that kid?”
In the direction Mok Uram and Kwon Lena pointed, I saw Tao Sihu.
*~*~*
[1] You — Heuk-ma uses a casual tone, but addresses Jeok-ho politely. That makes me think she might also be addressing Hwang-ho with a polite ‘You’, but as I had no occasion to see it, I cannot be sure.
[2] “Where did he go?” — Jeok-ho didn’t use a polite tone here!
[3] vinegar — 식초 (sikcho). The only Korean story that I could find that seemed to be related to the situation here is an unofficial story of King Yeongjo and commoner Yu Se-gyo, who was accused of making an alcohol under prohibition. Yu Se-gyo insisted what he made was not alcohol, but vinegar, so King Yeongjo made his ministers drink it and give their verdict. The Left State ministers didn’t understand Yeongjo’s thinking and said it was alcohol, but the Right State ministers understood his thinking and said it was vinegar. King Yeongjo concluded it was vinegar and released Yu Se-gyo. The other version of this story had people in succession prove to King Yeongjo it’s an alcohol, until the king tasted it himself and concluded it was vinegar to spare Yu Se-gyo. It’s considered a story representing Yeongjo as a merciful king for the powerless.
[4] “It doesn’t seem like Jiho is sick, so did something happen…?” — Sawol Seeum’s sentence.
[5] “Is it His first time when He is absent?” — Mok Uram’s sentence.
[6] fishcake bar — 핫바 (hatba/ hot bar)
Translator’s note: Everyone is so worried, because one lunatic didn’t come to school ㅠㅠ
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