Translator: Wan ED/PR: Solarin
62. Way back home (2)
The moment I saw my classmate and the head of the Ho tribe standing on British land.
At first, I was surprised and confused, but soon doubts and a sense of incongruity surged up.
‘Why…?’
Why did Hwang Jiho came here?
Was that private plane engraved with the Hwang Myeong Group logo Hwang Jiho’s private plane?
How did he prepare the private plane, which he didn’t take out even during the Newspaper Club coverage trip?
Why on earth was he wearing the Eungwang School uniform?
But the school uniform wasn’t as big of a problem as Hwang Jiho being here itself.
‘If you leave the Korean Peninsula, your abilities will be limited…!’
Hwang Jiho stood alone, without even one Ho tribe member accompanying.
At the exclusive private plane terminal there were only our group, Hwang Jiho and the airport staff.
The moment I realized that fact, I almost unknowingly screamed, but I shut my mouth before that.
As Hwang Jiho must have come because he was worried about me, I couldn’t make such a hateful sound.
“… Hi.”
I briefly chose my words and finally gave a short greeting.
At my awkward greeting, Hwang Jiho replied with a face and attitude that was not at all different from how he usually greeted me in a class 0’s classroom in the morning.
“You’re greeting me? It looks like you aren’t hurt anywhere, but you seem tired, eh?”
Hwang Jiho examined me, and then he spoke up to Seong Gukeon and Jeon Mu-yeong, greeting them.
“Thank You for informing me of the location. I was able to come on time thanks to that.”
Hwang Jiho used a polite tone!
Typically, I have also seen him using polite tone towards teacher and seniors, but even after seeing it a few times, it was a subtle sight.
“I couldn’t refuse, as the request came via painter Hong Gyeongbok-nim. And you’re also a class 0’s junior.”
Seong Gukeon was making a face of a good-hearted senior, but it was a bit different from how he talked with me.
If I had to compare and express it, he was making a face suiting a politician.
‘He would know that Hwang Jiho is connected to Hwang Myeong Group.’
As Seong Gukeon and Jeon Mu-yeong investigated me and the 1st year class 0, they would know very well that Hwang Jiho is a fake identity.
Even if Seong Gukeon didn’t recognize Hwang Jiho as an alter-ego, there was a high chance he suspected him of being a Jin or a descendant.
As if my thoughts were right, I heard Seong Gukeon’s voice add:
“… You really resemble Eungwang School chairman, eh?”
Rather than resembling, he was the same being as the Eungwang School’s chairman.
Even if Hwang Myeong-ho and Hwang Jiho didn’t exist at the same time as the main-ego and alter-ego, Seong Gukeon might have guessed that the two were the same Jin.
As it was rumored that Hwang Myeong Group’s real power were Jin people, there was a high chance that Seong Gukeon was able to figure out this much with his information network as a politician.
Moreover, 15 years ago, during his days as a Student Council’s president, Seong Gukeon personally met with Hwang Jiho in the appearance of Hwang Myeong-ho, on a one-to-one conversation.
Soeng Gukeon had enough materials gathered to figure out Hwang Jiho’s true identity.
I was worried for a moment what I should do if Seong Gukeon takes a hostile attitude, but unexpectedly he showed a gentle attitude.
“I heard that painter-nim recently became indebted to the Hwang Myeong Group. Do you know about it?”
Painter Hong Gyeongbok became indebted to Hwang Myeong Group?
I thought for a moment, and found a plausible answer.
There was a matter that Hwang Jiho recently activity got involved in, which was connected to painter Hong Gyeongbok.
‘Hwang Jiho personally stepped forward and cut off the hand of painter Hong Gyeongbok’s old excommunicated disciple.’
Painter Hong Gyeongbok might have been aware that Hwang Myeong Group was connected to that case.
Perhaps even that case was related to the Ho tribe.
Hwang Jiho faced Song Gukeon with an attitude that was nothing but mannered.
Finishing a short conversation, Seong Gukeon looked at me and smirked.
“Uisin-ah, I’ll contact you later. It will be better to yield the first turn to your friend.”
While he said that, Seong Gukeon’s face was full of playfulness.
What kind of turn was he talking about?
It looked like Seong Gukeon was thinking of sending me off on Hwang Jiho’s private plane.
I reflexively started to walk towards the Red Lion’s private plane.
“Ah, I still have things to talk about with senior Seong Gukeon, so…”
“Let’s go.”
My attempt was instantly foiled.
I was given a chance to say goodbye to Seong Gukeon and Jeon Mu-yeong, but the moment we finished speaking, they started to walk away.
Hwang Jiho grasped my wrist, and though he seemed to grab it lightly, I couldn’t shake it off.
Even though I knew I didn’t have the strength, I reflexively tried to resist, but I only acutely felt a gap in strength.
I keenly felt what Han Yi felt when she was mad after facing against Hwang Jiho.
It wasn’t just a gap in arm strength that I felt.
I had a feeling that the gap in height was a bit bigger than when I last saw him.
‘… It feels like Hwang Jiho grew taller. Did he increase it on purpose?’
I didn’t notice it when I saw him every day, but perhaps because I didn’t see him for a few days, I felt a change in his physique.
After I came to this world, and as more than half of a year passed, I grew a little taller.
But Hwang Jiho seemed to grow even taller.
Jin people could adjust the age of their outer appearance, so it seemed he made his body grow little by little.
But considering the physique of Hwang Jiho in his 30s and Hwang Myeong-ho, he would grow even taller than that.
After Hwang Jiho let go of his hand, as we boarded the Hwang Myeong Group private plane and the door closed.
Swish.
When the door completely closed, Hwang Jiho asked with a stern voice.
“You’re hard to contact, eh? Should I praise you for telling me your destination?”
“….”
“I guessed what you were thinking. You probably shut your mouth because you thought I would stop you or go with you.”
It appeared that Hwang Jiho accurately guessed my inner thoughts.
It was just after Cadmus’ case happened, but I couldn’t change the schedule.
On the other side, Hwang Jiho regarded me as a Ho tribe’s benefactor with the case of rescuing the Ho tribe’s descendants and the matter connected to Eun-ho.
I thought Hwang Jiho might follow me like he did now, dragging the private plane to the United Kingdom.
So it was difficult to talk about it beforehand.
“I don’t think it was a mistake to tell you my weakness. Even so, I’m regretting it.”
Hwang Jiho offered me a seat.
After I sat down, Hwang Jiho sat down opposite of me, and spoke.
Hwang Jiho’s voice was somewhat softer than at first.
“Tell me such plans early in the future. I’ll seek a way that takes your will and safety of everyone into consideration.”
When he said such a thing after coming all the way here, it was difficult to refuse.
“… Got it.”
“Okay. If you got it, don’t make Cheongryong run such errands in the future.”
While saying that, Hwang Jiho handed me a box.
Inside a golden box engraved with an Eungwang School emblem, was an earring type device.
It was my device, which I left to Cheongryong to evade Hwang Jiho, who would be tracking my device location.
“Was that private plane usually prepared? It would be difficult to take it out right away.”
“It was solved with money and manpower. I must not be neglectful when coming to attend to the benefactor, right?”
I don’t know what kind of process it went through, it was clear that the Hwang Myeong Foundation’s employees were being overworked.
After we safely took off, and the notification rang that it was okay to unfasten the safety belts.
‘It would be good to talk about the things that happened in Britain.’
Thanks to the flashy notice letter of the Phantom Thief Neon, Hwang Jiho would figure out what I came here for.
If it was Hwang Jiho, he would also figure out things about the Fomori Demons’ auction, and that Seong Gukeon was searching for the ‘Imoogi’s Rise To Heaven’.
Even though I wouldn’t tell him about all the things that happened there, I had to tell Hwang Jiho some information.
‘We have to talk about the sudden otherworldization and being dragged into a Garden.’
At the time when PMH’s Ju Su-hyeok’s party became 3rd years.
With the sudden otherworldization phenomena, Sawol Seeum was retired in Nabiryeong’s Garden.
As it was an ability that I still didn’t properly understand, there was a need to recognize it beforehand and learn a method to destroy it.
“Speaking of the reason I came to Britain…”
“Jo Uisin.”
Hwang Jiho raised his hand and waited for me to stop speaking, before he called out my name.
“It appears that you have no plans of resting, eh? I won’t have complicated conversations right now. I’ll only hear you out if it’s an urgent situation with no time to lose.”
Hwang Jiho said firmly.
After some worrying, I decided to shut my mouth.
It wasn’t an issue we would found answer to even if we discuss it right now, so I felt like it would be better to convey it later, after I organize things in my head a bit more.
“It’s late, but I’ll guide you around. Have you eaten?”
A few hours have passed since my last meal.
As I was late to reply, Hwang Jiho made a conclusion on his own.
“I guess not yet, eh? We will go to the cafeteria first.”
Hwang Jiho took the lead and started to guide me inside the private plane.
When I saw it at the terminal, I had an impression that the plane body is bigger than Red Lion’s private plane, but as I entered inside, it was even wider.
Perhaps thinking of heading to the cafeteria right away, he only let me skim over the major facilities and we got going, but even at a glance, the quality of the interior, small furniture and equipment was outstanding.
So much so, I felt a bit sorry that this plane was left neglected in the hangar for a long time.
‘Red Lion’s private plane was going to be used to go see Yeom Junyeol, when he studied overseas for a moment.’
Once it won’t be necessary to worry about the Dark Mastermind, won’t this plane be used more often?
‘Decorations with tiger motif are everywhere.’
The curtains, lamps, frames,etc on the private plane all had tiger associations.
Majority of the small furniture were in the color of Hwang Jiho’s superpower wave, golden, but colors of Jeok-ho, Cheong-ho, Baek-ho and Eun-ho were also harmoniously mixed in.
He could’ve simply arranged it like this because he missed his close friends.
However, wasn’t it out of the desire to go on a trip with his close friends, who would return?
As I finished that thought, I recalled Baek Ho-gun, who in the myth wished to ‘be able to go everywhere’, but now became a prisoner of the divine realm and was tied to the Eungwang District.
Other tigers also weren’t in a position to go on a trip yet.
‘I hope the tigers will go on a trip someday.’
Eun-ho’s descendants and Snare would also like it a lot.
While I was having such thoughts, we’ve arrived in front of the transparent automatic glass door.
Looking at the pictogram that appeared at the hologram besides it, it seemed to be a cafeteria.
“Jo Uisin, go in first.”
When Hwang Jiho who kept leading the way before, said it, I became somewhat uneasy.
“Why?”
“I’ll open the door.”
I asked for a reason, but Hwang Jiho didn’t reply and raised his hand to a touch panel.
I didn’t see anything in front of me after the door opened.
‘The lights are turned off.’
Usually, when the door opened from the outside, the lights would automatically turn on.
Sometimes the old type of infrared sensors had to perceive people entering inside, but would such a high-class plane have such things?
When I entered the threshold in doubts.
I sensed a presence.
The moment I had a ‘Isn’t there only automatic maids?’ thought.
Bang! Puuff!
Lights and fireworks blocked my vision together with the sound of explosions.
At the same time, electric lights turned on.
Reacting to the presence, I lowered the hand I covered my face with, and heard familiar voices.
“Uisin-ah, congratulations on your birthday!”
“Happy birthday!”
“Hey, congrats.”
What I heard were the voices of our class children.
When I blinked and looked around, I saw children holding firecrackers and smiling.
On the table was a cake with candles in the shape of chess pieces, and congratulations cards made out of colorful paper were plastered on the walls.
“Uisin seems shocked?”
“I guess Jiho didn’t spoil it this time!” [1]
“Hahahaha! I didn’t spoil last time too.”
“But you have tried, right?”
Hwang Jiho, Kim Yuri, Han Yi, Kwon Lena, Maeng Hyodon, Sawol Seeum, Min Geurin, Song Daeseok, Mok Uram and even Dokgo Miro.
Our class children came to celebrate my birthday.
*~*~*
[1] “I guess Jiho didn’t spoil it this time!” — Sawol Seeum’s sentence.
[?] Possible hanja interpretations of the title related to the content of this chapter — 귀 (kwi) can also mean ‘to follow’ or ‘wealth’, so you could interpret this chapter title as ‘the way of things that follow’ or the ‘the way of wealth’.
Translator’s note: Happy birthday, Jo Uisin, you idiot (affectionate).
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