Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
11. Qingming – the sky gradually clears (1)
[1]
The day after April Fool’s Day.
The way to school was full of conversations about the prank incidents on April Fool’s Day.
“The culprit behind the clock tower wasn’t caught?”
“Do you know the 1st year from the Newspaper Club, Mun Saeron? To gather information that kid hid around the main gate for the entire night, but she couldn’t catch them.”
“I saw the video published on the bulletin board. It just returned to normal in an instant.”
“I didn’t know. What, that’s crazy.”
The main gate’s clock tower turned into a neon sign tower.
The clock tower turned to its original form in the span of a few seconds, swiftly like a ghost. The culprit behind the clock tower wasn’t caught in the recording.
‘… I’m curious what superpower was used on the clock tower.’
Besides this, several other incidents had become hot topics.
The silhouette of a dinosaur which appeared on the other side of the Clear Blue Lake.
The case of the raid on the dormitory by the fake ghost species Enemy gasses.
The case of the up-right enormous walking plant walking out of the research zone’s greenhouse no. 6 and moving to the Heavenly Wings Mountain.
In the 3rd year zone, every building’s 13th floor turned into a maze.
In the central zone, the public garden disappeared for an hour.
Many similar incidents became hot topics.
“Even so, no one matches the 2nd year class 0 madness.”
“The Broadcasting Club had great success, but not with the 2nd year class 0.”
The biggest case was the 2nd year class 0 and the Broadcasting Club head on confrontation.
‘It was only described in the game, so I wanted to go watch it.’
A cause of that confrontation was that on the previous year’s April Fool’s day, current 2nd year class 0, then the 1st year class 0, sneaked into the Broadcasting Club and switched the morning class bell to the sound of a waterphone.
‘It’s a percussion instrument used when making sound effects in horror movies… It costs about 3 million won, but to buy it just for a prank which will last 1 minute.’
The 1 minute waterphone performance was sent out as a class bell and the Broadcasting Club was cursed enough to live a long life.
As an apology, the previous 1st year class 0 sent 20 sets of spring limited cherry blossom and Korean blackberry dacquoises.
However, half of that content was very good for the body, though deadly for the tongue, a Chinese herb medicine dacquoises.
The Broadcasting Club was forced to play a hit-or-miss game with the herbal medicine tasting… no, with poison tasting dacquoises.
After being properly stabbed in the back, the Broadcasting Club resolved to take revenge.
‘The result was this…’
On this year’s April Fool’s Day, the 2nd year class 0 suffered large-scale class bell terrorism.
The sound of glass breaking, crying babies, low-frequency buzz, construction site sounds, Byungki Hwang’s ‘The Labyrinth’, Passenger of Shit’s ‘This is Terror’.
The feast of unskippable sound sources, famous as floor-noise revenges, continued throughout April Fool’s Day.
In response to this, the 2nd year class 0 after the class dismissal occupied the Broadcasting Club’s room and staged a sit-in war.
And that confrontation was said to be so good it was broadcasted live by war reporters.
‘Teacher Jegal Jaegeol-nim must have been busy.’
Among the generations of the class 0, the current 2nd year class 0 was pointed out as the strongest and the worst mischief children.
I guess they were busy playing other pranks before the classes ended, seeing as they attacked the Broadcasting Club to live up to their reputation after the class dismissal.
The hardships of the 2nd year class 0 homeroom teacher, Jegal Jaegeol, were clearly visible.
‘Our class is really quiet.’
The 1st year class 0 was ranked as the quietest among the class 0 generations.
Because they don’t come to school at all.
Even so, today the 1st year class 0 set the highest attendance rate after the start of school.
“Our class has seven people now. It almost doubled within days!”
Kim Yuri looked around the seven 1st year class 0 students who came to school with a thrilled face as she spoke.
There were four men. Me, Hwang Jiho, Maeng Hyodon and Sawol Seeum.
And three women. Kim Yuri, Han Yi and Lee Lena.
Like this, there were seven people.
‘It’s seven out of sixteen people now… what are the other nine doing now?’
Do they eat regularly?
I was curious whether the nine guys, who didn’t show a hint of their faces through a month even once, were eating regular meals.
Even as a vice class president, I had no authority to read the attendance book, so I couldn’t know all nine people.
But I knew a few characters that showed up as the 1st year class 0 in the game.
“I’m Sawol Seeum. Nice to meet you. You’re that person I saw yesterday! Sorry I left it to you yesterday and went. Thank you very much. Ui…Uisin.”[2]
After finishing greeting Hwang Jiho, who came earlier than me, Sawol Seeum introduced himself to me.
Before finishing his words, he sneak peeked at my name tag and called out my name,
It looked like the informal speech was still awkward.
He will probably get accustomed if he spends time with the same years in the same class.
“Okay. Nice to meet you. I’m vice class president Jo Uisin. Did you say you’re going to live in the dormitory? Me and Maeng Hyodon are also at the dormitory, so if you don’t know something, ask us.”
“Ye…. Okay!”
He smiled brightly as he spoke.
Kim Yuri and Lee Lena who saw Sawol Seeum, said:
“Seeum’s surname is unique. This is my first time hearing the surname Sawol.”
“After the Clash of Different Worlds, many new surnames and ancestor houses appeared. I saw the statistics published by the law court and there were so many marvelous surnames!”
“Ah, and looking now, Han Yi’s name is marvelous. The surname is Han and the name is Yi. If you pronounce it quickly, it becomes ‘Hani’, I think it’s cute.”[3]
“Uh…. Thank you, Kim Yuri.”
As if the three became close, Kim Yuri, Lee Lena and Han Yi naturally chatted with each other.
At some point, the conversation topic turned into complimenting each other’s names.
“On what floor are you? The vice president and I are on the 17th floor.”
“On the same one. I didn’t see you there!”
“When the time is right, let’s eat at the dormitory together.”
“Yeah, Hyodon! Yesterday I ate my first meal at the dormitory and the cafeteria facilities are nice and all the tableware is pretty and…”
It seemed Maeng Hyodon was considerate and started to talk with Sawol Seeum, who couldn’t go to school before, so he wasn’t anxious.
Because Maeng Hyodon, who walked in clouds during his middle school, would know very well how anxious one can be when they are not accustomed to the classroom.
Sawol Seeum chirped like a bird and Maeng Hyodon lent an ear to him and agreed with enthusiasm.
‘Our class became a bit more like an ordinary class.’
Even so, there was one guy who didn’t fit in this place today.
“Hwang Jiho.”
“… You came, Jo Uisin.”
Hwang Jiho, as usual, had an expression from which I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but he seemed to lack energy.
Looks like the matter of Eun-ho’s descendants complicated his head.
‘I have a lot to ask.’
How is the interrogation of the captured Ung tribe’s members going?
What happened to the To tribe, which was protecting Eun-ho’s descendants.
How are the three protected descendants?
‘I don’t want to ask Hwang Jiho, who looks like he doesn’t have any power.’
I sat at Hwang Jiho’s side and spoke:
“Hey, let’s make sure to do this next year.”
“What?”
I guess Hwang Jiho forgot in the meantime.
“April Fool’s Day’s prank. I agreed to make a joke with you in exchange for help.”
At that time, Hwang Jiho was very helpful as per trade.
But because of the unexpected matters, playing April Fool’s joke together was canceled.
For a very short moment, he blinked his eyes with a stupefied expression, and then he started to laugh loudly.
“Hahaha… Okay, let’s turn the school upside down next year!”
This is your school.
How are you thinking about turning it upside down?
I had no idea what would happen to the school next year under the chairman’s jokes.
Hwang Jiho started to plan what jokes to play sooner than I expected.
Then the subject changed to club activities.
“Did you check the message from the Newspaper Club?”
“Which one?”
“I guess you didn’t check morning messages? There are a few fresh Eungwang School’s ghost stories.”
Eungwang School’s ghost stories?
“A suspicious red lightning striking the dormitory and the two guys who were found in the morning, possessed by the old school’s ghost. It’s not a big rumor, but students who like ghost stories chat about it on the Eungwang School’s community.”
Hwang Jiho looked at me with an expression as if he wanted to say ‘It’s all your doing, right?’.
The latter was probably my doing.
But the other one was your Ho tribe’s doing.
“This time the club president plans to let freshmen investigate the Eungwang School’s ghost stories. You finished writing the Bread Shuttle Match article, Jo Uisin. You’re first to work hard.”
Meanwhile Hwang Jiho’s energy returned and his eyes twinkled.
Looks like his spirit has also returned.
‘Seems I’ll be busy in the future.’
Today’s class bell was ‘I Got Rhythm’ composed by George Gershwin.
As the collaboration between the Jazz Small Group, Piano Club and String Club, it was arranged a bit faster than the original.
One minute passed in an instant as I leaned my ear for the cheerful sound of the main vibraphone.
***
Saturday, chairman Hwang Myeong-ho’s mansion.
There were three Ho tribe members, one descendant and one divine beast here.
The divine beast forgot about its past dignity and was showing its charms in Baek-ho’s arms. Jeok-ho and his descendant were staring at Hwang-ho with downcast expressions.
“Jeok-ho, how is the interrogation of the captured Ung tribe members going?”
“My apologies, Hwang-ho. My descendant has talent in those matters, but he cannot use his powers against the Ung tribe.”
“Hwangho-nim, I’m testing several ways. I’ll certainly bring you results.”
“Okay.”
As Hwang-ho didn’t expect anything in the first place, he didn’t show any signs of disappointment.
“That damn moon rabbit… the To tribe’s story is finished.”
Hwang-ho looked at the two Ho tribe members and one descendant in the living room as he spoke:
“At quickest, the next weekend, and at the latest, the weekend after that. The 12 Zodiac Alliance’s meeting will be held. Don’t miss it and participate. Leave your weekends free. Baek-ho, Jeok-ho, Kim Sinrok.”
Hwang-ho added one more thing.
“And don’t forget to call Jo Uisin.”
***
This Saturday, it was the weekend I had an appointment with Yu Sang-hun.
We met at lunch in one of the snack bars around the school and ate a pot of tteokbokki with additional ramen noodles, cheese, rice cakes and eggs. In addition to that, we stuffed ourselves with kimchi fried-rice there without moderation.
I accepted Yu Sang-hun’s suggestion to play basketball to help digestion and we came to the playground in the 1st year zone.
‘There are a lot of people even on Saturday. The dormitory students usually play in the Wings Hall, so are those guys people who live nearby?’
Every playground in each zone has a simulator installed, which when activated lets you select a stadium from the item list and then builds it for you.
The mainly played were: soccer, basketball, catch, badminton and tennis.
As expected from the Players of the prestigious Eungwang School, they lightly used the high level skills of professional athletes.
The students exchanging balls and shuttlecocks like bullets while doing sombrero flicks, hocus pocus, slam dunks from the free throw line were all impressive.
I could acutely feel the mobile ability difference between Players and ordinary people.
“Jo Uisin, the setting up is done!”
Yu Sang-hun operated a simulator on one of the playgrounds as he spoke.
After the simulator let out a ‘Uuung’ sound, the floor changed to urethane while the court lines were drawn, and goalposts appeared.
“Let’s do 1 pole, half court. Basic score 1 point, 3 points outside of line and 2 points on the line. The first to get 21 points wins.”
“Okay.”
As it was 1 on 1, we decided to apply the 3X3 rule.
And after around 10 minutes.
Besides being a bit taller than Yu Sang-hun, I suffered a terrible defeat because I was no match to him in terms of experience and all.
The current Basketball Club is too strong.
It looked like an excuse, but he was strong.
“Ah, Yu Sang-hun. You have no mercy.”
I narrowly avoided a double score.
Catching my breath, I sat down at the simulator court’s bench.
“I looked after you.”
“What? What looking after?”
I got pissed so I tried to throw a basketball at him with a bit of force, but Yu Sang-hun giggled as he lightly caught it with one hand.
I couldn’t check it 1 on 1, but looking at this, it seemed that his ability to exchange passes was also amazing.
‘When he gets into a shooting posture, he just gets into it.’
It’s not a skill that can be obtained within days or two.
Did he play basketball in the past?
“Did you play basketball as a child?”
“… Yeah, no.”
You did or did you not?
‘I did but I didn’t sir’. Is it like this?
“My body was weak before I obtained superpowers, so I couldn’t go outside. After I obtained them, there were almost no kids with superpowers around, so I didn’t have anyone to play with. I played alone.”
Ah, it was like this?
He was short of a team to play with, so it would be difficult to play basketball.
“There are many guys to play basketball with at Eungwang School, so I like it.”
Yu Sang-hun spinned a basketball at the top of his finger, smiling brightly.
Then he also sat on the bench and started to talk about the Basketball Club.
The tedious morning training.
The basketball match between the 1st and 2nd years and 3rd years.
The pitiful narrow margin defeat of the 1st and 2nd years team.
The guidance of an extremely passionate Basketball Club’s advisor and professional basketball coaches.
Yu Sang-hun generously revealed behind-the-scenes stories of the Basketball Club.
‘Yu Sang-hun talks a lot!’
He talked far more than usual and his expression was brighter than ever.
“Hey, let’s do one more round.”
“I won’t look after you even this time.”
Yu Sang-hun said as he dribbled.
That damn guy.
I guess he wasn’t looking after me till now.
After a fierce battle, I lost to him again.
Though I managed to reduce the score gap somehow.
I played a few more rounds out of regrets, but they ended with my defeat.
We played basketball until late afternoon and then headed to the dormitory.
***
1st year dormitory building, floor 17, my room.
“It’s fucking big. It looks spacious even if two people use it, but you use it alone? Lucky.”
Yu Sang-hun admired it, while looking around the dormitory.
We roughly finished the dormitory room’s sightseeing and arranged the delivered food, which we went to receive at the main gates, in the living room.
Today’s food delivery menu was of the housewarming party’s standard and a chinese restaurant menu.
I ordered a middle sized set of sweet and sour pork, each with fried sauce, spicy seafood and fried rice.
It was an amount worthy of 4~5 people, but for two hungry teenagers, even this was too little.
Beside that we piled up bags of potato chips in onion, bacon, consomme, original and other flavors, to eat as snacks.
“Hey, let’s get under Jang Namuk’s skin.”
“Okay.”
We set the device camera in a place where the entire dormitory room was well visible and initiated the video call with Jang Namuk.
We waited for the call connection for 5, 6, 7 seconds.
“What? What is taking him so long?”
Jang Namuk was slower to answer than usual.
As much as he behaved sternly, he responded to the calls like lightning.
When the device finally connected…
“See this Jang Namuk? The Eugwang School’s dormitory is fucking bi…”
Yu Sang-hun saw the screen and shut his mouth.
However, an unknown guy appeared on the screen.
Who are you?
I didn’t know who it was, but that person was wearing Jang Namuk’s glasses right now.
“You, you’re too close to the screen. If you watch a hologram from too close, your sight will deteriorate, so keep a proper distance. Also your posture is bent. Straighten your waist and then stare at the hologram.”
It was a very awkward imitation of Jang Namuk.
Though the words and manner of speaking were exactly the same.
‘This guy is the top first of the Military Academy!’
Looking closely, he was the guy who took part in the interview with Jang Namuk in the past.
The military academy’s top first nagged us by imitating Jang Namuk for a while.
Me and Yu Sang-hun watched the first place guy’s impersonation of Jang Namuk with a stupefied expressions.
“Uum…. No laughs?”
The first place guy sulked after seeing our reactions.
What was it? This guy.
Even Yu Sang-hun beside me would have the same thoughts.
“Then I will tell you my secret joke. Look forward to it.”
I wasn’t looking forward to it, even a little.
“If you say Jang Namuk really quickly…”
I hated hearing that shit.
In the short moment I was worrying whether I should cut off the video call.
I was too late to stop it.
“Jang Namukun, Namukun (woodcutter[4]). Hahaha!”
Yu Sang-hun and I stared over the screen with stern, grave and serious expressions.
The military academy’s first guy who cackled alone for a while, saw the dead reaction on this side and made a sullen expression again.
After a long period of awkward silence passed, I heard Jang Namuk’s voice beyond the screen.
“Hey, Tao Sihu. Where is the guy who says he is joking when he uses his Gwangrim!”
This guy’s identity was the first place of the Player Military Academy Highschool, Tao Sihu.
It was the bastard who was a ‘special’ roommate of the second place, Jang Namuk.
Jang Namuk in tattered clothes here and there finally appeared on the screen and snatched his glasses from Tao Sihu.
‘… Jang Namuk also has a hard life, huh?’
For his information, the Eungwang School is overflowing with madmen who use skills and Gwangrims to play pranks.
I guess the first of the Military Highschool also belongs to them.
“I wanted to see and chat with your Eungwang School’s friends.”
Looking at this attitude, he seemed to pull gags on Jang Namuk even on ordinary days.
A stern and sincere Jang Namuk would be extremely fun to play with.
“You’re the Unknown Supernova, Jo Uisin, huh? And the kid holding a basketball beside you is Yu Sang-hun.”
I guess he heard stories from Jang Namuk.
“Yu Sang-hun, do you play basketball? Me too. Let’s do a school contest someday.”
“Yeah, let’s do that!”
Yu Sang-hun, who was making an apathetic face before, replied immediately.
The two of them talked about basketball for a while.
From their conversation, it looked like each of them will introduce their basketball club presidents and will meet sooner or later.
After the story of the friendly basketball match between the Eungwang School and Military Academy ended, the topic changed.
“Do you know Ju Su-hyeok? Is he doing well there?”
A completely unexpected name came out.
At Tao Sihu’s words, I had a sudden ominous premonition.
In the game, Ju Su-hyeok had a friend at the Military Academy.
It was a person who was assassinated without a mouse or a bird knowing about that secret for Ju Su-hyeok’s sake.
“Tao Sihu, don’t you have any relatives in the TC group?”
At my question his eyes flickered and then he spoke:
“Relatives you say? I have one… TC is my grandfather’s company.”
One of the 4 great groups of Korea is your grandfather’s company.
It’s certain.
‘He is the guy who showed such a meticulous and precious record that he was assassinated.’
In the scenario of the 4 group secret battle.
To keep Ju Su-hyeok alive, Tao Sihu passed an important information by mixing it a few times with a secret code through the device message.
But in the game, only an online chat nickname was shown and the name didn’t appear.
‘He was such a foolish guy…!’
After Jang Namuk changed his clothes and returned, the four of us exchanged mutual introductions and then one thing led to another and we ended up exchanging device codes.
As Jang Namuk said, Tao Sihu was a very special character.
Anyhow, he was a person connected to the game’s key story, so it wouldn’t be bad to get to know him.
Probably.
*~*~*
[1] Qingming – the sky gradually clears — I’m using Qingming because it will be easier for you to research if you don’t know about it, but the Korean name would be ‘cheongmyeong’. The second part of the title ‘the sky gradually clears’ can be said to be the definition of the word. It’s the clearest day of the year, and it’s usually between April 4th and 5th.
[2] I’m Sawol Seeum. Nice to meet you…. — Seeum is using a polite tone, but when he calls Uisin, he uses an informal tone. (Which he should do, according to the norms!)
[3] Han Yi — It’s a name conversation! Clearly it’s my fun fact time! ‘Han’ among many other things can mean ‘limit’ and ‘ –i (romanized as yi here)’ can be an affix which basically would make the word an adverb, so Han Yi name would mean… ‘Limited’. In a bad sense. But!
Edit here:
The translator got a little (a little big) confused and explained meaning of ‘Ha-i’ not ‘Ha-ni’, so here is correction:
Hani could mean: honey (english), a question ‘do?’ or ‘because (someone) did/do’… hard to explain as it’s more of a grammar form which doesn’t make sense without other words…
The ‘Ha-i’ which this translator got confused means: ‘high (english)’, ‘far away and close place, or a person in that place’ or ‘a foreigner from a distant land/emigrant’ or ‘hi (english)’.
[4] Namukun (woodcutter) – I tried to understand where the joke lies, but I’m afraid it’s too dry of a humor. It may refer to the popular image of woodcutters being woodheads, who do stupid crimes because of their ignorance. If someone knows, please tell me.
Translator’s note: I can’t believe that Jo Uisin is taller than Yu Sang-hun. Jo Uisin, did you perhaps wear some high shoes?
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