Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
4. Player’s Trajectory (5)
The newly obtained title was….
Red Wall Phantom Thief.
It was because during the Fantasy Auction, people were trapped by the wall of red flames, and the illegal items on the Auction were swept away.
That fire wall impressed a certain reporter so much they had coined that title.
Fortunately, the Red Wall Thief was buried because the public overflowed with waves upon waves of terrible stories about Byeon Sunhoe’s group and paid more attention to their evil deeds than me.
The problem was after that.
When I anonymously threw the national cultural assets at the national museum…
The Cultural Heritage Administration seemed to inform the media after the cultural assets found only in the Fantasy Auction’s account book were returned, and an article about my deed showed up.
With the Red Wall Thief title.
[The smasher of Fantasy Controversy, the Red Wall Phantom Thief, returns the cultural assets]
[The favor of the chivalrous outlaw, Red Wall Thief who uncovered the Fantasy Auction, CHA expresses their gratitude.]
After that, the Red Wall Phantom Thief was completely solidified as my title.
My face turned hot.
What Red Wall.
What Phantom Thief…!
[Titles] Suitable Other Dimension Future Modification, Unknown Supernova, Red Wall Phantom Thief
The Red Wall Phantom Thief was added in the titles section when I checked my status window.
Of course. Only I know the fact that Jo Uisin is the Red Wall Thief.
However, I couldn’t stop the useless shame and the feeling of my hands, feet, space and time shrinking.
***
While I squirmed in embarrassment, days passed.
Finally, Byeon Sunhoe touched a person he shouldn’t have touched.
Related articles appeared at the main news portal sites.
[Fantasy Auction participant: ‘Little Red Dragon Yeom Junyeol was there’. Is Yeom Junyeol the ‘Red Wall Thief’?]
[Byeon Sunhoe’s nerve: ‘I want Red Wall Thief, Little Red Dragon Yeom Junyeol to be investigated’. The victim of arson, property damage, robbery and an assault.]
Yeom Junyeol was the only son of Red Flame King Yeom Bangyeol.
He was also a star player loved by countless fans.
Attacking the loved one was like slamming that loved into the mud and picking a fight.
‘But Byeon Sunhoe has no way of understanding that.’
I opened the comment section under an article.
The fans who saw Yeom Junyeol’s name and read the article already left thousands of comments.
[What Yeom Junyeol all of a sudden]
[Okay, so I’m an acquaintance of the Red Lion team. Byeon Sunhoe was sending love calls to the Red Lion and tried to get close, but it was somewhat creepy, so they ignored him. Since this time Red Wall Thief used fire related ability, he seemed to be saying it’s exactly the same.]
[Doesn’t everyone know that at the time Junyeol was performing a Dragon Live Show in the air hotel at SNS? It was only over 1 million people watching it live… hahaha.]
[Right! Our Red Dragon became famous! But it seems like the criminals attack in the best of times ^^” ]
[Sunhoe don’t be sick… don’t be sick, just go die.]
Yeom Junyeol had a perfect alibi and thousands of witnesses, so Byeon Sunhoe’s claims didn’t make sense.
Yeom Bangyeol and the Red Lion’s team members were greatly offended by this matter and directly met with reporters to make an interview.
According to the interview with Yeom Bangyeol, he was so angry he repeated two times that he wants Byeon Sunhoe to be severely punished.
The Red Lion handled, and the police ignored Byeon Sunhoe’s words, but Yeom Junyeol’s fans couldn’t soothe their anger so easily.
‘Byeon Sunhoe is probably growing obsessive and turning properly crazy.’
From Byeon Sunhoe and his gang’s point of view, they clearly saw me as Yeom Junyeol. It was a situation where you had to go crazy.
That day I provoked Byeon Sunhoe quite a bit until it seemed his insides turned upside down. Every single word was spoken when he saw Red Dragon, making him put all faults on Yeom Junyeol.
There is no identical Gwangrim and copying a Gwangrim is impossible, so because Red Dragon was there, Yeom Junyeol also had to be there, he claimed.
‘Using any type of recording device was impossible at that convention center, so none whatsoever records were left.’
Byeon Sunhoe’s wide usage of supernatural powers and device control allowed me to hide my identity.
In articles related to the Red Wall Thief, the only photos were swiftly taken, far away pictures of the red wall wrapping around the convention hall and what appeared to be that wall merging together and ascending into the sky.
In the end, Byeon Sunhoe’s words were viewed as nothing more than false accusations and him screwing up with Yeom Junyeol by trying to ‘reveal his dark insides’.
Byeon Sunhoe didn’t reflect even a bit on the crime he himself committed, and he kept repeating ‘Yeom Junyeol’ over and over when he opened his mouth.
There were also other shameless people at the Fantasy Auction besides Byeon Sunhoe, who saw Yeom Junyeol and were overflowing with confidence from who knows where, claiming they were victims.
Finally, the fury of Yeom Junyeol’s fans reached its climax, and they took action.
The result was the creation of the ‘Fantasy List’.
Yeom Junyeol’s fans combined all of their information and editing abilities and created a list of personal details of the Fantasy Auction’s group.
With overseas fans at its center, they posted Fantasy List on all sorts of communities while saying ‘See if you want to sue’.
‘Where did you get all of that?’
From high-quality profile pictures of the people participating in the Fantasy Auction to the committed crimes, evidence and personal details.
The progress of the current investigation was meticulously organized.
After the Fantasy List was released…
Even people whose cases were buried among hundreds of others in the investigation or were luckily enough to pass without problems left their name on the Fantasy List.
Those who got on the Fantasy list ran amok foaming at the mouth, shouting about ‘damage to their reputation’.
‘Even though it’s impossible to bury once the information was dropped into the web.’
Afterwards, it became impossible to search the ‘Fantasy List’ keyword in the major searching portal sites.
However, you could find it straight away by inputting only constants or replacing keywords with slang.
There even circulated a rumor that Fantasy List’s complete backlog and rapid updates were thanks to Yeom Bangyeol’s team, Red Lion, extending their hand.
In the end, the Fantasy List became an open secret which anyone could read.
I read articles and comments while swearing to myself that I’ll bring the fact that I turned into Yeom Junyeol using my Gwangrim to the grave.
***
Before school began, Yu Sang-hun promised to treat us to a meal.
Should we go to the sky hotel Snow and Air for a winter special buffet?
Or a limited dinner course in commemoration of the visit to Korea of the famous French patissier player[1]?
The three of us agonized while we checked the menu and quantity.
Considering the quantity, it was an overwhelming victory for the buffet.
However, in Jang Namuk’s opinion, we should choose the dinner course in preparation to acquaint ourselves with table manners for the future player official events.
This trivial worry ended simply.
It was due to Yu Sang-hui who heard that and said with a pathetic expression ‘Go to both’ and so, a decision was made.
Yu Sang-hun’s parents right away said they would buy me and Jang Namuk a meal from the menu we want every week if we wish.
The outing was only possible on weekends because Jang Namuk entered the military highschool academy’s dormitory, so adjusting to it, we decided to go on the limited dinner course on Saturday and later on Sunday to the hotel buffet.
And on Saturday.
We met with Jang Namuk after a long time.
Following the military school hair rule, Jang Namuk’s haircut was extremely short.
“What happened to your hair?”
“…School rules.”
At Yu Sang-hun’s friendly greeting, Jang Namuk avoided his gaze while answering.
‘That’s a soldier’s haircut.’
I also had this hair style a few years ago.
Jang Namuk was not yet an adult or a soldier, but I guess the school rules aren’t that different from a military academy for adults, so he wasn’t able to avoid it.
We bought suits necessary for participation in future official players’ events, which also matched with the French restaurant’s dress code.
With the recommendation of a floor employee in a department store, we chose ready-made suits which this place repaired, and when reservation’s time came, we put on our suits right away and headed towards the restaurant.
After we sat down following a waiter’s guidance…
“Jang Namuk, congratulations on a second place within the player military highschool.”
I measured the timing to say that and passed the congratulations.
Jang Namuk had a confused expression as if he didn’t know how to receive the congratulations.
“How did you know? Thanks, Uisin.”
Yu Sang-hun, who spread a napkin, asked with a surprised face.
“You’re second place?”
Jang Namuk, who always had much to say on every subject, closed his mouth before this one.
‘If I didn’t say it, Yu Sang-hun would probably continue to remain oblivious.’
I unfolded a hologram from the wearable device with a screenshot of an article.
The picture showing Jang Namuk and an unknown face was attached to the article.
“I saw it by chance when I opened an interview with the first and second place at the Player Military Highschool Academy. Jang Namuk’s pictures don’t make him look any better.”
“Exactly the same. He is ugly as usual.”
Yu Sang-hun compared the real Jang Namuk sitting before him and the picture, giggling.
I compared Jang Namuk, who froze because of the nervousness, and the top student sitting beside him, overflowing with an easygoing and relaxed attitude.
“Anyway, congrats. What’s that first place guy like?”
Yu Sang-hun also gave his late congratulations after teasing Jang Namuk with a picture and took a screenshot of the article with him with his own device.
Jang Namuk watched this sight with embarrassment.
“Thank you for congratulations. First place and I share the same room in the dormitory, but…. He is special.”
When the story about the first place came out, Jang Namuk made a complicated expression.
Special?
I was a bit curious.
However, asking very detailed questions about the person who wasn’t here didn’t seem proper, so I held back my words.
Just in time, the first dishes on the menu came out and because of that, it wasn’t difficult to change the topic.
“Did training at the dormitory start?”
“Yes. The military highschool’s program starts a little faster than at other places. It’s a bit difficult, but it will be worthwhile one day.”
Yu Sang-hun also seemed more interested in the dormitory than the first place.
“How is the dormitory?”
“…Even after ventilating and cleaning, it feels musty.”
I knew that.
It may be a little different for a military academy dormitory, but it was the air of a public living facility.
You may clean and ventilate so there is no particle of dust in sight day after day, but mustiness doesn’t disappear.
You could just get used to it.
“If you don’t like it, come to Eungwang School.”
Yu Sang-hun still seemed to have some regrets.
“…It’s ok. Because I choose it myself. Even if we go different paths afterwards, I’ll be responsible for my choice, until the time when we graduate highschool.”
At Jang Namuk’s answer, Yu Sang-hun stabbed his spoon into amuse-bouche[2] with an unhappy expression.
Jang Namuk started to nag to watch out for table manners.
Talking to those guys made events on January 1 seem like a dream.
But I don’t dream.
We talked while trying to foresee everything about our future highschool life.
With that, the hottest potato in the players’ world, the Fantasy controversy, came out.
Naturally, the topic of the Red Wall Thief also arose and because of that, I had to struggle to straighten my curling up hands for a while.
‘Why the hell did that journalist come up with ‘Red Wall Phantom Thief’?’
Just a mysterious or strange person, that would be more than enough.
When entrée[3] came, Yu Sang-hun asked me:
“Jo Uisin, what class are you? I’m class 1.”
We were notified in advance about our class assignment.
My and Yu Sang-hun’s classes were close.
“I’m class 0.”
I looked at the notice, which unexpectedly arrived at my wearable device. As it was decided according to my deal with the chairman, I was joining class 0.
Ching.
Tuk.
I heard the sounds of falling tableware.
Yu Sang-hun and Jang Namuk, who loudly pestered Yu Sang-hun about keeping the table manners, dropped their utensils.
Why are you like that?
I titled my head, but Jang Namuk and Yu Sang-hun just opened their mouths wide in shock.
“Are you a criminal?”
“Repent, Jo Uisin.”
What?
It seemed the notoriety of class zero is worse than I thought.
I tactfully avoided the topic and enjoyed the remaining course dishes.
Even when we disbanded, the two worried about the decision to send me to class 0.
***
I skipped the remaining middle school classes, graduation ceremony and all similar events.
My middle school homeroom teacher called a few times, but when I lied that ‘It’s still difficult because of Son Mingi’s case’, it worked straight away.
There was not much time left until the first day of Eungwang School.
I didn’t have time to invest in middle school classes.
Before school started, I needed to prepare all the necessary pieces.
I researched this world, bought necessary items and trained my physical strength while preparing for the start of the new term at Eungwang School.
And in March.
The entrance ceremony came.
~*~*~
[1] dinner course – for some, incomprehensible to me, reasons I translated it as a culinary program in chapter 9. I fixed it already, but if you have this dark memory, please erase it immediately. It has never happened.
[2] amuse-bouche – I think someone will kill me if I say it’s just like a fancy appetizer, so pretend I never said that.
[3] entrée – (it’s like main dishes but just before the main dishes…)
Translator’s note: What do you mean half of this chapter’s footnotes are me fixing stupid mistakes and the second half is me whispering about french cuisine?
Leave a Reply