Translator: Wan ED/PR: novio
17. The beginning of May (1)
From an early age, she had never once missed 1st place.
Everyday, she received the same praises and rewards.
Even her blooming supernatural powers were powerful. She lacked nothing.
After she was admitted to Eungwang School with everyone’s support and envy…
‘As it’s the most prestigious highschool in Korea, I shouldn’t be greedy and should aim to be in the top 10%, right?’
She thought so briefly.
Then at the Eungwang School where geniuses and talents from all over the country gathered, she came to face the reality there is top above her top.
Her enjoyment of Eungwang School life was short.
Gradually the tests’ difficulty raised.
She was in despair the first time the test scores and ranking came out.
‘It’ll be good if I go up to the middle-ranks…’
As the days went by, her goals got lower.
However, not to mention the top 10%, let alone middle-ranks, it was difficult to even get out of the bottom 10%.
She joined the School Magazine Editorial Club, which had less tasks in comparison to the Newspaper Club.
When she received a dangerous offer from the advisor there, she simply nodded her head.
“Okay. Do you have nothing more to say?”
The Player’s Association’s member who was only listening to her, asked again.
This Player, team leader Hong, was extremely cold towards all other four children who had made a wrong choice, beside her.
At least he was better with her.
She didn’t know the reason, but this person was a little bit more lenient towards her, so it seemed she may try for one thing.
“… Can I send just one message to my parents and friends?”
“The influence of the curse may still remain. In those situations, it’s a rule the message must be examined by a lawyer with a Player license. If it’s a personal message, it would be better to send it later.”
Her parents, who had always supported her.
And the one friend at Eungwang School with whom she got along with.
An Dain, who had slowed down the progress of her curse even without knowing that she was exploding with jealousy inside her.
She wanted to pass on those words to them before it was too late.
“I just… wanted to say ‘I’m sorry’.”
***
After classes, Kim Yuri was heading towards the Student Council room with light steps.
She was holding a plan of the outing with the kids of 1st year class 0 this weekend.
The vice class president, Jo Uisin, who seemed passive about that plan, invited their homeroom teacher Ham Geun-hyeong to the outing even before she could.
‘Even teacher Ham Geunhyeong-nim said he will make some time, so we can all go out together!’
Thinking about weekend plans, she was about to hum by herself.
Kim Yuri restrained herself from humming and entered the entry permission code engraved on her student ID on the door of the Student Council room.
After a few seconds stuck on the identity identification, the door to the Student Council room opened.
Was it because she came early today?
No one from Student Council members were in the room beside the Student Council president, To Wonu, and Student Council secretary, Yu Sang-hui.
“Sang-hui, do you have time on May 5th? That day my parents plan to go out to play, so…”
“And what about it? I have time, but I hate spending it together with Wonu.”
“Don’t make it so difficult. Even my parents said it isn’t much of a problem if it’s you, Sang-hui!”
“Wonu, looking at your speech expression, it seems that your comprehension abilities are a problem. Isn’t there a problem in your left brain? If I hit it once, it may return to normal. Should I hit it?”
To Wonu just suffered the condemnation while looking at Yu Sang-hui with a blessed face.
Kim Yuri contemplated if she should greet or not the two people engaged in the face-slapping conversation.
Yu Sang-hui, who was rebuking with a kind voice, saw Kim Yuri coming in and gave her a soft smile.
“Yuri, come in.”
“Sang-hui… won’t you give me some time on Children’s Day…?”
“Wonu, your junior has come, won’t you greet her? Disgusting.”
“… Hi.”
To Wonu was dissatisfied, but anyhow, he made a greeting in Kim Yuri’s direction.
It was a common everyday occurrence, so Kim Yuri greeted them brightly.
“Hello!”
Swish—.
When Kim Yuri greeted them, the door to the Student Council room opened again.
The ones to come in were Student Council vice president Ji Myeongsu and An Dain.
“I came.”
“Hello.”
Ji Myeongsu threw the bag he was carrying on his shoulder at the table with a bang and then spoke while sitting on the sofa.
“Junyeol can’t come today. He said he is practicing something.”
“Junyeol is really dedicated to everything, huh? Won’t ‘Little’ soon disappear from his alias? Based on the accomplishments, PlayerSAT-K may decide to change his alias, right?”
“What do you think about my alias? Sang-hui, if you want I’ll also work hard to change my alias!”
“Uh? Wonu, your aliases are all the same for me. What was your alias again…?”
To Wonu who suffered shock, Yu Sang-hui who was making an earnest expression, and Ji Myeongsu who was bursting into laughter on the side.
It was the Student Council’s scene she was already familiar with.
However, today there was something which didn’t harmonize well with this place. That was An Dain.
She usually didn’t talk much, but today something felt different.
An Dain’s best friend, Kim Yuri, could notice it straight away.
“Dain, did something happen?”
“Uh, that…”
An Dain lowered her voice to whisper and said:
“The friend who suddenly didn’t come back to the dormitory and didn’t come to school, and couldn’t be contacted with the device… Just now, a message came. She said she is sorry.”
Hearing those words, Kim Yuri thought:
‘I’m sorry’.
Perhaps, she hated to think about it, but…
Was it related to the mid-term exams’ questions illegal leakage incident?
As payment for leakage of exams’ questions, the students got involved in the teacher’s dangerous experiment and were cursed as a result.
There is a high possibility they are currently suffering from the curse and quarantined because of it at the Association, outside the school.
But An Dain would already have realized that much.
“… I see.”
“Yeah, I’m worried.”
Kim Yuri was happy when An Dain said she made a friend she could easily eat meals with at the dormitory.
An Dain was more than excellent and had a visibly difficult aura to approach.
As her personality was on the introverted side, An Dain was a person of a few words, and because of her oppressive energy, making many friends wasn’t easy.
There were many guys who approached looking only at An Dain’s appearance, but much more than friends, they had the strong feeling of worshipers.
‘Um… What should I do?’
Kim Yuri didn’t say anything on the topic of the dormitory friend and changed the subject.
“Dain, do you want to go out when we finish Student Council work? The handmade accessories store opened at the east gate. I went there with the people from my class, and they sold many really pretty things. It seems that new products appear every day.”
“… Okay.”
Did she know she tried to comfort her?
An Dain was smiling slightly.
***
After classes.
The Newspaper Club was also noisy about the scandal centering on the students of the School Magazine Editorial Club.
Teacher revealed the incident to students during each class’ end-of-day meeting.
“It’s a bit bad that such a scandal occurred at school. But when thinking that teacher Jegal-nim won’t have to suffer because of the matters with the School Magazine Editorial Club in the future, I’m in quite a happy mood! I don’t know how I should explain it.”
Mun Saeron, who was selecting the best cuts among the pictures published on the general bulletin board and personally taken by the 2nd year class 0, mumbled.
Most of the Newspaper Club members nodded as if they felt the same.
With this incident, Jegal Jaegeol’s work as the head of school affairs increased astronomically.
Even today he couldn’t show his face in the Newspaper Club, but even so, the atmosphere in the club room wasn’t gloomy like before.
After I completed my club activities like this.
I moved to meet with someone I had a prior appointment with.
“Looking into it a bit, the curse put on those dogs really wasn’t a joke, huh? And the bastards who I don’t know if they were teachers, humans, or trash and were taken away now, wanted to put it all on our teacher Jegal-nim?”
“We were looking after the guys in our class and teacher Jegal-nim, so we didn’t show anything, but I feel really dirty. I should have punched them a few times before they were taken away!”
I met with the 2nd year class 0’s duo, Geun Chansol and Wang Chansol, to hand over dry cleaned Jegal Jaegeol’s clothes.
The 1-night, 2-day outing plan was a coverup in reality, so the two of them kept it a secret.
The two who protected a secret and carried out the strategy were amazing, but the 2nd year class 0 who knew nothing and just happily agreed to the plan and carried it out, was also amazing.
“He will be busy for some time, but in the future, teacher Jegal Jaegeol-nim won’t be stolen by incidents over the School Magazine Editorial Club.”
“That’s only natural!”
“Yeah, if someone tries to monopolize the Newspaper Club, we will understand it as an intention to fight.”
My Playable Character is loved so much, huh?
If it’s those two, it seemed I could trust and rely on them.
Those two did an excellent job protecting Jegal Jaegeol.
“Yes. In addition, please continue to make sure that teacher Jegal Jaegeol-nim doesn’t know the truth about this matter.”
“Don’t worry. If it seems that he suspects something or tries to dig into it, we will know it, so leave it to us.”
“Yeah. We prepared a few strategies. Even if teacher Jegal-nim isn’t particularly suspicious, we just want to try out a few of them.”
What are you thinking about doing to my Playable Character?
It’s like scheming.
Geun Chansol, who had received a paper bag with clothes from me, looked at me gently.
“Um, actually, I was thinking what dummy of teacher Jegal-nim did you pull out, that you even deceived teachers of Eungwang School. If we could do that, our joke repertoire would increase exponentially, wouldn’t it?
“Geun-Chan, even we didn’t show all our secret jokes’ secrets until now. Have manners, please.”
“… Like you said, Wang-Chan. It’s regrettable. Um. You’re always welcome any time if you want to exchange joke materials, so the class 0’s will continues!”
Geun Chansol and Wang Chansol spoke brightly.
I had something to ask those two and it seemed that they would answer in this atmosphere.
“I have a question.”
“We’re expensive.”
The two people spoke at the same time.
I heard that line the first time we met, but their expression and the atmosphere were completely different from that time.
I asked the two who were smiling mischievously an important question.
“Where did you make group t-shirts?”
It was the time for me to do my job as the 1st year class 0 vice president.
***
Next day, morning.
The 1st year class 0 gathered earlier than usual.
Kim Yuri wrote the following on the electric board with a round handwriting:
[Deciding group t-shirt’s writings]
“Uisin found the place where the group t-shirts can be made quickly! If we only decide on writings, they will come out straight away.”
“Vice president, what did you do?”
“Woah! There isn’t much time, so I thought it wouldn’t work out.”
With the introduction of Wang Chansol, whose parents were major market players in the clothing industry, the place to make the group t-shirts was decided.
Under Geun Chansol and Wang Chansol’s threats, who said they already took a fluorescent color, so as not to repeat them, I gladly decided on the white short sleeved shirts.
“Even though it’s a bit plain, it looks neat and pretty.”
“Yeah.”
The plan was to make white t-shirts with black writing in a thick Gongseo font[1].
‘Even though the color is plain, it will be very attention grabbing.’
The design was given by Geun-Chan&Wang-Chan duo who pretend to have a kind heart.
There is no way it won’t be attention drawing.
But my Playable Characters and class friends were happy, so I didn’t care.
“Let’s decide who is writing for who by drawing lots. We’re going to pull for a person who is going to write on teacher Ham Geunhyeong-nim’s clothes first!”
Kim Yuri projected the Ghost Leg[2] application on the electric board.
And the glorious winner who would decide the writing on Ham Geun-hyeong’s t-shirt was…
Hwang Jiho.
‘I have an ominous feeling!’
The eyes of Hwang Jiho, who had a tired expression as if he struggled with interpreting an ancient book, twinkled.
“Hahaha, what should I do!”
Why that guy of all the things?
Ham Geun-hyeong was also my Playable Character.
Just try to put something weird…
Hwang Jiho looked around and then as if he thought of something good, he entered a phrase on the electric board.
The result:
[A person who made a foolish class motto]
Bang—!
Seeing that phrase Maeng Hyodon smashed his small stone head against the strengthened ceramic desk.
Maeng Hyodon, shouldn’t you use school equipment more gently?
Sawol Seeum, who wasn’t here at the time, was confused, but after hearing Lee Lena’s explanation, he started to laugh together with other kids.
“Ha–Hahaha!”
“Ah.. Don’t–don’t laugh like that…pfft.”
The enormous laughter burst continued for dozens of seconds, until the classroom cooled down.
“Hey, Hwang Jiho! Look after me a bit!”
Maeng Hyodon, whose face burned red, protested and then Hwang Jiho changed the phrase as if out of mercy.
[Time to go to school]
In the end the class motto didn’t disappear.
It felt subtle for the teacher to wear, but Ham Geun-hyeong liked that class motto a lot, so it’ll be okay.
Probably.
“Teacher-nim’s is decided, so let’s choose ours now!”
And then we spun and pulled for each person.
First was me.
I pulled Maeng Hyodon.
[Jo Uisin → Maeng Hyodon: Master Small Stone Maeng Hyodon]
“Hey, vice president! What is that!”
“It’s fine!”
“It sounds good!”
I admired the efforts I saw during mid-term exams, so I gave him a nickname.
Maeng Hyodon looked dissatisfied but other kids gave favorable reviews, so it was safely passed.
However, next, Maeng Hyodon pulled me.
[Maeng Hyodon → Jo Uisin: Suspicious class vice president Jo Uisin]
“Hahahaha!”
“When you think about something you look dog-shit suspicious.”
“Uh… what should I say… Umm.”
With Hwang Jiho’s burst of laughter and other kids’ tacit approval, it was passed.
It’s something my Playable Character gave me, what could I do about it?
I should just accept it, right?
[Sawol Seeum → Lee Lena: Violinist Lee Lena]
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t come up with anything, so…”
“No, I like it a lot!”
“Yeah, I think it’s good.”
In the atmosphere of comforting each other, it passed.
[Lee Lena → Kim Yuri: Talented Class President Kim Yuri, I’m always thankful!]
“It’s me who is thankful. Let’s work hard in the future!”
“Yeah!”
Kim Yuri and Lee Lena smiled brightly and it passed in a good atmosphere.
[Kim Yuri → Hon Honey Han Yi [3]]
“I thought cute will suit you well!”
“Thank you.”
Han Yi liked it a lot and it passed.
Next, Han Yi.
[Han Yi → Hwang Jiho: Stop laughing all the time Hwang Jiho]
“Agreed.”
“Well done!”
“… Hey, are we really going with this?”
I must be because Han Yi suffered many times from Hwang Jiho’s jokes with daily Taehokwon.
She wrote a very nice phrase for Hwang Jiho.
It passed with my and Maeng Hyodon’s passionate support.
[Hwang Jiho → Sawol Seeum: I’m concerned about the Flight skill’s effect]
“Yes? You’re not even going to write a name?”
“Hahaha.”
“Really? Yes?”
Hwang Jiho just laughed without saying anything.
It wasn’t a particularly good choice to wear a t-shirt with the surname Sawol in a big font.
Was it a thoughtful act after consideration of the student’s situation worthy of a chairman?
But just why he was concerned about the effect of Gye’s blessing[4], I had no idea.
***
And May, weekend.
Everyone from the 1st year class 0, all wearing matching group t-shirts, went on the outing on the Han River.
While moving, we decided on each of our outer garments to put on the group uniform.
As we planned to also ride duck boats, we met around the Yeonghwa bridge, in the Han River Yeonghwa park.
There we came across an unexpected person.
“Senior Song Manseok-nim, long time no see.”
The person Ham Geun-hyeong greeted.
It was the team master of the Han River Cycling team, Iron Arm Song Manseok.
*~*~*
[1] Gongseo font – It’s the same ‘joke’ font Ham Geun-hyeong used on the class motto.
[2] Ghost Leg – a type of lottery game, where you create a ladder with random connections. Following those connections from up to the bottom you can create a random pairing. That’s a terrible explanation, but you can try to look this up, if you’re interested. It is quite simple when you see this in action.
[3] Hon Honey Han Yi – In raws it’s: Hani Honey (in english) Han Yi. I’ll remind that they all sound similar in Korean.
[4] Gye – Chicken.
Translator’s note: [This Translator → All Readers: You’re all lovely and precious, but your accusations of me being a vampire are all fake. You held no evidence against me!]
Did you see a mistake? 🐞
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