Translator: Wan ED/PR: Solarin
[1]
“What’s going on?”
“So this is what happened…”
Sawol Seeum gave a concise explanation of the entire situation.
Sawol Seeum and Han Yi decided to help with Maeng Hyodon’s studies, so they came to school early in the morning.
They discovered a man trying to hack into the 1st year class 0’s classroom door.
And he said that while they jumped at him to seize him up for being a thief bastard, even the torn replica of the ‘Death of Imoogi’ slipped him out.
‘It’s possible to enter if you’re a member of the school staff, but…’
It was possible for this bastard to enter the school, but I guess his security level wasn’t high enough to freely enter a classroom.
“Ah, I know who it is.”
At that moment, Hwang Jiho spoke out of the blue.
His eyes were sparkling oddly.
“Is he a school staff member?”
“No. He is a cleaner whose contract ended yesterday.”
“Don’t machines usually clean?”
“There are areas that are difficult to clean for machines. People are used in such places.”
“… Do you know all the contracted cleaners at our school?”
“No. I don’t know.”
If so, how do you know?
“That person is currently being summoned by the investigation office.”
“Yes?”
“What did you say?!”
“Because he continued to disobey, the investigation office is probably planning to issue an arrest warrant according to their rules and turn him into a wanted person.”
He was more of a big shot than I thought.
The children, who heard Hwang Jiho’s story, put much more power onto the arms of the pre-wanted man they were holding.
“How do you know all of it?”
“Because that person broke several clauses that have to be obeyed at the time of concluding the contract and committed several criminal acts. The Hwang Myeong Foundation should be the one who reported that person. Currently, we’re also actively cooperating in the investigation.”
After hearing those words, I had a feeling.
A person trying to break into the 1st year class 0’s classroom.
A torn replica of ‘Death of Imoogi’ discovered in his pocket.
A person worthy for Hwang Jiho to come out with Hwang Myeong Foundation to report him.
“He is the bastard who posted malicious comments about Min Geurin, huh?”
“Yeah. This person bought several Eungwang School community’s IDs. And he is the bastard who wrote malicious comments about Min Guerin and spread rumors about her using multiple IDs on the general bulletin board. Beside that, there were additional crimes, for which he will be charged by the Foundation.”
“What, it was all this fucker?”
“… Luckily we caught him.”
After Min Geurin’s name came out, the children were enraged.
“Then was this person[2] trying to enter our class’s classroom to harm Geurin!?”
“Hm, all hate comments were blocked, so did you come out to aim at Min Geurin personally? Ridiculous, eh?”
I shook my head at Sawol Seeum and Hwang Jiho’s words.
This person probably had no thought of rushing to directly harm Min Geurin in person.
Considering his actions, I guessed he was aiming at her with a method that was indirect and cause harm secretly.
“He was probably aiming for the carnation painting Min Geurin painted. And he probably planned to tear it apart like the replica of painter Min’s first work.”
Wild carnation painting painted by Min Geurin for teacher Ham Geunhyeong-nim.
It existed as the symbol of her starting her school life again.
If that painting was torn apart in the class 0’s classroom, it would cause her to relive the trauma of harassment she suffered in the past.
“That ugly bastard…!”
At that moment, superpower wave quivered around painter Hong Gyeongbok.
If it was him, who unearthed the things Min Geurin went through only later, he would realize what were the intentions behind the malicious commenter’s actions.
“Ma… Master-nim!”
As expected, that malicious commenter was an old disciple that Hong Gyeongbok expelled, huh?
The malicious commenter, who noticed painter Hong Gyeongbok’s existence late, opened his mouth for the first time with a horrified face.
The instant painter Hong Gyeongbok heard the word ‘master’, his face contorted terribly.
“Try to call me master with that mouth!”
Paaaat!
Painter Hong Gyeongbok’s superpower wave almost exploded full of murderous intent.
Its power was so strong, that even the Jin people, Yong Jegeon and Hwang Jiho exclaimed in small admiration.
Painter Hong Gyeongbok advanced forward in long strides and spoke softly to Maeng Hyodon and Han Yi, who were holding the malicious commenter.
“Will you please hand over that bastard to me? Take your hands off him and step aside. It’s going to hurt.”
“Darn it. Painter-nim, what are you planning to do?”
Tak ascetic, who was observing the situation before, stepped in front of him to stop him.
“Because I didn’t teach that bastard properly, Geurin went through difficult things. I think I should take responsibility as a master and deal with him.”
“What do you mean with deal with him?! With just the things I know about that dog wretch, I know he is a wicked bastard, but you certainly are not doing that. This place is overflowing with onlookers and recording devices!”
“I plan to receive a fair punishment after I deal with that bastard.”
Even under Tak ascetic discouragement, painter Hong Gyeonbok’s murderous intent didn’t subside.
“No way, are you thinking about spilling blood at school?!”
“… I won’t kill him. I will only chop off the hand that wrote malicious words about Geurin. I’ll amputate it cleanly so no blood will flow out.”
It’s not a problem of if the blood will flow out or not.
The malicious commenter who heard those words, let out an ugly scream ‘Hiiiiiiick!’ and struggled, but because he didn’t have enough strength to shake of Maeng Hyodon and Han Yi, he couldn’t escape.
“Say that we went for a walk for a minute.”
It seemed that Maeng Hyodon and Han Yi, who restrained the malicious commenter, were hesitant about what they should do.
With the two people’s personalities, they were probably thinking ‘If it’s a bastard who harassed our class friend, isn’t it okay to cut off his hand?’.
And two Jin people didn’t seem to have thoughts about interfering.
“You can’t do that.”
In the end, I stepped up.
I blocked painter Hong Gyeongbok’s way, while I spoke:
“I also think it’s only fair for such a bastard to have his hand cut off. But even so, you can’t do that.”
The bastards who made my Playable Character, Min Geurin, a truant and gave her horrible trauma, deserved to have their arms and legs cut off, but I had to stop it.
“Min Geurin wanted to see painter-nim a lot. She will be very happy if painter-nim becomes a teacher.”
“… Right! Geurin always talks about painter-nim. And if You go to prison, Geurin will be sad and… Geurin might not come to school to go visit painter-nim.”
Sawol Seeum, who anxiously half-floated in the air, added to my words.
Maeng Hyodon and Han Yi, who observed us talking, looked at each other, while consulting, and then said a word to painter Hong Gyeongbok.
“We can’t step aside and hand him over, painter-nim.”
“… Can’t I break just one of his fingers and we will pretend it’s a mistake?”
“Can’t. If you are going to do that, do it in secret later.” [3]
After all class children blocked him, painter Hong Gyeongbok let go of his murderous intent.
“Then I should also follow our class’ children’s intentions, right? I contacted the Hwang Myeong Foundation’s side. They will soon send someone to hand him over to the police waiting at the back gates.”
He was currently only requested to show up at a police station, but as he was caught red-handed attempting to hack the classroom door to enter, he probably could be handed to the police straight away.
Yong Jegeon also added a word, continuing after Hwang Jiho.
“Then I’ll respect students’ decisions as a class 0’s vice homeroom teacher. Painter-ssi, please step aside.”
As even two Jin people stepped forward, the war of nerves was completely tilted to one side.
“Painter-nim! Look at those children’s faces and step aside! As I also saw what happened today, I’ll help with a word when the investigation starts. And I’ll contact all my juniors I know, to request a solid punishment…”
“… Got it.”
After Tak ascetic started to talk again, painter Hong Gyeongbok withdrew his superpower wave and took a step back.
Superpower wave disappeared, but the eyes, which stared at the malicious commenter, were full of murderous intent.
Though he had no choice but to give up, it seemed that he still had a desire to chop off the hand of the excommunicated student.
Plop.
“Ah, this fucker stretched out.”
At the same time, the malicious commenter fainted, as if his nerves gave up.
After the weight put on the two people restraining the malicious commenter increased, Maeng Hyodon and Han Yi frowned.
The people sent by the Hwang Myeong Foundation dragged out the malicious commenter, before students began to come to school.
All children entangled in this mess entered the class 0’s classroom together.
“But how did Jiho know that malicious commenter’s identity?”
Sawol Seeum, who was sticking together the torned-to-pieces replica of ‘Death of Imoogi’ with tape, asked.
“That’s of course because I’m chairman…”
“Chairman’s close relative, because of that.”
Before Hwang Jiho spoke nonsense, I quickly cut in.
“Ah…Right, he was.”
“That guy is the chairman’s relative?”
“It seems you mean that he is an extremely close relative of chairman Hwang Myeongho-nim.”
It seemed that it luckily didn’t give children too many particular thoughts.
“I wasn’t thinking of revealing my identity.”
Hwang Jiho lowered his voice, while laughing quietly.
On the other side, Maeng Hyodon, who attempted to piece together the painting replica puzzles, but rather ended up just being a distraction, gave up shortly and was only watching.
He saw Tak ascetic and said:
“Why is that ascetic here…”
“What ascetic?! Call me master-nim! I’m also a teacher of Eungwang School from today onwards.”
“Whoa.”
As if his vision turned dark at the thought of suffering under the ascetic again, spirit disappeared from Maeng Hyodon’s eyes.
At that time, the classroom door opened.
Swish—!
“Guys, at last, our class attendance rate has risen! Daeseok said he will attend school from today onwards. Uh? Hello sirs!”
Behind Kim Yuri, I saw three of our class children.
Kwon Lena, who stayed at Kim Yuri’s house while studying.
Song Daeseok, who was wearing a neat new school uniform.
And Min Guerin, who stuck to Song Daeseok side.
“… Master-nim?”
Min Geurin, who discovered painter Hong Gyeongbok, made a very surprised expression.
“Yeah, Geurin you came, huh?”
“Master-nim, why here…”
“I’ll be a teacher at Eungwang School from today onwards. They said that opportunely there was a free position.”
Her face, which was making a surprised expression, changed to a very bright one.
It was an expression showing she was so happy that she couldn’t contain it.
She looked at Song Daeseok straight away, while saying:
“Daeseok, master-nim! He came to our school as a teacher! … Uh, did you know?”
After she, who saw Song Daeseok’s lackluster reaction, asked like this, he nodded his head.
“Yeah, I didn’t say anything to give you a surprise. Sorry.”
“No… Uh…”
Song Daeseok naturally patted Min Guerin’s head while speaking like this.
She also smiled, without expressing any dislike.
The children who observed that scene, whispered:
“Whoa…”
“… They’re extremely close.”
“They were like this on the way to school too! They have to be dating, right?”
“If they aren’t dating, then no one in the whole world is dating.” [4]
The children, who were whispering, soon spoke up to the two people and started to ask them about all kinds of things.
Looking at the two, who naturally got along with the class children, painter Hong Gyeonbok had an expression which was difficult to distinguish if he was about to cry or laugh.
Hwang Jiho, who was quietly observing this scene, sitting beside me, suddenly said:
“Jo Uisin, you also think it would be better to chop off that jerk’s hand?”
At the end of Hwang Jiho’s gaze were three people whose relationship was no different from that of grandfather and grandchildren.
As he also liked our class, he wouldn’t like a person who was about to throw Min Geurin into the pit again.
“Yeah. Even so, I don’t regret stopping painter-nim. If he made such a choice, the price painter-nim would have to pay would be too big.”
“Is that so, eh?…”
Hwang Jiho’s eyes sparkled with ominous color.
“Got it.”
I think I somehow knew what Hwang Jiho was about to do, but I had no thoughts of stopping him.
***
After he was excommunicated by Hong Gyeongbok over a disgusting matter and completely driven out of the art world.
He, who was working at a cleaning company.
There was a person who made a particular request while offering him money.
— I saw the comments you wrote on the web! You build up so much spite in such a short period of time. There is a very special place where you can display that talent!
What the commissioner requested was just to dominate public opinion on the highschool web community.
He already posted comments on numerous portal sites, causing trouble[5] to entertainers and famous people he didn’t like.
He thought it wasn’t a difficult job.
However, manipulating that prestigious highschool’s public opinion didn’t turn out like he had thought.
The bastards called Newspaper Club members, readily challenged him with the materials from explicitly stated origins, and prestigious highschool students made clear logical distinctions and didn’t get swept in his ingestion.
— Hm, manipulating public opinion at the Eungwang School isn’t so easy! Then that’s it!
Like this, the commissioner left.
But, he still had several Eungwang School’s community IDs left, and there was a student at this school, who he wanted to bury underground.
But because for some reason the IDs were suddenly suspended, he had to do it personally.
‘Prodigy? You say that ugly bitch is a prodigy?!’
It was unthinkable that she, who arrogantly pushed away the sky like seniors, made her name famous.
So he made her suffer harassment at school, and at the studio, he fed her curses and poured dirty water on her.
‘I should have succeeded then!’
He instigated a few elementary schoolers to drag Min Guerin to the abandoned factory and to break her arm, but of all things, at that moment that arrogant artist awakened her superpowers and managed to run away.
He was lucky that the elementary students who dragged her there couldn’t remember him, so he avoided criminal punishment and was released, just like this time.
‘Those pigs were so noisy about investigating me again, but… The Hwang Myeong Foundation said that they don’t want to make it big, right?’
When painter Hong Gyeongbok appeared again and said that he would cut off his hand, he was terrified, but his hand was finely attached, the same as before.
As he believed himself to be a lucky man, he had no doubts.
When he was about to gulp down soju to celebrate the victories from noon while thinking like this.
‘What is that?’
On the desk, which he used either for work or as a dining table.
He saw a hay machine cutter, with an extremely sharp[6] blade.
This type of cutter was rare in the current era, when the trimming cutters were prevalent.
And behind that cutter…
“Who are you!?”
There was someone.
A youngster, seemingly in his 20s, was leaning against the wall with crossed arms.
As the youngster’s face was turned back to the light entering between curtains, it wasn’t well visible, but the eyes which were faintly visible gave off a pretty impression.
“The outcome of the choices humans make, there are many cases when they don’t pay the price for them. I’m tasting those consequences because I choose negligence, but I feel this is unfair.”
It was difficult to understand what he was talking about.
He was about to shout at thim to get out right now, but because of the strange pressure felt from the youngster, it was difficult for him to open his mouth.
“Me and my benefactor want your hand cut off. So…”
The youngster’s eyes and hair were dyed with golden light in the instant.
And the next second.
His right hand disappeared.
Together with the sound of cut off meat falling to the floor, the blood burst out and moments later, the pain overtook him.
“Kuaack! Aaaaah!”
He screamed with all his might from pain and fear.
Soon, he instinctively screamed for help, but there was no reaction at all from beyond the thin walls.
Usually, there were not just one or two people who would knock on the walls or doors even when he only tiptoed, so this was a strange situation.
The blood soaked the floor and his vision gradually turned blurry…
Soon, this thinking process was completely cut off.
The youngster, who checked if he fainted, looked back and spoke:
“This trash was using an old model cutter with a ‘very strangely sharp blade’ and ended up cutting off his hand because of carelessness. Manipulate his memories, retrieve barriers and thoroughly manipulate the surrounding scene.”
“Yes, Hwangho-nim.”
“Did you figure out the origins of this guy’s funds?”
“It’s still ongoing. Our apologies.”
“Okay…”
Hwang-ho stared at the barely surviving trash, falling into thoughts.
“Are You thinking of moving personally?”
“…”
Hwang-ho disappeared from that place without answering.
But the subordinates guessed his intentions and started to collect the trash with bright expressions.
The people in this place were all the best elite, considered as the most renowned superpower users among the Ho tribe members, but they were very happily dealing with this work, which looked like chores.
The enthusiasm returned to their head, who lived like he was dead for thousands of years, and that enthusiasm was being maintained.
The subordinates were single-mindly happy about it.
*~*~*
[1] No chapter title – ‘Outcome of choice (7)’ =-=
[2] this person – I just want to point out a little detail that Sawol Seeum doesn’t use the polite version of ‘this person’ when referring to the malicious commenter, even though he is speaking politely. He is very angry.
[3] “Can’t. If you are going to do that, do it in secret later.” – I’m not sure if one of the children said that. A casual speech tone was used here.
[4] “If they aren’t dating, then no one in the whole world is dating.” – Sawol Seeum’s sentence.
[5] causing trouble – ‘feed water’ in raws. Could mean to drown a person, or choke them on water.
[6] extremely sharp – could also mean ‘deep blue’
Translator’s note: Hwang-ho. I need you to sit down with someone and tell them what dumb promise you made.
Did you see a mistake? 🐞
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