Translator: Wan ED/PR: Solarin
42. Price of achieving a wish (2)
Our class child was facing a crisis and my Playable Character was asking for help, so I couldn’t go sightseeing outside the Korean Peninsula.
I came here to gather news, but as the senior members of the Newspaper Club played the main role in the news-gathering, even if one person leaves, I judged it wouldn’t harm the Newspaper Club.
Moreover, all the goals of coming to China were already achieved.
‘I met with Li Wei, the Player who uses the Gwangrim of the Flame Emperor Shennong, I wasn’t able to meet with the Player, who were said to control the Gwangrim of a higher being, because of the incident. What I could obtain by remaining here…’
The news-gathering trip with Jegal Jaegeol, Newspaper Club members and the 2nd year class 0’s senior bastards would be pretty fun.
There were many tourist attractions I wanted to see in Beijing and Moscow, which we planned to cover.
I could predict how much I would enjoy it, even if my body was tired.
‘Even so, I have to go.’
In the previous world, just before I lost my family, in the fall of my 3rd year of middle school.
My last overseas trip during the World Junior Chess Championship Tournament was exhausting, but I enjoyed it.
But because of the facts I learned immediately after returning, all memories of that enjoyment faded[1].
I couldn’t do that on this trip.
At the words that I’m going back right now, Hwang Jiho didn’t reply straight away and opened his eyes wide.
“Did you say ‘now’?”
“Ye.”
Hwang Jiho, who heard my reply, beat around the bush for a while, to think and then said:
“Okay. I guess you made up your mind to truly come back, eh? Jo Uisin, there is no way you would make such a commendable thing as seeing me first… There is something you want to request from me, right?”
The geezer’s eyes were like that of a ghost.
It was as Hwang Jiho said.
“Hahaha! You aren’t refusing, eh? Let’s sit down first and then speak.”
Hwang Jiho laughed loudly, as if there was something to smile about, and offered a seat while speaking.
I planned to state my business straight away and leave, but because I was the one who came with a request, I couldn’t decline as I liked so I sat on the sofa opposite of Hwang Jiho.
“Please take Mok Uram back home. Team leader Hong Gyubin will be staying with him, but make sure that they go with you.”
“Okay, got it. Then what is the reason?”
Reason?
The reason why I wanted Hwang Jiho to take Mok Uram home?
“Because Mok Uram seems to be targeted by the ‘Pledge of Three Knights’. If he leaves Hyeonmu’s territory, Mok Uram may be attacked again.”
I didn’t know their goal for certain.
It was unknown if their goal was to abduct Mok Uram or kill him, but it was certain they were targeting him, so I had to block it.
I expected he would nod his head without any grumbling, but Hwang Jiho shook his head.
“That’s not the reason I was asking for.”
“Then?”
“I was asking for the reason you want to go back.”
He was asking about that?
Because Hwang Jiho spoke with the nuance that he would accept my request without asking for context, I thought he wasn’t particularly curious about my reason for going back.
“Do you know about Eungwang Brilliant Light Children’s Home?”
“Yeah. It’s the children’s home, our class’s Han Yi lived in, right? And it’s also one of the children’s homes that Hwang Myeong Foundation donates to.”
Hwang Myeong Foundation is donating to the Eungwang Brilliant Light Children’s Home?
It wasn’t a setting that was in the game.
Because if Hwang Myeong Foundation was backing them, when the Eungwang Brilliant Light Children’s Home was facing financial difficulties, Gong Cheonghwon wouldn’t have run to conquer otherworlds several times a day to donate.
‘Did he perhaps decided to donate because he likes Han Yi?’
I didn’t know if it was because she was Taehokwon’s successor, or just that geezer’s whims, but Hwang Jiho liked Han Yi.
If we were to pick out the three people among the 1st year class 0’s children, who Hwang Jiho played the most annoying pranks on, it would me, Han Yi and Sawol Seeum.
Han Yi seemed to hate when Hwang Jiho played a prank on her while laughing, but anyhow, that bastard was showing a one-sided interest in Han Yi.
“Sawol Seeum contacted me today. The workers of a service company were loitering around the Eungwang Brilliant Light Children’s Home in recent days…”
I organized the information Sawol Seeum frantically threw at me on the timeline and told him.
When I finished with the words that Han Yi fell into a trap and had a video of her taken, Hwang Jiho spoke with sunken eyes.
“There are bastards who dare to do such things in the Divine Realm, to the Divine Realm’s student? This one’s dignity fell to the ground, eh?”
Rather than the fall of dignity, it seemed to be an outcome of his neglectful choice in the past.
The Eungwang Brilliant Light Children’s Home was located in the remote part of the Eungwang District, but if the Ho tribe’s head kept his sharp eyes open, there was no way that organized gangsters, including Players, would rampage in the broad daylight.
“Then I should immediately start to prepare to move Mok Uram, eh?”
“Yeah. Though there is still the Newspaper Club’s schedule remaining, it seems like a good idea to prepare beforehand.”
“Beforehand? Mok Uram is going home right now.”
Before I could ask what kind of sound is that, Hwang Jiho said:
“Because I’m going home with you.”
I expected that he would play more because he was enjoying himself a lot on the oversea trip he went on after a very long time.
I thought he might use an alter-ego to help if needed, but it didn’t seem like it.
* * *
Eungwang School Research Zone, Gwangrim Research Building no. 4, Silver Shadow (Eunyeong) Building’s basement.
Inside Jeok-ho’s domain, Kim Sinrok’s exclusive research room was created recently.
Although rather than saying it was created recently, it would be more accurate to say that Jeok-ho was arranging that space since the distant past.
‘… It seems to be prepared for a long time.’
The research room was full of school and office supplies of the brands Kim Sinrok was usually using.
Considering the time the supplies were put on the market, including the supplies among which there were high grade pens and memo paper, that were sold for a limited period of time and supply, it didn’t seem like that space was filled in a hurry.
‘There is no time to get lost in appreciation. I want to become a son worthy to be bragging about somewhere.’
Though Jeok-ho was already walking around and bragging about his son to his close friends, Kim Sinrok was thinking like this.
Kim Sinrok swept the key card engraved with his name a few times and left Silver Shadow (Eunyeong) Building.
In front of the Silver Shadow (Eunyeong) Building, a very unpleasant guest was waiting.
“Sinrok-ah.”
Yong Jegeon squinted his eyes, hiding his jade irises.
In Kim Sinrok’s eyes, even when Yong Jegeon waved his hand in a friendly manner, he looked spiteful.
“Why did you come?”
“You didn’t pick up my call, so I came. Are you still pouting about what happened at that time? Thanks to me and Uisin, you got close with your father.”
“I asked why did you come?!”
It wasn’t that he wasn’t thankful, but when recalling the memory of that day, Kim Sinrok’s face grew hot, and he wanted to punch Yong Jegeon.
Even if he knew very well the difference in physical strength, his pride was hurt and…. Anyhow, he just hated seeing that look, so he ignored Yong Jegeon’s call.
“There are two reasons I came here.”
“What.”
“Half is that I wanted to tease you and…”
Papapat!
Green thumbtacks pierced the air and headed for Yong Jegeon’s face.
But.
“Sinrok-ah, I told you that it’s dangerous to throw things carelessly like this, remember… Was one of the five of them made from otherworldly metal? Somehow, that thumbtack flew particularly fast. When did you take such trouble?”
Yong Jegeon, who easily caught five thumbtacks with one hand, examined the thumbtack made from otherworldly metal that Kim Sinrok personally created.
As Kim Sinrok hid his angry expression and glared, Yong Jegeon’s squinted eyes curled up, as he smiled.
“It seems that you’re stealthily getting angry, so I’ll get to the point.”
“You think I’m not angry yet?”
“Got it, got it.”
Paat!
The next moment, the Space Art cutting off the surroundings’ sound, enveloped them.
Inside the cyan space, Yong Jegeon opened his mouth:
“I want to ask something about that ‘impostor’.”
The face of Kim Sinrok, who heard those words, stiffened a little.
Even without it, Kim Sinrok’s mind was complicated because of the ‘impostor’.
Up till now the torture, management and everything related to the observation and recording of freshly captured Ung tribe members was on Kim Sinrok.
The problem occurred when Baek-ho recently came looking for the ‘impostor’, saying that he would torture him personally.
‘Recently, there are no traces of Baekho-nim’s torture.’
At first, Baek-ho personally cut the ‘impostor’s’ flesh with the Bear Hunting Claw.
But now it was different.
Even when recovering with the Jin people’s special self-healing ability, the speed and pattern differed depending on the individual, but something was strange about how they healed faster than usual.
‘Then is Baekho-nim doing something else?’
Was it psychological torture instead of physical one?
But it didn’t seem like Baek-ho, who was unskilled at torture, would use such a high-level method.
Of course, he had no absurd doubts that Baek-ho would do a favor for the ‘impostor’ who was sent out to kill Eungwang School’s students.
These days, there was no way that he could doubt Baek-ho, who protected him and was his master.
He only guessed that Baek-ho was hiding something.
‘Baekho-nim has something in mind.’
Yong Jegeon didn’t reply and quietly looked at Kim Sinrok, who anxiously blinked his eyes.
“That ‘impostor’ didn’t say a word until now.”
At least he didn’t say a word to Kim Sinrok himself.
The subtly smiling Yong Jegeon couldn’t be seen, and Kim Sinrok turned his back around.
* * *
I thought that there would be great opposition if the Newspaper Club news-gathering schedule haven’t ended yet, but two 1st year students suddenly wanted to go back to Korea.
But the matter was solved unexpectedly easily.
It was thanks to the fact that Mok Uram was the 1st year class 0.
“Okay… You must be very worried about the health of your class friend, right? In such disgraceful situation, you would be uneasy if you continued to stay in a foreign country, huh? I’m sorry I can’t go to Korea with you.”
On the contrary, Jegal Jaegeol apologized, and he kept asking if there was anything he could help with.
The 2nd year class 0’s senior bastards, who heard those words, watched with batted breath because they thought Jegal Jaegeol might go back with us.
The class 0’s seniors bastards, who couldn’t breathe, soon cheered.
“It’s regretful, but I’ll be going first. Teacher Jegal-nim.”
“Cheers!”
“Go quickly!”
When Hong Gyubin’s words ended, the triumphant fist soared everywhere, and they started to high-five each other.
In addition, there was one more point of good news for them.
“Then you’re also going?”
“I wish to go to check, sir!”
When the uninvited guest Seodol revealed his intention to go back, Mun Saeron, who knew Seodol’s identity, actively agreed.
Hwang Jiho made an openly displeased face, but it seemed that he let it go under the thought that the number of shields in the process of Mok Uram’s transportation increased by one.
As the homecoming preparations soon finished, in front of a waiting charted plane summoned by Hwang Jiho.
Six Ho tribe members in suits appeared, bringing the sleeping Mok Uram with them.
“There were no incidents on the way?”
“The orders were carried out safely, but there is an additional situation we wish to report.”
“What is it?”
“We often came across ‘turtles’ when moving. They didn’t show malicious intent.”
The turtles meant the Jin people, who made their home in China and followed Hyeonmu.
‘No way, is Hyeonmu helping…?’
But he didn’t show any intention of getting involved when we met him at the night market.
It was difficult to guess for certain because Jin people were very fickle beings.
“Let’s move.”
Hwang Jiho, who heard the report, waved his hand, the crew received a notice and started getting passengers on board.
And inside the plane.
I asked Hwang Jiho, who sat in a seat at my side.
“I thought you would remain.”
“Me?”
“You left alter-egos on the Korean Peninsula. You can enjoy the trip here as the main-self and move the alter-egos if there is a need to help.”
Hwang Jiho, who heard my words, stopped drinking tea.
“Do you know what wish I made to Heavenly God?”
I almost learned Gaecheon Myth by heart even before coming to this world.
“’To be able to exist anywhere’.”
“Yeah. Thanks to Heavenly God grating my wish, I can exist anywhere. However, it isn’t all-powerful.”
At some point, a barrier made by Hwang Jiho enveloped the surroundings.
*~*~*
[1] faded — literally ‘lost their colors’.
Translator’s note: Jo Uisin… what was your wish? And Hwang-ho’s negligence being mentioned here…
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