Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
45. If it doesn’t rain during Chushu (4)
Yong Jegeon was absent, but the schedule proceeded as planned.
At first our campfire was planned as at most a simple event where you exchange gifts, eat delicious food, converse with teachers-nim and class children, and play.
But the 3rd year class 0 cut in and took a chance to screw it.
After the sun set and before the campfire was lit, the 3rd year class 0’s bastards distributed candles in the paper cups they personally made at some point.
‘No way, is that… Do they plan to hold a legendary candlelight ceremony?!’
Anyone among the people who participated in the youth training camp said they experienced the campfire candlelight ceremony.
According to the tradition, it was a legendary ceremony with a lengthy history of letting numerous teenagers cry and let go of their black history by stimulating their emotions.
Just as I predicted, the host Woo Gihwan started to set the atmosphere.
After Woo Gihwan sent a signal, the 3rd year class 0’s student from the Traditional Music Club started to play haegeum[1], which seemed to be borrowed from the resort’s music experience hall.
Haegeum didn’t match very well with the campfire or candle ceremony, but because the Traditional Music Club’s class 0’s senior bastards’ performance was too outstanding, there were no big problems with harmonization.
Even teachers were amazed by the sorrowful and vivid sound flowing from haegeum.
“In the deep darkness where me, friends, teachers-nim and surrounding can’t be seen, I’ll pass the light of the candlelight shining with the light of hope.”
As the Players’ night vision was good, there was no way that they wouldn’t see what is in front of them with this much darkness.
I thought so, but I decided to watch what the hell those senior bastards were planning to do.
After finishing lighting up the candles ceremony, while passing the candle’s flame to each other.
With the performance of ‘Flowers Bloom and Fall’[2] preformed on the haegeum, Woo Gihwan spoke solemnly:
“Here, let’s close our eyes now and think about ourselves, our friends, family and parents-nim…”
The emotional line that you didn’t know how it came out of the head of Woo Gihwan, who wasn’t in his right mind, pulled at the children’s heartstrings.
The touching melody of haegeum and Woo Gihwan’s low voice stimulated adolescents’ feelings and conscience without mercy, finally making students cry one after one.
“Mom-ah…”
Was it because the training with ascetic Tak Gaeseon and attack of 3rd year class 0’s zombies was difficult? If not, because he usually did a lot of wrong things against his mom?
Bang Yunseop, who was on a brink of tears when Woo Gihwan set up the atmosphere just a little, couldn’t endure the contentious emotional assault and started to weep.
Beforehand Mun Saeron announced that she planned to make a commemoration video and take a thorough footage of the trip’s process, in particular the group activities.
The scene of Bang Yunseop’s weeping was vividly recorded, but that bastard may not remember that.
“My heart is stuffy.”
“I want to see mom.”
“… Hung.”
In our class, Sawol Seeum, Min Geurin and Song Daeseok were crying.
It seemed that as expected from my Playable Characters, they were very emotional.
“All mistakes and wrongdoings we committed until now will be extinguished with this candle flame and go to make[3] a new tomorrow. We will extinguish them after I count down to three. Three, two, one…!”
The candles were extinguished and the haegeum’s performance stopped, but the surrounding was already burned to the ground.
There were numerous children, who struggled against the emotional attack directed by Woo Gihwan’s gang.
“The time we live is short, the days of highschool are even shorter. Friends and teachers-nim… We will cherish those valuable connections during the short days of school.”
Woo Gihwan, who took the opportunity of the chaos, started to mumble.
“Teacher-nim and disciple. For the two to get a bit closer and affectionate, they have to hold informal talk time. Hey, Im Yeonhwa!”
I guess Woo Gihwan went mad.
I guess that up till now he was laying down a bait for the informal talk time.
Woo Gihwan blasted shrill, blunt words into the mic he was holding.
“How could you do this to me and our class kids, Im Yeonhwaaack!”
Im Yeonhwa abruptly stood up to respond to Woo Gihwan.
“Okay, Gihwan-ah. What is it?”
Im Yeonhwa’s face was overflowing with energy of a powerful person.
It seemed she was rather curious what cute by Im Yeonhwa’s standards disciples were going to say during the informal talk time, instead of how they dared to suddenly speak informally.
“How, how could you say that we are no help and to get out during the otherworld conquest?!”
Hearing the sound about being told to get out by Im Yeonhwa, I guess he was till hang up on the Frozen Otherworld.
Im Yeonhwa replied as if she couldn’t understand.
“I never said to get out?”
“You said to crouch down in a not visible corner, because we’re holding you back! How isn’t it a sound meaning to get out-aack!”
Im Yeonhwa looked at the wailing Woo Gihwan and replied affectionately.
“It’s true that you were holding me back, Gihwan-ah. You’re too weak. Perhaps because you’re still young, your muscles didn’t develop yet? Ah, but compared to the days when I attended the Military Highschool… no, compared to when I was in middle school, you’re weak.”
The 3rd year class 0 wasn’t able to deal damage to Im Yeonhwa in the end even with the opportunity of the informal talk time.
Instead, Im Yeonhwa was happy because it felt like she was closer to her cute disciples.
Im Yeonhwa spoke with a voice full of enthusiasm.
“Kids, I didn’t expect you to hate your weakness so much. I’ll train you harder in the future.”
At Im Yeonhwa’s words, the chief of the primitive people, Woo Gihwan, was grabbed by the back of the neck and collapsed on the spot.
“Class 0’s seniors-nim and teacher Im Yeonhwa-nim have a very good relationship. If we also become 3rd years, will we be able to be as close with teacher Ham Geunhyeong-nim?” [4]
“Can we also have informal talk time?”
“Ge-Geunhyeong-ah… ah, I can’t do this!”
And I was relieved by the fact that our kind class children were still not corrupted by the 3rd year class 0.
After Woo Gihwan’s fall, a sense of sanity returned to the atmosphere among the 1st year students, and they comfortably enjoyed the campfire.
* * *
In the distant past, when Ungnyeo chose ‘Grief’ as the modifier for herself.
The higher being, with the eyes covered by white bear skin, suggested pitying her circumstances.
— I cannot block your tragedy, or revert this even with my authority.
— Even so, every time that red Tiger you love gets hurt, I’ll inform you when, where and why he got hurt.
— So stop being sad and stand up. If you crumble here right now, how are you going to protect your red Tiger from the evil plot?
Ungnyeo, who accepted the higher being’s favor, stood up again.
Carrying the name of Grief, Ungnyeo rose in her position in the Ung tribe as a part of True Ung Eight Immortals.
Jeok-ho, tied to the rack in the Ho tribe’s territory, wasn’t hurt, thanks to other things being something else than a rack, but after the Clash of Different Worlds, the situation changed.
Jeok-ho, who was released from the rack, started to move for the Ho tribe.
Thanks to having an ability to hide and protect his body with the Red Smoke, Jeok-ho almost didn’t get hurt, but this year alone, he was already hurt twice.
First time, by the Don tribe’s head Zhu Ganglie, because he received an order from ‘that person’.
Second time, by Bear of Anxiety, a part of Ung Eight Immortals.
Every time Jeok-ho got hurt, Ungnyeo would recall the words she heard at the dawn of January 1st in her head.
— Mythological category… downgraded to the Legendary category Ho tribe member Jeok-ho will die within a year.
Someone, who hid his real identity with a fake appearance and spoke, and who later was nicknamed ‘Red Wall Phantom Thief’ informed her like that.
The Red Wall Thief, who dared to ask to use the three-eyed Blue Goosefoot Cane of Truth on himself, proved his words to be true.
That day, Ungnyeo of Grief, who felt that the words of the person powerful enough to break the Fantasy Auction, the Red Wall Thief, were reliable, gave ‘Weight of Life and Fortune’ items she produced to Red Wall Thief.
‘One of the Weight of Life and Fortune must have been used inside of Eungwang School, right? Red Wall Thief is in Eungwang School.’
She figured out Red Wall Thief’s location, but Ungnyeo couldn’t easily approach the Eungwang School in the Ho tribe’s divine realm.
Ungnyeo, who stopped on just leaning in her ears to the news from Eungwang School, moved after Jeok-ho was pierced by the Fork of Nine Iron Teeth Rake.
‘If his, the Ho tribe and Red Wall Thief’s activity zone is Eungwang School, it’s impossible for me to step forward.’
Ungnyeo, who judged like this, decided to contact the Jin, who while belonging to Eungwang School she trusted and was worthy of cooperating with Red Wall Thief.
It was Yong Jegeon.
Through Yeom Juneyol, Ungnyeo handed Yong Jegeon ‘Trace of Absentee’ item and induced him to catch a clue about Red Wall Thief.
If Yong Jegeon, who had a high presence detection used that item to connect his senses with the entire Cymopoleia, he would see through the identity of Red Wall Thief, who borrowed others’ appearances.
Yong Jegeon showed a friendly attitude towards her son.
So it was obvious fact that he would cooperate with Red Wall Thief to save Jeok-ho.
“That day Jeokho-ssi got hurt a bit protecting Sinrok. Did You[5] call me because of this?”
Yong Jegeon understood the situation fast.
Jeok-ho was hurt during the Eungwang School’s Youth Training Camp, and this trip was kind of a follow-up to make up for the youth training camp.
It was a natural fact that the 1st year class 0 would participate in the trip to the Ju-Oh Island.
Moreover, the information that Yong Jegeon was the vice-homeroom teacher of the 1st year class 0 was something you could know by just looking at the homepage.
It seemed that with that information in the background, she spotted an opportunity to secretly meet Yong Jegeon.
After being reminded of Jeok-ho being injured, Ungnyeo of Grief smiled vaguely, without replaying.
“… Huhuhu, I see.”
Yong Jegeon didn’t question further, but made an ecstatic face for a second, while looking at the hem of her red dress.
“Do You know that Jeokho-ssi and Sinrok reconciled?”
At the words ‘reconciled’, the eyes of Ungnyeo of Grief opened a bit wider.
Like a flowing water Ungnyeo of Grief unfolded a silk fan to hide her expression and keep her face behind it.
When Yong Jegeon’s short story ended, Ungnyeo of Grief unknowingly smiled behind the fan.
“I called you to tell you a fun story, but instead it was me who heard a good story, huh?”
“It’s because the item You gave me was that useful. I obtained a good contact thanks to it.”
Ungnyeo of Grief, who adjusted her expression, folded the fan and got to the point.
“A day after the typhoon left the Korean Peninsula, the Demon I’m in contact with grumbled, huh. He said that something he was hiding around here was broken. He leaked out something together with the complaints.”
“What was it?”
Yong Jegeon asked with an excited face.
“Yong Jegeon, when was the last time you visited the Dragon Palace?”
“To see Hwangryong’s face, the last time would be during Dragon King God’s maiden succession ceremony, so… About 50 years ago?”
“It seems that Dragon King God’s maidens change every half a century, or in other words, every 50 years.”
“Yeah. The maiden selected next year would undergo a succession ceremony.”
At Yong Jegeon’s words, Ungnyeo nodded.
“I think you should go to visit before the year changes, huh?”
“It’s about time I stealthily go to visit. But is it related to Jeokho-ssi?”
At Yong Jegeon’s words, Ungnyeo of Grief tilted her head slightly.
It seemed to say she wasn’t certain.
“It may be related. However, I want to erase dangerous factors. Because it seems to be related to the person who attempts to greatly injure him.”
The person, who attempts to greatly injure Jeok-ho, is related to the Dragon Palace?
Yong Jegeon wanted to ask back, but he judged that it would be difficult to obtain more information than this from Ungnyeo of Grief and closed his mouth.
Among the two, it was Ungnyeo of Grief who opened her mouth again.
“If it goes like this he said that he would die within a year, huh?”
Murderous intent seeped from Ungnyeo of Grief’s eyes who said that.
But she spoke with a tone as if the words ‘he would die’ were heard by her from someone else.
Yong Jegeon didn’t let that expression slip and asked.
“Who said that Jeokho-ssi would die?”
“…The child with the appearance of the dragons’ terribly loved descendant.”
In Yong Jegeon’s head one student came up.
Jo Uisin.
The person, who borrowed Yeom Junyeol’s appearance under the name Red Wall Thief.
‘He said Jeok-ho would die within a year?… It doesn’t seem to refer to the Training Camp incident or to the injuries Jeok-ho-ssi suffered before.’
Ungnyeo of Grief spoke to Yong Jegeon like a whisper.
“Pass it on to that child. If he wears the Crow Mask, he must not forget.”
Yong Jegeon tilted his ears to Ungnyeo of Grief’s voice, which spoke shortly.
*~*~*
[1] haegeum — Korean traditional string instrument similar to xiqin.
[2] Flowers Bloom and Fall — Probably referring to Ju Seungu’s song 꽃이 피고 지돗이 https://youtu.be/NndTvbMDKB4. If you want to drive yourself crazy, you may look for the lyrics’ translation :> Also, at first I translated it as ‘Flowers Bloom and Wither’, but it seems that other translators didn’t have the same idea…
[3] make — literally ‘to open’.
[4] “Class 0’s seniors-nim and teacher Im Yeonhwa-nim have a very good relationship. If we also become 3rd years, will we be able to be as close with teacher Ham Geunhyeong-nim?” — Sawol Seeum’s sentences.
[5] You — Yong Jegeon isn’t using a polite tone towards Ungnyeo, but he uses a polite ‘You’ towards her.
Translator’s note: Shining things.
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