Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
46. Under stage (4)
During their middle school days, Han Yi and Dokgo Miro, who were isolated, naturally became friends.
The trigger for the two to get close was because of the isolation and bullying in class, but they got along so well that it was certain that even if the two met in an ordinary circumstances, they would become friends.
Luckily, Dokgo Miro’s house and the Eungwang Brilliant Light’s Children’s Home where Han Yi lived weren’t far from each other.
After Dokgo Miro and Han Yi became close, Dokgo Miro often visited Eungwang Brilliant Light’s Children’s Home and befriended people there.
Among them was also Gong Cheonghwon, who worked as a volunteer.
Gong Cheonghwon, who at the time was a university student, brought his band club members and performed in front of the children and even sung. Dokgo Miro, who heard him sing, couldn’t contain her admiration.
“Cheonghwon oppa sings better than my vocal teacher-nim!”
“Thank You.”
“Those aren’t empty words! Please debut! Do You want to debut with me? Ah, I want to be a solo idol, so how about we do duets together sometimes?”
“My activities at the band club are just a hobby.”
Dokgo Miro’s duet suggestion hit the wall, but thanks to getting Gong Cheonghwon’s advice, Dokgo Miro’s singing skills made a rapid progress.
Even after their grades changed, her school life was hard, but the homeroom teacher this time around was a type to be indifferent to students and a person who distanced themselves from other teaching staff.
More than that, as she grew closer to Han Yi and people at the children’s home, even though school was a bit difficult, she could endure it.
The problem occurred a year after she became friends with Han Yi.
“You dream of being an idol?”
Dokgo Miro had a bad feeling when she looked at the new homeroom teacher’s face.
The other’s eyes were overflowing with malice.
That year, Dokgo Miro’s homeroom teacher wasn’t only a teacher without any passion for the education, but also didn’t like children in general.
Dokgo Miro figured that he was a person who chose the teacher job just for the stable income and social status.
In Korea, teachers were highly respected, but to be appointed as a teacher the understanding and memorization of a textbook were much more important than the character and heart for proper education.
As such, it was natural that teachers with such attitude existed.
“If you were born with Player superpowers, you have to be thankful for that. Can’t you do that?”
That teacher liked the teacher status, but didn’t particularly like teacher work.
Rather than liking, since highschool and university, he treated his classmates and colleagues, who approached the education with a sense of mission and passion, as fools and even gathered people with similar thoughts and isolated one person through underhanded methods.
That teacher’s experience and habits piled up during his campus days didn’t go anywhere.
As harassment through physically hurting a body would easily get him arrested, that teacher chose to inflict mental trauma.
He wrapped it up under ‘to be an idol’ education.
“Kids-ah, because Miro wants to be an idol, let’s take pictures of her. If she says she doesn’t want to be an idol, then don’t do that.”
After that, Dokgo Miro didn’t have human rights at school.
The children giggled as they took pictures of Dokgo Miro.
Photoshopped strange pictures of Dokgo Miro with bizarre phrases underneath them were circulated in all kinds of places at school.
If Dokgo Miro complained even a bit, she was treated as a bully or told that if she didn’t want to be taken pictures of, she should do something about it.
‘For an idol the record of school violence is fatal…!’
Dokgo Miro recalled several scandals of idols destroyed by school violence.
Her parents were already very considerate of her to help her achieve her dream, and it was already difficult.
The only thing Dokgo Miro could do was to distance herself from Han Yi, so she didn’t get tied with her and taken pictures of as her friend.
Looking back, from a certain moment she became afraid of recording devices and sensitive to their existence.
Dokgo Miro formed an ability to logically and instinctively judge the existence, location and whether a recording device was operating or not.
After forming that ability, Dokgo Miro made a decision.
‘I cannot just endure this any longer. You want to make me into a school bully? I want to hear if you want to or not.’
If there was no recording devices, there was nothing to be afraid of.
Dokgo Miro started to hide her face and physique with a mask and large clothes and run wild in back allays.
Starting with the Gwangli Neighborhood, she swept through the entire elementary school crashing anyone who instigated any kind of harassment and neighborhood gangsters as a bonus.
Her sweeping persona was reigning as an Alley King without being captured by recording devices like a ghost.
‘… But because of ‘that incident’, Han Yi found out.’
The elementary school’s students in Eungwang District couldn’t think of involving themselves in excessive harassment and behaved meekly.
Although she failed in fixing many cunning and careful teachers, if compared to the past, she could spend her elementary school years comfortably.
When they were in the 6th grade of elementary school, she was involved in a big incident and her relationship with Han Yi became awkward, but she succeeded in graduating safely anyway.
Dokgo Miro graduated from a private middle school famous for being lax with the attendance management.
The tuition was expensive, but it was a flexible place where absence would be easily accepted if the reason for absence was stated in the school rules beforehand.
And then she got into the Eungwang Highschool, with free attendance, and even passed ‘Playlist’ preliminaries.
But her fear of recording devices didn’t disappear.
‘I’m afraid of cameras just like before.’
She hated school and was afraid of cameras.
Even so, she wanted to become an idol.
She longed to live in a spotlight beyond the screen like before.
During her difficult life, it was that dream, which gave Dokgo Miro strength, that she couldn’t let go.
‘Today Eungwang School 2nd semester starts, right?’
She recalled Han Yi and class children.
When strange rumors circulated at Eungwang Brilliant Children’s Home and Han Yi got involved with the service company and crazy policemen, she was nervous.
She was so nervous that the moment Dokgo Miro realized that the Gwangli Police Station’s recording devices weren’t operating properly, she went to crash the police station.
Luckily, it seemed that this matter ended safely, and Han Yi was on good terms with the class children.
‘How it would be to have a school life with comfortable friends to get along with and play…?’
Eungwang School 1st year class 0’s classroom.
Old semi-basement practice room.
Dokgo Miro hesitated between the two for a while.
At the end of her short worries, she headed to the practice room once again today.
* * *
Eungwang School 1st year 2nd semester started.
The most eye-catching difference between the start of the new semester now and the summer break were the students’ attires.
‘Depending on if the students wear school uniforms or not, the school atmosphere is so different, huh?’
There was no unity between many students, who wore a mix of new black school uniforms and old white school uniforms.
Even so, unlike the plain clothes students wore during the break, the summer uniforms made them feel like people from the same group.
As the new semester started and the scenery changed, I should feel happy and excited, but I felt depressed.
It was because of the newspaper club’s article published today and the surroundings’ reaction.
[Red Wall Thief VS Phantom Thief]
I saw ‘that word’ on the front page of the Eungwang School Newspaper Club’s homepage.
The whole front page was introducing a substantial amount of ‘that word’ activities, praises and analysis.
I read about half of it, but I couldn’t release my shrunken hands.
The problem was that the information power of the Newspaper Club was uselessly amazing, and they even worked terribly diligently.
It wasn’t only the article that made me depressed.
[Yeom Junyeol] Hello, master-nim! Master-nim appeared on the front page of the school newspaper!
[Yeom Junyeol] (link)
It seemed that my kind disciple Yeom Junyeol was happy that his master appeared on the front page of the school newspaper.
Even though I was happy, with my hands and feet like that, it was subtle.
[Yeom Junyeol] I was surprised how detailed the analysis was! They meticulously analyzed master-nim’s Fantasy Auction venue’s expected escape route, but I’m curious how it was in reality.
[Yeom Junyeol] Moreover, master-nim’s activities timeline is specially well organized, so I read thoroughly three times! There are parts that are different from what I figured out, so can we confirm what is correct during the next class?
Yeom Junyeol attached Hongryong reading paper newspaper stamp.
Below the stamp, the excited messages contained.
Luckily ‘that word’ didn’t come out directly, but even so I suffered reading it.
The article’s damages continued even in reality.
“Uisin-ah! Hello!”
On the way to school, as I heard an urgent greeting from above and looked up, I found Sawol Seeum.
Sawol Seeum suddenly dived down and stopped in front of me.
Perhaps thanks to Yong Jegeon’s guidance, his usage of the Flight skill looked much more skillful.
“Uisin is in the Newspaper Club, correct?”
Sawol Seeum floated up a hologram.
In the hologram was the same article opened.
“Hey… The printed version of the newspaper didn’t come out yet, yes? I always cut out articles about Red Wall Thief-nim and plaster them on the walls! If possible, can I have four copies instead of three?”
It wasn’t only his room at Sawol family’s mansion, but also Sawol Seeum’s dormitory room that had walls plastered with ‘that word’?!
My spine turned cold, because such an evil thing was at the same dormitory floor.
“… Is it really necessary?”
“Yes! Ah, if the paper newspaper won’t be released, I thought of personally printing it out to obtain a printed version.”
There was not an ounce of evil intentions in Sawol Seeum’s smiling widely face.
As I couldn’t ignore my Playable Character’s request, I informed him about the planned date and location of the print distribution.
I wasn’t happy, but Sawol Seeum was happy.
I worked hard to devote my attention to our class child’s happiness rather than my pain, as I headed to the classroom.
* * *
The voice of teacher Ham Geunhyeong-nim, who started the start-of-day meeting, was gentle, unlike his grim face.
It was thanks to a much bigger number of the class children attending school.
“The first start-of-day 2nd semester meeting, huh? It’s nice to see you come.”
Out of the 1st year class 0’s 16 people, 10 people came to school.
I, Hwang Jiho, Kim Yuri and Han Yi, who attended school from the beginning of the 1st semester.
Kwon Lena and Maeng Hyodon, who started to attend school in March.
Sawol Seeum, who attended school for the first time at the first day of April.
Min Geurin and Song Daeseok, who joined before final exams.
And Mok Uram, who was rescued during summer break.
With ten people, it was more than a half of our class.
‘What are the remaining six people doing?’
Dokgo Miro should be practicing like before.
Then there are five truants remaining to come to school.
“… That should be everything. If something happens, contact the class president, vice president or me. Adhere to the class motto. That’s all.”
After teacher Ham Geunhyeong-nim finished the start-of-day meeting, Mok Uram pointed at the panel where the class motto was written.
1st year class 0’s motto.
‘Time to go to school.’
As those who came to school saw it often, they were familiar with it, but in Mok Uram’s eyes that class motto was a bit strange.
“As I understand, the class motto means that it’s a value and virtue that one should seek as some kind of education goal. Is the highest value of this class the time when we go to school?’
Mok Uram used a tone you couldn’t know if he knew Korean well or not just like before.
Maeng Hyodon, who had a terrible experience of calling the class motto stupid, turned his face away from Mok Uram.
The one to answer Mok Uram’s question was Kwon Lena.
“Yes! I hope all class children come to school quickly.”
“Then it’s right! That’s an amazing class motto.”
At Kwon Lena’s words, Mok Uram was quickly convinced.
It wasn’t exactly Mok Uram’s intention, but because he chose subjects related to music, his elective classes almost all overlapped with Kwon Lena, so they soon ended up talking.
Mok Uram was a hogu[1], but as he was good at studying, he would be a big help to Kwon Lena, who had a hard time keeping up in studies.
On the other hand, there was a bastard, who was a much bigger problem.
“Ah, why is math from the first day?”
Maeng Hyodon, who saw the class plan, made a face like he was about to vomit.
Currently, among the students who attended the school, the only one who chose math was Maeng Hyodon.
‘The middle school teacher-nim would treat him as a disciple even if Maeng Hyodon didn’t choose math.’
As the class president and class vice president, Kim Yuri and I tried to stop Maeng Hyodon, but that bastard chose math again in the end.
Excluding math, all other subjects used body more than head, so the amount of material to study would be small, but the looming presence of math was much bigger.
“Did you see the class materials teacher Gong Cheonghwon put up?”
“Yeah. It seems there is a lot of them this time.”
I and Han Yi chose Gong Cheonghwon’s class again.
After Gong Cheonghwon took over the Enemy Studies advanced course, it seemed that the class hours increased compared to before.
The problem was this bastard.
“Hahaha! I wonder what kind of class will it be, eh?”
Han Yi stared at Hwang Jiho expressionlessly.
Hwang Jiho also decided to take Gong Cheonghwon’s class.
*~*~*
[1] hogu — a pushover, a very naive person.
Translator’s note: Why do I feel like my 50 chapters celebration notes always happen when I really want to put some people in meat grinder…?
250 chapters celebration! Dear reader we reached another small milestone!
So let me first bow down and express my deepest thanks to Jas (Personal Ghost) and Solarin, who continued to proofread for the last 50 chapters. Their effort to keep the quality of translation even when this translator starts to write nonsense because of lack of sleep, should not go unappreciated.
Second, I bow down to all patrons and donators. Thanks to you, not only I’m able to keep this site going, I can hope to one day properly pay editors for their work, which also means that I feel like I can pick up more novels to translate without any worry of stealing someone precious time. So yes, your beautiful kindness is directly responsible for bringing this and other translations for this world. Thank you for the depths of my heart.
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