Becoming Famous - 3
Nothing about my wake-up time or morning routine had changed. But the moment I stepped outside after putting on my shoes, I realized my assumption was wrong.
“Baek Seojin.”
A black sedan waited outside, surrounded by a group of men in suits. Before I could even process what was happening, one of them approached.
“We’ve been waiting for you.”
“…Don’t tell me this is another national security thing.”
“Pardon? Ah, no, no! That’s not it at all.”
Then what? It sure looked like it. I narrowed my eyes, and the man hurried to explain.
“We’re simply here to accompany you on your way to work.”
“Accompany me?”
“Yes. More precisely, we’re your security detail.”
Security? What was this all of a sudden? I tilted my head in confusion, and the man in the suit elaborated. I had been designated as a person of importance, so a protection team had been assigned. Their only purpose was to safeguard me at the national level, and once I moved to a designated safe location, this arrangement would no longer be necessary.
“In short, I still have to move out of here eventually.”
“Unfortunately, yes. The commute from here to the Academy is far too long. From what I understand, it requires multiple transfers even on public transportation.”
“That’s true.”
“Furthermore, there are very few ability users in this area who could assist you. If an emergency were to occur, it would be extremely difficult to receive support.”
The explanation was framed as concern for my safety, but I knew it wasn’t purely that. If everything in this world were truly pure, life would be much simpler. From my perspective, there was likely an additional motive—surveillance. After all, someone capable of fighting an Elder might actually be a plant from the villain side. Or they could turn into a traitor like Hyun Sujin or Kwak Hyuk, wielding the blade in reverse.
“Let’s go. If we leave now, you’ll arrive more than twenty minutes earlier than usual.”
The words “Who are you trying to mess with?” nearly slipped out. Twenty minutes early wasn’t something to brag about, damn it. Shouldn’t arriving exactly on time be the standard? I wanted to complain, but I held back.
‘…No, let it go. These people came in early just to wait for me.’
One thing I’d learned from my time as a low-ranking civil servant: at the very least, don’t make things harder for fellow low-ranking workers. We were all already exhausted enough. There was no reason for me to add to their burden.
“…Let’s go.”
I climbed into the black sedan the man indicated. Once he took the passenger seat and gave the signal, the convoy began moving. I glanced back. A black van was following behind us—probably carrying the rest of the suited team I’d seen earlier.
“How many people came?”
“Including myself, my partner, and the team in the back, there are seven of us.”
“…Isn’t that overkill?”
The man in the passenger seat was at least A-rank or close to it. Even if the others were a step below, their abilities wouldn’t be bad. Deploying seven ability users like this seemed like a serious waste of manpower.
“Not at all.”
Of course, he looked at me like I was talking nonsense.
“We heard about your accomplishments from the colleagues who were there. You fought an Elder and even inflicted serious injuries. A proctor risking everything to protect the students—it was truly impressive.”
“That was just… me losing my mind. How did I even think of charging at an Elder?”
“That’s exactly what matters. Most ability users—even I—would hesitate to even speak properly if an Elder appeared before them, let alone fight.”
After that, the man launched into a string of stories that made even me embarrassed to listen. Apparently, I had become a good stimulus for those too fixated on ranks and quick to give up when outmatched. I had also served as a clear warning against the recent surge in villain attacks.
“On top of that, there was even an article saying that more and more newborns are being named Seojin these days…”
Stop. Please. At this rate, the villains were going to assassinate me out of sheer secondhand embarrassment. Yeah, that had to be it.
“Let’s stop there. It’s a bit much.”
“Ah. Is that so? You seem quite embarrassed.”
Who wouldn’t be after hearing that? Becoming famous was fine—great, even—but naming kids after me? That was crossing a line.
“Well, I suppose it makes sense. You only did what you believed had to be done, yet it looked different in everyone else’s eyes.”
Hey. Please stop. I’m begging you. Let’s just ride in silence. If this keeps up, I’m opening the door and jumping out.
*
It was true. I really had arrived more than twenty minutes earlier than usual. The only reason it wasn’t over thirty minutes was because I’d stopped to buy coffee. Same quitting time, earlier start. What kind of hell was this?
I sighed and moved to get out of the car when the man in the passenger seat stopped me.
“Your quitting time is always fixed, correct?”
“Don’t tell me you’re planning to show up at quitting time too.”
“Of course. Until you move to the designated safe location, this is how it has to be.”
“Can’t you at least give me a break at quitting time? I should have some freedom after work, shouldn’t I?”
“But…”
“And if you escort me all the way home, your own quitting time gets pushed back even further.”
What was this nonsense? This was an important matter. The tragedy of someone else’s quitting time being delayed because of me—if I ignored that, I wouldn’t have the right to complain when my own time was taken. Those who valued their own quitting time should value others’ just as much. It was the mindset every civil servant surviving this brutal world of early exits needed to carry.
“Ah… We’re truly grateful that you’re thinking of us, but…”
“If the higher-ups are the problem, I’ll speak directly to the dean, Professor Han Jiyun, and Chairman Kang Minsung and sort it out. So just do this for the morning commute.”
My offer seemed quite appealing. The man let out a thoughtful hum and began glancing around nervously. I couldn’t just sit and wait. I’d never had a more uncomfortable commute, and now they wanted to do the same on the way home? We might grow closer over time, but I wasn’t exactly sociable, and this kind of treatment wasn’t welcome. I wanted to avoid it if possible.
“Report that I made a strong request. No—make it a ‘demand.’ That should work.”
It was odd for a mere civil servant to talk about making demands, but I knew my presence had changed. A “demand” from me would carry a different weight now.
“…I’ll contact my superiors for now.”
The man seemed to understand my sincerity and finally relented.
‘At least I avoided a painfully awkward ride home.’
I’d arrived over twenty minutes early. Quitting time was the same, but the start was earlier—the exact opposite of what I wanted. I already felt exhausted.
Work itself wasn’t difficult or boring, but the act of commuting was always draining. Still, there was one upside: I could return to my post before too many students gathered. Even now, I could feel their gazes following me with every step. None of them were hostile. All of them were filled with goodwill.
“Huh? Wait, isn’t that the examiner? I heard he lost consciousness.”
“Your news is slow. There was already an article saying he regained consciousness, you idiot.”
“More importantly, he’s incredible. How long has it been, and he’s already back at work?”
Right. Even I thought I was pretty amazing. Or maybe just insane.
“What happens now? Can we still reach Silver rank?”
“That’s ridiculous. How are we supposed to face someone who fought an Elder and survived?”
“He’s already surpassed A-rank, hasn’t he? What even is his rank?”
Unfortunately, I’m still C-rank. Though I’ll probably get remeasured soon.
“It’s not about winning—it’s an evaluation. We just need to prove we’re qualified for the Silver title.”
“You think that’s easy? Do you know how high his standards are!”
Well, if it were Lee Hyunwoo or Kim Suhyun, I’d be impressed right away. But I don’t expect that level from the rest of you, so don’t worry. If you just put in a decent effort, I’ll pass you.
‘Sometimes students get the wrong idea and make things difficult for themselves.’
They thought they had to beat me in the evaluation. But the condition wasn’t victory—it was simply showing their best effort. That was enough.
‘The real issue is what the penalty will be, but I can’t hold them indefinitely anyway.’
With all these thoughts and overheard conversations swirling in my head, I headed toward the evaluation hall—only to stop short.
‘Who’s that?’
A male student was sitting right in the center of the hall. At first I didn’t recognize him, but as I got closer, I realized it was Lee Hyunwoo. There was still nearly an hour until his lecture, so what was he doing here? Then I saw the picket sign in his hands.
“…What the hell is that?”
The words slipped out before I could stop them. I blinked once, twice, rubbed my eyes hard. It was still there.
- Daily Evaluation Guaranteed! Absolute Defense of Rights! -
“…”
Had the kid finally lost it? That thing—was this really the protagonist?