Ch 228
Became a swordsmanship instructor at the academy
Chapter 228
Today is finally the last day of the festival. Yesterday, Minhee, who originally played the female lead role, returned, so I quit my teacher role.
Of course, Minhee is the female lead and I'm the male lead, so I could have continued if I wanted to, but I didn't want the role in the first place.
Seong Ji-an took over the male lead role again, and I returned to my original role of handling props and backgrounds.
What a relief.
Of course, there were no sudden actions from Seong Ji-an after the first performance, and it wasn't that I couldn't adapt, but acting in front of people every time was quietly draining my mental energy.
Thanks to that, I regained my freedom, but instead of enjoying the festival, I'm now in Switzerland.
Why did I suddenly come to Switzerland, you ask?
Luciel saw on YouTube that Belgian and Swiss chocolate were delicious and asked me to bring her chocolate bars made with Belgian and Swiss chocolate.
Honestly, it's not that I don't take care of Luciel, but I've never gone abroad to fulfill such a purely personal request before, but now I have no choice.
She caught me kissing Seong Ji-an.
When she came to watch the first theater performance, I thought only Se-jin and Eunseo would be there, but Luciel came along too.
She said she was hiding in Se-jin's necklace, like when she used to watch the world through my necklace before.
Sigh, Se-jin, you should have taken her with you when you left.
Since I know it wasn't something I did of my own will but something that happened to me, she didn't interrogate me too harshly or corner me.
Instead, she made a bigger issue out of lying to Se-jin and Eunseo...
"Please wrap everything here."
"Everything?"
"Yes."
I've been completely caught with a weakness.
If I had known this would happen, I should have just told them the truth.
She's working me to the bone as the price for keeping quiet.
Just today, she told me not to buy this chocolate bar from some imported snack shop, but to go directly to the local area and buy it, so I came to Switzerland.
At first, I was at a loss.
Even though I've been to England or Sweden, I've never actually been to Belgium or Switzerland.
Teleportation magic isn't omnipotent.
I can't move to places I've never been, so I asked if I could buy it for her next time, but it didn't work at all.
Instead, she said that if I had taken a plane to England, I would have passed through on the way, so couldn't I just go by feel...
Well, in the end, I succeeded as she said.
Though I failed three times first - Russia's airspace, then Poland, and then the Czech Republic.
Still, I safely arrived here in Switzerland via Belgium.
I paid with Se-jin's card.
Even though I have some dollars and yen, I don't have any euros.
"How would you like us to deliver this? If you have a hotel where you're staying..."
"I have a Lightening Pouch, so just wrap it up and stack it on one side."
"Lightening Pouch? What's that?"
She looks like she doesn't understand. Is there something wrong with the translation magic?
From the way the conversation is going smoothly, it doesn't seem strange...
"Anna, a Lightening Pouch is an artifact made with magic to hold many things."
An elderly man behind her explains - he must be the shop owner.
"The young man's family must be quite well-off. Only S-rank magicians who specialize in Enchant Magic can make them, so it's not strange that ordinary people don't know about them."
Oh, I see.
I couldn't create a subspace where people could see, so I roughly made a few and brought them with me. They're similar to subspaces, but Lightening Pouches don't have preservation functions.
So I thought they weren't that great.
I thought I could make a few and sell them when I need money later, as I gathered up the chocolate and left.
As soon as I left the shop, I found a deserted place and moved to the portal where Master is.
Before entering the portal, I took out my phone to check the time and saw it was already past 6 PM.
I spent the whole day buying chocolate.
I made an excuse about not feeling well and said I'd rest in the dormitory, but it's about time for the kids to return.
I was thinking I should quickly deliver the chocolate and go, when I tried to put my phone away but saw 39 missed calls and tons of messages piled up.
I thought someone might have stopped by the dormitory during the festival and discovered I wasn't there, so I opened the messages and was shocked.
[Chan-seong, are you okay?]
[Chan-seong, are you alive?]
[Please reply.]
[Chan-seong, you're okay, right?]
They're all from my classmates... Huh? There's one from Se-jin too.
[Teacher, why can't we reach you? Antas has occupied the school right now.]
Antas occupied the school?
Could it be that a terrorist attack happened?
That can't be.
The day before the festival, I went to find Hong Man-sik.
I said I was Kang Shin-hyeok's colleague and beat him up while asking several questions, but I heard that Antas Korea had no plans for anything during this Hunter School festival.
Was it Shooting the Grass to Startle the Snake?
Did I unnecessarily provoke Hong Man-sik... No, no matter how angry that old man is at me, he's not the type to carry out such an extreme terrorist attack...
I immediately called Se-jin.
***
"Alright, alright. Due to time constraints, we'll end the martial arts tournament winner interview here."
"Wait a moment. I'm Kim Na-ri from Hosik Daily. I haven't asked a single question yet - can't I ask just one?"
The teacher in charge of hosting looks at me.
"I'm fine with it."
"Then I'll ask. This tournament winner, student Lee Ji-sung, notably had no one cheering for you."
"I don't have many friends."
Neither during the final match nor at the award ceremony did my classmates come, and even my homeroom teacher Choi Seo-ra didn't show up.
"Even if not friends, students usually cheer for their own school in martial arts tournaments. Could it be related to the recent rumors that spread..."
"I've changed my mind. Let's end the interview here."
She seems to be doing this on purpose even though she knows... Ugh, irritation is rising.
The other reporters probably know too, but they don't ask questions even though they know. Why is only that woman...
Hosik Daily, she said?
It's a newspaper I've never heard of. Since it's an unknown newspaper company, the Group probably couldn't get their hands on it.
"Are the rumors true?"
Even though I said I'd stop the interview, she persistently follows me.
I can't just hit her.
I ignored her and came to the dormitory.
Even though I won the martial arts tournament, I'm not happy at all.
No, I think it's completely shitty. Just then, my phone vibrates in my pocket.
I take it out and see it's Secretary Oh.
I can tell he's calling to say he'll withdraw the Hunters, but I don't even want to answer.
The day before yesterday, I asked them to keep Hunters on standby near the school until yesterday, but yesterday evening I begged and extended it by one more day.
Just in case my memory was wrong.
But my memory was correct.
It's already 4 PM and no terrorist attack has happened, and the image cleansing has completely gone down the drain.
The WHCU is still left, but even if I win there, it probably won't change much in the current atmosphere.
Rather, if I win there, the media will pay more attention, and then people like that reporter will dig into my background.
The rumors will spread along with it.
I've completely screwed up.
Should I just drop out of school?
Since I'm a third-generation chaebol, I don't particularly need to worry about making a living, and even in the chaos that will come in the future, I've already obtained one opportunity, so it won't be too difficult to take care of myself.
To think my life could get this twisted because of something I didn't even do - it's really shitty.
Looking around, both students and visitors all have happy expressions.
Why am I the only one so unhappy...
BEEP! CRACKLE! CRACKLE!
I was about to return to the dormitory because looking at this would just make me angrier, when I hear an unpleasant mechanical sound from the speaker nearby.
The school's broadcast room should be controlling it - did someone get lost?
Would it help a bit if I solved something like that?
No.
Even though I won the martial arts tournament, there was no significant reaction, so finding just one lost person won't bring back my ruined image.
―Ah, microphone test. Is this how you do it? Announcing to all Hunter School students and faculty, as well as visitors. Do not move a single step from where you are.
Huh? What's this, could it be...
―Warning again. All personnel inside First Hunter School must stop and wait where they are. We have occupied the school.
It's terrorism.
I was so happy I almost cheered out loud.
It was worth the wait.
Of course, most people ignore the broadcast and keep moving.
They laugh and chatter, thinking it's an event prepared by the student council, but I know.
I know that this current situation isn't some event planned by the student council.
Although I was expelled from the student council now, in preparation for this terrorist attack, I collected information about the festival to the point of memorizing it, and there was no such event in the information I gathered.
I immediately went to a deserted corner and called Secretary Oh.
―Young Master, congratulations on your victory.
"That's not the problem right now. The Hunters are still on standby, right?"
―We're just preparing to withdraw. As I mentioned yesterday, tomorrow the Chairman needs to reinforce security personnel for his Egypt business trip...
"The broadcast just announced that Hunter School has been occupied."
―What? What do you mean...
He's been acting smart all this time, but now that the situation has actually happened, he's completely flustered.
"A terrorist attack has happened! Send the Hunters to the main gate immediately... No, to the back gate. As fast as possible!"
If they're already making such broadcasts, they must have done something to the entrances too. The back gate would be better than the main gate.
Besides, the back gate is closer to where I am now.
I hung up and immediately approached the people, shouting loudly.
"Everyone!"
"What?"
"Why is he acting like that?"
"I'm Lee Ji-sung, the martial arts tournament winner and former student council member. This broadcast is not some surprise event planned by the student council, but an actual situation."
Most people look at me strangely, as if they can't believe my words.
The students next to the visitors are whispering.
Since most visitors are relatives of students, they're probably talking about the strange rumors about me.
There's no answer this way.
"It must be hard to believe because of the sudden situation. But I am the son of the president of Hwasin Electronics. I promise on everything I have, including Hwasin Group. If what I'm saying isn't true, I'll give one million won to each person. This is really an actual situation!"
"Looking at how he's saying all that, isn't it really terrorism?"
"Otherwise, he's saying he'll give a million won each? Let's just follow him once, considering we're being fooled."
Now there's finally some reaction when I say I'll give money.
"Hey, foolish people. How thorough is Hunter School's security?"
But some still don't listen to me and move around as they please.
―I clearly spoke in Korean, but can't you understand? I told you not to move.
BOOM! BOOM!
With tremendous explosions, pillars of fire soar from the dormitory area.
"KYAAAAH!"
"What's that?"
"Isn't that really terrorism?"
―As a price for ignoring the warning, we just blew up the Hunter School dormitory. Announcing once more. We have already installed bombs throughout Hunter School. Follow our members' instructions obediently. If you resist or move carelessly, we will detonate all the bombs.
"What, what do we do?"
"Mom..."
"Young-ho!"
"Ye-seo's mom! Where's Ye-seo's mom?"
It's complete pandemonium... Honestly, I was surprised too.
There was no such bombing in the original work either.
"You saw that, right? You need to evacuate quickly. Follow me."
"But they said they'll detonate bombs again if we move now..."
"Then will you follow what the terrorists tell you to do like this? If you stay around me, I can block it even if bombs explode."
Whatever kind of bombs they are, ordinary bombs probably aren't stronger than Ganggi.
If so, I can block them with my barrier.
I led the people toward the back gate.
Fortunately, there were no additional explosions or warning broadcasts until we reached the back gate.
Whether heaven helped, we didn't encounter any terrorist organization members either.
But at the back gate, there were guys who appeared to be terrorist organization members restraining teachers.
"Hey, what's that? Didn't you hear the broadcast not to move?"
A blonde foreigner shouts toward us.
A foreigner?
There shouldn't be any foreigners in Antas Korea... What's this?