Chapter 128
Chapter 128
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: A Secret Worth Keeping
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"Why keep it a secret?"
Student Council President Hae-yul tilted her head. Her tightly bound high ponytail held its shape perfectly, no matter how vigorously she moved.
"Isn't it like Yaksha's son has dramatically announced House Kang's revival? For Kang Jae-hyeok, getting this out to the whole world would relieve his pent-up frustration and let him feel like he's reclaiming some honor, don't you think?"
Having heard the inside story of this unbelievable incident, Hae-yul was thrilled.
She insisted on spreading Kang Jae-hyeok's feats across the entire school right away, looking ready to print up posters.
Mun Jong-pil saw it differently.
"Think back on how the world views House Kang. If word got out that Kang Jae-hyeok, who's only 16, is that skilled, it'd draw suspicion from too many factions."
"So what? If they're wary, let them be. You said Jae-hyeok's strong, right?"
"Even the strong can't overcome everything like you, President."
"Urgh..."
Hae-yul finally regained her sense of reality and calmed down.
Ever since she'd seen the media hush up Kang Jae-hyeok's entrance re-examination results, she'd suspected House Kang's history.
Unlike the recorded accounts, Yaksha had actually been a great man, and Kang Dae-seong and Kang Hyeon-ah's terrorist acts were the result of the family's efforts to clear an unjust stigma—or so the conspiracy theory seemed plausible.
If that was true, it was even more problematic.
The factions that profited from House Kang's downfall would obsess over Kang Jae-hyeok.
Just as Mun Jong-pil said, Jae-hyeok could be in danger.
"Got it. I'll just watch quietly then. He's got the world in his hands anyway. When the time comes, Kang Jae-hyeok will step out on his own."
Wouldn't countless truths surface by then?
Hae-yul harbored that vague hope.
The more she mulled over Kang Jae-hyeok's exploits, the more convinced she became that House Kang—the family that bore and raised him—had been a great house.
***
"Bald beastman? Mu-dal?"
Bae Eujin returned from raiding the boss monster utterly exhausted.
Just recalling the drake's fire-spewing mug made his teeth grind.
He figured he'd collapse into bed without even showering once he got back to headquarters.
That was before he overheard his colleagues chattering excitedly about something intriguing.
"Was Kang Jae-hyeok at the scene?"
Bae Eujin, who'd grabbed a few cans of beer, jumped into the conversation.
"Who's that?"
The group had mobilized to help the student council after it was attacked by beastmen.
At first, they'd grumbled about this disaster on their day off.
But after seeing Mu-dal's corpse, they'd been buzzing with excitement all day.
It was only natural—they'd witnessed a page of history.
They had zero interest in some unknown name like Kang Jae-hyeok or whatever.
Bae Eujin shrugged at their drunken, disheveled states and added an explanation.
"Yaksha's son."
"Yaksha...? Oh, the kid from the entrance re-exam? Was he in the student council too?"
"Nah, not that..."
Scratching his cheek, Bae Eujin laid out the facts.
"Lately, it seems like that kid's been at every incident scene."
"Pfft!"
Laughter erupted from all around.
"What, you suspecting that brat's some mastermind or something?"
"Not exactly, but hear me out seriously. I bet Kang Jae-hyeok's no ordinary guy. Just the other day, he grabbed Ban Hui-yeol by the ear and dragged him around like a dog."
"That arrogant Young Lord Ban...? Ugh, you drunk bastard. Go sleep it off."
"Don't believe me? Fine. Anyway, point is, no Kang Jae-hyeok at the scene, right?"
"Nope."
His colleagues started ignoring Bae Eujin, who kept spouting nonsense.
They turned back to gossiping about Mu-dal's death and Grandmaster Lee So-young's exploits.
'Parrots or what.'
Shaking his head, Bae Eujin headed to his room.
'Maybe suspecting Kang Jae-hyeok's behind every incident is going too far?'
He let out a hollow chuckle.
It made him reflect: was he overrating Kang Jae-hyeok without realizing it?
***
"Wanna go out this weekend?"
It was Park Hae-rin's proposal.
Her eyes were so large that it wasn't obvious, but they were slightly puffy.
She'd slept soundly through morning classes.
Her straight-backed posture while dozing had been so novel that he'd watched her for a while.
The classroom went dead silent in an instant.
Park Hae-rin.
The freshman rumored to be the most beautiful was asking a guy out first—the ripple effect was huge.
"They say even the meekest cat climbs the stove first...!"
"Here she goes again."
As Lee Jin-seong and Du Bae-su stared in disbelief at Cheon Hye-ji, who was glaring daggers at Hae-rin like she wanted to devour her.
"An outing? Unless it's something major, no thanks."
Jae-hyeok replied to Hae-rin.
Thud!
A few male students shot to their feet.
Their faces mixed joy and rage.
The girls clicked their tongues.
"I told you, didn't I? Kang Jae-hyeok's got such a crap personality, he's doomed to be single forever."
"Yeah. He's so pitiful, I'm tempted to just take him in."
Looks weren't everything.
But they mattered.
The boys who liked Park Hae-rin without ever speaking to her, the girls who trash-talked Kang Jae-hyeok daily yet harbored a faint fondness.
They were all smitten with appearances first.
Sure, plenty argued his subtle care for those around him was his real charm... but looks got him halfway there.
Jae-hyeok was different.
To him, looks weren't a factor in judging people.
In other words, Park Hae-rin was just Park Hae-rin.
No matter the fuss over her being a beauty or whatever, it stirred nothing in him.
He couldn't comprehend guys envying or resenting him just because she'd made him an offer.
'They've got excess energy or something?'
The upcoming exam period meant more theory classes—that was the issue.
'Gotta drill them harder than usual in afternoon training.'
Jae-hyeok harbored a terrifying thought.
"Yeah... It's not that important."
Seeing Jae-hyeok's reaction, Hae-rin, who'd been standing blankly, nodded.
Unexpectedly, it was Cheon Hye-ji who stopped Hae-rin on her way back to her seat.
"What do you think you're doing!?"
Grab!
She snatched Hae-rin's wrist and planted her back in front of Jae-hyeok, raising her voice.
"There's no way you'd ask for a da—er, an outing without reason, with your personality! You must have some business! Whether it's important or not—even if it's not, whether it's interesting or not—that's for the other person to hear and decide together!"
"......"
"You're a problem too, Kang Jae-hyeok. You know full well Park Hae-rin doesn't mingle well with people, yet you shoot down her hard-won courage in one stroke? You look after everyone during training. You notice when something's up and rush in just fine! So why are you so dense the rest of the time? Shouldn't caring in everyday life be the baseline, not just when incidents blow up?"
"......"
"Talk it out! Communicate! Stop acting like you've never had friends before, you idiots!"
"......"
The classroom fell silent once more.
Cheon Hye-ji hadn't acted out of the blue.
That was just her personality.
Honest to a fault, she had to say her piece to feel satisfied.
To others, she often came off as rude, sparking frequent arguments—but that was only early in the semester.
Before long, people had started gathering around Cheon Hye-ji.
That was right.
The first-year Class B students now understood her as a person.
They knew full well she didn't care for Hae-rin hanging around Jae-hyeok.
'But why's she butting in like that...?'
The girls watched in bewilderment as Cheon Hye-ji wedged herself between Kang Jae-hyeok and Park Hae-rin to advise on their relationship.
They knew she was nosy, but no one had guessed she had a soft spot like that.
"Ah, damn. I'm screwed."
Cheon Hye-ji belatedly realized her mistake.
She was so flustered that she'd unconsciously mussed her golden hair, which she spent hours grooming every morning.
Hae-rin, who'd been staring at her, pulled a comb from her pocket.
"Here."
"What?"
"Use it. Your hair's a mess."
"...Hmph! Mine's better anyway?"
Hye-ji snorted and turned away, refusing Hae-rin's comb.
Only then did Hae-rin realize her own blunder.
"Thanks."
She hadn't thanked her.
"You're welcome, I guess? I chew you out in frustration, and you thank me. Unbelievable."
Cheon Hye-ji let out an incredulous chuckle.
Her ears were slightly flushed as she hurried out of the classroom to fix her hair.
"...Mind telling me why you want to go out?"
Jae-hyeok, who'd been sitting silently, slowly spoke up.
He'd immediately taken Cheon Hye-ji's advice.
"A birthday gift."
Hae-rin answered.
"I want to buy a present to send to my father. I thought he might like one picked out by a guy..."
It felt laden with backstory.
Even Jae-hyeok, who hated going out, couldn't flatly refuse.
Turning her down would've made him the world's biggest jerk.
Feeling the hot stares from around the room, he scratched his head.
"Fine, that much is okay. But let's stick to the nearby city."
"Yeah, the Gate entrance is plenty."
A small city had sprung up around Lion's Castle Gate.
With all the faculty, students, and Martial Force personnel active on campus, it was natural for commercial districts to form nearby to serve them.
'A gift for her father, huh.'
Something like snake liquor should do.
Jae-hyeok considered his own father's tastes.