022. Jealousy (3)
022. Jealousy (3)
"I am Jin Yu-ha, but I'm not the one chasing Cheonhwa. Cheonhwa is the one chasing me."
"Ha, Cheonhwa is chasing you? A quota-system bastard like you?"
They cackled among themselves as if they'd just heard the funniest joke.
My eyes went cold and flat.
"Let's say that's true. Why'd you mess with them?"
"Who?"
"The guys you're sitting on with your ass."
"They're quota students, same as you."
"So?"
"'So' my ass. When you've got a pile of trash, do you burn it one piece at a time, or do you burn it all together?"
Grind, grind—
"Ghhh...."
"Gk."
Square Jaw ground the quota students' heads against the floor like he was stubbing out a cigarette.
It felt filthy.
'Ha, these slimy bastards.'
In this ambiguous gender-reversed world, the women hold immense power yet still maintain feminine personalities.
And it seemed the same was true for the men, the opposite side.
Their personalities were masculine, but since they were weaker than women, maybe that's what made them so twisted.
'Nah. This fucker just is this kind of guy. Back in my original world, scum like him all acted exactly the same.'
In reality, even in Shin Se-hee's Personal Story, he was the guy who followed her around like a lost puppy
until he inevitably crossed the line she had drawn and got booted out.
At best, that's all he is.
"You should be thanking me. I'm gonna let you rest up for a few days. Anyway, I heard you're receiving training that's way out of your league?"
"What was it again? 'I request training at the same level as a Special Admission Cadet'?"
The mean-faced man standing next to Square Jaw pursed his lips crookedly and spoke in a mocking tone.
Once again, jeers erupted from all around.
Square Jaw shook his head tsk-tsk, then lifted his heavy ass and stood up.
"I was planning to keep an eye on you a little longer, but I can't anymore. How dare a nobody like you even touch Cheonhwa?"
He was a pretty big guy.
I rolled my eyes and assessed their combat strength.
'Fifteen.'
Right now, there's a wooden sword in my hand. The very day Instructor Baek Seol-hee told me to always carry a wooden sword, something like this happens.
Grip—
I tightened my hand around the hilt.
At the same time, I spoke to Square Jaw in a nonchalant tone.
"So this is male jealousy? Kinda gross."
"......What?"
"But even without me around, I doubt Shin Se-hee is gonna look twice at you."
I looked at Square Jaw and let out a low laugh.
"I mean, you're ugly as fuck."
Maybe he was insecure about his face, because that little jab made him twist his face into a snarl and launch himself at me.
"You son of a bitch!!!"
A fist flying straight at my face. Something like a chain was wrapped tightly around the guy's hand.
Whoosh—
A massive fist filled my retina.
'...Watching this after seeing Kang Do-hee's punches. It's so pathetic it's almost funny.'
I snorted and tilted my head slightly.
The fist skimmed past my cheek by a paper-thin margin.
"......Look at that? You dodged?"
Just as the guy, his face full of rage, turned his body to swing his fist again.
Thwack—!
"Ghk!"
The pommel of the wooden sword drove deep into the guy's side.
Square Jaw's eyes flew open as his head slammed into the ground.
He writhed, clutching his waist.
"Ghrghh...."
Groans and thick drool leaked from his gaping mouth.
"......You fucking dog!"
He turned his head, his eyes brimming with hatred. The drool running down his chin glistened.
I looked down at him and said,
"I'm gonna beat the shit out of you until you learn where to look."
I raised the wooden sword, gripping it with both hands.
The thing I had practiced throughout the entire training session.
The Basic Downward Strike.
Whoooosh—!
The tip of the sword carved an unwavering arc downward and crashed onto Square Jaw's back.
Crack—!
"Ghk—!"
The guy, who had been trying to get up immediately, was flattened onto the floor again.
"Don't put your hands on your back. You'll get hit in the bones."
Crack—!
"Aagh!!!"
"Hey, I told you not to put your hands behind your back. You'll break something."
At that, the guy just flipped his whole body over.
Craaack—!
"Ghrk!"
Crack!
"Gk!"
Thwack!
"Ghk!"
Crack!
"Agh!"
I swung it like a club, pounding every inch of his body evenly.
Since he was big, there were plenty of places to hit.
He seemed to be trying to block with his hands and stand back up somehow, but I had no intention of letting him.
The merciless beating continued.
"Gaaagh! St-stop!!! I-I'm sorry!"
After getting beaten for a while, he must've realized it was completely hopeless and shouted, curled up in a ball.
"Nah, not happening."
Craaack—!!
I cracked him over the head with the wooden sword.
As the wooden sword struck his head, his eyes flipped inside out and his face drooped limply to the side.
A hush fell over the crowd.
Their leader had charged in, only to get beaten like a dog on a summer day and knocked unconscious in return.
It happened in an instant.
"Wha-what!?"
"......Th-the boss?"
"How on earth did that bastard...!"
The guys surrounding me opened their eyes wide in disbelief, looking back and forth between me and Square Jaw.
"Hoo."
I exhaled lightly and took a leisurely step forward.
"Hey! Fuck!! Grab your weapons!"
The mean-faced man screamed out in a fit.
At that, the guys cried out in alarm, each of them making fists or drawing the weapons they carried for self-defense.
"I appreciate that you didn't lose your motivation after watching that just now, but still...."
I lifted the corner of my mouth.
"Shouldn't you pick your opponents more carefully?"
"Fuck! You son of a bitch! Everyone, get him together!"
With rough curses, the fourteen men charged.
* * *
Crack!
"Ghhk—!"
A satisfying crack rang out, and another man dropped to his knees.
Those gathered here were the ones among this year's newly enrolled male cadets who could throw their weight around to some degree.
All of their attacks were aimed at one person: Jin Yu-ha.
But Jin Yu-ha dodged and deflected them by merely turning his body slightly or lowering his head.
And the ensuing Sword Strike was hidden in the darkness, impossible to even glimpse.
Crack!
"Graaagh!!!"
Each time the impact rang out, another man collapsed on the spot, letting out a chilling scream.
The pupils of the remaining men trembled as if an earthquake had struck.
The Male Quota.
He was definitely a guy who hadn't even taken a single exam.
Trash who entered without paying any price, unlike themselves who had won admission through blood-spitting effort.
That alone was already unforgivable, but he had even committed the atrocity of clinging to Cheonhwa and eating a meal with her.
Because he was that kind of guy, it was necessary to make him suffer the same trials and pain we had endured.
That's what they thought.
That's why they had gathered here.
To give him a bitter taste so that he could never again walk through Velvet Academy with his shoulders squared under the name of the Male Quota.
To caution him so he wouldn't even dare to think of clinging to Cheonhwa.
However, what was happening here?
Fifteen people were being unilaterally hunted by a single person.
"This is crazy...!"
"Wh-what is this...!"
"You're insane, this wasn't in the deal!"
The remaining guys shouted out in confusion.
Yet, even in the midst of that, the wooden sword diligently beat the hell out of their bodies.
"How on earth can a quota-system bastard do this...!"
"Fuck. Stop saying quota system, you piece of shit!"
"Eeeek!!!"
Whoosh—!
Maybe because some resentment had built up, the emotion-laden wooden sword came crashing down on the head of the guy who had just shouted "quota system."
Craaaack!
"Grrk—!"
The guy's upper body staggered before he collapsed right on the spot.
Thud.
By this point, even those left were forced to realize it. Something had gone wrong, seriously wrong.
"W-we have to run...."
"Monster...!"
Just as they were pulling their feet back and trying to turn around.
"Fuck. You bastards don't have any loyalty?"
A chilling voice stopped their bodies dead in their tracks.
"Hey, the moment you take a single step away from here, you're truly dead."
"......!"
"Wanna just get beaten up here, pass out, and be done with it? Or would you rather get steadily beaten up from the entrance ceremony all the way to graduation?"
From the entrance ceremony to graduation.
When they imagined years-long beatings and violence, their faces went ashen.
In the end, there was only one choice.
"Ueugh... W-we'll take the beating now and be done with it!"
"W-we're sorry!!!"
Crack!
Crack!
The last remaining guys shut their eyes tight and meekly took the wooden sword hits before collapsing on the spot.
Thud.
Thud.
And those who took in this whole scene.
They were the male quota cadets who had been face-down on the floor.
'Crazy....'
'What is this....'
Their mouths wouldn't even open.
Goosebumps prickled all over their bodies.
This was the first time they had seen Jin Yu-ha's sword.
During the spar with the instructor where he first revealed his skills, they had been late,
and after that, all they ever saw was him just standing there alone, holding a sword for ages.
So whenever they had free time, they had badmouthed Jin Yu-ha behind his back.
It was all so unfair: the instructor giving him special treatment, the way they were treated like training tools and ignored.
On top of that, wasn't it because of Jin Yu-ha that they were in this shitty situation today!
Jin Yu-ha, who was also a male quota student but seemed to insist he was different.
Naturally, there was no way their feelings toward him could be good, and only layers of hatred had been piling up.
But, what was this?
That Jin Yu-ha had saved us.
While revealing an unimaginable level of skill.
"......Hey, you okay?"
With his foot planted on one guy's head,
Jin Yu-ha turned his head with a slightly troubled look and scratched his cheek.
"Seems like what happened today is my fault. Sorry."
"Why...."
He apologized to us.
The guy who had dragged us into this on the first day of training and threatened us.
The guy who took it for granted when we were treated like training tools and ignored.
I know this is actually the moment I should be saying thank you.
But I couldn't hold back without asking.
"Why are you apologizing. Why did you save us...?"
* * *
"Shin Se-hee. Here are the requested records and recorded footage of Cadet Jin Yu-ha."
On top of an antique desk under soft lighting.
A freshly made hamburger was faintly wafting steam.
Flip— Flip—
Shin Se-hee skimmed through the information on Jin Yu-ha passed to her by the man.
"Hmm, there really is nothing special... I'm sure there is something, though...."
Tap.
After a rough look, she casually closed the document folder.
"Eh, this is all probably a cover. Oh, and did you confirm that?"
Shin Se-hee turned her head and asked the man.
"Yes, we were able to identify the person who talked in the necklace theft incident. It has been confirmed that a considerable amount of information was leaked."
"So it was real... Then it's not at all strange that Jin Yu-ha knows about it."
She nodded her head side to side, then let out a low sigh.
"Well, it's fine. We made a deal, after all. You've also checked the footage, right?"
"Yes, it was impressive... I can see why you've been keeping an eye on him."
Chew chew—
Shin Se-hee popped the hamburger into her mouth and played the footage.
In the video, Jin Yu-ha was swinging his wooden sword like a ghost, overwhelming the male cadets.
"Aha, I knew it. Good work, Secretary Kim."
"......You anticipated that this would happen."
At that, Shin Se-hee pouted her lips and glared at him.
"Could you please not say it like I ordered this or intended for it to happen? That makes me look like a really bad person."
"......."
"All I did was eat a meal with Jin Yu-ha in front of people, didn't I? And even I didn't know they would step up this fast."
Shin Se-hee was grumbling adorably, but.
The man working as her secretary couldn't help but feel a chilling sensation inside.
She had intended for jealousy to occur.
The jealousy of the crowd who followed and worshipped Shin Se-hee.
'That's not all... Just how many moves ahead is she reading?'
He had worked by her side for a long time, but every time he saw this angelic appearance, he felt a deep sense of dissonance.
"To be honest, Do-hee is incredibly easy. Because her desires are so clear. A longing for what she doesn't have. An unyielding attitude in tough situations, a cheap sense of heroism that lends a hand to the weak."
Sip—
The screen showed Jin Yu-ha reaching out a hand to the male quota cadets.
Shin Se-hee watched this and sucked on her cola.
"So, Secretary Kim. Now, please overlay the former Parandis Guild Master's image onto that footage and onto the daily-life footage of Jin Yu-ha we'll be collecting from now on. Little by little, frame by frame, so she won't notice. So that the Guild Master's face slowly overlays with this man's face."
"......And then, shall I show it directly to Cadet Kang Do-hee?"
"No? That'd be too boring."
Shin Se-hee spoke with a bright smile.
"We have to wait until it ripens a little more. More. More. Until Do-hee finds Jin Yu-ha annoying and despises him. Honestly, if I had my way, I'd do it until everything falls apart— but I can't, sadly, because of my deal with Jin Yu-ha."
"......."
"It'll be fun, right? How Do-hee will change once she's fallen for the person she rejected and pushed away so much."
Picturing that Kang Do-hee fumbling helplessly in front of Jin Yu-ha, Shin Se-hee's smile deepened.
Goosebumps prickled up Secretary Kim's arms, but he simply bowed his head in silence.