The Silent Opening Ceremony (1)
The Silent Opening Ceremony (1)
BEEP-BEEP-BEEP—!!
A loud, obnoxious alarm assaulted the quiet room.
"Nngh......."
"Too loud...."
On a bed so massive it could comfortably fit five people with room to spare, five girls stirred, tangled together.
"Heavy......."
In the very center, Baek Ha-na opened her eyes.
With a practiced motion, she peeled Nam Seo-hee and Lee Na-young off either side of her and sat up.
A spacious room furnished with extravagantly high-end pieces.
A vast glass wall offering a clear view of the blue sky and the surrounding landscape.
"Right......."
Sitting in a daze, still half-asleep, Baek Ha-na only remembered where she was once the alarm had stopped.
Am 07 : 36
Checking the time on the wall clock, Baek Ha-na carefully slipped off the bed. She looked over her friends, still soundly asleep.
These were the precious friends who had helped her pick out a gift for the upcoming anniversary in February and stayed up talking until dawn.
Last night, Kang Han-na had announced they would assemble in the first-floor lobby by 10:00, so she had a solid two hours to spare.
"Good morning."
"Good morning."
Entering the living room, Baek Ha-na greeted Yoon I-seul, who was sitting on the sofa, drinking coffee and watching the news.
"You look much brighter. That's a relief."
"Huh? Ah, n-no... Thank you for yesterday."
Her happiness at knowing he treasured her gift had been fleeting.
-Everything is designer, so what's with that handkerchief?
-The colors don't match at all... and it's not even patterned....
The moment she overheard Na Ju-hee's quiet muttering, her face had burned with shame.
A man who only ever gave—freedom, a name, happiness, and countless other things.
But she had taken his constant kindness and warmth for granted, leaning on him and acting spoiled.
He always seemed happy over even the smallest things she gave him.
But she had used that heart of his as an excuse to avoid the truth: that his joy had nothing to do with the object's value.
She was mortified at how blissfully ignorant she had been, not even realizing that fact.
So she made a promise to herself.
She would achieve undeniable results at this Ceremony and stand before him with pride at the closing ceremonies.
"Ms. Ha-na?"
"......Huh? Oh, sorry. What did you say?"
Snapping out of it, she quickly asked again. Yoon I-seul just gave a small laugh and shook her head.
"I said I had fun last night, too. If you ever need anything like that again, please call on me."
"...I will."
Baek Ha-na thought that maybe it would be okay to get a little closer to Yoon I-seul.
**
"Hands up, anyone who's not here."
Kang Han-na, clad in a black formal uniform that looked slightly different from the school uniform, looked around at the students and threw out a corny joke.
"Well, looks like everyone's accounted for."
She moved on quickly, perhaps realizing herself that the joke hadn't landed.
"As announced yesterday, we're heading to the Royal Academy now. After about an hour of rehearsal, we go live. So don't get too relaxed and make a mistake. Got it?"
"Yes, ma'am!!"
The students answered in a thunderous roar.
"Look at these little punks, all full of energy after a single day off."
Just two days ago, they'd been bleary-eyed with exhaustion and glaring daggers at everything. But after last night's good food and rest, their faces were glowing, their eyes wide and brimming with confidence.
It was only a momentary feeling.
Click— Click—
The moment the elegant clack of fine leather shoes echoed clearly across the floor, the confident students stiffened and snapped to attention in unison.
Gulp.
With Jaden and Cheon Ji-ho flanking her, Kang Han-na couldn't help but swallow hard at the sheer authority radiating from Baek Woo-jin as he approached.
"Is everyone here?"
"Yes, sir! Everyone's present!!"
Kang Han-na nodded her head briskly at Jaden's question.
"Then let's move out."
"Yes, sir!! Everyone, board!!"
Kang Han-na turned and moved to follow behind the three professors.
"Ms. Ha-na?"
"Ah, s-sorry."
Shaken alert by Yoon I-seul's call, Baek Ha-na quickly fell in behind Kang Han-na. Only then did the rest of the students start moving, following after her.
'...He's so cool.'
Baek Ha-na couldn't tear her eyes away from Baek Woo-jin's back, clad in a black service uniform embroidered with golden thread.
**
A 30-minute bus ride.
-I saw videos, but seeing it in person is completely different.
-Feels like we've gone back to medieval times.
-You've lived in medieval times?
As they entered the Royal Academy grounds, the previously well-behaved students began offering their impressions as they looked out the window.
'I thought she'd be fascinated.'
Yoon I-seul glanced sideways at Baek Ha-na, who had been in a daze ever since they left the hotel.
'Is she... in love with Professor Baek Woo-jin?'
The way she'd been picking out a handkerchief in the hotel room last night, and how her eyes had gone unfocused the moment he appeared—it all added up.
'Well, aside from the glasses, he's objectively the type of man who attracts interest from everyone.'
A tall stature and broad shoulders.
A deep, resonant voice that could steal hearts regardless of gender.
Even a dignity woven into his every movement.
'Better not get involved in this one.'
Developing feelings for someone was a personal freedom. If the man had been unattached, she might have tried to help somehow.
But he was involved with Claire Vin Asen, the representative of the God of Amusement.
'I'm not about to jump into a fire pit just to play matchmaker.'
Pshhhht—
The bus came to a stop, and the doors opened.
Baek Woo-jin and the other two professors disembarked first, and Kang Han-na stood up from her seat.
-Everyone off!!
Yoon I-seul gently shook Baek Ha-na, who had been gazing at Baek Woo-jin through the window before realizing it.
"Ms. Ha-na?"
"......Ah."
Her hazy blue eyes widened as Baek Ha-na came back to her senses.
"We've arrived."
"Oh, sorry."
"It's fine. Come on, let's get off."
Only after the two of them stood did the other seated students rise from their seats.
-My apologies. Due to an internal issue, there will be a delay of approximately 30 minutes. We will escort you to the waiting room first.
A woman in a crisp red uniform took the lead, and the group, centered around Baek Woo-jin, followed behind her.
-Whoa, damn.......
-Insane, this is the main hall?
-It looks even bigger than Hotspur Stadium.
-Now this is real 'fuck-you' money.......
The students went from admiration to sheer shock at the hall's enormous scale.
Once they stepped inside, their reactions shifted again.
-Faces I know all around.
-Ha, I've shattered that bastard's skull more than ten times.
-And he's killed you over twenty.
Their eyes glinted as they scanned the faces of students from other schools, already gathered and resting in groups near sunlit spots.
-Please, make yourselves comfortable anywhere you like.
Before leaving, the woman apologized once more for the delay.
"We've got about 30 minutes, so sit around or do whatever. Just let someone know if you're going somewhere."
Kang Han-na waved a hand dismissively and walked over to where Baek Woo-jin and the other two professors were standing.
'She really is interested.'
From the moment they'd entered the hall, Baek Ha-na had not once taken her eyes off Baek Woo-jin. Yoon I-seul felt sure her earlier guess was correct.
'Best to stay out of the way.'
Using her Shadow, Yoon I-seul erected a very fine, almost invisible wall of thorns around Baek Ha-na's perimeter. A warning to any other students who might be drawn to her looks and think of approaching.
But the real trouble started somewhere else entirely.
-Are you Baek Woo-jin?
A man with the same blond hair and blue eyes as Jaden, with thick eyebrows and distinct, sharp features, addressed Baek Woo-jin.
A few students sucked in a sharp breath, Yoon I-seul among them.
World Rank 23. The master of Justice, a massive guild with 3,000 members.
'Ben Stiller......!!'
Yoon I-seul swallowed hard and rapidly assessed him.
'...He doesn't seem to be here as a professor.'
The clothes he wore were extremely casual everyday wear, a match for his reputation.
And a sleeveless shirt and shorts totally unsuited to the winter season, at that.
'Why is the man who reportedly charges hundreds of billions just to make a single move here...?'
Yoon I-seul's gaze naturally shifted to the man Ben Stiller was seeking: Baek Woo-jin.
Baek Woo-jin was just looking at him. Ben Stiller was of a similar height.
-No Korean, then?
Frowning at the lack of response, Ben Stiller fiddled with one of the rings on his finger.
Whirrrr.
A green light enveloped his body.
-Ah, is it working now?
To the surprise of everyone, fluent Korean began flowing from his mouth.
-Are you Baek Woo-jin?
Ben Stiller asked again.
But Baek Woo-jin's mouth remained firmly shut.
-Hah.......
The furrow in Ben Stiller's brow deepened.
-Hey, I'm a friend of Claire.......
SMACK—!!
With a sound sharp and wet, Ben Stiller's body soared through the air.
He spun dozens of times mid-flight before crashing into the floor.
In an instant, the bustling hall fell into absolute silence.