Unexpected (1)
Unexpected (1)
While Nam Seo-hee's smartphone was acting on its own—
"......."
"......."
Baek Woo-jin sat in a corner of the party hall, savoring a cup of coffee as he enjoyed the soft, rippling melody in his own way.
He paid no attention to the countless gazes fixed on him, focusing solely on the subtle aroma rising from the cup in his hand. His conclusion was clear: instant coffee suited his palate best.
Meanwhile, Jaden—who had been deeply shocked by Baek Woo-jin's briefly revealed face along with the other professors—sat in a corner, staring blankly at his superior drinking coffee with effortless elegance and thought:
'How can a person look like that?'
It was a purely genuine question, devoid of any ulterior motive.
There were limits to good looks.
Objectively speaking, Jaden wasn't the type to be outshone by anyone in the looks department. He had never once fallen out of the world's Top 100 Handsome Men rankings—a fact that might sound like boasting.
But the face of his superior, which he had witnessed with his own two eyes today, was on a completely different level. Describing it was pointless.
People had long used the phrase "a face sculpted by the gods" for handsome men and beautiful women. That phrasing should probably be banned from now on, because today he had seen what actually happens when a god sets out to carve a human face.
'Well, damn.'
Jealousy? Ridiculous.
Anyone who could feel jealousy after seeing that face was clearly garbage with no basic human decency. Jealousy only existed between those on a similar level.
His superior's appearance simply inspired awe—one human being to another.
'...Is he a god?'
Jaden was serious.
The question was formed with complete objectivity.
For decades, renowned scholars from the Clock Tower and across the world had studied Rifts and Crystals without uncovering a single thing. Yet his superior had not only pulled a Crystal from a Rift but could use it to artificially generate any Rift at will—even summon monsters.
Then there was the incident a few days ago.
Ben Stiller—a high ranker who had been running wild without knowing his place—had his magic circuits torn to shreds in an instant, turning him into a complete wreck as an Awakened.
During that confrontation, two actual gods had descended.
That alone was astonishing. But toward those arrogant, authoritarian deities, his superior had spoken to them dismissively, the same way he spoke to everyone else—even supreme beings.
If any other Awakened had done that, divine punishment would have struck on the spot, turning them to ash without leaving even a speck of bone dust.
Yet his superior was right here, calmly drinking coffee.
Yes, despite the disrespect, those arrogant gods hadn't taken issue with it. They had let it pass as if it were only natural. Jaden himself had taken a while to even realize that.
And now today, he had seen a face that no human could judge.
'His voice, too...'
He had grown accustomed to it lately, so it didn't stimulate him as much, but his superior's voice carried a devilish charm that could make even another man's heart tremble for an instant.
In any case, when Jaden pieced all of this together, the question naturally arose: was his superior even human? If he really was a human like Jaden, that would be shocking in its own way.
'If he is human... then maybe it was the Executor who put those glasses on Professor Baek...?'
Before seeing that face directly, Jaden never would have entertained the thought, even if his skull had been cracked open. Now, having seen it, his entire premise had shifted.
'The Executor certainly has a beauty sculpted by the gods as well...'
No, perhaps "as if sculpted" was the right phrasing now. There were occasional rumors among the students that the Executor had lost her heart to his superior's looks, and maybe that little joke held some truth after all.
'...I will serve even more devotedly from now on.'
A man who had stepped alone into territory still unknown to humanity.
A man who could hold his own against gods.
A man who possessed everything.
Realizing that this was his superior, Jaden resolved to follow Baek Woo-jin's orders even if it cost him his life.
"Jaden."
"......Yes, sir!!"
Even while lost in thought, Jaden answered his superior's voice on pure instinct and hurried to his side.
"When the time comes, lead the group back."
"Ahem... Yes. Understood."
Replying in Korean—now completely natural to him—Jaden bent his waist at the angle he considered most disciplined.
"Don't do things you never used to do. It's distracting."
"......Yes, sir."
At Baek Woo-jin's scolding that followed, Jaden straightened his back with an awkward expression.
Clack.
Setting down his empty cup, Baek Woo-jin rose from his seat. He walked past Jaden and moved forward.
'Whew. Act normal. Just act normal...'
Jaden quickly composed himself and scanned the area, looking for the youngest member of their group, Kang Han-na.
'...Where did she go?'
But no matter how much he looked, Kang Han-na was nowhere to be seen.
Since access to the second floor was blocked, she had to be here. After pacing around for a long while, Jaden finally released his mana and only then managed to locate her.
"What the hell...."
A dry sigh escaped Jaden's lips when he found Kang Han-na.
Several female professors lay side by side on the floor.
They differed in nationality and affiliation, but they shared a few things in common.
Bodies flushed bright red. Dark red crusts caked beneath their noses.
'I can't even scold her for this...'
Jaden shook his head as he looked down at Kang Han-na, unconscious with traces of nosebleed still visible.
**
"You may go in through this door."
The third floor, accessible by the stairs.
After following Eddie Holt, who had discreetly sent out a pulse of mana, I arrived and he bowed deeply, stepping aside.
Click.
I turned the handle and pushed the door open. A space reminiscent of a medieval noble's mansion revealed itself.
As I took a few steps inside, the door I had left open closed soundlessly. The woman seated in a splendid white chair rose to her feet.
"Thank you for accepting my invitation."
She offered a graceful greeting, lightly lifting the edges of her red dress embroidered with gold thread.
"I am Eleanor. The woman who serves as this country's queen."
She lifted her head from the modest bow.
"Keep it brief. Just business."
"......."
The soft smile on the queen's face stiffened.
"First, I wish to apologize for the matter of Ben Stiller."
Still wearing the stiff expression, the queen closed her eyes and clasped her hands neatly below her stomach as she bowed toward me.
"I was the one who brought Ben Stiller to this country. Because you were the famous Executor's man, I wanted to verify your skills for myself. I commissioned him."
Her waist, already bent at a right angle, dropped a little lower.
"If you wish, I will kneel. If not, I will offer an official apology."
"I don't see what value your kneeling or your apology hold for me. Such things only carry meaning when offered by the strong to the weak."
The queen's shoulders quivered almost imperceptibly.
I had known this was her doing from the start. That was why I had no need for an apology. I had expected this outcome, so I'd simply gone along with it quietly.
"Eleanor."
"......Yes."
The queen answered without raising her head.
"This is your last warning."
Flinc<h>.
The queen's shoulders—no, her whole body—visibly trembled.
"I apologize."
The queen straightened her bent waist. But to the very end, she did not lift her head to look up at me.
"I will grant any demand you make, so long as it does not harm this country or my life."
Without answering, I walked over and sat in a different chair.
"Thank you."
Only then did the queen sit down and properly meet my eyes. She wore that initial smile again as her lips parted slightly.
"Since you have accepted my apology, may I speak more freely from now on?"
She shifted the arms that had rested humbly below her knees, using them to support her chest from underneath.
"Ah, I would also be most grateful if you could let me know how I should address you."
She leaned her upper body subtly toward me.
The queen's pure desire, reflected in her blue eyes, transmitted a powerful longing through the Authority of Greed.
Through it, I realized that the queen's aim in targeting me was different from what I had thought.
'A seed....'
And at the same time, just how insane this woman was.
**
Inside the bus returning to the Academy.
Nam Seo-hee turned her head. She could see Baek Ha-na, still burrowed deep into a black coat.
'She'll love it if I send this video.'
Feeling happy herself at the thought of cheering up her friend, Nam Seo-hee took out her smartphone. She began slowly typing a message.
[ Me : Wait for me, I'll change clothes with Ha-na and come right down so have some simple food ready...... ]
Bzzt—!!
Bzzt—!!
Bzzt—!!
With a burst of consecutive vibrations, messages from friends who weren't even here flooded into the group chat where she'd been writing.
[ Maria : (Link) ]
[ Maria : What is this? What, how did this happen? What is it? Huh? ]
[ Idni : Please tell me there's a full video. Fuck, Nam Seo-hee you have it, right? Right? There's no way you didn't record Baek Ha-na. Right? Please say yes wtf ]
'......?'
Nam Seo-hee furrowed her brow and paused the message she'd been writing, then clicked the Neotube video link Maria had posted.
It was a short, ten-second Shorts video.
A scene Nam Seo-hee knew intimately began to play.
Snow-white glasses slowly removed from a face.
A large hand sweeping back unkempt hair.
Golden eyes gradually revealed.
The video ended there.
After that, it only replayed from the start.
Nam Seo-hee's pupils began to shake violently.
Nam Seo-hee swallowed hard and opened her video folder, playing the recording she had shot herself.
"Ah......."
A brief ten-second video.
It was a clip cropped from the beginning of her own recording.