Homecoming
Homecoming
The two-day rest period flew by in an instant.
For Baek Ha-na, who had spent her time exploring every corner of London, it felt even shorter.
"Haaahmm..."
Baek Ha-na, now aboard the private jet, sank into her seat, unable to suppress a yawn. She hadn't slept a wink, having returned to the hotel late in the evening and then stayed up until dawn enjoying the bar and the other facilities in the basement.
"I hope I can come back again someday."
Gazing through the window at the airport and London streets slowly receding into the distance, Baek Ha-na felt the corner of her lips curl upward. Her first impression of the city hadn't been great, but if she set that aside, it had been a thoroughly enjoyable experience—new friends, the party, exploring the city.
[You are now free to...]
Once the in-flight announcement played, Baek Ha-na unfastened her seatbelt and flung herself onto the bed at the rear of the cabin. It was just as plush as the hotel bed, carrying a faint, pleasant scent of sunshine.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Still clutching the black coat she hadn't yet returned, Baek Ha-na stirred and sat up. She'd been on the verge of deep sleep.
"...It's Seo-hee."
Identifying the person outside through a subtle ripple of mana, Baek Ha-na slid off the bed and opened the door.
"I was going to ask if you wanted to have lunch together. Was I interrupting?"
"Mm..."
At the mention of lunch, Baek Ha-na shook her head lightly.
Now that she thought about it, she was a little hungry. And a full stomach would only help her sleep better.
"Just a moment."
Having made up her mind quickly, Baek Ha-na tucked the coat she'd been cradling under the covers, slipped into her fuzzy slippers, and stepped out of the room.
"Seo-hee, this way."
"...Okay."
Nam Seo-hee, who had been about to lead the drowsy Baek Ha-na, gave a short answer and quickly moved to follow her beckoning hand.
"Hm?"
"Ah, Big Sis I-seul."
The moment they entered the dining area, Baek Ha-na's eyes met Yoon I-seul's. She was sitting in the lounge, looking at a tablet. The female student seated across from Yoon I-seul flinched and turned around.
"...Huh?!"
"...?"
Approaching the table with Nam Seo-hee, Baek Ha-na tilted her head at the woman's startled reaction upon seeing her face.
"I thought you'd head straight to bed, since you looked so tired."
"Hehe... I was a little hungry."
Baek Ha-na scratched her cheek as she answered Yoon I-seul's question.
"Who's this, by the way?"
"This is Kang Min-ji, the Top Seat of Hwarang Academy. She's a bit of an acquaintance."
"Ah, hello. I'm Baek Ha-na."
"A-ah, hello...!"
Kang Min-ji—one of the most highly regarded prospects in the country, someone treated with deference wherever she went—shot up from her seat and bowed her head deeply in greeting.
"Uh, yes...?"
At the excessive reaction, Baek Ha-na blinked and glanced at Yoon I-seul. Yoon I-seul smiled gently and said,
"This is just how she is. Let's order some food first, shall we?"
"Okay..."
Baek Ha-na headed toward the counter/kitchen area with Nam Seo-hee.
At the same time, the smile vanished from Yoon I-seul's face.
"Don't overdo it. You're making her uncomfortable."
"Wh-who said I wanted to overdo it...?"
Kang Min-ji sat back down, her face bright red. She was clearly embarrassed herself.
"Ah shit, I screwed up my first impression..."
"Do you even have the kind of impression worth screwing up? You who got knocked out in the round of sixteen."
"Th-that's...!"
"Quiet, and if your business here is finished, get lost."
"...Do you have to be so cold?"
Sliiither.
A shadow under the table wriggled and coiled lightly around Kang Min-ji's ankle.
"Ah crap... Fine, I'm going, alright...!"
Rising from her seat, Kang Min-ji glanced at Baek Ha-na's back as she ordered food at the counter and muttered quietly.
"We're going to see each other at the student general assembly anyway, this is seriously overkill..."
"Our queen has no interest in things like that. Get lost, quickly."
"Agh! St-stop poking me! You crazy bitch...!"
Pricked repeatedly in the calf by shadow thorns, Kang Min-ji fled the dining area with tears in her eyes. Not long after she left, Baek Ha-na returned to the table with Nam Seo-hee, the two of them carrying trays laden with food.
"...You didn't have to chase her off."
"She was making me uncomfortable."
It was an honest answer with no pretense, but Baek Ha-na took it as consideration for her and scratched her cheek sheepishly as she took the seat across from Yoon I-seul.
"What are you looking at, anyway?"
"The domestic reaction—well, not quite public opinion, but I've been browsing the responses."
"Responses?"
Seeing Baek Ha-na tilt her head curiously with a mouthful of twirled pasta, Yoon I-seul chuckled and held out her tablet.
[Title: Heading out soon to welcome the queen, yeah]
Author: Anon
Planning to camp out at Incheon Airport starting 10 a.m. no matter what
Anon: You're insane lolol
Anon: FR lol didn't you see the official notice from the government and association?
SexyBear: Even if you go, if you're not an actual passenger you're getting blocked at the entrance gl
└Anon(Author): That's why I bought a ticket to Busan
└Anon(Author): (photo)
└SexyBear: WTF hahaha
└RoyalGuard1: I've reported you~
"Uh..."
"Ha-na, your popularity is truly impressive. And there's also this."
[Title: So why the hell was the video deleted?]
Author: ArenaHopeful
I only went two days without seeing it and I'm already shaking like crazy ffs
Please restore the video please T_T
If you were gonna delete it, you shouldn't have uploaded it in the first place
You got my standards all jacked up and then you just take it away—how the fuck am I supposed to live now!!
Anon: That gradient of rage lmao
Ririrururoro: S-sir, please calm down. You'll incur divine punishment at this rate.
FatBelle: Big sis calm down, cooldown, ok?
└ArenaHopeful(Author): Who the hell are you to tell me what to do about my dick ffs
└Anon: Hopeful is gay...
"Uwah..."
At the slightly—no, very—embarrassing vocabulary, Baek Ha-na's cheeks flushed and she hurriedly handed the tablet back to Yoon I-seul.
"Fufu, it seems a great many people are disappointed that the video of Professor Baek taken at the party was taken down."
Yoon I-seul herself was one of those people disappointed by the removal of Baek Woo-jin's video, but she concealed that fact thoroughly—if only to preserve her relationship with Baek Ha-na.
"And inside the academy too, everyone's buzzing with talk about you and Professor Baek."
"I don't really like being the center of attention..."
"Don't worry too much. I'll handle that part."
Yoon I-seul exchanged a quick glance with Nam Seo-hee, who was sitting beside Baek Ha-na eating salad. It was a look that said: the upperclassmen would be her responsibility, and she'd leave the underclassmen and their peers to Nam Seo-hee.
And so the two forged a secret pact without the person in question ever knowing.
**
"How many times must I say it? I told you—interviews and everything else of the sort, I'm refusing all of it. And don't even think about filming with cameras, whether inside or outside the airport."
Jaden, who rarely lost his temper, set his smartphone down on the table with a grimace.
"The government?"
"Yes. They asked if they couldn't at least film from a distance without conducting any actual interviews. I can't help getting irritated."
"...Can't we just leave them to do as they please? Knowing Professor Baek's temperament, he'd clean them out neatly."
At Cheon Ji-ho's question, Jaden ran both hands roughly down his face.
"I'd like to do that too..."
But what could he do when his superior personally ordered him not to create troublesome situations? If he failed to carry it out properly, he'd probably get his head slammed straight into the floor.
"I—I'm sorry I can't be of more help."
"No, not at all. I'm doing this because I want to... ha, haha..."
Jaden laughed feebly and gazed out the dark window.
The city's nightscape was drawing closer.
'...Please, just let us get home quietly without any incidents.'
He didn't believe in any particular god, but regardless, Jaden prayed to every god he could name to get through today unscathed.
**
"All right, you damned bastards—good work, every one of you."
Kang Seok-ho, fiancé of Na Ju-hee and the first to notch a loss, listened closely as Kang Han-na spoke in front of the gate.
"Well, some of you probably already know this, but there aren't going to be any interviews, so don't get worked up over nothing. Not that it would matter if there were—no one would pay attention to anyone but the three up front here anyway."
The remark could easily have been insulting, but no one—Kang Seok-ho included—disagreed with Kang Han-na. There were a handful of others who had put on dazzling performances besides the top three, but they all knew better than anyone: compared to those three, the rest were fireflies beneath the sun.
"Anyway, it's late, so head back to the dorms for tonight. Starting tomorrow, those who want to go home can go home, and the rest of you, enjoy the remainder of your break however you like. Understood?"
"YES, MA'AM—!!"
"The way you little shits answer is always flawless, I'll give you that."
Kang Han-na smirked and was about to turn away.
"Hold on."
A rich voice sounded right behind her, and Kang Seok-ho reflexively snapped to attention, shoulders and back ramrod straight.
Click— Click—
With the crisp sound of dress shoes, Baek Woo-jin, draped in his black coat, came to a stop beside Kang Han-na. He addressed the tense students.
"Baek Ha-na, Yoon I-seul, Nam Seo-hee, Park Dae-geun, Na Ju-hee."
The three whose names had been called—aside from Baek Ha-na and Nam Seo-hee—quietly swallowed and waited for what came next.
"Everyone besides those five has lost at least once."
'Uh...'
Kang Seok-ho, who had been listening intently, a faint flutter of anticipation stirring in his chest, felt his eyes widen.
"Everyone whose name I didn't just call will assemble at the Upperclassmen Sparring Ground by 8 a.m. tomorrow. As promised, special training until the break ends."
With that, Baek Woo-jin turned without a hint of hesitation and exited the gate ahead of everyone else.
'I'm doomed...'
Kang Seok-ho was internally tearing his hair out, remembering the promise from the first day, when—
"Tsk tsk, what can you do? The milk's already spilled. Quit your moping and let's go."
Kang Han-na clicked her tongue and turned away.
"Ah, right."
She'd only taken a few steps before she looked back over her shoulder, as if remembering something, and addressed the students.
"Anyone who's late, consider yourselves dead."
To replenish her empty bank account, Kang Han-na had cheerfully volunteered for overtime.