Waking Up on Her Lap
When I opened my eyes, a pure white ceiling filled my vision. Where was I? I turned my head and saw Jeong Hayeon sleeping soundly beside me. Oh. This was a hospital. Now that I thought about it, I had passed out from exhaustion caused by the gauntlet’s side effect.
But something felt strange. Jeong Hayeon was far too close in my field of view. I slowly lifted my head. Only then did I realize why she had appeared that way. I had fallen asleep with my head pillowed on Jeong Hayeon’s thighs.
“....”
It was a relief that she had been unconscious when I collapsed. If she had been awake, she definitely would have hurled every insult imaginable at me.
More importantly, what time was it?
I gathered my things. Elphon Academy’s homeroom started at nine. Jeong Hayeon would probably be absent today after what happened, but I had to attend. My condition wasn’t serious enough to justify a sick day.
I hailed a nearby taxi and headed for Elphon Academy.
I had rushed as fast as I could, yet I was still twenty minutes late.
Creak— I kept my head down as I opened the classroom’s back door. Every pair of eyes snapped toward me at once.
“What’s with him showing up now?”
“Isn’t it obvious? He just overslept because he’s lazy.”
“Sigh. If you’re dead last on the written exam, you should at least pretend to study hard. That guy really…”
The students’ mocking voices washed over me. I sighed.
Scrape— I pulled out my chair and sat down.
“You there, student?”
“Yes?”
“If you can afford to arrive this late, I assume you already know everything we’re covering?”
Yuri, the theory instructor, frowned at me.
“......”
The incident from yesterday had been classified. Of course it had—discovering that one of Elphon Academy’s own students was a Demonic Human would tarnish the school’s reputation beyond repair. That was why the academy had sealed the matter completely. I had received the directive while riding in the taxi. This story could not leak. Jeong Hayeon would probably get the same call soon.
“Nam Doyun. Come to the board and solve this for us.”
I stood in front of the blackboard and stared at the question.
What quantity of HCO₃ is required to raise the level to 20 mEq/L?
I stood there blankly, completely lost. The words might as well have been written in another language.
“Return to your seat. And please arrive on time from now on.”
Yuri gave a small, mocking laugh as she looked at me.
“Puhaha. Called it.”
“If you’re dumb, the least you can do is show up early and pretend to study.”
Yuri smirked at the students’ reactions.
“Any student who comes up and solves this problem will receive three bonus points on their performance evaluation. Would anyone like to try?”
The moment the words left her mouth, a chair scraped back. It was Jeong Hanna.
“Ah. Jeong Hanna, could you wait just a moment? Other students should have a chance as well.”
The teacher smiled as she spoke.
Jeong Hanna answered every question the instructors asked, always at blinding speed, before anyone else could even open their mouths. As a result, the correct answers to every teacher’s questions inevitably came from her.
“Ah…”
She looked disappointed.
“No volunteers? These three extra points could really help your grade.”
Even so, none of the students stepped forward. The problem was apparently quite advanced—so difficult that no one in the room could solve it.
“Then I suppose we have no choice. Hanna?”
“Yes. I understand.”
Jeong Hanna rose from her seat and began solving the problem with practiced ease.
The teacher smiled with satisfaction.
“Perfect. Well done, Hanna. Everyone else, study hard by referencing her solution.”
“Yeees~”
The students answered in listless voices.
“Oh, and you all know midterms are only a few weeks away, correct? I strongly suggest you prepare thoroughly.”
Yuri glanced directly at me.
“A poor score on the written portion will result in being held back.”
She smiled sweetly.
Ding-dong-dang-dong— The bell rang, signaling the end of class.
“See you next period, everyone.”
Once Yuri had left the classroom, several students approached Jeong Hanna with their workbooks.
“Hanna, can you show me how to solve this?”
They wanted her to explain the questions they couldn’t understand.
“Ah…”
Jeong Hanna removed her earphones and looked at the workbook. A troubled expression crossed her face.
“Sorry. I haven’t finished today’s study quota yet. I’ll look at it once I’m done.”
“Ah… okay.”
The student returned to their seat.
“.....”
She always said that, yet I had never once seen her actually help anyone. She must be too busy keeping up with her own insane workload.
“Hanna didn’t help you either?”
“Nope. Said she hasn’t finished today’s study yet.”
“She told me the same thing.”
“She must have a mountain of material to get through.”
“Let’s just give up.”
Countless students in our class had asked Jeong Hanna for help. Not a single one had ever received it. At this point, everyone else had simply stopped trying.
But I couldn’t afford to do the same. If I wanted to avoid failing the written exam and being held back, I needed her help. The only problem was that she refused to tutor anyone.
“Ha…” What should I do? The situation already felt hopeless.
At that moment, my phone chimed.
The sender was Cha Jiyun.
I had promised to give her information about the upcoming dungeon raid. In exchange, she would accompany me to the secret auction house. Only high-ranking figures from politics and business received invitations, so I had no choice but to ask for her help. There were items there that I absolutely needed to obtain.
After regular classes ended, I returned to the dormitory.
I collapsed onto my dorm bed, trying to soothe my exhausted body. I felt like I might actually die from fatigue. I switched on my phone and searched for NovelPia. Two notifications waited for me.
“.....”
Ever since arriving in this world, I had kept one small hobby: writing web novels. The protagonist of my story was me before the transmigration. I wrote it while wondering what my life would have been like if I had never possessed this body. In the novel I graduate from a prestigious university, date a wonderful girlfriend, travel to Japan, and live an incredibly fulfilling life. It was pure wish-fulfillment, a way to experience everything I had never achieved in reality.
I had never considered commercial appeal. The story existed solely for my own satisfaction. Unsurprisingly, its performance was abysmal. No matter how much personal catharsis it gave me, the complete lack of reader response eventually wore me down. I had planned to post a discontinuation notice today.
Yet suddenly two notifications had appeared.
Readers really were strange creatures. They stayed silent for weeks, then the moment a story seemed doomed they would swarm in with donations and comments as if by magic.
“Sigh.”
Despite my exhaustion I sat down at the computer. At least the reactions gave me a little energy. I clicked on the donor’s nickname to see who it was.
Username — Jeong Hanna
“......?”
Jeong Hanna? The same one I knew? No way. Given her personality, if she had any free time she would definitely spend it reading another textbook rather than web novels. It had to be someone with the same name. A coincidence.
The sound of running water filled the bathroom as Jeong Hanna washed away the day’s fatigue with warm water.
“Hmm-hmm~”
She hummed a cheerful tune as she stepped out of the shower. A bright smile played across her lips. She picked up her phone.
She searched for NovelPia. This was the only part of her day reserved for something other than studying. Normally even reading web novels counted as training for her. Human concentration had limits; when her focus inevitably dropped, she would switch to novels. They helped improve speed-reading and comprehension far more than passive entertainment like videos.
At first it had been purely educational and she felt no particular enjoyment. Then she discovered one story so engaging that she forgot it was supposed to be practice. While reading it she could push aside every complicated thought and become completely immersed. It was the first time she had ever experienced such a feeling.
“.....No.”
The problem was that lately she could sense the author’s tension fading with each new chapter. Stories that gave off this feeling usually ended up on indefinite hiatus within a few updates. Normally she wouldn’t have cared. She could simply move on to another novel for her reading practice.
But this story could not end here. The thought of the protagonist’s journey she had grown so invested in stopping abruptly was too painful. Only now did she understand the donations and desperate comments left on other discontinued stories. Those readers had been trying to keep their favorite works alive.
“......”
She understood their feelings perfectly. Before she realized what she was doing, her fingers were already typing.
“Ah… I actually did it.”
It was the first time in her life she had ever left a comment or made a donation.
“Surely… it won’t be discontinued after this, right?”
A short while later her phone chimed again. The newest chapter had been uploaded.
“Whew. Thank goodness.”
She placed a hand over her chest in relief, then flopped onto her bed. Lying down, she began slowly scrolling through the small screen. She moved at a glacial pace, reluctant to finish the chapter too quickly. Little by little, the corners of her mouth crept upward until she was smiling from ear to ear.