Chapter 160: The Last Nemesis Before Summer Vacation (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 160: The Last Nemesis Before Summer Vacation (2)
The situation in the classroom was a total disaster.
It was only natural, considering the girl who was throwing herself at Lilac just two days ago was now doing the same to me.
First, Lee Yu-na tilted her head as if puzzled, while Ha-ni looked like she was in a foul mood. Ga-eul was staring at the front door of the classroom, looking frustrated.
…Are you waiting for Professor Cathy, by any chance?
Cheon Yu-hak and Ju Ri-ra were looking at me as if asking what kind of trouble I’d stirred up this time, which, honestly, felt a bit unfair.
I mean, really. What did I do wrong in this specific instance?
I worked hard to save people, I rescued the Chairperson, and I even suppressed my urge to look the other way and saved this girl too. It’s not my fault she’s boy-crazy.
“Anyway, it sounds like it’ll be fun. I’d love to participate too, you know?”
Lilac tried to step in and mediate, but Ha-ni was faster.
“Hey, who do you think you are? Why don’t you take your hands off him before you start talking?”
“Hmm? Oh my, this class certainly has a lot of exceptional faces, doesn’t it? How is it that there’s a man here who looks even prettier than me?”
“I don’t care about that. Why are you coming into another class and acting like a bitch? He clearly hates it. Don’t you know it’s not a joke anymore once the other person is uncomfortable?”
Seeing Ha-ni, who would usually brush things off with a joke, acting so fierce meant she was genuinely pissed off.
But Ha-ni, you should know one thing. You’re from a different class too.
On the other hand, Aisha brushed off Ha-ni’s glare as if it were nothing and turned to me.
“Oh my, do you hate it?”
“Do I really have to say it out loud for you to know?”
“See? He didn’t say he hates it. I think he actually quite likes it, don’t you?”
Ah, right. She’s a crazy bitch. I forgot for a second.
“I hate it more than anything, so could you please get lost?”
“…How very rude.”
“Oh, I must have had the wrong definition of ‘rude’ all this time. Or maybe you and I need a deep conversation about which one of us is actually being ruder?”
“Hey, So-hyun. Don’t even give her the time of day. She was just clinging to Lilac like a freak. It’s obviously suspicious that she’s acting like this the moment she lost to Yu-na.”
Yeah, I get it. But why do you sound a bit sulky? Are you pouting because it looked like I was joking around with her just now? You aren’t, right?
“Hmm, everyone, please don’t be so prickly. Despite how I look, I’m actually being very humble right now, you know? Kang So-hyun is someone I absolutely need, so I don’t want to get on the bad side of the people around him.”
…If this is her being “humble,” what is she like normally?
“And even if I were to concede a hundred times, if anyone’s going to get angry, it should be a woman. If you’re just a friend, please stay out of it. Or are you interested in me too?”
“…You crazy bitch.”
Ha-ni looked like she was about to explode, but she seemed to flinch at the comment about a man staying out of it, unable to let her anger out openly.
Come to think of it, the original signal that Ha-ni was actually a girl was supposed to happen around the first-year summer vacation.
Since so many things have changed, I’m not sure how it’ll go this time.
“I’ll be honest. I’m here to declare war. I heard yesterday that Professor Cathy seems to have an interest in Kang So-hyun?”
Her eyes sparkled as she stared at the classroom’s main door.
Most people watching her were disgusted by the fact that her obsession had shifted in just two days, yet they couldn’t ignore the sheer momentum she was radiating.
While everyone was struck silent, the time for morning roll call arrived, and the door slid open with a clack.
“Professor! I’ll be taking Kang So-hyun for myself…! Honestly, isn’t a nine-year age gap a bit much!?”
She shouted, taking a massive, reckless gamble.
Good grief, bringing up a woman’s age like that. Even between women, there are things you do and things you don’t.
“Uh, well.”
However, the person who appeared through the door only scratched their head awkwardly.
And for good reason—the words clearly weren’t meant for them, making it quite awkward to respond.
With a pointed hat that a witch might wear, a small stature, and a lollipop in her mouth, the figure was clearly not Professor Cathy.
“Uhh, sorry to break it to you, but Kang So-hyun isn’t exactly mine. I feel bad saying this since those words probably weren’t meant for me, but Cathy isn’t coming in today due to some circumstances.”
At Professor Park A-ram’s words, silence descended upon the classroom once again.
“Ah, well. Anyway, I’m just here to fill in for roll call.”
Slowly. Very slowly, Aisha’s face began to turn a deep shade of crimson.
Yes, the residents of this world are basically normal people who are just a bit “extra”; they aren’t devoid of the emotion known as shame.
To charge in blindly to declare war, targeting what she thought was her opponent’s weakness, only for the opponent to not even show up?
That’s a blow no one can just shrug off.
Her face burning, Aisha forced a smile.
“Ho… ho-ho…! She ran away, I see! I suppose I can consider this my victory!?”
“Ah, yeah. Whatever you say. But I’m about to start roll call, so could you go back to your own class? You’re being a huge distraction.”
At this point, she looked like she was about to turn into a literal apple. The red on her face was so intense it seemed to overpower her natural skin tone.
“Oh, and here’s a piece of advice. It’s fine to talk about Cathy’s age, but don’t declare war on her. You might actually die.”
“Ugh…!? I’m not scared!?”
After Aisha made a pathetic, hasty retreat without looking back, Ga-eul and Ha-ni also gave Professor Park A-ram a slight nod and left the classroom.
“Boy, I really can’t take my eyes off you, Kang So-hyun. Exactly how many women do you plan on seducing before you’re satisfied? I’m starting to wonder if you’re aiming for me too.”
“Never.”
I happen to like mature, adult women.
“Haha, you’re as cocky as ever. I’ll make sure you go through the teaching assistant program before you graduate no matter what, so be prepared.”
The professor and I burst into laughter at the same time.
* * *
At that same moment, Cathy was spending time with the Chairperson in her office, facing her.
She was worried.
The voice that had called her was unusually heavy, so she had been genuinely concerned.
Did something go wrong? Perhaps there was backlash from outside because of another incident within the Academy.
Or maybe, even though it was only one person, a cadet had died, and the Chairperson was dealing with the resentment of the family.
In the worst-case scenario, it could be both.
She had to steel herself.
The Chairperson trusted and relied on her; she couldn’t show any weakness.
Both as someone who owed her a debt of gratitude and as her friend, Cathy intended to brainstorm a solution for whatever problem arose.
“Cathy.”
“Yes, Chairperson.”
“No, I’m sorry, but you don’t need to be so formal.”
“…Pardon?”
“Actually, for someone who asked you to skip your Academy duties to come here, it’s a rather personal question.”
Huh? What? She didn’t know what it was, but if it wasn’t something serious, she supposed it was a relief.
“I’m sorry for rambling, which isn’t like me, but could you promise me one thing? What I’m about to say is purely out of curiosity, with no ulterior motive, so please don’t misunderstand.”
“Sure, okay.”
“…Cathy, how did it feel when you realized you liked a cadet?”
…I didn’t see this coming. Why is she asking this all of a sudden?
For a moment, Cathy thought she was being teased as usual and was about to get angry, but the look in Leilan’s eyes was far too serious for that.
“…Is it a cadet?”
“No! It’s not! Absolutely not! It’s not a cadet! Of course not!”
That reaction meant that even if it wasn’t a cadet, ‘someone’ like that had appeared.
Cathy’s curiosity was piqued.
The heavy atmosphere from moments ago felt like a lie.
“Then we shouldn’t be the only ones here. Let’s call Unnie A-ram and the Doctor too.”
“N-no! It’s not certain yet! And I can’t talk about who it is, so those two are absolutely out of the question!”
It had been a very long time since Leilan had looked this flustered.
To put it bluntly, who could possibly fluster the woman who had responded so calmly even to the terrorist attack at the entrance ceremony?
Well, as long as she wasn’t trying to tease her, it was fine.
If it was a casual conversation, there was no need to maintain a stiff, professional attitude.
“Honestly, I was a bit embarrassed at first. There’s the age gap, and I’ve never been like this before, so it felt like I fell for him too easily. I was even a bit scared, wondering if this was actually my type.”
“Ho… ho-ho.”
“I mean, think about it. I’m twenty-six, and So-hyun is still young, and there are so many pretty girls around him. No matter how much people say age doesn’t matter in romance between heroes, you never know what the families might think.”
“And? You still accepted it, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
In the end, she had accepted it. No, she had no choice but to accept it.
Because his expressions and every single word he said to her were so incredibly lovely.
Because the urge to pull him into an embrace right then and there grew stronger every time she didn’t hold onto her reason.
Because even when she tried to be the “good person” and step aside, the mere thought of someone else standing by his side felt like her heart was being ripped out.
“I felt like it had to be him, or no one else.”
She felt that for the rest of her life, no one would ever worry about her with those eyes again.
She felt that no matter how kind a person was, they wouldn’t forgive her for having done such a thing.
“…I see.”
“Is it the same for you?”
Leilan hesitated for a moment but eventually shook her head.
“No, not me. I don’t think my feelings are that serious yet.”
I see. But whoever it is, it’ll probably be like that soon, won’t it?
She hadn’t thought she felt this way at first either; the feelings that had built up through frequent meetings and seeing his face after their first encounter had simply exploded and come to the surface through an incident.
“…Ah, well, he’s not someone I can see very often.”
…Hmm? Well, Leilan was busy, after all. She was swamped with paperwork and sometimes had to go out into the field, so it made sense that she couldn’t see him often.
“Still, if you try to make time…”
“No, it’s not that. It’s not that kind of problem. Actually, I don’t really know who he is.”
“…Are you being tricked by some bad guy?”
Leilan paused, lost in thought, hesitating to answer. What? Is it really a bad guy?
“Uhh, I guess you could say he’s not exactly a ‘good’ person. No, but I don’t think he’s a completely bad person either.”
“Do you know that’s exactly what women who’ve been tricked by typical bad boys say?”
“No, I told you, I don’t even like him that deeply yet!?”
“What made you fall for him? I hope it’s not this, but is it his face?”
Cathy wouldn’t say that looks played no part in her falling for So-hyun, but it wasn’t everything.
If she had been tricked by a man who was all looks and nothing else, Cathy thought she should stop her as a friend, but the words that came out of Leilan’s mouth exceeded all expectations.
“…Actually, I don’t even know what his face looks like.”
…Is she having an online romance or something? My benefactor and precious friend.
“What does that… Is he even a normal person? What’s his job?”
“…Do I really have to answer that?”
“I wasn’t going to push, but now I feel like I have to hear it.”
“…Vill.”
“Vill? Vill-what?”
“…Villain.”
“A villain? Does he do work related to villains? Ah, if he’s a hero, he might hide his face…?”
Wait, if he were a hero, there would be no reason for her to be embarrassed to talk about it.
Suddenly, a certain scene flashed through Cathy’s mind.
A man who had easily blocked Leilan’s attack, saved her, said something plausible, and then vanished.
“I said he’s a villain.”
“…You’re joking, right?”
“Ah! Yes, he’s a villain! I think I might like bad boys! I’m trying to deny it, but he keeps popping into my head, so what am I supposed to do!?”
And now she’s getting defensive?
Cathy felt like she was losing her mind. She had been foolish to think this was better than dealing with grieving families or interference from outside forces.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this was a much more serious problem.
“A villain is absolutely out of the question!?”
“That’s why I said I didn’t want to tell you! And what, is liking a cadet so honorable!?”
“At least mine isn’t a crime!”
“My guy hasn’t been officially registered as a villain yet, so it’s not a crime either!?”
“It’s only a matter of time!”
One side was a problem that would be resolved with time, while the other was a problem that became more perilous as time passed.
A conversation that was far too ridiculous to be between two of the country’s top heroes—a girlish bickering that no one would ever believe—carried on.