Chapter 266: The Unfinished Public Humiliation Returns.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 266: The Unfinished Public Humiliation Returns.
Fortunately, I was able to leave the church without any further trouble.
Well, I mean, it was a bit difficult to shake off the priests who were rambling about me being a Saint candidate and offering all sorts of benefits if I signed a contract right then and there, but at least the worst-case scenario I had initially feared didn’t happen. So, I suppose I can call it a win.
The professors also agreed that we should leave quickly, fearing they might get tricked into signing something themselves if we stayed any longer.
“So-hyun, did something happen inside?”
“Huh? No?”
“Hmm, really? I guess I was being too sensitive.”
“Haha, Kang So-hyun, you have to understand. Our cute Cathy must only have eyes for you. To be worrying like this even after you came out safely.”
“Unnie, it’s not that. I just thought So-hyun’s expression looked a bit dark for a moment.”
“Aww, look at how cute she is. There’s nothing to worry about. I’ve been watching him all day, and Kang So-hyun’s face hasn’t darkened once. You must have imagined it.”
“…All day?”
“…Ah, I was just worried. Yeah, worried. You know what worry is, right? A professor can worry about a cadet.”
“No, I just asked, but why are you so flustered, Unnie…?”
Professor Cathy began to look at Professor Park A-ram suspiciously, and Park A-ram slowly averted her gaze.
Well, putting aside the fact that the two of them had suddenly entered their own little world, it was actually true that my expression hadn’t darkened.
It wasn’t like I had heard anything concrete about what would happen immediately, nor had I been told there was absolutely no way out.
Even if it was concerning, as long as it wasn’t completely unsolvable, it was more rational to find a solution than to spend time worrying.
“Unnie? I told you to look me in the eye.”
“I-I am looking! I have nothing to hide. I wasn’t flustered at all!”
…By the way, Professor, could you please focus on the road while driving? It’s a bit scary when you’re driving while looking sideways.
I mean, sure, I probably wouldn’t die even if we got into an accident, but scary is still scary.
Anyway, only after Professor Park A-ram pouted and said, “Fine, I won’t look! I just won’t look at Kang So-hyun’s face! Do you really not trust me!?” did Professor Cathy begin to comfort the Little Witch, apologizing for her suspicion.
“Hmph. Honestly. Cathy, I’m seriously hurt. Are you so blinded by love that you don’t even care about your unnie anymore?”
“I’m sorry, Unnie. I just suddenly felt uneasy. Maybe my superhuman intuition is malfunctioning. It keeps telling me I should be on guard.”
“…Haha, please. On guard for what?”
For a brief moment, both professors looked at me, but they soon turned their eyes back to the front.
…What was that about?
At any rate, the car, maintaining that strange sense of wariness and tension, arrived near the Academy. It reached the dormitory and stopped… or rather, it didn’t.
“Eh?”
That’s right. It passed the dormitory and headed somewhere else.
“Um, Professor? We passed the dormitory. Where are we going?”
“Hmm? So-hyun, didn’t you hear from the others?”
“The others? About what?”
“I guess you really didn’t hear. Well, that makes sense. They contacted us while you were meeting the Saintess.”
“Yeah, the kids said they’re throwing a party to celebrate the new semester and asked us to bring you along. They said they’d text you separately, but I guess they forgot.”
…Wait. I’m getting a bad feeling about this.
The idea of a ‘new semester celebration party’ itself wasn’t strange, especially with a party animal like Lilac around. And it was possible for the kids to forget to message me.
But I felt strangely uneasy.
Where had I felt this sensation before?
It was that feeling of walking straight into a meticulously crafted trap.
“We’re almost there. If you’re uncomfortable, do you want to just rest? Should I drop you off?”
“Oh, come on. Everyone wants to see that Kang So-hyun is safe. At least show your face before you go. If you don’t, they’ll definitely worry that something happened to you at the church.”
At Cathy Noona’s words, I momentarily considered just going back, but hearing the Little Witch’s reasoning, I could easily imagine the kids swarming me the next day, asking if something had happened to me at the church.
…Fine. What could possibly happen at a little party?
“Well, then we’re going, right? It’s not far, so let’s head straight there.”
“Haha, but shouldn’t professors stay out of this kind of thing?”
“They said it’s fine if we come and hang out, so let’s decide after we get there.”
“Man, I’m worried because I think I’ve gotten too close to this year’s freshmen~!”
While the two of them laughed and chatted, I felt a strange sense of foreboding. After driving a bit further, we arrived at a place that looked like a cafe where you could rent a small party room.
“Oh, they’re really doing this properly, huh? Even booked a room.”
“Maybe it’s because it’s late?”
…It really is just a party, right? Yeah? I guess I was just being overly anxious.
Right, what could they possibly do? They said it’s a party, so it’s a party.
Yeah, since it’s a party, I should enjoy it. I’ll have plenty of things to worry about starting tomorrow anyway.
Those naive thoughts…
The moment I followed the professors into the party room, they were shattered into pieces, leaving not even a shard behind.
Squeak, squeak.
That was the sound of Cheon Yu-hak wiping a glass.
Should I explain it more clearly? Cheon Yu-hak, dressed in what looked exactly like a bartender’s outfit, was wiping a glass behind a counter.
The sight was so insane that for a moment, I had a thought.
Am I actually still trapped at the church, having been hypnotized into seeing a terrible nightmare?
“Ah, three customers entering~”
…And when Ha-ni, wearing something like a slightly different butler suit, spoke into a walkie-talkie, Lilac, wearing a similar outfit, appeared from somewhere and guided us to the counter seats.
I see.
I need to snap out of it quickly.
I didn’t think the church people were like this, but it seems corruption has progressed further than I thought. To think they’d kidnap someone and brainwash them.
I might have to take them down even before the Association.
But strangely, even when I activated my Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils to look around, nothing changed.
Haha, there’s no way. If that’s the case, I have to accept that this is reality.
No way.
The moment I sat at the counter, Cheon Yu-hak gave a fishy smile and looked at me.
“What would you like to order? If you don’t mind, may I serve you our shop’s recommended drink?”
Don’t tell me these bastards…
“What kind of concept is this now? Fine, whatever. Give me a glass.”
“Hmm, then I’ll have one too.”
“…Me too.”
Yu-hak smiled and began preparing the drinks with a shaker.
Similarly, Ju Ri-ra, who was in the kitchen, poured a transparent liquor halfway into a glass and then began mixing in sweet orange juice.
And in turn, Professor Park A-ram was served a Bloody Mary made with tomato juice, vodka, and lemon juice, while Professor Cathy received a Screwdriver made with vodka and orange juice.
And finally, for me.
“For this guest, I have prepared a specially selected, first-grade item.”
Cheon Yu-hak, smiling so brightly I wondered if this bastard was even capable of such a refreshing expression, pushed a glass toward me. Then, Lee Yu-na, who had been waiting, slowly began to pour a white liquid into the glass.
In other words.
“It is milk.”
“You rotten bastards.”
“Pfft.”
“Puh-hah…!”
“Ack-haha!”
Dammit. Everyone’s laughing at the same time…? How could you guys do this to me…?
“Wait a moment. It seems there is a mis… pfft… understanding.”
At least stop laughing before you speak, you jerk, Cheon Yu-hak.
“Ahem, excuse me. This is no ordinary milk.”
“Then what is it?”
“It is first-grade milk, also known as ‘milk,’ processed to break down lactose for easy consumption. Can you not feel our consideration… pfft… in ensuring that you don’t get drunk and interfere with tomorrow’s routine?”
I had a feeling, but did these guys really prepare this the moment they heard I was okay?
Just to give me a ‘public humiliation,’ they even rented a room and outfits?
Feeling miserable, I looked to my side, and to my surprise, both Professor Cathy and Professor Park A-ram had turned away, their shoulders shaking as they covered their mouths.
…Is this funny? You think this situation is funny? Is everyone here a psychopath lacking empathy?
Right, so you were that upset about the public humiliation…? You’re all mean, you bastards. Do you have any idea how embarrassed I was?
The moment I downed the milk in one go out of sheer annoyance, Lilac shrugged and whistled.
Should I just kill him?
No, should I just run away right now?
“Wait.”
But it seemed this crazy prank wasn’t over yet.
Elder Sister, Rose, and even our Luna were sitting a bit further away, sipping their drinks.
When Elder Sister called Ha-ni and said something, Ha-ni approached me with a grin and handed me a drink.
“The lady over there is buying.”
Elder Sister had turned her head away, looking embarrassed, while Ha-ni placed the glass in front of me.
And what was in my glass…
…Was honey water.
“She says she’s worried you might have a hangover from the milk.”
“Who gets a hangover from milk, you idiots!? Are you really going to keep this up!?”
Ah, Luna is laughing. Fine, Luna, as long as you’re having fun, fine!
In the end, Professor Park A-ram, who had been holding it in, burst into laughter at the same time as my scream.
“Ah, seriously, thanks to Kang So-hyun, I’m laughing so much from the start of the semester. Wow, it’s not easy to put this much effort into a prank. Did you do something wrong to your friends?”
I did, but this isn’t how I should be paying for it!
“Haha, sorry, So-hyun. The kids really insisted on doing this.”
“Wow, Lilac, trying to slip away on your own. You prepared for this just as hard as anyone.”
“Shall we call it a small ‘revenge’?”
I don’t even like alcohol, so I don’t care about that, but this atmosphere is such a blatant public humiliation…! Stop it, dammit!
I’m so embarrassed that all the worries I had until a moment ago have vanished…
“Hmm, was it too much? So-hyun, do you want a real drink?”
“Oi, oi, Lilac, can you handle it? The existence known as ‘Drunken Kang So-hyun,’ who turned not just the Academy but the whole world upside down in a single day.”
“Oops, that would be troublesome.”
…I swear. I really swear.
Cheon Yu-hak, you bastard. On your next birthday—no, even sooner. I’ll see you at the next event.
Lilac? You just wait. Of all people, you’re doing this to me?
Whether they read my murderous intent or not, the two who seemed to be the ringleaders, as well as the others, began to watch my reaction, but it was too late.
You guys just wait for the right moment.
“…Yu-hak, I think we’re screwed.”
“…Yeah, his gaze is more intense than I expected. Did we tease him too much?”
I’m going to destroy you. I’ll find a way to destroy you all…!
But just before my anger exploded, the door opened again and two more people entered.
It was Baek Seol and my Master.
“We’re not too late, are we? Our mission ended late.”
“Oh, everyone started already? We bought some food.”
The two of them must have felt the strange atmosphere in the room because they looked around for a moment, then spotted the honey water in front of me.
“Aha.”
“Heh.”
They gave a knowing smile.
You accurately grasped the situation just from a single glass of honey water? No way, that can’t be it.
“Everyone is being too much. Teasing our junior this much just because he got a little drunk.”
“Ahem, he wasn’t thorough in his self-management, but we are also partly responsible, aren’t we?”
Baek Seol took my side, and Master approached with a hint of guilt.
But for some reason, I felt a strange sense of wariness.
“We should give our junior a chance to prove that he is thorough in his self-management.”
With bright smiles, they pulled it out along with the jokbal, pizza, and chicken.
“You can endure it this time. For real.”
…The goddamn Hero Drink.
“I’M NOT DRINKING IT…!!!!!!!”
Everyone except me burst into laughter, and the party began in earnest.
You’re all so mean.
Dammit.