Chapter 76: Your Family, Still Awkward. (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 76: Your Family, Still Awkward. (1)
Suddenly, midterms were over.
It would have been nice if there had been some kind of study event, but since the basic subjects weren’t that important, there was nothing of the sort. And since most of the practical exams were held during finals, we didn’t get together for any special training either.
“Hey, Loser. Did you do well on your exams?”
“Ga-eul. Exam results are always relative. What truly matters is whether you lived up to the values you set for yourself, which can’t be measured by grades, don’t you think?”
“…Huh? That’s too hard, I don’t know what you’re saying.”
“It means he totally bombed them,” Ha-ni chimed in as Ga-eul struggled to understand.
That was true.
It had been ages since I graduated; there was no way I’d be good at basic subjects.
At least for Korean, the literature section was manageable, but once the archaic language started appearing, I felt like giving up.
As for World History, they were asking about things like ‘Dimensional Collisions,’ so there was no way I could solve those.
I managed to write down the parts that appeared in the Setting Book, but I probably got most of the parts that weren’t in there wrong.
“Hehe, so the Loser is bad at studying? Want me to teach you for the next exam?”
Actually, as long as I didn’t fail the basic subjects, it was fine, but seeing Ga-eul’s smirking face was a bit irritating.
“Still, I think I did okay on the subjects other than the basics.”
“What do you mean ‘you think’? Either you did or you didn’t.”
Well, that was because, unlike the basic subjects, I had written down exactly what was in my friend’s Setting Book for the others.
If the clichés of academy transmigration stories held true, they should all be correct, but there was always the chance of setting interference or me simply remembering something wrong.
Well, it wouldn’t be so bad even if I were wrong.
It wasn’t like I was aiming to be the top student, and a wrong answer would just mean the setting had changed.
Anyway, as I was lounging around, enjoying the pleasant, lethargic sensation that follows an exam for the first time in a long while, a familiar guy came running over, shouting a familiar line.
“Guys! Let’s have an after-party! We finished our exams, so we have to celebrate!”
It was Lilac, the after-party fanatic.
Was this guy possessed by some ghost that died because it couldn’t party in its past life?
I don’t think he was like this in the original work.
Then again, in the original, he couldn’t save everyone no matter how hard he tried, and people died from the smallest mistakes, so he probably couldn’t have maintained this kind of personality.
But unfortunately, I had a prior engagement today.
“Sorry, but I can’t today.”
“Huh? Do you have plans?”
“Yeah, nothing major. My father and sister said they wanted to see me the day exams ended.”
I probably could have skipped it if I really wanted to, but I had made a promise, and considering the money they sent me, I felt like I should at least make an effort to close the distance between us, little by little.
“Really? Then it can’t be helped. Let’s have the after-party on a day So-hyun is free!”
“I guess we should.”
What do you mean, ‘we should’?
Can’t you guys just do it without me?
* * *
After Kang So-hyun left, Lilac, whose schedule had suddenly become empty, planned to spend his time training as usual.
“…I’m curious.”
“Hmm?”
That is, if Ga-eul hadn’t suddenly caught everyone’s attention with those words.
“About Loser… I mean, So-hyun. Aren’t you guys curious about what he’s like when he’s not with us?”
It was a rather sudden comment, but most of the group, who were preparing to head back, showed interest in her words.
Granted, everyone had their fair share of secrets, including Han-hee, but So-hyun felt different somehow.
It wasn’t that he had many secrets or disliked talking, but it felt like we strangely had less information on him than on anyone else.
“Hey. Should we try following him?”
Ga-eul spoke with a mischievous smile, but fortunately, most of the others were against it.
“Hey, even so, people have privacy. You’re going to tail him without permission?”
Yu-na nodded at Han-hee’s words, and I shared the same opinion.
“She’s right, Ga-eul. You might be curious, but what if things get awkward because we went without an invitation? So-hyun probably wouldn’t like that.”
“Ah, I guess so?”
“Yeah, you’d better stop.”
“Hm? Yu-hak?”
“He’s mellowed out a bit lately, but it’s better not to see him when he’s with his family.”
Yu-hak, who had suddenly joined the conversation, seemed to know something and was trying to stop them, but it had the opposite effect.
“You’re talking like you know something.”
This was because Han-hee, who had been stopping Ga-eul just a moment ago, was now showing a strange interest.
“I certainly know more than you guys. Of course, since it’s his business, I can’t tell you anything specific.”
He probably didn’t mean to provoke her, but Han-hee seemed to take Yu-hak’s words as a total provocation.
It might sound childish, but depending on how you looked at it, it could be interpreted as ‘I’m closer to So-hyun than you guys are.’
“Aw, that’s not fair. Don’t make us curious then~”
“If you’re unhappy about it, you should have known him since childhood.”
…Huh? Looking at him act like that, it might actually be a provocation.
Following the bait Yu-hak dropped, a rather unexpected person sided with Ga-eul.
“I am curious, though.”
“Yu-na?”
It was Yu-na, who had been stopping Ga-eul just a moment ago.
“Oh, I don’t mean it in a weird way, but isn’t he excessively perceptive? Or to put it negatively, he’s excessively conscious of others. I’m just curious if he’s like that with his family too.”
Yu-na wasn’t the type to be easily curious about someone, but it seemed the girls were genuinely interested in what So-hyun was like with his family.
To be honest, even I was curious.
On the surface, his father was the chairman of a major corporation and his sister was a famous hero—an environment others would envy. But considering that they might be the cause of the violent streaks he occasionally showed, I suspected it wasn’t exactly a happy household.
“Then, would you like to see for yourselves?”
“Pardon? But we can’t just go without permission…?”
Who said that?
Turning my head, I saw an elderly butler in a sophisticated suit.
“Greetings. I am Shuken, the butler. The Master expressed a strong desire to meet the Young Master’s friends, and I am glad to see that you all seem interested as well.”
Everyone tilted their heads at the word ‘Young Master,’ but soon they broke into mischievous grins.
“Lilac. I think we just got permission.”
“Hmm…”
It was an invitation, technically, but strictly speaking, it wasn’t So-hyun’s permission.
Morally, it felt right to refuse, but…
“I’ll go!”
“Well, then I guess I should go too.”
“…You won’t listen even if I tell you to stop. I can’t let you go alone, so I suppose I’ll go pay my respects for the first time in a while.”
…It felt like if I said I wasn’t going, I’d be the only one left out.
“Then I’ll go as well, Mr. Butler.”
“Haha, the Master will be very pleased.”
I figured there wouldn’t be any big problems.
Couldn’t we just think of it as a friend’s parent inviting his friends to hang out after exams?
* * *
A dire situation: I was restrained in a chair with a white cloth wrapped around my neck. Before my eyes, a woman holding a blade approached me with a bright smile.
I wondered if an executioner had that kind of expression before taking a death row inmate’s head.
I was terrified.
“U-Um, Sister. Why was I dragged here?”
“Your hair has grown too long and messy. It’s time to get it managed.”
That’s right, this was a hair salon.
Well, it had grown longer than when I first transmigrated, which was getting annoying, but since I felt like this long hair was part of my identity, I felt a bit sad to see it go.
“Oh, please keep the length. My brother looks better with long hair than short hair.”
“Yes, since he’s Kang Na-hyun’s brother, I’ll make sure he looks his absolute best~”
“Thank you. Don’t worry too much. The director here is really skilled. I come here often before filming, too.”
…Is this like a shop celebrities go to? I’m a bit scared because the price list probably has some ridiculous numbers on it.
“First, I’ll tidy up the split ends and the stray hairs. You have a great foundation, so I think you’ll look completely different with just a little care~”
Personally, though, I’m not a fan of that ‘extrovert energy’ unique to hairstylists.
It feels like I’m forced to respond.
I felt the scissors snip off just a tiny bit of hair.
“…You didn’t cut off a lot, right?”
“Oh, don’t worry. I only cut a tiny bit.”
Snip.
“Excuse me, that ‘snip’ is definitely not the sound of a tiny bit of hair being cut.”
“You can open your eyes if you’re anxious. The director has a talent related to beauty, so she doesn’t make mistakes like that. So-hyun.”
“Hmm, I think a light perm would look good too, but since you said time is tight today, I’ll have to settle for a cut and styling it lightly while drying.”
If it’s not just my imagination, the director seems to be enjoying this a bit too much.
“Actually, hairstylists love working with uncut gems. I feel like I’ve just encountered such a gem.”
What? She has a beauty-related talent, but can she read minds too?
“People who don’t come to the salon often, like you, all think the same thing~”
She definitely reads minds.
I gave up and relaxed my body, and the snipping sound continued for a long while after that.
After the shampoo, as she dried my hair with a cool breeze and applied something while styling it, I knew she was doing a lot, but honestly, I didn’t have the courage to open my eyes.
“All done. Hmm, I only touched it up a bit, but you look much better! You could even be a celebrity~”
I couldn’t delay it any longer.
I’d find out soon enough if that was just the typical flattery of a salon director or not.
I opened my eyes and looked into the mirror with a heavy heart.
…Oh? Is this me?
It’s actually not bad.
* * *
Several people were gathered in a banquet hall at the Yuseong Hotel.
“A-Ah, hello! Sir! I’m Ga-eul, a friend of Loser…! I mean, So-hyun!”
“I see. Nice to meet you.”
“I apologize for not greeting you sooner.”
“It’s been a while, Yu-hak. I’ve been the busy one. You have nothing to be sorry for.”
“Ah, hello. I’m Kang Han-hee, So-hyun’s roommate in the dormitory.”
“Hmm? You share a room? Ah, I must have been mistaken. I thought there were too many girls, but you’re a boy?”
So-hyun hadn’t even arrived yet, and taking turns greeting his father made the atmosphere feel a bit awkward.
If he had the impression of a warm, fatherly figure, it might have been less so, but the gap was widened by his cold expression—despite looking like So-hyun—and his youthful appearance that made him look like he could be So-hyun’s older brother.
After Yu-na and Ri-ra finished their greetings, his gaze finally turned toward me.
“…And you are?”
“Ah, hello. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Lilac, a classmate of So-hyun’s.”
“You’re my son’s friend…?”
He asked back in a voice filled with doubt, quite different from when he received the others’ greetings, and watched me for a moment as if observing me.
“Um…”
“Ah, I’m sorry. That was rude of me.”
“Oh, no. It’s fine.”
“No, I’m truly sorry. It’s just that, from my perspective, you seem to have the kind of personality my son wouldn’t particularly like.”
“…Pardon?”
“Judging people by their appearance is a bad habit. It might sound like an excuse, but I’m not usually like this, so I hope you’ll be understanding. I’m not bragging, but this is my first time meeting my son’s friends, so I was a bit flustered.”
I was curious about what he meant by ‘a personality he wouldn’t like,’ but the atmosphere wasn’t one where I could ask.
“Anyway, it’s a pleasure to meet you all. This hotel is run by our company, though it’s not much. Please don’t feel pressured and enjoy the food. It would be even better if you could tell me a bit about how he’s doing at the Academy until he arrives.”
The atmosphere wasn’t as bad as I expected.
It felt like we were having the after-party we missed, and the Chairman seemed like a good person.
Whenever we told him about things that happened at the Academy, a smile would touch his expressionless face, and when stories about So-hyun facing villains or exploring dungeons came up, his worry was clearly visible.
“It was true, then. When I heard my son had saved someone, I honestly couldn’t believe it. But hearing it directly from his friends, I’m starting to believe it now.”
He really was just a normal, good person.
The way he was curious about his son’s daily life made him look like an ordinary father, no matter how you looked at it.
Only Cheon Yu-hak looked uncomfortable, keeping his words brief with a worried expression, but everyone else was already caught up in the mood and sharing all sorts of stories.
Creeak.
While we were chatting away, the large doors opened with that sound.
Naturally, everyone’s eyes were drawn there, and everyone, including myself, was struck with a look of utter surprise.
The person who entered was undoubtedly Kang So-hyun.
His face shape was the same, and his physique hadn’t changed, so there was no mistake.
But everything else was completely different from his usual self.
He wasn’t wearing glasses, his usually haphazardly tied hair was let down and neatly styled, and even the stray hairs that always stuck out were gone.
The image of the ‘loser’ that Ga-eul and Han-hee jokingly called him was nowhere to be found. Instead, a well-dressed, atmospheric boy stood beyond the door.
Ga-eul and Han-hee were so shocked that I could hear them gasp. What more needed to be said?
However, there was one problem: after he spotted us, his red eyes visible through his slightly long bangs were clearly filled with annoyance and displeasure.
He hadn’t even said anything, just scowled, but the atmosphere in the hall froze instantly.
He scowled often, but was it just my imagination that he seemed truly angry today, unlike his usual self?
“What is this?”
He finally spoke.