Chapter 331: Direct Confrontation
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 331: Direct Confrontation
Monday morning.
As usual, I arrived at the Magic Tower, only to be surrounded by a massive crowd.
Click! Click!
“Mr. Kang Hyun-woo! The entire nation of South Korea is watching your every move. Could you please say a word to the people?”
“As a genius mage, do you have any intention of contributing to national security?! The Minister of National Defense has been making a strong appeal about the shortage of mages on the northern front!”
“Last night, the President of the French National Assembly made a public offer to you. If the conditions are right, would you be willing to leave Korea?”
“The Japanese side is raising suspicions that the verification ceremony itself was fabricated. What are your thoughts on this? Could you please state your clear position?”
“Aah! Oppa! You're so handsome!!”
The barrage of camera flashes from all sides made me frown instinctively.
I can't believe they were waiting inside the Magic Tower...
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
The front of the tower was quiet, so I deactivated my perception-hindering magic and entered the lobby. That was a mistake.
“Hey! You can't just conduct interviews here!”
Just then, the guards were running over.
I was about to leave the rest to them and slip past, but then...
Grab!
“I'm Jo Ilho, a reporter from the Hanmin Ilbo!”
A few reporters blocked my path and shoved their microphones at me.
“There are rumors that you're in a romantic relationship with Miss Choi Hyena of the Seongbuk Choi family. Can you confirm whether this is true?!”
“We've also received tips from some of your neighbors that you're living with multiple women! With growing interest from foreign media, there's increasing concern about your promiscuous lifestyle! Could you please comment on this? Or do you have any plans to adjust your way of life?!”
“...Haa.”
I was planning to just ignore them and walk away, but they just had to cross the line.
“What was the meaning of that sigh...?!”
—!!!
In that instant, unrefined killing intent and magic power erupted in all directions.
It was an aura so powerful that even an F-rank Hunter wouldn't be able to withstand it.
“Guhk?!”
“C-Can't... breathe...!!”
“Ugh, uweeegh...!!”
In the aftermath, some fainted, and others crawled on the floor.
It was intense enough to leave lasting side effects on a normal person, but that wasn't my problem.
This was a warning.
If I didn't show them right here and now that I have a nasty temper just like other mages, it was obvious these reporters would keep pestering me over every little thing.
And eventually, their arrows would be aimed at the people around me.
“Know your place.”
With that one short remark, I withdrew my aura.
Any more, and someone might have died from cardiac arrest.
“S-Sorry! We didn't realize reporters would disguise themselves as civilians to get in...”
“I'm fine. Just clean this up.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
I gave the late-arriving guards a light pat on the shoulder and headed upstairs.
My mood was soured first thing in the morning, but at the same time, I found it strange.
Don't they value their lives?
There are plenty of mages and Hunters with foul tempers.
Quite a few of them had criminal records, and among them were several who had been released from prison on a special Gate pardon after serving time for murder.
Not that I have a criminal record, but I'm a mage who's known to have a bad temper, and I even look a bit intimidating. I couldn't understand what gave them the guts to ask such questions.
What, is it some kind of unwavering professional spirit?
If that were really the reason, I'd want to give them a round of applause.
But nine times out of ten, it was just the trashy reporter mentality, blinded by the pursuit of clicks.
If they truly had professional spirit, they'd be interviewing soldiers on the northern front, not me.
*
The Magic Tower didn't have a large student body.
The fourth-year class, in particular, had only two sections and poor attendance, so the classrooms were rarely full.
Mondays, at least, had decent attendance, as students gathered to study new papers, magic reagents, and magical theories that had come out over the weekend.
Of course, Choi Hyena was an exception.
Having reached the 4th Circle and become a 3rd Grade Elementalist with Kang Hyun-woo's help, she was practically exempt from the graduation exam. It was far more efficient for her to conduct research alone in her workshop.
“Haa... Why am I here this early...”
Nevertheless, the reason Choi Hyena had diligently come to the tower on a Monday morning was because of a text from her professor on Sunday evening.
-Hyena! No matter what, you must come to class on Monday!
-? Why?
-You'll see when you get here on Monday!
-Wait, what is that supposed to...
It was a bit absurd, but knowing he wasn't the type to do things without reason, Choi Hyena endured the hassle and wasted time to come to the tower.
“You don't look so good. Is something wrong?”
Someone approached Choi Hyena as she sighed, looking out the window.
It was her classmate, Seo Ayoon.
Plop.
Seo Ayoon spoke in a friendly tone as she casually sat down in the seat next to Choi Hyena.
It was a starkly different reaction from the other students, who were intimidated by Choi Hyena, the next successor of the Seongbuk Choi family.
This was partly because she was the second daughter of the Seosan Group, ranked seventh in the business world, but also because she naturally had an outgoing personality.
“...Not really.”
“Really?”
Seo Ayoon grinned.
She looked at the phone in her hand and began to read aloud.
“Genius Mage Kang Hyun-woo, and the Promiscuous Sex Life Hidden Behind the Façade...”
Smack!
Before she could finish, Choi Hyena snatched the phone from Seo Ayoon's hand.
But there was nothing on the screen.
“...What is this?”
“What do you think? It's the headline of an article that was up until this morning before it got taken down.”
“What?!”
In that moment, Choi Hyena's magic power flared violently.
“How dare those bastards write an article like that...!”
After the verification ceremony, public opinion about Kang Hyun-woo had been quite noisy due to the controversy over his attitude during the live broadcast.
However, the Seongbuk Choi family had taken action, censoring articles from major media outlets and pressuring smaller ones, so things had quieted down.
But there's always a snake in the grass to stir up trouble.
Trrr...
Revealing a rare, raw emotion, Choi Hyena quietly suppressed her anger and made a call.
Click.
“It's me. There was an article about Hyun-woo on the main portal site this morning, right?”
The official order of precedence in South Korea is the President, the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and the President of the Constitutional Court, but that wasn't the reality.
Above the President existed the Three Great Families.
“Get rid of the news agency that published it.”
For the price of one poorly written article, the Hanmin Ilbo, which boasted a long history, would be shutting its doors today.
They probably wouldn't even be able to leave their name behind.
Unless one of the other Great Families intervened, this decision would not be overturned.
Seo Ayoon, who had been watching from the side, smiled faintly.
“Hehe, they say a girl in love is the scariest thing in the world. I guess it's true.”
“...Shut up.”
“The successor of a prestigious magic family drawing her sword for her beloved... Isn't this straight out of a romance fantasy novel?”
“Huuu...”
Vwooom!!
Choi Hyena's magic power surged once again.
Feeling the intense heat, Seo Ayoon realized she had pushed her luck too far and quickly backed away.
As a mage who primarily wielded the wind element, she was able to move a step faster than Choi Hyena.
Whoosh!
Choi Hyena's fist cut through the empty air.
“Get back here!”
“N-No way!”
Seo Ayoon desperately sought help from her classmates, but all she received were cold shoulders.
“Y-You bitches!”
“Got you.”
“Aah!”
Thwack!
Seo Ayoon sniffled, rubbing the lump that had formed on her head.
“...That's so mean.”
“Hmph.”
After the commotion died down, peace returned to the classroom.
Except for one person.
Creeak—
Not long after, the classroom door opened, and the professor walked in.
“Good morning, everyone.”
His cheerful greeting was met with few responses.
Normally, morning assembly was a time when everyone just bowed their heads slightly and paid little attention, but today was different.
Step—
The moment they saw the face of the person who followed the professor into the room, everyone's eyes went wide.
Surprise, bewilderment, shock, confusion.
Amidst the colorful array of emotions, the most surprised person of all was none other than Choi Hyena.
“Alright, shall we start with an introduction?”
At the professor's words, everyone had the same thought.
Does he really need an introduction?
Even for fourth-year students who spent day and night holed up in their workshops, there wasn't a single person here who didn't know who he was.
“My name is Kang Hyun-woo, and I'll be joining your classes starting today.”
Standing at the lectern, Kang Hyun-woo's eyes met Choi Hyena's, which were trembling slightly.
“I look forward to working with you all.”
*
“We need to talk.”
The moment my introduction was over, Choi Hyena strode up to the lectern, grabbed my arm, and said those words.
It was a scene straight out of a morning soap opera, and not just the students, but even the professor watched with keen interest.
And so, without anyone's help, I was dragged into an empty classroom.
Click.
After locking the door, Choi Hyena pushed me against the wall.
“Summarize this situation for me in one sentence so I can understand.”
After a moment of thought, I summarized what had happened on Sunday in one sentence.
Of course, I left out the part about Han Seoah.
But my answer—that I'd asked Han Lael to let me skip to the fourth year—seemed to displease her. Choi Hyena scowled and glared at me.
“...But why?”
“Hm?”
“What more is there for you to learn in the fourth-year curriculum? As a 2nd Grade Elementalist, you could take the graduation exam right now.”
I was quite taken aback by her reaction, as she rattled off her words as if scolding me.
No matter how I thought about it, it didn't seem like something she should be so sensitive about.
Still, I tried to calm her down and continued speaking calmly.
“Well, that's true, but I wanted to solidify my theoretical knowledge a bit more before graduating...”
“Liar.”
Grip.
Choi Hyena cut me off, clutching the hem of my clothes.
“...Tell me the truth.”
Her fingertips were trembling, and tears were already welling up in her eyes.
“You don't want to get engaged to me... do you?”
“What?”
The word escaped my lips reflexively at her question.
I was speechless for a moment, then I took out a handkerchief and wiped away the tears streaming down her cheeks.
“...Can I ask why you suddenly thought that?”
Sniffle.
Unable to stop her tears, Choi Hyena made a stuffy, nasal sound.
The handkerchief was soaked in no time.
“...Because we're supposed to have our engagement ceremony after I graduate from the tower.”
“What?”
The moment I heard that, I was stunned.
The meaning was all too clear.
“You don't think I'm deliberately delaying my graduation to avoid the engagement ceremony, do you?”
“...”
Choi Hyena nodded silently.
Seeing that, I couldn't help but let out a dry laugh.
I put away the handkerchief, which was now practically a wet wipe, and pretended to search my pockets as I opened my inventory.
“Hold out your hand.”
“...My hand?”
“Hurry.”
I snatched Choi Hyena's left hand and slipped a ring onto her ring finger.
“...Huh?”
It was a ring I'd crafted from a purple diamond to use as a catalyst for a barrier.
For reference, it was enchanted with magic that automatically adjusted to the wearer's finger size.
Choi Hyena stared blankly at the ring without a word.
“Are you still doubting me?”
“...”
She shook her head from side to side, and I pulled her into a hug.
“...Hold me tighter.”
“Like this?”
“...More.”
“It might hurt.”
“...It doesn't hurt at all.”
I did as Choi Hyena wished.
She was a young lady with many demands today.
“...I'm sorry.”
“For what?”
“...I heard that men don't like clingy women, so I tried to hold back, but I got anxious because more and more women keep showing up around you...”
“You're not clingy at all.”
I don't know what kind of misunderstanding she had, but there was no way I would ever start disliking her over something so trivial, not now and not ever.
Being jealous of other women just means she likes me that much.
If anything, I just felt pathetic for not having given her the reassurance she needed all this time.
“...Do you like me?”
“Of course.”
“...I love you.”
“Me too.”
“...How many kids do you want to have with me?”
“About enough for a soccer team?”
“...”
Honestly, considering the harem, I could probably hold a small tournament with just my own children.
“...Hyun-woo.”
“Yeah?”
At the sound of Choi Hyena's voice calling my name, I lowered my head.
There, Choi Hyena stood with the buttons of her uniform undone, sending me a gaze filled with fiery passion.
“...Wanna do it?”