Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Indoor Class (7)
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After spending a fantastic weekend, I entered the classroom with a somewhat drained look on my face. The academy students, whom I hadn't seen over the weekend, were chatting away about what they did for fun or sharing stories of hangouts, creating a lively atmosphere.
Kim Ju-seong was mixed in with the other kids, enjoying a conversation. As academy life progressed, it seemed like certain groups had formed among friends. Midway through talking, Kim Ju-seong called out to Chun-bae, who was sitting a bit away.
"Hey, Chun-bae. Don't just sit over there—come here. What song are you listening to so intently?"
"Huh? Oh, uh, I'm good."
Kim Chun-bae shook his head as he said that. Ichie was sitting one desk away from Chun-bae. She had been fiddling with her pad and, upon spotting me, waved her hand and stood up from her seat. I sat down next to her and naturally started chatting. The kids who had teased me about my nickname for about a week now seemed too busy enjoying their new academy life to bother anymore.
"Your complexion looks off. Are you sick?"
Ichie asked about my face the moment she sat down. Seeing people in the classroom glancing at me, my pallor must have been pretty rough. I shook my head and flashed a healthy-looking smile.
"I'm not sick. I just helped out with some chores at home over the weekend, so I got a bit tired."
"Housework?"
"You know, moving stuff around and all that."
"Oh, I know what you mean."
Ichie nodded as if she understood. Everyone's moved furniture or boxes at some point, so it was easy to gloss over vaguely. With the misunderstanding cleared up, Ichie started talking about her time at the Black Dragon Clan. Her Korean wasn't perfectly fluent, but it was clear enough. She mentioned learning how to fight Shadows and encountering a few other monsters.
Unfortunately, she hadn't fought all the monsters, but she did get to battle a Shadow.
"So, how'd it go with the Shadow? It must've been tough since it's D-Rank."
"Ha-yeon unnie helped, so it was... total pushover."
"...What'd you say?"
"Pushover. That's what you call easy opponents, right?"
"...Just say it was easy. That's a bad word."
"Oh really? Sorry."
"No need to apologize."
The day after the weekend ended. We were huddled in the classroom, talking about the weekend training sessions. Ichie had been waiting for me, her feet bouncing energetically as she shared stories about the Black Dragon Clan dungeon. From her description, it sounded like a surprisingly well-structured place.
"Shadows use the fact that they're hard to see by hiding in dark areas. That's why throwing a flashbang lights everything up, and they freeze. They're fast, but this trick makes them easy to catch."
"I see."
I nodded. The Shadow in the guidebook video looked like a monster from an old movie— the kind where shoddy CG fails and it just ends up pitch black. Fighting something like that would probably feel like a cheesy old flick.
"What'd you do after training? Go straight home?"
"Ate with Ha-yeon unnie."
"Nice. What'd you eat? Lots of good spots nearby."
"Indoor... city... gukbap? We had that."
"Radish greens gukbap?"
When I said the exact name, she nodded. Ichie continued.
"Yeah. So no gukbap for lunch today. I heard there are lots of tasty Korean foods that aren't gukbap."
Ichie beat me to suggesting the lunch menu. Hiding my disappointment, I asked.
"How about eel soup then?"
"Eel soup? What's that?"
"A delicious soup made with eel."
"Rice soup?"
I shut my mouth. Ichie shook her head firmly.
"Not that. Let's get stir-fried chicken. I saw it on SNS—cheese chicken stir-fry. Something like that. With fried rice."
"It'll be spicy. You okay with that?"
"I handle spicy well."
"Did everyone have a good weekend?"
Teacher Jeong-ah's voice rang out. As she entered through the front door, the students chatting here and there all fell silent. In the ensuing quiet, I clearly heard Japanese music from my earbuds. Chun-bae had his lips pressed tight, lost in his song.
The kids who quickly returned to their seats started glancing at Chun-bae. He looked over at me and Ichie once, then kept the music going. It was faint, but the bizarre tune spreading through the classroom was enough to make me tilt my head.
Why on earth is he playing this for us?
Kim Ju-seong, unable to take it, lightly tapped his desk to signal him.
"Ah, sorry."
Kim Chun-bae apologized, pulled out his earphones, and turned off the music. He then hunched back over his pad. The side glances must have felt awful. Teacher Jeong-ah glanced at Chun-bae before lowering the screen. Due to a recent C-Rank hunter fatality, today's class before training was dedicated to introducing D- and E-Rank monsters.
"Today's featured monster is the Elder Spider."
It was the monster I'd vaguely heard about during sex with Yu-jeong senior yesterday. Noticing the knowing look on my face, Ichie sent a message on her pad.
[Do you know this monster?]
I nodded and replied.
[Saw it while studying over the weekend. Surprisingly easy to catch.] [Thought you'd come to Black Dragon Clan with us. Was sad you didn't. Let's go together next week for sure.]
Ichie said that and looked at me. She nodded once, prompting my response. I wanted to spend the entire next weekend with Kim Yu-jeong senior if possible, but ditching my teammates for dates felt wrong. Ichie seemed pretty motivated for the exam, so as a fellow team member, shouldn't I play along? I typed on my pad.
[Had some stuff last week. How about training together next week?] [Let's go. Study there.]
The word "study" brought back memories of my steamy night with Yu-jeong senior. I had to shake off the flush rising to my face. All last night, we'd tangled together, eaten, gossiped while watching TV, then tangled again.
We were like animals. When I woke in the morning, Yu-jeong senior had grinned at me lazily, her shirt hanging loose. I shook my head to banish the indecent image from academy grounds.
"That concludes the explanation."
As soon as Teacher Jeong-ah's class ended, the apprentice hunters poured out of the classroom. Hellish training beat this boring lecture any day. Dragging my sore body to the equipment, I completed the required sets, got a quick checkup from the instructor, and based on the day's condition, had to meet extra quotas.
Today, I got cleared with no extras. My complexion was off, and my stamina really had dipped. Even as an Awakener, eight rounds of sex in a day takes a toll.
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Lunchtime. We headed to the restaurant right on schedule. The reserved spot had a table set for two. Ichie's eyes sparkled from the dakgalbi sign onward; sitting down, she hummed happily, full of excitement. Pointing at the menu, she declared.
"Gukbap. No."
"Right."
"Koreans gotta eat spicy."
"But you're Japanese, Ichie."
I couldn't help but laugh at her statement. As I teased her with a grin, Ichie nodded emphatically.
"Japanese come to Korea and eat spicy too. When in Rome, do as Romans do. In Korea, even Japanese eat Korean-style. Gukbap no. Spicy yes."
In my personal opinion, Korean food wasn't spicy stuff—it was gukbap. Our ancestors had always loved anything boiled into a stew.
Eel soup, loach soup, seolleongtang, radish greens soup, doenjang soup, beef mushroom soup, yukgaejang, miyeokguk. The world was full of soupy delights just like gukbap, even if they didn't carry the name. I felt a bit sad that Ichie couldn't appreciate gukbap's charm. I asked.
"Shall we plan tomorrow's menu too? What do you want, Ichie?"
"Tteokbokki. Tomorrow, tteokbokki."
She showed me a list of spots from her phone. The academy gave long lunches—eat plenty, digest slowly—matching the grueling training. I said.
"Tteokbokki? Sounds good."
"Then spicy jokbal after."
She scrolled again, showing a spicy jokbal sign. The area around the academy was bustling, full of eateries. Excited, she kept pulling up more.
"And spicy eel. Place that does spicy grilled eel. Let's go here too."
Truth be told, I wasn't huge on spicy food. My ideal spice tingled the tip of the tongue without wrecking my stomach. But seeing her so thrilled, listing places nonstop, I couldn't say no.
"And mala tang too."
"Mala tang isn't Korean food, Ichie."
"Oh? Then spicy braised ribs."
I nodded along to everything she said. Ichie fiddled with her phone more, then held one up to me.
[Great King Weatherfish Gukbap]
"Let's try here too. Su-hyun oppa likes gukbap. So we go."
I wasn't wrong.