Chapter 68
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: True Ancestor Ameris
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People bustled about everywhere, filling the air with murmurs and the constant shuffle of feet.
Suit-clad businessmen dragged their suitcases behind them.
Families heading out on trips hauled luggage stuffed to the brim.
"Huuuuh."
Maybe it was the lush greenery all around, but each breath brought in a strangely crisp, refreshing air.
'So this is an airport.'
I'd always thought I wasn't the type to get excited easily. But apparently, I did harbor some longing for a place I'd never been before.
Thwack.
"What're you doing moping around all by yourself, you punk!"
A loud voice sliced right through my reverie.
"Just taking it in. Soaking up the atmosphere."
Erina burst out laughing at my response, like she couldn't believe it.
"Taking what in? First time at an airport or something?"
"..."
"..."
I could see the corner of Erina's mouth twitching up at my silence.
Obvious. She was gearing up to tease me, grinning without even realizing it.
And she planned to do it while licking the ice cream I'd bought her.
Wait, no—she came from money anyway.
Her family, House Esnatia, could wallpaper their floors with cash, stay in five-star hotels every night, and still not burn through their fortune even if they pickled kimchi in fifty-thousand-won bills.
That thought flashed through my mind, making Erina's sly little smirk beside me all the more infuriating.
So I flicked her on the head.
"Ow! Why'd you hit me!"
Erina clutched her head, protesting like she'd been wronged.
"You were teasing me about never being to an airport."
"When did I ever say that?!"
"Nah, you totally were about to."
"You punk!"
"And I even bought you ice cream. You should show me a little more respect..."
"That was 'cause you lost at rock-paper-scissors, you idiot!"
I held off Erina as she lunged at me with one hand. Meanwhile, Baek A-rin looked at us with utter disdain.
"What are you two even doing?"
"Hear me out! Kim Si-woo started it...!"
"No, Erina's the one who..."
Baek A-rin sighed, squeezing her eyes shut as she muttered under her breath.
"How did I end up stuck with a guy like this..."
"'Cause I worked hard to win you over, obviously."
Baek A-rin shot me a glare.
"Half of it was blackmail, wasn't it?"
"Doesn't matter. Point is, we're in this together now. So you gotta take responsibility for us."
I grinned at her grumbling, and she pressed a hand to her temple like her head was throbbing.
"How am I supposed to handle not one, but two kids... If only Kang Hwa-yeon were here."
"What, is Hwa-yeon our mom now?"
Baek A-rin chuckled.
"Better than wrangling two brats all by myself."
Erina panicked at that.
"Kids?! This punk might be a total brat, but our A-rin's not! Don't be so hard on yourself."
"No, Erina. You're missing the point. When Baek A-rin says 'kids,' she means both you and herself..."
I was about to correct Erina's misunderstanding myself.
-Beep beep beep.
That's when the alarm on my smartwatch went off.
Baek A-rin perked up at the sound.
"What's that?"
"Alarm for thirty minutes till boarding."
I'd set it the day before departure.
This club training camp was a massive event you couldn't miss in the original story. No room for half-measures.
"Didn't think you were the meticulous type. Color me surprised."
"What, falling for me now?"
Baek A-rin shook her head.
"Nah, kinda creepy."
"..."
"..."
"Haa... haa... We finally made it."
We arrived at the gate a bit late, drawing stares from the gathered students—and a mocking voice to match.
"Heard it was a new club. Making a real racket already."
"Shows how little they think of it. Total lack of student spirit."
Clubs usually benefited from cooperating during these camps.
We'd muscled in by shoving one aside, so we were thorns in their sides. Even if full cooperation was a stretch, we couldn't afford to draw more aggro.
With that in mind, I smiled and bowed to the seniors trash-talking us.
"Sorry. Looks like we're a little late. Our members had some issues."
"Can't even start on time."
A male student grabbed at my words like a lifeline.
Big guy, dumb-looking face that reminded me of Kwak Du-pal.
Still, no need to stand out. I kept smiling.
"Yeah, tell me about it."
My nonchalant reply clearly irked him; his face twisted in anger.
Why's he mad?
He pawed at my shoulder, then glanced behind me.
"You okay hanging with a scrawny punk like this? Ghoul Field's no joke. If you ladies joined our club, big bro here'd keep you safe."
"..."
The guy oozed sleaze as he spoke to Erina and Baek A-rin.
His smug, overconfident face only pissed me off more.
"I'd treat you way better than this twig. No idea what you see in him."
Oh. So that's why he was picking on me. Girls.
His flushed cheeks made it worse somehow.
This was supposed to be Korea's top academy. Even prioritizing skillbooks, how were the students this low-rent?
As genuine curiosity hit me, I caught Baek A-rin's expression.
"..."
She didn't respond to the guy at all. But her face said plenty.
Look at that Baek A-rin glare. Rotten.
The face she made when something really grated on her.
"..."
Baek A-rin worked her pursed lips.
"How about fixing that creepy stare first? It's gross. That nose and mouth are off-putting too. Actually, scratch that—it's those ears. No, your whole face."
Pure Baek A-rin roast.
The burly senior froze, never expecting it.
"Isn't that just saying you don't like how he looks?"
"Not exactly. It's the vibe he gives off..."
I asked cautiously, and she pondered, scanning him top to bottom.
"Yeah, that too."
The guy muttered at Erina's words.
"Worse than that loser? No way."
"Si-woo's no prize, but you're... just as bad, if not worse."
"...!"
Getting rejected in comparison to me must've shocked him.
Of course I'm better than you.
The senior couldn't shake it off, lifting his head to eye Erina.
Baek A-rin smiled.
"Our dear Erina just accepted Kim Si-woo's big, cold, hard something-or-other. No room left for anyone else. The bathroom was intense..."
Erina was indeed flushed and panting.
"No way..."
The senior's face fell in despair.
Reeled him in good.
Too good.
The stares from around us stung.
"Kim Si-woo, huh? Heard the rumors, but damn."
"Explains why they were late."
"Three girls? Total sleaze."
No, really, it's not like that. I'm innocent.
I hadn't even touched them. Not a fingertip.
Erina just got a stomachache from the ice cream I bought her. That's it.
Baek A-rin grinned at my aggrieved look.
"It's true, though."
"You mean swapping the ice cream I bought Erina for my 'big, cold, hard something' and calling eating it 'accepting'?"
She shrugged.
"See? True."
"..."
Baek A-rin with jokes like that? Caught me off guard.
As I bantered with her, the senior scowled and grabbed my collar.
"You trying to humiliate me?"
"Huh?"
Humiliate? When did I?
If anything, wasn't it him making a scene at the international airport?
"Cut it..."
Baek A-rin was about to snap at him.
"Back off."
"Who the hell are..."
The guy started aggressively, then froze at the woman stepping in.
Easily over two meters tall. Muscles that screamed presence, no hiding them.
The senior was big, Kwak Du-pal big, but she was another level.
'Different league as a living being.'
She loomed oppressively.
"Professors aren't even here yet. No need for a fuss. We're all teammates for the next three days—let's get along."
"Y-yeah, right. Haha, gotta get back to my club members."
Overwhelmed by her sheer physique, he tucked tail like a scolded cat.
The woman senior turned to me with a smile.
"You okay?"
"Y-yeah. Thanks."
Her soft voice clashed with her build, causing cognitive dissonance.
'She won't crush my head suddenly, right?'
Rude thought. Definitely rude.
But her physique triggered survival instincts. Unavoidable.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Yoo Nara, third-year."
She introduced herself.
Yoo Nara. Lee Dok-sa had recommended her club, Ha-yeon.
I knew she was huge from descriptions and rumors.
"..."
But facing it up close made me shrink involuntarily.
Still, no need to show it. Bad manners.
I forced a smile.
"Hi. Kim Si-woo, first-year."
She beamed girlishly, at odds with her size, clearly pleased.
"Everyone else trembles or shrinks when talking to me. Not you, though?"
"Haha, they're just shy."
Sorry. Terrified, but holding it together.
As we exchanged brief greetings—
"Dieee!"
It didn't take long for a cold blade to pierce flesh and Erina's scream to ring out.
"Si... Si-woo?!!"