Happiness's Shadow and a Junior's Invitation
Trust and distrust. I'm fucked. That's the only thought running through my head. The moment I heard her villain codename, Nurse Song Eun-chae's true identity clicked instantly.
Happiness….
“Happiness….”
“Hmm… Isn’t it rude to casually throw around someone else’s codename?”
She’s the one who just blurted out my codename!!
But I can’t call her out on it. If I did, I might actually die.
Wait, no.
What the hell did I even do wrong? Just because she’s a famous villain, I have to drop everything and run to her the second she calls? And honestly, was that even a real invitation? I thought it was just polite small talk, like “let’s grab a meal sometime.”
Plus, it’s only been a week. She couldn’t even wait that long before showing up to chew me out? I have a schedule too, you know!
I lifted my head, ready to argue, and met Song Eun-chae’s eyes.
But.
“Huk!”
I immediately looked down again.
Was it because she was glaring at me terrifyingly? Or because I felt killing intent?
Neither. In fact, Happiness was leaning toward me with a bright, friendly smile, patiently waiting for my answer.
Fuck… she’s way too beautiful….
When I think about it, it makes sense.
Given my situation, I’ve gone an incredibly long time without even looking at a woman’s face. Thanks to Ha-eun recently, I’ve started seeing them again, but it’s still not easy. In other words, I have zero immunity when it comes to being this close to an insanely pretty woman. Of course, the super cute and kind Ha-eun is the only exception!
Whoa, but she’s seriously overwhelming….
If Ha-eun gives off a refreshing, kissable vibe that’s pure, bright, and adorable, then Happiness is… how should I put it? She feels like a celebrity. Definitely on another level from normal people.
“You’re not saying anything again? Is what I said funny to you?”
“No… that’s not it….”
“By the way, why did you pick such a cheap codename? Your taste is really something….”
“…….”
Wait a second. Why the hell am I getting nervous?
Just because she’s pretty?
Sure, most guys would freeze up facing a woman this beautiful.
But that pathetic loser Yoo Ji-min is already dead.
Who am I? The guy who kissed an S-rank beautiful girl from the same academy. Sure, it was in an extremely perverted situation where I had to pay a price, but still…!
Anyway!
I’ve gained the composure of an adult when dealing with women now. I’ve taken a step closer to becoming an alpha male, right?
So let’s not get nervous. Time to act confident!
“I was busy.”
“…What…?”
“I said I was too busy to call you back. I have personal matters too, you know.”
“…….”
Nice. I’m being assertive. You look so fucking cool right now.
“Are you… messing with me right now? Do you not know who I am?”
“I do. And I’m being serious.”
This is exactly when I need to stand tall and stay confident. If I cower and act weak, people will just see me as an easy target and keep messing with me. I will never live a life where I submit just because I’m weak again.
“Hmm… I see. Ji-min.”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
“I won’t bother mentioning how I saved you from those looters. That was something I had to do anyway.”
“Yes.”
“But don’t you think it’s a bit much to say you’re busy when you’re just sitting alone in a cafe playing some otaku game on the weekend?”
“…….”
Ah… hitting me with facts like that out of nowhere….
“I’m really disappointed… I asked to meet once and you were too busy playing games to even reply….”
“No… that’s not what I meant….”
“Hmm… I guess it can’t be helped.”
The smile that had been blooming on her face froze over in an instant.
“Looks like you’re not the one after all.”
“Pardon…?”
What does that mean?
“Exactly what I said. No matter how I look at it, I just can’t believe you’re the candidate. Your personality is way too different from that person’s.”
“Huh??”
Candidate? That person? She was saying things that made absolutely no sense to me.
“Um, ma’am. What exactly do you mean by…?”
She stood up with a cold expression.
“Forget it. I have nothing more to say to you. I’m leaving. And don’t bother showing up at the Labor Office anymore. Just enjoy your time playing that otaku game.”
No! If I can’t go to the Labor Office, I won’t be able to spin the gacha!!
“Wait! Noona! Please don’t do this! I’m sorry! I was nervous because you’re so pretty! So please don’t go….”
“…….”
Did the compliment about her being pretty work? Happiness, who had been about to stand, glared at me once before sitting back down.
“Hmm… But you know what?”
“Yes…? What?”
“My time is really valuable… My market value is extremely high, you know.”
“Ah. Of course, I know. I definitely know.”
Happiness is a famous villain, but her skills are undeniable. That’s why the Association can’t subjugate her and can only keep a close eye on her.
“And yet I came all the way here to meet you, even revealing my identity?”
“…….”
“How are you going to compensate me for that?”
“Well… that is….”
Then why didn’t you just call, you crazy bitch! Why did you have to come in person? You could’ve just asked the Team Leader for my number!!
“Next week.”
“Yes…?”
“Come to the office on the business card next Saturday. Keep Sunday open too. This is your last chance.”
“Ah. Yes! Thank you for giving me another opportunity!”
I shot up from my seat and bowed to her at a perfect ninety degrees.
“And Ji-min.”
“Yes?”
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
Suddenly? She’s asking that now?
“No… I don’t….”
“Really? You’re good-looking so I thought you’d be popular. That’s surprising.”
“…….”
Is her standard of beauty broken? I’ve never once heard anyone call me good-looking in my entire life.
“You look much more handsome than when I saw you at the hospital last time. I’m not just saying that. I mean it.”
“…Do I…?”
Handsome! So that effect is definitely working.
The other students see my face every day, so they probably don’t notice the change. And even if they did, I don’t have any friends close enough to mention it. Happiness is seeing me for the first time in a while since the erosion incident, so she must have picked up on it.
“If you didn’t play that weird game, I bet you’d have a girlfriend by now.”
“No… that’s reaction speed training… anyway… I understand….”
Wait. Suddenly a thought occurred to me.
“Um… Noona, by any chance….”
“Yes?”
“Did you throw something into my house?”
“…What are you talking about?”
Guess not. Looks like Happiness wasn’t the one who threw that sword.
“Never mind. Please forget I said anything.”
“…You really are a bit strange….”
“Hehe….”
“Then make sure you come next week. If you don’t….”
“That will never happen! I will definitely come see you!”
“…Alright, I understand.”
With those words, Happiness stood up and left.
Phew… I almost died back there. By the way, how the hell did she find out about my identity?
Did she run a background check? Was she watching me closely while I was hospitalized?
Or maybe… does she know something about my gacha system?
She definitely said I was some kind of candidate. She also mentioned “that person.” And the first time we met, she even recognized my cool-as-fuck mask.
Of course, right now those words mean absolutely nothing to me. But precisely because of that, one thing becomes even clearer.
Happiness—no, Song Eun-chae—is someone who will play a very important role in my fate.
And actually, the system notifications had been ringing since earlier, but I couldn’t check them because Happiness was right in front of me.
[You can now use the Tip Card!]
[Opening the Tip Card.]
[Song Eun-chae is someone you can trust.]
[And she is ㅁㅁㅁ ㅁㅁㅁㅁ ㅁㅁㅁ.]
What the hell is that…?
Did the system catch a ghost story or something?
Monday arrived.
Maybe because of what happened with Kwon Si-hu, the number of students whispering about me had decreased significantly. It hadn’t disappeared completely, but the situation was definitely better than before.
I completely tuned out everyone else and counted down the minutes until lunch. Since rank battles meant no level-specific classes, the only time I could see Ha-eun now was during lunch.
And so my happy lunch hour returned. As always, the cutest girl in the world, Ha-eun, sat down in front of me.
“S-Senior, hello!”
“Hey, Ha-eun. How are you?”
She always looked at me with that bright smile. All the countless stresses I’d suffered over the weekend melted away like snow.
“L-Last week, I won my rank battle!”
“Oh, really? That’s great!”
“Yes! When I pictured the image in my mind, it actually manifested! I was so surprised myself!”
Ever since that incident with me, Ha-eun’s stuttering had noticeably decreased. And once she got started on a topic, she actually talked a lot. I really liked that about her. Just listening to Ha-eun talk made me happy.
“I heard you won too, Senior! Congratulations!”
“It was just luck….”
I didn’t want to go into detail about my rank battle with Kwon Si-hu. She might think it was too cruel, and explaining it would mean digging up all the humiliating things that had happened to me.
I still wasn’t mentally stable enough to pull out my wounds and share them with someone else.
“S-S-Senior… um….”
“Yeah?”
Ha-eun suddenly started stuttering again.
“I-I-I… said I’d… repay you… right…?”
“Ah, yeah. But you really don’t have to worry about that.”
“No! I really want to repay you!”
“…Alright….”
“S-S-So… w-w-would you… meet me… on the weekend…?”
Huk! Is this… a date…?
I can interpret it that way, right? This is a date, isn’t it? Please tell me it is!
An S-rank beautiful girl from the academy is asking me on a date. The girl who kissed me is specifically asking to make time for me on the weekend.
That’s what she’s saying!
Before I knew it, the corners of my mouth were rising all the way to my ears. My heart was pounding like it was about to explode.
But.
Ah… right… fuck!
I promised to meet Happiness on the weekend…?
It felt like the sky was collapsing. My soaring mood crashed straight into the gutter.
“That… this weekend is going to be a bit… difficult….”
“Ah… I see….”
The openly disappointed look on Ha-eun’s face.
Ugh…. That fucking bitch Happiness.
How dare she interfere with my happy first date with Ha-eun? How dare she make my precious, lovely, adorable junior look so disappointed?
Even though Happiness saved my life once, even though her face is insanely beautiful, even though her body is ridiculously sexy, even though her exposed armpits in that sleeveless top were pure white and incredibly stimulating—I absolutely cannot forgive her!
“But next week should be fine. I have something to do this week….”
“Okay… Then shall we meet next week…?”
“Yeah! Let’s definitely meet then!”
“Hehe… Okay!”
Ah. This feels way too good. I wish time would just stop right here.
But at that moment, a notification arrived on the student app.
Ding-dong—
「Yoo Ji-min Cadet’s rank battle opponent has been decided.」
Tomorrow…?
I had my rank battle last Friday, and now I’m matched again on Tuesday.
Well. It doesn’t really matter. My injuries were probably light, so they moved up the matching.
Grind, grind!
The happy feelings were instantly overwritten with hatred and rage.
I’m always ready. For the trash who tormented me. For the demonic bastards who humiliated me.
I’ll make every last one of you taste the same hell as Kwon Si-hu.
With rage filling my entire body, I checked my opponent.
「2nd Year Class 1 — Nam Yeon-woo (C-Class)」
Huh?
This feels….
Like a really ambiguous opponent.
An opponent so ambiguous it made my head spin with complexity.