Chapter 82
Chapter 82
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Midterm Orientation
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The oddly tense atmosphere flipped in an instant the moment Professor Lee Taek-jin opened his mouth.
"Midterms are right around the corner. Everyone knows they're the highest-stakes exams, right?"
The provocative topic lit a fire in the students' eyes as they quickly straightened up in their seats.
"I think we should run a quick orientation now."
And before long, the infamous line that had caused quite a stir even in the original story dropped.
"Honestly, the exam location, format, and duration are all classified. There's nothing specific I can tell you. It means you'll all have to take the test blind."
A brief silence fell, followed by an eruption of chatter.
Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, murmuring among themselves.
"But we are revealing the seeds."
Professor Lee Taek-jin paused for a moment before gesturing toward the screen and continuing.
"Not just based on rankings—we've selected the top five students overall. The seeded students will have a major impact throughout the midterms, so keep that in mind."
Soon after, names began appearing one by one on the blank screen: the top five from Class A.
A: Baek Sa-young
B: Seol Yun-gi
Everyone nodded along—1st and 2nd place were familiar faces.
But then.
C: Joo A-rin
D: Reina
E: Cheon Seo-yun
The mood turned awkward the instant the final three seeds were revealed.
"Shouldn't Cheon Seo-yun be 'C' based on rankings?"
"He said it's overall ability."
"Then what about... no, Reina?"
"This is kinda..."
Joo A-rin was one thing, but Reina—who had just transferred in today—was plopped squarely in fourth seed.
As the suspicious murmurs spread, Cheon Seo-yun, bumped down to fifth, shot her hand up.
"Professor. I have a question."
"What is it?"
"Well..."
She continued carefully under his sharp gaze.
"You said seeding is based on overall ability, but I don't really get it."
"Are you unhappy about being fifth?"
"Yes. Joo A-rin aside, Reina just got here today. How does she jump ahead of someone who's actually shown something?"
She trailed off, but the room's sentiment sided with her.
Most nodded along, sneaking glances at Reina.
Professor Lee Taek-jin, who had been smirking bitterly, muttered softly.
"Do you think I assigned them without basis?"
"Pardon?"
"We already ran the evaluations. Same format as the diagnostic test we did before. And the results? Shocking."
"......"
"If you're curious about the scores, ask her yourself. That's the end of questions."
"...Yes, sir."
Cheon Seo-yun reluctantly nodded and shot Reina a glance.
Her eyes were as complicated as her feelings.
"There are several reasons for the seeding, but one is a fair starting point."
Professor Lee Taek-jin slammed his notebook onto the desk with a thud and gave a brief explanation.
The five seeds would start separately in the east, west, south, north, and center, while the rest of the students would be randomly assigned in groups of ten behind each one.
"The keyword is survival. It's all about how well you handle the unexpected. Don't let your guard down starting today. That's all the hint you're getting."
With a meaningful look, Professor Lee Taek-jin opened his textbook.
The students rolled their eyes around in confusion but couldn't say a word.
It was frustrating and boring, but time passed anyway.
"Reina, follow me right away. We're going to greet the president."
Professor Lee Taek-jin left the lecture hall matter-of-factly, and the pent-up noise exploded all at once.
"What the heck? Midterms?"
"Not battle royale?"
"'Don't let your guard down'? What does that even mean?"
"Who knows?"
"If they drop us on a deserted island, that'd be epic."
Everyone buzzed excitedly, spilling their theories from class.
Naturally, all eyes turned to Reina at the center of the controversy.
But she stood up quietly, unfazed.
"We meet again."
She turned slightly and greeted me.
I dipped my head in return and looked at her.
...I couldn't quite bring myself to ask why she'd come so early.
"Yeah. Didn't expect to see you this soon. Feeling better?"
"Thanks to you."
We were exchanging awkward but belated greetings when heavy footsteps approached—Cheon Seo-yun.
"Hey. Talk to me for a sec."
"......"
Reina gave her a quick glance before moving away.
She clearly wasn't interested.
"...Hey?"
Cheon Seo-yun reached out in disbelief, but Reina twisted away effortlessly, like she had eyes in the back of her head.
Whoosh—
Cheon Seo-yun grabbed nothing but air, veins bulging at her temple.
"Come on. When someone's talking to you, at least pretend to listen. What kind of manners is this?"
Raising her voice at Reina's back finally made her stop.
Reina turned her head at an angle and spoke calmly.
"I'm busy. I don't want to waste time on pointless arguments."
"What— I just want to talk—"
Reina doesn't waste energy on things she's not interested in.
No, she's cold.
"There's no time. The professor said to follow right away. Are you more important than the president?"
"What...?"
This side of her felt closer to the heretic inquisitor than the saintess image known to the public.
One hot as fire, the other cold as ice.
After a split-second stare-down, Cheon Seo-yun and Reina spoke at the same time.
"If you have something to say, do it later."
"Wow, she's unbelievable."
Was this what a women's stare-down looked like?
The tense air swept through the room, chilling the atmosphere.
All that remained was the click of Reina's heels and Cheon Seo-yun's huffs.
I gauged the mood and murmured quietly.
"Guess I should head back to the dorm and pack."
Honestly, their fights weren't my business. They clashed all the time in the original story anyway—no big deal.
More importantly, midterms.
I needed to prep to leave soon.
It was really just days away.
No—originally, today.
"Park Ha-yul."
Then, from the back, Baek Sa-young called out.
Wondering what was up, she trotted over and asked sheepishly.
"Got time tonight?"
"Tonight?"
"Yeah. Let's grab a bite before midterms start. We worked hard over the weekend but didn't get a proper afterparty. The others are coming too—cool with that?"
"Think she'll keep food down?"
I glanced at Cheon Seo-yun, still muttering "unbelievable" on repeat. Baek Sa-young smiled wryly.
"She'll be fine soon. She always bounces back quick."
True enough.
But I was seriously busy.
Packages piled up at the dorm entrance needed unpacking, sorting, and stashing neatly in my sub-space.
"Next time. Got stuff to do."
"...Ah, okay then. See ya."
Baek Sa-young waved brightly with a smile.
Looking at her face made my mouth itch a bit.
So I decided to drop a small hint.
"Just in case, pack some emergency rations."
"Rations?"
"...Yeah. And don't drink too much. You never know—midterms might start tonight..."
I patted Baek Sa-young's shoulder and left the lecture hall.
* * *
20 minutes to 8 p.m., at the samgyeopsal joint in the academy.
"Boss! Eight servings here. No, ten. Make it twelve to be safe."
Baek Sa-young, who arrived early as usual, started grilling meat for her friends who hadn't shown yet.
Sizzle—the smoke rose as the red meat turned golden-brown.
The restaurant door swung open with a burst of loud chatter.
"Whoa, you really can't judge by looks. See that? She gave me the cold shoulder."
"Yeah, she was beautiful."
"What'd you say?"
"No, it's true. The prof called her—where's she got time to chat? And aren't I the real victim here?"
"How?"
"I didn't even get a seed."
"But you're defending her? Ugh."
Cheon Seo-yun was still grumpy, while Lee Dae-ho grinned slyly.
Baek Sa-young waved at them.
"Boss! A bottle of soju here."
"Anything cold."
The two sat down in sync, bickering forgotten, and fired off their order.
As Baek Sa-young set down utensils, she asked Cheon Seo-yun.
"Joo A-rin?"
"Busy. Seems like she made a firm resolve after visiting her little sister."
"Little sister?"
"Huh? Uh, yeah. Anyway, cheers."
Glug-glug—
Cheon Seo-yun poured soju into Baek Sa-young and Lee Dae-ho's glasses, filled her own, and raised it.
Clink—they downed it in one go and dove for the grill.
Each snagged two pieces, dipped in sauce, and shoved them in.
The last supper before midterms began like that.
Eat, pour. Eat, pour.
The quiet table grew rowdy only after bellies started filling up.
"Hey, where'd you disappear to on Saturday? You really not gonna spill?"
"Just... nothing big. Pick good armament?"
"Oh. Didn't I tell you?"
The topic naturally shifted to Park Ha-yul.
"Man, that guy's got an eye. Took me to some famous shop in Jongno?"
Cheon Seo-yun chattered excitedly about the weekend.
"Is it just his eye?"
Baek Sa-young, listening, smirked meaningfully and muttered to herself.
"Ah."
She suddenly remembered what Park Ha-yul had said and spoke up urgently.
"Oh, about midterms. Ha-yul said to pack emergency rations."
"Rations?"
"Yeah. And go easy on the booze—might start suddenly."
Baek Sa-young glanced between her glass and the three empty bottles on the table.
"Pfft, what nonsense."
"Hahaha. So I just keep laughing?"
Cheon Seo-yun and Lee Dae-ho waved it off vehemently.
But Baek Sa-young's words:
"I think so too. Never seen him wrong yet."
"That's..."
"Hmm."
Everyone pondered, and the mood soured.
Bzzz.
Bzzz.
Bzzz.
The three phones on the table vibrated at once.
"What now? This late."
Cheon Seo-yun checked hers grumpily, a hint of tension in her awkward glance—then her eyes bulged as she yelled.
"Oh crap, we're screwed! Get up—now!"
"Why? What hap—"
"Assemble at the training grounds in thirty minutes. Midterms start now."
"What? No way..."
"I'm out."
Cheon Seo-yun chugged the iced water beside her and bolted from her seat.