The Most Popular Man

"You definitely spilled the beans yourself just so I'd praise you, didn't you?" Wang Chung said with a sly, cunning smile. "Young Master, within my name, Wang Chung, the character for Loyalty—"

"Shut it!" Bukjin cut him off with a visible shudder. "Don't you have any other lines? You need to show some personal growth, for goodness' sake."

Wang Chung pondered for a moment, thinking that his young master's demands were becoming increasingly difficult. Finally, he opened his mouth again. "I, Wang Chung, whose name contains the character for Loyalty—"

"Enough! Forget it! Let's talk about something else," Bukjin sighed. "What kind of information did you tell Gong Gong and his crew to dig up? Are there still people targeting me?"

Wang Chung quickly lowered his voice. "Young Master, as you well know, your father is still officially a criminal. We still don't know where the young lady has gone, either. Meanwhile, you are drawing an immense amount of attention. If someone takes offense to that, or if His Imperial Majesty changes his mind and harbors murderous intent..."

"And even if that happens, what exactly are you going to do with a bunch of street thugs?" Bukjin asked, clicking his tongue in skepticism.

Wang Chung replied, "Young Master, you must not underestimate them. When a critical moment arrives, the most vital asset is information. Snakes have their own paths, and rats have theirs. Who knows? They might be the ones to save your life one day."

After a moment of thought, Bukjin decided that Wang Chung might be right; they could be useful. Many people spent their time worrying about the distant future while missing what was right under their noses. He didn't know how effective they would be, but gathering rumors and intel from the streets seemed like a solid plan.

"Fine. Do as you see fit," Bukjin said.

Wang Chung hesitated for a moment, then summoned his courage to speak again. "Young Master... I actually need one of your people."

"Huh?" Bukjin studied Wang Chung's tense face, then his expression shifted as if he'd realized something. "Is it Cheon-cheon or Cheong-cheong?! You absolute dog! They say the heart stays young even as the body withers, but to harbor such filthy thoughts? Forget it! Give up! You're old enough to be their father; don't you dare ruin those girls! However... if feelings have already blossomed between you, I suppose I can't be entirely against it..."

A shadow fell over Wang Chung's face as he listened to Bukjin's rambling. "Young Master, the one I need is Agwang," he said, sounding deeply wronged.

Agwang? Agwang is a rat, though. Why did he call him a 'person'?

"What do you want with Agwang?" Bukjin asked.

"I want to use him to train Gong Gong and his gang. Agwang's unique abilities seem perfectly suited for this task," Wang Chung explained.

"Well, I'll have to ask Agwang if he's up for it," Bukjin replied.

A moment later, Agwang entered the room. Upon hearing Wang Chung's proposal, his eyes went wide, and he nodded his head vigorously. It was an incredibly positive reaction.

"Fine. Go ahead then," Bukjin said, waving them off. "But don't you dare fall behind on your homework!"

"..."

Agwang's expression instantly shifted to one of pure despair. The excitement vanished, and his head slumped forward. Drip. Drip. Hot tears began to fall from Agwang's eyes, soaking the floor.

"Young Master, why don't you give Gong Gong's organization a name?" Wang Chung asked cautiously.

Bukjin gave a half-hearted answer. "A name? Well, since you're the butler managing the house... let's call them the City Management, since they'll be managing the city!"

City Management? Wang Chung felt a strange sensation at the name, but he didn't object. After confirming the two characters for the name, Wang Chung said nothing more and dragged the still-despondent Agwang out of the room.

Once outside Bukjin's room, Wang Chung let out a long sigh of relief. The Young Master is a real penny-pincher, but he doesn't seem very sensitive to the actual books. I'm glad he didn't notice the 2,000 taels I skimmed off the top. I'm so lucky to have a master like him! Wang Chung chuckled to himself, feeling triumphant.

Late at night, Bukjin was holding his smartphone. Having taken first place several times during the Academic & Martial Arts Competition over the last few days, he was curious to see if there were any new updates or apps.

Nothing's changed? Does the reward only come out once the entire competition is over?

Bukjin opened the Messenger app and tapped on Geomseol Mumeong's profile picture. It was still the same photo of her smooth, white thighs. Suddenly, the memory of her naked body from the video call flashed through his mind, and his throat went dry.

I wonder what that damn goddess is up to.

Bukjin didn't send any more messages. He put his phone away and drifted into a deep sleep.

The next day was overcast. Dark clouds filled the sky, but the air felt incredibly fresh.

The Martial Arts Hall of the National Imperial Junior Academy was already packed with people. Unlike the quiet, strict atmosphere of the previous testing grounds, the Martial Arts Hall was open to the citizens of Unmong City, and tickets had been sold in advance. The atmosphere inside was electric, reminiscent of the finals of a major sporting event on Earth, with crowds cheering wildly.

There were six thousand seats arranged around the hall, and every single one was sold out. The energy was palpable. Citizens were shouting their own unique cheers.

The forty representative students, including Bukjin, were scheduled to take turns ascending the martial stage to duel. As before, the students drew lots to determine the order of the matches. Under the guidance of officials from the Board of Education, they were preparing for their bouts in individual dressing rooms.

The matches were organized by a Mystic Gate Array that generated a random bracket based on the numbers the students had drawn. Consequently, no one would know who their opponent was until their turn arrived.

Bukjin sat in his dressing room, watching a small crystal screen as he waited for his turn.

The Martial Arts Hall of the National Imperial Junior Academy was the second-largest structure in Unmong City, surpassed only by the Temple of the Sword Lord. Not only did it boast seating for six thousand, but the central martial stage was a sight to behold.

The stairs leading up to the stage consisted of nine steps, much like the stairs of a sacrificial altar. The stage itself was a circular arena roughly thirty jang in diameter, providing ample space for the competitors to utilize their movement techniques. The surface was made of white Iron-Gold Stone, designed to be flat with enough friction to facilitate movement during combat. Furthermore, it had been reinforced by a Mystic Gate Array, giving it incredible durability. Its strength was such that even a powerhouse in the Grandmaster Realm would struggle to break it.

The four sides of the stage were lined with stone railings carved like vines. A ten-jang radius around the stage was kept entirely clear, ensuring that spectators from the lowest to the highest seats could comfortably look down upon the entire arena.

The hall was a sea of people; not a single seat remained empty. Officials from the Board of Education were stationed along the corridors, supervising the proceedings to ensure everything ran smoothly. They used arrays with amplification effects to explain the rules to the audience.

The Academic & Martial Arts Competition was one of the most solemn and sacred events in the Empire. Not even the slightest accident or unexpected situation would be tolerated.

A massive crystal screen, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠crafted via a Mystic Gate Array, hung from the ceiling. It was positioned so that it could be seen clearly from any angle. Displayed upon it were the names of the students, their scores from previous exams, and highlights of their performances. These students had already become the most welcomed celebrities in Unmong City.

What defied everyone's expectations, however, was that Bukjin—the man once stigmatized as the 'Street Sweeper'—was currently the most popular figure among the citizens. Even the popularity of beautiful girls like Im Jin and Ya Mi-ang, or the genius of White Cloud City, Jo Pacheon, paled in comparison to Bukjin's.

"To be fair, Im Bukjin hasn't caused any trouble in the city for months now."

"You're right. Regardless of his past, he's a son of Unmong, born and raised right here. No matter how troublesome a son he is, he's still a thousand times better than someone like Jo Pacheon, who betrayed his own sect."

"I'm telling you, that Im Bukjin kid is hilarious! He's got guts and energy. Watching him is like watching a naughty son who's always getting into trouble and getting thrashed for it! Hahaha!"

"I might sound a bit crazy for saying this, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but I've been rooting for him ever since he used that aphrodisiac to take down the Thunder Tiger."

As the spectators discussed Bukjin, the crystal screen on the ceiling began broadcasting recorded highlights of his exploits. Cheers erupted from the stands the moment he appeared. Within the Imperial Academy, Bukjin's name had become a phenomenon.

Watching this, Yi Ung-bu and the other officials from the Board of Education couldn't help but feel that the situation ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was utterly surreal.

A short while later, as the opening time for the martial matches approached, the atmosphere of the competition reached its fever pitch. The forty representative students were introduced one by one, and the current rankings appeared on the screen.

Bukjin held a slight lead, sitting in first place. Jo Pacheon was in second, trailing by only five points. Ya Mi-ang followed in third. Behind them were names like Im Hyeon, Im Yeok, Chang San-seol, Mi Yeo-yeon, Wang Hyeong-yeo, Ju Ga-a, and Jwa-gu Musang. To the shock of many, the genius girl of the Governor's estate, Im Jin, was ranked only ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tenth.

Then, the names on the crystal screen began to glow and spin rapidly. The Mystic Gate Array was selecting the first pair to duel. After the names blurred in a high-speed rotation, two names finally froze, shining brightly on the screen.