Does He Dislike Women?
"It was just... a feeling," Mi Yeo-yeon said in a low voice.
"My feeling is that Im Haku's team will have a very high win rate in the team competition."
"A feeling? Does that mean... Mi Sajeo still has feelings for Im Sahyung... Ugh! Ugh!"
Having drunk a considerable amount of alcohol, Baek Geum-un was already out of control and was once again silenced by Ak Hong-hyang covering her mouth.
Bukjin said nothing, shaking his head. He continued his thoughts calmly before speaking.
"Mi Haku. I cannot give you a definitive answer right now. This is because I still need time to go back, plan, and consider. Would it be alright if I gave you an answer before noon tomorrow?"
"I object!" Baek Geum-un shouted loudly, shaking off Ak Hong-hyang's arm.
"Im Sahyung! Treating Sister Yeo-yeon like that isn't fair! Are you telling Sister Yeo-yeon to keep an empty room all to herself right now? If you don't choose Sister Yeo-yeon by tomorrow, you'll be wasting her time, preventing her from choosing someone else... Ugh! Ugh!"
This time, Baek Geum-un was silenced by Bukjin himself.
'This damn brat! An empty room all to herself? Where did she learn such a term?! At this rate, she'll be talking about becoming a widow!'
"I apologize. This little one in our academy is still too young..."
Baek Geum-un's wild remarks even made Bukjin's face flush. Bukjin was at a loss for how to explain the situation.
A moment later, Mi Yeo-yeon regained her composure. She seemed to have clearly understood Baek Geum-un's boisterous personality.
"It's alright. I can wait," Mi Yeo-yeon replied.
After speaking, Mi Yeo-yeon realized that the atmosphere in the room made it inappropriate for a long conversation with Bukjin. She quickly rose, bowed once more to the teachers and students, and then left.
"Sister Yeo-yeon! You can't give up like this... Ugh! Ugh!"
Baek Geum-un's loud shouts were once again muffled.
"Bukjin, Mi Yeo-yeon is an excellent choice as a team member. What are you hesitating about?" Ryu Gye-hae asked, unable to hold back. As a teacher of the 3rd Academy, he naturally wanted Bukjin to win with the strongest team members.
Bukjin took a large gulp of alcohol, then sighed deeply and said, "I don't know why either. But a voice in my head tells me not to rush the decision yet."
Ak Hong-hyang's eyes sparkled upon hearing Bukjin's words, like starlight in the night sky. She smiled softly and said, "Actually, there's one team member Im Sahyung absolutely must secure."
Han Bul-bu also nodded and said, "Im Jin."
Cho Heun started to laugh upon hearing their words. Cho Heun said, "Even if you didn't say it, I noticed it early on. That guy is definitely waiting for Im Jin! He and Im Jin always look good together, so there's no way he'd miss out on her... Tsk tsk! Im Jin's skill is definitely above Mi Yeo-yeon's. If Im Jin becomes his team member, Jo Pacheon will lose no matter what team members he gets."
Bukjin shook his head and said, "Im Jin is certainly the most perfect team member... The problem is that she has no interest in the competition. Just by giving up on being among the final 10, it seems she has no intention of participating in the Academic & Martial Arts Competition anymore."
"That's true..." Ban Oe-min nodded in agreement.
"This fellow! To still be thinking clearly after drinking so much, your alcohol tolerance must be quite impressive."
Ryu Gye-hae said regretfully after hearing their words, "Mi Yeo-yeon and Im Jin are both amazing students. If you could take both of them as team members, you'd be invincible. It's a shame. Both of them are within the top 20, so you can only choose one. Mi Yeo-yeon seems to have come without considering this point, so she was unlucky..."
Upon hearing him, Ak Hong-hyang suddenly had a thought.
'Mi Yeo-yeon didn't think of this? Impossible.'
Im Jin had expressed her affection for Bukjin throughout the Academic & Martial Arts Competition. There was no way a meticulous and thoughtful girl like Mi Yeo-yeon wouldn't know this.
'If so, she came to Im Sahyung knowing all of this... What could be the reason?'
As Ak Hong-hyang continued to ponder, a bitter smile formed deep within her heart.
'Well... there can only be one reason, after all...'
Just then, Bukjin, who had eaten and drunk his fill, rose from his seat and said, "Let's call it a day and disperse. If we continue, Baek Geum-un will be too drunk to pay! At this rate, we'll have to pool our money to settle the bill!"
A chill ran down everyone's spines at Bukjin's words. What Bukjin said made perfect sense. Without a moment's hesitation, people called the waiter and placed large takeout orders. Then, supporting the stumbling Baek Geum-un, they quickly headed to the counter.
'Let's pay first, and discuss the rest later.'
But as they approached the counter, a sudden commotion erupted downstairs. Several officials from the Education Bureau rushed into Manseung-ru with urgent expressions.
"Where is Lord Lee's room? Guide me there at once."
The person who spoke first was none other than Lee Cheong-hyeon. He dashed up to the second floor, brushing past Bukjin's group. Cho Heun and the others tried to greet him, but Lee Cheong-hyeon quickly passed them by and rushed into an adjacent room.
A moment later, Lee Ung-bu, the Head of Unmong City's Education Bureau, burst out of the room, looking greatly flustered. He then descended to the lower floor and, without even taking a carriage, used his movement technique to rush off somewhere.
The Grandmaster-ranked Lee Ung-bu, upon activating his movement technique, became a streak of lightning, shooting towards the City Lord's Office. Following him, a dozen people poured out of the room. They were all high-ranking principals and vice-principals from renowned intermediate academies. Their faces were all grim, and they, too, quickly descended to the first floor.
"What's going on?" Ryu Gye-hae had a bad feeling.
Cho Heun looked in the direction of the City Lord's Office and said, "I don't know... But something big has definitely happened."
Those present exchanged uneasy glances. Lee Ung-bu was one of Unmong City's prominent figures. He was usually a man who rarely lost his composure. The fact that even he had lost his calm indicated that the matter conveyed to him was no ordinary affair. He couldn't even maintain his composure in front of the dignitaries from the famous intermediate academies, leaving everyone wondering what terrible event had transpired. A sense of unease surged in the hearts of many who witnessed this.
"Let's go, let's return to the academy and assess the situation," Ryu Gye-hae said urgently.
The 3rd Academy group boarded a carriage pulled by demonic beasts and quickly headed towards the 3rd Academy. However, when they arrived, the 3rd Academy was eerily quiet. Even those inside the school had no idea what had happened. There was no news from the Unmong City Education Bureau either.
Ryu Gye-hae and Ban Oe-min pondered for a moment, then hurried through the school, searching for Principal Im Tae-heo. Cho Heun personally drove the carriage, taking Baek Geum-un, Han Bul-bu, and Ak Hong-hyang home. Bukjin returned to Juk-won by himself. In truth, Bukjin had no interest in what had happened. No, to be precise, he had less interest than Ryu Gye-hae and the others. This was because Bukjin believed he was merely a passerby in this world, not someone who belonged to it.
"Congratulations on your return, Young Master."
Wang Chung, A-kwang, and Cheon-cheon and Cheong-cheong were waiting for Bukjin in the main hall on the first floor of Juk-won. They had even prepared a small celebration to commemorate Bukjin becoming one of the final 10.
A-kwang clapped his small paws with all his might.
"This little guy knows a lot of tricks," Bukjin said, though he was actually a little touched.
After exchanging a few words and praising Wang Chung and the others, Bukjin bathed, attended by the two maids. Soaking in the hot water, Bukjin melted away his fatigue and returned to his bedroom.
The moment Bukjin stepped into his bedroom, Ding! An familiar notification sound rang out. Startled, Bukjin quickly summoned his smartphone. A message had appeared on the screen.
A new update is available. This update requires 50G of data. Would you like to proceed with the update?
WARNING: Please ensure your smartphone has sufficient power and data during the update. Otherwise, the update may fail!
'Finally...'
Bukjin's mind cleared. A new system update had finally arrived. Bukjin used his smartphone to check his current status. His cultivation rank had already reached the peak of the 2nd Grade Martial Warrior. He was just one step away from the 3rd Grade Martial Warrior rank. The total amount of Hyeongi in his body, converted to data, was 58G. The amount of Hyeongi was sufficient, so there was no problem proceeding with the system update.
Bukjin first charged his smartphone to 100% power, then selected to start the update. The next moment, a familiar sensation of strength draining away, accompanied by a slight dizziness, washed over him. The Hyeongi within Bukjin's body began to be sucked into the smartphone at an incredible speed. Eventually, Bukjin couldn't bear it and began to let out strange moans in his bedroom.
The two maids standing outside the door blushed upon hearing the sounds, while also feeling a little perplexed. Both maids were exceptionally beautiful and had mastered various techniques to please men. They occasionally sent subtle signals or playfully teased Bukjin, but he consistently maintained a serious demeanor, never laying a hand on either of them.
'Why does the Young Master go into his bedroom alone and make such sounds?'
'Could it be... that the Young Master doesn't like women?'
One shijin (two hours) quickly passed amidst the maids' bewilderment. And soon, Bukjin's moans, which had made the two maids blush, finally ceased.