This Man is a Fraud!

Students who rank within the top three of the Academic & Martial Arts Competition selection trials are granted the honor of a city-wide announcement, proclaimed from the Temple of the Sword Lord. Furthermore, they are awarded a Genius Token, a prestigious medallion co-produced by the City Government, the Education Bureau, the Unmong-wi, and the Temple of the Sword Lord.

Under these circumstances, anyone harboring a grudge against Bukjin would be signing their own death warrant if they dared to lay a finger on him.

"Retreat! We have to get away from the 3rd Academy immediately!"

"Go back and report to the master...!"

"Hurry, inform the Guild Leader of this news!"

A short while later, the various groups that had gathered from all over to seek revenge on Bukjin finally vanished, retreating completely.

Inside the school grounds.

The teachers, who had welcomed and encouraged Bukjin with great fanfare, began to leave one by one. Cho Heun led Bukjin deep into the academy's interior before speaking in a low voice.

"The Principal wants to see you."

The Principal?

The image of a silver-haired old man flashed through Bukjin's mind—the one he had seen dozing off in the VIP section during the annual competition, smelling strongly of alcohol. From what he had heard, the Principal, Im Tae-heo, was a man who had zero interest in academy affairs and didn't care about anything happening around him.

He reportedly spent almost every day indulging in wine, song, and women. Some even whispered that he wasn't right in the head, calling him Taeheo-ja, 'The Void One.'

That old geezer wants to see me? Could it be that my handsome and genius self performed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so brilliantly in the trials that even his heart was moved? Is the Principal finally seeing hope in the 3rd Academy and wanting to join hands with me to paint a beautiful future? Hahaha!

Bukjin let his pleasant imagination run wild.

A moment later, they arrived at the door to the Principal's office. Cho Heun gave a quick knock-knock-knock and then shoved Bukjin inside.

SLAM!

As soon as Bukjin stepped in, the door was pulled shut behind him. Cho Heun remained outside alone.

Wh-what the! Why did he shove me in like a fox pushing a rabbit into a tiger's den?

Bukjin felt an unsettling vibe. The office was massive, spanning nearly 14,000 square feet. Two enormous windows were set into the ceiling, allowing sunlight to flood the room, making everything look bright and pristine.

It wasn't what Bukjin expected. He had imagined a Principal's office filled with bookshelves and scholarly scrolls. Instead, rows upon rows of display cases lined the walls, but they weren't filled with books—they were filled with liquor bottles.

Countless bottles of every imaginable variety were packed tightly into the cases. If Cho Heun hadn't told him this was the Principal's office, Bukjin would have mistaken it for a high-end wine cellar.

The room was filled with the faint scent of roses mixed with a rich, yet smooth aroma of alcohol. The atmosphere was surprisingly relaxing, causing Bukjin's tension to melt away.

Just then, a loud snore echoed from between the liquor cabinets.

It was only after passing ten display cases that Bukjin finally found a bed. On it, an old man in pink pajamas was sound asleep, hugging a young woman with a seductive figure.

This was the man known as Taeheo-ja, Im Tae-heo.

Good grief... A man of his age wearing pink pajamas... He's a total pervert! And that woman next to him... Is he really allowed to do this in the middle of the day at an academy?!

Bukjin turned around, intending to leave before he saw anything worse. He finally understood why Cho Heun had been so quick to shove him in and stay outside. The Dean clearly didn't want to witness the ridiculous antics of the man called the 'Wine and Women Immortal.'

"Stay right there."

Before Bukjin could even reach the door, a voice laced with a strange sense of danger drifted from the bed. The Principal had woken up from his sweet nap.

Bukjin froze in his tracks. The Principal's voice followed.

"Sweetheart, this big brother has some business to attend to, so you should head back first. When you get there, tell Madam Baek that I'll be hosting a VIP at the Drunken Spring Pavilion tonight, so she should clear out the entire building. Oh, and tell her to prepare the best snacks and the finest girls. The banquet must not start until I arrive. Understood?"

Dammit! This old man has no filter in front of a student!

Bukjin couldn't help but marvel at Im Tae-heo's sheer audacity. In all his life, he had never encountered a Principal with such a thick skin.

The woman with the alluring figure nodded, hurriedly straightened her clothes, and slipped out through a hidden door on one side of the office.

Now, only Bukjin and Im Tae-heo remained. An awkward silence filled the air.

"Come over here."

Im Tae-heo sat up, stretched his back, moved his limbs around to loosen up, and then patted the spot on the bed next to him.

What kind of scandalous behavior is this...?

A chill ran down Bukjin's spine. Suddenly, a story he had heard back on Earth came to mind. He recalled hearing that ancient Greek nobles enjoyed playing with beautiful young boys. He'd heard there were high-ranking nobles and philosophers who indulged in the strange hobby of pederasty alongside their wives.

Is he a pervert who doesn't care if it's a man or a woman?

At that moment, Im Tae-heo, still in his pink pajamas, stood up. He grabbed a red bottle from a nearby cabinet, pulled out two glasses, and filled them to the brim. Holding one glass, he gave the other a light flick with his finger.

The glass sailed through the air as if it had lost all gravity, gliding slowly toward Bukjin.

He didn't spike this with some weird drug, did he?

Bukjin reached out and caught the glass. A rich aroma of wine wafted up, but he didn't drink.

"Do you know who I am?"

Im Tae-heo yawned, stretched in a bizarre posture, and then slowly approached Bukjin.

"You're the Principal," Bukjin answered instinctively.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Im Tae-heo barked. "I am your grandfather."

What? What kind of nonsense is he spouting all of a sudden?

A look of dissatisfaction crossed Bukjin's face. I went through all that trouble for the 3rd Academy, bleeding in battle during the trials, and now he calls me here just to talk gibberish?

"You don't believe me?" Im Tae-heo leaned against a liquor cabinet, a devious smirk playing on his lips. "I am Jin's biological grandfather. So, shouldn't a fellow like you be calling me 'Grandfather'?"

Jin? Who's that?

Just as Bukjin was about to retort, a face flashed through his mind. Wait... Im Jin? You're telling me the 'Wine and Women Immortal' of the 3rd Academy is the biological grandfather of Unmong City's greatest genius, Im Jin...?

"It seems you've understood my meaning." Im Tae-heo took a sip of his wine. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠He scanned Bukjin from head to toe, as if measuring his worth. "Tell me. How did you seduce my granddaughter?"

Hearing those words, Bukjin's temper flared. I seduced her? Your ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠granddaughter is the one who won't leave me alone!

"If you don't approve, Principal, I promise I will never meet Lady Im Jin again," Bukjin said firmly. "And please, you should also promise to make sure she never comes looking for me again."

Upon hearing this, Im Tae-heo hurriedly waved his hands in dismissal. "No! There's no need for that! I'm not trying to tear you two apart. In fact, I'm your biggest supporter."

"...!"

Bukjin was stunned. Im Tae-heo continued.

"My granddaughter is as cold as ice—a veritable iceberg that never melts. Countless boys have liked her, but she never gave them a second glance. Even the successor of White Cloud City, the holy land of swordsmanship, couldn't catch her eye. To put it simply, she's stiffer than a block of wood. Because of that, this old man was always curious. I wondered what kind of man could possibly shake my granddaughter's heart. But I never imagined it would be a brat like you."

Bukjin scratched his forehead awkwardly. He felt the situation veering in a very strange direction. He had expected Im Tae-heo to throw a secret treasure, a legendary martial arts manual, or even a stack of cash in his face while telling him he'd never allow his granddaughter to be with a scoundrel like him. But the man before him was...

Why does he look so happy? He's so excited he looks like he's about to offer to read our fortunes for a wedding! Does he not know my reputation? Or has he drunk so much that his brain has rotted?

"Hey, hey! Kid. Tell me. How did you reel my granddaughter in?" Principal Im Tae-heo seemed incredibly hyped up. "Surely you have some special method or technique? Come on, spill it."

"?!"

Bukjin's mind went blank at the sheer absurdity of the situation. It was too bizarre. Did I open the door to the Principal's office the wrong way?

"Pr-Principal, please stop joking!" Bukjin replied. "I'm well aware that I'm the most notorious playboy and scoundrel in Unmong City. I'm obviously not a suitable match for your granddaughter. Rest assured, I won't go anywhere near Im Jin, and I won't harbor any ideas about her."

Im Tae-heo waved his hand dismissively again. "No, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I told you, you don't have to leave! Haha! It seems a spring breeze has finally blown into the heart of my family's little phoenix. This is a good thing. I support your relationship... Ahem! So, Bukjin, how far have you two progressed? Tell me. Have you held hands? Have you kissed?"

Bukjin was so flustered he couldn't hide his bewildered expression. When he didn't answer, did Im Tae-heo think his guesses were too tame? He suddenly set down his wine glass, raised both arms, and began making a kneading motion with his hands.

"Surely you haven't gone this far already? If you have, you're one hell of a guy! How on earth did you manage it?"

At that moment, Bukjin's mind was filled with nothing but question marks and a resounding 'Oh my god.'

Th-this man is definitely a fraud. He's a fake grandfather and a fake Principal!

Bukjin was a soul from Earth, a world with advanced civilization and open culture. Even so, the Principal's behavior was enough to make his mental circuits short-circuit.

He carefully recalled the stories he'd heard about the Principal. Come to think of it, Im Tae-heo's reputation in Unmong City wasn't exactly stellar. No, to be precise, he was surrounded by scandals. His notoriety was almost on par with Bukjin's own past reputation.

The two of them were essentially the twin pillars of infamy in Unmong City. One was notorious among the youth, and the other was infamous among the middle-aged and elderly. The title 'Wine and Women Immortal' hadn't come from nowhere.

Is he... the same breed of person as me?

A look of sudden realization dawned on Bukjin's face.