Chapter 141
Chapter 141
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 141
Chapter Title: Part 2, Episode 4
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[Part 2, Episode 4]
I sneaked into the staff room and picked up the brown rice green tea packets one by one, very slowly.
For some reason, the packets weren't easy to grab today.
“We're sorry. We'll take full responsibility for this incident on our end.”
Lee Yoo-hyun stood there with her hands clasped together, bowing her head deeply like a criminal.
“You've been so thoughtful, accepting the kids so willingly with such good intentions...”
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
Heat rushed to my face.
Had I been summoned because of what I'd done today? No way to know for sure, but seeing her show up made it clear my actions had pulled the trigger.
I'd swung that tumbler hard enough to crumple it, after all.
The guys I'd hit seemed like the cocky type—they weren't the sort to stay quiet and take it. They'd probably bolted after one good smack.
Regret kept bubbling up, over and over.
“Actually, even before Sae-byeok stirred things up, there'd been a lot of talk about expelling the whole lot of them... As you know... They're viewed as dangerous elements, all of them. No hard evidence, so it's been hushed up, but there's plenty of talk that they're the ones leading the bullying against the other students.”
Why hadn't they wiped out the existing delinquents ages ago instead of just screwing with us?
Was it because we'd been spotlighted in the media so many times?
The press groups keeping hunter factions in check had hammered those stories hard, writing them in a sensational way that left tons of people wary of the association-bred hunters—the Abyss kids.
“I have nothing to say...”
“Tsk...”
The balding teacher let out a pathetic sucking sound through his teeth.
There was no need for that. Lee Yoo-hyun fidgeted, glancing nervously at the teacher's expression.
“Please, can't you trust us just a little longer? Some of the association kids really want to come to school and live normal lives. If you point out the ones causing the most trouble, I'll manage them specially...”
Lee Yoo-hyun begged.
“I tried to see things in the best light based on what you told me at first, and I made my own efforts to help them adjust, but the backlash from the existing students is just so strong...”
“Please, I beg you... The habitual offenders, I'll make them apologize and transfer or expel them, but not all of them...”
In the end, Lee Yoo-hyun dropped to her knees.
“N-no, you can't do that. Please, get up!”
“Please... I beg you...”
Something screamed inside me, but for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to rush out.
An unbelievable wave of shame and humiliation clawed at my chest. I wanted to bash my head against the wall.
It would've felt better to toss Lee Yoo-hyun out the window and kneel in her place.
Hell, I'd even beg to be allowed to bash my head for three hours straight.
The green tea packets clutched in my hands crumpled pathetically.
I couldn't stand to watch any longer. I bolted from the spot.
I'd thought Lee Yoo-hyun had casually suggested enrollment, so we'd all waltzed into school easy as pie. Turns out, that wasn't the case at all.
Lee Yoo-hyun had put in way more effort to help us fit in than I'd realized.
That alone was embarrassing enough, but I'd gone and made her come here—to kneel and beg.
I don't know why, but the thought of her seeing me now terrified me. She'd hate me for sure.
After all she'd done, and this was how we repaid her. The scales were all off.
What if she burned through every ounce of her pity one day, hit her limit, and just up and left?
That's why someone like Seol A-rim was so much easier on the heart.
‘Why go that far in the first place? Why, you damn fool. Are you insane? Why kneel for kids that aren't even yours? And some of them subtly look down on you. Fuck. Fuck. I stayed quiet until yesterday—why now of all times! No, that's not even the point...’
I kept cursing Lee Yoo-hyun in my head.
I tore at my hair and screamed out loud from the sheer shame of it all.
§ § §
Lee Yoo-hyun emerged from the staff room and opened the car door to climb in.
Before the car could even start, I yanked open the passenger door like a bullet and slid into the seat beside her.
I set my bag on my lap and pulled out my coin pouch, rummaging through it.
“How much did you give the teachers? I'll pay you back. Damn... Here's 3,500 won for now. I'll make money quick. If I really put my mind to it, I can rake in tens of millions through legit channels in no time. Just gotta think big.”
Lee Yoo-hyun's eyes widened in surprise as she clicked her seatbelt into place.
Sae-byeok was always the one running away. What had gotten into her, coming over first?
“Sae-byeok, where'd you come from? Didn't you head out early?”
“Nope. I stuck around.”
“Well, good timing anyway. I'll drop you at the dorm. Buckle up before the car starts whining.”
“More importantly, gimme your account number quick.”
“Ah, right. Wait, money?”
Lee Yoo-hyun gripped the steering wheel, arching an eyebrow and tilting her head.
“You slipped them cash, right? That's why the teachers are so nice even after learning we're a monster pack?”
Lee Yoo-hyun's face twisted at the words “monster pack.”
She tossed out self-harming words way too casually.
Lee Yoo-hyun squeezed the wheel tighter.
More to the point, why had Sae-byeok sought her out?
Lee Yoo-hyun pieced together the links: money, teachers, monster pack. And the reason she'd come specifically to her.
“No way... You saw me in the staff room earlier?”
“...Wasn't trying to listen in. Just went for some green tea.”
Lee Yoo-hyun's face flushed bright red in an instant.
“Argh, that's kinda embarrassing.”
“Account number.”
Lee Yoo-hyun shook her head at the demand.
“I didn't give them any money! I just visited each one before enrollment and politely asked.”
It seemed Sae-byeok had jumped to the conclusion that we'd gotten into school via bribes.
After Kim Woo-sung died, more and more Abyss kids started yearning for normal lives, so I'd looked into schools.
But with all the bad press, plenty of schools didn't want to take them.
I got it—they'd be uneasy.
Still, I wanted to give these kids a shot at peaceful interactions with peers their age.
I'd figured if anything material changed hands during the pleading, Sae-byeok or Seol Do-yoon would sniff it out like bloodhounds.
These kids were already cynical about human relations. If they found out later that someone's kindness came from bribes, it'd cement their views. So I'd gone to each teacher personally and gotten their okay.
“Liar.”
“It's true. I love you all—no money needed. They wanted to help voluntarily.”
Sae-byeok studied Lee Yoo-hyun's face. She didn't seem to be lying.
“Sae-byeok and Do-yoon handle so much bribery work that you end up seeing relations as transactional sometimes. But relationships can form without all that, too.”
“Really? Just begging got them that friendly from the start?”
“It took some long talks... But yes. If they let me convince them, it means they genuinely wanted to help.”
“That's only 'cause you're the Hunter Association President.”
I'd seen that answer coming.
Lee Yoo-hyun gave a wry smile.
“I went as a staffer at first. But even if they knew I'm president, it doesn't erase the genuine desire to help.”
“...”
It felt like she was handing me a polished, feel-good recap of the situation.
The kind of line Lee Kyung-seop or Woo Ji-yoon might swallow.
My thoughts started burrowing deeper again.
Sae-byeok cut them off and decided it was just a pure desire to help.
“Why do all this for us? The kids were subtly mocking you as a soft pushover.”
“You grew up around people who exploit softness instead of appreciating it, so you instinctively hate showing that side—it's survival. But real happiness comes when someone accepts even your weakest parts fully.”
“...”
“But yeah, I've been too soft up till now. The other kids—the regular students—are getting subtly bullied, right?”
“...Yes.”
“I tried kind words, let them have their fun first, but I guess I didn't lay down the rules firmly enough. People got hurt because of my greed. Can you call the kids to the hall?”
“...Sure.”
Sae-byeok sat there, arms crossed, staring blankly ahead in turmoil.
That's when a hand stretched from the back seat and pressed the button to recline Sae-byeok's seat.
Beep.
Sae-byeok's seat slowly tilted backward.
Someone draped an arm over the reclined backrest and propped their chin on it.
A shadow fell over Sae-byeok's face. Suddenly, her vision filled with sharp, striking features.
Dark black hair softly caught the light.
“Sae-byeok, you getting chewed out?”
It was Seol Do-yoon.
He twirled a lock of Sae-byeok's hair around his finger, a smirk playing on his face.
“Creepy fuck, when'd you climb in the back?”
“From the start.”
He hooked his arm around the headrest and shoved his face right up to Sae-byeok's, flashing a smug grin like he owned the place.
Then his eyes drifted to the black tumbler gripped in Sae-byeok's hand.
“What's that? Gimme my tumbler back.”
Seol Do-yoon reached out toward the slightly dented black tumbler.
“Looks like you bashed someone with it.”
“Yeah.”
“Tch.”
I spat out the word, trying to take a quick nap to sort my feelings. But noticing Lee Yoo-hyun's glance, I tossed out another line.
“Sorry. It's a bit dented.”
“It's fine. Got ten more at home.”
Seol Do-yoon cupped Sae-byeok's forehead with both palms and swept her bangs back to the crown of her head.
Gazing at the newly exposed round forehead, he asked in a soft murmur.
“So, did you win?”
“Think I did, but it was a mental defeat.”
“Then doesn't that mean you lost?”
“Do-yoon, shut it~”
Sae-byeok swatted his hand away and roughly tousled her bangs back into place.
She shot a glance at Lee Yoo-hyun and hastily clamped Seol Do-yoon's mouth shut.
Mentioning the tumbler had dragged that embarrassing fuck-up back to the surface for no reason.
Should've gone with a minor provocation, taken a beating, then hit back with assault on an unawakened charges. Bad call.
Maybe if I'd played it that way, Lee Yoo-hyun would've pitied me and hated me less.
I hated how small I felt.
‘Fuck it, whatever. Before Lee Yoo-hyun starts hating me, I'll hate her first.’
Ah, what the hell was that? You pathetic piece of shit. Why'd my thoughts even go there? Drop dead.
“But if Sae-byeok went and clocked someone with a tumbler, there had to be a good reason. What'd they say?”
Right on cue, Lee Yoo-hyun spoke up.
“Y-yeah!!! They called us a monster pack! Dropped lines about the shelters and monster shields too!”
“Sae-byeok, you got it on a secret recording, right?”
She'd brought it up first.
I'd prepped the recording as setup for the full tumbler swing but hadn't mentioned it, worried it'd look too calculated—just gauged reactions. Perfect timing.
If the teachers heard this, the kids' violence charges wouldn't vanish, but the punishment would lighten up, cutting down on mental torment time.
“Yeah! It's even worse if you listen! Personal attacks too! You'll back me up, right? It was just one hit. One hit, I swear...”
“Just toss 'em in a gate and let 'em spin?”
“If you raised 'em as combat tools, might as well just use 'em as monster shields.”
Lee Yoo-hyun bit her lip as she listened to the recording Sae-byeok held out.
“...Ah. Sae-byeok, wanna catch some sleep? I'll turn the seat heater on.”
“...”
Disappointed after all, huh. Lee Yoo-hyun's expression was stiffening.
Shouldn't have said that bit about justifying it.
Lee Yoo-hyun kept her lips pressed tight, focusing on driving, then spoke softly.
“...It was righteous anger. The way it came out was wrong, though. They're some truly loathsome kids. Must've been rough on you mentally.”
“Not really.”
Honestly, stuff like this was way more common before Kim Woo-sung died—no big deal.
If other kids got hurt, it'd mess with dorm life or gate runs, so it just pissed me off a little.
“From the sound of it, you took heat meant for the others too. Must feel pretty unfair. This won't do. I'll go talk to them...”
Verbal scoldings? Easy—just zone out with other thoughts.
No beatings, so no pain, no real unfairness.
But for some reason, my throat locked up. Sae-byeok cleared it fake-coughing a few times.
“It's fine. I'll handle it myself. I'll make Ji-yoon and the others apologize—to everyone.”
Couldn't lean on Lee Yoo-hyun anymore. Her face looked worn out, like she was hitting her limit.
Come to think of it, tons of people had pitied me and the others, reached out, then bailed. Lee Yoo-hyun held the record for longest, thanks to that pretext.
After Kim Woo-sung died, even Lee Ra-hee got healthy, ditched the hospital—pretext gone.
‘Can't drag her through more crap.’
Getting apologies? Piece of cake.
I knew plenty of ways to squeeze soul-crushing apologies out of bastards like that—more direct and faster than letting Lee Yoo-hyun step in.
To pivot the topic, Sae-byeok fake-coughed a few more times, then addressed Seol Do-yoon, who'd been staring holes through me.
“Hey, anyway—you skipping school? Oh, right, Uncle, mind if I change the song?”
“Go ahead, play whatever you like.”
Nap time it is.
Sae-byeok reached out and switched the radio station for something chill.
A gentle piano melody played in the background, joined by the smooth, captivating voice of a female vocalist.
Perfect timing—rain started pattering outside.
Tok, to-dok.
The sound of rain hitting the windows and car body. The seat's bottom heater warming my butt.
Sae-byeok lifted her head toward Seol Do-yoon, who was still staring.
“So, you bailing on school or what?”
“I'm already going to Black Hit University.”
“Ah... Yeah, figures. You maniac...”
Sae-byeok blinked slowly, then shut her eyes to doze off.
Not long after they closed, a cool hand swept across her forehead. The steady touch felt oddly reassuring.
“She must be beat—out like a light already.”
Lee Yoo-hyun glanced at the sleeping Sae-byeok and murmured.
Seol Do-yoon nodded and gently stroked her forehead.
His finger brushed Sae-byeok's eye corner as she shifted in her sleep—wetness.
Tears that had welled up without flowing, now drying.
Seol Do-yoon stared blankly for a moment, then lifted the tip of her nose with his finger, turning it into a piggy snout.