Chapter 144
Chapter 144
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 144
Chapter Title: Behavioral Device ver.p.saebyeok(tp)
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[Part 2 Episode 7]
§ Behavioral Device ver.p.saebyeok(tp)
Yi Yoo-hyun tried to get a read on the situation at school, but in the end, she came up empty-handed.
"Fuck, nosy bitch."
So Yeo Woo-hee stirred up a bunch of incidents inside the gates by egging on the other kids, making sure Yi Yoo-hyun kept her eyes off school matters.
With things suddenly heating up, Yi Yoo-hyun had no choice but to look away for a moment, handing out her contact info to the kids who'd been targeted.
Of course, Moon Se-rim burned every last one of those numbers.
The bullying grew more persistent and sneaky, harder to track.
On the surface, things looked eerily calm.
Certain emotions are addictive as hell, making it tough to quit the behaviors that trigger them.
Yeo Woo-hee and Moon Se-rim couldn't let go of the superiority rush from tormenting others.
As the bullying ramped up, the kindness from Woo Ji-yoon and Lee Kyung-seop started getting ignored.
At first, it was just the mean kids leading the charge, but soon even the unbiased ones got swept up and began avoiding them too.
So Woo Ji-yoon and Lee Kyung-seop gradually gave up trying to mingle with the normies and stuck to their original crew.
And then there was Lee Saebyeok.
Lee Saebyeok spent the whole day quietly sleeping.
"Saebyeok, come on, let's grab some food."
"……"
Lee Saebyeok stubbornly kept up the sleeping act.
"Leave her be. She must be wiped from hitting the gates after so long."
"Oh yeah, she said not to act all friendly at school."
"Why?"
Lee Kyung-seop tilted his head with a slightly hurt look, and Woo Ji-yoon shrugged.
"Dunno. Said if we wanna talk, do it inside the Association."
"……Really? Guess school's stressing her out."
Lately, Lee Saebyeok had started brushing off all the Abyss kids' interference.
It stung a little, but since she'd always been a free spirit since they were young, they let it slide.
Before leaving the classroom, Byeon Woo-jin stared straight through the back of the sleeping Lee Saebyeok's head.
'……'
Then he reached out, patted her back, and headed out.
* * *
Lunchtime in the school bathroom.
Kids gathered in small groups to brush their teeth.
"Ah, the pork cutlet was flavorless today."
"Why's time dragging so much lately?"
"Wait, you hear that?"
As they chatted idly, a faint noise came from the second stall.
Crunch. Crunch. Sniffle, crunch.
Someone eating.
Even sniffling.
"Hey, what's that sound?"
Once someone spoke up, the chewing stopped.
Curious about who the tragic teen-movie protagonist was—crying and scarfing lunch alone in the bathroom—they exchanged glances and stifled laughs.
"Wanna hit Vera after school? My treat."
"Vera? No way you saw that ad for Yoo Hee-min Hunter's limited edition too."
"Yeah, scored Sis Hee-min's merch endurance win."
Crunch, sniffle. Crunch, crunch. Ugh.
"……"
"……"
They froze mid-convo at the eating sounds again.
"Anyway, we gotta head back before class starts."
"Yeah, let's go."
They said that, then giggled outside the bathroom door, waiting.
After a bit, one kid emerged.
A girl with half-up hair and sharp features. Her nose and eyes were red.
It was Lee Saebyeok, lately the butt of many jokes behind her back.
Looked like she'd been eating alone in the bathroom and crying.
Lee Saebyeok tossed the spicy cheese kimbap wrapper in the trash and turned on the faucet.
She scrubbed her tear- and snot-streaked face under the gushing cold water. Her lips were weirdly swollen.
"Whoa, epic. Hilarious. No friends, huh? Even the other Association hunters spit her out?"
"Isn't that the one who bashed your friend's head with a tumbler last time?"
"Oh, yeah! So funny. Gotta tell everyone."
"She looks totally different from her first impression."
As Lee Saebyeok wiped her face with tissue and stepped out, she spotted the kids lurking and whispering outside.
Her eyes went wide.
"Hic…… Eek!"
Her surprised voice sounded oddly forced.
"……?"
It felt unnatural, so she frowned, and Lee Saebyeok covered her mouth, widening her eyes even more to sell the shock.
Lee Saebyeok blew her nose with the tissue she'd used on her face. The spicy food kept making tears and snot pour out.
* * *
"Hey~ Where you off to alone again~"
One student stuck their foot out as Lee Saebyeok walked the hall, tripping her. She stumbled, and the surrounding kids snickered.
Ever since she started going solo, she'd gotten quieter, and the provocations piled up.
Sometimes they even followed her after school.
After taking a few hits and playing possum to shake off the instigators, Lee Saebyeok dusted off her slightly dirt- and blood-specked clothes and stood.
"One large bandage, please."
After buying a bandage at the pharmacy, Lee Saebyeok slapped a huge one over her small scrape and wandered from the first floor to the rooftop of the Association building for no reason.
"Saebyeok. What're these cuts?"
Moon Se-rim, fresh from gate scouting, spotted the bandages plastered all over her body as she passed and tilted her head.
"Gate, what else."
"Why not heal 'em?"
"You guys took a bunch of recovery syringes last time, inventory's off~"
"Oh. Here, take my emergency one!"
Moon Se-rim grinned awkwardly, her hand trembling slightly as she pulled a recovery syringe from her bag and held it out.
"Heard you're eating lunch alone in the bathroom. Why not with us?"
"You believe that crap? Why would I eat in that stinky hellhole."
"Yeah, good point?"
Lee Saebyeok was sensitive to smells with a weak stomach—she'd never eat in a bathroom.
Lately, ridiculous rumors about her had been circulating. Too absurd to buy.
She was all-in on fun, so she pulled weird stunts sometimes, and those got twisted in the retelling.
The bathroom rumor probably started from some prank in there.
"Anyway, Saebyeok, wanna see the skill I developed? You said last time cranking rotation speed with mana could chain kicks. Nailed it."
"Show me."
Lee Saebyeok sipped her apple juice pouch.
As Moon Se-rim awakened, her height and muscles bulked up, her curly hair shifting to purple.
She slipped on special kicking boots and struck a ready pose.
"Last hit was 5,408, right?"
Lee Saebyeok reached for the mana target board in the training area and asked.
"You remembered?"
Moon Se-rim smirked. She always did, but hearing it felt good every time.
"Yeah."
Thwack!
Lee Saebyeok floated the mana target board and punched it hard to give it speed.
It zipped through the air in erratic curves.
She plopped down where she stood and nodded at Moon Se-rim.
"Now go."
"Got it!"
Moon Se-rim crouched, bent her knees, powered her thighs, and leaped into the air.
She twisted her waist, coiling her muscles, then spun rapidly.
Like a top's string unwinding, she whirled and thrust her foot at the target in her sights.
Pow-pow-pow-pow!
The spinning kicks landed in rapid succession.
The mana board shattered, crashing to the floor.
[9,802 points]
Moon Se-rim landed with a knee-bend thud, flashy as hell.
"New record~!"
Beaming, she dashed to Lee Saebyeok, eager for feedback.
Lee Saebyeok fiddled with the target debris on the ground.
"Well? Good? Pretty solid for an intelligence-test dunce."
"You really held onto that roast, huh."
"Nah, nah, it got funny later. Anyway, you don't hate me anymore... right?"
It hurt a bit, but it was blowback from messing with Yi Yoo-hyun—no regrets there.
Yeo Woo-hee said Yi Yoo-hyun was a solid Association head, and Lee Saebyeok was scheming to keep her pinned here.
Honestly, with all the focus on B-to-D classes and chill visits, not sure about "solid," but whatever.
More than the insults, worrying she'd soured things bad with Lee Saebyeok gnawed at her.
Instead of answering, Lee Saebyeok stood and roughly mimicked Moon Se-rim's move.
Crouch, power thighs, leap into spins. Key was holding the axis.
No mana meant no speed—she hit the ground quick.
"I hate all awakeners."
"You hate me...?"
"The better you get than me, the more I hate you. That was pretty good, so now I hate you more."
Lee Saebyeok cackled as she said it, easing Moon Se-rim's anxiety.
That playful grin while showing teeth was endearing.
She'd thought it was just 'cause Lee Saebyeok was strong, but even weaker, that smile still hit nice.
"But since you're smarter than me, hate me a little less?"
"Not enough."
"You're smarter than Seol Do-yoon, I'd say."
"Ah, there it is."
Pfft. Moon Se-rim turned away, covering her face with her elbow, giggling.
She always lit up at that praise—hilarious every time.
"It's a fact, why laugh."
"Mental victory......"
"What'd you say."
Her prickly tone stung sometimes, but chatting always lifted the mood.
"Moon Se-rim."
"Yeah?"
"Can I get some advice on a worry?"
Lee Saebyeok with worries?
Instant hook. Awakening issues? School?
She'd heard others whine plenty, but Lee Saebyeok spilling? Rare as hell.
Lately she seemed carefree—play, school, sleep. But worries, huh.
Felt like special treatment. Mood boost.
Absolute secret from Yeo Woo-hee.
If she knew Lee Saebyeok trusted her that much, jealousy might lead to a chokehold.
"Nah, just... sometimes I think I could croak any second."
"You always said you're too special to die."
"I've survived limbs torn off and guts ripped open by luck more than once or twice—wild, right?"
Moon Se-rim scowled at that.
Flashes of Lee Saebyeok's brutal injuries scrolled in her mind.
Including times she'd stupidly tanked hits for her.
As kids, she'd believed Lee Saebyeok was immortal.
She'd come back alive from shit that looked fatal to everyone else.
"Lately with Yi Yoo-hyun here, life's decent, so dying scares me now. Luck runs out eventually."
"You do feel fear......"
"Why? Can't I?"
"You can! You can! It's fine."
This vulnerable side from Lee Saebyeok was fresh. More since Yi Yoo-hyun arrived.
Moon Se-rim's eyes sparkled.
Everyone fears death, but Lee Saebyeok always grinned through crises—thought she couldn't feel it.
"But nah, lately I'm getting picked on weirdly a lot. Pisses me off. Not dying to monsters, but some rando."
"What picks?"
Moon Se-rim tilted her head. Provocations on Lee Saebyeok? Surprising.
Figured her snappy vibe and tough aura warded that off.
Things had changed big time.
"......Yeah, fuck."
"Why not tell me?"
Lee Saebyeok clamped her mouth, ruffled her hair wildly.
"Anyway, protect me a bit. Wanna live long. Admitting I'm lacking compared to awakeners. Shit, fucking sucks."
She'd idolized Lee Saebyeok's strength, so this weak side felt off.
Normal people showing frailty seemed easy prey, but Lee Saebyeok's? Felt good.
That distant kid suddenly seemed closer.
"Got it, don't worry!"
From childhood to now, Lee Saebyeok had always protected her.
Gave steady gate advice and guidance to stay alive.
Never thought to repay, but if Lee Saebyeok appreciated payback, it'd feel nice.
"If anyone starts shit, tell me. I'll wreck 'em with the skill you taught."
Lee Saebyeok nodded. She let out a quiet sigh too, but Moon Se-rim missed it.