Open Class (1)
"Huh?"
I was having dinner with Chaewon like always when the television caught my eye, and I frowned.
That's weird. Seol Min-ah is supposed to be weak.
Even after everything I'd fed her, there was no way she was strong enough to take down a disaster-class. Whatever. Not my problem. I shook my head and wiped her from my thoughts.
I'd killed too many people lately. A past life of experience meant a few more bodies didn't exactly keep me up at night — but there was still that sticky, unclean feeling clinging to my hands, and I didn't like it.
"Oppa."
See? All I need is my little sister.
Chaewon was looking up at me with those big, adorable eyes of hers, same as always.
"…Are you free tomorrow?"
"Free?"
"Yeah."
Her words were shorter than usual. According to the data I'd compiled, that meant she wanted something and felt awkward asking.
Is she angling for allowance?
Chaewon carefully pulled something out from behind her back. A letter on black stationery, a red seal stamped dead in the center.
"What's this? It's from the Academy."
"Y-yeah. It's an invitation."
"An invitation?"
"…For, um. The open class."
I cracked the seal. Inside was a single thick sheet of paper.
Ah. So that's what this is about.
A memory from my past life surfaced unbidden. Chaewon had handed me this exact thing, in this exact tone, with this exact look on her face. I'd turned her down then. She hadn't shown it — but she must have been hurt. I was the only family she had.
"O-Oppa, you're busy with the restaurant these days anyway. I don't care about this stuff. At. All. You don't have to come."
I opened my mouth to make a joke of it. Then the image of her sitting there, all wilted and dejected, arrived on its own, and the thought of seeing that face — even as a bit — was more than I could take. I smiled, bright and easy.
"Really?"
The tension drained out of her all at once, and the corners of her mouth curled up into a grin.
"That's a promise, okay?"
"Hey… but."
I said the thing I'd wanted to say in my past life and never got the chance to.
"Why are you giving this to me the day before? A little notice would've been nice."
The truth was, even as much of a bastard as I'd been back then, I wouldn't have skipped my only little sister's open class. The problem was that she'd told me the day before that time, too — and I'd already had something important the next morning.
Chaewon flicked her gaze away.
"…I only got it last night, okay?"
"What?"
The open class was called the jewel of the Academy. A rare chance for ordinary people to sit front-row at something they'd never otherwise see, courtesy of their kids — and a reliable way for the cadets to show off in front of their parents and walk away with their morale through the roof. There was no universe in which they sent out notice for something that important the night before. I knew that much.
I was about to press her on it when—
"A-anyway, thanks, Oppa. I'll cook you something really good when I get home from school! Okay then… I'm off."
She looked faintly sad, and the words died in my throat. I watched her retreating back, my brow furrowed.
Don't tell me she's getting bullied.
An ugly thought. If it turned out to be true, I was going to be stuck in a foul mood for a while.
"Come on, Yujin. Do we really have to go this far?"
I rolled a shoulder that had gone stiff with discomfort. I was starting to understand why department stores ranked number one on the list of places men least wanted to go on a date. It wasn't my body that was suffering — it was my soul. I'd been putting clothes on and taking them off for three hours straight.
"The problem is that you're too careless, Seonghun. Do you have any idea how much appearances matter to kids that age, with their peers watching?"
Normally she folded the second I opened my mouth. Today she wasn't giving me an inch.
"She won't say it, but she'll love it. Her own brother is coming to school. The least you can do is look handsome."
"I am handsome."
Not a shred of hesitation. Yujin made a face that said she had a great deal she would like to add.
"Of course you are. That's not the point. If you show up in a tracksuit like you always do, people will look right through you."
"Will they?"
I stepped in front of the full-length mirror. I'd been grumbling the whole time, but standing there after the styling, in a casual suit that actually fit — I had to admit I looked like somebody. Even I thought I cut a pretty sharp figure. I nodded, satisfied.
"So why are you in comfy clothes?"
"…These are not comfy clothes."
Yujin's lower lip pushed out, just a fraction. She looked up at me, thoroughly unimpressed.
"It's a girlfriend look. You've never heard of it?"
"…Come again?"
"I put effort into this, you know."
She was wearing a white sweater and a pink skirt that fell to mid-knee. I'd only ever seen her in a maid uniform or office wear, so the bright clothes did something unexpected to her. The usual mature image was gone, replaced by something fresh and almost innocent.
Ahem. Okay, she looks good.
I stared a beat too long, and Yujin quietly looked away.
"If you don't like it, I'll change."
"No. You look pretty."
I muttered it under my breath and picked up the pace. I could normally wear a face of steel four layers thick, but I had no immunity to this kind of thing.
"If something makes you angry, look at my face for ten seconds."
"Why?"
We'd just passed through the Academy's front gate. Yujin, walking a couple of steps ahead, turned back with her hands folded behind her.
"So I can handle it for you."
"You?"
I laughed, the way you laugh at something cute. I wasn't a child. It wasn't as if I was going to start something out here just because I got annoyed.
"Promise me."
"Ugh, fine, I get it."
"Promise."
She leaned in close. A sweet scent rolled over me all at once.
She's been like this a lot lately. Sorry, Yujin, but I'm a one-woman man.
And the only woman in my life was Chaewon.
"Alright. If something pisses me off, I'll leave it to you. Happy?"
"…And don't cause a scene. Don't wander off from me, either."
I didn't know whether to laugh, but I had to give her credit — it was a fresh take. Across an entire past life, I had never heard anyone say anything even close to that.
"You're the one who'd better not wander off. We've got a performance to sell."
The two of us were running a con. Our respective little sisters were under the impression that their older siblings were dating, and finding out it was a lie would hurt them more than a little.
Yujin seemed to chew on that for a moment. Then, without warning, she hooked her arm through mine and leaned in. Something soft pressed against me.
"Wh-what are you doing."
I turned to look at her, startled. Her face was red.
"…You said we should sell it properly."
"W-well, yeah, I did."
I swallowed.
Why has she gotten so aggressive lately?
The skinship had been ramping up — little brushes, little contacts, always just casual enough to deny.
…Hah. This is why popular guys are exhausted.
I lifted my chin with a touch of arrogance and slipped my hands into my pockets. The envious looks from the men around us probably weren't just my imagination.
Swagger: maxed out.
"Welcome. May I see your ticket?"
I handed over the black letter.
"Confirmed — thank you. Right this way, please."
We followed the two attendants toward Chaewon's class.
Been a while.
I remembered sneaking onto campus once to keep an eye on her. Not much had changed. Still the same top-of-the-line facilities, same as ever.
"Oh my, hello. You must be Chaewon's older brother?"
At the top of the stairs, Chaewon's homeroom teacher greeted me with a smile.
"Yes, hello, Professor."
"You've cleaned up so nicely I almost didn't recognize you."
She beamed at me.
Good thing I listened to Yujin.
The department-store detour had been worth it. Today, little sister, your brother's going to walk in here looking like a million bucks.
"And the young lady with you?"
"I'm Yuri's older sister."
"Goodness, Yuri is already so pretty — and her sister is stunning too!"
"Thank you. Please look after our Yuri."
"Don't you worry. I'll see you both in a bit, then."
The professor dipped her head.
"Oh — Chaewon's brother."
"Yes?"
"I caught that segment on Gilmok Restaurant."
She smiled, sweet as anything.
"…Ah. Right."
I smiled back, stiffly.
Damn television people.
Another layer added to the resentment stack, and it wasn't even noon.
"We truly appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedules to be here, mothers and fathers. For today's class itinerary, please refer to the schedule that was handed out to you."
The paper the attendant had given me earlier. I unfolded it a crack. Dozens of lines. Naturally, I didn't read them. Anything past three lines and my head started to hurt.
"We'll begin class now."
At the professor's word, a perfectly ordinary lecture got underway. First period was a course called Swing Theory — protocols for evacuating civilians when a Roulette Gate opened, the traits and habitats of various monsters, that sort of thing. A grab bag of useful information. And like every class that had ever existed, it was boring.
"Alright. Who can explain the proper response when a Roulette Gate appears?"
A hand shot up.
"Yes, Ji-hee. Go ahead."
"Since we're still cadets, rather than deploying to the Gate ourselves, we calm panicking civilians and guide them to a safe evacuation point."
"Well done."
That was when a voice boomed from beside me.
"That's my daughter! That's my girl! I'm so proud of you, Ji-hee!"
A large woman dripping in flashy jewelry.
"Ugh, Mom, you're embarrassing me!"
Laughter rippled through the class.
"Now then — can anyone tell me when the first Roulette Gate appeared?"
"Me."
Chaewon's hand went up like a rocket.
"March of 2017."
"Excellent."
That's my girl, Chaewon!
Takes after me. Of course she's sharp.
"Hmph. My Ji-hee was about to raise her hand. That girl just snatched it."
The woman beside me muttered it like a whisper. Her volume, unfortunately, was not whisper-sized. It landed in my ear with perfect clarity.
"I can hear you."
I said it low.
"O-oh. You heard that? I'm so sorry. I didn't mean anything by it."
She let out a little laugh that did not sound sorry at all.
"Right. Be careful."
"You had her young, didn't you? You look so youthful."
"I'm her older brother."
"Where are the parents, then? What's a young man doing at a parents' open class?"
"There's a grandmother here, and she managed to show up. Is an older brother not allowed?"
"Grandmother?"
The large woman blinked at me, as if I'd started speaking another language.
"Ah, my apologies. I assumed you were the grandmother. You're the mother, then?"
Her face went red. Snickers broke out around us.
"Watch your mouth! Do you even know who I am? My husband is an executive at AJ Corporation!"
"Is that so? What's his name?"
I looked at her with my arms folded. I'd file it away. If I ever ran into the guy, I'd have a few words about keeping his spouse in line.
"Now, now, parents — we're in the middle of class, so if you could keep it down just a little, I'd be very grateful."
The professor looked thoroughly pained. I cleared my throat and ducked my head.
Can't go smearing Chaewon's reputation. Lady, you should count yourself lucky.
"Let's continue, then. Ah — Mi-hyun? Wake Hyun-ji up, would you?"
The professor pointed.
She's been asleep this whole time.
The girl had been nodding off in her seat since before class even started. She'd at least been clever enough to keep a pen in one hand while she bobbed. I had to wonder if that was acceptable with a parent in the room — not that it was any of my business.
"This is the training ground."
The next stop was a facility the size of a soccer stadium.
So this is why the tuition costs a fortune.
It wasn't just the size. Even as a civilian, I could tell they'd poured serious money into the equipment.
"Here, cadets can fight monsters through a Deep Learning Virtual Machine. And of course, there's no risk of actual injury."
The professor snapped her fingers. A vividly lifelike ogre materialized right in front of us. A chorus of amazement rose from the parents.
"This period is melee combat. The idea is to accumulate indirect field experience by fighting system-generated monsters."
I had to hand it to them. The Deep Learning machine SJ had developed was so convincing you'd swear the thing was standing there in the flesh.
"If you remain where you are, you may get caught up in it, so if you'd all take one step back with me, I'd appreciate it."
Yujin and I stepped back. The other parents followed.
"Not bad."
"I know. Sending her to the Academy was the right call."
Yujin seemed pleased too; she was smiling.
"Alright then. First up — Cadet Kim Hyun-ji, would you come forward?"
The professor called a name. A round of hearty parental applause started up, and someone stepped out in front of the ogre.
That's…
It was the girl who'd been sleeping through class.
Let's see what she's got.
The holographic ogre swung its club in a wide, brutal arc. Hyun-ji just stood there watching it come. She didn't move.
And then—
WHAM.
Kim Hyun-ji — Deceased
A holographic message bloomed in the air. She wasn't actually dead, of course. It just meant that in a real fight, she would have been.
"Hyun-ji, why didn't you dodge?"
The professor looked at her, exasperated.
"It was too fast. I couldn't move."
I snorted. That was a lie.
She's ridiculously strong.
I could see it — the dense, heavy aura coiled around her. So why was she pretending to be weak?
"Next — Cadet Han Chaewon, please come forward."
I barely had time to think. It was my sister's turn.
You'd better nail this!
Not that it mattered if she didn't. I'd train her myself either way.
"Um… Chaewon's guardian? You've come a little too far forward."
The professor was looking at me with the same pained expression as before. I came back to myself and realized the other parents were standing well back — and I was parked right next to the cadets.
"Oppa…?"
"Ah. I was just, uh… telling you to do your best."
I gave an awkward little wave.