First Place Without Cores
Bae Seong-hyeon wandered every corner of Eden Hill in search of demon species. But no matter where he went, there were no demon species left. Only the remnants of what had been demon species. Someone had already wiped them all out before he got there. He had a pretty good guess who it was. There was only one person capable of pulling off something like that.
His impatience quickened his steps as he rushed from spot to spot. Finally, he found her. Crack, crunch, grind—! She ripped out the demon species' ribcage with her bare hands, extracted its heart, then dismantled the heart to pull out the core. Covered head to toe in demon blood, she remained utterly expressionless, as if it meant nothing to her.
"Kim Jin-seo."
Bae Seong-hyeon called out to her as he watched her exterminate—no, dissect—the demon species.
"......You've been tailing me?"
Kim Jin-seo immediately dropped into a combat stance the moment she spotted him. Bae Seong-hyeon raised both hands in surrender. He had no reason to fight her anyway, and even if he did, he wasn't confident he'd win.
"I'm not here to fight. Loosen up a bit."
"Don't believe you."
"It's true. Why would I pick a fight I'd lose? Anyway, I just came to ask something."
Bae Seong-hyeon glanced around. Checking for eavesdroppers. Confirming no one was nearby, he spoke up.
"How many cores you got?"
"12."
"12?"
Bae Seong-hyeon let out a disbelieving chuckle. Twelve cores meant she'd soloed twelve demon species. And yet, she didn't show a hint of fatigue.
"Impressive. Must be a pain hauling around 12 of 'em."
"Not really. So what's your point?"
"Sell 'em to me. I'll pay top dollar."
Bae Seong-hyeon cut to the chase. Because she'd monopolized all the cores, he hadn't gotten a single one. His only option was to buy from her. He was willing to pay whatever it took.
"Why would I?"
Kim Jin-seo rejected him without a second thought. She had more than enough money. No amount would make her sell her cores.
"You don't need 12. One's enough."
"Extra points."
"Oh, right. Extra points."
Bae Seong-hyeon scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. She wasn't budging. Kim Jin-seo hated collaboration or negotiation from the start. Charitably, she was independent; uncharitably, she didn't trust anyone.
"No more to say? Then beat it. Or fight me and take 'em. You're good at that."
"Haha."
Bae Seong-hyeon laughed weakly. He felt utterly pissed, but there was nothing he could do. She was someone he couldn't beat. Even comparing wealth or backing, they were evenly matched.
Bae Seong-hyeon sighed deeply to swallow his anger.
"Fine. But who were your teammates again?"
"What's it to you?"
"Do Seon-woo and Go Jun-min, right?"
Kim Jin-seo flinched and halted as she turned to leave. Bae Seong-hyeon remembered exactly who was on Team 100. Because of Do Seon-woo. Or maybe he should say thanks to him now.
"You're the one hunting cores. Those guys are probably just guarding the cart, huh? Must be nerve-wracking. Anxious. Right?"
"......Why would I be anxious?"
"No skills, no talents. Total deadweights. How could you trust 'em?"
Bae Seong-hyeon had long known Do Seon-woo's potential. But Kim Jin-seo saw him as just another average, low-to-mid-tier student. Bae Seong-hyeon exploited that information gap to push the negotiation.
"Why'd you collect 12 cores? I figured it out. You knew you couldn't crack top ranks with Do Seon-woo and Go Jun-min dragging you down, so you went all-in on cores for the extra points, yeah?"
"Speculation."
"Smart thinking. But no matter how many cores you get, if the cart breaks, it's all worthless. Think about it. Do Seon-woo, Go Jun-min. Can those two really guard it? Might be smashed already."
"......"
Kim Jin-seo's eyes wavered.
"So if you're getting disqualified anyway, sell the cores to me and make some pocket money. Deal? No point making enemies with me. Might as well get friendly while we're at it—"
Team 100 has crossed the finish line. All members return to the finish line for results.
Just as Kim Jin-seo's resolve was tipping, a blaring siren cut Bae Seong-hyeon off. It came from the speakers installed across the hill, announcing the practical exam's progress to the students.
Kim Jin-seo's face hardened at the broadcast. Bae Seong-hyeon was momentarily stunned, then grasped the situation and smirked.
Kim Jin-seo had 12 cores. But before she could load them onto the cart, Team 100's cart had crossed the finish line. They'd arrived first, but failed to meet the condition of carrying at least one core. Team 100 was disqualified. Which also meant her 12 cores were now useless.
"Told you. Do Seon-woo and Go Jun-min? Can't rely on 'em. So, sell to me now?"
Bae Seong-hyeon saw his golden opportunity and tried negotiating again.
"Hey! Wait! Hear me out—!"
But Kim Jin-seo bolted toward the finish line without a word. Her movements were swift and agile as a cat.
Left behind, Bae Seong-hyeon sighed in frustration.
"......Fucking bitch. Won't sell till the end."
He cursed at her retreating figure.
*
It took Kim Jin-seo less than five minutes to reach the finish line. An astonishing speed. Panting heavily, she scanned around. Her gaze soon locked on Do Seon-woo.
He stood before the finish line with a calm face—no, an almost arrogant one. Go Jun-min was nowhere in sight.
Kim Jin-seo marched straight up and yanked his tie.
"I told you to stay put."
Even with his collar grabbed out of nowhere, Do Seon-woo showed no surprise. He just wore a relaxed smile.
"It just kinda happened. Sorry I didn't warn you."
"What?"
Kim Jin-seo's face crumpled. He should be on his knees begging forgiveness, but he brushed it off with a single apology, brazen as ever. Even she, who prided herself on expression control, couldn't force a smile now. Fury boiled up.
"If you'd just stayed put, I could've handled it, but because of you—!"
"Hold on."
So Do-jin, the teacher proctoring this practical, cut her off mid-rant.
"No yelling. My head's ringing."
"......Sorry."
Kim Jin-seo bowed her head to So Do-jin. Only then did she release Do Seon-woo's tie.
"Team 100, Kim Jin-seo, correct?"
"Yes."
"Right. Team 100 crossed in 28 minutes 15 seconds. First place. You brought one core, so no extra points. That's it. Head back to the classroom and rest."
"......Pardon?"
Kim Jin-seo blinked blankly.
"Want me to repeat? First place. Now go rest."
So Do-jin snapped irritably, looking annoyed and exhausted.
"Understood, sir."
Kim Jin-seo replied woodenly, then glanced at Do Seon-woo. He was retying his loosened knot. But his technique was clumsy; he undid and retied it several times.
"You...... where'd you get the core."
She stepped closer and asked.
"Told you. It just happened."
Do Seon-woo said flatly, expressionless. No intention of explaining details.
Kim Jin-seo gave up, figuring more questions were pointless.
"Your tie."
"Huh? What?"
"......Never mind."
She started toward the classroom but glanced back midway. Do Seon-woo was still fumbling with his tie. It seemed to tangle worse with every try.
Should've just tied it for him.
The thought nagged at her all the way back.
*
[If you're gonna fuss that much, just leave it undone. Seventeen years old and can't tie a damn tie? Back in my day, at seventeen I was married with kids already—]
I ignored Legba's nonsense and focused on tying the tie. I'd never tried without a mirror, so the knot kept twisting worse. After about three minutes of struggling, I managed a sloppy but passable shape. Not perfect, but wearable.
"Do Seon-woo."
As I headed to the classroom, So Do-jin called me. His face was as weary as ever.
"Yes, sir."
"Seemed like poor communication with your teammate Kim Jin-seo?"
"Ah."
Only I knew the plan: ride Kim Ra-hee's scheme for profit, then turn their betrayal against them for first place. I'd run the practical solo, without coordinating. Completely against the spirit of team exercises.
"Sorry."
"Good, at least you know. Guys like you usually don't."
Quick apologies work best here. I wasn't really sorry, but I said it anyway. Seemed to calm So Do-jin a bit.
"Don't get cocky over first place. Process matters more than results. Understand the point next time. No more cheap tricks."
"Yes, sir. Noted."
"Go back to class."
I headed off silently. "Noted" was a lie. The moment I stepped away, I erased his words.
[That guy's totally one of those, huh.]
"What."
[Hard to recall the word. Wasn't around in my time.]
"Oh, boomer?"
[Yes! That's it.]
Pot calling the kettle black. I thought it but didn't say it. Wouldn't want to offend.