Chapter 150: 2nd Semester (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 150: 2nd Semester (4)
Cheon Yeo-wool has a strong constitution.
It’s not just that she’s strong.
I’m not just saying that; she’s built of iron.
Since childhood, her body has been tempered by all manner of baptisms and holy water rituals from the Arcadia Cult, imbuing every last bone and blood vessel with divine energy.
Thanks to this, she never suffers from minor illnesses and doesn't even bat an eye at most magical attacks or physical blows.
That's why, in the original story, depending on the route, she was even considered for the role of a Holy Knight who fought on the front lines with a shield and mace, healing and battling simultaneously.
Of course, the ending for that route wasn't exactly a happy one.
So, to put it another way, for Cheon Yeo-wool to be sick…
…was, for me…
…a significant…
…no, a major incident.
Her body wasn't the type to get into such a state just from pulling an all-nighter or feeling a bit under the weather.
I couldn't help but stare gravely at the back of her head, motionless as she lay slumped over her desk.
This might be more than just feeling unwell.
“Let’s go to the hospital.”
I was serious.
Maybe a full check-up…
I reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, intending to get her up one way or another.
“Ngh…”
At my touch, her body trembled.
As if I'd touched her with a piece of cold ice.
She must be really sick.
“Get up. We're going to the hospital right now.”
I reached with my other hand, gently brushing aside the hair covering her face to feel her forehead.
‘She doesn't have a fever…’
“Ah!”
With a sharp cry, she shot up as if launched by a spring.
Her chair screeched as it was pushed back.
She looked like she might fall, so I steadied her back.
“I-I get it! I'll go home early today! So just… stop touching me…!”
What does she mean, "touching"?
Anyone who heard that would think I was trying to grope her.
She then shook off my hand and grabbed her bag.
– Creeak.
Just then, the classroom's front door opened, and the instructor appeared.
As if she'd been waiting for him, Cheon Yeo-wool scurried over to Instructor Do Han-seong.
“Instructor, I'm feeling really unwell… so today…”
Instructor Do Han-seong glanced over her with an indifferent expression…
…and said quietly.
“Your voice is completely hoarse, Student Cheon Yeo-wool. A shame, on the first day back. Take care of yourself.”
“Thank you!”
He readily granted her permission to leave early.
The moment he finished speaking, Cheon Yeo-wool bolted from the classroom without a backward glance.
For some reason, I didn't get the feeling she was heading straight for a hospital.
Worried, I discreetly used my watch under the desk to send her a message.
[belief_]: Make sure you go to the hospital. And call me right away if anything happens.
– Bzzz.
It was on silent, so it vibrated.
A reply arrived in less than a second.
[1000_y]: Okay, I love you too!
“…?”
Is she really sick?
I eventually gave up trying to understand and turned off my watch.
Yoon Chae-ha, who had been watching all this, spoke up from beside me.
“But… did you really not hear it?”
“Hear what?”
“…Never mind. You're definitely not very perceptive, are you.”
Yoon Chae-ha mumbled, then clicked her tongue and turned away.
It was the kind of look you give someone who's hopelessly dense.
Perceptive?
I'm not that unperceptive…
Ah, no way.
In that moment, a possibility flashed through my mind.
That time of the month that only women experience… the day they call "magic."
Cheon Yeo-wool must be…
'I'm an idiot.'
And I went and put my hands on her, even tried to touch her forehead.
A chill ran down my spine. I'd been so thoughtless.
I'd never even considered it.
‘But does it make your voice hoarse…?’
The question briefly crossed my mind, but I quickly shook my head.
They say the symptoms vary from person to person.
I should apologize.
I turned my head to the side.
Yoon Chae-ha was looking at me with a prim expression.
– Pinch.
“Oww…”
I reflected on my thoughtlessness as I gently kneaded Yoon Chae-ha's soft cheek.
*
Since it was the first day of the semester, there wasn't much to do.
The new major and elective courses for the second semester all ended after a brief orientation.
Thanks to that, the entire day's schedule was over before it was even time for lunch.
“Going home together~ Going home together~”
Beside me, Yoon Chae-ha hummed a little tune, her feet tapping excitedly.
Normally, the boys' and girls' dorms were in opposite directions, so walking home together would have been impossible.
But things were different now. The penthouse had no such divisions, so we could finally go home together.
And maybe walk to school together, too.
"Eat lunch together~ Train together~"
She was so happy about it that she subtly clung to my arm as she sang.
I chuckled, looking at Yoon Chae-ha.
But not today.
“You're going home alone~”
“?!”
My firm words stopped Yoon Chae-ha in her tracks.
She had a look on her face as if a question mark had just popped up over her head.
I turned back to her and said.
“I have a meeting with the Chairman today.”
“……”
She nodded, finally seeming to understand.
But her expression quickly turned to one of deep disappointment.
Her sullen face looked like a cat that had just had its treat stolen.
“Go on ahead. This might take a while.”
After sending Yoon Chae-ha on her way, I headed to the appointed location: the Chairman's office.
The Chairman's office was located at the very center of Gaon, on the top floor of the administration tower.
Normally, student access was strictly forbidden.
Being summoned here usually meant one of two things: you were either receiving a huge award or you'd caused enough trouble to be on the verge of expulsion.
I was pretty sure I wasn't here for the latter reason today.
When I stepped out of the elevator, a secretary in a neat suit greeted me.
I guess the Chairman of Gaon would have a secretary.
“The Chairman is waiting for you.”
She opened the heavy office door with a gentle smile.
– Swoosh.
As the door opened, my eyes fell on an old man sitting with his back to a massive plate-glass window.
It was Yu Seong-hwan, the Chairman of Gaon Academy.
“Student Hae-in! It's been a while!”
He spotted me and rose from his seat to greet me warmly.
We'd spoken in person before.
After all, I was the one who'd wrangled Catastrophe out of him—out of Gaon's Secret Armory.
As if the memory still bothered him, his gaze flickered for a moment to the spear wrapped in bandages on my back.
But he quickly turned his attention back to me with a professional smile.
“Haha, please, have a seat! Make yourself comfortable!”
I sank into the sofa he gestured to. Its plush cushions enveloped my body.
“First of all, congratulations are in order. No, wait, what should I congratulate you on first?”
He continued with a playful smile.
“Should I congratulate you on reaching Rank 2 in a single semester? Or on successfully becoming the successor to Bulgaram's Workshop?”
I replied with a wry smile.
“I'd be grateful for both.”
“Hahaha! In any case, my sincerest congratulations. I truly never imagined you would grow this much.”
He set down a teacup wafting the fragrant aroma of black tea and got straight to the point.
“So, about that, Student Hae-in.”
His eyes shone brighter than ever.
“Would you be willing to become the face of Gaon?”
“…The face?”
“Yes. The face. I would like you to become the exclusive model for Gaon Academy. Your heroic narrative, Student Hae-in—admitted as a special case under the hero name Mukgui… then achieving overwhelming results and reaching the top rank.”
“You'll be an unparalleled role model for the other students, and an irresistible source of motivation for talented individuals across the globe who wish to enroll at Gaon!”
He spoke with fiery passion, as if delivering a moving speech.
He went on, sugarcoating his words about how incredible the "Jung Hae-in" brand was and how massive its ripple effect would be.
I listened to him in silence, thinking to myself.
‘He really prepared for this.’
Usually, Gaon's advertising models are established, proven heroes who made it big after graduation, hired for an enormous fee.
A hero's price tag is astronomical, after all.
But he wants to use me, a student, as a model?
It meant he wanted to save on the model fee while simultaneously boosting Gaon's prestige.
His scheme was to give a student the "honorary" title while saving himself tens of billions in actual model fees.
It was a shrewd move worthy of the Chairman, one that left me speechless.
However.
I had no intention of refusing his offer. On the contrary, I planned to use it to my advantage.
I lifted my teacup, pretending to savor the aroma to buy some time.
Then, looking him straight in the eye, I spoke with a completely innocent, "I don't know anything" expression.
“It's an honor… Chairman. But I'm not sure if I'm truly qualified to be the face of Gaon…”
At that, the Chairman's eyes lit up, and he opened his mouth as if he'd been waiting for this.
“Of course, you are…!”
“It's just that, besides Catastrophe… no, White Fang, my equipment is rather unimpressive…. Wouldn't that tarnish Gaon's image?”
My words made the smile on the Chairman's face falter for a moment.
Meeting his gaze, I put on an even more innocent expression.
“Haha, don't you worry about that. Gaon can provide ‘a few’ pieces of equipment for you, Student Hae-in.”
A few, he says.
I had zero intention of being satisfied with that.
“Oh, really? But as you know, my talent is 'Whole Person'... so I'm not limited to any specific type of equipment. As the face of Gaon, I need to show my best self in a variety of situations… I'm just worried that I'll need different equipment for each occasion.”
The Chairman fell silent for a moment.
His eyes narrowed, and his brow furrowed slightly.
I could practically hear the gears turning in his head.
Should he really open Gaon's Secret Armory again, after already giving up White Fang?
I could almost see the scales in his mind tipping back and forth, weighing the model fee against the value of the armory.
Then, his brow smoothed out. He seemed to have made a decision.
“Don't worry. I will grant you, and you alone, unlimited access to Gaon's Secret Armory.”
With that, he pulled a heavy, black keycard from a drawer and slid it across the table toward me.
Oh?
“This is the access card for the armory. If there's any equipment you need, feel free to go and pick something out anytime! Something befitting the face of Gaon!”
This was pretty good.
I thought he'd end up lending me a dozen or so items at most, but to think it would be unlimited.
It seemed Gaon's model fee was much higher than I'd thought.
Before he could change his mind, I snatched the bait.
“Sounds good. Let's do that.”
I wiped the innocent expression from my face, picked up the keycard from the table, and tucked it away.
“……?”
A flicker of bewilderment crossed the Chairman's face.
He probably expected me to hesitate a little longer, or perhaps gush with gratitude.
But I had changed my expression in an instant and accepted the offer immediately.
He would probably regret it soon.
Because I knew the contents of Gaon's Secret Armory far better than he did.
The Chairman, coming to his senses, hastily added with a dry cough.
“…You won't be lending them to other students, will you…? That's not allowe—”
“Hey, of course not.”
I probably will.
“I'm not some kind of thug.”
Because I am a thug.
Only then did the Chairman seem relieved, his gentle smile returning.
And so, our fair contract was signed.