Chapter 44: Place of Exchange (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 44: Place of Exchange (2)
Joo Seo-jun was flustered.
He had watched Yoon Chae-ha longer than anyone.
And he could say with confidence that, aside from her parents, he knew her better than anyone else.
A laid-back personality. An ever-present air of boredom.
A temperament that never rushed things, that seemed to let everything just flow by.
That was why she remained at 5th place in the Carlos rankings.
He knew.
He knew that if Yoon Chae-ha ever truly set her mind to it, he wouldn't be able to hold on to his number one spot.
So he had assumed this decision was just another whim.
Even when she’d said, “I’m going to Gaon,” Joo Seo-jun had taken it as a momentary impulse, not a serious plan.
The kind of simple whim that would change after a night's sleep.
But he had to admit, this time was different.
-Slam!
"Ugh, seriously."
Yoon Chae-ha emerged from the professor's office, slamming the door shut behind her.
Judging by her distorted expression—a far cry from her usual relaxed demeanor—and the rise and fall of the voices he’d heard from inside during her consultation, the negotiation had not gone well.
Even after closing the door, she let out a long sigh.
"Shit…"
She roughly swept her hair back.
The hem of her uniform fluttered over her shoulder.
Between strands of her fluttering blonde hair, her blazing orange eyes were briefly visible.
And then, fuming, she stormed off.
Once she decided, she moved too fast.
When she set her mind to something, nothing could stop her.
The problem was, she rarely ever set her mind to anything.
—In the last fifteen years, she had only set her mind to something once.
He couldn't even clearly remember when that first time was.
But it was clear that this was the second.
“Seo-jun…”
Just then, the office door opened halfway, and the teaching assistant called out to him.
The TA must have been worn out by the professor too; the dark circles under his eyes were pronounced.
Today's consultation for the Place of Exchange was scheduled not only for Yoon Chae-ha, but for Joo Seo-jun as well.
“If you're ready, please come in…”
“Yes.”
The TA's voice trailed off as he held the door open.
He entered the office.
As the door closed, the interior of the office came into view.
Books of magic filled the walls, various magical devices and flasks sat atop bookshelves, and crystal apparatuses etched with magic circles moved like clockwork.
His advising professor was frowning as he wrote something, just as usual.
But as soon as Joo Seo-jun entered, the professor's face brightened.
-Screech.
The professor pulled out a chair and spoke warmly.
“Have a seat, Seo-jun.”
Joo Seo-jun sat down.
And then, the professor began his earnest persuasion.
Perhaps thinking that Joo Seo-jun, a model student, would be more persuadable than the notoriously stubborn Yoon Chae-ha, the professor spoke in a rather pleasant tone.
“...So, what I'm asking is for you, Seo-jun, to have a word with Chae-ha…”
The gist of it was simple.
You two can't go. Stop Yoon Chae-ha.
No, to be more precise—even if you can't stop Yoon Chae-ha from going, at the very least, you have to stay.
“The higher-ups are in an uproar, you know? If two of our top rankers leave…”
The professor said, waving his hands.
"We're offering scholarships, a spot in graduate school, even a connection to the Magic Tower. Why on earth..."
His words flowed endlessly, leaving no room to interject.
For a moment, Joo Seo-jun thought he could understand why Yoon Chae-ha had been so fed up.
“Professor.”
He finally cut the professor off.
“Oh, yes.”
The professor looked at him, his eyes still full of expectation.
As if to shatter that expectation, he said curtly, “You should probably find another student for the graduate program.”
Joo Seo-jun said to the professor with a smile.
“Huh?”
“I'm going to Gaon. Me too.”
The professor hurriedly tried to say something more, but Joo Seo-jun had no intention of prolonging the conversation.
"Well then, I'll be going."
He gave a brief nod and left the office.
The sun must have set; a slightly cool breeze brushed against his face.
She must have already gone far, as she was nowhere in sight.
It was always like this.
Always moving ahead, growing distant, never looking back.
That was her way.
Joo Seo-jun stopped in his tracks for a moment. And he thought for a bit.
It wasn't romantic love.
It was a drier emotion than that. A kind of admiration, perhaps.
In any case.
Joo Seo-jun planned to follow her, as far as he could.
*
A few more days passed after the decision to suspend classes.
The academy had almost returned to its original state.
In fact, some of the buildings even seemed to have improved.
And starting today, classes had resumed.
Gaon had decided that instead of re-administering the suspended midterm exams, the missing scores would be combined with the final exams for evaluation.
Since the written portion had already been taken, they would announce those results separately and only integrate the practical exam with the finals.
The students breathed a sigh of relief at this decision.
After all, having their grades postponed was a good thing.
Seeing each other for the first time in a while, the students naturally gathered in small groups, chatting away.
Laughter spread here and there, as if to shake off the heavy atmosphere.
And before long.
"It's been a while."
The classroom door opened, and Instructor Do Han-seong walked in.
His voice, though usually lacking in energy, was even more listless than usual.
The murmuring students soon fell silent.
And where everyone's gaze fell.
An empty desk.
On it sat a single white flower, as if left by someone.
It was reported that Seong Si-woo had ultimately died in action after a bloody battle with the Mines.
In reality, he had been corrupted, turned into a Mine, and then killed, but announcing it that way would have been problematic for many reasons.
The official announcement was the result of various considerations made on his behalf.
Instructor Do Han-seong let out a quiet sigh.
But he added nothing more.
*
There was nothing special in today's class. Just an announcement about the midterm deferral and the Place of Exchange.
It was mostly a time to see our respective professors for the first time in a while.
‘As you may already know, the midterms have been deferred. We will be announcing only the written exam results soon.’
When the instructor finished speaking, a mixture of small groans and sighs of relief filled the classroom.
Thanks to that, my rank was also frozen. I would have to live without a rank until after the final exams.
-Is that him?
-The Medusa guy?
However, the way people looked at me had changed completely.
The video clip of me severing Medusa's head had already surpassed twenty million views.
It seemed like it was being shared all over the place, too.
Thanks to that, most of the students crowded outside the classroom were there to see me.
I quietly rose from my seat.
After class ended, I quickly left the classroom.
But as soon as I stepped into the hallway, someone blocked my path.
“You're Jung Hae-in, right?”
While casual attire was the norm at Gaon Academy, there were still some who wore the uniform, like the student in front of me.
A light green collar.
The color symbolizing the second years.
Black hair and dark eyes.
I had a pretty good idea who she was.
And even before she opened her mouth, the murmuring around us grew louder. Ignoring the stares, she extended a hand directly to me.
“How about joining Frontier?”
Frontier was a club with a fairly long and storied history at Gaon. It was known for producing outstanding active heroes, and only select or promising students from each year were invited to join.
In essence, it was the perfect place for networking.
In the original story, this was an event that triggered when you achieved a certain level of attention.
‘Thank you.’
This allowed me to gauge just how much attention I was getting in concrete terms.
And, as if she hadn't even considered rejection an option, she held out a black and gold embossed card.
Probably something like a business card.
The second-year classrooms were some distance from here, so it seemed she had come in person.
Confidence radiated from her.
An attitude that took everything for granted.
But I replied.
“No, thanks.”
“Alright, let's head to the club room together—”
She stopped mid-sentence, her face momentarily scrunching up.
“...Sorry, what did you just say?”
“I said no.”
The surroundings fell silent in an instant. It was a reaction no one had expected.
A place everyone wanted to get into.
There were even countless students who strove just to get an invitation.
But I refused.
And I continued without any particular emotion.
“I've already decided where I'm joining.”
I had already decided on a club to join. But because of his death, I no longer had a reason to go.
So, since I didn't need the club points for my grades anyway, I wasn't planning on joining one...
But this event just now made me realize something.
With this level of attention, it was almost certain.
‘Yoon Chae-ha is coming.’
I would join the same club as her when she arrived.
“Look... uh, buddy. Let me explain what this offer is…”
The female senior in front of me, still unable to accept it, continued her explanation.
This is a little strange. She shouldn't be this pushy.
Normally, if you refused, Frontier members would leave without a second glance.
Just then, someone from the side pushed the proffered card away.
I turned my head to see.
It was Sion.
She bowed her head deeply to the senior and said, “I'm sorry, senior. He's already promised to join a club with me.”
Sion fended off the senior with a smile.
The senior bit her lip in disappointment but said nothing more.
Seeing this, Sion immediately grabbed my wrist and started walking.
When we were some distance down the hall, she spoke.
“Ugh... Seriously, why was that senior so pushy?”
“Grabbing onto someone who said no, what's with that?”
I stared at her.
And said playfully, “Who said I was joining a club with you?”
She flinched.
“Ahem, but we did agree to join a club together, right? The last one was a bit... unpleasant, but I've looked into a few others.”
We arrived at Gaon's main hall.
A giant monitor was there, displaying the Place of Exchange in real time.
Carlos on the left, Gaon on the right.
The colors symbolizing each academy glittered as students' names moved across with flashy effects.
-Ooh!
Cheers erupted from the students. Sion, who had been chattering away, also turned her gaze toward it.
Just then, Dave, who had been ranked 10th at Gaon, transferred over to Carlos.
He was a magic-user. Having decided that Gaon wasn't the right fit for him, he had chosen Carlos.
His name glowed as it moved toward the Carlos side.
I waited.
For some reason, I had a good feeling.
Sion watched the scene intently, then sidled up next to me.
“...There's not much to see, is there? The Place of Exchange. Nothing really worth paying attention to…”
She asked cautiously. But I didn't answer.
In that moment.
"Huh?"
"Is that for real?"
[1st Place Joo Seo-jun]
[5th Place Yoon Chae-ha]
Two names, tinged with blue light, slowly moved toward the Gaon side.
And Sion, who was watching with me, gasped.
She blinked a few times, then checked the monitor again.
Her lips parted slightly, then closed again.
And slowly—
very slowly, she turned her head toward me.
I happened to be looking at her, too.
Our eyes met in silence.
I spoke naturally.
“Too bad, but it looks like we won't be able to join a club together.”
I turned my gaze back to the monitor.
The blue-tinged names settled on the Gaon side, leaving afterimages in their wake.
I smiled quietly as I watched the screen.