Chapter 9
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Really?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Really?
Lee Ga-eun and I headed to the campus cafeteria.
I'd tried to refuse and run away, but she offered to buy me food, so I happily accepted.
Free meals are always the right choice.
Who knows when I'll make money? Gotta save whenever I can.
Clutching my ticket for sweet potato cheese pork cutlet, I got in line. Ga-eun sidled up next to me, holding a ticket for kimchi fried rice.
Not a bad pick.
Mm-hm.
I nodded inwardly, and just then, two passing female students spotted Ga-eun and called out.
"Ga-eun!"
"Oh, Min-ji, Ji-eun. You guys here for cafeteria food too?"
"Gotta try the grub, right?"
I froze at the approach of strangers, subtly using Ga-eun's body as a shield to hide. Making sure their eyes didn't land on me.
Still, it was ridiculous how I was relying on someone I'd only met once.
"Ugh, our prof dragged orientation out way too late."
"We had a real two-hour class..."
"Whoa, so first period? Brutal..."
"Media majors all get core classes first period freshman year... I'm dying."
"Hey Ga-eun, how's Gate Studies? What do you learn there?"
"Dunno? They just handed us the syllabus. Looks like monster materials and gate ecosystems or something..."
Girls, seriously...
Their nonstop chatter made my ears ring like they were bleeding.
"Oh, Ga-eun?"
"Ah, seniors! Hello!"
"Whoa, do you always greet like that...?"
"Heh, busted?"
"Please don't do this in crowds. People think we've got some hardcore hazing..."
"Oh, Ga-eun! Hi!!"
"Hi hi."
"Ga-eun, you got lectures today too? Ah, sorry—gotta wait for my friends. Catch you later!!"
"Yeah, enjoy your food."
"You too~! Let's eat together next time."
A ton of people passed by, greeting Ga-eun. Some even looked like upperclassmen.
She's a freshman—how does she know so many people? Isn't today the first day...?
Is this... campus life...?
Wait. What about my whole year...? No.
I stopped thinking before I started craving sunlight.
In truth, Kim Su-hyeon had no idea, but the engineering college had held a massive freshman orientation before classes started.
So of course she'd know lots of faces.
Plenty of people wanted to get friendly with a pretty, fairly popular streamer like Ga-eun, hanging on any little excuse to chat her up.
Even transfers, department switchers, and returning students got invites.
Compared to continuing students, their networks were shallow, so student council set up chances to mingle.
(For the record, Su-hyeon missed out purely because she applied for reinstatement too late—her name never made the TA lists.)
"Hey, who's the kid next to you? Adorbs!"
"Whoa, what? Since when was she there?"
The line shrank, pulling us forward, and my stealth finally got busted.
Guess the sonic assault broke my focus.
"Ah, haha. N-no, she's not a kid... right?"
No use looking away.
Strangers approaching scares me.
I ducked behind Ga-eun's calf instead of chiming in.
"Hi~! What's your name?"
"...Kim Su-hyeon. Hello."
Yeah. Greetings matter.
I bobbed my head in salute, and the girls around us made these melting noises.
Ga-eun just fidgeted, staring at me.
"Su-hyeon, huh! How old's our cutie? Came with big sis?"
*Twitch*
"......"
Baby talk. Overt kid-treatment stung a bit, so Su-hyeon turned away instead of answering.
She meant it cool and aloof, but anyone could see it was peak sulk.
"Uh, huh? Did I mess up...?"
"H-hey, girls. That's enough. Su...hyeon here's shy, sorry?"
Ga-eun noticed my discomfort and tried reining them in—too late.
Luckily, my rejection landed clear; no more arrows my way.
Instead, Ga-eun sweated bullets fending off the growing crowd.
*Slip*
Line moved again.
I glanced at Ga-eun to advance, but she was swamped in random Q&A defense.
Heh, she looks troubled.
Helping folks in a pinch is just human decency.
With magnanimous grace, I decided to lend a hand.
Hee hee hee.
I sidled to her side, tugged her hem, and said,
"Mommy."
"No, I get there's circumstances, but I didn't mean.... Huh...?"
"Mo...!?"
Bomb dropped in the queue.
Silence crashed over Ga-eun, her friends, and everyone eavesdropping.
"Line moved."
All eyes pinned me; I stiffened but played dumb and pressed on.
"......"
"......"
"No way......"
"...Oh. R-right, uh, gotcha? Haha."
"Everyone's got their reasons..."
"Guys, seriously no. I can explain everything."
"Don't worry Ga-eun, our lips are sealed!"
"Ah, we gotta order too. Crowd's coming soon."
"Nooo!! Wait! It's not!"
They bolted for the kiosks.
Ga-eun glared beet-red at me, but I stared straight ahead in line, feigning innocence.
Try getting mad at nonchalance—it's awkward.
A casual "Hm? Why so upset?" would ice the cake.
"Quit playing dumb! What about my rep?!"
"Eeeeek. I'm sowwy, meow~!!"
Didn't faze her.
Fiddling my scorched cheek, we'd reached the serving window.
"Aww, look at this cute little miss!"
"...Not a little miss."
"Sure sure, service for our stylish young lady~."
The auntie winked, plopping strawberry milk on my tray.
"......Thank you."
I swallowed my gripes, mumbling gratitude half under my breath.
Absolutely not 'cause I wanted strawberry milk. Couldn't ignore her kindness, that's all.
After, Ga-eun and I snagged a corner table, facing off.
Well, not really facing.
I was laser-focused on butchering my pork cutlet.
Ga-eun felt a twinge of guilt for yanking her cheeks raw.
But trashing an adult woman's rep? This was merciful.
Explaining? Headache city.
Still, seeing red marks on Su-hyeon's baby-soft cheeks melted her resolve.
"Um... cheek okay?"
"You used casual speech before. Why formal now?"
*'All casual when judging my looks, now polite outta nowhere?'*
Old grudges bubbled; snippiness slipped out.
Not just at Ga-eun—all the chit-chatters passing by.
She'd cry foul if she knew, but scapegoating the unlucky one's common.
"Well... haha! Uh, your age maybe...?"
"......23?"
"Why question form...?"
"Circumstances."
"...What, genius kid woke from coma? Not that, right?"
"......"
Ga-eun aimed for joke to break ice, but locked eyes with Su-hyeon's huge stare—mid-cutlet stab—and averted hers.
*'Weird. I thought I was decent at banter on stream...'*
Confidence dipped. Su-hyeon? Pure awe.
*'Shoulda gone with that backstory?'*
Streamer instincts.
But words spilled—no take-backs.
No regrets anyway.
23-year-old in kid form vs. actual kindergartener college kid—which weirder?
Su-hyeon overlooked one thing: genius skips aren't easy.
Word spreads, headaches multiply—not simplify.
Plus her innocent brain? Busted day one.
"Ahem. Senior? Sorry for last time—I misjudged 'cause you're so cute."
Cute stung; brow twitched. But head down, unseen.
"...Fine. Doesn't wear out. Casual's okay too."
"Huh? But..."
"All casual before—now formal's weirder. Watching you squirm's no fun."
"Ah, haha. Still... you use formal."
"Suits me."
"......"
Long time no pork cutlet—pure bliss.
We chatted over food.
More like Ga-eun grilled, I clipped.
"Y-you look so young. 23's not old but... still baby-faced."
"I know. Baby vibes."
"......Yeah."
Sigh. Eat when eating.
My shorties bummed her; I set fork down.
"Used to be bigger."
"...Huh?"
Wanted to say taller than you, but...
Ga-eun's plenty slim.
"170?"
"Huh? I was 170!?"
"No, your height."
"Oh, yeah. 172-ish."
"...Close."
"For real!?"
No lies. 168 or 172 rounds to 170.
"Changed with hair color few days back."
"Ah... explains."
Skipped the guy part.
No girl reveal either.
Unbelievable anyway—spreads confusion. No duty to spill.
My words? Pure truth.
"Seen a doc?"
"Nah, been busy."
Busy pricked conscience; eyes slid.
Unfair—I hustled hard.
"Awakened maybe? Mutation type?"
"Hm... maybe."
Truth: awakening doesn't reshape looks.
Mana just boosts cell dev. Race/sex swaps? Rare.
Mutation or shapeshifter Awakeners don't fully overhaul bodies either.
But yeah—uncontrolled mutation awakening fit best now.
"Any powers pop?"
"Uh, sunlight feels nice."
"......?"
Ga-eun's face twisted odd.
Sunbathing high?
Su-hyeon caught the vibe, rushed add-ons.
"And... plants seem to crave sun? Water fills me up too."
Plants love sun.
Water bulks stomach—fullness duh.
Ga-eun's eyes narrowed.
Clear suspicion.
"Really?"
"......Yes."
Su-hyeon wilted under doubt.
No eloquence to elaborate.
Arms crossed, pondering, Ga-eun finally spoke.
"Then let's go."
"Huh? W-where...?"
"Get checked. Health center."