Chapter 88
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: School Trip (3)
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Late that night.
The room with Ha Siyeon and five other girls was abuzz with talk of romance.
Of all the seniors, I think Jin Hansan is the coolest.
Its gotta be Kanghyuk. Isnt he so manly?
Oh yeah, Senior Kanghyuk is great.
Everyone was excited.
Everyone except Ha Siyeon, of course.
Umm
Having little interest in such conversations, Siyeon quietly tried to read the room.
She was sure theyd been talking about the skills of the second, third, and fourth-year seniors, but she had no idea how the topic had drifted to their looks.
But dont we have a lot of decent guys in our class too?
Ill give you that.
If you ignore his personality, I think Choi Jihoon is the best.
Right? Hes got that princely style, and hes the eldest son of the Soosung Group!
Having worked their way down from the fourth, third, and second years, the conversation had now moved on to the first years.
So what? His personality sucks. I actually prefer Cheoljin. You cant live off a pretty face, you know.
See, Jisu knows whats up. Personality over looks, always~
The atmosphere grew even more heated.
What about you, Siyeon?
What about me?
Ha Siyeon tilted her head, nibbling on a cookie.
Do you like Choi Jihoon? Or Kim Cheoljin?
Huh? I like them both.
Ha Siyeon answered with an innocent face.
You greedy wench
No, I dont think she gets it? Siyeon! Not as friends. As men.
As men?
Ha Siyeon popped the cookie crumbs into her mouth and thought for a moment.
Hmm. Ive never thought of them that way, so Im not sure.
What the.
For real?
Yeah.
They had been her friends for over ten years, but she had never once seen either of them as men.
You fools. Do you really think Siyeon would even notice those two?
Then, one of the girls wagged her finger smugly.
When she has Kang Seoyul.
Ah!
A collective gasp filled the room.
Thats right. Theres Seoyul. Hes on a completely different level, I forgot.
Its not fair to bring a god into a conversation about mortals.
Right, right.
They all giggled.
Seriously, in terms of looks alone, isnt he the best in the world?
Totally. My standards have gotten so high because of Seoyul, Im in trouble.
Even in Korea, a country known for its attractive people, Kang Seoyul was exceptionally handsome.
What do you think, Siyeon?
Seoyul? Of course hes handsome. And kind.
Even to Ha Siyeon, who had zero interest in romance, Kang Seoyul was handsome.
Shed even had a hallucination of a radiant light emanating from his face once; that said it all.
Right?
With a god like that by your side, how could any other man catch your eye?
Everyone looked at Ha Siyeon with eyes full of envy.
His skills are getting better and better, too. And hes the worlds only dual-attribute user.
And if you get Seoyul, you get Geumho as a bonus!
Seoyul is just a safe asset.
Suddenly, a girl with a gleam in her eye asked Ha Siyeon.
But for real, Siyeon, whats going on between you and Seoyul?
Huh?
Seoyuls famous for not talking to other people. He has this kind of ice prince vibe, you know?
Oh? Really?
Ha Siyeons eyes widened in surprise.
Her image of Kang Seoyul was about a hundred million light-years away from an ice prince.
Its true. The only people who can talk to him that casually are probably you and Shin Jia.
And maybe Choi Jihoon and Kim Cheoljin, at best?
Hmm. I see.
Ha Siyeon nodded, thinking it might be possible.
I think Seoyul likes you, Siyeon.
Huh?
Ha Siyeons eyes went round.
Theres just something about the way he looks at you. Its uniquely deep.
Oh. I think I know what you mean.
Like his eyes are dripping with honey?
Ah, yes, yes! That kind of feeling!
They all shrieked and clapped their hands.
No way. Thats not it at all.
Ha Siyeon waved her hands dismissively.
From her perspective, knowing Kang Seoyuls true identity, it was utterly ridiculous.
Seoyul and I are just
Suddenly, Ha Siyeon was at a loss for words.
Uh, umm
What should she say?
Master and disciple?
A secret society to protect the world in the future?
Considering Kang Seoyuls identity, she couldnt just call them ordinary friends.
Unable to lie, Ha Siyeon finally decided on an answer.
...A somewhat special relationship?
And that answer.
Squee!
Did you hear that? She said theyre an item!
Whaaaat! Ha Siyeooooon!
Was more than enough to ignite everyones romantic fantasies.
Come to think of it, Siyeons going to Monster Park with Seoyul tomorrow!
No way! How did he get tickets?
Are you two really dating?
Dating? This is practically a common-law marriage!
Jisu, didnt you just say personality
Who cares about personality! Are you going to live off his personality? Ah, Ha Siyeon, Im so jealous!
The atmosphere grew increasingly feverish.
***
The next morning.
I made my way through the somehow chaotic atmosphere to the first-floor lobby.
Geumho was still sleepy, dozing in my arms.
The lobby was filled with students preparing to leave the hotel.
Among them was a group of girls, including Ha Siyeon.
Siyeon. Look, your hubbys here.
Have fun on your date.
Its not like that
Ha Siyeon replied with a grimace, letting out a small sigh.
Hey, Seoyul
Then she greeted me with the most exhausted expression Id ever seen.
Oh. Hey. Did you not sleep well last night?
Why does she look so tired?
...Yeah. A little. The girls and I talked for a long time.
Ah.
So they were up all night talking and lost track of time.
How fresh and youthful.
I, on the other hand, just passed out.
Then again, I wasnt particularly close with my roommates.
If youre tired, do you want to rest a bit before we go?
Theres nothing worse than trying to have fun when youre exhausted.
No, its fine. Physically, Im okay.
...You are?
Is it possible to be tired but physically okay?
Well, thats a relief. Lets go.
Okay.
I walked out of the hotel with light steps.
But are you sure youre okay not going with the others?
Of course~
Ha Siyeon, having quickly returned to her usual bright self, answered with a wide smile.
When I have a chance to go to Monster Park, what else matters?
Our destination today was Australias Monster Park.
It boasted the title of the worlds largest zoo, and at the same time, it was famous for its recreational facilities for superhumans.
Getting tickets was an issue, but Ms. Meiden had graciously procured them for us.
Haaah.
Geumho, in my arms, let out a big yawn and blinked his eyes.
Youre awake?
Geumho stared at me blankly with a dazed expression and gave a small nod.
Then he rubbed his face against my chest like a spoiled child.
Hes so cute, the more I look at him.
Ha Siyeon murmured, watching Geumho. It was as if her eyes were screaming that she wanted to pet him.
Come to think of it, I dont think Siyeon has ever touched or held Geumho.
Want to hold him?
Huh? Really? But Seoyul, you didnt let anyone else touch Geumho.
Thats because they were all rushing at him with fire in their eyes. Youre an exception, Siyeon.
I recalled the day I brought Geumho to school. The kids eyes were genuinely crazed. A pure madness to touch Geumho, no matter what.
If I let one person touch him, others would swarm, and after that one, students from other classes would come running.
It was an endless cycle.
In the end, I had to forbid anyone from touching Geumho that day.
He seemed too stressed out by it.
But right now, it was just me and Ha Siyeon, so it didnt matter.
...Im an exception.
Ha Siyeon muttered with a strange expression.
Why? You dont want to?
Huh? No, no.
Ha Siyeon shook her head with all her might. It seemed she desperately wanted to hold Geumho.
I gently stroked Geumhos head and said.
You have to be good for your big sister, okay?
Still half-asleep, Geumho nodded dazedly.
Here.
I handed Geumho over to Ha Siyeon.
Geumho immediately buried his face in Ha Siyeons arms.
Wow
He must be so sleepy.
Then again, he did use a lot of energy during the exam.
Hes so soft.
She smiled gently as she stroked Geumhos fur. Geumho, still blinking his sleepy eyes, yawned intermittently.
Watching them, I fell into thought.
Today, I planned to use the succubus trait I had been saving, Communion.
I recalled the information about [Communion] stored in a corner of my mind.
[Communion]
[A very rare trait born from the purest emotions of a succubus. Can only be used on one person.]
[Communion can be established by maintaining physical contact with a person of the opposite sex for over one hour.]
[When the two who have communed are within a certain distance of each other, both individuals Magic Power will increase by one rank.]
The succubi of this world were quite wholesome, unlike the commonly known versions.
They were a race of evil with exceptional magic power, and the way a succubus absorbed essence (magic power) from the opposite sex was through physical contact.
Communion was one of the traits performed through that physical contact.
It was a slightly unusual trait that operated on a different level from other absorption-type traits.
Communion.
In other words, it was a mutually beneficial trait that increased the Magic Power of both the caster and the target by resonating with each othera trait unbefitting of an evil race.
I had agonized over whether to use this on Jia or Siyeon.
And after long deliberation, I decided to use it on Ha Siyeon.
My judgment was that Siyeon needed the magic power more desperately than Jia right now.
The one hour of physical contact shouldnt be a big problem, since just holding hands would suffice.
Its not like we have feelings for each other. Strictly speaking, were no different from a master and a disciple.
Ill have to bring it up later when the time is right.
You have the tickets, right?
Ha Siyeon asked me before we got into the taxi.
Of course I do.
I discreetly checked the Monster Park tickets in my pocket.
[Monster Park Main Building Admission Ticket]
[Couple-Only Pass]
The regular tickets were all sold out, so I could only get a couples pass, but hey, at least I got something.
***
Upon arriving at Monster Park, Ha Siyeon and Kang Seoyul decided to tour the observation course in the annex before heading to the main building.
Giraffes, elephants, monkeys, and so on.
They passed by ordinary animals that could also be seen in Korean zoos. The occasional monsters unique to Australia were a fascinating sight.
And now, they were standing in front of the tiger enclosure.
Geumho, look over there. Your friends are here!
Ha Siyeon said, pointing at the tigers inside the enclosure.
Geumho, nestled in Kang Seoyuls arms, glanced inside the enclosure before whipping his head away.
He looked somewhat offended.
Geumho?
I think hes telling you not to compare him to the likes of them.
Mrow.
At Kang Seoyuls words, Geumho let out a sweet cry.
It was as if he was insisting that his big brother was the only one who understood him.
He then glared at Ha Siyeon before turning his head away again with a flick.
Ah, uh. G-Geumho? Thats not what I meant. This big sister
Ha Siyeon pleaded with Geumho, a look of utter panic on her face.
She kept moving to the side Geumho had turned to, but each time, he would resolutely turn his head to the opposite side.
Hmph.
Ha Siyeons shoulders slumped with a woeful expression.
Shed made one wrong comment and gotten on Geumhos bad side.
Kang Seoyul watched her and chuckled softly.
Geumho. Your sister said shes sorry, so lets forgive her.
Kang Seoyul said, stroking Geumho. Geumho let out a small cry. He looked at Ha Siyeon with an expression that said he was reluctant but had no choice, then
Myaa.
still held by Kang Seoyul, he lifted a forepaw and gently pressed it against the top of Ha Siyeons dejected head.
Geumho?
At the soft touch of his paw pad, Ha Siyeon looked up. Geumho was smiling his usual angelic smile.
Geumhooo
Ha Siyeon rushed towards Geumho with a moved expression.
Geumho was a master of push-and-pull.
Shall we get going?
Kang Seoyul checked the time and suggested casually.
Yeah, lets.
It was about time, so they decided to head to Monster Park proper.
Monster Park was quite far, so they had to take a bus.
On the way to the bus stop.
Ha Siyeon glanced at Kang Seoyul walking in step beside her.
He was definitely handsome.
Even to Ha Siyeon, who had held the title of clueless about romance throughout her school years, he was incredibly handsome.
To borrow her friends words, his beauty was out of this world.
Well, hes half-celestial and half-elf, so thats to be expected.
Both were races renowned for their beauty. It was only natural that their half-blooded offspring, Kang Seoyul, would have such looks.
As she stared at Kang Seoyul, she suddenly remembered what her friends had said last night.
Seoyul likes me?
That his eyes dripped with honey, that he treated her so differently from how he treated others.
She had heard all sorts of things.
I guess it could look that way to other people.
It wasnt that she didnt understand.
For twenty-year-old students who didnt know about her and Kang Seoyuls relationship, it was natural to think that way.
But its not like that.
However, for Ha Siyeon, who knew Kang Seoyuls secret, it was nothing but a ridiculous notion.
If she hadnt accidentally seen Kang Seoyuls Celestial Wings that day, would they have formed the relationship they had today?
Not a chance.
Though, if it were someone like Seoyul, Id welcome it.
Even looking at his external qualities, Kang Seoyul was close to her ideal type.
He was mature yet witty, always dedicated to training, never wasted time, was brilliant, and on top of all that, he was righteous.
If Seoyul were just an ordinary 20-year-old man
Wouldnt he have been the perfect husband material?
As soon as that thought crossed her mind, Ha Siyeon shook her head vigorously.
What was she thinking just now?
Ugh. Maybe its because we talked about romance and Seoyul all night yesterday.
Or maybe it was because she was tired.
Her thoughts were heading in a strange direction.
Lets not think weird things. Theres no way feelings like that could ever develop between me and Seoyul.
By the time she had shaken off all the useless, stray thoughts.
The two had arrived at the bus stop.
Ticket confirmation, please.
At the attendants fluent English, Kang Seoyul replied in equally fluent English.
Here you go.
Kang Seoyul handed over the tickets.
The attendant took the tickets and said with a bright smile.
Monster Park main building admission tickets. Couple, two people, confirmed. You may board.
...Huh?
Ha Siyeons eyes widened like saucers.
Couple? Did I mishear the English?
Ha Siyeons pupils darted back and forth in panic.