Behind the Scenes (2)
Monday, when classes resumed. The time when everyone had to attend lectures.
"So, why exactly did you come looking for me."
I'd boldly skipped the first class. It was important, sure, but not as important as this. Instead, I was currently in the Chairman's office. Since I didn't know its exact location, I'd gotten help from the lizard beastman.
The Chairman's secretary didn't look surprised by my sudden visit and brought out coffee and yokan. I took a sip of coffee and ate the yokan. It had a salty yet savory shrimp flavor.
[...Why are there cockroach legs on the cross-section of this yokan.]
'Fuck, why is Snowpiercer-style food showing up at the Academy.'
Still, it tasted decent enough, so I finished it all. The secretary's expression twitched slightly, but I didn't care about such trivial matters. Instead, when I casually tossed her another yokan and asked if she wanted one, she abandoned her poker face entirely and recoiled in horror.
'......This crazy bitch knew exactly what she was giving me.'
[Starting off with some serious intimidation, huh.]
'Yeah. I'm eating all of it. Maximum protein intake.'
After chewing and swallowing the rest of the yokan, I got straight to the point with the Chairman.
"Stamp your seal for me."
"On what. I won't stamp any guarantee documents."
"It's not that, so relax."
I handed over the paper marked with Cheonma's blood fingerprint. The Chairman read through the contents slowly before frowning.
"You think I'll approve this."
"How about the photo of Ryu Kanghyuk getting stepped on."
"Hmm..."
"I'll throw in Ryu Kanghyuk's home address as a bonus."
"I just stamp here at the bottom?"
[......What the hell did that guy do to make everyone lose their minds like this.]
'Why is this so damn effective?'
The Chairman pulled an undecorated but elegantly old-fashioned seal from his drawer and slammed it onto the paper. He even stamped the same spot twice more, perhaps because thinking of Ryu Kanghyuk had pissed him off. After finishing, he had the secretary hand me the document bearing the bright red seal. The moment I received it, I gave him Kanghyuk's address, which the secretary immediately began writing down.
"What are you planning to do with the Ryu Kanghyuk photo?"
"I'm going to composite my own face over yours and turn it into a bromide."
'Wow, fuck. People really are the same everywhere.'
[What the hell is that supposed to mean...]
The Chairman looked me straight in the eye.
"So is that all you came for?"
"One more thing."
"Speak."
The Chairman interlaced his fingers and fixed me with a sharp gaze.
"Write me a recommendation letter."
"Planning to run for student council president? Registration's already closed."
"Not right away."
"Then tell me what else you're offering."
'Fuck, he should've been satisfied with what he already got.'
[Human greed truly knows no bounds.]
I made one suggestion to the Chairman. A short while later, I walked out of the Chairman's office with my head held high, the recommendation letter in hand.
***
Once Kim Shinwoo had left, Chairman Jang Inhyuk burst into loud laughter. The secretary beside him, however, wore an extremely troubled expression.
When the laughter finally died down, the secretary spoke quietly.
"Do you really believe it's possible?"
"Interesting. Very interesting."
"Do you trust that student's words?"
When Jang Inhyuk showed no sign of listening, the secretary spoke with clear displeasure.
"No matter how you look at it... saying he'll bring down the President right in front of you..."
"He even said he'd hand the President's seat over to me."
"It's unrealistic."
Jang Inhyuk wiped the tears from his eyes but offered no reply. The secretary's dissatisfaction only grew stronger.
"He wants to treat research students like actual people. And on top of that, he says he'll crush the President."
"That's exactly what makes it fun."
"It's far too ambitious a goal for a mere student."
Jang Inhyuk leaned back, interlacing his fingers behind his head and propping his legs on the desk. The pose radiated both leisure and authority, though the smile on his face softened the intimidating effect.
"From what I can see, his chances of success are quite high."
"You truly think so?"
"Even if he fails, it won't matter much to me."
"Why not?"
Jang Inhyuk stretched leisurely before continuing.
"If he's acting this confident, it means he's already got some kind of leverage."
"Even so, will it really bring everything down in one go?"
"If it does, that's good for me. If it doesn't, the responsibility falls on the student. I can just use it against him later."
"What about the research student matter?"
Jang Inhyuk stood up and opened the office door.
"That doesn't concern me. Getting rid of incompetent professors with it would actually be beneficial."
"Is that so?"
Jang Inhyuk stepped out of the office. The secretary asked in confusion,
"Where are you going?"
"Ah, I'm going to see that bastard Ryu Kanghyuk's face."
"Understood. I'll prepare the car."
At that moment, Jang Inhyuk turned to the secretary with a sudden thought.
"I'll handle it myself. You can head home early today."
"Thank you!"
The sudden early dismissal erased all previous complaints from the secretary's mind. Overjoyed, her usual calm expression shattered, replaced by pure happiness. In her heart, she quietly cheered for Kim Shinwoo's actions.
***
'-He'll probably think something like that? Old fart. You really underestimated me.'
[How the fuck does he always figure it out?!]
I was on my way back to the classroom when Piece spoke up.
[My dear, do you truly intend to place that man in the President's seat?]
'Well, yeah. Doesn't seem like much of a problem.'
[But another tragedy could simply repeat itself.]
'Don't worry. That won't happen.'
When I returned to class, Professor Pilyong, who had been teaching the first period, exploded in anger, demanding to know where I'd been wandering off to. Of course, that rage vanished the instant I casually showed him the document bearing the Chairman's handwriting.
"I went for a meeting. Why? Is the Chairman looking for me?"
"No! Just sit down already!"
This was the taste of power. So sweet.
'How dare a professor act like that.'
[As expected, power is everything.]
I gave Hyeji and Jung Ayeon a quick greeting before taking my seat. Remembering Piece's earlier words, I continued the conversation.
'You mentioned tragedy earlier? You won't be able to do anything about it, you know?'
[Why is that.]
A rotten wound must be cut out. Since the entire Academy was rotten, the only solution was to burn it all down. What good would being President do in a place reduced to ashes?
I'll do the burning. You handle the cleanup.
'Take care of the aftermath, old fart!!!!'
[......Is this... the protagonist?]
I couldn't hold back my laughter and burst out laughing. Naturally, laughing in the middle of class made Professor Pilyong furious enough to throw the lectern at me, but the laughter wouldn't stop. Hyeji and Jung Ayeon's gazes turned slightly pitying, but that was none of my concern.
***
"Shinu, you're really okay, right?"
"...I'm fine, so can you stop hitting my head with the wrench?"
"Everything in our house got fixed neatly after I did this."
"You seem broken too. How do we fix that?"
"This is Confucius's fault."
[This is going to hurt.]
In the blink of an eye, Hyeji's body blow sank deep into my abdomen. My breath was instantly cut off and I collapsed from my seat. Once I could finally breathe again, I slowly sat up and spoke to her.
"Hyeji, can I ask you for a favor?"
"No."
"Please. Just this once."
When I grabbed both of her hands and pleaded earnestly, Hyeji's cheeks flushed slightly as she cleared her throat.
"Ahem. What do you want?"
"Give this to your father and see if he can get it passed quickly through his connections. More signatures would be good too."
"Asking for something like this feels a bit much."
Hyeji looked troubled. It wasn't exactly her area of expertise, after all.
"I figured it might be pushing it."
"Please. You're the true heroine of this novel."
"I'll be right back!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Hyeji bolted out of the classroom in an instant.
***
Fortunately, I managed to catch Hyeji not too far away. Calming her down, however, took quite a while. She'd lost half her reason. Once she could finally speak coherently again, I made my request.
"Deliver it this weekend."
"Absolutely! I'll definitely do it! Even if I have to beat them into it!"
'She really does solve everything with violence at home.'
[Speak only in your mind. You'll die if you say that out loud.]
Still, I was genuinely grateful that Hyeji was willing to go through all this trouble for me.
"Thanks. I'll leave it to you."
"In exchange, when you meet Professor Kim Jiseon later, can you check if the restaurant reservation went through?"
"Ah, right. Got it."
Professor Kim Jiseon had indeed promised to make a reservation for Hyeji before, and she clearly remembered it. She must have been really looking forward to that meal.
That day, Hyeji smiled brightly the entire time, perhaps because she was in such a good mood. The other students, however, interpreted it differently. The ones trembling and kneeling in prayer claimed the following prophecy was coming true:
When the God of War smiles, the age of apocalypse draws near.
Repent. Pray. And wail.
[At this rate, won't a religion form around this?]
'I'll be the bishop. I'll even change my name to Kim Guwon.'
***
What happens when someone with great social influence voices an opinion? The attention it receives is on an entirely different level compared to an ordinary person, and it can easily affect other matters as well.
In this world, hunters were among those capable of wielding such influence.
Not long after, a bill capable of shaking the Academy was proposed. Ignoring it wasn't an option. After all, a massive blood fingerprint made with Cheonma's blood had been stamped on it, as if proving his strong endorsement.
While numerous Academy professors protested, their resistance didn't last long. The Academy Chairman's seal, clearly supporting the bill, sat prominently on the document.
Cheonma, a top-tier hunter the nation couldn't ignore. The Academy Chairman, head of the relevant institution. And countless other signatures.
One minor curiosity was the small bloodstain beside the three-star general's signature.
It took time, but for legislation, it moved remarkably fast. Eventually, the bill was promulgated.
Its official name was the Research Student Human Rights Promotion Act. In simple terms, it placed Academy research students under the category of "people."
Its other name was the Kim Shinwoo Law.