The In-Seoul Class Demons
The meeting room of the In-Seoul class managers at the re-study academy. “I heard the new student this time bankrupted two managers?” one of them said.
The manager sitting at the head of the table leaned back, lacing his fingers behind his head. “Well, they’re just parasites leeching off the In-Seoul class anyway. Do we really need to care?”
Managers at Hyeseong Academy were divided into In-Seoul class, prestigious university class, and Korea University special class, with their ranks within the academy determined accordingly. While the In-Seoul class only reached the level of corporate partnerships, the prestigious university class boasted extensive connections reaching the faculty and research labs of top universities. One manager had even purchased ten exam questions from last year’s prestigious university exam and passed them to his student. The difference in caliber was obvious.
“…But that guy looks like he’s about to move up to the prestigious university class soon. He’s been running wild with some odd-job manager. It wouldn’t be right to just leave that half-baked academy faction alone.”
A manager who had been flipping through data and charts in the corner received a message.
“Tsk.” The blocked manager clicked his tongue. What a bunch of pathetic fools. If you’re afraid of debt, how are you supposed to make money, improve yourself, and become a devoted wife and wise mother?
The qualification of a devoted wife and wise mother comes from the assets you can wield. With little money, you can’t train properly, and supporting a husband becomes impossible.
If you can’t even handle 15% weekly compound interest and cut off connections over it, you’re no better than an idiot who deserves to die. This one’s finished too.
A new message arrived for the manager.
“Customer. You have not repaid this month’s interest.”
The manager opened a credit card in her mother’s name and paid the interest. It was the same card-rolling technique as the principle of taegeuk. But this was only temporary, so she needed a new target for expenditure. That was the only downside of card rolling.
The manager stood up from her seat. “I’ll handle it.”
All eyes turned to her. How exactly? their gazes asked.
“Let’s have them duel.”
A duel. The standard method of resolving conflicts in devoted-wife-and-wise-mother society. Since devoted wives and wise mothers were incarnations of violence, the one who won the fight was justice. Therefore, when conflicts arose between groups, it was common to resolve them through a duel between two representatives.
“We’ll add a clause that the loser leaves the academy, or the In-Seoul class managers leave.”
But the reaction was cold. “Looking at the data alone, Baek Seol doesn’t seem like she stands a chance.”
A straightforward fact. Even from exam data alone, Baek Seol was no match for Lee Se-rin. Her stamina and strength were completely inferior, and there was no guarantee her magic power held the advantage anymore either.
But humans were tool-using animals, and it was similar in the entrance exam world. Equipping expensive artifacts for the exam was a virtue of examinees; flaunting one’s assets was a virtue of women. Appearance? Personality? Understanding? Those were basic options. Pretty and kind women were a dime a dozen in this world. The final competitive factor had to be money.
The three virtues that defined a devoted wife and wise mother were violence, wealth, and mental fortitude.
“I’ll sell my high-grade artifacts to Baek Seol. The cost will be borne by the managers and Baek Seol.”
That day, the manager sold high-grade artifacts to Baek Seol and the In-Seoul class managers, making a large profit. But her loan was never repaid. She put the money into coin leverage trading. There was still time until the next repayment, and if she didn’t roll her available assets to the maximum and make a profit, how could she call herself a devoted wife and wise mother?
Time flew by in the blink of an eye. Every day I earned money at the academy, used it to craft enhancers, supplements, and elixirs to consume, continuously raising my specs while training. Meanwhile, the reviews from the people who bought things from me were excellent, so business was smooth sailing.
One thing I miscalculated was physical fatigue. These days I was only sleeping about thirty minutes a day, so my whole body had grown heavy. Tomorrow was the ranking test. I had planned to rest early today, but pushing myself like this naturally drew worried looks from those around me.
Han Ye-jin approached me while I was prepping ingredients at the restaurant. “…Ji-tae oppa. Aren’t you overdoing it lately?”
“Mm. It’s not like I’ll live like this forever.”
“…Still. I’m worried. If you collapse from working so hard, that wouldn’t be good.”
“I see. Thanks for worrying. But it can’t be helped. I don’t have money.”
“……”
Han Ye-jin clutched her chest and gritted her teeth. Then, trembling slightly, she apologized to me in a sobbing voice. “I’m sorry.”
“Hm?”
“If I were a gold-spoon who could support everything Ji-tae oppa wants to do, you wouldn’t have to work like this. It’s because I’m a beggar girl.”
“…Uh. Hmm.” Why the sudden outburst? Besides, what she was saying was strange. Han Ye-jin might not be a gold-spoon, but she was an ability user. Her income was higher than an ordinary person’s, so she was definitely not someone who could be called a beggar. And my goal of going to university was my own business. It wasn’t something Han Ye-jin needed to concern herself with. Honestly, I didn’t know how to respond.
“Still, you’re not exactly poor, are you?”
“…….”
She had been poor. “Sorry. Was it hard?”
“Well…”
“It’s okay. You can tell me.”
“It’s really nothing. Really.”
“Still, I want to hear. If it’s something difficult, I want to help.”
At my question, Han Ye-jin flinched as if struck in a vital spot. Then she stammered, looking like a child caught doing something wrong. “Ah, well… the c-coin… coins crashed. I have about 100 million won in debt… I-I wasn’t trying to hide it!! Really!!! I can earn the money back quickly!!!”
I didn’t know why she was apologizing, but it wasn’t a big deal. 100 million won. At an ability user’s income level, that was money she could repay in half a year. But if Han Ye-jin was struggling because of the debt, I was willing to help. No, I wanted to help. She was someone who had shown me kindness, my benefactor.
“If you need money, should I give you some?”
“Huh?”
“You look like you’re having a hard time. Want help? I have more money than you anyway.”
“Ah…”
Han Ye-jin’s pupils shook violently. When she heard the last sentence, she even staggered. Clutching her chest, gritting her teeth, trembling all over, she barely managed to open her mouth. “I…”
“Yeah? Why?”
“I-I don’t have money, but I can pay it back and earn more quickly! Really! Please believe me!”
“Ah. It’s fine. You don’t have to pay it back. I just thought you looked like you were struggling.”
Han Ye-jin’s face flushed bright red. She clasped her hands together and lowered her eyes apologetically. “P-please… I-I’m not such a pathetic woman… Please believe me… really… truly… I can do it.”
She looked like she was in a lot of pain. Had I left her like this while those around her suffered? I…
“…No. I’ll send you the money.”
I transferred 200 million won to Han Ye-jin’s account. I felt nothing but gratitude toward her, so it wasn’t a waste. Han Ye-jin looked at her phone. “…N-no!!! I-I’ll pay off the debt quickly too! I-I’m not so pathetic that I have to ask oppa for money…! Please!! Forgive me!!! Don’t abandon me!!!”
Tears welled up in Han Ye-jin’s eyes. Honestly, I was so flustered I didn’t know what to say. “What’s pathetic about you?”
Han Ye-jin rubbed her eyes with her sleeves to wipe away the tears. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry…”
“…For what? What are you sorry for?”
I really didn’t understand. Thinking I was pressuring her, Han Ye-jin sniffled and opened her mouth. A single tear traced down her cheek, and her hands trembled. “I… so…”
“Yeah. Go on. What? Just tell me. I really don’t understand what you’re saying.”
Hic. Han Ye-jin burst into tears. “I… I-I’m a debt-ridden beggar who doesn’t even have money to offer as tribute, yet I dared to say I like Ji-tae oppa… and I caused oppa 200 million won in losses because of my debt…!”
“…What are you talking about?”
Han Ye-jin sniffled. “…A-aren’t you disgusted? Instead of giving oppa money, I’m the one borrowing it. So… you’re giving me severance pay to make me disappear…”
“What? What does being poor have to do with it? And that money was something I gave you anyway…”
“Uh. Well. How should I put it… A poor and incompetent woman liking someone can, on the contrary, become a wound to that man.”
“? What are you saying.”
Han Ye-jin fidgeted with her fingers. She seemed embarrassed, so I waited for her answer, and she finally spoke. “A woman who has no money, has debt, and even receives help from a man is d-disgusting, right? It means she has no ability, and confessing while being like that is like… looking down on the man. So it would make him angry instead… Ah, but. I’ve never looked down on oppa!! I just like you… I like you so much I wanted to stay by your side… So…”
“……Wait a second.”
Pressing my forehead with my hand, I thought over what Han Ye-jin had said. After thinking about it three times, I roughly understood the meaning. People drew lines between classes and judged those who crossed those lines as rude. In such situations, it was considered a sin for a subordinate to commit a discourtesy toward a superior, and some even said punishment was necessary.
I had seen similar scenes in old movies from the era when the gender ratio was normal. It was a school youth drama where an unattractive male student confessed to the beautiful girl in his class. When the girl received the confession, she burst into tears, the people around scolded the boy for making her cry, and the boy apologized to the girl over and over, saying he was sorry.
What Han Ye-jin was saying seemed similar in nature. It was rude for someone with no ability, who was unattractive, or who was inferior in various specs to show favor to someone above them. Since she was poor, liking me was a discourtesy.
“…This is ridiculous.”
I could understand it, but I couldn’t accept it. The logic that simply saying you liked someone was a mortal sin was something I could never accept.
“…Huh?”
“…No. I’m saying what meaning does that have. I—”
“I-I don’t have much money, and I dropped out of university so my education is only high school level…!”
“I’m a high school graduate too. Though I’m planning to go this year… or maybe I won’t be able to.”
“Ah, no. Men and women have different standards of comparison, don’t they… But…”
“Well… Other people’s standards and my standards are different.”
+ Good heavens. Ji-tae oppa… thinks of me… that highly… (50 points)
I asked in return. “Then. If I became ugly or poor, would you ignore me and stuff?”
“No!!! How could I possibly commit such an atrocity!!!”
She suddenly shouted, startling me. She calmed down quickly, but my heart was still pounding.
“I’m the same way.”
Of course, seeing Han Ye-jin as a romantic partner was impossible, but she was the person who had saved me. And she was still helping me now. I didn’t dislike Han Ye-jin as a person. It was more of a close friend feeling.
“I like you. Even if you became poor or your appearance changed, I would still like you the same. That’s how special you are to me.”
I said that with a smile.
+ I want to become Ji-tae oppa’s wife… (100 points)
Han Ye-jin walked toward me with determined steps. With a face covered in tears and flushed with embarrassment, she opened her mouth. “May I add my name to Ji-tae oppa’s wife candidate list?”
“…There’s no such list.”
After finishing the ingredient prep, I leaned against the table beside me. I pointed at the trimmed Red Steel Shark on the table. “This. Put it in the freezer for me. It’s pretty heavy. Can I ask you?”
This ingredient weighed nearly 800 kilograms. I was already tired, and if I used too much force carelessly, something might break. Han Ye-jin smiled happily and took off her coat, revealing her sleeveless top. The clear abs on her stomach were visible. Noticing my gaze, the corner of Han Ye-jin’s mouth lifted.
“I’ll put it in, oppa.”
Han Ye-jin grabbed the ingredient and shoved it into the freezer. She forced the ingredient that wouldn’t fit into the already full freezer. “You’re strong. I don’t dislike strong women.”
“Yes…”
Han Ye-jin smiled. Just then, a message arrived.
Baek Seol, currently ranked 1st in the In-Seoul class, has challenged Lee Se-rin to a duel.
The duel time is one hour after tomorrow’s ranking test ends. The location is the underground arena. The loser must leave the academy. The match continues until one side is rendered unable to fight. Alternatively, a surrender clause may be added. If Lee Se-rin wishes, the managers may also leave the academy. Do you accept?
“Ji-tae oppa. What is it?”
“Mm. I got a duel challenge. Looks like they want to beat me until I can’t fight anymore. I could refuse, but then they’d call me a coward and criticize me. They’d probably keep harassing me afterward… so I might as well just do it.”
At my casual reply, Han Ye-jin stood there blankly as if her soul had left her body. “…Harassing you? Ji-tae oppa?”
“Yeah. Last time they dumped a food tray over my head and soaked me completely. They also humiliated me in front of other students and spouted nonsense about me licking other women’s thighs. Honestly, I’m getting sick of it.”
When I joked around, Han Ye-jin carefully took my hand. Her hand was trembling. She was crying again. “A-are you okay…? Oppa…? Those… those things… did that to oppa…”
Han Ye-jin gritted her teeth. Grind. The sound of teeth grinding echoed. “How… how… Our Ji-tae oppa… why…”
“It’s fine. It’s nothing.”
“N-no. Those kinds of people deserve to die right now… really… Why is oppa… yourself… like that…”
I felt burdened, and Han Ye-jin’s eyes were scary, so I decided to gloss over it. I had gotten the hang of saying things women these days would like. “It’s okay. As long as I have you, I can smile no matter what happens.”