Chapter 178: What on Earth Do You Think People Are?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 178: What on Earth Do You Think People Are?
"...Ugh... I’m so exhausted."
"Want to go to the infirmary? It’s better to lie down."
"You’re awfully calm for someone who just broke a girl's waist."
"Ah, ahhh, stop pi-i-inching me."
"Baek Tae-yang, you’ve learned nothing but bad habits."
Yu-min kept pinching my cheeks, shooting me a look that said I was being shameless.
I guess I did go a bit overboard.
I could understand why she was upset, considering I’d been draining her pussy juices without giving her a moment to breathe. I knew she wanted to keep the sweet atmosphere going since it had been a while, but some things just couldn't be helped.
It felt more like cute pouting than actual anger.
Still, it killed two birds with one stone.
It was the best way to shatter Kim Min-su’s mental state while also satisfying Yu-min. I lightly muted the phone as Min-su continued to shriek and wail on the other end. I’d considered doing a video call, but I didn't want to deal with him like that anymore.
I should stop showing off my women soon.
I couldn't keep teasing him like this forever, could I? Since this was the second time I’d used the same pattern, I needed a new method. Something that would give Kim Min-su an even greater humiliation without showing him the heroines' bodies if possible.
"You’re not just going to dump me on an infirmary bed and go meet another woman, are you?"
"What are you talking about? Everyone dispersed during lunch, and it’s just been the two of us."
"It’s just that you’ve become such a player. You were always like that, but now it’s just annoying."
"Stop pi-i-inching me again."
Pinch, pinch.
Poke, poke.
Her index finger prodded my cheek like a pouting cat. I periodically kissed Yu-min’s cheek as we walked around confidently, making sure everyone could see us. I didn't care if the cadets saw this and spread rumors.
Consistent image-making.
I was perfectly playing the role of someone who "lived up to his looks." I wanted people to naturally think, 'Because it's Baek Tae-yang,' 'If it's Baek Tae-yang,' or 'I knew he'd do that.'
I had already firmly established my image at Victory Academy.
A cadet who looked like a total delinquent but stood at the forefront of good deeds more than anyone else. Meanwhile, a guy who constantly dated a variety of women. Someone who juggled so many girls so openly that no one could even say anything about it.
Nice.
It was perfect. A life where I could walk around the academy grounds with a woman in my arms and not face a single objection. It was practically flawless.
"Get some rest. Call me as soon as you feel better."
"Then we’re watching the campfire together, right?"
"Of course."
I couldn't save everyone. Even if I knew Kim Min-su was up to something, my options for responding were extremely limited. The best I could do was keep the people around me as far away as possible.
Yu-min is taken care of.
Slide, click.
As I left the infirmary, I finally understood why I had been feeling so irritated.
I’ve adapted to this novel too much.
From feeling a sense of responsibility toward the heroines to the fact that I no longer wanted to show their bodies to Kim Min-su. These were all thoughts and emotions that arose because everything felt too close now.
It felt like only yesterday when I ignored everyone as if they were just combinations of text. Now, I was actually worrying about them and thinking about evacuating those close to me first.
"...It’s not so bad."
I’ll accept it.
Crack, crack.
Pop, pop.
I cracked my knuckles and headed toward the campfire site. It was time to prove it through action.
+++++++++
—Now! The moment you’ve all been waiting for, the campfire, has finally arrived! The blazing flames that will crown the first day of the festival have just been set up in the center of the academy!
At Student Council President Kim Ji-hyuk’s announcement, everyone enjoying the festival gathered at the academy’s central plaza. In the middle of a field about three times the size of a soccer pitch, a bonfire roared.
It’s all meaningless.
If I couldn't be the protagonist, it didn't matter if those flames spread beyond the logs. No, wait—I was the protagonist. I was the protagonist, but...
That bastard ruined everything.
Therefore, it was only natural for that son of a bitch Baek Tae-yang to receive divine punishment. Kim Min-su nodded to himself and slowly moved toward the center of the campfire.
Families playing happily and cadets innocently enjoying their youth. Every single one of them was disgusting. They were so bright and cheerful, not knowing what kind of misery I had just endured.
How can they be like that?
Inferiority and a victim complex dominated Kim Min-su’s emotions. The only thing I did wrong was not speaking my feelings sooner. So why do I have to suffer like this? I was a Hero, I am a Hero, and I will remain a Hero. Why is all the attention on that tanned delinquent?
"Even now, look at him."
Step, step.
As if by appointment, that damn bastard was walking toward him from the opposite side.
Baek Tae-yang.
"How can you even show your face like that?"
"What are you talking about now?"
"Don't act like you don't know!"
Crackle, crackle.
Kim Min-su’s shout was buried by the sound of the burning logs. Or rather, the sound itself didn't travel far.
"Why is the Saintess on your side?"
The Saintess.
She had cast a transparent veil around herself, Baek Tae-yang, and Kim Min-su, preventing any sound from leaking out. Kim Min-su hated even that. Even if it was an action taken to avoid harming the people around them.
Why was she by his side and not mine? There’s barely any difference between us. He couldn't understand a single detail of this situation.
"Does that even matter right now?"
"Of course it matters! All of this is happening because of you!"
"Are you really going to keep talking bullshit?"
"Again! Again with the 'I don't know' act!"
Kim Min-su, unable to take it anymore, began to scream at the top of his lungs.
"What do guys like you know?! Just because you’re a bit handsome, all you think about is how to screw over women! You act all nice on the outside, but then you stab me in the back when it counts! Yeah! You’re trash! Saintess! That guy is a truly evil bastard! You need to come over to this side!"
The Saintess said nothing.
This is more serious than I thought.
To be precise, she was in a state where she couldn't say anything. As soon as the campfire started, she had witnessed the same light she’d seen during the Exchange Event leaking from beneath Kim Min-su’s feet. She had used her divine power to create an isolated space, but this was only a temporary measure.
It feels like he’s possessed by something...
It was too early to judge. No matter how pathetic and soaked in inferiority Kim Min-su was, he was still an important figure. She had to determine whether he was trying to cause a catastrophe of his own will or if he was being manipulated.
"This is just your inferiority complex talking," Baek Tae-yang said.
At those words, Kim Min-su’s anger flared even more, the veins in his neck bulging.
"Don't give me that bullshit! It’s just—it’s just that you made me like this!"
"Stop being stubborn."
"Stubborn? How is this stubborn! If it weren't for you! If you hadn't treated me like that!"
"Hey, get your facts straight. This happened because you made assumptions and acted on relationships that weren't even fully formed yet."
Kim Min-su couldn't understand what Baek Tae-yang was saying. What did he mean by making assumptions and acting on them?
"You can't distinguish between someone being nice to you as a human being and someone liking you romantically... Do you think every girl you exchange a few private messages with is your future girlfriend?"
"What other reason is there to exchange private messages! Do you think the saying 'there are no friends between men and women' exists for no reason? It’s because there’s mutual interest!"
"So, that interest is just as friends... Haa... forget it. You wouldn't get it even if I explained it to you for the rest of your life."
"Again! You’re looking down on me again!"
Min-su was furious, but he couldn't bring himself to charge at Baek Tae-yang immediately. For one, there were eyes watching—specifically, the Saintess. And the bitter memories of the defeats he’d suffered at Baek Tae-yang’s hands held him back firmly.
I was going to let it go peacefully.
But seeing that guy's face twisted his insides, and he ended up lashing out. However...
"No matter what, you’re nothing more than trash who stole someone else’s girlfriend."
"It's 'nothing but,' Min-su."
"Whatever!"
Crackle, crackle, crackle.
The bonfire burned even more intensely. As if representing Kim Min-su’s emotions, it occasionally spat out large sparks.
Hot, so hot.
Using inferiority as fuel, it fanned the flames of rage.
"If only you weren't here...!"
"That’s the problem. Why is your 'if' always about external factors and not your own effort? And honestly, you and I are pretty similar. Why on earth do you categorize people into ranks like that?"
"That’s what you did!"
"I judged you based on the actions you’ve taken so far."
Coward.
Poke.
Coward?
At that word, the string of Min-su’s rationality snapped.
Peacefully.
The thought of trying to resolve things with words vanished completely. The light that had been faintly flowing from beneath Min-su’s feet began to erupt as if reacting to his emotions.
"This... this is all your own doing."
I won't hold back anymore.
Just as the light was about to swallow everyone in the plaza, the Saintess released the power she had been gathering, waiting for the right moment.
Whoooooosh.
A clash of light against light.
Flick.
A sound echoed, its outcome uncertain.
And where the Saintess, Baek Tae-yang, and Kim Min-su had been standing, nothing remained.
As if they had never been there from the start.
Quietly.
Crackle, crackle.
Only the sound of the burning logs remained.