Chapter 97: I Guess I Have No Choice but to Use My Last Resort.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 97: I Guess I Have No Choice but to Use My Last Resort.
The atmosphere at the table turned icy the moment I called out Kim Min-su’s name and he growled back at me.
‘Time to send the girls away.’
Since my original goal was to make contact with Kim Min-su, there was no reason for the women to stay here any longer.
"We have some things to discuss privately. Would you mind giving us a moment?"
"Oh... sure, sure. Let's go."
"Uh... yeah, okay."
The women on the other side looked like they had been dying to leave anyway; they vanished in an instant. It would be next to impossible to keep hanging out with a guy who suddenly starts asking about sex fantasies the moment he meets you.
‘He used to just be a bit of a loser.’
I still remembered my first encounter with Min-su. That day, he had been waiting pathetically outside the school gates, unable to even properly explain himself to his girlfriend. While Yu-min and I were tangled up together, Min-su had stood there aimlessly, completely oblivious. Back then, he was the typical rom-com protagonist who didn't know how to express his emotions properly.
Now, he had transformed into a full-blown villain—clueless and applying all the weird things he’d been taught. Seeing him constantly mention the Pure Love Diary Writer while drinking, it seemed he had been receiving consistent "dating coaching."
Min-su, created as Chubby Ahn’s self-insert pet project, had always been unstable. But now that Chubby Ahn’s "knowledge" had been injected into him, his personality had warped completely.
"I mean, seriously... Not only did you call me 'Hey,' but now you’ve even dismissed the Lay-ries? Tae-ok, you have clearly crossed the line. You’d be horrified if you knew who I really am... If you realize your mistake and apologize now, I might let this slide."
"Kim Min-su."
"Eh? I mean, ahem... Who is that? I am the Darkness Warrior."
The moment I used his real name, Min-su’s entire body began to broadcast his panic. His legs, which hadn't been shaking before, started trembling violently, and he kept glancing around as if conscious of his surroundings. Even so, I found it impressive how he kept denying it with his mouth.
"You are Min-su."
"Hah... wow... If you keep acting like this, I won't hold back either. You seem pretty confident because you think you can fight, but it’s going to be a problem if you show that attitude to me. Whether I’m Kim Min-su or not, didn't you get a sense of how dangerous I am the moment I revealed my name as the Darkness Warrior?"
"So, what are you going to do about it?"
"Excuse me?"
There was no point in repeatedly telling someone "You're that guy" when they insisted they weren't. Min-su had been wrapping himself in this "dangerous person" persona, rambling about his identity for a while now. If that was the case, using that persona against him was the fastest way to give him a proper education.
"Well, you keep threatening me, so I was just asking because I'm scared."
In truth, I wanted to pin Min-su down and give him a satisfying thrashing. However, since I couldn't start a brawl in the middle of a party, I focused on subtly provoking him with words. Not just calling out his bluff, but indirectly asking, 'Can you actually do anything?'
"I mean... just... do whatever you want... Tae-ok, have you never had a social life? You're supposed to pick up on these things... Besides, what would you even do if I really were Kim Min-su..."
Min-su shriveled up instantly. When the alcohol was flowing and women were in front of him, he acted like a grand general full of bravado. But the moment the women vanished, his sky-high presence evaporated.
"Whether you are or not, you're being a total nuisance. Who asks something like that the first time they meet someone?"
"Wh-what? Everyone plays like that at drinking parties... I mean, they do...! If you keep this up, I’m really going to get angry. You clearly don't know how to have a good time... I was putting up with it because you're older than me, you know? But since you're acting like this, I have no choice but to teach you a lesson..."
Min-su was desperately trying to wriggle out of the situation like an eel to regain the upper hand. And there I was, looking at him with contempt, wondering how best to discipline him. In terms of the power dynamic, the situation was already over.
"Teach me what? Instead of that, why don't I just—"
"...Follow me to the rooftop, Tae-ok."
?
Did I hear that right?
"Are you flustered? I warned you. I told you not to mess with me, that I can get angry. Did you think I was joking just because I was being nice and smiling? I was thinking about just having a deep talk between men since the Lay-ries are gone, but you're hopeless. Come outside."
I hadn't misheard. Min-su stood up, making a throat-slitting gesture with his thumb. Through the gaps in his mask, his eyes burned with intense fury.
‘He’s really losing his cool like this?’
Suddenly, without any warning? Maybe it was the alcohol. Min-su’s behavior had veered into a completely unpredictable territory.
‘I was just going to say a few words, slap him around a bit, and then lure him toward Melanie...’
I guess today wasn't the day for subtlety. Looking on the bright side, I now had an excuse to beat him up.
‘At least I’ll get some stress relief.’
The sound of Min-su squealing was always refreshing to hear.
*
On the top floor of the building where the Noble social party was being held, Chubby Ahn was showing off his "aristocratic" flair while checking his master plan.
"It’s absolutely perfect... If Min-su just does as I taught him, he can conquer Melanie in three seconds..."
No matter how much he thought about it, he felt he had hand-picked only the very best strategies. From the detail of calling 'Ladies' 'Lay-ries' to the skill of closing the distance through bold sexual jokes. He had bestowed upon Min-su techniques that couldn't be bought for any amount of money.
Furthermore, like the genius who learns ten things when taught one, Min-su had elevated his fashion to a higher level by rolling up his suit pants. He even showed the boldness of flaunting his physique by not wearing an undershirt beneath his white dress shirt. To top it all off, he had the ultimate pseudonym.
"Darkness Warrior... Phew... Just thinking about it is terrifying."
Who else could come up with such a pseudonym? Other mediocre people would surely use something that sounded like a real human name. But what if a true warrior of darkness appeared among them? The result was obvious.
"Min-su must be sweeping the party by now, right? Ahem... I'm so curious... Maybe I should head out..."
Since it was a masked party where no one knew who was who anyway, he was about to personally grace Min-su with his presence when the door suddenly burst open. Chubby Ahn frowned the moment he saw the man who rushed in breathlessly.
"I told you not to let anyone in until I called—!"
However, the man's following words left Chubby Ahn stunned.
"Th-that... Cadet Kim Min-su was found collapsed on the rooftop."
"...What? Why?"
"I'm not sure... The guards went to the rooftop to take a break and found someone collapsed. When they took off the mask, it was Cadet Kim Min-su."
"...Is he hurt? Do we know who did it?"
"Yes, well... his cheeks are very swollen... and there are signs he was hit in the abdomen many times, but it's as if the person learned how to hit without leaving obvious marks..."
"So what are you trying to say!"
"Ah, yes... He's not severely injured, but he was beaten enough to faint. It's difficult to estimate who did it."
"...Fine. Get out."
"Yes, sir!"
Click.
The man hurriedly fled the room the moment he saw Chubby Ahn’s cheek and neck fat trembling thirty times per minute. He was terrified of what kind of rage might descend upon him if he stayed.
"...Baek Tae-yang isn't even here, so what the hell is going on..."
The reason Noble held this party? There were several, but the biggest was that Baek Tae-yang couldn't participate. In a place where only Innate Awakeners gathered, the probability of Baek Tae-yang being able to join the party was close to 0%. In fact, his name hadn't appeared on the guest list.
"Even if he were here, I was planning to have him kicked out... So naturally, Min-su was supposed to be the star of the party... But fainted? Seriously?"
He wished the party would continue until Min-su woke up, but the clock already pointed to midnight. According to his research, the peak time for "alphas" at clubs or hunting bars was between 11 PM and 2 AM. Usually, they'd scout until then and then pair up with a woman to go for a "second round" during those golden hours.
"Which means Min-su should be in action right now... That's how he's supposed to end up with Melanie..."
But there was no sign of Min-su waking up within the next two hours. With his knowledge and Min-su’s initiative, they should have been able to seduce any woman in twenty minutes.
"I don't know who it was, but to ruin my perfect plan like this..."
Make Min-su the most popular guy through a spectacular performance at the party and pair him with Melanie. Then, looking dazzling, go find Yu-min. Brag right to her face that he dumped her and found a much better woman. He had stayed up for three days and nights to come up with this plan.
"But they wouldn't have expected this."
If anyone thought a party was the only way to make Min-su the protagonist, they were gravely mistaken. He was the author of Academy Pure Love Diary. An author’s greatest power was the ability to twist the story in any direction they desired. Though that power had weakened significantly, limiting him to merely creating new paths, it didn't matter.
"Because Min-su will do it all for me."
Chubby Ahn cleared the table of the current plans and spread out a fresh sheet of paper. He began to write various things down, muttering to himself.
"This time... for sure... I will grant Min-su a romantic experience..."
On the very first line of the plan, the words <Romeo and Juliet> were carved in large letters.