066 – 6
“Cheer up!”
Yu Yeo-reum cheered on Seugal.
“Put in more effort!”
“Hey! Do you think awakening to a new ‘concept’ is as simple as giving birth, where you just strain your stomach muscles? I need focus, so please be quiet!”
Seugal was desperately trying to grasp a new concept.
The concept Seugal was attempting to obtain was none other than “Candy.”
The concept of “Candy.”
The reason for wanting to obtain this was simple.
It was to trade when the mysterious fairy “Inonoi” returned through the hidden window on the high ceiling.
Seugal was striving for this new concept when Yu Yeo-reum recalled the girl who was her teammate.
The girl named Jo-euno from Class F.
A female student possessing the concept of “Nymph,” she was an extremely peculiar girl.
Her tone and behavior were unusual, and her appearance looked more like that of a first-year middle school student rather than a senior.
She often made strange statements, one being that she met fairies in the Great Labyrinth.
And that fairies love candies.
It turned out that Jo-euno’s words were true.
There really were fairies living in the Great Labyrinth, and they loved candies.
“Alright! I’ve grasped the concept of candy!”
“… Already? Can new concepts truly arise so easily?”
Yu Yeo-reum looked at Seugal with a mix of admiration and shock. She couldn’t help but recall how much hardship and effort she had put in to obtain her new concept, “Penetrate.”
Awakening to a new concept required nothing short of bl**d, sweat, and sacrifice. Yet, Seugal had awakened to her new concept as if she were merely shopping.
“Seugal, you’re this amazing…?”
Among the multiple concept awakened ones Yu Yeo-reum knew, Seugal’s potential was undoubtedly the highest. It was perplexing why Seugal hadn’t honed her talents and inclinations until now.
“Perhaps Ha Nam-jin saw through Seugal’s talent?”
Shhhk.
At that moment, Seugal touched Yu Yeo-reum’s shoulder.
The intention was clear.
“… Seugal, you!”
Though Yu Yeo-reum got angry, Seugal was already sticking out her tongue at her with a “Meh!” and soon giggled.
“Pfft! How’s it feel? The concept of candy!”
The concept of “Candy” settled within Yu Yeo-reum.
Thus, Yu Yeo-reum now had five concepts in total: “Light,” “Photosynthesis,” “Modesty,” “Penetrate,” and “Candy.”
The issue was the feature of this “Candy” concept. The moment she began emitting a sweet odor, Yu Yeo-reum realized her sweat had become sweet. She even felt a faint sweetness in her mouth.
Drrrrk.
Then, the secret window on the ceiling opened.
“I wonder if I can eat candy now…”
“Go lick her! She’s a human candy! And help us out!”
Seugal pointed at Yu Yeo-reum. For modest Yu Yeo-reum, the idea of someone licking her body was a deeply embarrassing matter.
“This Inonoi can’t enter that room…! The room has a special spell on it, so only fairy royalty or those with special treasures can enter…”
“What?”
Seugal couldn’t hide her disappointment and frustration. If even that bizarre fairy couldn’t come here…
Then, a sudden thought struck her.
“How did we enter here in the first place? How does Ha Nam-jin manage to come in and out of this room like it’s nothing? There must be some secret…”
Some hint that might lead to escaping this room.
Yu Yeo-reum thought she understood what that ‘hint’ was. Since gaining the concept of “Penetrate,” she had noticed the ring on Ha Nam-jin’s finger.
Could this so-called “special treasure”…
At that moment, a chilling sensation ran down Yu Yeo-reum’s neck.
“EEK! This Inonoi must return to her nest right away…! If a Kore speaks to or questions you, never respond…”
Pssstshh.
The fairy Inonoi rapidly spat out incomprehensible words and disappeared somewhere through the narrow vent in the ceiling.
Yu Yeo-reum and Seugal wanted to call the fairy back to ask more questions but couldn’t.
As if in unison, they both stopped what they were doing.
“…Yu Yeo-reum, did you feel it too?”
“…Shh.”
There was something on the other side of the stone door.
Something extremely dangerous and terrifying.
Knock knock knock.
‘Something’ was knocking on the stone door.
The voice was strange.
It felt like someone was awkwardly mimicking a human’s speech.
A voice that evoked discomfort and rejection from the deepest parts of one’s instincts.
Suddenly, Seugal remembered the story of the “uncanny valley.”
Humans dislike things that vaguely resemble humans more than something that doesn’t resemble them at all. But why do we instinctively dislike these “vaguely similar” things?
Was there an evolutionary process where humans had a predator that vaguely resembled them?
As a result, it became clear why this room was especially sturdy and had bizarre “spells” on it.
Unwittingly, they were relieved that this room was unnecessarily strong.
…
Eventually yesterday, I couldn’t get to where Seugal and Yu Yeo-reum were.
There wasn’t enough time.
But it was fine.
I could go without food for a day without dying.
Actually, an appropriate fast is good for your health.
When I went to school early in the morning, everyone was surprised.
It was like they had seen a ghost.
“Ha Nam-jin! You weren’t caught by the police, right?”
“How are you even still in school?”
The school had returned to normal after the midterms were over. Same goes for me.
But apparently, someone filmed what happened at the villa yesterday and posted it online.
Word had spread everywhere about me educating Jin Eun-byul and incapacitating Prince Juhyun.
It felt like lightning was coursing through my body and there was a tingling sensation at the base of my spine.
Right now, the most famous middle school dropout in the nation? That’s me, Ha Nam-jin!
I had no idea being the center of everyone’s attention would feel this good.
I immediately picked up my phone and searched for “Ha Nam-jin.” There were way too many search results.
Isn’t this feeling exciting?
Even negative comments were plastered everywhere, but I enjoyed it!
To someone like me who fought endless boredom and loneliness for years, this attention was too stimulating.
“Ha Nam-chin, are you really okay?”
Shhhk.
Someone poked my side.
It was Bangdaengi Baek Yeo-ul.
“Getting on the bad side of Jin Eun-byul and Prince Juhyun? Even involving the president! Are you not going to get arrested for some serious crime?”
Students subtly turned their eyes toward me. They were expecting to see how I would handle the situation.
“No one can harm me. After all, even the smallest truth can overcome the biggest lie. The important thing is, what’s for lunch today?”
“…Lunch.”
Baek Yeo-ul, with her narrow eyes squinted a little. Not thrilled with the lunch menu, it seems.
Drrrrk.
Soon, the classroom door opened and the captain entered. As the room fell silent, the captain spoke.
“Listen, Ha Nam-jin! Do you have any idea how many phone calls I received just today because of you? You’re the only one in South Korea who can pull off such reckless stunts and walk around without fear.”
“Captain, don’t underestimate yourself. Any man could do what I do.”
“I’m a civil servant who eats off of taxes. And while I’m in this position, all of you are my students and my team members who follow my commands. So, Ha Nam-jin, you get 20 additional hours of school service!”
“…I think Nam-jin didn’t do anything wrong.”
That’s when someone raised their hand.
Every eye turned toward Deoksun. Deoksun, who rarely spoke, was now talking, so everyone naturally paid attention.
“You’re talking now, Deoksun?”
“I’ve never heard her voice before.”
“Isn’t it Deokhee?”
The murmuring made Oh Deok-sun blush crimson.
“H…At school, we should not do bad things and should help those in need… I… I don’t think Nam-jin did anything wrong. The bad ones are other people…”
Though Deok-sun stammered, she clearly conveyed what she wanted to say. Honestly, for an introverted and shy person like her, it was quite impressive.
“I was bullied by Jin Eun-byul… My hair even started falling out… My father lost his job and had to move to City D… No one believed me…”
Deok-sun’s story shocked everyone. Many didn’t realize how malicious Jin Eun-byul was.
“It’s wrong for wrongdoers to live comfortably while those who do good are punished… If… that were to happen, then there wouldn’t be any… meaning in what we learn at school…”
Deok-sun’s words prompted the students to agree with “That’s right,” or “That’s true.”
Even though they often chattered, students at Yeongsa Academy generally had a sense of justice. After all, it was the “Hero Officer Academy.”
They each had differences, but each wished to do what was right.
When these people become “Supernovas” and beacons of hope for humanity, it would be for reasons like these.
And at the forefront of them will always stand Seugal.
…
Lunchtime.
After a long while, I met up with the “Zero Waste Lunch” group and went to the upscale restaurant, Noble.
But Geum Tae-sung wasn’t there.
“Looks like Tae-sung’s very busy. He isn’t even at school today.”
Baek Yeo-ul looked disappointed while saying this and was piling up food into her bento box.
Chang-sik and I were doing the same.
Go ahead! Load up! We need to milk the meal ticket!
When Chang-sik satisfactorily filled his dish, he said,
“It seems that Tae-sung is busy with his part-time job. Does anyone know where and what he’s doing? Lately, it feels like we haven’t been in contact much.”
We knew that Geum Tae-sung was working hard at his part-time job.
But exactly what and where, nobody seemed to know.
While we were having our meal, Bangdaengi suddenly stopped eating and panicked.
“What if Jin Eun-byul is plotting revenge against us? From what Deok-sun said, that Jin Eun-byul girl is really nasty. Bitches like Seugal love retaliation!”
Now that I think about it, Bangdaengi and Deok-sun were at Jin Eun-byul’s villa yesterday. Somehow, they were even “kidnapped,” if I recall correctly.
“…She’s a scary one, really.”
Deok-sun also seemed genuinely terrified as she trembled. There was a trace of anger mixed in it, too.
“Good thing that happened.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve uncovered Jin Eun-byul’s weakness. If we strike first before she can retaliate against us, we’ll win. First strike, always undefeated. An unchanging truth.”
Shhhk.
I played video clip number “6” on my phone. Everyone eating their meals turned their eyes toward my phone screen.
A girl bound to the bed with her limbs and four men standing around her were visible.
“Say your name!”
“Say your name!”
“What is your name!”
“Your name!”
The men yelled as they sprayed some mysterious liquid. Then, the girl tied to the bed shrieked in a hateful manner.
Soon, the men fell over from an inexplicable shock, and the bed floated in the air.
Chang-sik was dumbfounded.
“Is… Is that Jin Eun-byul? She’s tied to the bed! This… this looks like…”
Everyone seemed to have caught on.
“You’ve seen it as clearly as I have. Jin Eun-byul’s weakness is—.”
“Her weakness is exorcism!”
“—No, as you can see, the real weakness is ‘kidnapping’ and ‘imprisonment.'”
Everyone’s expressions darkened.
After all, kidnapping and imprisonment aren’t easy tasks.
Fortunately, I was an expert in abducting and imprisoning high school girls!
Just in time, there was a vacant basement in the house next door.
And this time, I have a reliable “team.”
“Hey, guys, you’ll have to help me out. The operation is tonight!”
…
…
