Thud.
Goorigan… No, Instructor Geum Gye-jun placed a large box on the floor.
It was a box containing gloves.
“Today’s lecture will be replaced with this game of catch!”
I don’t feel like doing it at all. The other students gathered at the indoor Training Center seemed to share similar sentiments.
“Ha-ha! I can see the ‘why catch?’ expressions on your faces!”
The lecture conducted by Geum Gye-jun, the Combat Division instructor, was titled “Cultivating Creative Thinking.”
The grading is not based on points but simply a Pass-Fail system, making it more relaxed than general studies.
Hence, the lecture content was rather arbitrary, changing whimsically according to Geum Gye-jun’s mood from day to day.
Just this week, for example, they were apparently playing catch. It was a class that made creativity surge, indeed.
“This game of catch is quite something!”
With a firm grasp, Geum Gye-jun donned the glove on his hand. His hands were so large that the glove looked more like some type of claw.
“Let me tell you, this is a highly intensive training exercise. You must use all your strength with every throw.”
Gye-jun started to wind up.
He followed with the kicking motion, the stride, and then the throwing preparation in a seamless sequence.
Whoosh—
“This is also an excellent exercise for building camaraderie with your catcher. Don’t you think it’s necessary training for all of us Awakened Ones?”
You just want to play baseball, don’t you? Why are you making all these excuses?
“Alright, enough with the explanation! Everyone, take a glove!”
Since it was an instructor’s order, everyone decided to put on the gloves.
The next step was to find a partner to play catch with…
“Hey, Spoon. You going to do it with me?”
Moon Shin-chung approached first.
Is he a good partner for the game of catch? This guy could help make things less boring with occasional jokes.
“Just a moment.”
At that moment, Arna interjected. She spoke to Moon Shin-chung.
“Could I borrow this person for a while?”
She meant me.
Borrow? Do I look like an object to you?
“Yeah, uhm, of course… Naturally.”
Without a moment of hesitation, Shin-chung handed me over. Traitor. I’m never playing with this guy again. Hmph.
“What are you waiting for? Hurry up.”
In the end, I was dragged along by Arna’s hand. It felt like a cattle auction.
Now that I think about it…
Arna came looking for me first? This might be the first time, isn’t it?
Usually, I’m the one who finds her to cause trouble.
But this time, it’s the opposite.
“Arna.”
“What is it?”
Arna’s voice was sharper than usual. She was making it obvious that she disliked my presence.
Then why did you come looking for me in the first place?
“Are you on your period or something?”
Arna glared at me. For a moment, my heart sank.
But I can’t be intimidated. I’m a terrifying villain, after all.
“Indeed… being around you might make my stopped period start again.”
“You girls can talk about anything. How vulgar.”
“Grrr… You were the one to bring it up…!”
But her anger was only fleeting. Arna took a deep breath to calm herself down.
“Alright, just go over there and get ready to catch the ball.”
“Before that, have you ever played catch before? If you’re a beginner, we should probably start from a short distance.”
“What do you take me for? I’ve been strong since I was little. I’ve even played quarterback in American football before.”
Arna stretched and moved her shoulders around.
Being a quarterback, that’s impressive. There shouldn’t be a problem then. I widened the distance a bit from Arna.
“I’ll throw the ball first.”
Got it. I nodded.
Swish—
Arna pulled her glove back over her head.
She was starting with a wind-up.
Then, lifting her left leg high for the kicking motion…
“Huh?”
What is this? Are my eyes playing tricks on me? Why is Arna’s body glowing? With a golden light, no less.
This is like…
“Arna, are you using your Magical Power…?”
Hooosh—
But it was already too late. She completed the stride and threw the ball. Soon a white baseball shot out from her fingertips.
The speed was at least 100 miles per hour.
Thud!
It hit me right in the gut.
I fell to the ground unconscious.
This was definitely on purpose.
“You shouldn’t throw a ball at a fellow student you’re taking class with. Arna, this was a mistake on your part.”
“I’m sorry…”
We were now in the Administrative Studies Office, specifically the psychological counseling room. Here, Arna and I were receiving what could be described as a reprimand.
“What would’ve happened if the ball had hit your head?”
The woman speaking was Professor Han Se-young from Administrative Studies. When not teaching, she spends her time in this counseling room, helping students with their problems.
“Arna, unlike other students, you are someone who naturally gets more attention. Making such risky actions might just turn you into a target for journalists.”
“Yes. Yes.”
“You are a face of Han-yul Military Academy, so you must calmly think before acting and exercise caution. That’s what your professor believes.”
“Alright. Alright.”
At that moment, Han Se-young turned her attention to me.
“Yoon Seong-a? I know you’re trying to help, but interrupting our counseling like this might be disruptive. Do you want a macaron instead?”
“Okay.”
I decided to quietly eat my macaron and keep my mouth shut. It was freshly taken out of the fridge, delightfully cold and perfect to eat.
Han Se-young continued talking.
“You even made a media appearance yesterday, didn’t you? The public will be paying more attention to Arna. That means you should be extra careful, too.”
Han Se-young’s primary concern was regarding the press.
Arna is an awakened individual the entire world is watching. Even the smallest of her words and actions are more noticeable than others.
This makes her an ideal target for the media.
Should Arna make even one minor slip of the tongue during an interview, the press will not ignore it. They will exaggerate and publish articles to draw in people.
Then, people who read those articles would point fingers at Arna.
Han Se-young worried about that possibility.
“Arna is an intelligent child, so I believe you will handle everything responsibly without me explaining further. Right?”
“Yes…”
“That’s all from me; I’ll leave. You two talk the rest out yourselves.”
Han Se-young got up and left the counseling room, leaving us two alone.
“…”
“…”
Silence ensued. Arna hesitated, trying to muster words while glancing at me.
“What are you waiting for? There’s something you should say to me, isn’t there?”
“Ugh…”
Arna finally spoke up reluctantly.
“I’m sorry about throwing the ball so hard earlier… I didn’t mean to hurt you…”
“Hmm? I can’t hear you clearly. Could you speak a bit louder? You see, my hearing isn’t so good.”
“EEEEEKK! Really!”
Arna abruptly stood up.
“I apologize for throwing the ball so hard! It was a mistake due to my inability to control my strength! However! I have absolutely no intention of apologizing for the motivation behind throwing the ball! That’s something I will never apologize for!”
“What…?”
This is nonsense.
She says she’s sorry for the action of throwing the ball but refuses to apologize for the motive behind it?
“Anyway, that’s the case!”
Arna crossed her arms and turned her head away, showing no signs of repentance.
Anyway, I never expected an apology in the first place.
I was planning to continue tormenting Arna. Exchanging such embarrassing words here would be meaningless.
“Ah! That’s my macaron!”
Taking advantage of Arna’s momentary distraction, I snatched her macaron and licked it thoroughly before she could retrieve it.
“Ah! No!”
I licked every corner of it, ensuring the sugary coating melted completely with my saliva.
“KYYYYYAAAAAAA! What are you doing? Just put it in your mouth properly!”
The once smooth surface of the macaron became pockmarked like the surface of the moon.
I held the utterly ruined macaron out to Arna.
“Wanna take a bite?”
“I’ll make that face of yours look just like the macaron in your hand!”
“We’ll take a short break. We’ll resume shooting in 15 minutes!”
This was the filming studio. A large stage, expensive camera equipment, and computers designed for graphic work were all present in the vast studio.
“Huff…”
Following the staff’s directions, Arna stepped off the stage to take a brief rest.
Gurgle…
“…”
Perhaps it was because she hadn’t eaten since lunch; her stomach was rumbling like thunder.
There was no choice. Today was the day of a sports wear photo shoot, and with the clothing clinging tightly to the body, fasting was mandatory.
It wouldn’t be long now. She only had to endure a little longer. Once the shooting was over, she intended to go straight to a sushi restaurant. Spring was the perfect season for delicious cod.
She wanted to eat it right away.
“Arna, are you sure you’re okay with the extra shoot too?”
“What?”
A production director approached her while she was resting. Arna’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Extra shoot? Wasn’t there only one more scene?”
“Hmm? Didn’t you say it was okay to do night shooting?”
“Excuse me, when exactly did I say that?”
Arna had no memory of saying such a thing. Even with her hectic schedule, she was always careful to remember every word she spoke, especially concerning time.
“The manager just said that a moment ago and left?”
“Manager…?”
What was this manager nonsense?
For reference, Arna didn’t have a manager. She handled her schedule all by herself and relied on taxi apps for transportation.
“Is that person really Arna’s manager?”
The director pointed somewhere. The graphics team was busy editing.
“Stop. That photo with the fuller hips works better. Let’s go with that one.”
“…”
Why was this man involved in the shooting like this without anyone noticing? Even at school, he kept showing up – as persistent as a pest.
Arna wore a frosty expression capable of extinguishing wildfires as she spoke to the director.
“Could you call the police for me right now? I think there’s a stalker here.”
