The main athletic field.
A chunky male student wearing horn-rimmed glasses asked the club members.
“Is Teacher Song here?”
His name was Lee Sang-hyun.
He was a third-year student who would soon graduate from the Academy and was the president of the ‘Hero Culture Research Club.’
“No. As always, he says to just take care of it ourselves.”
Teacher Song Si-yeol, the club’s supervisor, never got involved in its operation or activities.
Lee Sang-hyun felt that while it was good to have no interference, there were times when it was quite burdensome.
It wasn’t easy for an ordinary high school student to be responsible for the club.
Recently, in particular, he felt even more burdened.
The ‘Hero Culture Research Club’ faced the threat of disbandment.
The club needed a minimum of five members. Currently, including Lee Sang-hyun, the president, there were only four members.
If they couldn’t recruit new students during this experience fair, the probability of disbandment loomed large.
Lee Sang-hyun didn’t want to see this venerable (or so he believed) club, since the first intake of students at the Academy, perish under his watch.
‘Still, with Isiah around, we’ll somehow manage.’
Lee found it repulsive that he would so console himself.
Isiah, the club’s sole female member, was an awakened one of feline origin with cat ears and a tail, a beauty in her own right.
The ‘Hero Culture Research Club’ wasn’t particularly prestigious, but Isiah had joined under specific circumstances. She had a speech impediment and couldn’t speak, which was why popular clubs hadn’t accepted her. She joined one of the remaining clubs that seemed the least oppressive.
With her dressed in a maid outfit, she set up the table.
Lee Sang-hyun’s plan was something he called the Cat-Eared Beauty Maid Operation—showcasing Isiah’s appeal to recruit more club members.
Soon enough, the booth was all set.
Each club operated its stall according to its characteristics. For instance, the ‘Combat Archery Club’ provided an opportunity to shoot arrows at targets.
The ‘Hero Culture Research Club,’ lacking a hands-on experience, decided to open a maid café. But there was a problem: Isiah was the only one who could actually pull off being a maid. How well could she perform her duties, given her inability to speak?
Ultimately, they decided to rely simply on her beauty. Cat-eared beauties were rare, after all.
Lee Sang-hyun informed Isiah about her tasks for the day.
“Isiah, we’ll prepare the coffee and food. You just have to bring them to the tables. Tell us if it’s too tiring for you.”
Isiah nodded.
Ever since she was awakened, she had lost the ability to speak because her vocal organs were now more animal-like.
Unexpectedly, not many people came.
Cold sweat poured down Lee Sang-hyun’s back.
If they couldn’t get people here, they would definitely disband.
“Ah. What should we do?”
Then, a tall male student appeared, loitering around.
“Certainly not coming here, is he? He clearly seems to be looking for the Practical Combat Club.”
Yet, the student headed straight for the ‘Hero Culture Research Club’ booth.
“Excuse me.”
He had yellow-dyed hair and multiple piercings in his ears, with a sharp-looking face. Lee Sang-hyun shrank away.
“Thug…! How did they end up with someone like this for the first year? Oh, right, I heard they had a backup due to some accidents…”
The tall male student, Shinnoda, slightly frowned and reiterated.
“Excuse me, can you hear me?”
Lee Sang-hyun, naturally timid, quivered as he responded.
“Ah, yes!”
“One coffee and a croissant, please.”
“Yes! Ah, if you would like to take a seat, the maid will bring it to you!”
Trembling, he prepared the coffee. Isiah took the coffee and bread to deliver it.
Shinnoda grabbed Isiah’s hand as she was about to leave.
“Thank you. Um, can we talk for a moment?”
“Uh…”
She attempted to say something but couldn’t. She fidgeted nervously while holding the tray.
“Surely… it can’t be.”
Shinnoda muttered softly.
Lee Sang-hyun assumed he was complaining and nervously stepped forward.
“Our maid has a speech impediment, so she can’t speak. Please understand.”
“Oh, is that so? Is there… a senior named Lee Ji-hoon here?”
“No… I’ve never heard of Lee Ji-hoon.”
“Huh… So even the supporting character turned out to be a girl?”
Shinnoda sipped the coffee.
“I want to join your club. Is that okay?”
“Uh, uh… do you know what kind of club this is…?”
“Yeah, isn’t it a hero fan club or something? I also have a favorite hero. Uh… Voltman?”
Lee Sang-hyun was convinced by the sight of Shinnoda pondering during the favorite hero talk.
‘So he wants to join the club to hit on our Isiah!’
Even as he spoke with Lee Sang-hyun, Shinnoda kept glancing at Isiah.
While Lee had some reservations about using Isiah’s appearance to prevent disbandment, he wasn’t willing to let her go to such a dangerous man.
“Uh, it won’t… oh wait, what?”
Before Lee could think further, the delinquent was already flirting with Isiah.
“Whoa, cat-eared girl, you’re so lucky! Would you mind giving me your number, my little kitty?”
“Uh…”
Although in reality it was a much more normal tone, Lee Sang-hyun heard it as far more lewd.
An unpleasant vision formed in Lee Sang-hyun’s mind. Isiah would soon be ruined, both body and soul, after succumbing to this blond thug. Then she would come to him, the president, saying, “Brother Sang-hyun, do you still care for me…?” while caressing her swollen belly.
“No! Absolutely not!”
Lee Sang-hyun couldn’t sit idly by and watch Isiah fall for someone like that.
Interrupting their conversation, he shouted:
“You need to pass a test to join the club! It’s tomorrow after school at our clubroom!”
“What? We’re submitting application forms tomorrow, right? Where am I supposed to go if I fail the test?”
“That’s your problem… If you don’t like it, you can go somewhere else…”
Lee Sang-hyun, whose voice trembled as he spoke. Having never once made anyone uncomfortable his entire life, he now mustered the courage to protect Isiah.
There were indeed clubs with entrance tests. The popular clubs like ‘Practical Combat Club’ or ‘Swordsmanship Club.’
The problem, though, was that failing one of these competitive tests left students stuck with the less popular clubs for their hero preparation, which wasn’t ideal.
For upper management’s approval, a good transcript and a club related to hero activities were crucial. Many students competed for these tests.
Naturally, students who failed these tests wouldn’t even consider joining the ‘Hero Culture Research Club.’
The club members muttered and fidgeted with unease at Lee Sang-hyun’s sudden move.
“But, senior, we’re in danger of disbanning because we lack members.”
“That’s right, we can’t be picky about who we accept!”
“Uh… Ugh…”
That last one came from Isiah’s anxious voice.
“Fine by me.”
Even against these unreasonable terms, Shinnoda shrugged and readily accepted.
*
6 PM.
Park Hayeon took Shinnoda and Laura to a nearby shopping mall.
They decided to first buy clothes for Laura. Previously, she had donned the smallest of Park Hayeon’s clothes in an emergency, but they kept slipping off her.
“My, is she your daughter? She’s adorable!”
The shop assistant smiled cheerfully, misinterpreting their relationship as a family based on their civilian attire.
“Yup? Hup.”
Shinnoda nonchalantly patted Laura’s head, making her puff out her lips.
“She’s not my daughter. She’s my cousin, and my friend and I are here to buy her some clothes.”
Park Hayeon’s expression soured slightly as Shinnoda started picking out clothes for Laura.
“Laura, pick out whatever clothes you like.”
“Hmm~ The clothing style here sure is peculiar.”
The shop assistant interjected with various recommendations.
“How about this? It’s a new arrival that fits toddlers perfectly!”
“What do you think?”
“Hmm, it seems too childish.”
Shinnoda sighed and asked,
“Are there any clothes that are a bit more mature?”
“Aha, why don’t you try this one?”
Laura went into the fitting room and changed.
Park Hayeon clapped her hands and cheered upon seeing Laura.
“So cute!”
She thought to herself,
“If only a girl this cute was my daughter.”
Eventually, after some hiccups, Shinnoda purchased Laura’s outfit and started looking for dinner as they wandered around the dining area.
“Shall we eat?”
“I’ll leave it to you, Shinno!”
“I want to try sushi! It seems intriguing to eat raw fish on top of rice!”
They decided on sushi and headed to a sushi restaurant.
On the way, they encountered a loud, chatty group of high school girls, classmates of Shinnoda.
“Huh? Is that Shinnoda?!”
“Hey, Shinnoda!”
“Hey!”
Shinnoda quickly exchanged greetings, keeping an eye on Park Hayeon’s reaction.
“Ah, hey. What are you all doing here?”
“We’re shopping for clothes! But what about you? Is that your girlfriend? On a date?”
Park Hayeon’s face softened with a faint smile.
“Not my girlfriend, just a female friend from Class A. We’re here shopping for my cousin.”
The girls began whispering to each other.
“Typical Shinnoda. And Yang Min-seo too, how many girls does he even have?”
“He sure has good looks!”
Park Hayeon couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride. She sensed the students envied her and Shinnoda for their (apparent) exclusive shopping trip.
Shinnoda waved at them as they passed by.
“Alright, see you tomorrow!”
“Yep, take care!”
“Enjoy your date~!”
Leaving the playful remarks behind him, Shinnoda sighed.
“Rumors will spread quickly tomorrow…”
They ate at a rotating sushi restaurant, which was decorated in Japanese style.
The chef marveled, his mouth slightly agape.
“My, your daughter’s appetite is impressive! She’s eating more than the adults.”
“Haha, she’s not my daughter.”
That evening, Shinnoda had to pay over 400,000 won for their meal.
