“Tae-hoon, I’ve heard the news.”
“Did you cause another incident?”
Father, that’s not true.
I’ve changed. Since I came back to this school, I haven’t ever bullied anyone.
I swear this on the cross inside me.
“Can’t you endure just a little for your father’s sake?”
“Do you have any idea how much I went through to get you readmitted this time?”
Father, please, just listen to your son. I’m truly innocent. If anything happens to me, it’s because it’s happened to me, not because I’ve done anything to harm anyone.
The only thing I have done since coming to this school is challenge the top student to an evaluation match. That’s all.
I swear on the cross inside me, once again.
“Tae-hoon. The act of protecting you because of familial ties alone… I fear I can no longer bear it.”
“If you bring shame to our family again through media attention…”
“I won’t stand idly by next time.”
Father…
Why can’t even you believe me?
I truly haven’t done anything.
If anything, I’m the victim.
That spoon… it has been following me all the time.
Every day, every moment, it’s always after me.
What I say may sound like absurd lies, but every word I spoke is the truth.
Please, believe your son just this once.
Father!
…
…
…
…
“Hmph, hahaha…”
No one believed Kang Tae-hoon’s words, not even his father.
Now, all Kang Tae-hoon had left was himself. He had to prove it on his own—that he was being harassed by the spoon.
If this were the old Kang Tae-hoon, he would’ve just swung his sword without regard for anything else—it might’ve been the quickest solution. But that’s not the situation now. This wasn’t something that could be resolved with just a sword. His pride was at stake. He had to let everyone know that he was innocent.
I’m not a liar.
To clear this wrongful accusation, Kang Tae-hoon decided to take action.
“Proof… I need proof…”
First, he needed undeniable evidence to show that the spoon was attacking him. The easiest method would be through video recording.
Swish—
Kang Tae-hoon set up a smartphone mount deep within the bushes. Then, he mounted the smartphone he had just purchased onto the bracket, attaching a large power bank along with it.
This wasn’t the end. He placed smartphones in every corner of the outdoor training ground, all purchased with his own money. This was a move only Kang Tae-hoon could pull off.
“With this, that spoon won’t be able to escape being captured on video.”
Wherever one might be in the outdoor training ground, the camera is active. Even in secluded areas, everything is within the camera’s field of vision.
Satisfied with his preparation, Kang Tae-hoon sat down on the bench with a small smile.
“Hmm.”
Now, all he needed was for the spoon to show up.
Praying that the moment would come quickly, Kang Tae-hoon kissed his cross necklace.
Amen.
The day after the aftermath ended. As soon as I entered the lecture room, I boldly sat down next to Arna.
“Kyaaaaaaaa!”
The moment my butt touched the chair, Arna jumped in surprise.
“What’re you so scared about? It’s not like a ghost appeared.”
“Huff…”
Arna couldn’t look me in the eye. Her face was flushed red, and she nervously twitched her lips.
Probably because of what happened yesterday.
Upon further reflection, it was absurd. She turned me into someone who might commit suicide because of mere rumors about Kang Tae-hoon chasing me. What kind of misconception could lead to such a conclusion? I want to know what’s going on inside Arna’s head.
“From the start, it was your fault for going to a place like the rooftop… Misleading people into the wrong assumption…”
“So you’re saying you made no mistake?”
“Sorry… I caused trouble…”
The reason for going to the rooftop wasn’t much—because it provides a good view of the outdoor training ground. It was ideal for causing trouble for Kang Tae-hoon.
Of course, things got complicated because Arna showed up in the middle of it.
“Do you think a single apology is enough to fix this?”
“Then, what should I do…”
“At the very least, let me touch those… uh…”
“…”
Suddenly, Arna crossed her arms over her chest.
Does covering it like that actually hide anything? In fact, the pressure from her arms only makes more flesh peek out. If anything, it makes it look more enticing.
“You pervert…”
“What? Didn’t you say yesterday it was okay?”
“That… That was…”
It came straight out of Arna’s own mouth. She can’t now cry foul saying she doesn’t remember.
Eventually, with nothing left to say, Arna buried her face in her desk and started kicking her feet around.
“Please, just forget about what happened yesterday…”
She pleaded, almost crying. She knows she made a big fool of herself.
“Hmm. It seems like I’m the only one who knows about this. Imagine this being some sort of dark history of our hero. I might post it on Every Hunter right now…”
“No way! Please don’t! Don’t do it!”
Arna leapt up and tried to grab my smartphone. Not a chance. I quickly turned my back.
“You devil! Satan! Some sort of evil spirit!”
“Is that the best insult you can come up with, Arna?”
“Eek!”
She might not be able to say ‘son of a bitch’ or ‘motherfucker’ here. This is a lecture room, after all. Lots of eyes are watching.
When you think about it, being famous has its limits. Words have to be chosen carefully. If I were Arna, I’d throw away the image of being a hero and act on my own terms.
In that sense, I guess my nature is closer to Kang Tae-hoon’s rather than Arna’s.
Of course, I’m way more decent than that son of a gun—probably.
“Anyway, how do you expect me to forget this?”
“Do I have to feed you every bite?”
“Mm… well, you should be able to think of something yourself.”
Truthfully, I have no plans to spread yesterday’s incident to anyone else. After all, Arna is still a girl and deserves some privacy.
But I’m not about to do it for free. Isn’t it right to get something in return?
At the very least, I should get a couple of tarts—grape-flavored and peach-flavored, one each.
“Alright! I’ll treat you to a meal!”
“A meal, huh. Not such a bad idea. What’s on the menu?”
Surely she doesn’t expect me to go somewhere like Kimbap Heaven, right? If she does, I’ll channel some spirit art and burn down the entire community the moment I step through the door.
“Menu? Just… Kimbap Heaven..”
“…”
“Gah! Meat! Of course, I’ll treat you to meat!”
Lucky for her, this girl knows how to read the mood. They don’t call her a hero for nothing.
But all meat isn’t created equal.
“Tell me you’re not thinking about pork.”
“Eek…”
Arna’s eyebrows twitched briefly upon hearing that. Then, realizing I wouldn’t be satisfied with just pork, she sighed deeply, as if conceding to my demands.
“Alright… I’ll get you beef…”
“American or Australian?”
“Ugh… Korean beef! Will Korean beef do?”
The tarts changed to Kimbap Heaven, Kimbap Heaven to pork, and ultimately landed on Korean beef.
This is a huge win.
“I’m counting on you tonight.”
“Huh? Tonight? I have a schedule.”
Schedule… I narrowed my eyes slightly and stared at Arna, sending out a silent pressure.
“Aaaaah! I’ll cancel it! I’ll contact them right now and postpone it to another day!”
…
Arna immediately pulled out her phone and dialed someone.
“Uh…Excuse me? There’s a private shoot scheduled for today… Can we postpone it? I’ve got something extremely important… Please!”
Ah, this is truly amusing. My vitamins in life are definitely these little moments. The gloom from dealing with Kang Tae-hoon has just melted away.
Arna is definitely the best.
Crrrrk—
On time, the lecture room door opened and Professor Kim Dong-hak entered. Just as the clock struck, he arrived with sharp precision—something usually expected to be 2~3 minutes late.
“I have a quick announcement before attendance.”
No sooner had Professor Kim Dong-hak stepped up to the podium than he captured everyone’s attention. The students, who were in the middle of chatting, quickly shut their mouths and focused on Professor Kim Dong-hak.
“I will make a general announcement later, but explaining it here first won’t hurt.”
Professor Kim Dong-hak continued while checking a paper.
“Recently, there have been reports of a suspicious person moving around on campus.”
“Suspicious person…?”
When those words were heard, Arna tilted her head and a similar response swept through the rest of the students.
“Yes. It appears this person also makes strange noises during the night. Has anyone seen them?”
The students shook their heads, signaling that they hadn’t witnessed anything.
“Anyway, if anyone discovers such a person, be sure to notify the office immediately. That’s all.”
With that, Professor Kim Dong-hak returned to his primary task, starting the roll call.
“Aaachoo!”
In the late night, Kang Tae-hoon, unable to endure the cold, sneezed. The chill was slowly creeping into his body.
“Geez, it’s cold…”
He didn’t know how many hours he had been stuck in the outdoor training ground. What began as a bright morning had turned into a starry night before he realized it.
Kang Tae-hoon wiped his nose while looking up at the full moon that had risen.
“Uhh… Still no sign of that spoon today…”
*
