“Mom! I’ll be late! Hurry up!”
The main event of the first semester has begun—a school open day.
As the name implies, it’s an event that opens the entire school to the public, where various performances and diverse experience programs can be enjoyed.
If you’ve always been interested in Awakened Beings and curious about the daily lives of Han-yul Military Academy students, it’s an opportunity you certainly wouldn’t want to miss.
“So, honey, where do we start? The research building? Or the Training Center?”
“Of course we have to start with the Combat Division lecture hall! I’ve been curious about how the Sync Room works for a long time!”
On the first day of the festival, many people visited Han-yul Military Academy. Everywhere was packed with people.
Hosting this for a whole week—seeing Moon Shin-chung busy baking pizzas at one of the food trucks suddenly made me respect him.
“Here is a reconstructed model of the Code 35 Marbas monster’s bones. Isn’t it massive? This was a masterpiece created by the Technology Division students working tirelessly night and day.”
Incidentally, I don’t have any plans to do anything during the event. Unlike the Administrative Division students who act as guides, or the Technology Division students who participate in the exhibition, I have no such responsibilities.
Similarly to the visitors, I’ll either go to fun-looking places or eat delicious food.
“Hmm.”
So the immediate question is where to go now. It’s still a little early for lunch.
“Arna’s showcase, what time is it again?”
“Later in the evening during peak hours. They’ll probably have a signing event then too.”
“Why are the main events always so late? Shall we go get some student IDs?”
“Student IDs?” That word made my ears perk up.
“Of course Arna’s student ID, right? We’ll ask for her to sign it when we meet her.”
For this festival, there are also exclusive merchandise items prepared for visitors, with the student IDs being the most representative one mentioned right now.
People usually buy the student ID of the Awakened Being they support. You can think of it like buying sports team jerseys or idol photo cards.
Without a doubt, this idea was conceived by Principal Lee Min-ho—who really hit the nail on the head with this move. He understands better than most how to draw money from the visitors.
“Didn’t you already buy Arna’s student ID last year? Are you getting it again?”
“Of course, the photo’s different this year. Any proper fan would obviously want to get this year’s as well.”
Unsurprisingly, the most popular student ID belongs to Arna. She probably accounts for half of the total sales, if not more.
“…”
As for myself, I wonder if my student ID might sell. I’m an Awakened Being too—I’m sure there must be at least one fan of mine somewhere on this planet.
With that faint hope, I headed over to the shop.
“May I have three Arna IDs.”
“Do you also sell Arna’s student IDs from last year?”
“Ten Arna IDs, please!”
The shop was practically like a fan club meeting for Arna. As expected, her name was being called out the most.
“I’ll take one of Rashid Belkalem’s, please.”
Occasionally, other Awakened Beings’ names would surface. Someone is actually looking for that hunk of muscles!
“One Baek Joo-hee ID, please.”
Even rag-tag Baek Joo-hee popped up.
“…”
In contrast, not a single person was buying my student ID.
Am I really worse than Baek Joo-hee?
Tears streamed down my face.
“My, my, who do we have here?”
At that moment, the one and only person who recognized me approached—Ryu Jung-min, the guild leader of Yenbul, her slender figure with flowing silver hair drawing near.
It looked like she had come to visit the school to check out the event.
“What brings you all the way to the shop? You’re here to buy a student ID too? Even though you’re a student at this school?”
Ryu Jung-min smirked at me, then leaned in close and whispered quietly in my ear,
“Could you be here to see how many student IDs with your name sell?”
“…”
I couldn’t deny it—she called it perfectly.
“Khaahahahaha! Coming to confirm your sales like this, how hilarious! Really funny!”
“What’s so funny? I’m seriously burning up inside!”
“Khaahahahaha! For someone who doesn’t look the part, you’re actually quite cute!”
Ryu Jung-min burst out laughing and smacked my back several times. She was clearly mocking me.
But there was nothing I could do about it. I’m an Awakened Being who couldn’t sell a single student ID—just a nobody.
Once again, tears streamed down.
“Well, I can’t leave you like this.”
Did she feel sorry for me standing there dejectedly at the shop entrance? Ryu Jung-min pulled out her wallet.
“Well then, I’ll buy one for you.”
“That’s really not necessary…”
“Of course! You’re our top pick for Yenbul, aren’t you? How could we leave our precious talent feeling down?”
Ryu Jung-min pulled out her card and confidently made her way to the counter.
“One from the second year Combat Division, Shin Yoon-seong. One, please.”
“Sure, coming right up.”
Finally, the moment my first student ID would be sold! After all, only the guild master truly knows how to take care of their own.
Once the employment season approaches, I’ll have to seriously consider joining Yenbul.
Loyalty forever!
“Hmm… Customer?”
“Yes? What is it?”
“This card seems to be over its limit…”
But the brief moment of joy was interrupted—like cold water had been poured on the shop’s buzzing atmosphere, it fell silent. Everyone turned their gaze to Ryu Jung-min, whose payment had failed.
How can the guild master herself not be able to afford a single student ID? My face turned red with embarrassment for her.
“Surely not. There must be some mistake. Try again.”
“Um… It’s still saying the card’s over its limit…”
“…”
Let’s analyze the possible causes: either the card reader is broken, or there’s an issue with the card itself.
Given Ryu’s usual spending habits, the latter is exceedingly likely.
“Hey.”
At that moment Ryu Jung-min turned her head and whispered to me. The implication didn’t feel good.
“Could you lend me some money?”
“…”
“I’ll pay you back right away once I get back to the guild.”
What kind of guild master begs a student for money? Just use a different method. You’ve lost all your face!
What kind of guild master is she supposed to be?
“Food truck?”
Han-yul Military Academy Educational Hospital. Choi Soo-eun tilted her head in disbelief at her junior’s sudden suggestion.
“Sure! This is a rare festival! Let’s get involved too!”
From the window, laughter, cheers, and performance sounds could be heard echoing throughout the academy. There was an undeniable excitement to the atmosphere.
For a first-year like her junior, everything must seem so novel. After all, who would expect such a grand festival in the middle of this usually battle-focused Han-yul Military Academy? It was only natural for her to have stars in her eyes.
“Fine.”
But Choi Soo-eun was different. She responded sarcastically to the word “festival.”
“What food truck? I’m not interested.”
“Come on. Are you just gonna guard the ER the whole event? Are you really going to do absolutely nothing, Senior?”
“Yeah.”
Food truck? Ridiculous. No matter how skilled Choi Soo-eun might be in cooking, business is an entirely different story. It involves a set of skills beyond simple culinary talent.
For instance, customer service. After all, the food industry is a service-oriented job. One needs to radiate warmth and approachability.
Could Choi Soo-eun really meet that standard? Even she herself couldn’t help but question it.
“Uww… It would be so much fun to run a food truck with the senior… I’ll work as hard as I possibly can…”
“I’ll still say no.”
“This is a once-a-year festival… I want to create good memories with the senior… I’m ready to give my all…”
If only half of this enthusiasm could go into hospital work, it would be a godsend.
“CRRRAARRGGH…! My first-place prize money… my first-place item…”
“Prize?”
The mention of “prize” made Choi Soo-eun frown.
She knew there was cash for the highest salesperson, but hearing about a prize was a new development today.
What kind of prize is it?
“It’s the student ID…”
“Student ID? Those are sold in the shop, aren’t they?”
“No!”
Just seconds ago, her junior seemed disheartened, but now she clenched her fists excitedly.
“These exclusive student IDs made of solid gold metal cannot be compared to the ones in the shop! It’s an ultra-rare item, with only one copy in the world! It’s a limited edition!”
“…”
“Kehehe… Imagine putting Arna Kristin Dotir’s photo inside that limited edition student ID… then putting it up for auction… becoming obscenely wealthy would just be a matter of time… kuk kuk kuk…”
A student ID that’s one-of-a-kind in the world truly sounds like something with great collector’s value, especially if it’s Arna’s.
Among collectors, it would definitely gain quite the reputation. The price would likely depend purely on the demand.
“Is that even plausible? Creating someone’s student ID without permission sounds questionable.”
“Hmm… Well, it’s for collecting purposes, so it should be okay, right?”
“Is it?”
Choi Soo-eun imagined herself having such a limited edition student ID. If she were to get one, whose name would she place inside?
She wasn’t interested in making one of Arna’s, like her junior. She wasn’t a fan, nor did she need the money.
And neither was she interested in making one with her own name.
“…”
But what if it was a student ID of Shin Yoon-seong?
A student ID with Shin Yoon-seong’s photo and name engraved on it.
Something no one else in the world could possess.
A one-of-a-kind exclusive merchandise meant only for her.
The opportunity to get such a special student ID was here, right in front of her.
“I’ll give it a try.”
Without much further thought, Choi Soo-eun immediately declared her intent to join.
