Chapter 198 |
[Please take good care of me]
It was summer vacation.
The conglomerate groups announced that they would recruit scholarship recipients for elementary school students supporting the Player Academy.
The recruitment period was the same for everyone.
It was stated that duplicate applications were not allowed.
It could pierce the pride of the conglomerate groups if done incorrectly.
Students applying to the Player Academy had to carefully consider their abilities and the scope of sponsorship before applying.
I didn’t need to worry, though.
Eunha was already nominated as a scholarship recipient for the Sirius Group.
As a result, while other kids couldn’t fully enjoy their summer vacation, Eunha spent his time relatively freely.
“Is this the Player Academy!?»
“Well, it’s not bad. I was expecting the exterior of the building to be plain, but it’s sophisticated like a university….»
“I saw in the guidebook that there’s a big lake somewhere in the school. They say there are turtles in the lake.»
“How can turtles live in a lake? Maybe you mistook them for jellyfish?»
His friends were the same.
His friends didn’t need to worry about which group to apply to.
Because Hayang was Alice’s direct descendant.
In fact, his friends were also nominated as scholarship recipients for the Alice Group.
The only difference between Eunha and them was that they had to go to the exam venue formally.
Of course, Hayang was an exception.
“But it feels like I forgot something….»
Eunha muttered while following his friends, who couldn’t hide their excitement as they entered the Player Academy.
He felt like he had forgotten something.
Something seemed to be missing.
A feeling of something important yet not so important.
“Well, it’s not important, so I must have forgotten. I’ll remember it someday, probably….»
He decided to ignore it.
It probably wasn’t anything important.
So it was fine to leave the feeling of forgetting someone in a corner.
“No Eunha! Why aren’t you coming? What are you doing!? You know the way, so you should lead us! What are you doing!?»
“Captain! Hurry up!»
“Mukminji, you… haa….»
Minji, waving both hands, called from a distance.
Eunha headed towards the kids who were waiting in front of a large tree.
“You can go slowly. We still have plenty of time….»
“It’s not a bad thing to arrive early for the appointment. We’re asking for favors from Euna unnie and her friends!»
“That’s right. They reserved a study room and a training ground for us, right? We shouldn’t be late.»
Minji, putting her hands on her hips, scolded.
And Seona gave a sarcastic remark, pointing her finger.
Eunha sighed.
What they said wasn’t wrong, but there were still 30 minutes left until the appointment time.
There was no need to rush; they could arrive on time without hurrying.
“Got it. Let’s go… If we sweat in this heat while waiting, it won’t be good.»
Eunha grumbled and took the lead.
Today was the day when Euna and the others were preparing for the entrance exam to the Player Academy.
Euna, who called for <The Seed> Ryu Yeon-hwa and Han Chang-jin, reserved the study room and training ground for the kids.
In principle, facilities couldn’t be rented to non-Player Academy students.
But through the name <The Seed> and sponsorship from the Sirius Group, Euna rented the facilities under the condition that Player Academy students would also use them.
Sponsorship was nice.
In a way, it was a debt that had to be repaid later, but there was no fixed date for repayment….
The Player Academy is funded by donations from the Fairy Government, the Mana Management Organization, and the conglomerate groups.
Therefore, being sponsored by a Group meant that the benefits of the Player Academy were considerable.
Moreover, Euna was sponsored by both <Holy Mother> and the Sirius Group.
It was a combination of fame, fortune, and power.
“If those people from <The Seed> are so amazing, No Eunha, make sure you don’t show any resentment towards them, okay?»
“My sister is <The Seed>, come on. They’re not amazing people, just lucky ones…»
“Eunha, ‘lucky ones’ is a bit harsh, don’t you think?»
“Why? Even though there’s no obligation, people like <The Seed> receive unbelievable benefits, right? That’s just how it is.»
“That’s because…»
Now, even Hayang’s face blurred into the conversation.
He felt unjust.
To him, speaking the truth was the source of his grievance.
The image of <The Seed> wasn’t much different to the students of the Player Academy – secretly envied even though admired publicly.
It was then.
“Oh? There’s Euna noona!»
Eunhyuk exclaimed as he spotted Euna waving in front of the training center.
Next to her were Yeon-hwa and Chang-jin. They were also waving after her.
“Euna unnie got here first.»
“My sister… she came out so quickly.»
Eunha tactfully avoided Minji’s sharp eyes. The Euna he knew wasn’t the type to come out this early.
“Eunha! I missed you!»
“Sis, we saw each other at home this morning.»
“So, you didn’t miss me?»
“…I missed you a lot.»
“My little brother is so cute!»
Euna, who had been enjoying the breeze from the air conditioner inside the training center, ran over with her arms open.
She hugged Eunha tightly, not caring about the gazes around her.
A smiling Eunha patted her on the back.
Just then, Yeon-hwa and Chang-jin came out of the training center.
“By the way, sis… isn’t it too early for you to come out?»
“After practice, there was some time left, and… well, Yeon-hwa said we might be late for the appointment, so we decided to wait.»
“You should’ve come out at least 10 minutes earlier.»
Euna grumbled, puffing up her cheeks.
Yeon-hwa, who had come right up to them with Chang-jin on her back, defended herself.
“Sorry, are you angry?»
“I might get angry if you don’t hold my hand…»
“Here.»
Yeon-hwa, who was once known as the <Ice Princess>, smiled and extended her hand to Euna.
Euna took her hand and stood up, wrapping her arms around Yeon-hwa.
Now, it was a familiar sight—Yeon-hwa carrying Chang-jin on one side and embracing Euna with her other arm.
Well, Ryu Yeon-hwa was someone who was extremely punctual.
Ryu Yeon-hwa.
The Ryu Yeon-hwa that Eunha knew was a flawless person.
Even if the forces that had once made Ha Baek-ryeon into a puppet tried to tarnish her reputation, she remained spotless as ever, making even dust refuse to stick to her.
Indeed, there was no clean area comparable to her.
Yoo Do-jun, who had defended against the attacks aimed at Ryu Yeon-hwa, had raised his hands and bowed his head in awe.
‘To think that there’s a person from whom nothing can be extracted even if they’re shaken… I feel like I’ve lived my life wrong up to this point.
Even though I’ve come this far, I don’t think there can be a person who is as pure as she is… This feels like I’ve mislived my life.’
‘You’re the complete opposite of her.’
‘No Eunha, don’t you like her too much? You and I may have changed our relationship, but you still have my support…’
‘You were the one who told me to use casual speech first.’
‘No matter what, shouldn’t you at least show some respect to the chairman of Eternal Group?’
‘Fine.’
Ryu Yeon-hwa was the polar opposite of Yoo Do-jun.
In the dark realm, Yoo Do-jun attacked his successors and delighted in using strange methods, yet the man who became the chairman was fond of others finding him disreputable.
Hence, while trying to prevent attacks on Ryu Yeon-hwa, he had to give up on finding enough people to subordinate her.
On the other hand, this guy was great in a different way….
“Hey, Eunha, how are you?»
“Yes, well…»
“The weather is nice today, isn’t it?»
“It’s incredibly hot.»
“Oh? Uh, yeah…»
Yeon-hwa exchanged a glance but said nothing.
But Chang-jin, with a tense expression, approached deliberately, even initiating a conversation. His intentions were clear.
Eunha maintained his defensive wall.
“How could someone like him be involved in all sorts of corruption…»
He still couldn’t believe it.
It was hard to imagine Chang-jin, who appeared timid, had previously been the one connecting the underground market.
Before, he had been entangled in all kinds of corruption associated with the Fairy Government and the political circles.
Also, he had thoroughly investigated him to enhance the eloquence of Ha Baek-ryeon even slightly.
At that time, he had to abandon his plans.
‘Ryu Yeon-hwa is a clean zone… but even if we dig into Han Chang-jin, there’s no end. It shouldn’t have happened, but it’s better not to dig into him’, Yoo Dojun said.
He continued, ‘The moment we attack Han Chang-jin, the whole of South Korea will buzz with corruption.
The sweet potato vines are really long. Careless moves might turn even the groups still favoring the Fairy Administration into enemies.
The same goes for the Eternal Group.
It was also connected to Han Chang-jin.’
It was a shocking revelation.
No Eunha’s insight.
What had happened to this person that made him untouchable in the dark realm?
How much would Teacher Baek Seo jin have panicked… oh…
Eunha stared at him with narrowed eyes.
His gaze had been uncomfortable.
Chang-jin pulled up the hood he had around his neck to cover his mouth, avoiding his gaze.
“Eunha, is there something on my face?»
“No, not at all. Your face is surprisingly handsome… I knew you as a ruthless person who didn’t hesitate to stain his hands with blood.»
“Uh, uh…?»
Eunha didn’t respond to Chang-jin’s confusion.
He simply passed him and grabbed Euna’s hand.
“Let’s go to the study room now!»
Holding hands with Eunha and Yeon-hwa, his mood lifted dramatically.
He led the children to the study room like that.
“Let’s finish studying quickly and then go see the academy!»
“»Yes!!!!»
The goal for today wasn’t just to prepare for the entrance exam; it was to explore the academy.
Simultaneously, it was an opportunity to foster friendships with Ryu Yeon-hwa and Han Chang-jin.
Since they were exchanging study tips between the Alice and Sirius groups, they didn’t have to spend much time studying theory.
Therefore, the lessons in the study room were light and fun.
Euna, Chang-jin, and Yeon-hwa came to the whiteboard at regular intervals to talk about their experiences taking the entrance exam.
For the students who were used to just studying, it was an interesting story to listen to.
Ugh, I’m so sleepy.
Of course, Eunha dozed off in the middle of Yeon-hwa’s lecture. It was because Yeon-hwa was explaining past exam questions she had analyzed for the students.
Ryu Yeon-hwa was that kind of person.
Infinitely serious.
So Eunha, while listening to the problem-solving session, accidentally bumped her head on the desk.
Are you sleepy too, sis?
Yeah, I am. I’ve been at the academy practicing since this morning.
Resting her face on the desk felt refreshing.
Next to him, Euna was doing the same, resting her face on her hands.
When their eyes met, both of them smiled.
The soothing tone of Ryu Yeon-hwa’s explanations made their eyelids droop.
Yeon-hwa’s voice is like a lullaby.
Yeah, it does sound like that.
What? What are you talking about? Pudding.
Euna, who was about to drift off into dreamland, burst into laughter with a soft “pudding.»
She tried to stifle her laughter by covering her mouth with her hand, but the desk shook unavoidably.
“Pu, pudding, pu, pudding….»
“Eunha, stop…!»
Turning her head to the opposite side, she hit the desk with her fist, trying to stop her laughter.
In the end, she couldn’t hold back her laughter.
“No Euna, No Eunha. If you do this during class, you’re disturbing the others.»
“S-Sorry.»
Yeon-hwa sighed.
Euna managed to straighten her face and apologized to Yeon-hwa.
Yeon-hwa turned her head sharply, reminding one of a blooming blue hydrangea, and let out a sigh.
“I’ll explain it again, so listen carefully. Euna, Eunha, both of you, don’t fall asleep.»
“Right. If I fall asleep again this time… “
“If you fall asleep again?»
“…Noona might draw on my face.»
“…!»
Euna’s face turned red.
Once again, she couldn’t hold back her laughter.
“Euna…»
Yeon-hwa frowned slightly.
After class, Euna had to make every effort to cheer her up.
☆
“Let’s take a break for a while, and then we’ll practice mana control in the training center.»
The long theory class was over.
Euna clapped her hands to liven up the atmosphere.
When she said it was time for break, the children relaxed and slumped down on their desks.
Yeon-hwa’s lesson had been so serious that they were quite tired.
“Guys, it’s hot, right? I’ll get some ice cream. Anyone want something to eat?»
Eating something sweet was the perfect way to relax.
Han Chang-jin looked at the children slumped over their desks and asked, “Anyone have a preference?»
But the answer came from right beside him.
“Chang-jin! I want Melona! Can you buy me Melona?»
“…Sure. I’ll buy you Melona.»
Euna smiled brightly and asked, her mouth curving up to her ears.
For some reason, Eunha was in a mischievous mood.
“Chang-jin hyung.»
“Yeah, Eunha. Just tell me. I’ll buy whatever you want.»
“Really?»
Han Chang-jin said he would buy what he wanted.
Certainly.
Little did he know that Eunha was secretly scheming, almost like a devil.
“How about a Baskin-Robbins milkshake?»
“Huh? A milkshake? Are they still selling that these days?»
“Well, probably. I think I saw it near my house….»
He said, beating around the bush.
It was a lie.
Han Chang-jin, unaware of it, looked embarrassed.
“If they don’t have it, can I buy something else?»
“No, you can’t.»
Eunha was firm.
Han Chang-jin’s face stiffened.
His expression resembled that of the <Shadow King> Han Chang-jin he knew.
“Ah, okay. I’ll go around all the convenience stores near the academy, even if I have to… I’ll get you what you want to eat.»
“Yes, please. Take care not to let the ice cream melt.»
Han Chang-jin acted quickly.
He took the children’s ice cream orders and left the study room like the wind.
If he hadn’t boosted his mana, it would have been hard to keep up with him.
“Wow, that’s fast! That’s how good <The Seed> is! Captain, I want to be <The Seed> too .»
“It’s not something anyone can do. And the reason he can run so fast is…»
Love makes you blind, that’s it.
Eunha swallowed her words.
He looked over at Euna, who was happily chatting with the kids.
“My sister is so popular, I wonder why there are so many pests around….»
It was Lee Kang-hyuk, and Han Chang-jin.
None of them stood out as men worthy of her.
“There are no good men in the world, so I have to live with my sister. Eunae too.»
If Minji had heard, she would have frowned.
Siscon was a disease that went that far.