Chapter 202 |
[Jin Parang (2)]
September.
A day when the heat still hadn’t let up.
“Is this Seoul!?»
The car relentlessly navigated the streets, tall buildings standing densely like thick trees.
The pedestrian signal changed.
Cars came to a stop, and people looking at their smartphones started walking.
“No Eunha asked me to meet him somewhere…. It’s so confusing, I don’t know where it is.»
But amid the hurried movement of people, there were some who remained still, their hiking backpacks visibly bursting with contents, as if about to explode.
He had neatly arranged his tail behind him on the high-end train operated by Donghae Group.
Now, in the middle of Seoul Station, he looked around restlessly.
[No Eunha! Where are you!]
Too many people.
The streets were too crowded, too wide.
Eventually, he gave up trying to find the meeting place and sent out a telepathic message.
“…Gotcha.»
Just in time, he found him.
Finding a familiar wavelength, the boy bared his fangs and grinned.
His nose flared, and somehow he could smell the person he was looking for.
He adjusted his backpack and turned his body in the direction where his senses led him.
But-,
[Call me Jin seona. It’s a message from Eunha.
‘Not that way, but this way, you idiot’].
─The direction he turned and the direction the unknown telepath came from were completely different.
“Huh?»
He was sure he had gotten it right.
Why is he over there?
The boy turned his head and, next to a public telephone booth, spotted a familiar face, looking bewildered.
In any case, he found him.
The boy jumped with joy at finding someone he knew in this unfamiliar place, waving his hands.
“Noeun…!»
“Quiet. Be quiet. Also, you couldn’t even track my location properly. Why are you so clumsy?»
Eunha didn’t show mercy to the boy who had come up from Incheon.
“It hurts…!»
On this day, when the top conglomerates were simultaneously conducting scholarship selections, Jin Parang suffered.
☆
They would see each other often at the academy in the future.
Eunha wanted to introduce him to his friends, so he brought his friends to greet him.
There’s a saying that first impressions are important.
Eunha had given strict instructions to come out neatly when meeting them.
But, what’s the use of grooming just the tail?
The rest is a mess.
As soon as Eunha saw Jin Parang in the distance, he clicked his tongue.
He had come out wearing flowery leggings, the kind you could easily see old ladies wear, thinking it was a good idea.
No wonder his friends’ jaws dropped when they saw him.
Moreover, he was carrying a hiking backpack, the kind that had its contents poking out from the entrance.
“The abilities are trustworthy despite appearances.»
“Really?»
Shortly after he made that remark, Jin Parang, who had used telepathy, turned his body in a completely different direction from where he was standing.
Minji’s eye-rolling sounds were heard nearby.
Eunha thought he had turned into a beet from embarrassment.
“… If it’s a practical field.»
Jin Parang was indeed practical.
Eunha decided to give him a spanking as soon as he returned home.
“─Why did you hit me as soon as you saw me?»
“Do you want another one?»
“…Tsk.»
Eunha decided to let go of trying to create an impressive first impression at this point.
They would keep seeing each other at the academy anyway.
What’s the use of a good first impression?
The impression needs to be continued for it to be effective.
In that sense, it was beyond Eunha’s capabilities.
It would be better to let everyone judge what kind of person he was after seeing him at their first meeting.
Eunha observed the reactions of his friends who were looking at Parang, as if they found him mysterious.
“…He’s acting weird.»
“He’s older than you by one year, even though he acts like that.»
“He’s even more creepy.»
That was Minji’s evaluation.
Eunha, who wanted to praise him, couldn’t deny the words of the girl who had spoken.
“…And you, aren’t you very crafty?»
“What? Now what….»
“Stop it, both of you. You’re already tired. What kind of day is this?»
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
That’s how Jin Parang is.
Eunha sighed as he tried to stop him from smirking at her muttered words.
Already, he wondered if he’d get along with these kids at the academy.
“Nice to meet you! I’m Choi Eunhyuk! I heard about you from the captain! Let’s work together to become someone like him!»
“What is he talking about…. Captain? Who? No way, it’s him? Hey, even if I die, I’ll never want to be someone like him….»
“But something that’s been bothering me since earlier, Parang, isn’t that thing heavy? It doesn’t look like you used any mana, so that’s how you can carry it?»
“Ahem, I have a lot of strength. Choi Eun-hyuk, right? Nice to meet you.»
The meeting between Eunhyuk and Parang went smoothly.
Eunhyuk, who was amiable, broke down Parang’s guard with just a few words.
Eunha frowned at Jin Parang, who was acting all high and mighty.
“…He’s a weird person.»
“Hayang, don’t get too close to that guy. You might end up like him.»
“No. He seems like a good person. I don’t feel uncomfortable around him at all.»
Hayang, who was sticking close to Eunha, stared at Jin Parang for a while.
She had excellent sensory abilities, capable of reading information by sensing mana floating around.
Only after she detected Parang’s mana did she relax her guard.
Last but not least was Seona…
Among the people Eunha was looking forward to meeting today, Seona was the one he anticipated the most.
She had never met an Ain of her age before and had been eagerly awaiting him, her eyes shining brightly the whole time.
When she heard he could use telepathy, her curiosity was piqued, and her tail wagged.
“…He really has a tail. And ears.»
“What? You too? Is this your first time seeing an Ain?»
“Oh, it moved!»
“Ains finding Ains fascinating… Weird, they really are.»
Seona had been like this for a while now.
She had been observing Parang closely, her gaze following him as she circled around him endlessly.
Every time he moved his tail or perked his ears, she got excited and made a fuss.
“This is Jin Seona. Be friendly.»
“Huh! So it was you. Who am I supposed to be friendly with….»
“Oppa, can I touch your tail? I want to see what other people’s tails look like.»
“Huh? Uh-huh, sure….»
I guess he wasn’t used to being so enthusiastically favored by someone he’d just met.
Jin Parang was so taken aback by Seona’s clasped hands and requesting demeanor that he forgot what he was saying.
The corners of his mouth turned up as she spoke to him in such a friendly manner.
After all, he’s an easy-to-understand hyung.
The meeting between my friends and Jin Parang ended safely.
The day was extremely hot.
It was too much to continue standing in front of the station.
“Is there a nearby place where we can rest and enjoy some air conditioning?»
There was still some time left before the scholarship selection would begin.
Until then, I had to make sure my friends didn’t get tired.
Lunch would be paid for by the scholarship selection committee, so they decided to find a cafe.
Eunha was thinking about going into a nearby cafe when he heard a voice.
“Me! Me! Me!»
“What’s wrong?»
Jin Parang jumped up with his hands in the air, carrying a heavy bag.
“There’s somewhere I want to go! There’s something I’ve been wanting to try since before we came to Seoul! Let’s go eat it!»
“Is it a meal?»
“No! It’s dessert!»
This was Jin Parang’s first time in Seoul.
So it was okay to do whatever he wanted.
His friends all seemed to agree.
Excited, Parang bared his fangs and grinned widely.
“I want to eat Sulbing! With injeolmi!»
That’s what he said.
☆
“So you guys are taking the test at Alice and not Sirius?»
Jin Parang was ruffling his fur all over after having his first bowl of injeolmi bingsu.
According to him, the truth of this world was condensed in one bowl of bingsu.
By now, his friends, who had gotten used to him, just handed the bingsu bowl over to him completely.
Ultimately, he single-handedly finished one bowl of bingsu.
“So, both of us are Sirius, why are you guys Alice?»
“Well, there’s a reason for that…»
“…What?»
Jin Parang scratched his head, forming a question mark above his head.
Seona, who was sitting next to him, whispered in his wolf’s ear.
Startled, Jin Paraang looked at Hayang, who was drinking a hot drink next to Eunha.
Hayang only laughed awkwardly.
“…Nonsense.»
He couldn’t believe that she was a direct descendant of the Alice Group.
But he wasn’t completely oblivious.
The kids in the room were essentially candidates sponsored by conglomerates.
He was well aware that discussing such matters openly in a place where they were clearly visible was not a good idea.
“But it’s interesting. Both the Alice Group and the Sirius Group are taking the exam in almost the same location.»
Today, the teenage groups were scheduled to hold scholarship screenings at different locations.
The top groups like Galaxy, Eternity, YH, and Pine would be in Jongno-gu, the heart of Korea.
KK, Dangun, and Donghae would be in Yeouido, a neighborhood that is currently experiencing a revival.
Sirius and Alice are the only ones to take the test in Seoul Station.
Moreover, the two groups chose the YH Hotel and the Luminous Hotel as their testing grounds, as they faced each other.
It couldn’t be a coincidence.
Eunha could guess that something must have gone back and forth between the two groups.
“It’s nothing.»
The suspicion was quickly dispelled.
Hayang, who had put down her teacup, replied, “It’s just for show.»
“For show?»
“Yes. It’s a demonstration for other groups to see that Sirius and Alice have a good relationship.»
The alliance between Sirius and Alice.
Externally, it was a show to prove the strong alliance between the two groups. Going further, it was also a warning to the Dangun Group.
Touch one, and the other would retaliate.
Sirius Group, which held high prestige among the players after Galaxy Group, and Alice Group, rapidly rising as newcomers.
The top teenage conglomerates couldn’t ignore the alliance between these two groups.
“It’s not just Sirius and Alice. YH and Luminous, who lent the hotels, are also involved.»
“…I didn’t know such a thing would happen in the future.»
“Huh? What?»
“Well, there’s something like that.»
Eunha, who was scooping strawberry bingsu with a spoon, stopped and clicked his tongue.
In the future he knew, group alliances didn’t solidify in this way.
Everyone was too busy enjoying their own benefits.
Sirius and YH were hostile toward each other. Han Seoyeon, the 3rd generation chairman of Sirius Group, was more determined to overthrow YH than to surpass Galaxy.
The Eternal Group didn’t care about the power struggles between groups.
The 2nd generation chairman, Yoo Do-jun, was only interested in things that could bring him profits.
Pine Group positioned themselves at the center of these power struggles.
Alice Group’s 2nd generation chairman, Jung Seok-hoon, showed no interest in politics.
His only focus was making high-quality potions to help players kill more monsters.
KK Group and Donghae Group didn’t get along due to overlapping business sectors.
The same went for the Dawn Group and YH Group.
Of course, there were alliances between groups.
There was one.
The alliance between Dangun Group and Dawn Group.
Now it could be understood.
How Dangun Group and Dawn Group had joined forces.
Changhae Clanlord Gil Sung-jun had married into the Dangun Group, securing their sponsorship from Dangun. And maybe, to gain more power, he didn’t hesitate to extend his hand to the Dawn Group, promising to make Byung-in the chairman of the Dawn Group.
Had his thoughts gone too far?
He couldn’t be certain.
But in his second life, Changhae Clan had moved to gain sponsorship from the Dawn Group.
He couldn’t guarantee that they hadn’t done so before his return.
Of course, the alliance between Dangun and Dawn was questionable as a true alliance.
Even though the two groups were allied, they hadn’t managed to build a proper cooperative relationship due to constantly pursuing their own interests.
Even after Galaxy and Sirius joined.
They were in a competitive relationship for the top spot.
The alliance centered around Changhae Clan was nothing more than a bright plum in bloom.
“But it’s surprising that Luminous and YH are involved. I thought their business sectors overlapped, so they wouldn’t get along…»
“They don’t get along, but… Luminous owes a debt to Sirius. YH has had a good relationship with Sirius since before… “
That was strange too.
Luminous made sense to him.
Since the Dawn Group disbanded, Sirius had extended its hand to the Dawn Group, unlike other groups that rushed like wolves.
The problem was YH.
He still didn’t know what had deteriorated the relationship between the two groups.
“But hey, Parang hyung, your name is the same as Seona’s, right?»
All of the group’s conversation was a boring story for the kids.
Eunhyuk, who had been listening to the conversation between the two, asked Parang, who had his face buried in the bingsu bowl.
“Huh?»
Parang’s face twisted at being called out.
Ice frozen in his deep blue hair clung here and there.
“Maybe we have the same last name. You don’t think I’m related to her, do you?»
“…Wait, that could be possible.»
“It’s because you watch too many dramas.»
Eunha teased Minji, her eyes twinkling.
She might joke about dramas, but the possibility that Parang and Seona might have been separated siblings when they were young was extremely low.
Before his regression, he had never heard anything about blood relations from Parang himself.
Even he was in denial.
“Maybe he attended the same church as Seona?»
Hayang chimed in.
Most kids at the church Seena attended had the last name ‘Jin.’ Perhaps Parang was also enrolled in a church sponsored by the Alice Group.
“That’s possible. Did you grow up in church, Oppa?»
Seena seemed interested too.
Eunha was curious too.
Who had given him the name Jin Parang?
Unlike the kids, Parang casually responded without a fuss.
“Poor people in the slums gave it to me. Because my hair is blue, they called me ‘Parang.’»
“Parang Oppa, what about your last name?»
“I came up with that myself. Poor people kept teasing me, calling me ‘blue,’ so I got annoyed.
There were kids from the church next to the slums who added the surname ‘Jin’ to their names, so I followed suit.»
This story about the origin of Parang’s name was new to Eunha.
It was truly a Jin Parang-like origin.
In the midst of the children being speechless, Eunha raised his shoulders as he bowed his head.
“…Alright, I’ve heard enough. Now that it’s time, how about we all go to take the exam?»
The kids, who had awkwardly stood up from their seats, left the shop.
He, already sponsored by the Sirius Group, remained alone at the table.
“Ah…»
Then he realized it.
The fact that Parang was sent off in flowery patterned clothes.
A deep sigh welled up within him.