Chapter 82

Suhyuk Joo’s room.

Suhyuk Joo was laying on the bed, checking his schedule with a hologram, then roughly turned it off.

He sighed, his face all gloomy.

‘I know what my grandfather is thinking.’

There have been continuous demands to attend various parties lately.

It wasn’t simply an invitation to a party.

The adults kept encouraging him to attend parties with one person, Hyeji Oh, a third-year and head of the department of student guidance.

By this time, Suhyuk couldn’t help but notice.

More decisively was the message that arrived now.

[Hyeji Noona] They’re telling me to go to the party on board with you?

[Me] The one we’re preparing with TC?

[Hyeji Noona] Yup. This time, your tuxedo and my dress… They’re going to match our outfits at the same time, in the same place.

[Me] Really?!

Suhyuk was astonished, as he didn’t expect them to go this extreme.

‘It’s like an official public announcement that we’re together!’

He had left his outfit planning to his secretary/bodyguard Chul Kim.

‘Ui-shin and Hyo-don are coming that day, too!’

This could lead to his school friends misunderstanding the situation.

Suhyuk’s head began to ache.

[Hyeji Noona] I’m going to spill champagne on purpose that day and wear a spare dress. But it might not work if there’s a player with restoring abilities on board. You should get a spare tuxedo just in case, too.

[Me] I will!

[Hyeji Noona] I want to run away from home too.

[I] I’m sorry, Hyeji noona.

[Hyeji Noona] Suhyuk you’ve done nothing wrong. It’s those senile old men! 

‘Hyeji noona wouldn’t want to be hard-pressed to get engaged and get married, either.’

Hyeji Oh’s big sister, Hyejung ran away on the day her half-forced engagement to Suhyuk’s second cousin was announced.

Hyejung wasn’t as strong as Hyeji, but she had the skills and attitude to beat up the bodyguards and escape.

She wrote a big, nasty ‘Fuck you’ in the waiting room with a blade on the hall where the engagement ceremony was scheduled and disappeared.

‘That was crazy.’

Hyejung usually avoided the media and didn’t attend official events often.

At that time, there was a rumor that she was born with psychic talents, but she was weak, timid, and shy.

But the two words she left at the engagement hall, ‘Fuck you,’ showed that the rumors were all fake.

The fact that Hyejung has not been shown to the public by the Oh family must have been to hide her remarkable personality.

‘Looks like they haven’t found Hyejung noona yet.’

As Hyejung’s reason for running away from home wasn’t exactly ideal, it was difficult to conduct an open investigation, and her face was not known, they couldn’t expect information of her whereabouts.

Frankly, Suhyuk was rooting for Hyejung Oh.

‘They really didn’t seem interested in each other. Why can’t we all just date and marry people we love?’

As his thoughts trailed along, Dain An’s face popped into Suhyuk’s head.

His heart warmed at the thought of her, but he became somber again due to his situation.

It was so frustrating that he wanted at least to run astray a little, if not running away from home.

*    *    *

Green Min, someone who refused to come to school.

Green Min is a playable character in the game, so I had a certain amount of information about her.

‘But there are a lot of facts I didn’t know.’

Among the many playable characters, Green Min was one of the less important ones.

She didn’t even appear once on Eun-kwang high school grounds.

‘I thought she didn’t want to come, but seeing her behavior, I don’t think that’s the case.’

If Green really didn’t want to come to school, she wouldn’t have appeared at school during the midterms.

In the game, Green Min was always accompanied by her childhood friend, Dae-suk Song.

However, she came on the first day of the midterms by herself, and that was a bit concerning.

‘Green Min was described as having post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, because of an incident in the past. But she still came to school. She’s trying to get over her trauma.’

Although she still wanted to run away when there were many people.

[Unknown] The message is marked as read

[Unknown] Why aren’t you answering?

[Unknown] Is this first-grade class 0’s vice prez device?

Less than a minute after I was immersed in my thoughts, she hurried me to answer.

‘She’s actively sending messages, and had a real conversation with me the last time. Maybe she could handle one-on-one or small group interactions.’

She had the willpower to overcome this and had no problem with interactions itself.

‘Is there a way to make Green Min keep coming to school, instead of only on Teacher’s Day?’

Green Min’s information I knew through the game.

Green Min’s trauma.

First-grade class 0.

I recalled the information and resources I could use.

‘…… I can only come up with a simple, plain solution.’

Still, I had to try it. Even if I fail.

If I missed an opportunity right now, no one will know when Green Min will come back to school.

[Me] I am first-grade class0’s vice president. sorry for the late answer.

[Me] As promised, if you come tomorrow, I’ll give you the ‘droplet of mermaid’s breath.’

[Unknown] OK. When should I go?

[Me] We’re going to have a simple party during morning attendance time. Come then.

[Unknown] …… Can’t I go home straight away?

So she was planning to take it and leave.

[Me] No. At least until the end of morning attendance. I’ll give you the item card when that’s over.

There was no answer for a while.

[Unknown] Oh, I can’t …… Too many people T.T ……

[Me] Don’t you want to continue coming to school?

[Unknown] No, there are too many people it’s impossible!

She said she “can’t” because it was impossible, not she “doesn’t want to” because there were too many people.

So if I solve the problem that “there are a lot of people,” Green Min may continue to come to school.

[I] On one more condition, I can let you go before morning attendance is over.

[Unknown] …… What?

When I said the condition, Green Min answered that she would do it, albeit uncertainly.

It is not yet known if Green Min will remain in the classroom until the end of the Teacher’s day, but at least I gained an opportunity.

‘Then, it’s a little late, but I need to go shopping.’

I stood up and went for a nighttime shopping.

Fortunately, there was still a store in Eun-kwang Gu that sold the necessary goods, so there was no need to go far.

*    *    *

Teacher’s day, morning.

Team ‘food’, Se-eum Sawol, Han-yi, Jiho Hwang, and I met in front of the West gate early in the morning.

“It’s the first time I’ve visited here in person.”

According to what he was saying in the classroom about the menus, Jiho seemed to be a regular to the bakery.

Whether he had ordered his subordinates or used a delivery service, it seemed like it was the first time to come here himself.

“I come at least once every two days!”

“Me too.”

“Do you want to come with me next time? There are some types of bread that are too big for one person to eat…… it would be nice to share halves.”

“Sure!”

Se-eum and Han-yi hooked their pinkies, smiling broadly.

Once every two days was a lot. I had no clue they were coming so often.

“There are a lot of people.”

“Most of them are our school kids.”

“It was a wise move to pre-order.”

Divided into reservation lines and non-reservation lines, people were waiting inside or outside the bakery.

One of the famous restaurants in Eun-Kwang Gu, homemade bakery ‘MITRON’in front of the East gate.

The bakery name meant ‘bakery assistant’ in French.

‘It’s a very modest name compared to taste and reputation.’

The four of us stood in the reservation line.

Unlike the regular line, the reservation line quickly reduced.

Upon entering the bakery, sweet aroma from freshly baked bread and cookies gushed into my nose.

“Welcome. Eun-kwang High first grade class 0, right?”

“Hello!”

“Hello.”

A man dressed in a patissier suit smiled softly and held out a box.

His regulars, Se-eum and Han-yi, were asking him how he was doing.

‘It’s the first time I’ve seen MITRON’s patissier in person.’

When I sometimes came to buy bread, there was only one person at the counter, probably a part-time worker.

The timing wasn’t right, I suppose.

“Hm……”

“What’s the matter?”

Jiho Hwang looked at the patissier with his eyes twinkling ominously.

“I think he was strongly ‘blessed’ by an Original clan. But who?”

The owner of the homemade bakery ‘MITRON’ was also a famous player.

So it wouldn’t be unusual to be strongly blessed by an Original clan.

“Sorry it took so long! Let’s go!”

“Yeah. Let’s go and set the table up.”

Se-eum and Han-yi finished the payment and came to us.

Jiho looked like he wanted to observe the patissier with the strong blessing some more.

Before Jiho said something strange, I grabbed and dragged him to our classroom.

*    *    *

First-grade class 0.

The team in charge of the carnations prepared a basket of flowers and flowers to pin on Geun-hyung Ham’s clothes.

There were red carnations in the white basket, baby’s breath flowers(aka gypsophila) filled between the carnations, and cypress.

The flower basket was tied with a velvet ribbon, and hanging next to it was a blue bow and arrow-shaped ornament.

‘They chose this ornament because Geun-hyung Ham’s Gwanglim is “Sharpshooter’s gaze and Arrow of Light” and his hero nickname is “Sharpshooter of the Azure Sky.”‘

No one will sell a bow and arrow-shaped ornament with a basket of flowers, so they probably bought it separately.

“We bought this ornament at Namdaemun Accessories store!”

Said Yuri, noticing me staring at the bow and arrow ornament.

“Wasn’t it far from Yangjae Dong Flower market to Namdaemun Shopping Street?”

“It’s only a 40-minute taxi ride.”

That’s a long ride.

“It was fun to look around Namdaemun Market.”

“Yeah! There were so many cool things. I wanted to buy so many things I didn’t really need……”

“Lena bought more than ten violin-shaped patches and ornaments. I bought a few magnolia-shaped ones, too.”

“Ugh…… I did buy a lot, but no regrets!”

Hyo-don and Lenna, who were moving the desks, also entered the conversation.

They took a lot of time compared to the food team, but I was glad the three had fun.

As I finished arranging the desks and preparing the cake, the promised time with Green Min was getting closer.

Before Green Min came, I had something to ask my classmates.

I was thinking about how to start the conversation when,

“Vice prez has that suspicious smile again.”

Before I could say anything, Hyo-don’s words gathered the attention of my classmates.

“Hahahaha!”

“I think he has something to say.”

It kinda hurt that no one disagreed to ‘suspicious’ smile, but I said what I had to say.

“I need you guys to do a favor for me.”

I handed them the stuff I bought yesterday.

*    *    *

The entrance to the first-grade building near class 0 was relatively quiet.

Min Green, hiding in the shadows of the stairs, saw that I had come and walked out, alert of her surroundings.

She was wearing fake glasses with thick frames and a hoodie over her head today, too.

‘That paper bag…… a gift to Geun-Hyung Ham?’

Min Green was holding a paper bag about the size of an A4 paper.

“I’m here. BUT if I did what you said and it doesn’t work, I’m going straight home. When that happens, send the item card by player-only mail.”

It seemed that Green Min really thought this through.

I nodded right away.

“Okay.”

“…… Promise? If you don’t give it to me, I’m going to tell Mr. Geun-hyung Ham!”

Min Green is closer to Geun-hyung Ham than I thought.

In that case, my simple and plain plan had a better chance of succeeding.

“I’ll give you that item card even if you just took a look around our classroom.”

I said, remembering my classmates who agreed to do what I’ve asked without question.

“You’ll be okay with our classmates.”

I gave Green Min the item I bought yesterday.