CH 6.2

Possession (8)

“The silver ring we’re handing out is an assist pairing. When you put the ring on, you’ll see that the pairing changes based on the wearer’s finger. The pairing records the owner’s name, class and heart rate. It’s also used as a student ID here, so please take good care of it. The only pair left is…”

The principal smiled and looked back at the students. She looked like she was looking at her grandchild.

“The remaining pairing belongs to someone who will be their partner for six months.”

“Partner?”

The principal tapped the microphone, as if to silence the noisy crowd, and continued talking after the auditorium became somewhat quiet.

“You will meet a total of six partners during your three years here. This partner will be your partner in class and in the bi-monthly assessments.”

After a brief pause, the principal continued to talk.

“There are no restrictions on how you choose your partner. You can do it with someone close to you, or someone who matches your class. If you have a hard time deciding, you can ask the teachers to partner you with another student. Please note that you can’t change your partner for six months. Partner registration happens automatically by exchanging pairings with the person. If you have any other questions, please ask the teachers on the right side of the auditorium.”

With those words, a silver pairing also arrived. With the pairing having a plain pattern, the principal looked back at the students for a while, before opening her mouth after confirming that all students had received pairings.

“This concludes the entrance exam. Imprints according to each class will be made tomorrow, and you will live in the school dormitories for four months from tomorrow up until summer vacation, so please bring your luggage tomorrow. Alright, newbies, start registering your partners!”

“Wow!”

The students, who didn’t show any signs of boredom during the long speech, cheered and started talking amongst themselves as soon as the principal finished talking.

Amidst the voices of “Do you want to be my partner?”, I still couldn’t get over the shocking news that I’d be living in a dorm for four months starting tomorrow. I stared at the principal with an absurd expression as she left the stage, before looking around.

Dawoon, who I thought would rush to me the moment the entrance ceremony was over, had already decided on a partner and exchanged rings with the short-haired girl I had seen while fending off the crowd of men.

When I was looking at the scene of screams, I felt like I knew who was there just by the sound.

“Oh, Hamin, please be my partner!”

“Seowoo, want to be my partner?”

“Haewoon, I love you! Let’s get married!”

“Don’t touch Geonwoo, he’s public goods!”

I was stunned.

What kind of person would say ‘public goods’? I watched the sight of Hamin and Haewoon, who enjoyed the peak of popularity since their classes were guaranteed, and Geonwoo and Seowoo,who were guaranteed to have genetics even though they were tankers and prosecutors, stood in the middle.

The fact that I had forgotten because of the sudden fantasy setting was ingrained in my head. This was an Inso.

Anyway, I wonder if they’re going to partner with each other now that Dawoon has a partner.

Since it was the Four Great Heavenly Kings, the numbers matched; dual-class and buffer, tank and prosecutor. All were stable and ideal combinations.

I walked to the corner of the auditorium to get away from the disturbance, rolling my eyes and finding a teacher.

My class was still undecided. In other words, no one knows what class will come out.

From what I heard, in the case of a new class, it takes a while to imprint because you have to figure out the abilities yourself. Until then, I didn’t even know if my class was crap or good, so no one would ever try to partner with me.

High risk, high return; it was a gamble, either all or nothing, I didn’t want to relax for no reason, so I opened my mouth to call the teacher.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind.

“Hey.”

I turned my head. A slight wrinkle formed between the straight brows and the rude face.

‘Why is he calling me?’

Knowing that he would be popular, he avoided his seat, but as if he were Moses, he split the crowd with a gesture and came to me.

I didn’t remember doing anything to offend Hamin. I didn’t have enough conditions to be the first male student to be bullied by the nasty male lead, so I looked at Hamin, who tousled his hair and reached out to me.

“…?”

It was so sudden. I blinked, wondering if it was because he wanted me to read his palm. Instead, Hamin laughed.

“Give it to me.”

“What?”

“I’ll be your partner, so give me the ring.”

“…”

It was a confident and bold remark. I looked at Hamin incredulously, before frowning at his expression. It was clear that Hamin didn’t think for a second that he would be rejected. I was going to say no without hesitation.

However, rather than refusing, a large hand grabbed my shoulder. An arm suddenly came out from behind me and wrapped around my shoulder, dragging me. As the strong arm led, I staggered, feeling my back touch someone’s chest. I raised my head.

A familiar face appeared.

“I’m sorry, but I’m already his partner.”

It was a soft yet familiar voice.