Chapter 56

After Jinwoo finished the errand to check his account balance, he went and got fitted for a suit and even had the time to get a haircut at a nearby salon .

“Hmm . ”

He was a completely different person than when he had left the house .

‘Money really is good . ’

Jinwoo stopped next to a shop window and checked his new look out in the reflection . This should be good enough .

‘At the very least, I won’t leave a bad impression . ’

He checked the time . It was 4:20 .

‘She said be there by 5 . ’

He would make it in time .

“Taxi!”

He hailed a cab and arrived at the school with time to spare . He saw Jinah waiting for him out in front .

“Sung Jinah . ”

His little sister did not realize he had approached and jumped .

“Oppa?”

Jinah stared at him like a deer in headlights .

“Excuse me, are you really Sung Jinwoo-ssi?”

“Do you not recognize your own oppa?”

Jinah looked up and down on his figure and exclaimed,

“Well, you’re a completely different person!”

“Did you think I would meet my dongsaeng’s teacher in tracksuit and slippers?”

“Wow…”

Jinah could not close her mouth .

“Your jaw’s going to fall off . I’m going ahead . ”

It looked like Jinah was too shocked to guide him, so Jinwoo took the lead . He was a student here 5 years ago . The structure was familiar to him . He knew the meeting would happen in a conference room and not her homeroom, so he headed in that direction . His pace was quick .

“O-oppa! Wait for me!”

Jinah quickly trotted after her brother .

“Hello, teacher . ”

“Hmm? Oh, hello . ”

On the way, he greeted various teachers . Everyone of them stared at him as he walked by .

‘Who was that?’

‘Is he an alumni? I don’t think there are students like that at our school . ’

‘Is he a new teacher?’

The teachers weren’t the only ones who turned their heads .

“Whoa, handsome . ”

“Who is that?”

“Isn’t that Jinah next to him?”

“It must be her brother . Wow, he’s so cool . ”

A muscular body and a fashionable suit . Even a plain-looking person would catch their eyes . Well, Jinwoo was completely uninterested .

‘ . . . ’

The student’s whispers went in one ear and out the other to him . The one who was excited was Jinah . She perked her ears and listened to her fellow students’ whispers, then went up to her brother and ribbed him with her elbow .

“Wow, Oppa’s pretty popular~”

He ignored her the first time .

“You know, oppa doesn’t have a girlfriend, right?”

He ignored her the second time . .

“Should your cute little sister introduce you to someone?”

He pinched her cheeks the third time .

“Don’t mess around . ”

“S-sorry . ”

Jinwoo released her, and she rubbed her red cheek .

“Che, I know you’re enjoying all this…”

While they were being siblings, they had arrived . Jinah spun with a flourish then gestured .

“Oppa, it’s here . ”

Jinwoo was about to enter, then turned to Jinah .

“What about you?”

“This is only for the parent/guardian and the teacher . I’m just here to see you off . ”

Oh right, Jinwoo remembered his own back in his last year of highschool . At the time, no one had come for him .

‘Mother was already having difficulties moving back then . ’

After she fell ill, his mother had to be quickly hospitalized . Not wanting to exert her weak body, Jinwoo did not tell her about the parent/guardian meeting . He had to endure the pestering of his teacher for a while because of that . Remembering that experience, he realized why Jinah was nervous when she asked for his time . He asked his sister with a smile,

“You’re staying out late today, too, right?”

“Yep, you can go home without me . ”

“Alright . ”

He patted her head before she could react, messing up her hair .

“Study hard . ”

“Ah danggit, don’t do that . ”

“I’ll see you at home . ”

Jinwoo entered the conference room with a smile . Jinah fixed her hair while pouting .

“How long will you treat me like a kid…”

Well, it wasn’t like she hated it . She looked around, worried that someone might’ve seen . After confirming no one was around, she skipped towards her classroom .

If he had to describe his first impression of Jinah’s homeroom teacher in a sentence . . .

‘Hmm…’

She looked like a virtuous person .

“You must be Jinah’s older brother . ”

She was a wise-looking middle-aged female teacher . Someone whose bright smile made the other person feel comfortable . Knowing the circumstances of his household, she did not question Jinwoo’s presence at all for the parent/guardian meeting .

“Please to meet you . I am Jinah’s homeroom teacher . I didn’t realize Jinah had such a handsome older brother, hoho . ”

At her sassy but pleasant greeting, Jinwoo bowed his head .

‘I don’t remember her while I was here . ’

She must’ve been a new teacher after he had graduated . They say the first impression was very important . After their greeting, he was able to relax a bit .

‘She’s very respectful to someone much younger like me . ’

It appeared that his little sister’s senior year would not be plagued by a bad teacher .

“Please, have a seat . ”

She gestured toward a chair . Jinwoo sat down and faced the teacher across a large desk .

“I don’t think you have to worry about Jinah . ”

They talked about the average matters for a parent/guardian meeting . Their conversation continued in a good mood for some time . Because Jinah was a model student, her teacher had nothing but good things to say .

“You’re aware that Jinah wants to go to a medical school, right?”

“Yes . ”

The teacher read through Jinah’s profile .

“Her test scores were good, and her overall grades are excellent . She should be more than capable of getting into a good school . So please don’t put too much pressure on her . ”

Jinwoo solemnly nodded . The teacher’s face was filled with expectations for Jinah . Truthfully, many homeroom teachers for highschool seniors were filled with stress due to the student’s grades . After all, a student’s final years in highschool determined the course of their lives . [0]

‘And that’s why I heard most teachers wanted to avoid teaching seniors . ’

He had heard that some teachers had to be forced into the spot . With that in mind, it was clear that Jinah’s teacher was someone with passion for the job . As Jinah’s guardian, Jinwoo was very grateful for this .

The meeting was nearing its end after 15 minutes .

“And then…”

Jinwoo was about to rise, but then the teacher carefully asked a question,

“I heard that Jinah’s oppa was a Hunter . ”

Her eyes had suddenly turned serious . Jinwoo realized something was up .

“Yes, I am . ”

“If… Jinah underwent Awakening, would you let her work as a Hunter?”

“Absolutely not . ”

Never .

Jinwoo firmly replied . He did not need to think about it . The teacher’s expression darkened .

“As I expected…”

When Jinwoo looked at her suspiciously, the teacher continued with hesitation,

“If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask you for a favor?”

Jinwoo nodded .

“If it’s something I can do…”

He’d hear her out at least . The woman was Jinah’s teacher; he did not want to sour their relationship by cutting her off from the start . Fearing that he would change his mind, the teacher quickly spoke,

“One of the female students here underwent Awakening recently . She’s planning on dropping out and starting work as a Hunter . She’s been absent for some time now . ”

‘Ah . ’

It was a common occurrence . People who freshly received their Awakening ignored common sense and threw themselves into the Hunter profession . Despite not knowing what the job truly entailed, they did it with pride at the fact that they were different from an ordinary person . Even if you were an Awakened Being, taking on the title of a Hunter and earning life-changing amounts were difficult .

The teacher sighed deeply,

“If this continues, the school will have no choice but to take action . I want to avoid that if possible . Even if you were a Hunter, don’t you think you should atleast have a highschool diploma?”

Jinwoo nodded in agreement . At the positive response, the teacher’s face brightened a bit .

“Could you please convince her to at least consider graduating?”

The teacher smiled pleadingly . Jinwoo asked a question out of curiosity,

“That student, what was her rank?”

“From what I’ve heard… it was the lowest rank…”

E-rank .

‘ . . . She’s not going to live long . ’

Jinwoo clicked his tongue inside his head . Even just entering a Dungeon required a caution at that rank . 9 out of 10 times, entering a Dungeon with carefree attitude born of arrogance resulted in either becoming disabled or dying . The fact that a girl his sister’s age might meet such a fate weighed heavily on Jinwoo . However, he knew this was her decision . No one had forced her into it . It was unfortunate, but he did not want to take valuable time out of his schedule to interfere with someone else’s choice .

‘I’m not sure if I could even convince her . ’

People like that didn’t like being told what to do . And so, Jinwoo decided to refuse and started to rise . But the teacher continued,

“Her name is ___ . Jinah should know her . ” [1]

When he heard the student’s name, Jinwoo could not get up . He asked to confirm,

“Teacher, what was her name again?”

“It’s ___ . Do you know her?” [2]

“ . . . ”

What a small world .

‘Huh…’

Jinwoo was at a loss for words .

At the same hour .

Yoojin Construction’s Chairman Yoo Myunghan’s personal residence .

From early morning, luxurious and expensive cars made nonstop appearances at the house .

They all had arrived for the same reason .

It was for the memorial service[3] of Yoojin Construction’s founding chairman, Yoo Byungcheol . He was the father of Korea’s #1 businessman, Yoo Myunghan . The man’s firstborn made sure to clear all schedules, no matter how busy he was, and took care of his father’s memorial service every year . As a testament to the man’s fierce demeanor and influence, the entire Yoo clan gathered as one on this day .

A certain investment firm’s president . A certain pharmaceutical company’s chairman . A certain mall’s owner . The members of the Yoo clan were filled with prominent heads of various business sectors . Even their children were the elites among elites . Except for one .

That one person, without being told to do so, took up a spot quietly in a corner, acting as if he didn’t exist .

It was Yoo Jinho . [4]

‘Boring . ’

The young man wished this entire ceremony would be over soon . Running through Dungeons with hyungnim was a hundred times, no, a thousand times more fun than this .

‘I wonder what hyungnim’s up to right now?’

Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t imagine how Jinwoo would spend his day off . Jinho idly thought about random things while sipping away at his drink, when a voice he didn’t want to hear spoke up from behind him .

“Oy . ”

Who else could it be? Even at a glance, you could tell that the voice’s owner was a man of talent . Exuding the aura of an elite . Wearing high-class glasses . A tall height .

It was Yoo Jinho’s older brother, Yoo Jinsung . The firstborn son of Yoo Myunghan . The heir who would control Yoojin Construction someday .

The man stood right before his younger brother and stared down on him .

“You should be up and about greeting the relatives . How long are you going to act like a little kid for?”

“ . . . Whatever . ”

“Know that your unseemly actions only besmirch the name of our father . ”

Yoo Jinsung’s words did not have a shred of brotherly love in them, only an utter disdain of looking down on someone inferior . Of course, Yoo Jinho also had little love for his brother but did not dare speak up against him .

“ . . . ”

His brother took after their father in many ways after all . He was a genius among geniuses that stood at the top of the class in every subject, and his grades were just the tip of the iceberg . Once he graduated, he quickly began working under his father, Yoo Myunghan, in various sectors of business and produced great results . Compared to him, Yoo Jinho had nothing to show for himself . Even entering college was with the help of the family name . Whenever he stood next to his brother, Jinho felt himself shrinking down to nonexistence .

“ . . . ”

“Pathetic . ”

The older brother frowned at the younger’s lowered head . He quickly turned and walked away .

“Esteemed uncle . ”

“Oh, it’s Jinsung . How are you?”

Yoo Jinho was able to finally raise his head after Yoo Jinsung had walked away . This is why he hated coming home . If only it wasn’t his grandfather’s memorial service… While Yoo Jinho repeatedly sighed to himself, another familiar voice came from behind him .

“Wow, I really hate that guy . ”

Yoo Jinho turned around . It was his cousin, a year older than him, Yoo Soohyun .

Translator’s Notes:

[0]: Might sound weird for folks in the west, but it’s really true in Korea . There’s a reason why the country’s known for the immense amount of pressure parents put on their kids during highschool .

[1]: The original passage skips over the student’s name here .

[2]: Again, the name is not written down in the original passage .

[3]: “memorial service” (제사): In Korea (and I think most east asian countries), families go the extra mile when it comes to remembering the dead, specifically their elders that have passed . Large families would gather the entire clan into one place for remembrance .

[4]: Aww . . .

Sponsored Content

I Alone Level-up: Chapter 56.

.

After Jinwoo finished the errand to check his account balance, he went and got fitted for a suit and even had the time to get a haircut at a nearby salon . .

.

“Hmm . ”.

.

He was a completely different person than when he had left the house . .

.

‘Money really is good . ’.

.

Jinwoo stopped next to a shop window and checked his new look out in the reflection . This should be good enough . .

.

‘At the very least, I won’t leave a bad impression . ’.

.

He checked the time . It was 4:20 . .

.

‘She said be there by 5 . ’.

.

He would make it in time . .

.

“Taxi!”.

.

He hailed a cab and arrived at the school with time to spare . He saw Jinah waiting for him out in front . .

.

“Sung Jinah . ”.

.

His little sister did not realize he had approached and jumped . .

.

“Oppa?”.

.

Jinah stared at him like a deer in headlights . .

.

“Excuse me, are you really Sung Jinwoo-ssi?”.

.

“Do you not recognize your own oppa?”.

.

Jinah looked up and down on his figure and exclaimed,.

.

“Well, you’re a completely different person!”.

.

“Did you think I would meet my dongsaeng’s teacher in tracksuit and slippers?”.

.

“Wow…”.

.

Jinah could not close her mouth . .

.

“Your jaw’s going to fall off . I’m going ahead . ”.

.

It looked like Jinah was too shocked to guide him, so Jinwoo took the lead . He was a student here 5 years ago . The structure was familiar to him . He knew the meeting would happen in a conference room and not her homeroom, so he headed in that direction . His pace was quick . .

.

“O-oppa! Wait for me!”.

.

Jinah quickly trotted after her brother . .

.

“Hello, teacher . ”.

.

“Hmm? Oh, hello . ”.

.

On the way, he greeted various teachers . Everyone of them stared at him as he walked by . .

.

‘Who was that?’.

‘Is he an alumni? I don’t think there are students like that at our school . ’.

‘Is he a new teacher?’.

.

The teachers weren’t the only ones who turned their heads . .

.

“Whoa, handsome . ”.

“Who is that?”.

“Isn’t that Jinah next to him?”.

“It must be her brother . Wow, he’s so cool . ”.

.

A muscular body and a fashionable suit . Even a plain-looking person would catch their eyes . Well, Jinwoo was completely uninterested . .

.

‘ . ’.

.

The student’s whispers went in one ear and out the other to him . The one who was excited was Jinah . She perked her ears and listened to her fellow students’ whispers, then went up to her brother and ribbed him with her elbow . .

.

“Wow, Oppa’s pretty popular~”.

.

He ignored her the first time . .

.

“You know, oppa doesn’t have a girlfriend, right?”.

.

He ignored her the second time .

.

“Should your cute little sister introduce you to someone?”.

.

He pinched her cheeks the third time . .

.

“Don’t mess around . ”.

.

“S-sorry . ”.

.

Jinwoo released her, and she rubbed her red cheek . .

.

“Che, I know you’re enjoying all this…”.

.

While they were being siblings, they had arrived . Jinah spun with a flourish then gestured . .

.

“Oppa, it’s here . ”.

.

Jinwoo was about to enter, then turned to Jinah . .

.

“What about you?”.

.

“This is only for the parent/guardian and the teacher . I’m just here to see you off . ”.

.

Oh right, Jinwoo remembered his own back in his last year of highschool . At the time, no one had come for him . .

.

‘Mother was already having difficulties moving back then . ’.

.

After she fell ill, his mother had to be quickly hospitalized . Not wanting to exert her weak body, Jinwoo did not tell her about the parent/guardian meeting . He had to endure the pestering of his teacher for a while because of that . Remembering that experience, he realized why Jinah was nervous when she asked for his time . He asked his sister with a smile,.

.

“You’re staying out late today, too, right?”.

.

“Yep, you can go home without me . ”.

.

“Alright . ”.

.

He patted her head before she could react, messing up her hair . .

.

“Study hard . ”.

.

“Ah danggit, don’t do that . ”.

.

“I’ll see you at home . ”.

.

Jinwoo entered the conference room with a smile . Jinah fixed her hair while pouting . .

.

“How long will you treat me like a kid…”.

.

Well, it wasn’t like she hated it . She looked around, worried that someone might’ve seen . After confirming no one was around, she skipped towards her classroom . .

.

.

.

If he had to describe his first impression of Jinah’s homeroom teacher in a sentence . .

.

‘Hmm…’.

.

She looked like a virtuous person . .

.

“You must be Jinah’s older brother . ”.

.

She was a wise-looking middle-aged female teacher . Someone whose bright smile made the other person feel comfortable . Knowing the circumstances of his household, she did not question Jinwoo’s presence at all for the parent/guardian meeting . .

.

“Please to meet you . I am Jinah’s homeroom teacher . I didn’t realize Jinah had such a handsome older brother, hoho . ”.

.

At her sassy but pleasant greeting, Jinwoo bowed his head . .

.

‘I don’t remember her while I was here . ’.

.

She must’ve been a new teacher after he had graduated . They say the first impression was very important . After their greeting, he was able to relax a bit . .

.

‘She’s very respectful to someone much younger like me . ’.

.

It appeared that his little sister’s senior year would not be plagued by a bad teacher . .

.

“Please, have a seat . ”.

.

She gestured toward a chair . Jinwoo sat down and faced the teacher across a large desk . .

.

“I don’t think you have to worry about Jinah . ”.

.

They talked about the average matters for a parent/guardian meeting . Their conversation continued in a good mood for some time . Because Jinah was a model student, her teacher had nothing but good things to say . .

.

“You’re aware that Jinah wants to go to a medical school, right?”.

.

“Yes . ”.

.

The teacher read through Jinah’s profile . .

.

“Her test scores were good, and her overall grades are excellent . She should be more than capable of getting into a good school . So please don’t put too much pressure on her . ”.

.

Jinwoo solemnly nodded . The teacher’s face was filled with expectations for Jinah . Truthfully, many homeroom teachers for highschool seniors were filled with stress due to the student’s grades . After all, a student’s final years in highschool determined the course of their lives . [0].

.

‘And that’s why I heard most teachers wanted to avoid teaching seniors . ’.

.

He had heard that some teachers had to be forced into the spot . With that in mind, it was clear that Jinah’s teacher was someone with passion for the job . As Jinah’s guardian, Jinwoo was very grateful for this . .

.

The meeting was nearing its end after 15 minutes . .

.

“And then…”.

.

Jinwoo was about to rise, but then the teacher carefully asked a question,.

.

“I heard that Jinah’s oppa was a Hunter . ”.

.

Her eyes had suddenly turned serious . Jinwoo realized something was up . .

.

“Yes, I am . ”.

.

“If… Jinah underwent Awakening, would you let her work as a Hunter?”.

. “Absolutely not . ”.

.

Never . .

.

Jinwoo firmly replied . He did not need to think about it . The teacher’s expression darkened . .

.

“As I expected…”.

.

When Jinwoo looked at her suspiciously, the teacher continued with hesitation,.

.

“If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask you for a favor?”.

.

Jinwoo nodded . .

.

“If it’s something I can do…”.

.

He’d hear her out at least . The woman was Jinah’s teacher; he did not want to sour their relationship by cutting her off from the start . Fearing that he would change his mind, the teacher quickly spoke,.

.

“One of the female students here underwent Awakening recently . She’s planning on dropping out and starting work as a Hunter . She’s been absent for some time now . ”.

.

‘Ah . ’.

.

It was a common occurrence . People who freshly received their Awakening ignored common sense and threw themselves into the Hunter profession . Despite not knowing what the job truly entailed, they did it with pride at the fact that they were different from an ordinary person . Even if you were an Awakened Being, taking on the title of a Hunter and earning life-changing amounts were difficult . .

.

The teacher sighed deeply,.

.

“If this continues, the school will have no choice but to take action . I want to avoid that if possible . Even if you were a Hunter, don’t you think you should atleast have a highschool diploma?”.

.

Jinwoo nodded in agreement . At the positive response, the teacher’s face brightened a bit . .

.

“Could you please convince her to at least consider graduating?”.

.

The teacher smiled pleadingly . Jinwoo asked a question out of curiosity,.

.

“That student, what was her rank?”.

.

“From what I’ve heard… it was the lowest rank…”.

.

E-rank . .

.

‘ . She’s not going to live long . ’.

.

Jinwoo clicked his tongue inside his head . Even just entering a Dungeon required a caution at that rank . 9 out of 10 times, entering a Dungeon with carefree attitude born of arrogance resulted in either becoming disabled or dying . The fact that a girl his sister’s age might meet such a fate weighed heavily on Jinwoo . However, he knew this was her decision . No one had forced her into it . It was unfortunate, but he did not want to take valuable time out of his schedule to interfere with someone else’s choice . .

.

‘I’m not sure if I could even convince her . ’.

.

People like that didn’t like being told what to do . And so, Jinwoo decided to refuse and started to rise . But the teacher continued,.

.

“Her name is ___ . Jinah should know her . ” [1].

.

When he heard the student’s name, Jinwoo could not get up . He asked to confirm,.

.

“Teacher, what was her name again?”.

.

“It’s ___ . Do you know her?” [2].

.

“ . ”.

.

What a small world . .

.

‘Huh…’.

.

Jinwoo was at a loss for words . .

.

.

.

At the same hour . .

.

Yoojin Construction’s Chairman Yoo Myunghan’s personal residence . .

.

From early morning, luxurious and expensive cars made nonstop appearances at the house . .

.

They all had arrived for the same reason . .

.

It was for the memorial service[3] of Yoojin Construction’s founding chairman, Yoo Byungcheol . He was the father of Korea’s #1 businessman, Yoo Myunghan . The man’s firstborn made sure to clear all schedules, no matter how busy he was, and took care of his father’s memorial service every year . As a testament to the man’s fierce demeanor and influence, the entire Yoo clan gathered as one on this day . .

.

A certain investment firm’s president . A certain pharmaceutical company’s chairman . A certain mall’s owner . The members of the Yoo clan were filled with prominent heads of various business sectors . Even their children were the elites among elites . Except for one . .

.

That one person, without being told to do so, took up a spot quietly in a corner, acting as if he didn’t exist . .

.

It was Yoo Jinho . [4].

.

‘Boring . ’.

.

The young man wished this entire ceremony would be over soon . Running through Dungeons with hyungnim was a hundred times, no, a thousand times more fun than this . .

.

‘I wonder what hyungnim’s up to right now?’.

.

Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t imagine how Jinwoo would spend his day off . Jinho idly thought about random things while sipping away at his drink, when a voice he didn’t want to hear spoke up from behind him . .

.

“Oy . ”.

.

Who else could it be? Even at a glance, you could tell that the voice’s owner was a man of talent . Exuding the aura of an elite . Wearing high-class glasses . A tall height . .

.

It was Yoo Jinho’s older brother, Yoo Jinsung . The firstborn son of Yoo Myunghan . The heir who would control Yoojin Construction someday . .

.

The man stood right before his younger brother and stared down on him . .

.

“You should be up and about greeting the relatives . How long are you going to act like a little kid for?”.

.

“ . Whatever . ”.

.

“Know that your unseemly actions only besmirch the name of our father . ”.

.

Yoo Jinsung’s words did not have a shred of brotherly love in them, only an utter disdain of looking down on someone inferior . Of course, Yoo Jinho also had little love for his brother but did not dare speak up against him . .

.

“ . ”.

.

His brother took after their father in many ways after all . He was a genius among geniuses that stood at the top of the class in every subject, and his grades were just the tip of the iceberg . Once he graduated, he quickly began working under his father, Yoo Myunghan, in various sectors of business and produced great results . Compared to him, Yoo Jinho had nothing to show for himself . Even entering college was with the help of the family name . Whenever he stood next to his brother, Jinho felt himself shrinking down to nonexistence . .

.

“ . ”.

.

“Pathetic . ”.

.

The older brother frowned at the younger’s lowered head . He quickly turned and walked away . .

.

“Esteemed uncle . ”.

“Oh, it’s Jinsung . How are you?”.

.

Yoo Jinho was able to finally raise his head after Yoo Jinsung had walked away . This is why he hated coming home . If only it wasn’t his grandfather’s memorial service… While Yoo Jinho repeatedly sighed to himself, another familiar voice came from behind him . .

.

“Wow, I really hate that guy . ”.

.

Yoo Jinho turned around . It was his cousin, a year older than him, Yoo Soohyun . .

. .

Translator’s Notes:.

[0]: Might sound weird for folks in the west, but it’s really true in Korea . There’s a reason why the country’s known for the immense amount of pressure parents put on their kids during highschool . .

[1]: The original passage skips over the student’s name here . .

[2]: Again, the name is not written down in the original passage . .

[3]: “memorial service” (제사): In Korea (and I think most east asian countries), families go the extra mile when it comes to remembering the dead, specifically their elders that have passed . Large families would gather the entire clan into one place for remembrance . .

[4]: Aww . .