NOVPUBAs soon as the phrase "time and experience" was mentioned, I realized that in the context of Flama-go, Seong Guk-eon's transformation wasn’t solely due to time, but rather the experiences that had shaped him. And at the core of those experiences was Kim Shin-rok.
Could it be that it was Kim Shin-rok who changed Seong Guk-eon’s way of thinking?
"Haha! You’re acting as if it has nothing to do with you. The Hojok must have had quite a struggle."
"It wasn't without its rewards. Things have improved a lot."
Hwang Ji-ho responded with a tone that seemed almost like an old man’s, which made it clear that the Hojok had been working hard since last year. But why did he phrase it as if it were my fault?
The two of them continued talking without giving me a chance to intervene.
"I know you as Hwang Ji-ho from the same class as Yi-shin, but you must be a Hojok, right?"
"You're probably already guessing, aren’t you? Hwang Yoo-ho and Hwang Myung-ho are both me."
Hwang Ji-ho abruptly declared that he was Hwang Ho, the head of the Hojok, and claimed to possess the abilities of the "Gaechun Myth."
I thought he might reveal this information when Seong Guk-eon and Jeon Moo-young arrived, but I didn't expect him to blurt it out so suddenly.
‘But they don’t seem shocked.’
It looked like Seong Guk-eon and Jeon Moo-young had done some research before arriving. It was no secret that the Hwangmyung Group had connections to the Hojok, and considering their interactions with Hwang Myung-ho and Hwang Yoo-ho, they must have pieced it together.
"Did you know? The reaction is a bit underwhelming."
"I knew you were at the center of the Hojok."
When Hwang Ji-ho revealed his true identity, Seong Guk-eon addressed him as the head of the Hojok. Despite Hwang Ji-ho wearing a school uniform, which must have felt out of place, Seong Guk-eon still spoke politely.
He maintained his manners but showed no sign of shrinking back or feeling tense, even in front of the Hojok leader.
Hwang Ji-ho smiled at Seong Guk-eon’s confident attitude.
"You’re still as impressive as ever. Even in front of me, you remain unshaken."
"I don’t know about now, but back in the day, the former chairman wasn’t someone to be intimidated by. No matter how sharp the tiger’s teeth and claws may be, who would be afraid of a mere image?"
"Haha! Even after all these years, you’re still blunt enough to say such things in front of me. If you didn’t have that kind of spirit, you wouldn’t have been so bold as to call for my resignation or the closure of Eungwang High."
The "image of the tiger" seemed to refer to the time when Hwang Ji-ho had been negligent and indifferent.
Back when there were so many incidents at Eungwang High, Hwang Ji-ho had paid no attention and made no response, much like a picture of a tiger that posed no threat.
It seemed that Seong Guk-eon still wasn’t entirely comfortable with the lazy days of Hwang Ji-ho’s past.
‘It can’t be helped. Seong Guk-eon experienced that time. Even if he doesn’t care about whether the other party is of the True Family, the events from the past must still weigh on him.’
A student council president who had experienced the period when the chairman ignored students' suffering wouldn’t react in any other way.
Although both Seong Guk-eon and Hwang Ji-ho seemed relatively composed, Kim Shin-rok, caught in the middle, looked more and more uncomfortable.
Jeon Moo-young seemed to notice Kim Shin-rok’s discomfort and subtly gestured to Seong Guk-eon.
It seemed to suggest that things should be toned down a bit.
Acknowledging his past shortcomings, Hwang Ji-ho was the first to ease off.
"Let’s do a formal introduction. I am Hwang Ho, the leader of the Hojok. The others accompanying me are my close friends, Baekho and Jeokho. And... you must already know these two."
Hwang Ji-ho gestured toward me and Kim Shin-rok.
He gave a formal nod to me but did something different with Kim Shin-rok.
Seong Guk-eon and Jeon Moo-young kept their gaze fixed on Kim Shin-rok for a long while.
"...I am a descendant. I go by the name Kim Shin-rok."
Kim Shin-rok didn’t say more than that.
Revealing that he was a descendant in front of Seong Guk-eon, who disliked the True Family, and Jeon Moo-young, who had maintained a teacher-student relationship with him under the guise of being human, was quite the bold move. However, he didn’t mention the most crucial detail.
It would have been exceedingly difficult to suddenly say, "I was the homeroom teacher of Seong Guk-eon, pretending to be human, but in truth, I’m a descendant. My previous identity was faked as dead, but I’m still alive."
Given the context, revealing such a thing in front of them would be near impossible.
After Kim Shin-rok remained silent, Hwang Ji-ho intervened.
"The introductions are over. Do you have any idea why you were called here?"
Jeon Moo-young showed a momentary expression of regret, but Seong Guk-eon remained calm and composed, not betraying any emotion.
He replied to Hwang Ji-ho’s question with calm precision.
"You’re here to ask for our cooperation in your goals, aren’t you? You’ve indirectly conveyed the Hojok’s ideology, values, and prospects through Hwang Yoo-ho."
"That’s not wrong, but it’s a bit vague."
Hwang Ji-ho and Seong Guk-eon were both skilled at keeping their intentions concealed.
Both were masters at probing with words and conveying their own meanings through a careful exchange, and they continued to expertly navigate the conversation.
Eventually, they shared that they both knew of a hidden force aiming for control over the Korean Peninsula, and they were already moving to prevent it.
‘They’ve succeeded in aligning their goals, but they haven’t fully shared all the details yet. It’s their first meeting, so that’s to be expected.’
While they exchanged opinions about the hidden force, there were still pieces of information each had not disclosed.
Though I knew more, I couldn’t freely share any of it in this situation, so I decided to remain silent for now.
Still, I couldn’t stay quiet forever.
"Now that we understand each other's intentions, I’d like to make a suggestion."
"Please, go ahead."
"The one who will make the suggestion is Yi-shin. Yi-shin, go ahead."
At Hwang Ji-ho’s words, all eyes turned to me.
Seong Guk-eon seemed to expect that it was my turn, and his face bore an eager expression.
"I already knew you weren’t just an ordinary player. I’m curious what kind of role you’re playing among the Hojok."
Although I was involved with the Hojok in some way, the role I was playing certainly wasn’t what Seong Guk-eon seemed to expect.
I was here to show Seong Guk-eon and Jeon Moo-young the nightmare they would face.
"There are people aiming for your life, Seong Guk-eon."
"Haha! Politics always brings more enemies. Any politician will always have rivals."
Seong Guk-eon said it lightly, probably thinking I was just worried about his political opponents.
"He will try to assassinate you soon. If no precautions are taken, it will succeed."
When I declared that the assassination would succeed, Jeon Moo-young gasped, and Seong Guk-eon remained silent, simply watching me.
Seong Guk-eon was the first to break the silence.
"Yi-shin, since you’re the one saying this, I don’t think it’s empty talk. You must be planning to propose a way to prevent the assassination."
"Yes."
"Tell me, what will you do?"
‘To hear that Seong Guk-eon is responding so calmly, even after hearing he’ll be assassinated, proves his strength of character.’
I tried to calm myself and continued, realizing I was probably the one more anxious than Seong Guk-eon.
"I can use a skill called 'Replay.' If certain conditions are met, I can simulate a specific situation through dreams."
"So, you want to use the Replay to check what would happen if I were assassinated."
I couldn’t go into detail about Flama-go, so I used a few substitutions.
It wasn’t inaccurate to call it a simulation, since games are a kind of simulation after all.
Even with the abstract explanation, Seong Guk-eon understood perfectly and responded.
"While I can’t be sure how long it will take, it should be finished before the weekend ends."
I allocated a generous amount of time for the Replay. Given that the functionality of the Replay had improved, I expected it to be faster than before, but since Seong Guk-eon had lived about six months longer than Jeokho in Flama-go, I wasn’t sure how long it would take.
"Will the Replay only involve me?"
"I would prefer if Jeon Moo-young also participates. There may be situations where you two act separately."
"Not just me, huh? Alright."
Jeon Moo-young showed a bit of discomfort but seemed willing to participate.
Seong Guk-eon persuaded him.
"This Replay ability is closer to a form of prophecy or foresight. It's a technique not easily shared, but you’ve shown it to us. We should respond to the trust you’ve shown."
"That’s true, but..."
"Do you think Yi-shin or our teacher would harm us?"
"Not at all."
After that, Jeon Moo-young made no further objections.
It’s amazing how much trust Kim Shin-rok has earned from his students.
Truly, his ability to inspire such deep trust must make him a great teacher, just like Andain.
"I thought Teacher Yong Je-geon would be here too."
"Do you want him to be? Yong Je-geon, sensing something was amiss, has been wandering around Eungwang District. He’ll come immediately if called."
"You don’t have to call him. I’m guessing he already knows about the Replay."
"Yong Je-geon has experienced it firsthand. He reacted very interestingly after waking up."
As Seong Guk-eon settled into the recliner and Hwang Ji-ho prepared the incense burner, the conversation turned to Yong Je-geon.
"In the Replay, we’ll experience Teacher’s Day twice. The first Teacher's Day will go fine, but during the second one, both of you will be assassinated."
"I understand. I’ll keep that in mind."
Even though I tried hard to remember, I knew that in the nightmare, nothing would go as expected.
Jeokho, Kim Shin-rok, and Yong Je-geon had all forgotten everything and became mere figures in that world during their respective Replays.
Even Kim Shin-rok, despite having participated twice, had the same experience.
There was nothing I could do by sharing this information, so I kept silent.
[Selection complete.]
I opened the menu for the Dimensional Future Alteration and selected the two of them before nodding at Hwang Ji-ho.
Hwang Ji-ho lifted the golden incense burner.
"Let’s begin."
Whiiii...
As Hwang Ji-ho channeled his energy, a sleeping fragrance surrounded Seong Guk-eon and Jeon Moo-young.
As the two disciples entered the nightmare, Kim Shin-rok grew anxious.
Just before they fell asleep, Seong Guk-eon spoke to Kim Shin-rok.
"I’ll be going, Teacher."
His voice, as he spoke, seemed weaker than usual, as if he had fallen asleep mid-sentence.
When his voice cut off, Kim Shin-rok tightly closed his eyes.
