NOVPUBThe Midnight Parking Lot, Central District.
I thought it would take some time before meeting with Seong Guk-eon due to his schedule, but as soon as I suggested it, an appointment was immediately set.
Seong Guk-eon suggested meeting at night and requested that I come out to greet him.
Not long after, an air sedan carrying Seong Guk-eon arrived.
"Did you wait? Sorry for making you come out at this late hour."
"It’s fine. It’s only natural to come out to greet you."
"Come on, get in. Let’s talk before we move."
The fact that he insisted I get in seemed to indicate that he had something to discuss regarding the replay.
Though the parking lot was deserted at this late hour, it was safer to talk inside the car, where soundproofing and counter-surveillance measures were in place.
‘So the reason he asked me to come earlier than the time agreed with Cheon Dong-ha was because of this.’
I wondered if he would hand over a document detailing the information about the replay that Jeon Moo-young had experienced.
It would be best to ask questions after reviewing the document and clarifying the details.
But when I looked at Jeon Moo-young, he only greeted me without handing anything over.
‘...Why is he being quiet?’
Seong Guk-eon, who had been silently looking at me, suddenly burst into laughter.
"Haha! You look completely clueless about why I called you, huh?"
Was he not going to talk about the replay matter?
What could the Formor demon clan have done this time?
I tried to think of any incidents related to Seong Guk-eon directly or indirectly, but couldn’t find an answer.
When I asked again if it was about the replay, Seong Guk-eon replied:
"That's not entirely wrong, but it's a little different. Did you think I was a cold-hearted senior who doesn’t know how to express gratitude to my benefactor?"
I had never thought of Seong Guk-eon as cold-hearted.
Whether through Plmago or seeing him directly in this world, Seong Guk-eon was a deeply affectionate and loyal person.
But now he was referring to someone as his benefactor?
While I was thinking about what connection Seong Guk-eon’s benefactor had with this situation, a large hand tightly gripped my shoulder.
I instinctively looked up at the owner of the hand, Seong Guk-eon.
"Back then, I couldn’t even properly express my thanks. Yi-shin, thank you."
What was he talking about suddenly?
Was he thanking me for providing information through the replay?
Thanking a junior who had pushed him into a nightmare to get the information—Seong Guk-eon’s generosity was remarkable.
When I conveyed that there was no reason to be thanked for something done to gather information, Seong Guk-eon shook his head.
"I'm not thanking you for doing the replay. I’m thanking you for everything you’ve done up until now."
Seong Guk-eon began explaining step by step, as though talking to a child.
He started by recalling the events during the tutorial with the nameless supporting character, expressing gratitude for everything.
The torrent of thanks made me feel dizzy.
I tried to redirect my thoughts elsewhere, but every time I did, Seong Guk-eon tightened his grip on my shoulder, bringing me back to the present.
Seong Guk-eon spoke as if he had figured everything out, even things unrelated to him, even things that hadn’t been revealed to the public.
‘Did he compare the differences between the replay and now and figure everything out? Some of it seems to be just guesses, but seeing my reactions, he must have confirmed them as facts.’
A person with a brain as excellent as Seong Guk-eon’s, along with his sharp memory and information gathering abilities, probably gained a tremendous amount of information from the replay.
Just when I was about to admire Seong Guk-eon, he suddenly slapped me on the back with a loud “bang!”
It didn’t hurt much, but it distracted me from my thoughts.
"In the replay, there was a congressman I was keeping an eye on for bad reasons. I investigated someone who wasn't part of the political world, and found out they were connected to the Illusory Dream Gate."
Hearing about the Illusory Dream Gate, a bad premonition washed over me.
"So, the Red Wall Thief was my junior! That's why the thief Neon suddenly asked about Red Wall Thief during the auction."
Ah... so Seong Guk-eon had figured out that word too.
The masked figure, Ong Gil-dong, who attended the auction wearing a swan mask, had spoken that word when he saw the crow mask.
That day, since I was with Seong Guk-eon, I ended up witnessing it firsthand.
Fortunately, before the conversation could drag on, Seong Guk-eon made a flashy entrance, going to break the glass along with the sound of raindrops.
"I did think you might be an accomplice to the Red Wall Thief, but you’re not the type to push that dangerous task onto others. From what I see of you and the Hojok, it looks like at that point you hadn’t yet received their help. To do that on your own, impressive."
"I never expected the Red Wall Thief to be this young. There were no high school students among the candidates I thought might be the Red Wall Thief."
My mind went blank.
It would have been much better to just receive a simple thank you.
Now, every time I use the replay with others, should I expect that that word will be exposed?
Seong Guk-eon laughed pleasantly.
"It’s my job to listen to everyone. But I’ve been trapped by prejudice for a long time, ignoring the True Family, their descendants, and people close to them. And the result of that continuous ignoring became part of the replay."
Though the thank-yous and mentions of that word felt awkward and undeserved, Seong Guk-eon’s words about his broader worldview were most welcome.
It seemed Seong Guk-eon had let go of his prejudice against the True Family through his relationship with Kim Shin-rok.
I thought the thanks should be directed toward Kim Shin-rok.
"Haha! No matter how much you deny it, it’s all thanks to you, Yi-shin. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to know that teacher was one of the descendants. I wouldn’t have known the true intentions of Teacher Yong Je-geon either."
"As the congressman said, I agree. I too, would have followed the replay just like you did."
Without me saying anything, they both spoke as if they could read my mind.
Even so, it bothered me to hear such words after showing them the nightmare.
Seong Guk-eon comforted me, as if trying to soothe my thoughts.
"Yi-shin, I think I understand why you have the ability to use the replay."
Seong Guk-eon removed his hand from my shoulder as if he had finished saying what he needed to.
"That nightmare is something that could never start as long as you’re here. So, the one who should have the ability to show that nightmare is, of course, you."
Whether or not I was worthy was secondary, but as Seong Guk-eon said, I would continue to come up with plans to prevent that nightmare from becoming reality.
Returning from the Night, In the Air Sedan.
Even though the car was in auto-pilot mode, Jeon Moo-young usually sat in the driver’s seat as a precaution against sudden attacks, but this time, it was different.
Jeon Moo-young, sitting in the passenger seat, lowered his head as he looked at Seong Guk-eon, who was driving.
"I knew about that person’s ability before the exam, so I had a much more advantageous position compared to the others. Still, it’s embarrassing that I ended up like this."
After the conversation had died down, Jeon Moo-young had decided to take the exam from the former head of the Korean branch.
It was grueling, but he passed. He looked noticeably more worn out.
Even after taking a break and getting ready to move, he still seemed off.
“Mu-young, there’s synergy in abilities. Don’t worry about it,” Seong Guk-eon reassured him.
Jeon Moo-young seemed to want to mention something about mental strength, but knowing that self-pity wouldn't help, he remained silent.
Seong Guk-eon seemed to have no intention of discussing it further and quickly changed the subject.
“There’s so much I didn’t know. Right? Who would’ve thought that I’d continue my grandfather’s legacy this way?”
Seong Guk-eon started talking about the information he’d gathered today.
Given his blood connection, he seemed more sentimental than usual, but his composure didn’t waver.
In fact, it seemed like he was more eager to find out what kind of information was on the data chip that Jo E-shin had handed over, and how the juniors would perform.
Jeon Moo-young observed him and commented.
“You seemed more surprised by Teacher Yong Je-geon’s true intentions than by your grandfather’s secrets.”
“Haha! Today’s secrets weren’t much different from what I expected. My grandfather’s final choice was very much like him. But Teacher Yong Je-geon, on the other hand...”
Seong Guk-eon laughed joyfully but then seemed to lose that lightheartedness, his smile turning more subdued.
After the replay, Seong Guk-eon had a long conversation with Teacher Yong Je-geon.
The conversation included details about Teacher Yong Je-geon’s actions in the replay.
It was hard to believe, but given what Seong Guk-eon knew and the current situation, there was no contradiction.
“That Formor dragon clan member was wishing for your survival, but you didn’t answer them. If it had been me in the replay, I wouldn’t have believed it.”
Teacher Yong Je-geon, enjoying their reactions, shared what he had experienced.
Although it was not an easy story to tell, Teacher Yong Je-geon spoke freely.
‘He’s sure about it now, isn’t he? He probably feels confident that such things won’t happen again.’
After telling his story and observing their reactions, Teacher Yong Je-geon then asked to hear about their own replays.
He was especially curious about the situations that occurred after his own death.
It seemed like a bit of morbid curiosity, but it was understandable.
Seong Guk-eon also had his own questions.
“In the Garden, I left clues before I died. I wonder if the clues I left reached their intended target.”
Seong Guk-eon had always been cautious around the True Family, so he had used special abilities to hide the clues from them.
Now, he was concerned about what had happened to those clues.
Jo E-shin probably knew, but he was reluctant to ask directly.
‘He always looked pained when talking about the replay. He didn’t need to blame himself for pushing me into the nightmare.’
That’s why he had been so full of thanks and praise earlier, but it didn’t seem to have helped much.
Seong Guk-eon vowed to find a way to express his gratitude to his juniors soon.
“We’ll rest early tonight. There’s still time to read the materials for the legal seminar before we leave tomorrow.”
By the time they arrived home, the air sedan had already reached its destination.
Before getting out of the sedan, Seong Guk-eon turned to Jeon Moo-young and gave him one final piece of advice.
“So, don’t do the homework I left you tonight. Put it off for now.”
The cherry blossoms were still in full bloom as the students of Eungwang High prepared for their midterms.
Some students in the class had hoped that the truants would show up for the exams, but as expected, they did not appear.
Guseulbi and Ong Gildong were absent as well.
‘If I give them enough attention, they might come to school during the exam period, but I might ruin their pace and lower their grades. I’ll leave them be.’
Instead, though it wasn’t ideal, I planned to invite them to the spring picnic.
Didn’t they feel deeply upset when they mistakenly thought there would be no group outfits for the fall picnic? 𝚗𝚘v𝚙𝚞b.𝚌𝚘m
If I didn’t invite them, I could be sure they would throw a tantrum.
While there were attention-seekers like them, there were also students who took the midterms very seriously.
[Yeom Jun-yeol] "I’ll definitely be first in my third year, Teacher!"
[Yeom Jun-yeol] (stamp)
The stamp Yeom Jun-yeol sent showed a Honglong (a red dragon) studying under the cherry blossoms. It seemed like it was designed by a member of the Dragon Tribe to encourage him for the midterm exams.
Considering that Cheon Dong-ha had spent time on the former head of the Korean Branch’s exam, Yeom Jun-yeol seemed to have the upper hand.
But Yeom Jun-yeol also had many schedules to manage, and Cheon Dong-ha had put in even more effort to secure the top rank.
‘His younger sibling, Cheon Eun-ha, is likely to take the top rank, so he needs to maintain his own top position too.’
Cheon Dong-ha was naturally outstanding, so it was no surprise that he claimed the top rank, but unlike Woo Gi-hwan, who obsessed over grades and lost his mind over constantly coming in second, Cheon Dong-ha was not the type to be so fixated on it.
With such strong motivation now, I wasn’t sure how the academic competition would unfold in third year.
‘In second year, Ju Su-hyeok and An Da-in will definitely be the joint top scorers with perfect scores in every subject, and in first year...’
I felt sorry for the hard-working Eun Seo-ho and Eun I-ho, who were aiming to knock out the top scorer, but I didn’t think Eun Ho would lose the first place spot.
Plus, there was also Cha Seok-won in the first year.
It seemed difficult for the two descendants to surpass the wall of Eun Ho and Cha Seok-won.
Of course, I kept these thoughts to myself and didn’t say anything that could undermine their spirits.
Isn’t it the duty of a senior to support and encourage their hardworking juniors?
"Thanks to you, Hyung, the kids in our class have been studying hard. It seems like we can aim for the first place in class average for the first year."
On the day of the midterms, Eun Ho, whom I ran into at the dormitory cafeteria, said this.
Though it sounded like an exaggeration, it was good news to hear that the juniors had worked hard to prepare for their first exam.
The midterms had begun.
