NOVPUBMay 8th, Saturday.
Today was Parent’s Day, and also the birthday of the homeroom teacher of Class 2-1, Kim Shin-rok.
Up until now, Kim Shin-rok had never revealed his birthday, but apparently, he had been persuaded by Andain’s sincere request to share it this time.
Kim Shin-rok had advised the students to spend the day with their parents since it was also Parent’s Day, but the students insisted on having lunch together with him and enjoying the specially ordered dried persimmon cake.
As a result, the students of Class 2-1, including Joo Soo-hyuk, ended up having lunch with Kim Shin-rok.
Joo Soo-hyuk had decided to spend the morning with his family and then head to Eungwang District.
“I’ve finished the investigation. Please check the device.”
“Thank you, Hyung.”
In the air-stretched limousine heading to the meeting point, Kim Cheol, the bodyguard and secretary, handed over the report.
The report was about Hyo-don.
Joo Soo-hyuk had almost been involved in the incident in front of the west gate, so there was a justification for the investigation for safety reasons, but it was essentially driven by concern for his friend.
The more Joo Soo-hyuk read the report, the darker his expression became.
‘The reason Hyo-don didn’t participate in competitions during middle school and even after entering Eungwang High...’
Joo Soo-hyuk and Hyo-don had been rivals, often competing for the championship in the youth sports tournaments for aspiring players.
They frequently crossed paths, and naturally, they became rivals, but eventually, Joo Soo-hyuk initiated a conversation, and they became friends.
However, Joo Soo-hyuk realized he didn’t know anything about Hyo-don.
Hyo-don had been in a dire situation, unable to even have three meals a day. The prize money from the tournaments was all used to pay off his father’s alcohol debts and gambling losses.
He had been dragged into the Fight Club right after passing the entrance exam for Eungwang High.
It was also related to the incident in early last year, when the fall of Choi Pyeon-deuk and the Energy Monster chaos at Eungwang District, which led to Hyo-don’s escape.
‘If I had just thought for a moment and looked into things properly, there might have been something I could have done.’
Joo Soo-hyuk agonized over the memories of Hyo-don during their middle school days.
Looking back now, there were so many odd things.
It was strange that Hyo-don, who could have bought wearable devices or smartphones with his tournament prize money, didn’t even have a contact number.
It had been odd that when Hyo-don met the special admission criteria for Eungwang High, he hadn’t been seen at the school either.
But before Joo Soo-hyuk could take action, Hyo-don had started attending school, and he had forgotten the unease.
“Because of the recent incident, his bail was revoked, and he was detained in the detention center. The Huangmyeong Foundation’s legal team and the association are handling it, so there doesn’t seem to be room for us to intervene.”
Kim Cheol spoke comfortingly to Joo Soo-hyuk.
However, his words didn’t fully register with Joo Soo-hyuk.
He recalled the image of Hyo-don with his head lowered.
Hyo-don, with tears in his eyes, desperately trying to offer food to others.
Kim Yoo-ri, trying her best to smile while brushing off Hyo-don’s school uniform, hiding her own discomfort.
Han Geun-hyeong, appearing with such a vicious face that it seemed like he could knock someone unconscious with his expression alone.
Jo Ui-shin, leading Hyo-don to the infirmary with a face full of guilt.
The faces of those who had been there that day kept spinning in Joo Soo-hyuk’s mind.
Of those people, Joo Soo-hyuk had known Hyo-don the longest and had the power to intervene, yet he had done nothing.
‘If luck hadn’t been on his side, Hyo-don might still be stuck in the Fight Club. If Tak Geo-san hadn’t happened to destroy that building and helped Hyo-don escape in the middle of the night when the Energy Monster chaos happened...’
As those thoughts came to mind, Joo Soo-hyuk felt a sense of unease.
Was Hyo-don’s escape just a coincidence?
At that time, even though the Dark Portals had been exposed by the Red Cliff Thief, Choi Pyeon-deuk and the Fight Club were still intact.
Despite the fear that Eungwang High students had for Choi Pyeon-deuk, he had lived without worry until the Eungwang District purification incident.
Even though Choi Pyeon-deuk likely kept a low profile because of the Dark Portal incident, it was strange that the Fight Club was randomly discovered and destroyed by some hero, and that Tak Geo-san happened to help Hyo-don escape that night.
‘Why did Ui-shin act like it was his fault that day? He wasn’t someone who had known Hyo-don for long like I did.’
When Hyo-don was attacked by his biological father, Jo Ui-shin’s actions seemed more suspicious than just a responsibility-driven vice class president.
Jo Ui-shin appeared to feel more guilt than the class president, Kim Yoo-ri, or the homeroom teacher, Han Geun-hyeong.
The suspicion and unease surrounding Jo Ui-shin had been building up for over a year.
Jo Ui-shin was the top student at Eungwang High and an active participant in the world conquest, always in the shadow of Joo Soo-hyuk and Andain, but he was an extraordinary player.
Joo Soo-hyuk’s suspicions were solidified on Christmas.
Thinking of Christmas, Joo Soo-hyuk’s eyes widened.
‘On Christmas Day, Ui-shin was wearing the Crow Mask. And the person who appeared in the Fight Club report...!’
He remembered seeing Jo Ui-shin with the Crow Mask heading toward the Underworld, past the black snow that had covered Eungwang High on Christmas.
Jo Ui-shin had worn the Crow Mask that day.
He had also faced the Demon King, using the power of Gugalanna.
Jo Ui-shin had broken the secret move prepared by the Demon King with the spear of Shinbo Ru, a response that could only be made with prior preparation.
‘If Ui-shin has the kind of information that would allow him to carry out such a large-scale plan, it wouldn’t be strange if he was the one who destroyed the Fight Club. If Ui-shin asked, Han Geun-hyeong would have moved as well.’
In Joo Soo-hyuk’s mind, the person who wore the Crow Mask and destroyed the Fight Club was none other than Jo Ui-shin.
Since the Fight Club was run by Choi Pyeon-deuk, who was involved with the Dark Portal, the Red Cliff Thief also came to mind naturally.
“Maybe Ui-shin...”
“...Young Master?”
Kim Cheol’s voice interrupted Joo Soo-hyuk’s thoughts.
He stopped muttering to himself and made a request.
“Hyung, please investigate the Dark Portal and the Fight Club in more detail. Use the database the Joo Group has, beyond what has been made public by the media.”
“Understood. I will report back once the investigation is complete.”
“Thank you.”
After that, Joo Soo-hyuk did not speak until they reached their destination.
Kim Cheol silently drove, lost in thought.
‘It seems like Young Master thinks Jo Ui-shin was the one who saved Hyo-don.’
It was hard to believe that a first-year high school student had done something so big, but if it was Jo Ui-shin, it made sense.
Jo Ui-shin had been known since before he enrolled and had made a significant impact on Christmas.
However, there was something strange when thinking about it like this.
There was one instance where Jo Ui-shin was completely absent from a situation where he should have been involved.
It was during the Kimopolaiho incident.
‘With that much ability and such a thoughtful kid, would he really have done nothing when faced with a crisis?’
When Joo Soo-hyuk had learned that Jo Ui-shin hadn’t participated in the world conquest during the Kimopolaiho incident, he hadn’t thought much of it.
The ship was large, so it was possible to get lost, and as a young student, he might have been afraid to fight on the ship.
Even Do Shi-hoo couldn’t do anything due to seasickness, so it wasn’t strange if another student couldn’t fight.
But if Jo Ui-shin was the one wearing the Crow Mask, and if he was the one who brought down the black snow, it didn’t make sense that he did nothing.
‘No one knew where Jo Ui-shin was at that time.’
Kim Cheol had checked the timelines of all the players onboard, trying to track down the "mysterious whistleblower."
When responding to the energy surge, there were several players whose whereabouts couldn’t be determined, and Jo Ui-shin was one of them.
‘Jo Ui-shin was also at the Academy Exchange Match opening ceremony!’
Kim Cheol remembered that both Kim Hyun-goo and Park Seung-hyun had testified that they heard the whistle at the opening ceremony.
Kim Cheol had also looked into the situation at the stadium that day.
He remembered clearly because he had read the article Jo Ui-shin wrote as a reporter for the newspaper club.
Kim Cheol gripped the steering wheel tightly.
He felt like he had finally figured out the identity of the benefactor he had been searching for.
May 8th, Parent’s Day.
It was a weekend, but I had left the dorm wearing my school uniform.
I wasn’t alone; Hyo-don was with me.
Unlike that day, Hyo-don was wearing a clean school uniform.
“There’s a flower shop near the memorial hall. Let’s buy some carnations there.”
“Ah...”
Due to the threat from Hyo-don’s biological father, who had used the ashes to blackmail him, we decided to move the resting place.
Hwang Ji-ho recommended relocating it to the memorial hall in Eungwang District, where my family’s fake remains were kept, and Hyo-don agreed.
‘He couldn’t even resist and had to endure everything just to protect his mother’s remains. Since it’s Parent’s Day, it’s better to visit in person.’
Hyo-don had seemed deep in thought last Parent’s Day, but this year, that burden seemed even heavier.
Even when the florist selected a bouquet of carnations, Hyo-don remained silent the entire time.
“I heard they’re going to place them near our family’s resting place. This way.”
When Hyo-don was walking through the memorial hall corridor, his steps came to a halt.
He seemed to scan an old photo with his device, the hologram blurry due to its low quality.
Without needing to ask, it was clear that this was the photo of Hyo-don’s mother.
After seeing the photo of his mother, Hyo-don seemed to sigh in relief.
He seemed to relax a little, but I caught the bouquet of carnations as he almost dropped it.
As Hyo-don greeted his mother, I looked around at our family’s resting place.
‘It’s well-maintained. There are decorations that fit the season...’
There were no artificial flowers placed in other areas, so it didn’t seem like the memorial hall had provided them.
Could it be that the Hojok had taken care of it?
Thinking back to when the Hojok had offered flowers for our family, I felt a sense of gratitude.
“Mom, this is our vice class president who saved me.”
After staring silently at the photo for a while, Hyo-don introduced me.
His voice was thick with emotion, so I purposefully looked away and placed the flowers as a gesture instead of speaking.
“...Vice president, thank you.”
After paying respects to our family, Hyo-don finally spoke.
“You also offered flowers to our family. You don’t have to thank me.”
“Ah, not just that. I’m thankful for the flowers... but...”
It seemed like Hyo-don was having trouble putting his words together, as he muttered to himself.
After a brief silence, he spoke again.
“...I should have consulted with you before we left. I’m sorry.”
This was the first time Hyo-don had voluntarily brought up that day’s events.
It seemed like the act of offering flowers helped Hyo-don find some peace of mind.
“No, it’s alright. You were probably flustered since it was about your family. But next time, consult with me first. If something’s difficult to talk about or if you don’t have time, just leave a clue. I’ll respond if I notice something strange.”
“Uh-huh...”
I took the opportunity to give Hyo-don some advice.
Hyo-don nodded obediently, even though he had a pained expression on his face.
As we left the memorial hall...
“May I pay my respects as well?”
Tak Geo-san was standing in front of the memorial hall.
Tak Geo-san had been busy with the investigation for beating up Hyo-don’s biological father and the players involved, but since he had come here, it seemed like things had settled down.
When Hyo-don saw Tak Geo-san, his face lit up with a smile.
It was a bright expression, far from the one he had shown earlier.
“...Yes!”
“Haha, you’ve got a cheerful response. Lead the way.”
Hyo-don confidently responded and led the way, with Tak Geo-san following behind.
Now that Tak Geo-san was here, there was no need to worry about safety, so I decided to step aside to let the two priests pay their respects.
‘Thanks to Hyo-don, I was able to offer carnations to my parents.’
I hadn’t thought about this last year, but it seemed like a good idea to continue this tradition next year as well.
As we headed back to the dormitory...
[Hwang Ji-ho] Jo Ui-shin is planning to hold a birthday party.
If it were any other time, I would have just passed it off with a "so what?" but this time, I couldn’t ignore it.
It was because of the artificial flowers that had appeared before me, which I suspected had been sent by the Hojok.
[Hwang Ji-ho] Come to the mansion. I’ve sent a car to pick you up.
It seemed like Hwang Ji-ho had already arranged for the Hojok to wait in front of the memorial hall.
I looked around, expecting to see an air limousine, but there was no car in sight.
Instead, I saw the angel and my last playable character.
“......”
Bang!
The ones who came to meet us were Baek Ho and the angel.
