Ex Rank Supporting Role's Replay in a Prestigious School

Eunho spoke gently.

On the surface, it appeared to be a scene where a respected teacher and an exemplary student were having a pleasant chat.

However, there was an underlying tension similar to a genuine battle, like the one I witnessed this morning.

"Cheongwon is quite gutsy. He went alone into the abandoned factory during the Eun-Gwang Hanbit Orphanage incident to take on the contract company. That’s not something just anyone would do."

Cheongwon is certainly an exceptional player, but as Eunho’s example shows, some of the incidents he handles could make you wonder if they even required him to act alone.

For someone with such a warm smile, speaking with a voice like a jingling bell, it was hard to imagine such a drastic course of action.

Cheongwon responded with a flawless smile.

"It was just something that happened while I was out for a walk, so it’s not completely inaccurate."

"When we look at the witness reports, it seems like you were moving with a set destination in mind. Didn’t you go to handle the situation alone?"

"I enjoy walking wherever my feet take me."

"Well then, I’ll join you for the walk. If it’s just a walk, I don’t think it would be an issue for a student to accompany you, right?"

Eunho spoke in his usual calm voice.

Didn’t the newbie and Eunho often clash like this in the past?

Strangely enough, the gentle exchange of words happening right now seemed more intense than when Jeokho had thrown a punch at Baekho-kun.

"My class has shown great interest in your walk, teacher. Who knows, maybe one day they’ll walk wherever their feet take them and bump into you."

"Then, before they bump into me, I should tidy up the walking path."

It seemed like Cheongwon had no intention of stopping his walk or patrol.

But shouldn’t the Ho-Jok and the Association be handling things as well? Why does Cheongwon have to step in like this?

Eunho seemed to have the same thought and pointed it out.

"Geongwang-gu is a sacred place recorded in the Gaecho Myth. The Jinjok of this land will take care of it."

"No matter how great the Jinjok are, there’s no guarantee they’ll meet the deadline."

When Cheongwon said that, Eunho paused for a moment.

Though his expression didn’t break, I couldn’t help but wonder how he was feeling inside.

As Cheongwon said, in the mythological era, the Ho-Jok failed to meet their deadlines and lost many of their comrades because of it.

After a brief silence, Eunho spoke again.

"...You have always been the first to confront the most dangerous situations."

A faint trace of longing was in Eunho’s voice.

It was clear that Eunho’s usual gentle scolding came from caring for the newbie.

Cheongwon blinked a few times, looking at Eunho, who now appeared as Cheon Eunha.

He seemed a little confused, but soon smiled and changed the subject.

"You’re being too kind. My intuition isn’t always right, you know? Right, Eushin?"

Instead of responding to the talk about intuition, I decided to greet them.

"Sorry for the late greeting."

"You’re always so polite. I suppose you waited because the conversation got a bit long?"

"Eushin hyung, hello."

After that, it became quite natural for me to join in their conversation.

Before I knew it, Cheongwon and Eunho were both talking to me.

"Eushin hyung shares a lot of similarities with the teacher, especially since you take the teacher’s class."

"I’m curious, what do you think is similar?"

"You probably already know. Both of you take risks alone."

"Has Eushin ever done something risky?"

"Plenty."

Looking at them, I should’ve just stepped aside and let them talk.

It’s no surprise that they worked so well together, considering their bond that stretches all the way back to the mythological era.

But why does Cheongwon, who doesn’t know Eunho’s true identity, get along so well with him?

I couldn’t help but notice something as I sat through their scolding.

"Cheongwon’s words, especially his attitude toward the Ho-Jok, show a certain instinctive aspect. It seems like he’s feeling some sort of déjà vu."

I had seen Cheongwon conversing with Hwang Ji-ho and Eunho several times before.

Every time, it was clear that Cheongwon held them in special regard.

"But Eushin is different. Eushin doesn’t seem to feel anything."

In contrast, Eushin remained indifferent.

It didn’t seem like Eushin felt anything particularly special when he saw the Ho-Jok, even when Hwang Ji-ho kept pestering him like a friend, or when he was involved with the students doing volunteer work at the orphanage, or when other Ho-Jok approached under the guise of coincidence.

"But could it be that Eushin really feels nothing?"

Just as Cheongwon felt déjà vu when seeing the Ho-Jok, doesn’t Eushin also have something inside him?

The great wish of the Jinjok, for humans to become them, had been fulfilled. Was it simply the end of that wish? Was the wish truly fulfilled?

"I remember Eushin’s attempt to find his real parents ended in vain."

Hwang Ji-ho had once tried to find Eushin’s biological parents.

It might have been because he was disgusted by the people who abandoned Eushin at the orphanage, but it was also to check the family’s health history and to deal with future inheritance and care issues to avoid complications.

However, despite using the Ho-Jok and the Hwangmyung Group’s connections, they couldn’t find Eushin’s parents.

Even after expanding the search to include distant relatives, they still failed.

Time had passed, and there were almost no clues left, but the fact that even with Eushin’s genetic information, no blood relatives were found was strange.

"If all of Eushin’s blood relatives lived in isolation and died early, such results would make sense, but something feels off."

My sense of unease grew after learning about Andain’s secret.

Though Andain was born human, as soon as he met the Ho-Jok couple, he recognized them as his parents.

Unlike Andain, who had no choice but to wait, Cheongho had chosen the path of becoming human, so the difference is obvious.

Still, many questions remained.

"Eushin, you’ve been looking very thoughtful. Your junior is worried about you."

My thoughts, which I had been indulging in to escape reality, were interrupted.

I hastily apologized under their sharp gaze.

"Sorry."

"Eushin, it seems like a lot of my students are deep in thought these days, including Han Yi."

The sudden mention of Han Yi made me anxious.

I hid my surprise and asked.

"Han Yi?"

"Yes."

A worried look appeared on Cheongwon’s face.

Wasn’t it true that he had kept me here to talk about Han Yi?

Cheongwon looked at Eunho and me.

"Eushin, you’re Han Yi’s friend, and Eunha... I trust her. I think I can speak openly."

When Cheongwon spoke, Eunho seemed genuinely happy.

Though it wasn’t obvious, the corners of her eyes curved more than usual.

Cheongwon had the chance to grow closer to me after going through several incidents with me last year, but he had spent less time with Eunho.

And yet, to trust her enough to talk about Han Yi—it made sense that Eunho would be happy.

"I’ve had many conversations with Han Yi-sunbae while observing the Taeho-gwon small group activities. I hope I can be of help."

Seeing Eunho speak so confidently, it seemed like Cheongwon’s trust in her had deepened.

Cheongwon muttered something, using his special powers.

It was a language spell.

Cheongwon’s words formed into a shape, surrounding us.

'He’s using the language spell to set up a barrier. It seems like he wants to talk about something really important.'

What Cheongwon wanted to say seemed to be more crucial than I thought.

He immediately got to the point.

"A higher being appeared in Han Yi’s dreams. It’s been happening since he entered Eun-Gwang High."

It seemed like I’d gained a clue to the unease I had felt about Han Yi.

There was only one higher being that would appear in Han Yi’s dreams.

‘Could the Celestial God be trying to deliver a revelation to Han Yi?’

If it is a revelation, what could it be trying to convey?

Cheongwon continued.

"The higher being seems to want to say something, but it seems that Han Yi is having trouble understanding it. That’s why he seems to be thinking a lot."

"Do you know which higher being it is?"

"I haven’t pinpointed it yet. But I’m sure that the higher being won’t harm Han Yi."

Although Cheongwon couldn’t answer my question directly, he spoke with certainty.

"During the Taeho-gwon camp, I watched Han Yi sleep while he was dreaming. I didn’t get a bad feeling from it."

How could he speak with such certainty about a higher being without knowing who it was?

The only higher being I could think of that might be harmless was the Celestial God from the Gaecho Myth.

"The higher being may not harm Han Yi, but there are others who oppose it. They could harm him. That’s what worries me."

I could understand now why Cheongwon had shared this concern.

Since Cheongwon couldn’t always be by Han Yi’s side, he likely wanted to have extra eyes on him, to keep him safe.

I promised that I would keep an eye on Han Yi, considering the higher being, to help ease Cheongwon’s worries.

Cheongwon smiled in relief.

"Eushin, thank you. I used to think you were a delinquent because you missed so many classes, but I was wrong."

That comment stung.

I hadn’t meant to, but I had missed a lot of Cheongwon’s classes.

Though I didn’t know what would happen in the future, I promised to attend classes more diligently from now on and parted ways.

When Cheongwon left, Eunho spoke.

"Do you remember the dream I had, Eushin hyung?"

I remembered him mentioning that he always had the same dream back during Cheon Seongheon days, and even after becoming Eunho, he had spoken about it.

Eunho said this about that dream.