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Chapter 159

Jung Yu-jin’s first task was to check what kind of posts had been made.

As Jung Yu-jin nodded while briefly looking at the webpage on Yeon-woo’s smartphone, she exclaimed, “Ah~ we definitely need to catch the one who spread these rumors.”

For a moment, I wondered if the friend who came to meet me was really just a fellow peer or a private investigator instead, as Jung Yu-jin spoke with a thick, mock-serious tone.

I shot her a suspicious glance, wondering if she was the one circulating the rumors, but her response was surprisingly simplistic.

“What are you glaring at, customer? Want to get hit?”

“Yu-jin, you’re a bit fierce today.”

“Some reckless fool is interrupting my beauty sleep.”

“Oh really, who could that be?”

This time it was Jung Yu-jin’s turn to give Yeon-woo a look that suggested she thought he was out of his mind. The atmosphere was charged with the competitive pride of two geniuses refusing to back down in front of each other.

This is what being fifteen should feel like. That heavy, adult-like vibe just doesn’t suit a fifteen-year-old. Stay young, Jung Yu-jin.

“So how are you planning to catch the one who spread the rumors?”

“There’s always a way!” she proudly declared.

Jung Yu-jin pulled out her smartphone and started scrolling through her contacts—swipe, swipe, swipe…

“How long are you gonna keep scrolling?”

“Sorry, I have a lot of contacts.”

Finally finding what she needed, she whispered a ‘shh’ gesture and began dialing someone. Yeon-woo decided to stay quiet.

After all, who would dare to meddle in an expert’s work? There’s always a reason for everything.

“Hello? Wow, it’s been such a long time, bro! We really need to have a meal together!”

With that casual greeting, she quickly transitioned through small talk and personal updates, compacting five minutes of discussion into a short but meaningful conversation.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s H. Sure, thanks a lot. Just send it to the usual place.”

Click! Jung Yu-jin hung up. Yeon-woo, who had been waiting as patiently as a clam, finally asked, “What’s up? Who was that?”

“That guy who made a name for himself hacking back in the day. Now he’s a security expert, and he helps me out from time to time. He’s with Cheonnyeon.”

“Are you really using that connection for this?”

“I think of it as part of the deal. Oh, did I mention I’m not actually in charge of the battle division?”

“Right. So what’s your role then? Unity specialist?”

Cheonnyeon assigns different roles to gather intelligence based on various fields or individuals. Typically, they collect information about people or groups, but when events like the battle division come around, their whole system gets restructured.

So technically, it wouldn’t be wrong to see her as a unity specialist, especially since it was revealed she wasn’t in charge of the battle division…

What Jung Yu-jin revealed about her role was somewhat shocking.

“I’m your handler. Choi Yeon-woo’s handler.”

“…Me? Why me?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. The God above said to do it. I approached you at first for that reason, but now it’s just friends. Apparently, you’re satisfied with whatever you can pick up from around you.”

“Wow.”

“Did I offend you? If so, sorry about that.”

“A big person doesn’t get offended over such things. And since you’re just trying to make a living, I won’t hold it against you…”

“Your tone is definitely giving me mixed signals… Anyway, they said to spare no support regarding anything related to you.”

In truth, Yeon-woo had been pretty unconcerned. The only thing that nagged at him was how she somehow picked up on things even when the contract hadn’t been revealed yet.

That aspect just screamed omniscience to him. Plus, being told to spare no support was actually quite nice, wasn’t it?

“Then does that mean my payment will just be information in return? That sounds fair.”

“Look who’s trying to get a free meal! You better buy me lunch, dude.”

“Of course, that’s a given, teacher.”

Transaction established. From here on out, things would follow Jung Yu-jin’s lead. With a light heart, Yeon-woo sprawled out on the couch in the Normal Class Dormitory, which he hadn’t visited in a long while.

*

“……?”

In the slightly chaotic waiting room atmosphere, Baek In-hwa tilted her head in confusion. Not knowing what was going on, she lay down on the innermost sofa as usual. During the morning’s weaker hours, Baek In-hwa often postponed most of her competition events to the afternoon and would take naps in the waiting room.

As she lay there trying to sleep, voices around her caught her attention.

“I didn’t think Choi Yeon-woo was that kind of person…”

“We don’t know for sure yet. Even Yumin doesn’t seem to have a clue…”

“Ugh, I wish someone would just tell me the hard facts!”

Baek In-hwa, who had lazily been eavesdropping, suddenly sat up with a fluid, snake-like motion.

“…What’s going on?”

“Ah! Eek!”

…Why are they so shocked? Baek In-hwa raised a brow, not realizing she had crept up on them without a sound.

Considering her level as an aura user, she was among the top ranks on any representative team, so it would be unfair to blame the girls for not noticing.

“Oh, In-hwa…”

The girl’s reaction was only understandable. Excluding Namgung Seong, Baek In-hwa was known to be closest to Choi Yeon-woo. After all, she was someone they couldn’t yet comfortably refer to as an “easy-going” friend.

As Baek In-hwa observed her female classmates standing there like statues, she yawned dramatically.

Feeling like a somewhat proud cat had suddenly approached, the students fidgeted with their smartphones.

“There’s this… um, I think it’s just a baseless rumor, but there’s some gossip going around about Choi Yeon-woo. Just treat it as a joke, okay?”

“…Okay.”

After the hesitant answer from one brave student, Baek In-hwa plopped onto the chair beside her and slowly began reading on her smartphone, cradling it in both hands.

In that moment, the three girls realized an unexpected side of Baek In-hwa.

‘Isn’t she kind of cute like this, sitting so modestly…?’

‘Hey, me too?’

‘Maybe if we try hard enough, we can become friends…?’

As the three whispered to each other, they collectively decided to muster the courage and seize the opportunity to approach Baek In-hwa.

But just as they turned around with that determination, they were met with the usual expressionless face of Baek In-hwa, exuding an intangible aura all around her.

‘…Maybe we should take things slow, you guys?’

The other two eagerly nodded in agreement. At least it was a relief that amidst all this, they hadn’t given up on wanting to be friends. A significant turning point was approaching in Baek In-hwa’s social life.

*

In the waiting room of Freedom Academy, Yang Mi-ryeo sat quietly. It had only been three days since the battle tournament began. They had spent an additional two days handling the aftermath of the monster wave.

Effectively, that meant the originally scheduled week-long tournament had transformed into a total of nine days including two days of rest.

‘But seriously, not a single appearance yet.’

Yang Mi-ryeo wasn’t entirely clueless about Choi Yeon-woo, the guy Dang Sa-ryeon had mentioned.

While Yang Mi-ryeo attended Wisdom Academy, situated almost on the opposite side of the globe in America, she knew of the reputation attached to Choi Yeon-woo.

Being known as the contractor of the world’s first revealed dragon was no light claim. It was something that held interest across the entire human race.

This was equally true for the Shin Chang Yang clan, who had their own network of information and had come to provide Yang Mi-ryeo with intel on Choi Yeon-woo. Until that point, she had hardly cared.

Honestly, she couldn’t help but wonder what she was supposed to do about someone far across the world.

However, once she heard Dang Sa-ryeon had taken an interest, Yang Mi-ryeo found it impossible not to get curious as well.

It wasn’t that she had an explicit desire for plunder, but it was noteworthy that the relatively unfazed Dang clan’s junior had taken an interest.

‘If the Dang clan is eyeing someone as a potential marriage partner, I have to check if he’s worthy enough for the clan beforehand.’

If Dang Sa-ryeon was on board, then Yang Mi-ryeo wouldn’t want to oppose unless it was absolutely necessary. However, she wouldn’t tolerate handing over someone who wasn’t kind-hearted to the adorable and innocent Dang Sa-ryeon.

According to Yang Mi-ryeo’s assessment, Dang Sa-ryeon deserved that level of respect.

That’s why Yang Mi-ryeo found it impossible to look upon the Dang clan favorably. She knew all too well the sort of treatment they awarded others.

‘Maybe I should pay him a visit directly…’

Meanwhile, in Jung Yu-jin’s dormitory.

“I’m back!”

“Oh, your work was really swift.”

“I just popped in to skim who posted what. It’s not like I had to mess with anything, so it didn’t take long.”

Of course, Yeon-woo was thinking that it sounded easier when put that way. If mystic engineering wasn’t widely available yet, it might have been one thing, but now that magic tech was fully integrated into everyday life, hacking wasn’t all that simple either.

As Jung Yu-jin changed from her pajamas into casual clothes, Yeon-woo stepped out behind her.

*

“There you are, Kim Leon.”

“Is that his name, Kim Leon?”

“Seriously, who names a person like that? Use your brain, man.”

“Why don’t you lose your mind gracefully…?”

But in the end, it was undoubtedly Jung Yu-jin’s sense of serious annoyance that caused her to snap. Yeon-woo wanted to say something but swallowed it back down. There was no need to add pointless words.

In front of Yeon-woo and Jung Yu-jin stood a male student, shaking in fear.

It was only natural for him to feel terrified, considering he had been pulled away in a manner that was basically equivalent to almost kidnapping. They had effectively captured him with shadow magic as he was minding his own business.

“Now, I’m sure you know why we’re here, right?”

Upon seeing Yeon-woo’s expression, the trembling student nodded rapidly, his face voicing pure horror. What did he think we were going to do, eat him? Yeon-woo didn’t understand.

Of course, he didn’t realize that the reason the student was so frightened was due to the stern expression on his face as he stood with his hands shoved in his pockets.

“To resolve this misunderstanding, you need to apologize too. Of course, we’re not unreasonable people either. This is just a misunderstanding, after all. If you can give a proper apology, we’ll call it even. How does that sound?”

More than anything, the student reacted to the mention of “compensation.” After all, this was something that was hardly appropriate for broad daylight, so the three attempted to slip into a secluded alleyway.

“Wait!!”

At that moment, as Yeon-woo was thinking that he really did make for a very misunderstanding-inducing figure, a woman’s voice called out from a distance.

“What do you think you’re doing there!? Don’t you feel ashamed as students of the Academy!”

The one running towards them with white petals of hair fluttering behind was none other than Yang Mi-ryeo. Coincidentally, Yeon-woo recognized who she was.

‘Hey, Yang Mi-ryeo…!’

To be honest, she was one of those people Yeon-woo preferred not to meet.

(To be continued…)

 

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