Chapter 21 Your Name (2)

 

The 7th ranked S-Class is visiting Pentagon Academy.

 

This news quickly spread among the cadets.

 

-Murmur murmur.

 

“Did you hear!? The 7th rank is coming….”

 

“Really!? I’m a huge fan!!”

 

“But why is he coming?”

 

“Don’t you know? Isn’t it because of the Chairman’s connections?”

 

The cadets generally welcomed the news.

 

It was a natural reaction.

 

There were only seven S-Class awakened beings, and he was the only man among them.

 

In other words, he was the number one male awakened being.

 

Among the predominantly female cadets, he was like an idol.

 

This astonishing news soon spread across the world.

 

[Korean Awakeners Minor Gallery]

 

Title: S-Class 7th Rank Arrives in Korea

 

(Photo of a man waving as he gets off a plane)

 

I’m an airport employee, and when the reporters flocked, I thought a celebrity had arrived.

 

But why is Sensei here?

 

ㄴ ??? What is this? Did a gate open in Korea?

 

ㄴ Just now, Pentagon Academy’s official site posted that he’s here to give a lecture.

 

ㄴㄴ A person who costs at least 5 billion won to invite?

 

ㄴㄴ I don’t know either;; Really, did a gate open?

 

ㄴ Wow, and his looks are amazing.

 

The fastest reacting online community led the way.

 

It didn’t take long for the news of his visit to cover the world.

 

Not just any awakened being, but an S-Class awakened being.

 

Someone who could influence a country’s awakened force, literally a national-level talent.

 

S-Class awakened beings couldn’t freely travel abroad due to concerns about talent leakage.

 

Though he was uniquely free to travel, regardless.

 

The fact that such a person was suddenly coming to Korea.

 

It was natural for everyone to be surprised and talk about it.

 

However, not everyone took the news at face value.

 

On the contrary,

 

[Korean Awakeners Minor Gallery]

 

Title: It’s lucky if this just ends with an S-Class gate

 

(S-Class 7th Rank’s overseas business trip history)

 

An awakened being optimized for gate strategy.

 

Whenever an S-Class gate opened in a country without S-Class beings,

 

he would handle it for tens or hundreds of billions of won.

 

So Korea, which handles S-Class gates easily, called him?

 

(Meme of a despairing green frog)

 

He’s not just here to give a lecture.

 

Something big must have happened for this.

 

Pack your bags and head to Japan.

 

Only God-blessed Japan, protected by the Great Emperor, is the answer.

 

ㄴ Always ends with running away from Korea?

 

ㄴ This is overreacting, but it seems like something is up.

 

ㄴ Something is definitely happening…

 

ㄴ And his name…

 

ㄴㄴ Don’t do it.

 

ㄴㄴ Boo, trash, boo.

 

Some even cautiously predicted a major disaster, considering his gate strategy optimization abilities.

 

Something that even Korea, the strongest country of awakened beings, couldn’t handle with its own power.

 

A disaster of such magnitude that it would be called an Ex-class gate, a nation-toppling catastrophe.

 

Consequently, the officials were frantically busy.

 

“President Seol Ha-yeon of the Korean Awakeners Association!! What is going on!?”

 

“Was it so urgent that you had to proceed without consulting us!?”

 

Thanks to this, the Chairman’s office was bustling from the morning.

 

Not only the phone for official duties but even the personal smartphone, whose number only a few people knew, rang every hour.

 

And, one of the central figures of this issue.

 

Chairman of Pentagon Academy, Seol Ha-yeon, was…

 

merely enlightened.

 

“There’s really nothing special, so please stop making a fuss.”

 

“Excuse me? They say an astronomical amount was called to invite him….”

 

“Why would someone who knows better than anyone that we don’t have such a budget say that?”

 

“They say he’s helping out of loyalty to the Chairman, who was once his teacher….”

 

“Does it look like there’s such loyalty between him and me?”

 

“……Then are you saying he’s really just here to give a lecture?”

 

“Exactly. Didn’t we announce it from the start?”

 

In front of the gathered reporters and officials.

 

The chairman repeatedly told them, in hundreds of different ways, not to make a fuss over nothing.

 

“This is unbelievable!”

 

“Please, be honest. Is there really something beyond an S-Class gate….”

 

“……Sigh.”

 

But since the gathered people didn’t believe her at all, she sighed dozens of times again today.

 

‘…It’s at least a relief that he came quietly.’

 

The only consolation was that this commotion wasn’t the worst she had expected.

 

* * *

 

The day after we heard from the chairman about the 7th ranked S-Class visiting.

 

Shia, Alice, and I.

 

The three of us gathered and walked together.

 

Heading toward the large auditorium where ‘his’ special lecture would be held.

 

“He’s famous for never working overseas unless it’s for a lot of money. How did they invite him?”

 

“Oh, I heard too! Even the strongest clan in Korea, Cheonhwa, would call him for tricky gates!”

 

“Well, we’ve never had to call him yet. But if an unmanageable gate opens, we probably would.”

 

“Really!? It’s amazing that such a great person is coming!!”

 

The topic of conversation was, of course, him who would give the lecture today.

 

Even Shia and Alice, who had been snarling at each other until yesterday, were talking together.

 

There was no need to say how astonishing his visit was.

 

……But,

 

-Creak.

 

‘Am I the only one here who knows how scary he is!?’

 

I couldn’t smile alone.

 

Most of the blood I shed in the first round was because of him.

 

Even now, just thinking of his name made my fists clench automatically.

 

Even after becoming the top-ranked S-Class, even now after regressing.

 

He was still my eternal weakness and hard counter.

 

-He’s coming to the academy? And tomorrow, at that?

 

-Yes. He notified me directly. He’s interested in your hypnosis abilities. He said he’d come to see them tomorrow.

 

-I see….

 

-So, Yu-jin. I don’t know what his purpose is, but please, if possible, grant his request.

 

-Is this a mission?

 

-It’s a request. If we can borrow his power while he’s here, it would be beneficial.

 

Even the chairman, unaware of my situation, urged me to comply with his request.

 

I still vividly remembered the shock of his appearance when this world was just a game.

 

It wasn’t just once or twice that I spat blood because of him in the first round.

 

Thanks to this, my heart was heavy from the morning.

 

I even set aside my worries about Haru and Winter.

 

“…Yu-jin? You don’t look good. What’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing, really.”

 

‘I’m just not confident I can face him calmly.’

 

The biggest problem was that I had to act absolutely expressionless in front of him.

 

If I were alone, it might be different, but now I had two wives beside me.

 

For their sake, I had to endure.

 

I couldn’t show any emotional disturbance.

 

-Clench.

 

‘Still, I have to try. I’m the hypnotic breeder guy of the second round.’

 

“Are you okay? Want a drink of pine needle tea?”

 

“Yeah. I’ll have some.”

 

‘Drinking it, it seems I’m getting used to the taste of pine….’

 

Walking along with the taste of pine needle tea, we eventually reached our destination, the large auditorium.

 

The three of us sat down and waited in a suitable spot.

 

To witness the appearance of the walking national power level awakened being, whose arrival alone stirred up public opinion in Korea.

 

-Step, step.

 

‘He’s here!!’

 

It wasn’t hard to notice his arrival.

 

The sound of light footsteps. Short strides.

 

Everyone, including me, held their breath…

 

And soon, the auditorium erupted in admiration.

 

-Wow….

 

-He really came, unbelievable.

 

-How did they manage to call him?

 

-So cute…!!!

 

A man in a suit appeared.

 

With a very small, childlike figure.

 

Despite his unimpressive build for a man, most people let out exclamations of admiration.

 

-Murmur murmur.

 

“Just as I’ve heard. Even if someone said he was a woman, I’d believe it.”

 

“That’s why he’s so popular. Well, not my type, though.”

 

“Well, true. I definitely don’t see him as a potential partner.”

 

My wives, then and now, had no interest in that type, so they were indifferent. Anyway.

 

I gritted my teeth as well.

 

-Clench.

 

‘Hold it in, hold it in… Never open your mouth…!!’

 

His appearance wasn’t important at all.

 

What good would it do for a man like me to judge another man’s appearance? It’s not like I’m gay.

 

The most important thing was his identity.

 

The one who made me vomit blood countless times in the first round…

 

———His name.

 

I bit my lip to suppress my reaction.

 

Hard enough to draw blood.

 

‘I will endure without relying on hypnosis…!!’

 

“Hello, Pentagon Academy cadets.”

 

While the taste of blood lingered on my tongue, he slowly started to speak from the podium.

 

A delicate, melodious voice. A neutral tone.

 

Speaking fluent Korean, it was hard to believe someone with such a name could sound like this.

 

“Recalling my old days studying here, I wanted to impart some lessons to my juniors, so I visited on a whim. Thank you all for gathering here.”

 

-Glance.

 

His eyes scanned the audience and eventually landed on me.

 

I clenched my molars even harder.

 

‘Hold it in, hold it in… My wives are right beside me. Let’s not make a mistake this time. Okay?’

 

“The excellent education I received here eventually allowed me to rank at the bottom of the S-Class.”

 

Even as he continued his formal greetings.

 

Clearly trying to appeal to the media by praising Korea.

 

It was flattery enough to bring a smile to the faces of most people, except me.

 

-Grind.

 

‘I think it’s been about five years since he started as an awakened being, but his gift of gab was just as sharp back then… If I really can’t hold it in, it’ll be a disaster…!!!’

 

Only I heightened my vigilance even more.

 

The more he gained favor, the more dangerous it was for me.

 

But…

 

“I am honored to share the experiences I’ve gained as an awakened being with you all.”

 

‘It’s coming……!!!!!’

 

“Forgive me for the late introduction. I am the leader of the Vietnam Liberation Army and the 7th ranked S-Class awakened being.”

 

All my efforts crumbled under his clear smile.

 

“My name is Bojji Kkong.”

 

“———Pfft!!!!!!!!”

 

His white teeth sparkled like rice noodles.