Chapter 22 Not Hiding Spoilers (1)

 

S-Class Rank 7. Bojji Kkong.

 

The guy who made me burst into laughter in zero to a hundred milliseconds as soon as he appeared in the game.

 

…Honestly, there was nothing strange about his name.

 

His last name was ‘Bo,’ his middle name ‘Jji,’ and his given name ‘Kkong.’

 

If you break it down, they are all common names in Vietnam.

 

They didn’t usually use full names, so they usually called him Kkong.

 

No, it wasn’t just not strange, it was actually a very good name.

 

Bojji Kkong was the name of a Vietnamese independence activist who served as the president of the country.

 

In Korea, it would be comparable to the esteemed status of Dosan Ahn Chang-ho.

 

His name was given by his father with the hope that he would become a great person like him.

 

‘Moreover, he’s considered a great person in Vietnam.’

 

In accordance with his name, his deeds were truly remarkable.

 

Currently, the Vietnamese government was in ruins due to the Class 0 villain, ‘Necromancer.’

 

He was the leader of the ‘Vietnam Liberation Army’ aiming to overthrow the Necromancer.

 

His frequent travels abroad and earning foreign currency by dealing with gates in other countries were all for the sake of restoring peace in Vietnam.

 

In other words, he was a hero fighting for his country.

 

No matter how foreign he was, it was not something to be laughed at just because his name was funny.

 

​

 

It shouldn’t be, but…

 

“I’m Bojji Kkong. Please call me Kkong.”

 

“———Pfft!!!!!”

 

‘How can I hold this in, seriously!!’

 

I mean, how can someone’s name be Bojji Kkong?

 

At first, I thought the game developer hated Vietnamese people.

 

I was surprised to find out it was a real name.

 

Because of that, in the first playthrough, I bled every time because of it.

 

He was also an S-Class, and the only other male among the S-Classes, so we became friends.

 

No matter how used to it I got, one mention of his full name ‘Bojji Kkong’ and I would burst out laughing.

 

​

 

He even found my reactions amusing and laughed.

 

If I hypnotized myself to get through it, he would provoke me by saying, ‘You’re such a weakling.’

 

I was so pissed off that I tried to endure it without hypnosis, but…

 

Even biting my lips until they bled or clenching my hands until my nails dug in didn’t help.

 

His name itself was optimized for assassination.

 

“Yu, Yu-jin…? Are you okay?!”

 

Alice’s worried gaze fell on me.

 

Being a foreigner, she seemed unaware of the reason for my reaction.

 

On the other hand,

 

“…You idiot.”

 

‘Sorry, Shia!!’

 

Shia, who easily guessed what I reacted to, turned her head with a red face.

 

Lastly.

 

-Heh.

 

“It’s a bit of a funny name to Koreans, haha.”

 

‘Sorry, my friend!! I tried to hold it in, but I couldn’t!!’

 

As always in the first playthrough, he laughed it off, saying it was understandable.

 

He was such a kind guy, which made me feel twice as guilty.

 

‘But seriously, how can someone’s name be Bojji Kkong?’

 

“Pfft, ugh…!!”

 

“Yu-jin, are you hurt…? Should I get you a pine needle eye drop?”

 

“Just leave that idiot alone, Alice. Really. He’s not a kindergartener laughing at fart noises.”

 

“Wait, wait, wait…!!!?”

 

“…Don’t get the wrong idea, you crazy pervert!!!”

 

Thanks to that, the lecture started off chaotically.

 

* * *

 

S-Class Rank 7, Bojji Kkong.

 

Visiting Korea, he kept watching Yu-jin during the lecture.

 

His eyes were full of goodwill.

 

‘Laughing at my name. He has a bit of a matching sense of humor.’

 

Hadn’t he obtained the awakened status in Korea?

 

He was well aware that his full name sounded a bit embarrassing to Koreans.

 

And, he didn’t particularly dislike how his name sounded.

 

He found it amusing, thinking he could joke about it with same-s*x friends in Korea.

 

But…

 

He never had such an opportunity.

 

‘During my cadet days and even now, I’ve never made a single close same-s*x friend.’

 

Cadet days?

 

With an awakened gender ratio of 1 to 9, he was always surrounded by women.

 

In the end, over four years, I hadn’t made a single friend with whom I could laugh and chat about these lowbrow topics.

 

After my debut as an awakened one?

 

I rolled around trying to normalize my homeland, which had become a villain’s paradise, and before I knew it, I was called an S-rank.

 

As an S-rank ranked 7th and treated as a hero, no one laughed upon hearing my name.

 

In the end, I was surrounded by female friends and colleagues.

 

“It’s true that I prefer being around women rather than men… but I still need a friend to open my heart to. Someone to have a bowl of soup and a glass of soju with. That kind of friend.”

 

Because of that, I continued to yearn.

 

For someone on my level, with similar tastes, to appear.

 

So we could open up to each other.

 

That’s why I looked at Yu-jin with such a favorable eye.

 

“Even if he’s called the next S-rank or whatever, he’s still a cadet now. Instead of being scared of me, he laughs? Yeah, that’s how a man should be.”

 

“It might sound a bit funny to Koreans. Haha.”

 

He even made a joke to lighten the mood in case it got too serious.

 

After that, he skillfully led the lecture.

 

He praised Korea, shared stories the cadets would like, and informed them about the status of awakened ones from various countries.

 

Thanks to that, the lecture time promised to the Chairman quickly ended.

 

“I’ll wrap up the lecture here. And… Seo Yu-jin? Could you talk to me for a moment?”

 

“Let’s see if you and I actually get along.”

 

With the lecture over, it was time to fulfill his purpose for coming to Korea.

 

He called Yu-jin immediately.

 

Without considering how it would look to others.

 

– Murmurs.

 

“What the, an active S-rank wants to see him personally…?”

 

“S-rank recognizing another S-rank, something like that?”

 

“Amazing…!!!”

 

All the cadets’ eyes were on Yu-jin.

 

Even some professors looked at him with envy.

 

Yu-jin himself didn’t think much of it.

 

“Shia, Alice. I’ll be back in a bit.”

 

“Yu-jin is amazing!! See you later!”

 

“And don’t smile foolishly again. It’s rude.”

 

“…….”

 

“I can’t help that.”

 

Leaving behind his wives from the previous life, Yu-jin slowly moved forward.

 

With everyone’s eyes on the two men…

 

Suddenly, Kkong.’s eyes quickly scanned somewhere.

 

“Hmm. We could talk here, but….”

 

– Glance.

 

“We’d get killed for that.”

 

“There are too many eyes here. Shall we go somewhere else?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Thanks to Kkong. being cautious of someone’s gaze, the conversation between the current S-rank and the next S-rank ended up being private.

 

Ignoring the disappointed sighs filling the auditorium, the two men naturally headed to the faculty office.

 

As a result, three people entered the empty faculty office.

 

Kkong. and Yu-jin. And,

 

– Creak.

 

“……?”

 

“Who’s this? A secretary? Is he the type to bring one along?”

 

For some reason, a woman wearing a suspicious-looking robe stood there.

 

Her face was barely visible, but Yu-jin didn’t pay much attention.

 

He figured there was no way Kkong. would bring along someone inappropriate. He just assumed she was a secretary or aide.

 

Feeling at ease, Yu-jin sprawled out on the sofa.

 

Comfortably, like he would with a friend.

 

– Flop.

 

“I heard from the Chairman. You’re interested in my abilities.”

 

“Even when alone, he’s this relaxed? Ho, confidence is good.”

 

“Yes… Ahem. I heard you’ll become an S-rank soon after graduation. Let’s drop the formalities, Yu-jin.”

 

“Oh, okay. Then I’ll call you Kkong..”

 

“Still so easy-going~.”

 

They quickly became informal with each other.

 

For Kkong., it was his first meeting with Yu-jin today, but for Yu-jin, Kkong. was a friend of almost ten years.

 

A smile appeared on Kkong.’s lips.

 

“Pfft. Who drops formalities just because they’re told to? Huh. Absurd.”

 

“Whoops? Did I go too far….”

 

“I like it very much! Haha!”

 

He liked it so much that he even dropped his formal, customer-service smile and burst into laughter.

 

– Snicker.

 

“It’s nice to see you laugh. Maybe I’ll have a bowl of soup and a glass of soju with you tonight.”

 

“So, what’s the matter? If you flew straight from Vietnam, it must be quite urgent.”

 

“Oh, right. That was the original purpose.”

 

However, his expression quickly returned to its original state.

 

Why had he sought out Yu-jin?

 

Wasn’t it because he judged that Yu-jin’s hypnosis was necessary for the Vietnam Liberation Army?

 

He hadn’t visited for the trivial purpose of finding a friend.

 

It took just one second for the one who was happy to meet a compatible friend to transform back into the S-rank awakened one, the 7th rank, and Vietnam’s hero.

 

-Swish.

 

“Awakened one Seo Yu-jin. I know it’s impolite to ask detailed questions about your ability….”

 

“Hey, hey. Feel free to ask. My ability doesn’t really have any weaknesses, so it’s okay.”

 

“Then I’ll ask without reservation. Is it possible to rehabilitate a villain?”

 

“Impossible. They break free too easily. It’s easier to just kill them.”

 

“As expected. There’s no way those bastards would become sane just from hypnosis.”

 

The first question: the possibility of rehabilitating villains.

 

A resolute denial came back, but Kkong. didn’t mind.

 

He knew well that villains were fundamentally irredeemable trash.

 

“Then, here’s the main issue. We captured a first-class villain on our liberation side. He was an aide to a necromancer.”

 

“Oh, really? You managed to catch him.”

 

“……Thanks to one of our comrades sacrificing themselves, barely.”

 

Regret flickered in Kkong.’s eyes.

 

He thought of ‘Nguyen Xuan Tien,’ a B-rank awakened one who had died gloriously for their homeland, someone even his unique abilities couldn’t save.

 

-Grit.

 

“We can’t let her sacrifice be in vain, so we want to extract information about the necromancer somehow.”

 

“And that’s why you sought me out?”

 

“Yeah. We administered a truth serum and subjected him to horrific torture, but he still wouldn’t talk.”

 

Kkong.’s gaze turned back to Yu-jin.

 

Unlike before, it was filled with clear expectations.

 

“So I’ll ask you. Yu-jin, can you interrogate a first-class villain, an A-rank lieutenant-level awakened one, with your hypnosis?”

 

“Oh, yeah. With the truth serum, it’s definitely possible.”

 

“………!!!!!”

 

His eyes widened.

 

No matter what, Yu-jin was still a cadet, so a part of him had resigned to the possibility it might not work.

 

But it could really work.

 

“…Really?”

 

“Yeah, really. If I fail, I’ll eat pho with cilantro for three meals a day.”

 

“What the heck. No, that’s not important. Then right away…!!!”

 

Kkong. stood up excitedly.

 

In his mind, he thought, ‘Nguyen Xuan Tien, your sacrifice was not in vain!!’

 

———But even he had something he hadn’t anticipated.

 

“Calm down and sit, Kkong..”

 

“No, we can’t afford to waste any time! Immediately.”

 

“I’ve also been interested in the necromancer and looked into various things.”

 

“……What?”

 

Sitting in front of him was not just a cadet with hypnosis abilities…

 

But someone who had experienced transmigration and regression.

 

A self-proclaimed second-time hypnotic hybrid uncle.

 

“My friend, I’m sorry for laughing at your name. As an apology….”

 

“Where shall we start with her weaknesses?”

 

“I’ll spoil the ups and downs of her life for you.”