Chapter 47. The Truth About the Rumor

***

“…Student Han Chunsung.”

Seeing Kali answer blankly, I felt swept up in the atmosphere.

There was absolutely no need for Kali to look for magic engineering items, yet I was quietly accepting it.

“I’m sorry, Instructor. We didn’t come to the training room to train, did we?”

“Ah, ah. That’s right. Yes… I was distracted. I’m sorry.”

Kali laughed awkwardly, clearly flustered. Even that seemed very unnatural.

It was as if my words shouldn’t have flustered Kali to this extent.

Still, clearing up the misunderstanding was the priority, so we needed to talk.

Click.

As Kali approached me again with awkward steps, I took a calm breath and opened my mouth.

“Things have become complicated, but first, the rumors circulating about me are all untrue.”

More than anything else, I needed to clarify the truth about the rumors first.

“What do you mean they’re untrue?”

“The rumors about me liking Luna or confessing to her. Or any rumors related to Luna and me. Those rumors are all false.”

“All of them are lies…”

“Yes. They’re all lies. I don’t like Luna. It’s true that I dueled with Luna yesterday. But it seems there was a misunderstanding between us during that process. A really strange misunderstanding that made Luna think I liked her.”

“……”

As she seemed greatly surprised and couldn’t continue speaking, I finally felt a bit relieved.

Honestly, I was really surprised that Kali apologized, but this matter shouldn’t have escalated to this extent in the first place.

I had intended to let it pass lightly, thinking that even if false rumors spread, they would die down in a few days, but I had no choice but to clarify it properly to Kali.

Of course, it would have been best to openly clarify it in front of other students too. But at that time, there wasn’t even a chance to speak, and it wouldn’t have meant much to deny it belatedly.

The scariest thing about rumors.

It’s that once a rumor spreads, even if it’s not true, what matters is that many people have encountered it that way.

Even if I explained later, it wouldn’t have much significance anymore.

‘And now I shouldn’t feel wronged either.’

I clearly felt Luna glancing at me throughout today’s lecture.

It wasn’t my imagination, I saw Luna looking at me several times as if she was sorry. Once I realized this, I had to make the most of the rumor.

Rumors spread by misunderstanding can’t be controlled. It’s like water already spilled, so rather than trying to scoop it back up, it’s better to turn it into a kind of debt.

‘I’ll manage to get treatment from Luna somehow.’

After being put through this much, even if something happens to me, Luna won’t be able to turn her back on me.

Rather, I intended to use this as leverage to bind Luna strongly to me.

So that if I get hurt, she would have no choice but to heal me.

“Student Han Chunsung. Is all of that… really true? No, since Student Han Chunsung said it himself, it must be true… Then what have I…”

As Kali looked extremely confused, I nodded lightly.

“It was all a result of misunderstanding. Neither you nor I are at fault, Instructor. Of course, I didn’t expect you to speak to me like that in the classroom…”

As I looked at her as if slightly disappointed, Kali visibly panicked.

“I, I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry, what should I do? Then I really… did something foolish.”

“It’s okay now, Instructor. Instead, if I may, I have one request.”

“A request? Well, I’ll listen to it first. Since I made such a big mistake. As long as it’s not an unreasonable request, I’d like to grant it if possible.”

As she repeatedly apologized and met my gaze… suddenly, Kali looked cute.

‘…She’s five years older than me.’

It hadn’t even been an hour since she showed such a cold attitude in the classroom. But now, her fidgeting appearance, wanting to compensate me somehow, was such a big change that it was hard to believe she was the same person as then.

Nevertheless, I opened my mouth very carefully.

“My request is none other than to use your personal training room… twice a week. Yes, just twice. If you allow it, I’ll always ask for permission before using the training room in the future.”

I conveyed a calm yet serious tone, while also expressing strong determination.

Although it was an incident caused by rumors stemming from Luna’s misunderstanding, and my heart was greatly shaken, as a result, I had now gained a ‘great opportunity’.

A great opportunity to boldly request the use of the training room.

“My personal training room…”

Kali didn’t answer immediately.

As her gaze turned to the various magic engineering items inside, I understood.

Magic engineering items can’t be bought no matter how much money one has. They are treated as treasures among treasures.

Even for Kali, who is called an ‘axis of the empire’, they are only given on a loan basis. Their value is immeasurable.

It wouldn’t be easy to let a mere student freely access a space containing such treasures.

Yet, I needed this space.

To move forward without falling behind other students, if I could just use the magic engineering items, I wouldn’t fall behind them.

‘Maybe I could even move forward faster.’

As I met her gaze with desperation, Kali slowly nodded.

“Thank you so much!”

At that moment, a sense of elation welled up in my chest.

“…There’s no need to be that grateful. I made such a big mistake towards Student Han Chunsung after all.”

“I gained so much from training in this space. That moment has been unforgettable for days… I wanted to come back to this space somehow.”

As I conveyed my inner feelings, I couldn’t stop smiling.

Turning a crisis into an opportunity. Is there anyone more fitting for that saying than me?

Today was truly a great crisis for me, and I even worried that my relationship with Kali might be completely severed.

But now. I not only recovered my relationship with her but even gained permission to use the training room.

“Student Han Chunsung wants to be in this training room… because of the magic engineering items, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. The tangible effect when I used Elimian’s Consideration last time was too good.”

“I thought so too. I figured Student Han Chunsung would be like that…”

As Kali smiled faintly and muttered to herself, I was suddenly puzzled.

‘Did Kali already anticipate that I would request the training room?’

As I was thinking this.

Kali suddenly moved to one side of the training room.

And just like a few days ago, she picked up a pair of shimmering earrings set with rubies and approached me, making my heart flutter involuntarily.

But that flutter was brief. I remembered my schedule for today.

“Um, Instructor Kali?”

“Yes?”

“…I have a separate appointment today, so I won’t be able to train right away. I really appreciate your consideration.”

“Ah… I see. I’m sorry, I got ahead of myself again.”

“No. I’m just grateful that you’ve shown me such kindness. And I know that even when you got angry with me today, it was all because you cared.”

As I spoke lightly now, Kali hesitated but then smiled awkwardly.

“…I still feel really sorry about that when I think about it again.”

“No. It’s okay. I tend not to dwell much on past events.”

As I answered, I felt almost no resentment now.

ㅡDon’t dwell on past events. Don’t regret or hold onto lingering attachments.

It was like a kind of creed in my life.

Because no matter how much you dwell on or hold onto the past, it doesn’t change. Rather, the more you look back on the past, the weaker your heart becomes and the more foolishly you act.

…At least that was how it was for me. I didn’t want to be like that anymore.

As I thought about this, I realized it was time to go.

“Then I’ll be going now. Thank you again for the training room.”

“Alright. I’m really sorry about today.”

“It’s really okay now.”

Step.

As I turned to leave, I felt a bit of regret in my heart.

The misunderstanding was cleared up, and if we had continued training with Kali like this, it would have been good training. But I had a prior appointment with Grecia today.

The appointment time was 2 PM. If I ate lunch late and headed to the park, it would be tight.

Click.

***

Click.

As Han Chunsung left the training room like that, Kali, left alone, stood still in that spot for a while.

Standing there with a blank gaze, she looked as if a storm had just passed.

“…”

Even as I spoke to Student Han Chunsung, even as I answered, my heart kept wavering strangely.

It kept surging like great waves crashing into my chest, not calming down.

Moreover, when I realized that I had done something ridiculous due to a misunderstanding. I felt so light-headed that I wanted to hide my body in a hole if there was one.

“It’s a relief… that it turned out well.”

Even as I spoke, I felt drained of energy.

The time spent with Student Han Chunsung was short, but it shook my heart intensely.

…Looking back, it was really just foolish things.

I made a big mistake towards Student Han Chunsung, and I apologized for it. And Student Han Chunsung graciously accepted my apology. That’s all.

“It’s strange.”

The more I thought about it, Student Han Chunsung seemed mature for his age.

Mentally… he felt definitely different from other students.

Other students probably wouldn’t have accepted it so easily. It wouldn’t have been strange if they still held negative feelings towards me.

“Twice a week, he said.”

Even Student Han Chunsung’s request wasn’t as unreasonable as I had thought. Honestly, when he first said he had a request… I involuntarily had strange thoughts.

Whoosh.

As I shook my head, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“What on earth was I thinking…”

Although I had some strange thoughts, Student Han Chunsung’s request was rational and quite admirable.

Wanting to use the training room to move forward.

But that excitement was brief. I remembered my schedule for today.

The hair brushing against my face felt ticklish today.

I unconsciously brought my hand to my cheek.

‘It’s hot.’

It wasn’t just my cheeks that were hot. My whole body felt flushed and light-headed.

That hot sensation that usually can only be felt after hours of training was strangely filling my body.

“I must have been… really embarrassed too.”

I laughed awkwardly, thinking that my body might be heated due to embarrassment.

Well, I showed too many sides that I shouldn’t have shown to Student Han Chunsung today.

Without any dignity, authority, or prestige as an instructor… I only showed countless foolish sides.

Even if I wasn’t an instructor, wouldn’t I have looked quite pathetic in Student Han Chunsung’s eyes?

I misunderstood baseless rumors as truth, made assumptions, and foolishly got angry. More than that, despite being older, I wasn’t mature in any way.

Then suddenly, I felt puzzled.

“Why… am I thinking like this?”

It felt like my thoughts kept deviating from the main point.

Student Han Chunsung and I… were just instructor and student.

Yet my thoughts kept going beyond that, as if feeling something else…

“…”

As I shook my head, my gaze suddenly went to my hand.

The pair of ruby earrings I had picked up to put on Student Han Chunsung directly.

I gently brought Elimian’s Consideration to my ears.

“I should focus on training today.”

Training was the answer when my mind was this full of distracting thoughts.

Just as Student Han Chunsung burned with determination in the training room last time, I too needed to focus on training and move forward.

If even the student is trying to develop like that, I, as an instructor, couldn’t remain stagnant.

…

Click.

Having put on Elimian’s Consideration, Kali entered into her own training with extreme limitations.

ㅡ! ㅡㅡㅡ!!

Her true face, which she hadn’t shown in the previous duel with Han Chunsung, was revealed.

How strong and destructive her Talent “Oscillation”, belonging to the supernatural category, was.

Boom!

As she kept unleashing her power in the specially designed training room.

Kali was completely unaware.

Even in this moment of focusing intently on training, erasing distracting thoughts…

Of the fact that she was thinking of ‘Han Chunsung’.