The Tough Guy Hides the Villainess

005 – Night on the D Line

005 – Night on the D Line

“Leap and appraisal are different attributes. An impossible combination. What on earth happened to you?”

The half-bald manager asked me.

What happened? You must be curious.

In fact, they don’t know that my second ability, appraisal (鑑定), wasn’t something I awakened myself but was bestowed upon me by Seo Ga-eul.

Isn’t it an amazing ability?

I wanted to praise Seo Ga-eul right away, but I remembered that Seo Ga-eul had kept it a secret that he could transfer his abilities to others.

‘There was a good reason for that.’

There was a traitor to humanity in this world, and that guy had scared Seo Ga-eul’s stomach, putting his life in danger.

If I told the truth, I might be dealt with by that traitor. So I decided to make something up for now.

“Mr. Bald Manager, you know one thing but not the other.”

“B…Bald what? And what don’t I know?”

“Leap. Doesn’t it feel like more than just jumping, but advancing to a new realm? Since I possess the concept of leap, it’s entirely possible for me to leap to a new realm that hasn’t been seen before.”

There’s a saying about the Dragon Gate.

A carp leaps over a steep cliff to become a dragon and eventually ascends.

In other words, leap implies not just jumping but encompassing a completely new change.

“Thinking of it that way makes it easier to understand, right?”

“It’s not entirely nonsensical.”

The manager’s face showed concern.

The few remaining hairs might fall out even more.

There was a bit of a commotion, but the admission process ended like that.

“Now, where should I go?”

“Classes A to C are general education classes. And those who have awakened a concept like you usually go to special classes D or F, but you probably belong in class D. Third-year class D.”

At the mention of class D, everyone had a meaningful smile.

# # #

The class DI was going to enter was said to be a special class.

Like a class for gifted students or a college prep class.

In other words, it’s a place only for the chosen ones.

“Not surprising at all.”

In the first place, I may have the face of a high school senior, but inside, I was a young man who had long passed twenty.

It goes without saying that I am superior to my peers.

8:40 AM.

Before the first period started at 9, I entered Class D’s classroom, and all eyes turned to me.

The gazes brushing past my uniform and face were quite piercing.

“Who is that?”

“That uniform… I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere.”

“Is he a transfer student to Class D?”

Thanks to my appraisal ability, I could read the interest and curiosity in everyone’s eyes.

At least it wasn’t rejection or hatred.

So, where’s an empty seat?

Can I just sit anywhere?

As I was looking around with such thoughts, I made eye contact with someone.

“Ah! You!”

A girl who was greatly flustered.

I was flustered too.

It was almost unfair.

“What the… it’s you, Butt! Seriously, a bad connection. A bad connection! Are you following me? Are you a stalker?”

“Butt? Stalker?”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

The students murmured.

In Baek Yeoul’s case, her face turned red, and she didn’t know what to do.

“Butt…”

Just in time, the seat next to Baek Yeoul was empty, so I quickly sat there.

The very back seat. Lucky me. I won’t get caught sleeping during class.

The only regret is that Seo Gaul is not here? I thought Seo Gaul would naturally be in this special class, but it seems he is in Class F, not Class D.

“Hey, I’m not Butt, I’m Baek Yeoul!”

“Baek Yeoul?”

“Not winter, Yeoul… Anyway, Han Namjin! How are you here! This is the special class!”

Baek Yeoul asked me.

There was a large bandage on his forehead, as if he had hit something hard. I decided to give him a simple answer before he got any louder.

“Well, it’s because I’m special, so I’m in the special class, right?”

“……”

Baek Yeoul, who was silent like a mute who had eaten honey.

My words contained such an undeniable truth that he couldn’t refute it. It was actually me who had questions.

Why is this butt-head in the special class?

“Butt-head, now that I see, you have some concept too.”

From noble mtl dot com

“Of course!”

“So, what kind of ability do you have?”

“Me? I am, uh….”

Baek Yeoul stuttered like a broken robot, clearly flustered. Twisting his short bobbed hair with his fingers, it was obvious he had a tic.

「Name: Baek Yeoul

Status: 《Embarrassment》 – Extremely embarrassed!」

A person with a concept is very special, so what could he be embarrassed about?

Well, does he have a concept he can’t tell others about?

“Why are you hesitating? Did you develop a concept like ‘hairless’ because you hated growing armpit hair after puberty?”

“…N-no!”

Swoosh-.

At that moment, someone approached me.

“I heard from the homeroom teacher that a transfer student was coming, so it’s you? I’m Jung Eui-sun, the class president of Class D. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.”

He was tall and handsome.

Damn, why is he so good-looking?

He extended his hand, and I firmly grasped it without backing down.

“I’m Han Nam-jin.”

“I have something to ask you. Is that school uniform from Yeongmun High School?”

“Oh, how did you know?”

“I thought so. If I hadn’t come to this stage, I was planning to go to Yeongmun High School too. Both my mom and dad are alumni. Nam-jin, you must have been really good at studying?”

“Hehehe, among middle school graduates, I’m probably the smartest.”

“Middle school graduate…. Aren’t we all middle school graduates? High school students are originally all middle school graduates.”

When the class president laughed heartily, the girls who were watching us also giggled.

If I wanted to make a woman laugh, I’d have to pull all sorts of ridiculous stunts, and even then, she might barely crack a smile.

The laughter of a handsome man is so unfair.

Damn this filthy world, I wish it would just end!

But fortunately, this world was destined to end exactly one year later.

Even this guy, Jeong Eui-seon, would be nothing more than an ordinary person in a ruined world.

Because I had never heard of the name Jeong Eui-seon before.

This guy probably failed to be called a “supernova” or a hero and ended up as a dropout.

Thinking that made me feel a bit sorry for him.

“Anyway, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me anytime.”

Smile-.

The handsome man smiled at me refreshingly. Honestly, he was nice to look at because he was so good-looking.

He seemed to have a good personality too. In many ways, he resembled me. It wouldn’t be wrong to say we were kindred spirits.

“You said you’re the class president, right? Then let me ask you one thing. Is there a Seo Ga-eul in this school? I guess she’s not in our class.”

“Seo Ga-eul?”

The class president’s brow furrowed slightly.

Normally, it would have been hard to notice such a small change, like the back leg of an ant, but thanks to ’emotion,’ I could read that subtle wrinkle.

Understanding its meaning was another matter.

Just then, ding-dong-dang-dong—the bell rang.

“Everyone, be quiet. Let’s get some ventilation in here.”

Soon, a man with one eye covered by an eye patch entered the classroom and tapped the podium. He looked to be in his late twenties to mid-thirties.

The uniform he was wearing had three diamonds embedded in it, making it look like a captain’s insignia.

“Today, we have a transfer student, but since it seems like you’ve already talked among yourselves, let’s skip the introduction. You know we have a debate class this morning, right? Arrange your desks in a circle.”

Debate class?

Studying at school was incredibly annoying.

What am I doing here right now?

I need to meet Seo Ga-eul as soon as possible.

As I was thinking that, someone nudged my side.

It was Baek Yeoul.

“Hey, do you think you can meet Seo Ga-eul? Dream on!”

“Why not?”

“You really don’t seem to know anything. Did you see the brooch on the chest of the class president who talked to you earlier? The one that looks like a knight chess piece. That’s the knight’s mark.”

Come to think of it, there was indeed a gold brooch shaped like a knight’s head on the left chest of the class president, like a medal. I thought it was just a decoration, but it seems to have a meaning.

“It’s a mark that only students with good grades and achievements among the concept owners can get. If you compare it to the Middle Ages, it’s like a knighthood. You have to accumulate reward points to get it.”

Aha, the knight’s head brooch is a badge that signifies an excellent student.

Suddenly, I became curious about Baek Yeoul’s chest.

Swoosh-.

It wasn’t very noticeable because of the uniform-like school uniform, but Baek Yeoul’s chest was quite large.

Her face was also pretty.

If a girl like her was sitting next to you, most male students would be thrilled and their hearts would race, right?

If the light called ‘Seo Gaul’ wasn’t shining brightly in my heart, I would have been happy too.

“Yeah, I’m a pawn.”

Swoosh-. Baek Yeoul proudly thrust out her chest.

Pawn. Cell phone?

Is she still thinking about the broken cell phone? No, it’s not that, it’s that the brooch on her chest looks like a pawn on a chessboard.

“If you’re a pawn, then in Janggi (Korean chess), you’re a soldier. Is that something to be proud of?”

“Hey, it’s hard to get this ‘pawn’ too, you know? Only students in the special class can wear it!”

“Then I’m a pawn too.”

“Probably. We’re the same lowly pawns. Pawn, knight, queen. Just because we’re on the same chessboard doesn’t mean we’re the same pieces. The difference between you and Seo Gaul is huge. I mentioned reward points earlier, right?”

“The ones you can use to buy the knight’s head brooch?”

“Yeah. Besides that brooch, you can use reward points to get assigned to a special room in the dormitory or receive selected meals. You can also take special lectures. Seo Gaul only takes those special lectures.”

“Hey! Over there! Stop talking!”

Huff-.

When Baek Yeoul closed her mouth and buried her head in the book, I realized why this Yeongsa High School is called “Stage.”

This place was like a chessboard.

It looks flat and equal, but there are clearly statuses and ranks. The structure where those with many reward points become the rulers.

If you compare these reward points to money, status, and power, doesn’t it seem like a microcosm of society?

“So, what about it?”

“What?”

“Hey, you idiot. You don’t seem to know anything. As long as we’re on the same stage, even a pawn can capture a queen.”

“No, a pawn is a Janggi piece and a queen is a chess piece, so they can’t capture each other, right?”

“Hey! I told you not to make noise! ​​Ha, these guys. Hanamjin. You seem very excited right after transferring. Come out! You are one of the representatives for this debate! The topic is written in front, so check it! “

「On the Retention of the Death Penalty」

“This is quite a serious and profound topic.”

“You are special. So, soon you will take on important roles as leaders all over this country. Therefore, it is essential to have experience discussing and debating complex and sensitive topics. Now, Hanamjin. You can directly point out your opponent for this debate.”

As I walked to the podium and looked at the classroom, I saw unfamiliar faces.

Baek Yeoul, who hid his head with a hiccup when our eyes met.

I thought about calling him, but it seemed like it would be one-sided bullying, so I gave up the idea.

“The only person I know since I transferred is the class president.”

“The class president?”

“With Uiseon?”

“You’re going to debate with Uiseon?”

The classroom buzzed.

Did I choose someone I shouldn’t have?

Soon, the one-eyed homeroom teacher laughed heartily as if genuinely pleased.

“Hanamjin. If you can debate with the class president and get votes during the final vote, I will give you ten thousand points per vote. By the way, you know that receiving points increases benefits, right? Each point is worth one won in cash.”

Already a chance to earn points? Even ten thousand won per vote? Isn’t this too lucky?

If I earn points, it will be easier to create a connection by attending the special lecture that Seo Ga-eul listens to.

“Well, let’s give it a try.”

After all, a high school-level debate is just middle school territory.

On the other hand, I was an adult who had been through all sorts of experiences.

Class president, I have no ill will towards you, but I will finish you off within five minutes.