Chapter 258
The pressure is starting to get to him.
There were a lot of times when the resident crazy-head is completely silent and absent-minded in the classroom, which sparked concern from the kind-hearted Class Zero kids.
They actually thought Hwang Jiho might have acquired bipolar disorder.
During breaks, Hwang Jiho sat silently as he pressed on his temples.
“…Are you okay?”
Hani hesitated to ask Hwang Jiho, but she did because the latter’s appearance was very concerning.
When Hani initiated to talk to him, Hwang Jiho’s eyes sparkled as if they were a light bulb.
“Hahaha! Of course! I didn’t know my best friend is so sweet!”
Hani immediately regretted talking to him.
Hwang Jiho smiled and acted close to Hani, and she quickly turned away to avoid hearing any more nonsense from him.
Song Daesok, who seemed to be paying close attention to the two, muttered something to himself again.
“I couldn’t get the hang of it because that crazyhead looked so haggard lately… But if he’s referring to her as his best friend…”
I heard that Song Daesok was also busy working at the research institute.
He does all of his reports during afternoon classes, and I’m worried that he might be too stressed out.
It can’t be helped since my playable character is very competent, but I at least wanted him to enjoy his high school life.
“Oh, Geurin appeared in an article!”
“What? Where!?”
Song Daesok immediately snapped out of his monologue and ran toward Saeum of April.
He was sitting in one corner on his own, but he moved at lightning speed toward Saeum.
I felt relieved that Song Daesok was still physically healthy even though he has a lot of work.
Saeum of April floated a hologram so that the headline could be seen well.
[Playlist Dokgo Miro’s Death Match Performance, Stage Design Done by Prodigy Min Geurin.]
Kwon Lena grasped the situation from the headline.
“Oh right, the stage was clearly filmed in the other videos. Since it is well-known that Miro is in Year One Class Zero, I think people guessed that Geurin designed the stage.”
Thanks to the testimonies of other Eungwang High students, everyone knew that Dokgo Miro sang several versions of the song during the busking session that day.
I uploaded all the videos that I took because everyone pleaded to release those other versions.
The videos were uploaded to a channel recently launched by Dokgo Miro, and all of them were well-received.
Dokgo Miro was the center of attention, but as more videos were uploaded, more and more people noticed the other elements.
It seems that Min Geurin’s existence was finally uncovered.
“What happened to the stage decorations we used that day?”
“I heard the people in the art department took it with them… they decided who would take it home by lottery system.”
“Oh…”
Worried about malicious comments, the other kids checked the comment section first on behalf of Min Geurin and Song Daesok.
Song Daesok didn’t want to check the comments, afraid that he would go crazy if he sees one bad comment toward Min Geurin.
Fortunately, there were none.
When we confirmed that it would be okay to read the comments, Daesok and Geurin checked them out.
There weren’t really a lot of comments, and about 10 of them were displayed at the top.
[Why doesn’t she make art?]
Min Geurin muttered something after reading the comment.
“Make art…”
Min Geurin never took a break from painting.
She didn’t have access to quality materials when she wasn’t in school yet, but she never let go of her paint brush.
She just stopped showing her paintings to the world.
Kim Yuri quickly changed the subject when she sensed that Geurin might be uncomfortable.
“Hmm… Oh right, there’s going to be an autumn special dessert at MITRON soon!”
“Wow, really?”
“Yep, the patisserie there originally specialize in winter dessert, so the menu actually becomes more diverse as the weather gets colder.”
As soon as the topic changed, Saeum and Hani immediately became enthusiastic.
Min Guerin, who read all the comments, looked lost in thought, but the atmosphere didn’t look too dark.
* * *
Weekend, at Hwangmyeong Mansion.
I was spacing out in the living room before I came back to my senses.
“…You finally got a grip on yourself.”
In front of me, the 5,000 year-old was in his elementary student form as he looked at me with a pathetic face.
The Red Tiger and White Tiger were in the room too.
And in my arms, I held the recently-groomed Olmu.
‘Oh, I was distracted while I was complimenting Olmu.’
Tigers shed their hair twice during March and September, and it’s actually quite similar to dogs.
I don’t know if Olmu’s appearance matches his nature.
It was actually the White Tiger who helped groom Olmu.
Fluffy Olmu was cute, but the trimmed Olmu was perfect.
“You’re spacing out again. Pay attention.”
The choding Hwang Jiho held out an ice cream crepe toward me.
Usually, I would’ve ignored it, but when I saw Hwang JIho’s small hands, I was compelled to accept the offer.
‘It’s delicious.’
The combination of orange syrup, white chocolate, and vanilla ice cream was exquisite.
The young-looking Hwang Jiho was already on his second ice cream crepe.
“You look tired. Are you done with the investigations on the elementary school now?”
“It will be over soon. The work is almost done there. I’ve caught all the garbage teachers that I could weave through. The society will destroy that homeroom teacher in a month or so, and then I’m handing him over to Hyangrok. Just in time, he asked me for more human lab rats.”
The elementary school student wiped off ice cream from the edge of his mouth as he said those harsh words.
It was like a tiger rolling its prey on the ground for fun.
Red Tiger looked satisfied with what Hwang Jiho said, knowing that the people who abused Hani before are now suffering.
He wasn’t willing to make that happen himself.
The White Tiger didn’t say anything as usual, but he looked like he was in a good mood.
“The problem I have now is school work. I didn’t know that the transfer process between schools specializing in proficiency would be so difficult.”
“Eungwang High School had a lot of transferees. My son looked very busy too.”
“It’s difficult, but I also encountered some strange things. I wondered if that kind of thing happens in Eungwang High too.”
Hwang Jiho’s words reminded me of something I have heard before.
The day after saving Maeng Hyodon, Hwang Jiho said something as he waited at the Class Zero classroom.
— Did you know that Choi Pyeondeuk was in charge of the committee for promoting the China-Korea-Japan Youth Player Exchange Exhibition? He tried to thwart it. We need to start over again from the planning stage.
Secluding Eungwang High would only benefit the Black Screen.
The scenario that caused the collapse of PMH’s concrete layer was not a spontaneous event.
Rather, it was caused by built up things caused by the Black Screen.
A few moments later, the Red Tiger briefed on his recent activities.
Most of the teachers who disappeared and were found in sewers seemed to be caused by Blue Tiger’s disciples.
“After seeing that homeroom teacher breakdown, I will go through the transfer process. That’ll give you some leeway.”
Hwang Jiho was still eating his ice cream crepe when he looked at me.
“Jo Euishin. Do you know Jeon Muyeong?”
A random question.
Of course, I know my playable character.
I met him personally in this world too.
“Yeah.”
“How do you know each other? It’s been a long time since Jeon Muyeong graduated from Eungwang High.”
“I saw him when I went to have a meal with Sung Siwan sunbaenim. And we ran into each other in Hongcheon last time.”
“I see.”
Hwang Jiho’s eyes sparkled ominously.
I don’t know why his aura remains the same even if he looks younger.
It’s a pity that I can’t refer to him as a damned old man when he looks like a kid.
“Jeon Muyeong recently infiltrated the classroom in Gwangil Elementary School where I am staying.”
The senior aide to a congressman infiltrating an elementary school classroom?
Did Sung Gukeon order it because he thought there was something suspicious about the incidents with the teachers?
No, I’m sure that Jeon Muyeong went there for Sung Gukeon.
I’m also sure that my playable character would’ve felt a big wave of shame.
“When Jeon Muyeong realized that I could detect his presence, he immediately hid himself with some sort of skill.”
I don’t think this is a good situation.
I wanted to change the subject, but it was too late.
“It’s the same skill that you used.”
All the tigers in the living room stared at me.
* * *
Yeom Junyeol looked satisfied after he read the reviews about Playlist.
He was worried about how the public would react to the program which aimed to make players’ dreams come true.
There was a lot of negativity in the beginning, but the controversy ended as talented players showed great performances and the show’s rating increased.
In addition, he was relieved that his Eungwang High junior was finally showing a good performance.
“Hello, sunbaenim!”
Before the filming started, DOkgo Miro greeted him brightly.
Even though he was using “Stifling the Presence”, this talented hoobae would often find Yeom Junyeol and greet him.
Yeom Junyeol’s recent goal now was to trick the eyes of Dokgo Miro.
“Uhm… Thank you so much for introducing me to my classmates. If you hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t have been able to get the help that I needed for the death match challenge.”
Dokgo Miro checked that their surroundings were clear before whispering to Yeom Junyeol.
Since the announcement of the death match results, Dokgo Miro couldn’t get a chance to thank Yeom Junyeol in person.
“Well, it wasn’t my idea for you to film the busking video.”
“No! I wouldn’t even know their names if it weren’t for you, sunbaenim. I don’t know any one of them, except for my elementary school classmate.”
Yeom Junyeol and Dokgo Miro briefly talked about the Class Zero kids.
Yeom Junyeol was relieved that Dokgo Miro seemed to fit well with her classmates.
Most of all, he was relieved to see Dokgo Miro looking more upbeat.
“You look very nervous every time there’s a camera around, but I think you’re okay now. You looked comfortable during the last broadcast.”
“Ah… Honestly, I’m a bit scared of cameras. I’m still like that now, but…”
“You don’t need to tell me if you’re not comfortable talking about it.”
“No, I’m going to get over it someday anyway. It doesn’t matter.”
Dokgo Miro was awkward, but she was honest.
She expected that her camera phobia would be very obvious to the public due to changes in her attitude in front and behind of the camera.
It’s also possible that the kids who bullied her in elementary school would reveal it.
She had decided that it would be better to tell everyone around her in advance before it gets revealed unnaturally.
“You looked alright in the busking video though.”
“Hahaha… Honestly, I wasn’t alright at that time. The filming was made possible that time because some skill or some light skill tricked my senses.”
“Tricked your senses?”
Yeom Junyeol looked surprised.
As someone who always discovers Yeom Junyeol even when he tries to kill his presence, Dokgo Miro had very sharp senses.
Some people from the Dragon Clan can also detect Yeom Junyeol sometimes, but Dokgo Miro has done it every time without fail.
Because of that, Yeom Junyeol was surprised to hear that something deceived her senses.
“Can I ask who filmed that video?”
Dokgo Miro contemplated for a moment.
Jo Euishin didn’t really try to hide the fact that he was the one who filmed the video.
Everyone who watched the performance that day saw Jo Euishin holding the camera, so Dokgo Miro judged that it was okay to reveal it.
“The vice president filmed it.”
“Vice president? You mean Euishin?”
“Yes. He deceived everyone in our class.”
Yeom Junyeol recalled the kids who belonged to Class Zero.
He knows that there was a very powerful person of royal lineage in that class.
According to Yong Jegun, this hoobae of his was from the mythical Tiger Clan.
‘That person is Chairman Lee of the Tiger Clan. Euishin deceived Chairman Lee’s senses too?’
Yeom Junyeol recalled the image of Jo Euishin delivering a checkmate with his cold hands.
He smiled as he was once again impressed with his teacher.
‘My teacher is also very capable of hiding his presence.’
He recalled the Red Wall Thief who has the ability to suddenly disappear like the wind.