Global Awakening: Only I Can Respawn

Chapter 24: Seeds Of Mistrust (2)

Hoon lay there, stunned, but only for a moment. He quickly recovered and started yelling as if YuWon had hit him without reason.

"Fuck! Someone throw this maniac out of here!" he yelled, acting his part excellently.

Hoon's command was all the crowd needed to hear. They immediately forgot about what Hoon had said and turned their anger toward YuWon. Within moments people began shouting that YuWon to leave the auditorium.

Their reaction pleased YuWon, and he knew he made the right choice by killing Jaehwan. They were all like him and soon they would suffer like him too.

"I didn't want to stay here anyway," YuWon shrugged and turned to leave.

At this moment, Yeji hesitated and raised her hand to stop YuWon from leaving. She wanted to call out to YuWon, to ask him to stay, but Hoon grabbed her hand, using it to help himself stand.

However, what YuWon saw was different. Yeji was helping the guy who talked ill of his father. At that moment, what little good he thought about her evaporated.

But an idea hit him. So, he turned around and walked back to them.

"By the way, Hoon," he said. "It's not cool to steal someone's phone and plant fake evidence on it. Not everyone is as lenient as me, you know."

The crowd fell silent, unsure of what YuWon was talking about. They wondered if the things with monsters had made him crazy and he was spouting nonsense.

But Hoon's reaction starkly contrasted with the crowds. Upon hearing YuWon's words, his face paled, his eyes widening in fear. He knew exactly what YuWon meant, but he couldn't figure out how YuWon had found out.

For a moment, Hoon's gaze landed on Suhyun. Just like him, she too was shocked and shook her head when she noticed Hoon looking at her.

If it wasn't her, then... was it Jaehwan who told him?

YuWon, noticing Hoon's panic, smirked and leaned in close, so only he could hear him.

"Don't worry," YuWon whispered coldly. "You'll join him soon enough."

After saying his piece, YuWon turned to leave. But then suddenly Hoon yelled at the top of his lungs.

"You killed Jaehwan!?"

Hoon's plan succeeded. Now everyone's eyes were back on YuWon. But he did not know just how badly his plan was about to backfire.

YuWon, maintaining his smile, turned and said, "Have you gone mad?"

YuWon didn't care how much Hoon wanted to yell, and neither did he care about those who didn't trust him. So, there was nothing left to say and YuWon wanted to leave, but Hoon wasn't done yet.

"You can't leave, murderer!" Hoon yelled, grabbing YuWon's shoulder and yanking him back.

But YuWon wasn't scared or worried. Instead, he was pissed and forced Hoon's hand off his shoulder.

"First you framed me as a pervert, now you're calling me a murderer," he said with a smirk. "What will you accuse me of next? Being your father?"

Everyone gasped upon hearing YuWon's words, and some even laughed. He might have had his problems, but everyone enjoyed seeing the mighty Hoon get rebuked once in a while.

Meanwhile, Hoon's face turned red with anger. But before he could say anything, YuWon whispered, "It hurts, right? Joking about someone's father?"

"You bastard!" Hoon yelled. "I'm going to rip that dirty mouth of yours apart!"

YuWon, however, ignored the outburst and turned to everyone else.

"Do you all not know about the rule?" he asked.

Everyone looked confused about what rule. YuWon looked at Hoon and shook his head.

"You didn't tell them? Some leader you are." YuWon then faced the crowd again and said. "You can't kill other participants without dying yourselves."

People began murmuring among themselves. Fear of death was the primary reason they all submitted to Hoon and his lackeys. They knew Hoon and his gang were the strongest and didn't want to go against them.

But now that they knew the truth, the people began wondering if Hoon deserved their respect or not. After sowing the seeds of mistrust, YuWon smiled inwardly.

He had made up the part about dying after killing someone, knowing no one would dare try to prove him otherwise. Meanwhile, Hoon shook with rage.

Of course, he knew about the stupid rule. He had received a warning himself before, but most of the others didn't know about it. Gritting his teeth, he wondered if there was a way out of the mess.

Just then, a woman stepped forward. It was their social studies professor, a stern-looking woman with sharp eyes and an equally sharp attitude. When she raised her hand, everyone turned quiet.

"I can clear up any confusion about YuWon being a killer," she said. "I can detect lies as part of my abilities."

YuWon smiled inwardly, knowing that Hoon's plan was about to crumble. But Hoon's face turned pale, like he had just seen a ghost. He hadn't expected the professor to get involved, and now he was in trouble.

His expression said it all. Had she known about her before, he would have killed her in one way or the other. But now, it was too late.

The professor walked up to YuWon and offered her hand to him. YuWon didn't hesitate and placed his hands on her. The professor closed her eyes before asking the question.

"Did you kill Jaehwan as Hoon claims?"

"No," he replied firmly.

A soft green light appeared over the professor's head before the professor opened her eyes. She looked at him and then nodded before turning to face the others.

"YuWon is telling the truth," she announced.

Yeji, Soo-Ah, and Min-Joon all sighed in relief. Somewhere in their hearts, they had the doubt whether he did what Hoon claimed. Since his name was cleared, there was no need for them to worry anymore.

However, the show wasn't over yet.

Just as the professor was about to step back, YuWon stopped her.

"Excuse me, Professor," YuWon said politely, "but your job isn't over yet."

Everyone was confused, but Hoon's alarmed eyes revealed his concern. It didn't require a rocket scientist to know where the situation was headed, and it wasn't a place Hoon wanted to go.

The professor looked at YuWon and then back at Hoon as she hesitated. She had only intended to help YuWon clear his name and not get involved in whatever personal issues were between him and Hoon. But it seemed impossible now.

Watching her hesitate, YuWon pressed on. "Can you ask Hoon something for me?"

The professor looked uncertain. Getting on Hoon's wrong side was the last thing she wanted. After all, he was their leader, and crossing him might not end well for her.

She was about to shake her head and refuse citing cooldowns and other bullshit reasons, when YuWon added something that put her in a difficult position.

"Of course you won't," YuWon scoffed. "All the trials and tribulations are reserved for me, right? Everyone else is holier than thou."

Upon hearing his words, the professor bit her lips. Unfortunately, the crowd watching YuWon's retort wanted to know where he was going with the play. After all, it was rare for a sheep to growl like a wolf, and they all wanted to see if the wolf could bite.

The professor realized she couldn't back down now without looking like she was playing favorites.

So, with a sigh, she asked, "What do you want me to ask him?"

YuWon smiled as his gaze shifted to Hoon, who was visibly nervous.

"Ask Hoon if it was me who took Yeji's photos last year."