Chapter 103
Chapter 103
Chapter 103
Popular Star (1)
That night.
The trainees who returned to their dormitory were all exhausted.
This was true even for Choi Yeon-hwa, who was considered one of the stronger trainees.
“Phew… Tired, right?”
“Yeah. I feel like I’m dying.”
Although they hadn’t engaged in direct combat, they had maintained tension throughout the raid.
Moreover, the B-grade dungeon had an extremely high concentration of magical energy, so those unaccustomed to it couldn’t help but feel fatigued.
“Let’s go to sleep quickly.”
“Okay. Good night, Choi Yeon-hwa.”
“Dae-han, you too, good night.”
And so the lights went out in the dormitory, and everyone fell asleep.
-Tick, tick, tick
Past midnight.
In Choi Yeon-hwa’s room, where only the sound of the clock could be heard, rustling noises began to emerge.
“Hey. Wake up. Are you really sleeping?”
“Ah… Was today that tiring?”
“Be quiet. You’ll wake up Choi Yeon-hwa.”
Choi Yeon-hwa’s friends, who were thought to be asleep, started to get up one by one.
“Ugh. I thought I was going to die following him around all day.”
“I know, right? Isn’t Kang Hyeon a total psycho?”
“I thought about quitting several times. Shit… Geez.”
After getting dressed and going outside, they started to chat in earnest.
“By the way, remember how Choi Yeon-hwa acted cute with Kang Hyeon yesterday?”
“Ugh… that ‘Brother Kang Hyeon’ thing? It makes me want to puke. Blegh!”
“Hahaha!”
There were five people who came out.
In other words, everyone except Choi Yeon-hwa.
“Kang Hyeon. That bastard was completely losing his mind, wasn’t he?”
“Hey. Why don’t you try seducing him? He might fall for it. That guy would probably go crazy with joy, grinning like an idiot.”
“What? I don’t like men who look like barbarians. Seeing him in the dungeon today was kind of disgusting.”
“Pfft. A barbarian, she says. Haha!”
The one leading them was a man named Jeong Dae-han.
Jeong Dae-han was the only son of an elite family with a congressman father and a businesswoman mother.
“Let’s go outside for now. Who says we have to be stuck in this crappy dormitory for two weeks?”
“I know, right? If I told my dad about this, we’d automatically graduate.”
“Yeah. It’s all because Choi Yeon-hwa insisted we had to come for direct training that we’re suffering like this.”
Jeong Dae-han and the others took out cigarettes and lit them in the building corridor while chatting.
“Ah, shit. I’ve been holding back all day because of the dungeon, and now I’m having serious withdrawal symptoms.”
“Hey, want to grab a drink?”
“Should we?”
“Sehee. Call Secretary Kim.”
“Why Secretary Kim?”
“Tell him to buy some alcohol. Let’s not go to a bar, just drink outside somewhere nearby.”
“Yeah. We still have to attend training tomorrow anyway. It’ll be too tiring if we go to a room and party.”
“Fuck. All this trouble because of that bitch Choi Yeon-hwa. It still pisses me off just thinking about it.”
Their behavior was 180 degrees different from when they were with Choi Yeon-hwa.
The content of their conversation was hardly believable for students who had just turned 20.
Just as these delinquent youths were about to leave the ability user training school.
An instructor on night patrol discovered the villains.
“What’s going on there!?”
The instructor who rushed over frowned after confirming their faces.
“Trainees. What are you doing here right now?”
“…”
“I asked what you’re doing.”
“Mr. Instructor. Mind your own business and leave. Before you get hurt.”
“Do you know who we are? Don’t act up just because you have some petty position. Just pretend you didn’t see us and move along.”
The instructor, An Si-hyeong, struggled to maintain his composure in the face of Jeong Dae-han and the others rude words.
“Trainees. If you return to your dormitory now, I’ll pretend this never happened.”
“Ah… This is really pissing me off.”
But Jeong Dae-han and the others showed no signs of coming to their senses.
“This old fart doesn’t understand words!?”
Jeong Dae-han scrunched up his face and swung his fist with all his might.
-Thud!
An Si-hyeong, who was hit in the face by Jeong Dae-han, opened his eyes coldly.
“What? What are you going to do if I hit you!?”
-Thud, thud!
“I said, what are you going to do! Fuck!”
After taking several hits, An Si-hyeong finally couldn’t hold back anymore and grabbed Jeong Dae-han’s hand.
“It seems the trainees need a different kind of education.”
“What? This bastard won’t let go?”
“Let go!”
Despite Jeong Dae-han and the others desperately lunging at him, An Si-hyeong didn’t budge.
This was natural, as before becoming an instructor at the ability user training school, An Si-hyeong had been part of a dungeon raid team in a mid-tier guild.
“Then, let’s begin mental education now.”
And so, Instructor An Si-hyeong’s mental education began.
“Arghhhh!”
“Kyaaa!”
***
Ippotranslation
***
The next morning.
After working the night shift, An Si-hyeong returned to his dormitory and started exercising.
“Huff, huff!”
Once ability users reach a certain level, strength training like weightlifting becomes unnecessary.
Looking around, An Si-hyeong was the only ability user doing this kind of exercise.
But this was something he had always done even before becoming an ability user, so now it was just a ritual to start his day.
“Haah…”
After warming up for about 30 minutes and taking a shower, An Si-hyeong went to work at the ability user cultivation school.
He was a bit tired, but there was no concept of duty sleep during training, so it couldn’t be helped.
“You’re here.”
“Yeah.”
Casual greetings from colleagues.
Although it had been less than two months since he became an instructor at the school, An Si-hyeong was satisfied.
His previous guild hadn’t suited him at all.
In the guild, it was common to fight other ability users to claim territory.
Fighting and killing other ability users, that is, other people rather than monsters, was absolutely unacceptable in An Si-hyeong’s common sense.
“Ah, right… I wonder if they’re okay?”
Suddenly, he remembered last night’s incident.
The delinquent trainees.
There were always some in each class, as if by agreement, but yesterday was particularly bad.
An Si-hyeong had reluctantly used force to send them back to their dormitory.
He felt uneasy about it, but decided to think positively.
It would have been a good lesson for those naive ones too.
“Teaching Assistant An Si-hyeong!”
That’s when it happened.
Jeong Jong-ho, with a flushed face, came running urgently.
“What on earth have you done!?”
“Pardon…?”
An Si-hyeong had never seen Jeong Jong-ho so agitated before.
It was completely different from his usual demeanor as an educator, always showing gravitas and seriousness.
“Huff… What happened last night?”
“Last night….”
Only then did An Si-hyeong realize what this was about.
“Did those delinquent students file a complaint?”
“Complaint… If only it were just a complaint, that would be fortunate.”
“But I followed the proper procedures. When trainees leave the training grounds without permission or pose a threat, according to regulations…”
“The regulations aren’t important right now!”
Jeong Jong-ho shouted with fire in his eyes.
“Teaching Assistant An, do you know who those children’s parents are?”
“Excuse me…?”
“Mayor, congressman, CEO of a major corporation, director of a university hospital – they belong to the absolute elite class of Korea.”
“…”
“You beat up the children of such families. I’ve received dozens of calls from higher-ups just this morning!”
“I’m sorry…”
“Haah…”
As An Si-hyeong bowed his head in apology, Jeong Jong-ho stopped scolding him.
He knew that it wasn’t really An Si-hyeong’s fault.
“Anyway, this has gone beyond what I can handle. After this training ends, you’ll be expelled from the school.”
“But sir…!”
“Be grateful if it ends with just expulsion! And Mr. An. You should be careful personally too.”
“What do you mean?”
“This is just what I’ve heard, but… They are frightening people. Who knows what threats they might make. Be concerned for your family’s safety.”
An Si-hyeong frowned at Jeong Jong-ho’s words.
Honestly, he thought this was an overreaction to disciplining some kids.
Moreover, he hadn’t done anything wrong according to the regulations.
“I understand.”
But for now, there was nothing to gain by upsetting Jeong Jong-ho further, so he simply nodded obediently.
-Buzz, buzz!
Just then, An Si-hyeong’s pocket vibrated.
He took out his smartphone and saw ‘Mother’ written on the screen.
“You should answer it.”
“Yes. I’m sorry.”
Since his mother never usually called during his work hours, An Si-hyeong tilted his head curiously as he answered the phone.
“Hello?”
-Si-hyeong!
His mother’s voice on the phone sounded quite urgent.
“Mom?”
-Si-hyeong. What’s going on!? Who are these people? Huh?
“What are you talking about, Mom! Where are you now?”
-What’s all this commotion? Si-hyeong! Some strange people came today and are wrecking the shop, it’s chaos.
“What…?”
At that moment, An Si-hyeong’s eyes shook frantically.
-They say our shop is an illegal building and violated some sanitation law, so they’re forcibly demolishing it. The fine is something in the millions… Si-hyeong. What’s going on? Si-hyeong… Oh my!
His mother who raised him alone.
The mother who had never once uttered a complaint or dissatisfaction in her life was now crying loudly.
An Si-hyeong’s mind went blank at this unprecedented sight of his mother.
“Now do you understand the situation a bit better?”
A voice came from behind then.
As An Si-hyeong turned his head, he saw Jeong Dae-han approaching casually.
“That’s why you shouldn’t have acted up.”
“You bastard! I’ll kill you!”
In that moment, as An Si-hyeong lost his reason and tried to lunge at him, Jeong Jong-ho held him back.
“An Si-hyeong! Get a hold of yourself!”
“Argh!”
Jeong Dae-han smirked vilely at the sight.
“What? You’re going to hit me? Teaching Assistant. Can you handle the consequences?”
“Shut up!”
“This is just a little taste. Want to see what really happens when you mess with us?”
“…”
“Your mom’s got her little food stall. Your younger sibling’s working at a decent company. A big corporation, was it? Now where did I put that CEO’s number?”
An Si-hyeong’s face hardened at Jeong Dae-han’s words.
“Studying hard all their life to finally get into a big company, how would your sibling feel about getting fired for no reason? I heard their performance has been quite good, working so diligently?”
“What do you want…”
“Our Teaching Assistant. So terse now.”
“What is it… That you want…”
At An Si-hyeong’s words, Jeong Dae-han burst into laughter.
“Puhah. Hahaha! Now we’re talking, right?”
“…”
“First, come with me. My friends are waiting.”
Jeong Dae-han beckoned with his finger, wearing a shit-eating grin.
“You had your fun yesterday, right? Now it’s our turn to play.”
***
Ippotranslation
***
“Kheuk!”
“Hey. What are you doing? You can’t hit like that. You have to kick like this!”
“Khaak!”
In a secluded bathroom within the school.
Five men and women surrounding An Si-hyeong took turns kicking him.
“Mr. Teaching Assistant. You son of a bitch. Are you coming to your senses now?”
“Nngh…”
An Si-hyeong was covered in blood from head to toe.
Although An Si-hyeong was skilled and Jeong Dae-han and the others were no different from ordinary people, their brutal violence using tools was enough to bridge that gap.
“You should have just behaved from the start, right? Huh? You should have known who to mess with.”
“Huff, huff…”
“Why did you do it? Did being a measly teaching assistant at a place like this make you feel like you were something? Did you think your slave status had improved somehow? Kekeke.”
“Hah! Dae-han, you’re so good with words.”
“Hey. Wait, let’s dunk this bastard’s head in the toilet one more time. I’m not satisfied yet.”
Jeong Dae-han and the others grabbed An Si-hyeong’s head and shoved it into the toilet.
They didn’t forget to burn his neck with their cigarettes while doing so.
“Glug glug… Puahak!”
“Die! Just die already!”
“Hahaha!”
After torturing An Si-hyeong like that for quite a while, Jeong Dae-han and his friends lit up cigarettes.
“Phew, even this is getting tiring.”
“Hey. Let’s wrap this up and go.”
“Yeah.”
The students opened their pants, leaving An Si-hyeong completely exhausted and unable to even lift his head.
“For the finale, let’s sprinkle some holy water?”
“Keke. I don’t think I can pee anymore after going earlier.”
“If you force it, it’ll come out. You bastard.”
Just as they were snickering like that, it happened.
“What are you guys doing?”