35 – My Own Villain (7)
“Oh? Are you pissed off again when you think about it?”
While sitting on the bench and playing a mobile game, Kang Taehoon suddenly raised his head.
He remembered what happened this morning.
“Why do I have to beg for an evaluation match by going to find Arna?”
Being someone from Daekang Yoon Group, to lower his head to someone else. This is the first time in such a situation.
Normally, shouldn’t they come and say, “Please have an evaluation match with me,” without me having to ask?
What’s even funnier is that even though Kang Taehoon himself stepped forward, Arna continuously refused the evaluation match. What was the reason again? Ah, it was just because of preparing for the midterms.
Why does Arna dare to reject this proposal from Kang Taehoon, who, despite having only one top title, has no particularly outstanding background?
The more he thinks about it, the more irritated he becomes. A guy who is nothing special dares to ignore and talk down to me. He should know his place.
“This damn annoying son of a b*tch…!”
Kang Tae-hoon threw the smartphone he had been holding onto the dirt floor.
Thud─!
This time, the sound was quite loud. The screen was probably shattered by default.
“Oh my. How could you? You’ve ruined yet another phone for no reason.”
On a dark night, a female student entered the outdoor training ground. Once again, it was Baek Joo-hee.
Baek Joo-hee picked up the smartphone that had fallen on the ground and held it out to Kang Tae-hoon.
“Here, take it.”
“….”
However, Kang Tae-hoon did not take the smartphone. He stared at Baek Joo-hee with narrowed eyes without accepting it.
“Who do you think you are, acting all friendly with me?”
“Ugh, seriously! It’s Baek Joo-hee! Remember to fix your face! How many times do I have to tell you!”
“Oh, it was Baek Joo-hee. Sorry.”
Only then did Kang Tae-hoon take the smartphone. The impact seemed to have reached the inside of the phone as it didn’t turn on. It was definitely broken.
“So, the evaluation match didn’t happen in the end?”
“Are you here to make fun of me?”
“No way. How could I dare do that to you? I’d get scolded again.”
Right. Originally, that’s how it should be. You should know your place and stay away from others’ business.
“But do we really have to participate in the evaluation match? Even if you win there, it doesn’t guarantee becoming the top student.”
“What…?”
Above all, Kang Tae-hoon is still in the first year due to returning to school recently. He’s in a different grade than Arna. That’s the point.
Even if he wins in the evaluation match, it doesn’t mean he can surpass Arna and become the top student.
“So, I can’t become the top student…?”
“Because you and Arna are in different grades!”
In addition, the result of the evaluation match alone does not determine the top student position. It should include all regular exams and training scores.
Of course, Kang Tae-hoon was completely unaware of these facts.
“This darn…!”
“Did you really think you could pull Arna down and become the top student… for no reason at all…?”
“….”
Baek Joo-hee was bewildered. How could there be such a fool? It’s curious how he even got admitted as the second-place student.
“Well, you still can’t become the top student in the first year, right…?”
“This C-rank bastard is out of his mind! Arna isn’t even a first-year!”
Kang Tae-hoon, who had already fixated on Arna’s existence, pushed Arna aside and took the top spot. That was the only scenario he had in mind when he came here.
“Oh well, what now?”
“Fine. Whether it’s the top spot or whatever, I don’t care anymore.”
If he couldn’t compete with Arna for the top spot, the evaluation battles were meaningless. It was time to change goals.
Kang Tae-hoon rose from the bench.
“Just step on that spot the moment you see it. I was irritated even without that.”
From Noble mtl dot com
His anger towards Arna had reached its peak. Arna, who had been ignored every time he applied for an evaluation battle with good intentions. Kang Tae-hoon’s pride wouldn’t allow it.
Now, the evaluation battle didn’t matter anymore. Regardless of the location, the moment he met Arna, he could draw his sword.
He would resolve it in Kang Tae-hoon’s way.
“Wait. What if you get disciplined again? If you cause trouble again, it’s almost certain to be severe punishment.”
This time, he could barely escape the disciplinary action thanks to his father. If he caused another incident, he wouldn’t be able to rely on his father anymore.
He wouldn’t be allowed back into the school.
But.
“What does this school mean that I have to grovel here? Can’t you see I need money now?”
Kang Tae-hoon’s immediate emotions took precedence. Breaking something seemed like the only way to relieve this frustration. Whatever happened afterward didn’t matter.
“So, are you really going to confront Arna tomorrow?”
“Yeah.”
“Instead of that, how about leaving this one to me?”
“What?”
Kang Tae-hoon doubted his ears for a moment. What did he just hear? Baek Ju-hee would go against Arna? The barely C-rank?
“You’re out of your mind.”
“I won’t deny that. But even someone like me has a way to make things difficult for Arna.”
Baek Ju-hee confidently spoke, chest puffed out.
Where did he find the confidence to be so bold? He was against the top-ranking student in the senior year. It wouldn’t be just a joke.
“Alright. Let’s hear what that method is for now.”
Kang Tae-hoon, looking quite interested, crossed his legs and decided to listen to Baek Ju-hee’s words.
***
The midterm exam season arrived at Hanyul Military Academy. Like most universities, each lecture required its own exam.
The exam formats varied. There were common written exams where you just sat and answered questions, and practical exams where you physically demonstrated your skills.
In my case, while written exams were somewhat manageable, practical exams were simply impossible. My back was in bad shape.
So this time, I reached an agreement with the officials to take a make-up exam in the future instead of missing the practical exam. They all understood my situation.
However.
There was an instructor who didn’t bat an eye even when seeing my unfortunate back…
“There are no make-up exams. Self-care can also be considered as part of the exam. The practical exam will proceed as scheduled. Make sure you understand.”
This Kim Dong-hak did not just let it slide.
It meant that I had to choose between participating in the practical exam with a damaged back or not participating and receiving an F. This damn authority figure.
Obviously, my back was far more important than an exam. I could always retake the exam or cover it later.
But my back was different. I couldn’t sacrifice my precious back just for one midterm exam. My back is something that lasts a lifetime.
Here, it would be the right path to think about the future and give up on the exam, but…
That doesn’t mean I should just accept an F like this.
So, I decided to prepare my own method. On the day of the exam, Kim Dong-hak wouldn’t be able to move a muscle.
…
…
And so, the day of the exam arrived.
I wore a white patient gown and covered my face with a mask and sunglasses.
And finally…
Click. Click.
I even prepared the chairman’s wheelchair for a court appearance. I wheeled the wheelchair all the way to Kim Dong-hak with great effort.
“Cough, cough… I’m dying…!”
“You must be extremely desperate to avoid the exam. Where did you even get that wheelchair?”
For your information, I borrowed the wheelchair from the medical hospital. I asked Choi So-min for a favor, and she prepared it right away.
“Although I’m in a wheelchair… I still managed to come all the way here according to the instructor’s instructions… Please let me take the exam as well…”
….
Kim Dong-hak looked at me with eyes filled with pity. And reluctantly sighed.
“Phew. You’re the first one I’ve seen who brought a wheelchair and staged a protest. Fine, I give up. Shin Yoon-seong, come and take the make-up exam later.”
In the end, it was only Kim Dong-hak who stood in front of the wheelchair. If I were to bring the wheelchair into the exam room, it would only cause trouble for other students. Kim Dong-hak knew that too.
Anyway, the operation was a success.
“But instead, you can supervise the scene next to me during this exam.”
“Yes, understood.”
Being called a site supervisor is nothing special. It’s just sitting in the control room, monitoring the exam room through CCTV. You could think of it as roughly being a safety guard.
“Alright, let’s begin the mid-term exams for the first semester. Take your positions.”
Kim Dong-hak held the prepared microphone and addressed the students.
The students gathered in the waiting room, each holding their weapons, headed towards the designated gate. It was the door leading to the underground training ground.
“The exam topic is simple. Find the brooches hidden throughout the mock dungeon. The exam time is a total of 3 hours. If you find the brooch within that time, you pass.”
Without going into complicated explanations, just think of it as a treasure hunt. The only difference is that the location is a dungeon. Various training monsters and traps are waiting for the students.
Click. Click.
I quickly rolled my wheelchair towards Arna. There was something I needed to tell her before the exam started.
“Arna.”
“Huh? When did you get here? More importantly, what’s with the wheelchair…?”
It was a reaction similar to Kim Dong-hak’s earlier. Arna also looked at me with eyes that said how pathetic it was when she saw the wheelchair.
Ignoring it, I spoke to Arna.
“Be more careful than usual in this exam.”
“What? Why are you suddenly saying that? Be careful…”
“Just know that and be cautious.”
“…”
Arna pursed her lips and made a slightly chubby expression. In that state, she asked me a question.
“You know, I’ve been curious for a while. Why do you keep doing things you didn’t do before these days…?”
“Things I didn’t do before?”
“Yeah. Whenever Kang Tae-hoon approaches, you appear like a ghost and embrace me… And today, you came all the way to the exam room, worrying about everything…”
From Arna’s perspective, it might seem quite strange. I had only tormented her until now, and suddenly I was pretending to be good.
I had no choice. Kang Tae-hoon is a guy whose actions and intentions can’t be predicted. It’s necessary to keep him away from Arna.
And in a case like today…
─── Quest ───
: The Lone Villain
: Prove to Arna that you are the only villain.
* Time until Quest start: 02:00:00
───
This quest suddenly appeared out of the blue.
It seemed to be related to Arna in some way, so I just wanted to give her a little warning.
There was no particular meaning.
“Really… It’s just making unnecessary misunderstandings…”
Though it seemed like Arna was interpreting it differently.