I Became the Terminally Ill Character in My Friend’s Academy Novel – Chapter 11

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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Well, honestly, I underestimated the meeting.

I mean, wasn’t it just a father wanting to see his son out of concern? How much preparation did I need to do for that?

I thought it would be a formal greeting, a few words of encouragement, and then we’d part ways.

So I figured he’d visit while I was working out, but I never dreamed it would happen as soon as I woke up.

“I’ve come to escort you.”

A white-haired butler exuding the dignity of a seasoned veteran stood in front of my dorm room.

Although he hadn’t escaped the passage of time, he didn’t give off the impression of being decrepit. He still had a refined aura despite his age.

The problem was that I wasn’t alone in the room.

Kang Ha-ni who was in the same room, looked back and forth between the butler and me with a dumbfounded expression.

This was so embarrassing.

The butler bowed to me at almost a right angle and showed no sign of getting up no matter how long I waited.

“Uh, yes, I understand.”

I answered just in case, and he finally straightened up as if he had been waiting for my reply.

What the hell was this?

If this was a strategy to make his son so embarrassed that he’d quit the academy, I’d call him a genius.

Well, I guess a family like this could have a butler.

Kang So-hyun’s father was a villain who tried to shake the academy with money in the early part of the story, which meant he was incredibly rich.

Weren’t transmigrators usually poor?

“Master is waiting. Let’s go.”

“Yes, sir.”

I would have fainted if there had been a limousine in front of the dormitory, but thankfully, it was just a regular car.

But surprisingly, there was a separate chauffeur, and the butler sat in the back seat with me and wasn’t the one driving himself.

It was incredibly awkward.

“Excuse me, Butler?”

“…Yes?”

What the hell?

Why was he so surprised when I just called him?

He was staring at me wide-eyed as if he had seen something strange.

“Butler” was a normal title, wasn’t it?

What did I usually call him?

“No, it’s just, it’s been a while, and I’ve shown you an unseemly side of myself.”

Was Kang So-hyun, the character modeled after me, such a delinquent that he mistreated not only his family but also the servants?

There was no such setting in the settings book.

Well, Kang So-hyun’s settings were sparse.

I only heard that he was based on me, and the only things clearly written on the settings book were his simple background and abilities, so it wasn’t strange if there were things I didn’t know.

After a long drive, we arrived at a very classy restaurant.

It was a high-end place where it didn’t seem appropriate to enter without showering or while in a school uniform.

“Excuse me.”

“Master has reserved the entire restaurant, so it should be fine.”

Wow, this butler was a telepath.

I couldn’t ask if I could take a shower since he had reserved the whole place, and besides, I was a little scared that he might actually let me shower if I asked.

I just went inside, and as expected, there was only one person sitting at a table.

So-hyun’s jet-black hair, rarer than blonde hair in this world, seemed to be inherited from his father.

He looked at me as I approached.

He was a man who resembled me, or rather, Kang So-hyun, with black hair and red eyes, but he had a completely different aura.

His well-built physique, tall stature, and sharp, sword-like aura gave the impression that he was a very strong hero.

They said that heroes aged slower as their level increased. He looked more like an older brother than a father.

“Hello, it’s been a while.”

I greeted him casually.

A look of surprise flickered across his previously expressionless face.

So-hyun, what kind of life did you live, you bastard?

Why was everyone surprised whenever I greeted them?

“Come to think of it, you called your sister ‘noona.’ You also called Butler Shuken ‘Butler.’”

His voice was icy.

What the hell? Was he actually a vampire?

No, more importantly, Butler, you already snitched?

“Sit down first. Let’s have a light breakfast.”

“Yes.”

After finishing the soup that was served as an appetizer and enduring the awkward atmosphere, he looked at me.

“You ate the soup quickly.”

What was he trying to say? Was he criticizing his son for his lack of manners after meeting him for the first time in a while?

Sorry, but I already received plenty of that back in the orphanage.

It wouldn’t work on me.

“The last time I saw you, you were screaming because you couldn’t swallow anything with chunks in it.”

Ah, I see.

But me…? Really…?

This kid was really weak.

“I’m not sure.”

“What?”

“I’m not sure if you’ve become more comfortable because you’ve decided to treat us as strangers, or if you’ve forgiven us a little.”

He was direct and sharp, just like his appearance.

I wasn’t sure, but he seemed to have a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

This question was originally meant for Kang So-hyun, who should have already died.

And it wasn’t something I could answer carelessly.

It was a question I shouldn’t answer until I’ve figured out what had happened between them and Kang So-hyun, and why their relationship was so strained.

So I decided to put it on hold.

“I don’t know.”

“…What?”

“I don’t know my own feelings. So I’ll think about it after I become a hero.”

I would look into things and make a careful decision later.

“You still want to become a hero. I see.”

He seemed to be convincing himself as he bowed his head.

“Yes.”

“Alright, if that’s what you want, I won’t stop you. You look healthier than the last time I saw you, which is good.”

I didn’t just look healthier, I actually became healthier.

5kg dumbbells were no longer a match for me.

And the main dish that came out was a bit puzzling.

I had another clear soup-like thing while he had roast beef.

What the hell?

Was this a new kind of discrimination?

Was this why he became twisted?

Actually, I could understand it. A kid who couldn’t even eat soup with chunks in it couldn’t possibly eat roast beef.

But that was the old, weak Kang So-hyun. The current Kang So-hyun MK.2 was different.

A body that always exercised needed protein.

And a delicious, savory sauce.

“Um, Father, why are you the only one eating meat?”

A strong wave of emotion crossed his usually calm face.

Was that the expression of someone who had received too much information at once?

“You want to eat meat? No, wait, did you just call me ‘Father’?”

He seemed flustered, but he put a piece of meat on my plate as if testing me, and so I ate it.

Oh, the expensive roast beef literally melted right in my mouth.

I’m sorry, Professor Cathy. My tongue has become something that couldn’t be satisfied with omurice anymore…!

After that, I received an allowance.

There were families that gave an allowance if you ate your meat well…?

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Kang Hyun-woo.

The owner of Yoo-sung Group, one of the top five conglomerates in South Korea, and a B-rank hero, was so overwhelmed by the day’s events that he threw himself onto his bed as soon as he got home.

It was surprising that his rebellious son had returned to his former self overnight, and that his son, who couldn’t even swallow thin soup due to his weak constitution, was now eating meat. But the most surprising thing was what his son had called him.

-Father.

When was the last time he had been called “Father” by his son?

Actually, when his daughter told him that his son had called her “Noona,” he thought she had finally lost her mind.

Since that day, his son had never smiled warmly at his family or servants, nor had he called anyone by name.

-Why did you do that?

The image of the child glaring at them with a cold voice, unbelievable for a young child, was still vivid in his mind.

-Who are you to do this?
-Did I ask you to save me? Why are you doing this when I’m trying to use my own power?
-Bring my mother back.
-Bring her back…!

After a long tantrum, the boy had cried and screamed those words.

The images flashing through his mind were interrupted by the voice of his daughter, who had returned home.

“Dad.”

“Oh, you’re back.”

“You met So-hyun…?”

“Yes.”

“How was it, seeing him in person? Will he be alright without a doctor on standby? Does he still scream and shout like before?”

“He’s fine. Thankfully, he doesn’t do that anymore. He looks healthier than when he was at home.”

“What…? How is that possible?”

Come to think of it, she had been too surprised to ask before.

Even specialist superhuman doctors said the penalty of his ability was incurable, so how could he have gotten healthier?

“I don’t know either.”

His words, saying that he didn’t know if he could forgive them, lingered in his heart.

He thought of his son who should have arrived at the academy by now.

He was strangely curious about what he was doing and how he had become healthier, but they were still too distant to casually call each other for the moment.

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As soon as I arrived back in my room, I was bombarded with questions from Kang Ha-ni, who, for some reason, hadn’t gone out and was waiting for me.

“Hey, were you a young master?”

“No.”

“No? But a butler came to escort you, didn’t he?”

Seriously, you weren’t the type to get close to people.

Why were you acting like this all of a sudden?

“No, I’m just being friendly. I also have a lot of burdensome people at home.”

Ah, right.

She was also from a swordsmanship clan.

And their family traditions were even stricter and crazier than his.

“We have the same last name, Kang, and we both have black hair. We have more in common than I thought.”

Again, in this world, blonde hair was more common than black hair in Korea.

Kang Ha-ni said that with a subtle smile on her cool face.

Since the person I had just met had an icy expression, almost like a vampire, even that subtle smile felt quite obvious.

“As expected, I think we’ll get along well.”

Surprisingly, she offered me a handshake.

Although she was wearing gloves, it was still truly surprising.

No, wait, strictly speaking, she disliked being touched, but she did shake hands later on in the story.

She smiled as I took her hand.

Anyway, it seemed like I wasn’t hated enough to be suddenly stabbed.

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That night.

As I was lying in bed while staring at my smartphone, I saw some very unpleasant news.

“I see, so that’s why it felt like a strange main quest.”

This wasn’t a world where a simple, slightly complicated family story could be called a main quest.

The number one search term on the search portal was none other than “Terrorist Choi In-ho Escapes,” and all the news was about Choi In-ho escaping prison with the help of an accomplice.

So the family incident and the main quest just happened to overlap, and the real deal was the latter.

“Shiiiit…”

I had coincidentally reformed one villain, and in return, the earlier villain I thought I had gotten rid of came back.

It was incredibly frustrating, but it was still fine.

Even that bastard wouldn’t be stupid enough to rush to the academy without his magic tools right after escaping prison.

Choi In-ho without magic tools was just a slightly stronger small fry.

Yes, he was stronger than me.

But he was at the level where Cheon Yoo-hak could easily handle him, so how could he get past the professors?

Still, it was best to be thorough.

It would be good to prevent him from approaching the academy again, so I set my first target.

The traitor inside the academy, Choi In-ho’s accomplice.

I should find and deal with that bastard as soon as school started.

“Of course, to do that, I need to train my body first.”

There were about two weeks left.

There was nothing for me to fear since I’ve already conquered the 10kg dumbbells.

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T/N – Well, the family drama was a lot less messy than I thought. I prefer it that way though. But the villain who got punked in the story’s first event escaped prison like a cockroach. I don’t know why, but I assumed he got sliced in two by Lilac when the latter got boosted by the MC to slash through the Hellfire spell. I guess that would have been too easy.

If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.