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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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What followed happened quickly.
The villain apprehension unit arrived and took Jin Kyung-tae away. After my bloody cough subsided, I told the others I was fine and that I just wanted to go back to the dormitory, but Lilac and Professor Cathy brought me to the emergency room, telling me that I should be reasonable.
Ah, Jin Kyung-tae seemed to have something to say to me as he was being dragged away, but since he was completely restrained, including his mouth, I couldn’t hear him.
Anyway, yes.
I was hospitalized again.
Seriously, why would they bring someone to the hospital just because they coughed up some blood? Well, it seemed like they thought it was the right thing to do.
“How can he be fine after vomiting out that much blood!?”
My secret friend, as my guardian, was venting her frustration at the doctor.
Seriously, I was fine…
“Even if you say that, all his readings are normal except for slight fatigue! Perhaps it’s a side effect of overusing his talent?”
To be precise, my energy had suddenly decreased and then recovered due to my trait.
But it seemed to be a shocking revelation to Professor Cathy, who knew about the side effects of my ability.
“I-I’m really fine…”
“So-hyun, I told you not to use your talent…!”
“How could I not, in that situation?”
And could you please stop, Professor? There were other people here.
“What are you talking about? Not using his talent?”
Oh, shit.
Lilac, who insisted on coming along, asked with a serious expression.
Cathy, realizing her slip-up, covered her mouth, but it was already too late. It was as good as revealing that there was a flaw in my talent.
Not only Lilac, but also Kang Ha-ni, Yoo-na, and even the butt, who had tagged along for some reason, heard her.
The students’ faces hardened as they observed Professor Cathy’s reaction.
“It’s nothing much. My talent is Enhancement, but it consumes my energy every time I use it. It takes a long time to recover from using it, and if I overuse it, I’d overexert myself, like now.”
So I decided to tell a lie that was almost the truth.
It wasn’t energy, but innate Qi that I consumed. However, since I could recover in a day, and the total amount I had increased every time thanks to Resurrection, it could be considered almost true.
These guys would definitely become overprotective of me if I mentioned that it consumed innate Qi.
Especially Lilac.
“…So-hyun.”
But they didn’t seem to believe me.
Professor Cathy was even shedding tears, her expression clearly saying that I was lying.
“I’m telling the truth…?”
“Hey, you expect us to believe that…!”
Kang Ha-ni was about to get angry, but Lilac stopped her.
“So-hyun, is that really true?”
“Hey, Lilac…”
“That’s good. Then this won’t happen again if you don’t use your talent, right?”
“Uh… yeah, I guess…?”
His expression was a bit strange. Did he really believe it?
“I was worried because you suddenly looked so sick. The doctor said you can already be discharged, so just rest today, and I’ll see you at the academy tomorrow.”
Kang Ha-ni tried to approach me, but Lilac quickly stopped her and tried to leave.
Seriously, Lilac, Ha-ni really hated being touched. Were you going to lower your already non-existent goodwill with her here?
“Hey, let go! I’m not done with him yet!”
“Let’s go, Han-hee. So-hyun needs to rest. Let’s go cool our heads outside.”
“Let go! He’s obviously lying!”
“Professor! We’ll be going! Please take care of So-hyun! Yoo-na, please help me!”
“Okay, Lilac.”
The pink chihuahua helped Lilac. She glanced my way before leaving, but she quickly looked away as if she had nothing to say to me.
And our butt, Kim Ga-eul, hesitated for a moment, then bowed her head to me and followed the others after Lilac called her.
Finally, only my secret friend and I remained in the quiet hospital room.
“So-hyun.”
She had been calling me “So-hyun,” and not “Cadet,” ever since we left the academy.
“Yes, Professor?”
Honestly, I didn’t know what she was thinking.
She might be angry that I used my talent despite her warning, or, considering her personality, she might want to scold me for not taking care of myself.
But contrary to my expectations, she didn’t get angry.
As if to convey her feelings without words, her warm hand enveloped mine.
“So-hyun, you really resemble my younger brother. You’re the same age too.”
“…You have a younger brother?”
Of course, I knew. I also knew that he was no longer in this world, but I had to pretend I didn’t.
Kang So-hyun wouldn’t know about her family matters.
The best I could do was to look somber, sensing the sadness in her expression.
“Yes, I did. He liked helping others, just like you, and he wanted to become a hero too. I worried a lot because he was also weak. You two have a lot in common.”
“Did.”
In other words, he wasn’t here anymore.
She tried to smile, but her expression was far from happy.
“Maybe that’s why I’m more concerned about you. Actually, when you said you liked omurice, for a brief moment, I felt like my brother had come back.”
“That…”
“My brother died a few years ago, caught in a villain’s terrorist attack.”
I knew that too.
I knew that she almost broke down back then, and how much effort she had put into overcoming it and moving forward. I even knew about her backstories that weren’t included in the original story.
I was the second person who knew this world best.
So I also knew what she was about to say.
“But actually, he could have lived. Or rather, he might have lived. But he got caught in a building collapse while helping in the rescue efforts, saying heroes always arrived too late.”
Yes.
Her brother actually survived the initial terrorist attack, but he died right after because he got caught in a building collapse while helping in the rescue efforts, trying to uphold his sense of justice.
“Some praised him as a role model for heroes, and some mourned the early loss of a promising hero. The people he saved even came to thank me.”
What could I say to her that wouldn’t be deceitful?
Should I praise him as a brother to be proud of, or mourn the unfortunate accident?
No, neither was the right answer.
Setting aside deceit, she wouldn’t want to hear those words from me.
She tightened her grip on my hand, but I didn’t pull away, enduring the pain. That was the only answer I could give her.
“But my brother didn’t come back. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”
“Yes.”
She was worried about me.
That I would push myself too hard.
That I would meet the same end as her brother, trying to do more than I was capable of.
“Yes, I was really worried. But after hearing what the doctor said, I understood. It’s because of that artifact from the last time, right?”
“Yes.”
It wasn’t entirely because of the Saint’s Will, but I couldn’t explain it now.
“So-hyun, let me ask you one more thing. When you used your talent, were you certain that you would be okay thanks to the artifact?”
Of course.
I knew I would recover thanks to Resurrection, even if it consumed my innate Qi, and I was certain that the Saint’s Will would somehow alleviate the physical burden.
As I nodded, she smiled.
“Alright, then. I can’t really say anything to that. You’re trying to do what you can, and you won’t listen to me even if I told you not to do it again.”
“Aren’t you mad that I used my talent even though I promised not to?”
“I am. But So-hyun, you didn’t do it for selfish reasons. Lilac probably wouldn’t have been able to block all that poison on his own. You saved the students.”
She finally let go of my hand and gently stroked my hair.
After stroking my hair for a while, she smiled wryly.
“So-hyun, you just let me stroke your hair.”
“What?”
“My brother hated it. Or rather, he always got embarrassed when I did it. He’d then ask me how much longer was I going to treat him like a child, even though he was still a child. You two are not exactly the same. I know that, but…”
Her eyes seemed a bit sad.
“So-hyun.”
“Yes?”
“Can you call me ‘noona,’ just this once?”
I didn’t know the right answer for this.
The relationship I intended to build with her wasn’t like this, but it was too late to worry about that now.
“Don’t feel pressured. I’m not really asking you to be my brother. I just want you to call me that, just once…”
Perhaps the reason she seemed so vulnerable around me was because she had been subconsciously seeing her brother in me, and the sight of me collapsing and vomiting blood triggered memories of that day.
If that was the case, then I had done a terrible thing to her.
Thinking about Professor Cathy who must have thought she was about to lose her brother again, I couldn’t help but say it.
“…Noona.”
“…One more time.”
“Cathy noona.”
“Yes, So-hyun.”
“Thank you for saving me.”
“You’re welcome. It’s what I should do. I should be thanking you instead for doing your best to stop the incident.”
“I just went to save my friend.”
Ah, by the way, I had secretly arranged for Kim Ga-eul to send me a message asking for help.
I had her send it to random people, not just me, since she was supposed to be in a hurry.
“What you did wasn’t a small thing, So-hyun. Everyone survived thanks to you, and you came back safely as well.”
Professor Cathy removed her hand from my head and bowed to me.
“Thank you.”
I was momentarily speechless at her heartfelt gratitude.
As I remained silent, she raised her head and looked at me.
Her face seemed a bit brighter, as if she had come to terms with many things.
“But So-hyun.”
“Yes, Professor.”
“…So-hyun.”
“…Yes?”
She was looking at me with a sullen expression, as if she was dissatisfied with something.
…No way, right?
“Noona…?”
“Yes, So-hyun?”
Seriously, you said it was just once.
“I like it. Can you keep calling me ‘noona’ outside the academy?”
I don’t want to though…
I started to feel like I had made the wrong choice.
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Lilac clearly remembered the sensation from that day.
When the unstoppable fire magic engulfed him and the collapsed Cheon Yoo-hak behind him, the words that had rekindled his faltering will, and the subsequent feeling of omnipotence.
The miracle that had allowed him to draw out power beyond his level.
He could still clearly see Kang So-hyun desperately shouting at the professor, saying everyone would die if they didn’t act.
At first, he had run because So-hyun seemed so desperate, thinking he would scold him if it turned out to be a prank.
But his words turned out to be true, and thanks to him, everyone was saved.
-Don’t worry, you can block it.
Simple words, but strangely reassuring.
It felt like a reliable adult was supporting him from behind.
“…So, it seems like you catching the criminal at the entrance ceremony was thanks to So-hyun, and he collapsed afterward, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. So-hyun is the type to sacrifice himself for others, even if no one knows about it. He’s also stubborn, so he won’t answer honestly unless you keep asking him about his talent.”
Yes, through the recent incidents, that was how Lilac defined Kang So-hyun.
A man who couldn’t stand injustice, but didn’t expect anything in return. Who disliked attention, but was magnanimous enough to forgive even the classmate who bullied him.
It was somewhat different from the truth, but at least Lilac believed it.
“So, instead of pressing So-hyun, how about we secretly help him so he doesn’t have to use his talent?”
“…Hmm.”
On the other hand, Kang Ha-ni had a slightly different assessment of Kang So-hyun. She saw him as a perceptive but timid friend who was fun to tease, so her evaluation of him was naturally different from Lilac’s.
A friend who was timid, but stepped up when needed, yet still weak enough that she felt like she had to protect him.
He was more like a “younger brother” than a friend.
“Secretly helping him.”
Kang Ha-ni also thought it wasn’t a bad idea.
“That’s not bad.”
Yoo-na and Kim Ga-eul also nodded, seemingly having their own thoughts.
Kang So-hyun would only realize a bit later that a group related to him had secretly been formed without his knowledge.
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T/N – Happy New Year! 🎉 Let’s kick off 2025 with a mass release, yeah?
Well, this chapter further solidifies the similarities between Cale and So-hyun. Even the reaction of the people around them is the same. I have no problems with that though. “Trash of the Count’s Family” is a fantastic novel that I very much enjoyed reading before I stopped due to the lack of chapters.
If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.
Happy new year!!! 🎉🎉🎉
Pero donde esta Roan Miru?
Happy new year!!!