I Became the Terminally Ill Character in My Friend’s Academy Novel – Chapter 45

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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“You loser. You’ve never had a girl make you something like a meal before, have you!?”

Before the morning assembly, Kim Ga-eul, who had barged into our classroom as usual, gave me something that looked like a lunchbox with a confident attitude resembling Jeom-soon offering spring potatoes*.

Unless Kim Ga-eul suddenly held a grudge against me and was going to commit a terrorist attack with a lunchbox bomb, the contents were probably a lunch set.

The classic touch of bandages on her hand seemed to show that she had worked hard to make it clumsily, which was quite the plus.

But Ga-eul, I’m sorry. Even though she was still disguised as a boy, I had already eaten a meal that a girl had made for me just this morning.

“Why a lunchbox all of a sudden? Did you make it yourself?”

“I recently learned a simple recipe at the cooking club and tried making it as a test, but I think I made too much.”

She glanced at me, smiling while maintaining a somewhat forceful attitude.

“Isn’t it common in manhwas that losers like you get lunchboxes made by girls from other classes? Right?”

It was at this point where I could clearly see how she viewed me.

But it was true.

It would have been even better if the person who made it had the childhood friend attributes, but going that far was too greedy.

“Wow, Kang So-hyun is getting lunch boxes from girls in other classes, you’re quite popular, huh?”

“Oh, Ga-eul is being very proactive. So-hyun, does that mean you two are eating together today?”

Kang Ha-ni and Lilac approached us one after the other while teasing me playfully.

Their smirking expressions clearly showed that they wanted to tease me, but how old did they think I was to be embarrassed by something like this?

“…Shut up.”

That was right. I was pretty embarrassed. For an outsider who had never experienced this kind of sweet and youthful atmosphere, the air of these bright insiders was almost like poison.

“Hey guys, So-hyun is embarrassed. Stop teasing him.”

“Hey! If you say it out loud like that, what will happen to So-hyun? Lilac, you’re a real villain, even though you don’t look like it.”

“Loser, are you embarrassed? Hehe. You like it because a pretty girl made you a lunchbox!”

Even if the others were like that, the fact that Lilac, with his unusually handsome face, was pretending to stop them while grinning was quite annoying to me.

Lilac. You’re the worst, you bastard.

But, you guys missed something.

“But I have plans for lunchtime today though?”

That was right. I didn’t want to say it because it seemed like I would ruin the mood, but I had a prior engagement for lunch today.

As soon as I finished speaking, Kim Ga-eul, who had been grinning, looked crestfallen.

Not only Kim Ga-eul, but even Lilac, who had been setting up the mood, also became crestfallen.

No, why are you sad as well? More importantly, I had a prior engagement, so what was I supposed to do?

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In the end, only after making a bizarre promise to eat lunch with her twice could I send Kim Ga-eul back to her class.

To be honest, I originally had no intention of getting into this kind of relationship with Kim Ga-eul.

I thought that if I just made sure she didn’t die, she would either stick with Lilac or keep clinging to Cheon Yoo-hak.

“Well, this is the fate of a transmigrator protagonist, isn’t it?”

In web novels, being entangled with characters you never intended to be involved with in an unwanted direction was the fate of those who had transmigrated.

“If she said she liked me, maybe it would be like that, but that’s not the case here, right?”

Right before going back to her class today, Kim Ga-eul briefly stopped and looked at Cheon Yoo-hak.

Hmm, I think she might have feelings for me, but does she still like Cheon Yoo-hak too?

It wasn’t like people’s feelings were neatly organized.

Or maybe I was just being delusional.

…Thinking about it that way was a little scary? Damn, was I really just making a fool of myself?

“Sorry! So-hyun, am I late?”

While I was having such foolish thoughts, my appointment for today had arrived.

“No, I just got here myself.”

My lunch appointment today was with Professor Cathy.

Cheon Yoo-hak, that bastard, sent a text message not only to his family but also to our homeroom teacher!

That was why I was summoned like this.

Cheon Yoo-hak, you son of a bitch. How could you do this to me…?

This betrayal burning in my heart wouldn’t easily fade. Be prepared, Cheon Yoo-hak, because I’ll get back at you for this in the pettiest way possible.

“You could have eaten first. Sorry, the meeting ran a bit longer than I thought.”

“No, it’s okay. I don’t mind waiting since the professor called me.”

The only good thing was that the professor didn’t seem particularly angry.

“Well, shall we finish our discussion first while we’re waiting for our food?”

Ah, I should have ordered the food beforehand.

“I’m not going to scold you, so don’t worry, So-hyun. I just have a simple question to ask you.”

Since Cheon Yoo-hak had promised to thoroughly hide the source of the dungeon information, I didn’t really have anything to be ashamed of.

“I read the data that Yoo-hak submitted, and I’m concerned about the part where it said that you fought a villain.”

Ah, thank goodness.

I had worried about whether suspicion of me had sprouted in our secret friend’s heart, but thankfully, that wasn’t it. She just seemed curious about how I had defeated the villain.

I had already prepared plenty of excuses for that.

That was right. I was a prepared transmigrator protagonist.

“Weren’t you scared?”

“Yes, this was how it happened… huh?”

“So-hyun, it’s only the second time you’ve faced a villain directly. Weren’t you scared?”

I was a little taken aback by her unexpected question.

Wasn’t I scared?

Actually, I didn’t know.

Maybe it was all thanks to the training I had been doing, or maybe I had become a little indifferent after fighting Jin Kyung-tae, or maybe I just hadn’t realized it.

Anyway, I didn’t think I was particularly scared.

“Actually, as a hero and a professor, I shouldn’t say this to a student, but I hope you can keep that fear for as long as possible.”

But I couldn’t easily answer that I wasn’t scared because her eyes were so earnest, and I could feel her concern for me.

As she took my hand, it surprisingly trembled slightly.

“You’ll inevitably get used to it, but I think you should cherish that fear for as long as possible. It’s not like you have to become a hero just because you graduate from the academy.”

The slight trembling gradually subsided as if being melted by the warmth of her hand.

“The chairman is also worried about you. She said that you might not realize how hard things are for you when you have such a big goal in front of you.”

Suddenly, I thought of the chairman.

She would smile as if she was seeing something interesting, but she would also worry about me since I was her student.

That image was easily drawn in my mind.

“You’re still in the academy, and you’re also a first-year student, so I don’t think you need to rush so much, am I right?”

The soft and warm emotions within me began to harden again like ice at her words.

“…So-hyun?”

“You’re right. I think I’ve been rushing too much.”

Rushing.

Was I really rushing?

The terrorist attack at the entrance ceremony was successfully prevented.

I dealt with Jin Kyung-tae and Choi In-ho.

This time, it was unintentional, but I also caught Cha Ho-young.

With this, I could say that I had cut off all the early villain henchmen of the academy’s mastermind, the boss of the early part of the academy arc.

But it wasn’t the time when I could feel safe just yet.

This crappy world could change at any time due to the whims of its creator, and I hadn’t yet dealt with the academy’s mastermind, who was the most dangerous villain in the early stages.

I even had the Ruyi replica, which could be awakened at any time, tucked away in my pocket.

It had always been like that up until now.

Even the slightest mistake could put someone’s life in danger.

If I were to enjoy a comfortable academy life as she said, surely people would start dying soon.

If I truly wanted to live comfortably in the academy, I at least had to deal with the last one, so I could feel at ease.

Otherwise, again in front of my eyes.

…Huh? Again?

“…So-hyun?”

“Ah. Yes, Professor.”

Again.

This had happened before.

A sense of déjà vu that I was about to remember, but something was covering my mind like fog. The memory that seemed like it was within arm’s reach disappeared again beyond the fog.

“Perhaps my words have burdened you somehow?”

“Of course not.”

Rather, I felt a pang of emotion because it felt like she was genuinely worried about me.

Perhaps this was the first time, including before I was transmigrated, that someone had worried about me this much.

Just in time, the omurice came out.

Well, eating omurice with our secret friend was still the best.

“Okay, shall we stop with the serious talk? Is there anything you want to say, So-hyun?”

Something I wanted to say.

I thought about consulting with her about how Kim Ga-eul seemed to be strangely walking a tightrope, but that wasn’t a good idea.

She still disliked Kim Ga-eul, although it was a little less than before.

That was right. I was a man who grew from experience.

I hoped to avoid the cliché of transmigrator protagonists being oblivious forever.

I pushed the topic of Kim Ga-eul to the back of my mind and brought up another concern.

“Actually, I do have a concern.”

“What is it? Talking about it might make you feel better.”

“Well, it’s not really a big deal.”

Thinking that I had a big concern, she took my hand again.

She waited for my words with a gentle smile, as if saying that she wasn’t going to rush me until I spoke.

I felt a little lighter in my heart from her warm touch.

Maybe that was why…

“Actually, my older sister said she was going to come see me…”

Crack.

Huh? Did something break?

I didn’t feel any pain though.

The moment I heard that eerie sound, I checked my hand that was still being held by her hand, but it looked like it was still fine, and it didn’t hurt at all.

I still felt her warmth that warmed my heart, but for some reason, the hand that was being held started to feel like a hostage.

“Yes, keep talking. Why did you stop?”

Are you sure that it’s okay to say it? You’re not going to lose the light in your eyes every time I speak now, are you?

Well, there was no way to take back what I had said.

“She said she was worried about the dungeon incident this time, so she’s going to apply for a visit soon…”

Damn it.

I wasn’t mistaken.

Clearly, the moment the word “older sister” came out, her grip tightened slightly and then went back to normal.

“She said she’s worried about me.”

It was scary.

Because her head was slightly lowered, and I couldn’t see her expression, it felt twice as scary.

What was going on? Where did I go wrong, to suddenly fall into this hell after having a cozy atmosphere and eating omurice?

“…Is that so?”

The moment I was about to apologize mindlessly for some reason I didn’t know.

“I see. I was actually hoping to have a meeting with your family, so if your sister comes to visit, I hope she comes to see me as well.”

Professor Cathy, who raised her head, looked exactly the same as usual.

With a smiling face and a warm atmosphere without any change, I would have felt at ease with her without even realizing it.

“Um, Professor?”

“What is it, So-hyun?”

Though considering that she wasn’t letting go of my hand, it was clear that something was wrong.

“Oh my, look at me. I’m sorry. That was awkward, wasn’t it?”

“Ah, no.”

I wasn’t feeling awkward, but I didn’t really know what was bugging her…?

The transmigrator protagonist’s trait of being terribly oblivious.

I thought I had overcome it, but it seemed like that wasn’t the case.

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In fact, Cathy was in a pretty good mood even when she had been eating the omurice.

She was a bit worried when she heard that he had gone to the dungeon, but thankfully he had returned safely, and she felt strangely proud to hear that he had protected his friends as usual.

When she saw in the report that he had played an active role in catching the villain and had briefly collapsed afterward, her heart had dropped, but luckily, the fact that he had gotten up soon after meant that the ring was doing its job.

However, the one thing that she was worried about was whether he would suffer from the chronic disease that heroes suffer from.

So, she had called him out under the pretext of counseling.

In the academy, they taught cadets that villains were not human beings, but existences that have lost their human rights.

In reality, this was necessary to increase the survival rate of heroes, and it was also true that the villains acted inhumanely.

From a hero’s perspective, it was good to get used to it quickly, but Cathy did not want the boy who resembled her younger brother to become ruthless too quickly.

Fortunately, his hand was still trembling.

He didn’t seem to realize it, but there was still fear and hesitation left in his heart.

That was enough.

Now that she had confirmed what she wanted to confirm, she thought she could enjoy their meal and have a pleasant conversation with him.

Until the word ‘older sister’ came out of his mouth.

An inexplicable displeasure swirled in her heart.

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T/N – Happy New Year! 🎉 Let’s kick off 2025 with a mass release, yeah?

What was the “again” referring to? Was it referring to the original So-huyn’s mother’s death? Did she die in front of the original So-hyun? That would also explain his distant relationship with his family, now that I think about it. Also, it seems like Cathy-noona is jealous of the MC ‘s actual noona. Is a cat fight imminent?

*This seems to be a reference to the Korean show “Mama fairy and the woodcutter”. Not sure though, so don’t quote me on that. Ahaha…

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