I Became the Terminally Ill Character in My Friend’s Academy Novel – Chapter 76

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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Midterms was over. It was sudden, but it was over.

It would have been nice if we had some kind of study event, but since the basic subjects weren’t very important, there wasn’t one, and since practical exams were mostly taken at the end of the semester, we didn’t gather for training or anything either.

“Loser, did you do well on the exams?”

“Ga-eul, exam scores are always relative. What’s truly important is whether you meet the goals you’ve set for yourself, which can’t be measured by scores.”

“…Huh? I don’t really understand what you mean, it’s too complicated.”

“He’s saying he totally bombed them.”

Ha-ni chimed in when Ga-eul couldn’t understand me.

That was right.

It had been ages since I graduated, so how could I be good at basic subjects?

At least the Korean literature part was manageable, but when archaic words appeared, I wanted to give up.

And in World History, there was some dimensional collision bullshit going on, so there was no way I could have solved it.

I managed to write down the parts from the settings book, but I probably got most of the other parts wrong.

“Hehe, so the loser is bad at studying? Should I teach you next time?”

Actually, all I needed was to not fail the basic subjects, but seeing Ga-eul’s smirking face was irritating me a bit.

“But I think I did pretty well on the other subjects besides the basic ones.”

“If you did well, you did well, what’s with the ‘I think’?”

Well, unlike the basic subjects, I just copied what was in my friend’s settings book for the other subjects.

According to the rules of academy transmigration stories, they should all be correct, but there could be setting interventions, or perhaps I just misremembered some parts.

Well, it wasn’t bad even if I got them wrong.

I wasn’t trying to be the top student, and incorrect answers just meant that the settings had changed.

Anyway, I was about to relax and enjoy the languid feeling after finishing exams for the first time in a while when a familiar guy came running while saying some familiar phrases.

“Guys! Let’s have an after-party! We have to have an after-party after exams!”

It was Lilac, the after-party ghost.

Was this guy possessed by the ghost of someone who died because they couldn’t have an after-party in their past life?

He wasn’t like this in the original story.

Well, in the original story, he couldn’t save everyone no matter how hard he tried, and people died even from small mistakes, so he couldn’t have maintained such a personality.

But unfortunately, I had a prior engagement today.

“Sorry, but I can’t today.”

“Huh? Do you have something to do?”

“Yeah, it’s nothing much. My father and sister asked to see me on the day the exams ended.”

I could have skipped it, but I had made a promise, and considering the money they were sending me, I should at least make an effort to improve our relationship.

“Really? Then it can’t be helped. Let’s have the after-party again when So-hyun is free!”

“Yeah, we should.”

What do you mean “we should”?

Couldn’t you just have it without me?

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After Kang So-hyun left, Lilac, whose schedule suddenly cleared up, was planning to spend his time training as usual.

“…I’m curious.”

“Huh?”

That is, if Ga-eul hadn’t suddenly said that and grabbed everyone’s attention.

“Los… So-hyun, I’m a bit curious about what he’s like when he’s not with us… Aren’t you?”

It was a rather abrupt remark, but most of the group who were preparing to leave showed interest in her words.

Well, Han-hee and everyone else had their secrets, but So-hyun felt different.

It wasn’t that he had a lot of secrets or that he disliked talking, but it felt like there was less information about him compared to the others.

“Hey, should we follow him?”

Ga-eul said that with a playful smile, but thankfully, most of the others were against it.

“Hey, even so, he has his privacy. Are you suggesting we tail him without permission?”

Yoo-na nodded at Han-hee’s words, and I agreed as well.

“That’s right, Ga-eul. You can be curious, but what if it gets awkward if we go without an invitation? So-hyun wouldn’t like that.”

“Ah, you’re right.”

“Yeah, it’s better to stop.”

“Hmm? Yoo-hak?”

“He might be a bit more lenient these days, but it’s better not to see that guy when he’s with his family.”

Yoo-hak, who suddenly joined the conversation, seemed to know something and was trying to stop them, but it had the opposite effect.

“You’re talking like you know something.”

Because Han-hee, who had been trying to stop Ga-eul just moments ago, started showing interest.

“Of course, I know better than you. Of course, it’s his business, so I can’t tell you anything specific.”

He probably wasn’t really trying to provoke her, but Han-hee seemed to have taken Yoo-hak’s words as a complete provocation.

It was a bit childish, but depending on how one looked at it, it could be interpreted as, “I’m closer to So-hyun than you are.”

“Ah, don’t leave me hanging~”

“If you’re not happy, go be childhood friends with him.”

…Huh? Looking at him like that, it seemed like he was provoking her.

Following the bait Yoo-hak threw, a rather unexpected person sided with Ga-eul.

“I am curious.”

“Yoo-na?”

It was Yoo-na, who had been trying to stop Ga-eul just moments ago.

“Ah, I don’t mean anything weird by it, but he’s a bit too perceptive, isn’t he? To put it negatively, he’s a bit too concerned about what others think. I’m just curious if he’s like that with his family too.”

Yoo-na wasn’t the type to be easily curious about someone, but it seemed like the others were curious about how So-hyun was with his family.

Well, even Lilac was curious as he said this to himself.

Outwardly, he had an enviable background, with his father being the head of a large company and his sister being a famous hero, but when he occasionally showed his violent side, they wondered if the cause might lie with his family. If so, it wouldn’t be a completely happy family.

“Then would you like to see for yourselves?”

“Huh? But we can’t go without permission…?”

Who just said that?

I turned my head and saw an elderly butler in a stylish uniform.

“Greetings, I am Butler Shuken. Master wished to meet Young Master’s friends, and I’m glad you’re also interested.”

Everyone tilted their heads at “Young Master,” but then they all smiled playfully.

“Lilac, looks like we have permission.”

“Hmm…”

They had received an invitation, but strictly speaking, it wasn’t So-hyun’s permission.

It seemed right to refuse, but…

“Let’s go!”

“Well, then I should go too.”

“…You won’t listen even if I tell you to stop. I can’t just send you guys there alone, so I should go and say hello after such a long time.”

…It seemed like if Lilac didn’t go, he would be left out.

“Then I’ll go too, Butler.”

“Haha, Master will be very pleased.”

It didn’t seem like there would be any major problems.

It was just like a friend’s parents inviting us over to hang out after exams.

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A tense situation, with me restrained on a chair with a white cloth around my neck. A woman holding a blade approached me with a bright smile.

Was this the expression an executioner made before beheading a convict?

I was scared.

“Sister, why was I brought here?”

“Your hair is too messy and long. It’s time to get it taken care of.”

That’s right, this was a hair salon.

Well, it had gotten longer than when I first possessed this body, so it was getting a bit bothersome, but I felt like this long hair was part of my identity already, so I felt a little disappointed at the thought of getting it cut.

“Ah, please keep the length. My brother looks better with long hair than short hair.”

“Yes, Ms. Kang Na-hyun. Since you’re her brother, I’ll make sure it suits him perfectly~”

“Thank you. Don’t worry too much. The director here is very skilled. I often come here before filming.”

…It felt like a salon celebrities frequented. I was a bit scared as I imagined the ridiculous prices on the price list.

“First, I’ll trim the split ends and stray hairs. You have good features, so I think you’ll look much better with just a little bit of care~”

But personally, I wasn’t a fan of the overly friendly atmosphere unique to hairdressers.

It felt like I had to force myself to respond.

I felt the scissors snip a tiny bit of my hair.

“…You didn’t cut off too much, did you?”

“Oh, don’t worry. I only cut off a tiny bit.”

Snip.

“Excuse me, that snip was definitely not the sound of cutting off a tiny bit of hair.”

“You can open your eyes if you’re worried. The director has a talent related to hairdressing, so she won’t make that kind of mistake, So-hyun.”

“Well, a light perm would suit you, but since you’re short on time today, we’ll have to settle for a cut and a light styling while drying.”

If I wasn’t imagining things, the director seemed to be enjoying herself.

“Hairdressers love working with uncut gems. I feel like I’ve encountered such a gem today.”

What? She had a talent related to hairdressing, but could she also read minds?

“Everyone who doesn’t come to the salon often thinks the same thing~”

It seemed like she could read minds.

After giving up and relaxing my body, I heard the snipping sounds for a while.

After the shampoo, she dried my hair with a gentle breeze from the hairdryer, applied something on it, and styled it, but I honestly couldn’t bring myself to open my eyes.

“All done. Wow, you look much better with just a little bit of work. You could become a celebrity~”

I couldn’t postpone it any longer.

Whether that was the typical hairdresser flattery or not would be clear to me once I opened my eyes.

I opened my eyes and looked at the mirror with a heavy heart.

…Huh? Is this me?

It didn’t look bad.

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Several people were gathered in the party hall of the Yoo-seong Hotel.

“Ah, hello, sir! I’m Ga-eul, a friend of Los…! So-hyun’s!”

“Hello. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m sorry I haven’t greeted you until now.”

“It’s been a while, Yoo-hak. I haven’t been able to see you because I’ve been busy. There’s nothing for you to be sorry about.”

“Ah, hello. I’m Kang Han-hee, So-hyun’s roommate.”

“Hmm? Roommate? Ah, I must have been mistaken. I thought there were too many girls among you… So you were a boy.”

So-hyun hadn’t arrived yet, but us greeting So-hyun’s father one by one made the atmosphere a little awkward.

It would have been less awkward if he had a warm, fatherly impression, but the dissonance was amplified by his cold expression, which resembled So-hyun’s but was even colder, and his youthful appearance that made him look like he could be So-hyun’s older brother.

After Yoo-na and Lira finished their greetings, his gaze finally turned towards Lilac.

“…And you are?”

“Ah, hello. Nice to meet you. I’m Lilac, a classmate of So-hyun’s.”

“You’re my son’s friend…?”

He asked in a puzzled tone, quite different from when he received the other greetings, and then looked at Lilac as if he was observing him.

“Um…”

“Ah, I’m sorry. I was being rude.”

“Ah, no, it’s okay.”

“No, I’m really sorry. It’s just that you seem like the type my son wouldn’t like.”

“…What?”

“It’s a bad habit of mine to judge people by their appearance, and it might sound like an excuse, but I’m usually not like this, so please understand. It’s not something to brag about, but this is the first time I’m meeting my son’s friends, so I’m a little flustered.”

Lilac was a bit curious about what he meant by “the type my son wouldn’t like,” but it wasn’t the right atmosphere to ask.

“Anyway, it’s nice to meet you all. It’s not a big place, but it’s a hotel run by our company, so please feel free to enjoy the food. And it would be great if you could tell me about what So-hyun’s been up to at the academy until he arrives.”

The atmosphere wasn’t bad.

It felt like we were having the after-party we missed, and So-huyn’s father seemed like a good person.

A smile appeared on his expressionless face whenever we told him about what happened at the academy, and whenever we talked about So-hyun’s encounter with a villain or his dungeon exploration, he looked genuinely concerned.

“So it was true. I couldn’t believe it when I heard that my son saved someone, but now that I’ve heard it directly from his friends, I finally believe it.”

He was a normal, good person.

He looked like any ordinary father, curious about his son’s daily life.

Only Cheon Yoo-hak seemed a little uncomfortable and was telling everyone to be careful with a worried expression, but everyone else was already caught up in the atmosphere while talking about various things.

Creak.

After chatting for a while, a large door opened with that sound.

Everyone’s gaze naturally turned towards it, and everyone, including me, had a surprised expression.

The person who entered was undoubtedly Kang So-hyun.

It was definitely him, with the same face and physique.

But everything else was completely different from usual.

He wasn’t wearing glasses, his usually roughly tied hair was down and neatly styled, and even the stray hair were gone.

The loser-like appearance that Ga-eul and Han-hee jokingly called him was nowhere to be seen. A well-dressed, sophisticated-looking boy was standing beyond the door.

Ga-eul and Han-hee were so surprised that Lilac could hear them gasp.

But there was one problem. After spotting us, his red eyes, visible beyond his slightly long bangs, clearly showed annoyance and displeasure.

He didn’t even say anything. He just frowned, but the atmosphere in the room instantly froze.

He often frowned, but was it Lilac’s imagination that he seemed genuinely angry today, unlike usual?

“What is this?”

He spoke.

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T/N – I honestly don’t blame the MC for being pissed. I would also be pissed if my parents did something like this behind my back. Dick move by his father, especially since their relationship should just be recently healing, at least in their perspective.

Though, the father saying Lilac wasn’t someone the original So-hyun would have liked is quite accurate. The character So-hyun was based on the MC by his author friend, and the MC mentioned before that he didn’t want to be friends with Lilac, at least before he got to know the guy better.

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