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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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Ah, damn it, it’s bright.
The room was so bright that I frowned.
And why were they here? He said it was a family dinner.
I looked around the room with a slight frown, and it was filled with a tense atmosphere.
What, did my father chew them out or something?
Oh, was this a father who called his son’s friends during the academy semester and lectured them under the guise of encouragement…?
That would suck.
“What is this?”
I spoke, intending to let the trembling kids go because I felt a little sorry for them, but for some reason, they started trembling even more.
Did I have a really bad expression right now?
“So-hyun, calm down. I’m sorry for coming without asking for your opinion. I have no excuse, but you seem really agitated right now.”
Lilac, flustered, stepped forward, but I didn’t know how to respond to him.
No, why are you being so serious? I wasn’t even angry in the first place.
Or was I? Was I actually angry? Maybe I was so angry that I didn’t even realize it, and I was just flustered.
Seeing the others so scared made me think strange thoughts.
“Yes, I understand since I know the situation, but the others don’t. Calm down a bit. I’m sorry for not stopping them even though I knew you might be displeased.”
Following Lilac, even Cheon Yoo-hak blocked me as if protecting the others.
“…I’m not angry.”
“Yes, I know, so just calm down.”
No, damn it, I’m not angry.
Being told the same thing repeatedly was starting to make me angry.
I turned around, and my sister, who didn’t seem to grasp the situation, was glaring at my father.
It seemed like this wasn’t something she had agreed to either.
…This was annoying.
A wave of annoyance washed over me.
No, seriously, this wasn’t even my fault, so why did I have to make excuses?
“Sigh.”
I just sighed, but everyone flinched.
No, seriously, why are you all reacting so sensitively to everything I do?
Actually, they had a point.
Thinking about this situation calmly, it could be seen as quite unpleasant.
I wasn’t the type to talk about my family situation when talking with others at the academy.
My family situation did become known when my sister came as an inspector, but I hadn’t been talking about it myself.
It looked like my father had called them, but they did come here just because they were invited by my father, without my permission.
And judging by the situation, they must have talked about me while I wasn’t here.
It was something that could be taken as unpleasant, although I wasn’t really bothered by it.
…Should I just act displeased?
Yes, that seemed more natural.
I didn’t really want to come here anyway, so it seemed like a good excuse.
“Sister.”
“Oh, So-hyun?”
“Father said he wanted to have a family talk, but I think I got the date wrong.”
“No! I didn’t know about this either! Really! So-hyun!”
“Yes, I’m sure. Ah, I’m really not upset or anything. It’s just… I had mentally prepared myself, so this is a bit… disappointing.”
“Ah, um…”
Actually, I wasn’t quite mentally prepared to have a heart-to-heart talk with my family just yet.
Should I just use this as an excuse and run away? They wouldn’t be able to catch me if I left now.
“So-hyun.”
“Yes, Father.”
“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault, so don’t take it out on the others. And Na-hyun really didn’t know.”
“Hmm, so?”
“I-I just wanted to know how you were doing. No, I won’t make excuses. I didn’t have the courage to ask you directly. So please calm down.”
Uh, this was bad. The atmosphere was making it seem like it was all my fault.
Damn it.
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Kim Ga-eul was bewildered.
She hadn’t expected him to be this angry since he usually just let things slide, and she hadn’t imagined he would have such a cold look in his eyes.
But there was something else that bewildered her even more.
-…I’m not angry.
The extremely indifferent emotion conveyed through his cold gaze.
Those eyes, which seemed to say that she couldn’t even make him angry, as if he really wasn’t angry, became a source of despair comparable to what she felt from Yoo-hak that day.
Thump.
And for some reason, that indifferent expression, that handsome face that was styled differently than usual, those red eyes that shone like jewels…
Made her heart race as if they were seeing right through her.
‘Huh…? Why am I like this?’
As she gradually became aware of a strange emotion tickling her beyond the guilt, fear, and anxiety, her face started to flush.
Thankfully, it didn’t seem like she would be discovered thanks to Lilac and Cheon Yoo-hak blocking her, but she couldn’t understand why she was feeling this way in this situation.
‘What do I do? I-I think I’m going crazy…!’
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Of course, even if I said I was fine, the atmosphere didn’t brighten that easily.
No, seriously, couldn’t they have just let it go when I said I wasn’t angry?
I felt a bit better after drinking the beverage prepared on the table.
Only the awkward sound of sipping drinks echoed in the quiet room.
Oh, this was delicious.
It was sweet and slightly spicy, more like a sweet… No, wait, was this alcohol?
Judging by the similar glasses in everyone else’s hands, it seemed like I wasn’t the only one who drank it.
Moreover, everyone seemed to be drinking a lot because they felt awkward.
“Uwee…!”
Ah, shit.
I should have noticed sooner.
No, I should have just gotten drunk without noticing.
I focused and looked around, and except for Cheon Yoo-hak, who seemed to have known it was alcohol from the beginning and dispelled the effects with mana, most of them were getting tipsy.
“Ah, come to think of it, you wouldn’t have known it was alcohol if you’ve never had it before.”
I didn’t like the way he was calmly sipping alcohol with his handsome face.
“Uwaa… So-hyun, I’m sowwy…!”
Kim Ga-eul, no, Kim Drunkard, slurred as she approached me.
“Hey, I’m not angry, so get away…! You have a runny nose!”
“So-hyun, I’m really sorry. I should have stopped them, no, actually, I was also curious because you don’t usually talk about yourself, so I’m the same as the others…”
“Yes, Lilac, I know. I know, so stop with the serious face and take her away…”
“So-hyun, I’m really sorry. I should have stopped them, no, actually, I was also curious because you don’t usually talk about yourself, so I’m the same as the others… But I think I’m a little happy to hear about you now.”
“…Huh? Hey, you just said the same thing.”
“So-hyun, I’m really sorry. I should have stopped them, no, actually, I was also curious because you don’t usually talk about yourself, so I’m the same as the others… Why don’t you talk to your father? He seemed genuinely worried about you.”
This…
It seemed a little different each time, but it seemed Lilac’s drunken habit was repeating the same thing over and over.
“Just get lost.”
He seemed even more annoying than Ga-eul, who was desperately trying to cling to me.
“Phew…”
I turned my head at the sound of excited breathing, and there was Ha-ni.
Ha-ni, who was looking at me with unfocused eyes, muttered softly.
“It’s hot.”
Saying that, Ha-ni reached for the buttons on her shirt.
Oh, this was a mess.
You know you can’t do that, right?
“Han-hee! Calm down! No, snap out of it! You really can’t!”
Damn it, I was worried just five minutes ago because the atmosphere was a mess in the opposite direction, so what was this forced development?
One was crying, one was repeating the same thing, and one was trying to undress.
I looked around for someone who could help me, and Cheon Yoo-hak was just watching us and smiling, as if he was enjoying the fact that he wasn’t drunk, while Yoo-na and Joo-ri were…
“…That’s Lilac’s problem, you know~? He’s handsome and capable, but he’s indecisive.”
“Silly~ That’s Lilac’s charm~? What about Cheon Yoo-hak? He’s a narcissist…!”
“Can you call it elegant instead of narcissistic~?”
Damn it, just stay like that forever!
Surprisingly, they were relatively well-behaved drunks, considering they weren’t causing any serious harm to those around them.
At least here, they were.
“Perhaps those guys were more necessary for you than me.”
Suddenly, Cheon Yoo-hak started spouting nonsense.
What, were you drunk too?
“Don’t look at me that way. Until recently, you wouldn’t have cared if others were drunk or rolling around.”
I don’t know, man. What was Kang So-hyun’s personality like until recently?
“Maybe I was too scared.”
“The great Cheon Yoo-hak gets scared too?”
“Of course. Especially with interpersonal relationships, it’s something I always worry about.”
Haha, bullshit. If you were the type to worry about interpersonal relationships, Ga-eul would still be following you around.
“It’s nice to talk like this, but how about talking with your father today instead of me? He seems just as surprised as I am.”
“…Tsk.”
“Haha, I must be drunk too. I said something unnecessary. You’ll do well on your own.”
I turned my head, and there was a man who seemed much more surprised than when we ate meat together last time, pouring alcohol on his clothes instead of in his mouth.
He had black hair and red eyes, just like Kang So-hyun, and now that his hair was neatly styled, other parts of him looked similar to me too.
Honestly, I didn’t know what to say since I didn’t know what had happened in the past.
Was it enough to just say I was doing well?
“I’m surprised.”
“…What?”
“I’m surprised you seem to be doing well. Honestly, I thought I ruined everything today. I thought I was being hasty and causing trouble for you again when you were only making slow progress.”
Actually, I wasn’t really thinking that.
I was really fine. It was the others who made a fuss.
Honestly, it could have been a bit unpleasant, but a parent with a bad relationship with their son could be curious about how he was doing, whether he was making bad friends, right?
It was a bit annoying that he did it without saying anything to me, but he was originally a character who wasn’t good at communication.
Since he was trying his best to do something, there must have been things he hadn’t considered.
“Well, I wasn’t that angry.”
“I… see.”
Ah, damn it, no matter how hard I tried, he was like this, so there was nothing I could do.
“…Sister, don’t just stand there and come over here. If you want to talk to me, that is.”
“Oh, yeah. I should.”
Seriously.
I needed to find out what happened and fix my relationship with these people.
Why were there so many things I needed to do?
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Frustrating.
Cathy.
She was currently working overtime at the academy.
She had to grade the exams that had just ended, and she also had to catch up on the work she had been putting off when she said she had free time while following So-hyun around.
“Sigh.”
According to the text message from Na-hyun, her father had invited So-hyun’s friends today, and she had declined because she thought it was a family gathering, but if she had known it would be like this, she should have postponed grading for a day.
“…What am I thinking?”
It was ridiculous.
No matter how much she had lost her self-control lately, there were lines she shouldn’t cross.
She couldn’t neglect her work to chase after a single cadet.
She had a proud personality that never succumbed to desires, so she could easily control this kind of impulse.
“It’s a shame, though.”
But it was also true that she was very disappointed.
“…He’ll probably hate it if I visit him for a home visit later, right?”
Honestly, following him on the trip was a bit much when she thought about it.
Although So-hyun later said…
-No? We were saved thanks to you, Professor.
-There might have been casualties in the dungeon if it weren’t for Professor Cathy.
-Hehe, you’re the best, sister.
…she still felt like she needed to restrain herself.
“…No, was that last part just my imagination?”
She tried to recall it, but perhaps because she had been working continuously for several days, her mind wasn’t working properly.
“Phew, I’m almost done.”
Should she call So-hyun after work and ask if he had fun with his friends?
Na-hyun said that the atmosphere was a bit tense for a while, so should she have gone and mediated?
“Ah, finally done.”
Finally, the grading hell that had been tormenting her was over.
It seemed like other professors had their assistants do it, but since she didn’t have an assistant, she had to do it herself.
“Hmm…?”
Her mind had been feeling strangely hazy since a while ago, and it didn’t seem like it was just fatigue.
She should leave the academy and go home, but she felt like she wanted to stop by somewhere else for a moment.
“Oh…”
The place she found herself in, with her hazy mind, was a familiar park.
Ah.
And there was a boy with a very familiar face standing there.
It couldn’t be.
A boy who looked exactly like her younger brother, so much so that she would believe it if someone said her brother had returned.
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T/N – Oh, that ending. I wonder what this is all about? Is it one of the changes to the plot due to the MC’s meddling? In the original story, she died because she got tricked, so maybe this is it?
Also, I feel like the MC didn’t realize the annoyed aura he was exuding nor was he aware of his indifferent gaze. Is it some reaction from the residues of the original So-hyun?
Finally, lol at Ga-eul’s reaction. She’s awakening her M side.
If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.
Oh Ga-eul, so hopeless 😂
I hope nothing bad happens to the professor.