CHAPTER 108

“Hmph. That stupid person walks around with flowers in her hair. I can do that too.” Cheon Hye-Ji turned her eyes from Da-Hee’s back and then glared at Park Hae-Rin, who was following behind Jae-Hyeok. “And why is she following you? Is she also on your team?”

“Yes.”

“Hah! How funny.” Cheon Hye-Ji laughed and swept back her abundant blonde hair, bringing attention to the unbuttoned collar of her uniform. “If you were going to pick your teammates based on looks, why didn’t you scout me? Did you think I would reject you because of Lee Jin-Seong? If you want a beautiful woman, you should muster up some courage.”

What the hell is she talking about?

Jae-Hyeok looked confused but refrained from saying any harsh words. Meanwhile, Du Bae-Su slapped Cheon Hye-Ji on the back. "Have some moderation! Comparing yourself to Da-Hee or Hae-Rin is a bit much, don’t you think?”

“Ah? Du Bae-Su, you pig! Did you lose your eyesight underneath all those rolls of fat? How am I not good compared to them? They don’t intimidate me.”

“Wait!” Chae Da-Hee, who was walking in front, spun around—she had been trying to ignore Cheon Hye-Ji ‘s words, but one thing kept bothering her. “How am I an idiot with flowers in my hair? I’ve never put flowers in my hair, and I’m not stupid, either.”

“It’s a metaphor. Don’t you know even that?”

“Y-you are making fun of me!”

“Oh my, look at the way you’re screaming? You look like a kid throwing a tantrum.”

“Hey, you were the one screaming just a moment ago... Ack.”

Du Bae-Su, the closest thing to a brake pedal for Cheon Hye-Ji, stopped talking. Lee Jin-Seong supported him as he clutched his abdomen while gasping for breath.

“Seems like you two still have strength left over. Should I allow you to use it?” Jae-Hyeok warned Da-Hee and Hye-Ji, who were bickering more intensely than usual.

His eyes were cold, quite different from his usual mischievous appearance.

Cheon Hye-Ji felt a chill go down her spine, and her face slightly reddened. “Yes... Help me use it.”

Did she like training that much? Jae-Hyeok’s eyes widened. Usually, she was the one who grumbled the most. It seemed people could change. He happily began considering how he would train her during class.

His thoughts are only in that direction. Hye-Ji frowned after seeing Jae-Hyeok’s reaction and changed the subject. “By the way, who’s your last team member?”

Lee Jin-Seong spoke, “That’s old news. It’s the second-year Mad Dog.”

"Ah... ” Cheon Hye-Ji sighed before laughing awkwardly. She let go of any lingering desire to join Jae-Hyeok’s team. Baek Do-Jin’s personality was famous even among the first-year students. “You guys must be having a hard time, having to watch for trouble both inside and out. Be careful.”

Cheon Hye-Ji quickly strode away, and Lee Jin-Seong and Du Bae-Su followed her. On the other hand, Kim Jin-Rae hesitated for a moment and stayed in place.

He bowed to Jae-Hyeok, who was looking at him doubtfully.

“Thank you!”

“What for?”

“I... I’m sure there’s a reason you haven’t told me the details. However, I can’t pretend that I’m unaware. You’ve helped the one I love most in this world, which makes you important to me as well. I’ll surely repay you.”

Naturally, Kim Jin-Rae was talking about his father.

Not long ago, Kim Jin-Rae had confessed his father’s situation to Jae-Hyeok—speaking about his father’s workplace, Ocean Shipping; its hostile relationship with the Shooting Club at Lion’s Castle; and the pressure it put on his father’s shoulders.

A few days after speaking with Jae-Hyeok, Kim Jin-Rae had received another phone call from his father—this time, telling him not to worry since everything had been resolved.

It had been a long time since he had heard his father’s voice so at ease. He seemed to have shaken off all the worries in his heart.

What exactly had happened outside Lion’s Castle?

Kim Jin-Rae was an ordinary student. He couldn’t imagine the truth of what had occurred with Ocean Shipping. However, he did know one thing: it was probably Jae-Hyeok who’d helped his father.

Jae-Hyeok pretended to be unaware, but after a moment, he couldn’t help responding.

“...Just make sure to be filial to your parents while they are healthy.”

Jae-Hyeok had practically lost his father. He couldn’t resist giving some advice to Kim Jin-Rae after seeing how dearly he loved his own father.

“Yes!”

May all parents and children in the world cherish and love each other.

Jae-Hyeok turned away with this sincere wish, while Da-Hee and Hae-Rin watched his back.

***

"Damn! Dammit! Fuuuuuuuck!”

A mirror flew across the room and shattered. The boy who had thrown it had a bandage on his face and was panting with anger.

For Jeong Ru-Han, the concept of suffering had always been foreign to him.

Thanks to his father, who was the real power behind the Guardian Guild, he grew up praised, pampered, and cherished. Whether materially or emotionally, he was always satisfied. Moreover, from the moment of his engagement to his childhood friend Park Hae-Rin, he neither feared nor envied anything in the world, believing he would soon become the master of the Guardian Guild and enjoy life.

That was then.

As for now...

Since his fight with Kang Jae-Hyeok, Jeong Ru-Han’s face had been slow to recover because of the delay in treatment, and remained ugly to look at.

Similarly, the shattered bones in his body healed slowly, ensuring no part of him was free of pain.

But above all, Jeong Ru-Han was suffering mentally. He’d heard news that Park Hae-Rin had been following Kang Jae-Hyeok for the past few days.

“She hasn’t visited me once and is instead chasing after another man? This is proof that her innate nature is vulgar and promiscuous, despite being educated all her life!”

A voice from outside the window replied, “We will immediately separate her from that man, so please calm down. You need to rest until the high-grade potion arrives.”

The one who’d spoken was one of the workers cleaning the exterior walls of the dormitory. The workers appeared to be ordinary employees, but they were all shadow warriors serving Jeong Ru-Han.

Unlike ordinary bodyguards, the shadow warriors disguised their identities and wielded secrecy as a powerful weapon. They were a force that could move without anyone noticing. At least, that was how it should’ve been. However, Kang Jae-Hyeok had learned of their existence during their last confrontation.

“Shut up! Don’t show up in front of me for a while and just get lost! You worthless bastards!” Jeong Ru-Han shouted with bloodshot eyes.

He resented the shadow warriors. They were idiots who lost to a freshman; had they done their job properly that day, he wouldn’t have been hurt, and Park Hae-Rin wouldn’t have rejected his hand.

“Are you thinking of moving recklessly when that bastard Kang Jae-Hyeok might’ve already exposed your existence to Lion’s Castle? Is that mind of yours just a decoration? Huh? I’ll take care of Kang Jae-Hyeok, so you guys should lie low for a while.”

“Young Master, you don’t mean to rely on Elder Gu’s grandchild, do you?” If the sub-master finds out about it... ”

“Shut up!”

Jeong Ru-Han couldn’t control his anger and threw a pillow.

He was so agitated that he never considered the fact that breaking the window would cause a commotion in the dormitory, putting the shadow warriors and the Guardian Guild in a difficult position.

A middle-aged man appeared, sighing as he silently caught the pillow flying toward him.

It was the man who had disguised himself as a gardener and been severely beaten by Jae-Hyeok.

He said, “Please judge the situation calmly.”

“What right do you have to give me advice when you lost to a kid?”

“...Take good care of yourself.”

Setting the pillow down, he and the other shadow warriors disappeared.

The lone pillow on the windowsill made the scene of the room, with blood-stained bandages scattered all over the place, even more bleak and eerie.

“Shit!”

Jeong Ru-Han cursed before struggling to his feet.

His destination was near: right upstairs, where the second-year students were staying.

***

-What, is Jae-Hyeok tired already?Then, I guess I’ll leave first.

Every time his older sister was around, it felt like summer—light clothes, sweat glistening on tanned skin, labored breathing, and a smile as brilliant as the sun.

-Almost. Here, do it like this.Yes, good job.

How is it?Isn’t your sister the best?

She was always confident, and she looked so cool in Jae-Hyeok’s eyes.

Kang Hyeon-Ah.

The person he once called Noona.

-In any case, don’t worry about your older sister!I will eat and sleep well in my cell!Yes, it is just fifteen years or so of chewing gum!Listen to Du-Na and take care of our father!

“...Why am I worried about her?”

She should be worried about him.

Jae-Hyeok muttered as he got out of bed, his body covered in sweat. It was the same nightmares as usual, the final calls of his siblings repeating over and over.

The water on his face must be sweat, too. He wiped his eyes and headed to the bathroom before undressing

Standing before a tall mirror, the boy’s naked body was as beautiful as a statue.

Sunlight filtered through the bathroom door, which was open just a crack, and shimmered in the mirror as if to welcome his image.

But Jae-Hyeok wasn’t satisfied.

His muscles, which had been trained over the past eight years, looked shabby when compared to Kang Dae-Seong, who resembled their father and looked like a tiger standing on two legs.

He struck fear into anyone who saw him.

On the other hand, what about him?

Jae-Hyeok gritted his teeth as he remembered the Noble members. They hadn’t been intimidated by him at all, even after mentioning the Kang family several times.

Cha Jo-Ah’s actions came to mind.

That Neck Drop was just like Kang Hyeon-Ah’s technique. No, it was Kang Hyeon-Ah’s technique.

Cha Jo-Ah had just analyzed and changed it to make it look like her own.

“She dared to use it in front of me.”

Stealing the Kang family’s techniques?

Clearly, this was a generation that grew up learning a distorted history. Cha Jo-Ah didn’t know the true history of the Kang family; otherwise, she would’ve known to fear them. In fact, it was possible she didn’t even know the Neck Drop belonged to the Kang family.

“Cha Seung-Min... ”

Cha Jo-Ah’s father held great power in the military... Jae-Hyeok noted down his name. Then he left the room after taking a shower.

The familiar dormitory superintendent was waiting for Jae-Hyeok with a serious expression. “Let’s talk for a moment.”