“I’m going to see my father for a bit.”
Yeon Hayeon hurriedly spoke, then left quickly with Yeon Hyungwang.
Left in an ownerless house, the rest of us could only look at each other blankly, not knowing what was going on.
‘Wait, hold on. Her father, huh?’
At that moment, the reason Yeon Hayeon had started studying so hard in the internet novel I possessed flashed through my mind.
If she lived a normal high school life and graduated from the nation’s top university, her father would hand over the company to her—that was the condition.
Of course, the Four Heavenly Kings didn’t know about this background, so I kept quiet.
The idea of my friend becoming the head of a company… Even though I’d just entered university, it still felt like something that belonged far in the future.
Suddenly, I realized that everyone around me came from extraordinary backgrounds. They were all children of prominent families, yet it still didn’t feel real.
I glanced at Ban Eunhyeol and Han Jibin.
‘There are two more future CEOs right here.’
Thinking that made it sink in a bit more.
But there was one thing that bothered me.
A “normal high school life” was part of the deal, but after the Gate opened, Yeon Hayeon dropped her model student act.
I remembered the time school went wild over Yeon Hayeon’s drastic transformation—when she ditched the thick glasses that hid her looks and tied-up hair.
‘She didn’t look happy.’
I didn’t know what Hyungwang had said to her, but Yeon Hayeon had left with a hardened expression, and I couldn’t help but worry.
“What do you think Hayeon’s father is like?” “Not sure. I’ve never really heard about him.”
Even the Four Heavenly Kings looked worried about Yeon Hayeon, talking with furrowed brows. They mostly speculated about what kind of person her father was, and why Yeon Hayeon might have left.
It wasn’t long before we heard news about Yeon Hayeon.
“Your friends are here?”
At the sound of a middle-aged man’s voice from the entrance, we exchanged quick glances and stood up.
A man who looked unmistakably like the father of the Yeon siblings walked into the living room.
He was a refined, handsome middle-aged man, nothing like the boss of some organization. His strikingly good looks were a carbon copy of the Yeon siblings.
After exchanging brief greetings with us, he dropped a bombshell and then left, saying he had things to do.
We blinked, slowly replaying what we’d just heard in our minds.
“He did just tell us to live together, right?”
The Yeon siblings’ father had said, “You all got into the same school, so why not live together?” and then added another line.
He mentioned that co-ed sharehouses were common these days, and that living together with friends could be fun.
Ban Eunhyeol had already said he’d find a place near school since he was living independently, but I hadn’t yet heard the plans of Yeon Hayeon, Eunbada, Han Jibin, or Ji Ganghan.
As for me, I naturally planned to commute.
But now, we’d suddenly been handed this huge offer.
“I’m fine with it.”
“A two-story house would be perfect for dividing up, don’t you think?”
“Yeah! Hayeon and Dana can live upstairs, and the rest of us downstairs.”
“Sounds good to me.”
When we first heard the suggestion, the Four Heavenly Kings and Yeon Hayeon just blinked in surprise, but soon their opinions turned positive.
‘Is this really okay?’
Thanks to their quick decision, I was the only one left who hadn’t made up their mind yet.
I decided to give the best answer I could.
“I’ll ask my parents.”
An awkward smile was a bonus.
For some reason, I had a feeling college life wouldn’t be smooth sailing.
From early morning, students bustled noisily as they gathered in the auditorium.
I waited at the very front of our class line with the Four Heavenly Kings and Yeon Hayeon, just waiting for the graduation ceremony to begin.
The principal was already on the podium, looking like he was about to die from exhaustion.
‘We’re really graduating.’
When I dropped out of high school early and spent my days just closing Gates, I’d never imagined this future.
It had been a turbulent school life, but being able to have a proper graduation ceremony filled me with emotion.
“The remodeling on the house we’ll live in is almost done.”
Standing at the front, Yeon Hayeon checked her phone and gave us an update.
Thanks to my parents’ surprisingly easy approval, the house owned by Yeon Hayeon’s father would become our new college home.
‘They agreed so quickly.’
I could still vividly recall my parents’ reactions when I told them.
“All of you living together in a two-story house? Oh my, that’s wonderful!”
“Yeah, it sounds safe and nice. I’m all for it.”
They’d even urged me to call Yeon Hayeon immediately, saying it was better than commuting.
They figured the security would be good, and living together would make for a fun college life, instead of living alone.
Overjoyed at my unexpected university acceptance, my parents just kept repeating how great it was, like they’d agree to anything.
Thanks to that, I was able to quickly ask Yeon Hayeon if we could live together, and now, the house was being remodeled for us to move in.
“Already? Then how about we all go check it out before we start school?” “Great idea. We don’t have anything else to do, anyway.”
“They say you have to make the most of your free time during this period.”
While we were talking about visiting the house together, the microphone crackled and the graduation ceremony began.
As it started, parents began streaming into the auditorium. I glanced toward the entrance, and my parents spotted me, waving enthusiastically.
I waved back and then turned my head to look at the podium.
Maybe the principal was determined not to mess up today, because he opened a prepared script and started reading straight from it.
“After a tumultuous year, we’ve finally reached graduation safely.”
At those first words, all the incidents and accidents I’d experienced flashed through my mind like a panorama.
“I’m grateful that even students who were injured or lost their lives in the Gates can now be here safely at graduation.”
At those words, sniffling sounds began echoing from all around.
Students who had lost friends were hugging those very friends—brought back after the Gates vanished—crying tears of joy.
During the last S-rank Gate incident, the quest reward was “Restoration of the Dimension,” but even before that, the dimension had already been rewound once.
That was when I switched bodies with the outcast, completed the quest, and made the Gates disappear.
Every student who died because of the Gates since I’d possessed this body had been revived then.
The whole world had turned upside down when the dead came back to life after the Gates vanished.
‘I’m really glad, but even now it feels unreal.’
The principal’s speech continued.
He talked about how hard everyone had worked, attending school and studying diligently in a world overrun by Gates. Awakened students had worked hard closing the Gates, and non-Awakened students had struggled to survive.
Most of the speech revolved around the Gates.
Months had passed since the Gates disappeared, but the memory of those events still lingered in everyone’s minds.
“It’s bittersweet to send off our students. I wish I could keep seeing you all, but I’ll always be cheering for your brilliant futures from behind the scenes.”
At the part about “wishing I could keep seeing you,” the principal’s moist gaze landed squarely on our group.
Anyone could tell he was talking about the Four Heavenly Kings, so the attention of the students turned to them as well.
After the principal finished, all the students headed back to their classrooms for their final farewells.
“I’m going to repeat a year. Don’t try to stop me.”
“Is this really the last time we’ll see the Four Heavenly Kings…?”
“Jibin! Can I take a picture with you?”
“Kanghan, here, this is my graduation present for you.”
Maybe because it was the last day, the female students flocked to the Four Heavenly Kings. It looked like they wanted to memorize every detail of their faces, not knowing when they’d see them again.
But whether it was because they were conscious of me and Yeon Hayeon, barely any girls clung to Ban Eunhyeol or Eunbada.
They all kept a certain distance, only speaking or handing over presents.
“Hey guys, let’s take a group photo. Gather in front of the classroom.”
The chaotic classroom quickly quieted down thanks to Eunbada’s words.
All the classmates gathered in front of the classroom and lined up, and the Four Heavenly Kings naturally moved to the center. Yeon Hayeon and I ended up standing in the middle with them.
“Ready? One, two—”
The moment I smiled for the count, Ban Eunhyeol wrapped his arm around my shoulders and drew close.
Eunbada did the same, gently linking arms with Yeon Hayeon and smiling softly at the camera.
For the second photo, Han Jibin and Ji Ganghan joined in, and we all huddled close, grinning widely.
It had been a chaotic but happy high school life, and so it finally drew to a close.
“Time to go check out the house.”
My second act in this possessed life was just beginning.
The End