When Yeon Hayeon burst into the classroom, a wave of concern washed over me.
My mind immediately darted to the Axe-wielding Uncle I had left behind in the cafeteria.
What if my deliberate act of ditching him, even as he tried to follow me, caused a problem?
I needed to explain to Yeon Hayeon that it was all part of a plan.
But before I could even utter a single word, Yeon Hayeon’s hands slammed down on my desk with a resounding thud.
I flinched, my gaze snapping up to meet hers.
To my surprise, her expression wasn’t stern or angry; instead, it held a look of sheer delight.
“Dana, you awakened?” she practically chirped.
“Huh?”
I mumbled, caught off guard.
“And you ripped a monster apart in the principal’s office? I thought something was off when you saved Yeon Hyeongwang, but I like you even more now!”
Yeon Hayeon seemed utterly captivated by the fact that I had concealed my true personality and navigated school life in a manner similar to her own past.
It was as if she had been yearning for a common thread between us.
She particularly emphasized this point, even pulling up a chair to sit beside me and continue her animated monologue.
“It’s true, when you have a clear purpose, trivial things don’t really bother you. So, you end up having a quiet school life, don’t you?”
I think your purpose and mine are very different…
The thought echoed in my mind.
She was drawing a parallel between herself, who had meticulously cultivated a straight-A student persona for a serene study environment and college admission, and me, who, despite it being a complete fabrication, had pretended to be docile solely to impress Ban Eunhyeol.
“Now, let’s stop going around tired and have fun at school together!” she declared.
Unintentionally, I had forged a connection with Yeon Hayeon.
Yet, seeing a small corner of my heart soften at her earnest words, it seemed I had been unconsciously burdened by the stress of maintaining my act all this time.
Yeon Hayeon, who regaled me with tales of her days “cosplaying” as a diligent student, only returned to her own seat when the bell for class finally rang.
It was abundantly clear that I would be spending far more time with Yeon Hayeon than before.
As our paths continued to intertwine, I even began to feel a surprising level of comfort with her.
This newfound ease stemmed from the remarkable similarities between Yeon Hayeon’s life and both my life before transmigrating and my current one—more so than with any of my “ordinary” friends.
Here was a high-ranking Awakened One, cloaking her true self at school and leading a double life—even that resonated deeply.
Listening to Yeon Hayeon, I found myself relating to an astonishing number of things.
After discovering my status as an Awakened One, Yeon Hayeon vigorously attempted to recruit me into Blood Scent, urging me to join their ranks.
To extend such an offer without even knowing my rank or tier…
I hadn’t realized the depth of her trust in me; I was genuinely a little touched.
Yeon Hayeon remained persistent despite my polite refusals, extending several scout offers.
It was only when I explained that I preferred to operate independently, having kept my awakening hidden until now, that I saw her gradually begin to relent.
However, Yeon Hayeon, still not entirely willing to give up, even enlisted Yeon Hyeongwang to aid in her attempts to recruit me into Blood Scent.
Even after shedding my pretense and revealing my true personality, the situation remained utterly awkward.
To think I would now face two formidable opponents who were difficult to easily thwart.
Later, Yeon Hyeongwang even advised me that if I couldn’t join the guild, I should at least ensure I didn’t find myself in danger.
It was Friday evening, the eve of the weekend.
“Do you want to come over to my house tomorrow?”
Yeon Hayeon asked, inviting me to her home, remarking that it had been a while since my last visit.
My momentary hesitation felt peculiar.
When I was still maintaining my façade, Dana would never flatly refuse such an invitation; accepting would have been the logical choice then.
But now, why was I hesitating instead of outright refusing?
Was I truly that comfortable with Yeon Hayeon already?
I pondered, then accepted her invitation.
Saturday lunch arrived. I gazed up at the magnificent, imposing gates of a lavish residence, still emanating an eerie aura – Yeon Hayeon’s house.
For me, it was a somewhat historic moment, my second foray into a gangster’s hideout.
Compared to my previous visit, spending time with the Yeon siblings in this house felt considerably more comfortable.
Contrary to my expectations of extreme awkwardness, conversations about awakening, skills, and school flowed ceaselessly.
We chattered and played for what felt like hours until a man in a crisp black suit, wearing dark sunglasses even indoors, approached us.
“Boss, you need to leave for the Hunter’s Association now,” he announced.
“Hunter’s Association?”
Yeon Hayeon questioned, a flicker of annoyance crossing her face.
“Ah, today’s the day the guild masters have their regular meeting. It’s just a day to report on recent activities and stuff.”
She rose from the sofa with a sigh, then looked at Yeon Hyeongwang and me.
“If you’re bored, do you want to come with us?”
To think the day would come when I would walk into this world’s Hunter’s Association on my own two feet.
I silently gazed up at the magnificent building before me.
Somehow, the more I continued down this path, the more the initial purpose I had when I first arrived in this world seemed to blur.
I never anticipated abandoning my act so swiftly.
Well, as long as I diligently complete quests and return someday, it’ll be fine.
It was a relief that the possibility of being suspected as an Outer-Dimensional Being was far lower than before.
Although Ban Eunhyeol seemed to harbor a slight suspicion, aside from him, no one else appeared to find me strange.
“Let’s go in!”
Yeon Hayeon declared, and we followed her into the Hunter’s Association entrance.
The Association building bore a striking resemblance to the Association from before my transmigration.
The rigid, businesslike atmosphere and the stark, simple interior were exactly as I remembered.
Feeling a unique sense of nostalgia, I diligently surveyed my surroundings when Yeon Hayeon gently cautioned us.
“I have to go up now, alright? Yeon Hyeongwang, you and Dana need to be well-behaved.”
“Of course. We’ll be quietly sightseeing the Association with you, so please go quickly.”
Yeon Hyeongwang gestured politely towards the elevator, a bright smile on his face.
“Dana, have a good time sightseeing the Association with Yeon Hyeongwang! A staff member here will guide you.”
Yeon Hayeon said, pointing to a staff member of the Association she had contacted in advance for us.
We assured her we understood and urged her to ascend quickly.
Then, we followed the staff member’s guidance to explore the first floor.
We were merely traversing the central hall, which served as a thoroughfare connecting the elevator to the main entrance, when we spotted four familiar silhouettes entering from outside.
“What brings you here?”
Ban Eunhyeol, unusually, was the first to speak.
He glanced at Yeon Hyeongwang and the staff member standing beside me.
He had undoubtedly come here for the guild master’s meeting, but it seemed the same unwritten rule applied everywhere: don’t arrive alone.
“Hayeon asked me to come along,” I replied.
Since I had started living with my true personality unveiled, I hadn’t really had much to say to Ban Eunhyeol.
His remarkably normal reaction made my premature assumption of him attempting to pick a fight feel utterly embarrassing.
“Is that so?” he replied indifferently, turning and walking towards the elevator.
I could clearly sense that he was far less on edge when interacting with me than before.
Meanwhile, Eunbada, Ji Ganghan, and Han Jibin remained beside us.
“Danadana, let’s play until the guys finish their work!”
Han Jibin exclaimed, grabbing my hand and enthusiastically shaking it up and down.
Yeon Hyeongwang simply shrugged, as if the matter held no concern for him.
“Alright, sounds good.”
And so, an improbable combination was formed: myself, the Four Heavenly Kings (excluding Ban Eunhyeol, with whom I had barely exchanged proper words in class), and Yeon Hyeongwang, a first-year.
The sole commonality among us was our school.
The staff member seemed quite thrilled to be guiding such prominent figures.
It was, without a doubt, a group one wouldn’t encounter anywhere else.
As we made our way to the lounge where we would pass the time, the staff member paused before a rather nondescript door and, with a smile, announced,
“Some of you may already know this, but this is the Grade Measurement Room. Friend, if you’re interested, would you like to get your grade measured here?”
“No, I’m alright,” I recoiled, swiftly refusing.
From beside me, Han Jibin, who had been tirelessly chattering and dominating over half the conversation, piped up in a bright tone,
“Now that you mention it, I don’t know Dana’s grade, do I?”
At his words, the others showed subtle signs of agreement.
“I saw the kids asking what your grade was the other day,” one of them murmured.
“She probably didn’t answer then,” another added.
When did these guys see that?
I wondered.
I had assumed they weren’t particularly interested in what transpired in class, yet they remembered my refusal to answer.
If my awakening had been revealed while I was still maintaining my act, it would have been difficult in many ways, requiring me to both act and lie simultaneously.
“Yeah, that’s a secret too. So let’s just go.”
I walked ahead as I said this, sensing the others, who quickly gave up on the line of questioning, falling in behind me.
It would have been better if I had lived like this from the very beginning.
Of course, in the early days, I couldn’t rashly reveal myself, as even a slight deviation from my usual demeanor would have led to suspicion of being an Outer-Dimensional Being.
Following the staff member’s guidance, we entered the lounge.
It appeared we were the only ones who had accompanied a guild master, as there were no other Awakened Ones visible.
The lounge itself was clearly designed with meticulous care, likely because such prominent figures frequented it.
Several beanbag chairs were arranged in front of the large windows, a table and chairs occupied the center, and plush sofas lined the walls.
Next to a ping-pong table stood a shelf overflowing with snacks, and beyond that, a glass door leading to the association’s gym.
Han Jibin, who had settled comfortably on a beanbag, produced a remote control from seemingly nowhere.
After a few presses, a large screen descended over the glass window.
A soft, orange light faintly illuminated the interior, and with the expansive screen, the atmosphere transformed into that of a cozy movie theater.
“Oh, it seems you visit here often, hyung,” Yeon Hyeongwang remarked, sitting next to Han Jibin with his usual friendly demeanor.
He tapped the spot beside him, gesturing for me to sit there.
“Of course! I’ve been coming in and out ever since the Association was founded!”
Han Jibin proudly patted his chest and began selecting a movie to play, while Eunbada retrieved his glasses from his bag, put them on, and took a book from the bookshelf to read.
Ji Ganghan, without even opening his eyes, simply lay on the sofa and closed them.
I chose to sit next to Yeon Hyeongwang, who was the most familiar and comfortable presence.
Throughout the movie, we were so engrossed in chattering that it was questionable if we were even paying attention to the film.
“So, Dana, you’ve been going around alone ever since you awakened?”
Han Jibin fired off, his questions coming so rapidly that I wondered why he hadn’t asked them in school earlier.
“How did you end up with such a weird nickname that you can’t even say it?” he continued.
“Are you really not interested in Eunhyeol anymore?”
At this last question, I sensed even Eunbada, who had been engrossed in his book, and Ji Ganghan, who was lying with his eyes closed, suddenly perk up with interest.
“I’m really not interested,” I replied truthfully.
“If I had been interested from the beginning, I would have kept hiding my personality and followed him around.”
After about two hours of continuous chattering during the movie, we had become quite comfortable with each other.
I hadn’t really had the chance to speak with the Four Heavenly Kings before, and I had even intentionally avoided them, but I found myself getting along surprisingly well with Han Jibin.
It seemed he wasn’t called the “Social King” of the Four Heavenly Kings for nothing.
Eunbada and Ji Ganghan, who gradually joined the conversation, were also more normal than I had anticipated.
I had assumed that as novel protagonists, they would only say or do cringeworthy things, but while their unique characteristics were certainly present, they were more ordinary than I had initially thought.
Far more ordinary than I had imagined.
As we were talking in a lively atmosphere, a sarcastic voice drifted in from outside the lounge.
“Looks like you’ve gotten friendly already?”
“I know, I didn’t expect everyone to be together,” another voice chimed in.
Ban Eunhyeol and Yeon Hayeon, having already concluded their meeting, were leaning against the entrance, observing us.