As Chae Yu-hwan lurked around the Gamseong High School dorms, he spotted Yeon Ha-yeon and the Four Heavenly Kings returning.
The Four Heavenly Kings looked unharmed, but it was clear at a glance that Yeon Ha-yeon had taken quite a beating.
A satisfied smile almost crept onto his face.
He quickly composed his expression and casually walked as if taking a stroll, rolling his eyes to keep watching Yeon Ha-yeon.
Her usually neat, straight, flowing black hair was disheveled.
While not completely tangled, for Yeon Ha-yeon to look like that, he could guess what the scene must have been like.
He couldn’t precisely tell how injured she was because she was clothed, but she had a bruise on her temple and scratches all over her face and hands.
Just seeing that made him feel good.
‘It was a good idea to involve the #2 ranked hunter in Japan after all.’
After being beaten and dragged away by Do Yi-hyeon, his standing at school had diminished.
It was because Do Yi-hyeon, who usually left him alone, would occasionally interfere when he shouldn’t.
If Do Yi-hyeon caught him trying to extort money from a classmate, he knew that day’s plans were ruined.
Do Yi-hyeon would always step in, thwart his plans, and send the classmate away.
Even if he received a request and tried to work, it was impossible if Do Yi-hyeon caught wind of it.
‘He must be interfering because I annoyed him once.’
Otherwise, he couldn’t think of a valid reason for Do Yi-hyeon to obstruct him so much.
He could only assume it was the price for upsetting that inscrutable guy’s mood.
And seeing Yeon Ha-yeon, who had put him in this situation, enter the dorms looking like that felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his chest.
He immediately pulled out his phone.
After a few rings, Baek Geon-ho of the Baekho Clan answered in a low voice.
[What happened?]
“I sent you the pictures, so please check them.”
When he spoke with a hint of a smile in his voice, a hearty laugh was heard a moment later.
[Hahaha, the young punk really used his head. I’ll keep an eye on the situation in Osaka, so if you come up with any more interesting ideas, contact me right away.]
The call ended. Chae Yu-hwan recalled the days he had spent racking his brain and savored his sweet reward.
The strategy he had presented to Baek Geon-ho was this: the so-called “hands-free nose-picking” operation.
Neither the Baekho Clan nor he, unfortunately, had enough power to contend with Yeon Ha-yeon. If the powerless wanted revenge, there was only one way.
Utilize someone with power equal to the target of revenge.
The plan was to manipulate things behind the scenes to make them move as they desired.
Of course, smart individuals wouldn’t fall for such a ploy; instead, they would immediately spot something strange and potentially attack the Baekho Clan.
So, they carefully selected people who would move as they wished.
At the end of that selection process was Itou Mitsuki, the daughter of an Osaka yakuza boss and a high school student active as the #2 ranked Awakened in Japan.
Mitsuki preferred using force over brains, had a simple personality that couldn’t tolerate provocation, and, most importantly, was young and easy to exploit.
Baek Geon-ho used a spy he had planted in the Yeonhwa Clan a long time ago to send a challenging letter filled with provocation to Mitsuki, making it seem like it originated from the Yeonhwa Clan.
Since it was sent in Yeon Ha-yeon’s name from the Yeonhwa Clan, Mitsuki would have accepted it without suspicion.
Of course, the Yeonhwa Clan spy who carried out this task was immediately eliminated to prevent exposure.
The challenge letter stated that the Yeonhwa Clan had a high-level psychic Awakened who could defeat them with just mind control, and they subtly leaked false information that this Awakened was Dan-a.
Then, Mitsuki, provoked, would first target Dan-a to show her superiority, and since Dan-a would be in trouble, Yeon Ha-yeon would naturally go to find Mitsuki to save her.
Chae Yu-hwan just needed to actively utilize the fact that Gamseong High’s school trip overlapped and they shared the same dorms, then happily watch from the sidelines.
‘If Yeon Ha-yeon is in that state, Mitsuki must be in an even worse condition. Now I’m looking forward to seeing how her father reacts.’
Mitsuki’s father being a yakuza boss also played a significant role in using her.
The ultimate goal was to turn it into a conflict between organizations, not just a one-off fight. Then Yeon Ha-yeon would suffer considerable damage.
Coincidentally, Mitsuki was also ranked #2, and there was information that her father’s organization also had a good number of high-grade Awakened individuals.
Chae Yu-hwan tilted his head back and looked at the night sky.
Quite a few stars were visible that were hard to see in the city.
He looked at the sky and burst out laughing.
“Is he crazy?”
Hae-geum, who passed by and saw him, looked at him as if he were a strange person, but he didn’t care and enjoyed the refreshing sea breeze of Jeju Island.
“Ugh, it’s cold.”
Then he shivered and quickly scurried into the dorm.
***
After the big incident, the school trip proceeded peacefully, with no further gate occurrences or crimes like kidnapping.
“Eun-hyeol-ah! Is there anything else you need treated? Ji-bin-ah, is that a scratch?! I’ll treat it right away!”
There was just one person disrupting the peace.
Shin Se-na, with a blush on her face, lingered near the Four Heavenly Kings.
“We don’t need anything, so go to your own class now.”
Ban Eun-hyeol waved his hand, his voice dripping with annoyance.
It meant “get lost.”
“They said we don’t have to move as a class. Look, those other kids are all going up with their friends too?”
Shin Se-na pointed to children from other classes who were diligently climbing Seongsan Ilchulbong.
Seeing that, Ban Eun-hyeol’s face contorted in irritation.
I had already gone up with Yeon Ha-yeon, avoiding Shin Se-na.
After what happened last night, I quietly called Shin Se-na over.
It was then that I remembered Shin Se-na was a healer.
Startled to see Yeon Ha-yeon, Shin Se-na nodded, promising not to tell anyone.
After first tending to Yeon Ha-yeon, Shin Se-na generously healed the Four Heavenly Kings too, asking if they were hurt, and that was the result.
Shin Se-na, completely mistaken that the Four Heavenly Kings needed and called for her, clung to them and wouldn’t leave their side.
Even when they moved to another location, Shin Se-na followed the Four Heavenly Kings closely.
Her friends trailed behind her, making it look like a grand migration of ducklings.
I looked up at the blue sky where white cumulus clouds floated by.
Except for the first day, the weather had been cooperative, staying clear throughout.
It felt like we could finally enjoy the rest of the school trip safely, without anything else happening.
But that peace didn’t last long.
“Isn’t that Iljin Commercial High?”
Yeon Ha-yeon said, spotting Do Yi-hyun and his friends.
It was already overwhelming enough that Iljin Commercial High’s school trip dates and dorms overlapped with ours; I hadn’t realized our itineraries would too.
I intentionally looked away, trying not to see where Do Yi-hyun was.
But I saw Do Yi-hyun, reflected in the aquarium glass, gradually coming towards us.
“Should we go see something else?”
My steps, as I tried to lead Yeon Ha-yeon elsewhere, stopped.
I looked up at Do Yi-hyun, who stood before me.
With his usual expressionless face, he looked down at me, then leaned slightly and pointed to the side, saying, “There’s a giant octopus over there.”
I was speechless at the sudden remark.
If I were to say “So what?” to Do Yi-hyun here, I’d undoubtedly have to endure the piercing glares of countless female students.
In fact, even now, there were many female students looking this way.
No one had ever seen Do Yi-hyun initiate a conversation with a female student first.
If a female student approached him to confess, he would quickly walk past her with his characteristic blank expression.
“W-what are we seeing right now?”
“Do Yi-hyun just spoke to a girl first?”
The murmuring of the female students was clearly audible.
Do Yi-hyun, who would usually disappear somewhere if he cared about such attention, slowly moved his lips.
“Want to go see it together?”
At his words, gasps were heard from all around.
“What’s with the giant octopus? If you come to an aquarium, you should see sharks.”
Just then, Ban Eun-hyeol interjected.
Standing beside me, he gestured with his chin towards the sharks and urged us to go quickly. Do Yi-hyun’s eyes sank.
“Just a common shark.”
“What? So is a giant octopus rare?”
“There are also many amazing jellyfish over there.”
“Hey! Are you ignoring me?!”
Why are these two acting so childish?
With so many onlookers, I didn’t even feel like engaging with them.
“Lee Dan-a, shark or giant octopus?”
“Jellyfish.”
“Ha, fine. Shark or jellyfish?”
Ban Eun-hyeol and Do Yi-hyun, who had been glaring at each other in a standoff, both looked at me simultaneously.
Did I really have to answer such a question?
“You two can hold hands and enjoy watching sharks and jellyfish all you want. I’m going to see the penguins with Ha-yeon.”
Receiving their fierce, competitive stares, I led Yeon Ha-yeon away from the spot.
It bothered me a little when Do Yi-hyun hesitated, then returned to his friends, but it was only for a moment.
“You said you were going to see penguins.”
But the Four Heavenly Kings were still moving with us.
Ban Eun-hyeol looked around and blurted out, “We’re going to.”
“What’s this? This fish is really ugly.”
“Why would you hurt the fish’s feelings?”
“Heh, now that I think about it, this one looks a bit like you.”
“Have you ever been slapped by a fish?”
Ban Eun-hyeol’s constant remarks with every step infuriated me.
Whether I reacted or not, he continued to throw out comments, trying to tease me.
Eun Ba-da shook her head, seeing Ban Eun-hyeol like that.
“Eun-hyeol-ah, that’s childish.”
When Han Ji-bin said something, Ban Eun-hyeol closed his mouth, embarrassed.
It seemed like we could finally enjoy the viewing in peace.