Chapter 180
***
Lee Hyun walked through the dormitory grounds, wearing a strange lion mask he had received in advance instead of his usual school uniform and mask.
Most students wanted to enjoy socializing from early in the morning, so the surroundings were quiet without any sign of people.
In contrast, the commotion of social gatherings, echoing from afar, was adding to the excitement.
He was walking briskly, but he seemed to be absorbed in thought, as if he had no interest in the festival.
‘…Enjoy. Whoever you meet, whatever you do, just do as you please.’
‘But promise me one thing.’
The words Yeon Minha had whispered the day before still lingered in his ears, swaying like the wind.
‘By midnight on the 13th… make sure to come under the Centennial Tree.’
“Centennial Tree…”
He had heard about the Centennial Tree a few times in passing.
The vast garden of the Cradle, where it was common for new students to get lost.
An old broad-leaved tree firmly rooted in its center.
Its name is a nickname given because it has been with the Cradle’s history, which is close to a hundred years.
Thanks to absorbing all the rich particles that permeated the veins of the earth in all directions, its branches were so huge that they covered dozens of meters in all directions.
Even after firmly rejecting the suggestion to show his face at any small gathering, Yeon Minha continued to speak only her words.
‘You must come.’
‘No matter what happens, no matter who tries to hold you back.’
‘…Definitely.’
The 13th is the second day of the social gathering.
There is a schedule to handle both the tournament and Kwon Yuri’s secret meeting.
However, Yeon Minha’s voice was full of determination, which he had never heard before.
That’s why Lee Hyun immediately answered that he understood.
As if he were possessed by something.
‘It’ll be fine. The tournament is during the day, and the secret meeting is said to be held around the evening…’
However, he couldn’t grasp the meaning of the specific conditions of midnight and under the Centennial Tree.
“She didn’t seem angry…”
Yeon Minha had woken up at dawn and disappeared, so he didn’t have a chance to ask her more.
It was even more strange that she didn’t even pester him to sleep together as usual.
“Hey, Senior…! What are you doing…!”
“…?”
Lee Hyun was struggling for a long time.
What woke him from his reverie was some kind of commotion coming from the schoolyard, the meeting place.
A female student whose beauty could not be completely hidden even by a ridiculous monkey mask.
She looked very annoyed and was about to kick a greasy-looking male student in the crotch.
“Sigh…”
Lee Hyun sighed slightly when he saw him.
Then he shook his head hard from side to side as if to shake something off.
Now was the time to carry out the given task, not to worry about unanswered questions.
***
“S-Someone else’s woman? What are you… Argh!!”
Udeuk- As soon as he put strength into his hand, the man screamed loudly.
But his distorted face somehow looked familiar.
Come to think of it, this guy was the third-year senior who was flirting with Yeon Minha in the hallway last time.
“L-Let go of this… Argh!”
Recalling that fact, he felt his grip tighten involuntarily.
The male student squirmed even more, like a caterpillar in dire straits.
He still hasn’t come to his senses after being so humiliated.
For a moment, he felt the urge to break his arm altogether… but there are too many eyes on him right now.
Moreover, today he was in a strange position where he had to act as Jin Yeseo’s lover but hide his identity.
If he caused too much of a commotion and even the guards were mobilized, he might be asked to reveal his identity.
Then all his efforts so far would be in vain.
Today is the first day of the social gathering.
Excited hearts, competitive spirit.
Minor quarrels would probably happen countless times here and there.
It is physically impossible to control all those quarrels.
As long as he doesn’t inflict excessive harm on the other party.
“Argh!”
In the end, instead of breaking his arm, he chose to push the man to the ground like last time.
The man lost his balance and fell to the stone floor, letting out a ridiculous scream.
He is proud of himself for controlling his anger well.
He could definitely feel that he was growing little by little.
His sisters would have been really happy if they saw this.
“Gasp… Gasp…!”
The man, who had barely escaped his grasp, took a moment to catch his breath.
Then, as if he had completely forgotten that he had been begging so pitifully until just now, he raised his finger and shouted.
“You, who the hell do you think you are! How dare you…!”
“Who else, I just told you. You must be pretty dumb for a Cradle student.”
“Huh…?”
He pretended to pull Jin Yeseo, who was standing there blankly for some reason, closer to him.
The position was also good.
“I am the fiancé of the Young Lady of Baekgwang.”
“What…? F-Fiancé…?”
The man muttered, turning his head back and forth between him and Jin Yeseo with a stupid expression.
He wondered if he might recognize his identity because of the previous encounter, but looking at his face, it doesn’t seem like it.
It seems that giving his vocal cords a slight injury to change his voice was not a bad choice.
“S-So the person you were waiting for…? Could it be that Jin Yeseo…? What nonsense…”
“Nonsense or not, can’t you see? Huh?”
He put his arm around Jin Yeseo’s shoulder and pulled her closer, saying.
Jin Yeseo also followed his acting without making a sound.
“How dare you flirt with someone who already has a fiancé. Even if you are a member of the Magi 27 Families, do you think you can just get away with this?”
“I, I… That’s not it…!”
He threatened the man who was still sitting on the ground.
He trembled, unable to even make eye contact.
There was no trace of his earlier relaxed attitude.
And how much time had passed?
In the end, unable to endure it any longer, the man ran away on all fours.
“I, I…! I, I’m sorry…!”
In the place where he left, only an apology that didn’t sound like an apology remained as a faint afterglow.
It was quite resentful that he started the trouble and couldn’t even clean it up properly, but there was no need to chase after him now.
It seems that the strategy of deliberately treating him with disrespect and being overbearing worked successfully.
He knows that Myeongwon, Chun Suho’s family, is a new power that has recently taken the last seat of the Magi 27 Families.
This strategy worked because there are many people above him.
If the opponent was from a slightly higher-ranking family, it would have been a useless method.
He was worried that there might be a fight, but this is a relief.
After finishing the situation appropriately, he finally turned his gaze to Jin Yeseo below.
“Hey.”
“Huh, huh?”
Jin Yeseo, who had been shaking her head with unfocused eyes, came to her senses after being called a couple of times.
“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”
“N-No… It’s not that…”
She seemed to have a lot on her mind.
Jin Yeseo took a deep breath.
Then, finally, she glared at him with lively eyes.
“Hey. Who said I’m your woman?”
“What? Are you kidding me? Who asked for help?”
He’s suddenly dumbfounded.
Is this something that should come out of the mouth of someone who made him practice for days?
“Don’t you remember? You clearly said you should introduce yourself like that to others. You said you need to make a strong impression.”
“W-Well… That’s true… but it was so sudden…”
At his retort, Jin Yeseo stammered with an embarrassed expression.
“It’s not my business, it’s your business. Then you have to do it properly. You said you don’t want to be dragged around by your family anymore.”
“B-Business…”
Jin Yeseo repeated his words with a strange expression.
“…That’s right. It’s business.”
Then, as if she had finally come to her senses, she nodded with determined eyes.
The girl in the monkey mask cleared her throat a couple of times and looked around.
“…Ahem. B-Let’s move. I think we’ve been attracting too much attention here…”
***
They walked side by side and blended into the crowd.
Guests wearing bizarre animal-shaped masks, stalls attracting attention with colorful magic, outdoor stages where demonstrations of various weapons were being held.
Even though the sun was still in the middle of the sky, the festive atmosphere was already at its peak.
“How is that lion mask?”
“It’s usable. It’s a bit heavy though…”
“It couldn’t be helped. It was the only one that covered the entire hair and face.”
There was a hint of apology in Jin Yeseo’s voice.
In fact, it seems that it couldn’t be helped.
Aside from the hair, at least the area around the nose with the scar needed to be covered.
“…Ahem. And what happened earlier was… not a bad performance.”
Jin Yeseo avoided eye contact and continued, as if she was embarrassed.
“I think the audience was also a bit surprised. It was quite an unconventional opening to the play.”
“Audience? Are you talking about the people who gathered around?”
“Of course, it’s important to show it to those people. But the audience I’m talking about is different.”
Jin Yeseo shook her head and said.
“Do you see? The man in the back with a beard and a hat.”
Jin Yeseo whispered, gesturing with her eyes to a middle-aged man who had been following them from a distance.
“He’s one of the direct servants of the head of Baekgwang. I know his face too. He can’t fool my eyes, no matter how disguised he is.”
Her green eyes darted around wildly.
“And the woman with the crocodile head over there, the skinny guy with the round glasses, the hairy guy handing out helium balloons, and…”
“…”
Jin Yeseo’s mouth was relentless.
The head of Baekgwang must be a very suspicious person.
Now he understands a little why Jin Yeseo tried to prepare so thoroughly.
“He sent a lot of people… Anyway, today’s goal is one thing. To firmly imprint our affection on those watchmen.”
“I know. I’ve heard it many times already. So what should we do now?”
Jin Yeseo glared at him as if he was being annoying.
But she soon lowered her tail and muttered in a small voice.
“What do you mean, what to do? Just like before… create the most affectionate appearance possible.”
End of Chapter