Haeun experienced a second boom in popularity after the battle with the brigade, much larger than the first.
Firstly, the number of students doing strength training even during their breaks increased. Not only push-ups and sit-ups but also the area around the pull-up bars was always bustling with people.
The Zombie Squad, also part of HT, saw their stocks rise, and they were often hassled by others.
“Teach me this, teach me that, how do you do this?” and so on.
It seemed the Zombie Squad might need to switch their training regimen to just running away.
Ding dong dang dong.
During the club time amid such circumstances.
“Ji, Jinsung. Can you… teach me how to exercise too?”
“Hehe. Come here. I’ll kindly show you.”
“Gasp! No, it’s okay! I’ll do it myself! Sorry if I upset you!”
“……”
Although Jinsung tried to be as amiable as possible, to others, it was a murderous smile saying, ‘if you don’t want to die, get lost.’ It was clear that the student had been burned by Jinsung before.
Kim Seyun burst into laughter seeing the completely despondent Jinsung.
“Hohohoho! My poor husband, what am I going to do with you?”
“Are you calling me husband now… Please, just stop…”
“It’s not much different from when you were ostracized, right? Oh dear! You don’t make any friends, what will you do?”
“Sob. I might just cry outright.”
“I sympathize! Come! Embrace this sister! I’ll be your friend, wife, and husband!!”
“Please, just choose one… Just one….”
“Really? Then I’ll double my sympathy and, ahem, I’ll be your lifelong companion.”
Rumble rumble!
Suddenly, a crowd burst into the classroom, cutting off Kim Seyun’s words.
“Go on, go. Love knows no borders, nor age.”
“But, but Seyun senior is to Jinsung senior…”
“Without borders or age, what does rank matter? Come on, hurry.”
The crowd consisted of all first-year female students. Centered around a blushing girl, they were in a frenzy.
“Ooh. Senior Jinsung….”
The protagonist, holding a pink love letter, was small and adorable.
Any man would have found it difficult not to be charmed by such cuteness, which invariably inspired protective instincts.
Kim Seyun, stiff as an under-oiled robot, tapped Jinsung’s shoulder.
“Ji, Ji, Jinsung.”
“Stop teasing me. If you tease me one more time, I’ll go to the bathroom and openly cry.”
“No, no, no. Look, look over there.”
“Eh?”
“Who, who, who came to lo, lo, look for… our poor boy.”
“Are you imitating Sergeant Ahn Sungho now? Why are you suddenly doing a robot impression?”
“Lo, lo, look over there.”
Kim Seyun’s trembling arm pointed at a female student who was sitting with her head bowed and her limbs twisted.
“Kim Seyun, don’t tell me that is…!”
Park Jinsung’s face lit up like a 40-watt fluorescent bulb. He approached the girl with brisk steps and spoke in a deep, resonant voice.
“Ahem. What’s the matter?”
“Well… I’ve been watching you for a while, Senior Jinsung… Uuu, you’re, you’re so cool…”
“Heh, hehehe. Ahem! Thank you so much for thinking that.”
“Senior, please accept this letter.”
The girl, whose face was red as a tomato, bowed at 90 degrees as she offered the letter.
“Hmm. I will read it well.”
Just as Park Jinsung was about to receive the adorable envelope from the girl,
“Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! Park Jinsungggggggggggg!!”
Kim Seyun unleashed a sonic boom that shook not just the classroom but the entire corridor.
“Eh?! Deputy?!”
“We need to go exercise at HTttttttttttt?!”
“But, I should still take the letter.”
“What use is a letter when you’re exercisinggggggggggggggggggg?!”
“Oh no. Just sit transparently and read it, it’s fine.”
“Sorryyyyyy! My juniors! Ou! R! Jinsung is too busy with his exercises!!”
“No! Deputy! Why would you…!”
“Hey.”
As Kim Seyun suddenly dropped the tension, a chill ran through Park Jinsung.
“Ugh. Deputy…?”
“Let’s go.”
“But, the letter.”
“Let’s go.”
“Do, don’t interfere! Love has finally come to me…!”
“Love…? Looooooove…??”
“Well, that’s, I mean, that’s.”
“Are you sure?”
“No, that’s… not certain, but still.”
“I’m sure…!!”
“Huh?”
Kim Seyun and Park Jinsung both turned their heads simultaneously.
“I’m sure… Please accept it, senior…”
The instigator of all this turmoil was blushing fiercely, her hands trembling as she held out the letter to Park Jinsung.
“Ugh.”
Seeing the sincerity of the girl, even Kim Seyun felt a bit intimidated. No matter how one might try to wrap it up, Kim Seyun had no right to damage this girl’s feelings.
“…I’m envious.”
Kim Seyun unknowingly moved her lips.
“Huh? Deputy, what did you just say.”
“Sigh. It’s okay. I’ll go to the gym first. Take your time coming.”
The previously icy tension now took on a scent of deep regret. Park Jinsung struggled to keep up with Kim Seyun’s changes, his face filled with question marks.
“De, Deputy?! Why suddenly like that, Deputy! Depuuuttyy!!”
“I too…”
Kim Seyun, slowly stepping out of the classroom, softly touched her forehead. It was the spot where a horn would sprout when she used her Edeya.
“I wish I could have spoken more honestly.”
“Deputy!!”
Park Jinsung’s shallow call hopelessly split the empty air.
Trudge trudge trudge.
“Deputy…”
Park Jinsung couldn’t bring himself to stop Kim Seyun completely. The slender back of Kim Seyun walking down the hallway seemed unusually heavy today.
* * *
By the time Park Jinsung arrived at the gym, Kim Seyun had returned to her spirited self.
Unsure whether she was acting out or had reverted to her normal self, Park Jinsung decided to pretend he didn’t notice.
“What, why, what do you have to say? Then talk to me in the tone you used with that first-year girl earlier. I’ll say ‘yuck’ for you! Yuck!”
“Sniff sniff. It’s not yuck, not yuck.”
“Hmph. I thought I was going to die of cringe.”
“You came to me first, so why is Deputy making such a fuss.”
“What?! You’re really something! With my well-groomed, pure sexy, tall and curvy self here, how could you even think of looking at another girl?! Are your eyes twisted?!”
Kim Seyun vented her anger in an awkward S-line pose.
“Wow… ‘tall and curvy’ was a bit much… Why use such outdated expressions? Actually, Deputy is several years older than us.”
“Aaaaaah!! He absolutely shouldn’t have said that!!”
“So please stop joking around! Because of Deputy, even the love that was coming my way ran off!”
“Your love is right here! How many times do I have to tell you to marry me! I might just hit you!!”
“What kind of love involves hitting! I don’t like patriarchal or maternal dominance!”
The two raised their voices, regardless of the glances from passersby.
“Sniff. Goodbye, senior…”
The love letter girl, who had secretly followed them to the gym, swallowed her tears. Seeing the unbelievable chemistry between the two, she decided there was no room for her to intervene.
It had been the same before coming here.
[I’m sorry. Deputy’s gotten weird, I need to go see.]
[Senior… even just the letter…]
[I’m sorry. I’ll go ahead!]
“Sniff.”
As the girl with teardrop-like tears made her exit,
“Ha! I ask everyone to stand straight! We’ll be disgraced if the chief sees us like this!”
The booming decibels of Sparrow-eyes’s voice dominated the gym.
Sparrow-eyes was organizing the crowd gathered in front of the gym with the Zombie Squad. Upon spotting the Madame and the Captain, Sparrow-eyes’s face brightened.
“Oh! Madame! Captain too!”
“Hey! Sparrow-eyes! In your eyes, is this pathetic guy worth pitying, or am I, with my neat and pure sexy tall curvy look, the one who’s pitiful?”
As soon as Kim Seyun met Sparrow-eyes, she shot back sharply.
“Madame? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Hey! Corporal Sparrow-eyes! Why are you calling Deputy ‘Madame’! The Madame should have been the girl giving the love letter…!”
“Aaaaaaah! I must have really misjudged people! You have a husband who’s neat and pure sexy tall curvy and you dare to flirt openly?! You lecher!”
“Why is Deputy suddenly playing the role of a husband! Stop using those old and cheesy adjectives yourself! It’s outdated!”
The Zombie Squad, who had been sternly organizing people, was at a loss trying to handle these two.
Especially Sparrow-eyes, who tirelessly mediated between the two, struggled until they cooled off on their own.
“Ah! Please, calm down! Captain, Madame!”
“…Hmph. Alright, since there are many people around, I’ll end it here. But next time you cheat, I’ll break your legs.”
“Deputy! You always say what you want and then just disappear?!”
“Fine. Today you die and you die.”
“I can’t stand it today either! Why do I always have to die twice!”
“Aaaaaaaah! Madameee! Captaiiin!”
Sparrow-eyes squeezed between the two, ready to faint from their blows.
-Oooooo!
For the first time, the Zombie Squad, who had found Sparrow-eyes annoying, let out deep sighs of admiration. It was the moment when the cheeky junior perfectly blended among the seniors.
“Whew. Alright. According to Deputy’s words, since there are many onlookers, let’s stop here.”
“Hmph. I had something to say.”
‘Sob! I survived, seniors…!’
The Zombie Squad witnessed Sparrow-eyes stealthily wiping away tears.
‘Well done, junior!’
Thirty members of the Zombie Squad nodded continuously and gave thumbs up. Some were wiping tears or softly clapping.
“So, Corporal Sparrow-eyes, why are there so many people gathered today? Is it a tour?”
“Ah, no, today isn’t.”
“Today, we are conducting a membership test.”
Ahn Sungho, appearing from a corner of the gym, walked forward with the aura of a final boss.
“This is serious.”
The chairman of Hard Training, healed from all injuries, emitted an even tougher aura than before. Although his height and size remained the same, the impression he gave off was different.
Park Jinsung waved his hands dismissively in front of Ahn Sungho.
“Anyway, there’s no one who can pass for a while. Fitness doesn’t improve that quickly.”
“You’re right. But cases like the Zombie Squad have emerged, so there’s a need to keep an eye on it.”
“Our Zombie Squad was always robust. They were kids who compensated for their Edeya with their bodies, so they caught up quickly.”
“…Conducting a test at this timing will make them give up on their own.”
Ahn Sungho casually remarked as he turned his body towards the entrance of the gym.
“Indeed…! As expected of the sergeant! I was foolish!”
“If you understand, then hurry up and let the applicants into the gym.”
“Hey! Corporal Sparrow-eyes!”
Park Jinsung called out to Sparrow-eyes, who was mingling with the Zombie Squad. The members of the Zombie Squad were petting Sparrow-eyes like a mother bird would its chicks.
“Captain, did you call for me?”
“You should also take this test.”
“Huh? Wasn’t I already a member of the Zombie Squad? I followed your orders and dealt with 998 splendidly.”
“You can only truly be called a member of the Zombie Squad once you’re part of HT.”
“That’s impossible…”
“Members, don’t you all agree?”
“……”
The flustered members slowly turned their heads away.
“Hmm. Something feels off?”
“Khek! Fine! I’ll give it a try, Captain!”
“Excellent. Especially for our Corporal Sparrow-eyes, we will accept personal test applications as well. So don’t be too disappointed if you fail this time.”
“Ha! Seniors! I will definitely become a zombie!”
Whoosh!
Although it was a somewhat strange statement for a resolution, it was received with great emotion by the Zombie Squad. It felt like a fledgling bird leaving the nest to fly for the first time.
“Deputy, did you hear? We’re going to conduct the HT entrance test now.”
“……”
“So it’s okay if you go home first.”
“I’m, I’m supposed to stay here…”
Kim Seyun, who had been glued to her phone, suddenly turned pale.
“Eh? Deputy?”
“Hey, Poor Boy. Could I possibly stay at your place for a while?”
“……?!”
Kim Seyun’s casual remark shocked everyone around them.
“That’s not possible. There’s only one bed.”
“……?!!”
People who had gasped with one hand over their mouths now had to cover them with both hands. Park Jinsung’s nonchalant rejection and Kim Seyun’s indifferent attitude were typical of today’s so-called cool patients.
Kim Seyun put her phone in her pocket and took a deep breath.
“Whew. Jinsung, then, could you do one thing for me?”
“…What’s the matter?”
“There will be a strange kid coming here soon?”
“Haha. Is that strange kid me, by any chance?”
A drippingly sweet voice interrupted Kim Seyun’s words.
“Ugh. They’re already here….”
“That reaction is too much, Seyun. You know how eagerly I have awaited this moment.”
Manjjitnam.
A man as if torn out of a comic.
“I missed you, Seyun.”
The man who appeared before Kim Seyun had a face, proportions, and an aura that seemed straight out of a romance comic.
Smoothness that did not pale in comparison to Kim Seyun’s porcelain skin.
Stateliness that did not falter next to Kim Seyun’s tall and slender proportions.
And handsomeness that matched Kim Seyun’s beautiful face, the best of the best.
“Look at those clear eyes… I want to swim in them…”
“Wow. His facial features are amazing. It’s like his eyes, nose, and lips are raising their hands saying ‘pick me’.”
Especially his Western-style blonde hair and distinct features captured the hearts of many women. The female students who had come to see Park Jinsung now groaned at the sight of this man.
“Crazy…”
“That guy is really dazzlingly handsome.”
Not just the female students, but even the male students found themselves agape. There was no other man who could so fittingly be described as beautifully handsome.
“Seyun, you are even more beautiful in person.”
“Kyaa! Don’t talk so cheesily! It gives me hives!”
Kim Seyun dramatically recoiled from the man. However, even this scene appeared to others as a playful moment between two attractive people.
“Eh? Deputy?”
“Hide me, Jinsung.”
Kim Seyun deliberately moved behind Park Jinsung and peeked out. The intrusion of Park Jinsung between the handsome pair was like throwing a bucket of ink on a beautiful piece of art.
“Huh. Seyun, is that how you’re going to play it?”
‘Uh-oh. This feels ominous.’
“Nice to meet you, Jinsung. I am.”
Manjjitnam approached right up to Park Jinsung’s nose.
“My name is Bratislava Fetch. I look forward to our acquaintance.”
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